Tarot
Tarot is a deck of 78 cards: 22 Major Arcana and 56 Minor Arcana. Here you’ll find three ready-made spreads, write-ups of every card, and an explanation of how to read what you draw without memorizing interpretations by heart.
How to read the card of the day
The calculator on this page draws one card — the card of the day. It is not a forecast of events but a frame for the day: the card suggests what to pay attention to today and what attitude will help. A Major Arcana card speaks of a big theme, a Minor Arcana card of an everyday situation in the area of its suit.
In the evening it is useful to come back to the card and check where it matched your day. More on the Card of the Day page.
Three Spreads on the Site
Card of the Day — one card for today. The simplest way to start: one card, one question, no layout.
Three Cards — past, present, future. The classic for looking into a situation that is already unfolding.
Celtic Cross — ten positions: the heart of the matter, the obstacle, the foundation, the recent past, the possible future, the near future, yourself, your environment, hopes and fears, the outcome. For complex questions.
Tarot Birth Card is not a spread but a calculation: your personality and soul cards, hidden teacher and year card by Mary Greer’s method, plus the personal arcanum of the Russian tradition.
How the Deck Is Structured
| Part | Number of cards | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Major Arcana | 22 | Big themes and turning points |
| Wands | 14 | Undertakings, ideas, movement |
| Cups | 14 | Feelings and relationships |
| Swords | 14 | Thoughts, words, conflicts |
| Pentacles | 14 | Money, the body, everyday life |
If a spread has many Major Arcana, the question is usually more serious than it seemed. If one suit dominates, the answer lies in its domain: a spread full of Cups speaks of feelings even when the question was about work.
How to Read a Spread
Beginners all make the same mistake: they try to recall the meaning of each card separately and add them up mechanically. That’s not how it’s read.
- First the overall impression: which suits dominate, whether there are many Major Arcana, whether any cards are reversed.
- Then the positions: what the card means specifically here, in this spot of the spread.
- And only then the connections between the cards. Neighboring cards change each other’s meaning more than each card’s own meaning does.
The meanings of all the cards are in the list of 78 cards.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to use reversed cards?
Not necessarily. Some schools work only with upright cards and read a weakened meaning from the neighboring cards. Our spreads show the orientation, but you’re free to ignore it.
Which deck is best for beginners?
The Rider–Waite: it has illustrated scenes on every card, including the Minor Arcana, which makes it easier to read without memorizing.
Can I do a reading online without holding the cards?
The point of a spread is the randomness of the draw, and here a generator provides it. Practitioners who value physical contact with the deck usually prefer a paper one — that’s a matter of habit, not of rules.