Tarot card spreads represent an interesting way to discover cards, interact with them, and get some guidance, regardless of what aspect of life you’re interested in.
There are lots of spreads out there, some of them extremely popular for their reliability but also because they’re relatively simple.
To most people, the three card draw is more than enough, not to mention the famous Celtic cross. However, the tarot world is much more complicated than that. Lesser known alternatives can open the door to different insights, making your journey and experience much more exciting.
While you can also create your own layouts, here are some unique tarot spreads that can help you diversify this interaction with the cards.
The Tree of Life Spread
The tree of life has deep roots in the Kabbalistic symbolism. It’s not the most popular spread you’ll find out there, but it offers good insights and can answer more questions regarding your love life, career, job, finances, or health.
This spread brings out 10 different cards. Each of them represents a unique sphere associated with the tree of life. Despite its capability to help with more aspects of life, it has a thorough connection with your spiritual side, so it may guide you at a spiritual level, rather than a practical level.
It spreads into spiritual insights, giving you some more or less obvious connection between your spiritual self and real life realms.
From this point of view, the tree of life spread is quite complicated and represents a challenge, even for more experienced readers. Those who can interpret cards in such a spread love the idea of showcasing their experience. Each position has a deep significance, hence the necessity of knowledge.
The Mirror Spread
Just like the tree of life spread, the mirror spread can help in more aspects of life, but in a unique manner. When using this spread, you’ll most likely have to rediscover yourself and identify your strengths and weaknesses in order to find guidance.
If you need to find out more about yourself, this spread is a hidden gem. It only has six cards, but each of them is full of significance. They’re arranged in a pattern similar to a mirror. While it can provide guidance itself, the spread also asks you to look deep within your soul to make the right associations.
Given the mirror position, tarot readers will analyze more than just the actual card meanings, as each card has a reflection or a shadow, which may influence the reading. There are more layers of interpretation, hence the necessity of extra experience.
The Horseshoe Spread
The horseshoe spread is one of the unique tarot spreads because of how it explores specific aspects of life. Cards are arranged in a horseshoe shape, similar to the U letter. Most of these readings target particular situations in life rather than general guidance.
No matter what the reading is about, each card signifies a particular element related to the circumstances or situation. You can assess a situation from more directions and points of view, hence the reliability of this spread. It’s versatile, and by the end of the reading, you’ll have a bigger image of the narrative.
The horseshoe spread is more commonly used to reveal hidden elements that may seem impossible to notice, yet they’re right under your nose. Since everything revolves around one thing in particular, you’ll discover less obvious influences, but also potential outcomes.
Just like the shape of the horseshoe, the reading showcases a circular journey of options. Which one is the best depends on you only. One thing is for sure: you’ll be able to make better decisions when you have all the information.
The Pathway Spread
The pathway spread is another popular option for those dealing with issues in their spiritual growth and development. Again, it can help in other aspects of life as well, yet it seems to be more popular in boosting the spiritual element.
The layout of this spread is similar to a winding road. It’s pretty much like life, going in all kinds of random directions. Each card represents a particular point along your journey. You can get insights regarding particular decisions or obstacles, as well as possible outcomes if you go one way or another.
This particular spread encourages you to look within yourself, too. It offers some tips and guidance, but you’ll need to reflect on yourself to get the full meaning.
Like any other journey in life, your spiritual one aims to find enlightenment. It can be achieved in different ways and at different levels. The pathway spread will give you some possible results based on the direction you pick.
The Chakra Spread
The chakra spread is pretty straightforward. Its primary goal is to identify the chakras and their alignment in your particular case. While everyone has the same chakras, they’re aligned in different ways, which may affect your reality as well.
This particular spread relies on seven cards. Each card is associated with an energy center. While you can use the spread for all kinds of readings, the truth is it is mostly related to your overall health and well-being.
It has a spiritual approach towards your wellness, so it pushes for spiritual balance as well.
Like other spreads mentioned above, the chakra spread does require a bit of experience. It’s not the type of spread anyone can benefit from, so if you read cards yourself, leave it until you become seasoned with the cards.
Overall, the purpose of trying out diverse tarot spreads is to open yourself to new ways of thinking and understanding the world around you. The beauty of tarot lies in its ability to unlock hidden truths and illuminate paths you may not have considered before.
Remember, tarot is a personal experience, and the most meaningful revelations often come when you least expect them.
