Tarot Spreads
Created | Updated Sep 20, 2012
A Tarot Spread is an arrangement of Tarot Cards used for divination. In a spread, each position refers to something: the past, the future, people, events, mindset, etc. The most common spreads are the Celtic Cross, the Horse Shoe, and the Twelve Month spreads.
The Significator
The significator card is a conscious choice of a card from the deck to represent the person or the situation. The use of a significator card is optional. Many people choose to omit this card so all 78 cards will be available for the spread itself.
Choosing a Significator
If the significator is to represent a situation, consult a list of card meanings to choose an appropriate one. Most decks come with a booklet with the basic meanings.
If the significator represents a person, generally the Court Cards are used. The Court cards are the Page through King in each of the four suits. There are some differences between decks, for more information look here. Below is a list or correspondencies to help choose a card for a person.
| Sex | Age | Misc. | |
| Page | Female | Young | |
| Knight | Male | Young | |
| Queen | Female | Mature | Can also be a woman in authority |
| King | Male | Mature | Can also be a male authority figure. |
| Element | Signs | Complection | Hair | Eyes | |
| Pentacles | Earth | Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn | Dark | Black, Dark Brown | Brown or Dark |
| Swords | Air | Gemini, Libra, Aquarius | Dull, Olive | Brown, Black | Light |
| Wands | Fire | Aries, Leo, Sagitarius | Fair, Freckled | Yellow, Auburn, Reddish | Dark or Light |
| Cups | Water | Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces | Fair, Medium | Lt. Brown, Blonde, Grey | Gre, Blue, Hazel |
