How to Lay Tarot Cards: History, Decks, and the Art of Reading

Tarot cards have fascinated mystics, psychologists, and everyday seekers for centuries. Whether you see them as a spiritual tool, a mirror for self-reflection, or just a creative way to access intuition, the practice of laying tarot cards—also known as a tarot spread—can be both profound and surprisingly practical.

🌙 A Brief History of Tarot

The tarot began in 15th-century Italy, not as a mystical tool but as a playing card game called tarocchi. The ornate decks used by the nobility were hand-painted works of art. It wasn’t until the 18th century that tarot cards became linked to divination and esoteric symbolism, largely thanks to French occultists like Antoine Court de Gébelin and Jean-Baptiste Alliette (Etteilla).

Over time, tarot evolved from entertainment to enlightenment. The imagery of the Major Arcana—The Fool, The Lovers, Death, and The World—became associated with archetypes of the human journey, while the Minor Arcana reflected everyday challenges and emotions.

Today, tarot is used worldwide as a psychological, spiritual, and even creative tool.

🃏 The Structure of a Tarot Deck

A traditional tarot deck contains 78 cards, divided into two main groups:

The Major Arcana (22 cards)
Represent life's larger themes and spiritual lessons. Examples: The Fool, The Magician, The Tower.
The Minor Arcana (56 cards)
Split into four suits—Cups, Pentacles, Swords, and Wands—each representing an aspect of human experience:
- Cups → emotions, relationships
- Pentacles → work, money, physical world
- Swords → thoughts, conflict, intellect
- Wands → energy, ambition, creativity

Each suit contains cards from Ace to 10, plus four court cards: Page, Knight, Queen, and King.

🔮 How to Lay Tarot Cards

Laying tarot cards is an act of focus and intention. You don’t need psychic powers—just curiosity and a willingness to explore meaning.

1. Set the Scene

Find a quiet space. You can light a candle or play soft music, but the main point is focus.
Take a few deep breaths and center yourself.

2. Shuffle the Deck

As you shuffle, hold a question or topic in mind. This could be as specific as “Should I change jobs?” or as open as “What do I need to understand today?”

Let the shuffle continue until it feels right. There’s no rule—intuition matters more than technique.

3. Draw the Cards

You can draw cards from the top, fan them out and choose by feel, or even cut the deck. Trust your method.

4. Lay Out a Spread

The pattern you lay your cards in is called a spread. Here are a few popular ones:

✴️ The One-Card Pull

Perfect for beginners. One card = one message or insight for the day.

🕯 The Three-Card Spread

A classic layout that offers clarity and simplicity.

Card	Meaning
1	Past influences
2	Present situation
3	Possible outcome

You can also adapt this spread for “Mind / Body / Spirit” or “Situation / Challenge / Advice.”

🌌 The Celtic Cross

One of the oldest and most detailed spreads, using ten cards to explore a complex question.
It covers everything from immediate concerns to subconscious forces and long-term outcomes.

🪞 Reading the Cards

Each card carries symbolic meaning, but tarot reading is not about memorizing definitions. It’s about interpretation. Look at the imagery, the colors, the direction figures face, and how the cards relate to each other.

Ask:

What emotion does this image evoke?
How does this connect to my question?
What patterns repeat between cards?

Over time, your readings become less about the guidebook and more about your intuition.

🧙‍♀️ Popular Tarot Decks

If you’re starting out, these decks are worth exploring:

Rider–Waite–Smith (1909) – The classic deck used in most modern interpretations.
Thoth Tarot – Designed by Aleister Crowley; esoteric, symbolic, and rich in occult detail.
Marseille Tarot – The historical French style that inspired later decks.
Modern decks – Artists worldwide now reimagine tarot through diverse cultural, gender, and spiritual lenses.

☀️ Closing Thoughts

Laying tarot cards isn’t about predicting a fixed future—it’s about opening a dialogue with yourself and the universe.
Each card is a mirror, reflecting aspects of your inner world that are ready to be seen.

Whether you use tarot daily for guidance or only when life feels uncertain, remember:
The magic isn’t in the cards. It’s in the connection between the cards and you.

“Tarot is not about telling fortunes, but about telling stories.”
— Rachel Pollack