1. Past: This card reveals the most important past influence, person, or event that caused the current situation. Because situations in our past often don't receive emotional closure or a sense of completeness, this card indicates something that still influences the questioner in the present.
2. Present: This card reveals the situation as it is now.
3. Hopes and Fears: This card represents the questioner's hopes and fears, or unconscious motivations. It is often through confronting the expectations revealed by this card that a questioner can rid him or herself of preconceptions that keep the situation from improving.
4. Obstacles: Of all the cards, this is the one that speaks most to direct action. In order to improve the situation, the questioner must confront the influences shown in the Obstacles card. This card may indicate another person, a decision, the questioner's own internal state, or something else.
5. Environment: This card tells of the attitude and behavior of other people in the situation. It can be either positive or negative. If positive, it indicates an asset the questioner has for dealing with Card 4. If negative, it may indicate a smaller problem the questioner should deal with before facing the larger one in Card 4.
6. Future: The Future card indicates an asset for dealing with the current situation that will soon reveal itself. The questioner should examine their life and be on the lookout for an influence such as the one indicated here.
7. Outcome: The Outcome card indicates that which is at stake, namely, what the questioner has to gain by solving the problem. This may seem obvious at times: if you are taking action to repair a relationship, get a new job, and so on, the cards may indicate that. However, there is often a spiritual lesson revealed in hardship, which will allow you to deal more easily with similar situations in the future. The Outcome card can often only be interpreted after the fact.

There are numerous spreads, and it is up to the tarot reader to select the one that addresses the problem being dealt with most effectively. As a tarot user gains confidence, they will no doubt create their own spreads. Spreads can be as simple as one card (for a "yes or no" answer) or may even use every card in a single deck! There are no hard and fast rules for spread design, so long as the spread addresses some aspect of a problem or question.