Tarot Spreads: A beginner's guide

When starting tarot, one of the biggest questions is regarding spreads. We've all seen a beautiful celtic cross, with cards on top of cards, the complexity looking appealing and advance.

Now there is a place for these spreads. The more cards involved, the more information you get.

But. You can get a lot of information with few cards.

The easiest place for beginners to start is with one card. This is great because it is clear and you don't have to think about positions or the impact cards have on the other cards.

The next step is the three-card spread. I think that a three-card spread can provide SO MUCH information while still keeping things relatively simple. There are also so many variations of a three-card spread.

Here are my favorite positions to use in a three-card spread. Rather than "name" them, I've given the situations in which I use them:

Category	Spread
Any time (aka the GOAT)	Stop | Start | Continue
	Variation: Card of the day | What to be mindful of | What to embrace
When I'm dealing with an issue	Clarity: Problem | Cause | Solution
	Clarity: Situation | Obstacle | Path Forward
	Clarity: Situation | Current likely outcome | Next action needed
	Clarity: Cause | Current State | Solution
	Solutions: Path 1 | Path 2 | Path 3 (this one can be cool because you can then draw three more cards, one for each option to show you the possible impact of each option).
	Solutions: Path 1 | Path 2 | How to Choose
	Understanding conflict: My energy | Their energy | The solution (I like this one when I need to create some compassion and see myself more neutrally)
	Understanding conflict: My contributing actions | Their contributing actions | The path forward
Querying re: dreams, the future, creating my life	The dream | My current reality | My fear that is getting in the way of living my dream
	What I want | What's in the way | How to overcome
	Me | My current path | My potential (You can then pull cards to give you information on how to realize potential if you aren't on the path you want)
	Strength | Weakness | Advice
	Strength | Weakness | Opportunity
	Fantasy | Reality | The common thread
Querying re: relationships (can be romantic or familial)	Me | Them | The dynamics
	Current state | My role | Their role
	Our similarities | Our differences | Compatibility
	How I view the relationship | How they view the relationships | Current situation
	Considering a breakup: My current relationship with the relationship | Implicaations of staying | Implications of leaving
General spreads that apply to a great number of queries	Past | Present | Future
	Emotions | Thoughts | Actions
	Body | Mind | Spirit
	Material state | Emotional state | Spiritual state
	What I can change | What I can't change | What I'm not aware of
	What I'm aware of | What I'm not aware of | Where this is currently going (This works when you need to really look at yourself objectively and understand the likeliest possible outcome)