Since posting the 41 Short Spreads two years ago, I’ve continued to find (and sometimes create) even better spreads for getting answers to life’s questions.  Here is a list of the best of those spreads

Half the skill in using the Tarot is posing good questions. Below are inquiries covering nearly every aspect of your life. Scroll down and find the spread that fits your needs.  Try this with a friend so that you can help each other with your interpretations.  If you would like me to find a new spread to fit your needs, please let me know!

A word about reading for yourself if you are anxious

If you find that anxiety makes you pull the scariest cards, then know that you are projecting negative expectations. This doesn’t mean that the worst things will end out happening to you, but that you take the negative view of things that happen and also that you may tend to  pull cards that reflect your very powerful anxious mind state. It’s a habit of thinking that causes suffering, and also doesn’t help the situation because you are projecting negativity.  Check out  my post on how to become happier (and consider subscribing to the free website, Happify.com for daily tips so you can begin to shift to a more positive outlook.  Happiness takes time and practice.

In the meantime, find someone to read cards with you.    Another way is to find a gentle deck, like the Osho Zen deck, and after throwing the cards, look up the meanings in their book.    Remember the cards are not an absolute objective truth, but  a subjective  view.

What if I get a negative outcome? If you ask a question and throw a negative outcome,  know that you must work through your negative interpretation  to get to all that is good. When I was first learning to read the cards, I would deal with negative outcomes by continuing to throw a few more cards until I saw a positive outcome.  I’d interpret that to mean that I’d have to go through some painful  experiences before I’d find the light. Another way to deal with negative outcomes is to read the cards that come before it for insight as to why the outcome might be negative. No outcome is cast in concrete. When we look into the future, we are receiving warnings that can help us take a higher road.

How to lay out the cards.  Unless specified below, lay the cards from left to right and read them in their numbered order.

SPREADS ABOUT YOUR PURPOSE, LESSONS, SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT

  1. NEW MOON SPREAD — NURTURING GROWTH WITHIN ME

Do this spread as a new moon is approaching. Then make an intention for your own growth that you plan to realize while the moon waxes to full. An intention is like a New Year’s resolution – it is something you resolve to do.  Now  watch the new moon expand each night, knowing that your intention is growing  into fullness along with the moon.

  1. What”s ready to emerge from within me?
  2. What must I overcome to push through?
  3. How can I nourish it to grow and bear fruit?
  4. Outcome

2. FULL MOON SPREAD – WHAT WANTS TO BE RELEASED WITHIN ME

When the moon is full, you can celebrate what has grown within you and prepare to release energies that no longer serve you. After doing this spread,  decide what you want to release in the coming weeks. See it as the moon and watch it get smaller each night until it disappears altogether with the new moon.

  1. What is still buried within me that I want to release?
  2. How can I best liberate myself in the coming months?
  3. What can interfere with my success?
  4. Outcome.

3. BLIND SIDE SPREAD

  1. This is your outside appearance; what you know and others can see.
  2. This is the unknown; what you”re not aware of, no one can see, but what is ruling.
  3. This is the hidden; what you know but won”t show others.
  4. This is the blind spot; what you can”t see but what others see in you.

4. WHERE AM I HEADED?

  1. Where am I now?
  2. What do I need to let go?
  3. What are my obstacles to change?
  4. Where am I headed next?
  5. Outcome

5. DHARMA SPREAD (SPIRITUAL LIFE LESSONS)

  1. What is my lesson right now?
  2. How can I grow spiritually at this time?
  3. What”s my biggest challenge at this time?
  4. Outcome

6. MANDALA SPREAD

  1. Overview of myself
  2. Ambitions, goals
  3. Achievements
  4. Dependencies, faulty beliefs
  5. Strengths

7. THE WORLD BEYOND

  1. What is it like on the other side?
  2. Why do we come here?
  3. What does the other side have to teach me?

8. INNER PEACE SPREAD

1:   Quality within me that leads me to inner peace.
2:   Obstacle within me to attaining inner peace.
3:   If there is any one thing I should be doing to achieve inner peace?
4:   Something in my environment that helps or blocks me.
5:   Outcome

9. SELF DISCOVERY SPREAD

1. Who have I been?
2. Who am I now?
3. Who am I becoming?

10. SIX STEPS TO FULFILLMENT

Lay out six cards in an upward diagonal from left to right.
Card 1: Where I am right now in my journey to fulfillment.
Card 2-5: Lessons I need to learn to reach fulfillment.
Card 6: Outcome.

