Free guide
Tarot spreads, explained
A tarot spread is simply a layout — a fixed set of positions, each assigned its own meaning, that cards are drawn into. The same card lands differently depending on which position it falls in: The Tower in a "Challenge" position reads very differently than The Tower in an "Outcome" position. Below are all eight spreads available in AstroFree's free AI tarot reading, what each position means, and when each spread is the right fit.
Single Card
A focused message for this moment. Perfect for a quick check-in.
When to use it: Best for a quick daily check-in, or when you just need one clear, focused message rather than a full analysis.
- 1. Your Card
The guidance meant for you now
Three Card
See the arc of your situation across time.
When to use it: Good for understanding how a situation has developed and where it's likely heading — a simple before/now/next arc.
- 1. Past
What has shaped you
- 2. Present
Where you stand now
- 3. Future
Where this is heading
Love Reading
Illuminate the dynamics between you and another.
When to use it: Best when a relationship's dynamics feel unclear and you want to see both people's energy side by side, not just your own.
- 1. You
Your energy in the relationship
- 2. Partner
Their energy in the relationship
- 3. The Relationship
The bond you share
- 4. Future
Where the connection is heading
Career Reading
Clarity on your work, path, and calling.
When to use it: Suited to work decisions — a stuck project, a job change, or wanting a clearer sense of direction in your path.
- 1. Where you are
Your current position
- 2. Challenge
What is holding you back
- 3. Advice
How to move forward
- 4. Outcome
Where this leads
Money Reading
Insight into finances, abundance, and flow.
When to use it: Useful when finances feel blocked or uncertain and you want to see what's restricting flow versus what's opening up.
- 1. Current Flow
Your money now
- 2. Blockage
What is restricting it
- 3. Opportunity
What is opening
- 4. Outcome
Where this leads
Decision Making
Weigh two paths and see beyond the choice.
When to use it: Built for choosing between two real options — it surfaces a hidden factor neither option accounts for on its own.
- 1. Situation
The heart of the matter
- 2. Option A
The first path
- 3. Option B
The second path
- 4. Hidden Factor
What you are not seeing
- 5. Guidance
What the cards advise
Celtic Cross
The classic ten-card spread for deep exploration.
When to use it: The most thorough spread here — suited to a complex or high-stakes question where you want the full picture, not just a quick read.
- 1. Present
The heart of the matter
- 2. Challenge
What crosses you
- 3. Foundation
The root beneath
- 4. Recent Past
What is passing away
- 5. Crown
What is possible
- 6. Near Future
What is approaching
- 7. Self
How you see yourself
- 8. Environment
Outside influences
- 9. Hopes & Fears
What you hope for and fear
- 10. Outcome
The final direction
Year Ahead
A card for each month of the coming year.
When to use it: A longer-range spread, one card per month, for a broad sense of the themes likely to show up across the coming year.
One card per month, January through December — a broad-strokes forecast rather than a position-by-position breakdown.