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How to Learn the Five Card Spread With Tarot Cards

Tarot cards are sets of 78 illustrated playing cards. These include 22 cards that have detailed pictures of characters. The rest of the cards typically depict ordinary people in ordinary situations. While they were used in the past to play games, tarot cards today are typically associated with fortune telling. There are many ways to read tarot cards, called spreads. The five-card spread, as its name implies, involves a layout of five cards. This spread is very simple to learn, and there are many variants that allow you to customize your style.

Things You'll Need

Tarot deck

Instructions

- 1
  Sit at a table or desk, clear your mind and shuffle the cards well. Think about a situation that you have questions about as you shuffle.
- 2
  Put down the top five cards of your deck on the table, making a horizontal row that moves from left to right.
- 3
  Examine the first card. This is the past, or the history of the situation that you have questions about. The spread moves from left to right, making a general time-line, so remember that the card farthest to the left is the one that represents the past.
- 4
  Examine the second card. This is the present situation. The present comes between the past and future, so remember that the second card is the present.
- 5
  Examine the third card. This card represent factors that are unknown regarding the situation, either past or present.
- 6
  Examine the fourth card. This card gives advice for what to do regarding the situation in order to have the best possible outcome. It can also represent the potential that the current situation has.
- 7
  Examine the fifth card. This card represents the future, or the most likely future to occur regarding the situation. Remember, the spread moves in a general time-line, so the future is at the very end.
- 8
  Practice the reading as part of your daily routine, or read for friends until you remember the places for all of the cards. Tarot cards are not meant to be read strictly, and the meaning of one card can influence the meaning of another. Practice not only to learn the spread, but to learn to read the cards together rather than individually.

The Occult