11. PATH TO HAPPINESS

1. What are the strengths I bring to every situation?
3. What quality in myself should I develop more?
4. Where am I headed in the short-term?
5. Where am I headed in the long-term?

12. MY PURPOSE ”“ by Vicky Pinheiro

  1. What is the purpose that I was brought here to fulfill?
  2. What obstacles do I need to get over?
  3. 3 Lessons (lay out 3 cards) I need to learn along the way.
  4. Who or what can help me attain my goal?
  5. What can I give to the world?

13. TREASURE WITHIN ME by Linda

1. How do other people perceive me?
2. What is my shining self?
3. What is my inner most passion?
4. What is hidden within me that is waiting to be discovered?

14. MY PURPOSE THIS LIFETIME by Irene

  1. What did you come into this world for this lifetime?
  2. What did you come into your specific family for?
  3. What is the specific emotion that”s been most difficult for you to learn to use to your advantage this time?
  4. What is your biggest challenge this time around?
  5. What will be your greatest gift this time?
  6. What is your greatest lesson this time?

SPREADS ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS

15. RELATIONSHIP SPREAD (for a specific loved one) This is my favorite  spread for understanding your relationship with another person.

  • 1 – 3: Lay three cards in a triangle on the left.  These are aspects of you that you need to understand.
  • 3 – 6: Lay three cards in a triangle on the right. These are aspects of your loved  one that you need to understand.
  • 7. Pull one card and place it in the middle. This is advice as to how to proceed in this relationship.

16. NEW RELATIONSHIP

1.  What I bring to the relationship.
2.  What the other person brings to the relationship.
3.  Nature of the relationship for me
4.  Challenges to the relationship for me.
5. How the relationship will progress.

17. FINDING THE RIGHT MATE

  1. What I need to know about myself in partnership
  2. What am I looking for in a partner?
  3. Positive qualities I bring to a relationship.
  4. Obstacles within myself to finding the right partner
  5. What will help me find a new partner?

18. COMPARING  UP TO THREE POSSIBLE RELATIONSHIPS FOR YOU (this follows the format of the #15 Relationship Spread, only you add extra triads of cards for each additional person you want to compare.

Lay out the cards in a circle in groups of three cards for each person you are considering.  On the top of the circle (at midnight) lay out three cards in a triangle to describe your own energy in relationship.  At nine o’clock, six o’clock and three o’clock lay out in triangle formation groups of three cards for each of up to three people you are considering.  Place in the center of each circle a card which represents the advice for you about that person.

  1. 18. GROWING TO RELATIONSHIP

Lay out six cards in an upward diagonal from left to right.
Card 1: Where I am right now in my love journey.
Cards 2-5: Lessons I need to learn or steps I need to take to attain love.
Card 6: Outcome.

19. FUTURE LOVE – when you haven’t met the person yet.

  1. My future true love
  2. Will the attraction be instant or a gradual awakening?
  3. What will this person be like?
  4. Challenges I’ll face.
  5. What will help us along?
  6. When/where/how will I meet this person?

20. LOVED ONE ON THE OTHER SIDE

  1. How is my loved one doing?
  2. Anything my loved one wants to say to me.
  3. What”s it like on the other side?
  4. How can I best support you?

21. YOUR CHILD

1. What my child came into life to learn.
2. How my child is doing now
3. What graces my child.
4. What my child needs from me.
5. Where the child is headed at this time?

22. YOUR UNBORN CHILD

  • Will my child be born  early, late, or on time?
  • What is my unborn child’s personality?
  • What is my unborn child coming here to teach us?
  • Why has my unborn child chosen to come through me?
  • What might be my past life connection with my unborn child, if any?
  • What else may I know about my unborn child?
  • What does my unborn child need from me?

23. YOUR PET

1.  What my pet is feeling.
2.  What my pet is trying to tell me.
3.  What my pet most wants from me.
4.  What I can do to help my pet.
5.  My pet’s general health.

24.   PERSON YOU DON”T LIKE SPREAD

  1. What is it I don”t like about this person?
  2. What is it that this person triggers within me that I have been avoiding?
  3. How might this person be a teacher for me?
  4. What obstacles are there to my learning?
  5.  What do I need in order to grow from this relationship?

