How to Design Your Own Tarot Spread

Almost 50% of my professional Tarot readings are designed specifically for my client and their situation or question. This is because nearly every situation is unique and can’t always be answered by using an existing Tarot spread.

Even with hundreds of different Tarot spreads out there, it can be difficult to find the one that perfectly fits the question at hand. So, what’s the best way to create your own Tarot spread?

1. Understand what your client is asking

The more specific your question(s), the more specific your Tarot reading. By working with your client, you can begin to understand more clearly what is really on their mind when they are asking a question of the Tarot cards.

Ask your client what is keeping them up at night when they think about their specific question or situation. What are the one or two things they most want to know about the situation? Often, just by exploring the client’s situation in a bit more depth and by asking some probing questions, the customised Tarot spread becomes more obvious.

Psst!  If you're struggling you find your perfect client, check out our blog post How to Connect with Your Ideal Tarot Client.

2. Start with some common questions

Once you have a better understanding of what your client is asking, you can then start working with a number of common questions to shape the custom Tarot spread.

Here are some common questions that I use as a starting point when developing a customised Tarot spread for my clients:

• What do you need to know about…
• What do you ultimately aspire to in this situation?
• What is blocking you? / How can you overcome this blockage?
• What are the strengths? / What are the weaknesses?
• What are the opportunities? / What are the challenges?
• What is outside of your control?
• What hidden factors do you need to consider?
• What will be the outcome if…
• Where are you headed in the next three / six / twelve months?

Select which question(s) you will use to answer your client’s question, and begin to tailor them to their specific situation. For example, if your client is considering moving house or staying put, you can create the two questions, “What will be the outcome if you move?” and “What will be the outcome if you stay put?”

Now, start to see the customised Tarot spread take shape!

For more advice on how to shape questions in your readings, check out our blog post The Art of Asking Powerful Questions in Your Tarot Readings.

3. Focus on empowering your client

Nobody likes to hear that they’ve got problems, and then walk away with no solution. So, as you design your own Tarot spread, make sure that you are not only understanding the problem at hand, but you are also empowering your client to do something about it. Here are some example questions that help create a ‘solution’ mindset for your client:

• What is the best thing you can do right now to…
• How can you bring about the best possible outcome?
• How can you overcome your obstacles?
• How can you resolve these issues?
• Where do you need to focus your attention?
• Where do your greatest opportunities lie? And how can you leverage these opportunities?

Ensure that you incorporate at least some of the questions into your custom Tarot spread to provide your client with a source of empowerment and inspiration.

If you find that your clients are consistently hard to read or deal with, check out our blog post Dealing with Difficult Tarot Reading Clients.

4. Decide on a layout

Ok, I have to be honest, I wasn’t going to include anything about how you lay your cards out. Personally, I just lay each card out one after the other, without paying any particular attention to shapes, patterns or positioning. I’m a very linear person, so I usually line them up next to each other! However, many Tarot readers like to create a Tarot spread with a certain pattern in mind, such as a star, a circle, a cross, etc. Think about what might be most relevant to the question or the client you’re reading for. For example, if your Tarot reading about a crossroads, arranging your cards in the shape of a cross may be most appropriate.

You also can't go wrong with the traditional three card spread!  Check out my 25 Easy Three Card Tarot Spreads.

5. Applying the principles to design your own tarot spread

Now that we’ve got the basics covered, let’s work with an example. The client says to you, “I’m feeling stuck at work. I’m bored and unstimulated. I want to know what’s going to happen in my career. Am I going to find the job I really want? Or am I really stuck here?” So, what do you do next, Tarot reader?!

Here’s how we can break the client’s question down to form into a targeted and specific spread.

First, let’s understand what the client really wants to achieve out of her career:

• What do you ultimately aspire to in your career?
• What is currently blocking you from achieving this?
• What can you to do reach your aspirations?
• What would be the best career path for you?

Next, let’s understand what’s not working in her current situation and if there’s a possible solution:

• What do you need to know about your present work situation?
• How can you overcome the feeling of being ‘stuck’ at work?
• What can you do to create a more fulfilling job, given the present circumstances?

She asked about what’s going to happen in the future and if she’ll ever find the right job, so let’s also include some questions around these aspects:

• Where is your career heading in the next six months?
• How can you find the right job for you?
• What job opportunities exist?
• How can you leverage these opportunities?
• Overall, where is this situation heading?

Now it's your turn!

There you have it! A completely customised Tarot spread, created just for your client and her specific question. She will no doubt be grateful that you have focused in on her unique needs and will be very satisfied with the insightful Tarot reading you perform for her.

If you're still feeling shaky on Tarot readings, check out my book Tarot Foundations: 31 Days to Read Tarot with Confidence. Through activities, lessons, and my personal step-by-step process for interpreting a Tarot reading like a pro.  Get your copy of this eBook here.

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