A spread is a set rule for how many cards to draw and where each one goes. Choosing the right spread for your question — and how deep an answer you want — makes for a much clearer reading.
One-Card Spread — Today's Single Card
The simplest form: one card gives you a hint about the day's overall energy or a short question. It's light enough to do daily, which is why it's the basis of quick daily readings.
Three-Card Spread — Past, Present, Future
The most widely used spread. The first card represents the past (the cause), the second the present (the situation), and the third the future (the outcome or direction). It's a good fit when you want to dig a little deeper into a single theme, like love or career. The positions are sometimes reframed as "situation - advice - outcome" instead.
Celtic Cross — A 10-Card Spread
One of the most detailed traditional spreads, laying out 10 positions — current situation, obstacles, the subconscious, the near future, surrounding influences, and more — to analyze a complex problem from many angles. Because there's so much to synthesize, it's worth trying only once you're comfortable reading tarot.
So which one should you use?
A single card suits a simple question you want a quick read on; three cards suit a single theme you want to follow as a flow; the Celtic Cross suits a tangled situation you want to untangle precisely. This service supports 1-card and 3-card spreads — head to Today's Questions to pick a question and get a reading, either by drawing online or entering cards you already drew offline.