 CAREER, MONEY, HEALTH

25. CAREER SPREAD (FINDING MY LIFE”S WORK)

  1. What I am good at doing.
  2. What I enjoy doing.
  3. My calling.
  4. Obstacles  I face to finding my right work.
  5. Issues in my environment I should know about.
  6. Anything else I should understand about finding my right work
  7. The next best step to bring me to my true work.
  8. Someone who will help me along the way.
  9.  Outcome

26. MONEY

1.  My current financial situation.
2.  What is the lesson here for me regarding money?
3.  Who or what project will bring in more money?
4. Outcome

27. HEALTH SPREAD

1: What is the overall state of my health?
2: What is the overall state of my mind?
3: What is the overall state of my body?
4: What is the overall state of my spirit?
5: How do I integrate these  parts of myself?

28. CHAKRA SPREAD Tells condition of your body”s energy centers

1: Root chakra ”“ physical, including sexual, health
2: Hara ”“ center of your being, digestion, overall life force
3: Solar Plexus ”“ strength of will
4: Heart chakra ”“ your love
5: Throat Chakra ”“ communication center
6: Intellect Chakra ”“ intellectual center
7: Crown Chakra – spiritual center

29. MY FOCUS AT THIS TIME IN MY LIFE

1: The issue that”s upper most in my mind.
2: Something more to know about it.
3: Obstacle to my focus.
4: What to do about it?
5: Outcome

30. EMPOWERMENT SPREAD

1: This is my power.
2: How it is best used.
3: What inhibits this power within me?
4: How can I bring it out more?

31. ESSENCE OF YOU AT THIS TIME

  1. Soul card
  2. Personality or external card
  3. Crossing card or challenge

SPREADS ABOUT A SPECIFIC SITUATION & WHAT TO DO

32. EVENT SPREAD

1.What does this event have in store for me?
2. What do I need to watch out for?
3. What can I do about it?
4. Result
33. ADVICE SPREAD

  1. Problem
  2. Background
  3. Advice
34. DO THIS-DON”T DO THAT-SPREAD

  1. Do This
  2. Don”t Do This
  3. Overview

35. UNDERSTANDING SELF IN ANY SITUATION

  1. My inner self regarding a situation
  2. My outer self regarding a situation
  3. What I need to confront.
  4. What”s helping me.
  5. Outcome.

36. PROBLEM SOLVING SPREAD

  1. Nature of the problem
  2. What led up to the current problem
  3. Current attitude/actions that preserve the status quo
  4. Secondary gains from staying in the situation
  5. Necessary changes in attitude/actions
  6. Outcome

37. STALEMATE SPREAD

  1. The overall conlict/situation
  2. How they really feel about you
  3. How you really feel about them
  4. Common Grounds (what the 2 of you have in common and can use to help the situation)
  5. Outcome

38. ADVERSITY SPREAD

  1. Describe the situation I find myself in.
  2. What do I fear?
  3. What”s the lesson in it for me?
  4. How might I end out benefiting from this situation?
  5. Obstacles within me to my growth
  6. Outcome at this time.

SPREADS ABOUT THE FUTURE

39. FUTURE DIRECTION

1. What do I need to progress?
2. Is there a positive help to be asked for?
3. Is there a venue to pursue?

36. PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE

  1. Past
    1. Relationships
    2. Financial
    3. Professional
  2. Present
    1. Relationships
    2. Financial
    3. Professional
  3. Future
    1. Relationships
    2. Financial
    3. Professional

40. THE NEXT DECADE OF MY LIFE

  1. What am I finishing now and leaving?
  2. Who are my guides for this next journey?
  3. What traits can I work on to achieve a more successful outcome?
  4. What will be my new learn strengths?
  5. Outcome?

41. WHAT”S AHEAD OF ME?

1. What you need to leave behind, to release.
2. What you must confront.
3. What you need to know.
4. What you attain.

43. PAST LIFE SPREAD

1. Show me a past life.
2. What was my purpose in that life?
3. What what my profession or avocation in that life?
4. What other family members were in that life?
5. Were there other people from this life in that life?
6. What lessons did I learn?
7. Did I fulfill my purpose?

SPREADS USING ONLY THE MAJOR ARCANA OR TRUMP CARDS