Tarot spreads online — 9 approaches for any question

A spread is a set of positions, each with its own question (“the heart of the situation,” “obstacle,” “advice,” “likely outcome,” and so on), into which cards are drawn one by one. A card is read in relation to its position, not on its own. The same card means something different as “advice” than it does as an “obstacle.” A simple “card meaning” is therefore only half the story; the other half is its context in the spread.

At astronavi, the engine prepares the spread for you: once you choose a type, ask your question and confirm you are ready, cards are drawn pseudorandomly from the Rider–Waite–Smith deck and placed in their positions. You receive a detailed reading for your context, adapted to what you actually asked rather than copied from a textbook.

Each kind of question has its own approach. Asking about your career in a relationship spread can make the positions difficult to interpret. Choosing the right spread type is half the work of getting a useful reading.

1. Choose a spread type. Pick one of nine for your question. If you are unsure, start with the versatile Situation spread.
2. Choose the depth. Use 3 cards for a quick question, 5 for a standard one, or 7–9 for a detailed reading with more nuance.
3. Phrase your question. An open question such as “what is important for me to know about…” works better than a closed “will it work?” The more precise the question, the more useful the response.
4. Confirm that you are ready. This symbolic gesture fixes your intention to ask this particular question. After that, the cards are not redealt.
5. View the spread. Each position shows its card and an interpretation of what that card means there for your question. A concluding reading brings the whole spread together.
6. Keep it in your history. All your spreads stay in your account. You can return after a week or two, reread them and see how the situation unfolded in relation to what the cards suggested.

The service uses the Major Arcana of the Rider–Waite–Smith deck (1909): 22 cards from the Fool to the World. It is one of the best-known and most extensively studied Tarot systems, forming the basis of many modern esoteric schools. Created by Arthur Waite and illustrator Pamela Colman Smith, the deck has become a standard over more than a century, used by practitioners and academic scholars of the symbolic tradition alike.

Why only Major Arcana and no Minor Arcana? The Major Arcana are powerful archetypal cards: each describes a major life theme (the Lovers for choice, the Tower for the collapse of a familiar foundation, the Star for hope after a crisis). They give a concentrated response in a short spread. The Minor Arcana (the suits of Cups, Swords, Wands and Pentacles) describe more everyday situations; we plan to add them as a separate mode in the future.

We removed the fear-based pressure common in some esoteric readings. Specifically, you will not see:

• “They definitely love you” — cards cannot know another person’s thoughts. They reflect energies and states, not facts about third parties.
• “You will receive a lot of money in March” — you will not see specific dates or sums in a reading. Such promises are a warning sign of fraudulent esoteric services.
• “You are under a powerful curse” — we do not deal in curses, the evil eye, supposed barriers to marriage or similar claims. They can lead to distress and paid “removals,” which have no place here.
• “Buy Premium to learn the truth” — a reading is not cut off halfway through. If you have access to a spread, you receive it in full.

Instead, the language is warm and calm, like someone close to you who can see the situation from outside and describe what they notice. It is material for reflection, not a verdict.

The service offers two distinct Tarot practices: one card a day (“Card of the Day · Tarot”) and a full multi-card spread for a question. They meet different needs:

In your account, you can see your streak: how many consecutive days you have done at least one spread. It is gentle encouragement to practise regularly, without pressure. Miss a day and the streak resets; that is fine. A new streak starts with your next spread.

The point of the streak is not to avoid breaking it. Regular Tarot practice can be a dialogue with yourself about your current state rather than a string of isolated “predictions.” After two or three weeks, you may notice that choosing a spread becomes more precise: you better understand which approach fits your question.

• Free — a natal chart and general horoscope. Spreads are unavailable.
• Light — adds “Card of the Day · Tarot” (one card a day, free each day).
• Standard — spreads remain unavailable, but all 16 core practices are open.
• Premium — all 9 spread types, up to 10 full spreads a day, and unlimited history.

Premium includes more than Tarot: all 16 practices, including the birth chart and its reading, transits, progressions, solar and lunar returns, compatibility, numerology, the lunar calendar, biorhythms and more. Subscriptions are coming soon.

Spreads are a tool for reflection and working with meaning, not a prediction of events. Keep these limits in mind:

• A spread does not replace a doctor, psychotherapist, lawyer or financial professional. If you are in an acute crisis, seek professional help first.
• Cards do not “know” what will happen to you tomorrow. They offer a language for talking with yourself about what is happening now.
• A spread cannot “remove a curse,” “protect you from a rival” or bring luck. If someone offers that, treat it as a warning sign of fraud, not Tarot.
• The work is yours. The cards present material; deciding what to do with it remains up to you.