Before I cover what individual cards mean, I'd like to mention exactly how a
tarot reading is done. To produce a reading, the person for whom the reading is
given must first concentrate on a question. He or she shuffles the deck and
draws a specific number of cards, which are laid out in a specific pattern,
called a spread. Before drawing each card, the deck should be shuffled
until it "feels" like time to stop, and once stopped; the top card
should be drawn.
The tarot spread helps put a reading in context - it narrows down a reading
to deal with a specific kind of problem, and determines what aspect of the
problem or query each card relates to. The best way to explain this would be
with an example, the Horseshoe Spread, which is widely used. It is thorough,
but still simple enough so that a beginning tarot user should not be
overwhelmed.
The Horseshoe Spread consists of seven cards, which are arranged in a line
with each of the first four cards set slightly higher than the last, and each
of the last three cards set slightly lower than the last, to form a horseshoe
pattern. Arranging them in a distinct pattern is said to heighten the reader's
concentration, and lends a mystical element that separates a reading from
mundane, everyday tasks.
From left to right, the cards take on the following meanings: