Astro-Tarot: How to do a Horoscope Spread

Tarot and astrology are intrinsically linked and as any Tarot reader will tell you – the cards are filled with astrological symbols. The great thing about an astrological spread is that you don’t have to be an astrologer or necessarily know a lot about the planets or a birthchart to do it – but it gives you a huge amount of information about what’s coming up in your life.

A good time to do an astro-Tarot spread is around your birthday. This is our ‘Solar return’ – the time the Sun returns to the same spot in our birthcharts it was on the day we were born. The other planets however are usually in very different places and the reading will reflect this.

Another good date to do this spread is New Year’s Day as you can then see what the year will hold for you – if you are not too hung over that is! As you are probably aware – our birthcharts are divided into 12 houses – one for each sign of the Zodiac, and each house rules a different aspect of our lives. So, for this spread you will be picking 12 cards.

You can spread them out after shuffling face down and pick 12 cards at random. As you pick the cards, lay each of them face up like the hours on the face of a clock starting at 9 o’clock and then working anticlockwise – in other words, card number 2 goes at 8 o’clock, card 3 at 7 o’clock and so on.

Have your Tarot journal to hand and enough time to write everything down – you will get a lot of information as I said. Here is what the cards mean:

Card 1 – 1st house: Your image for the nest year. How others see you. How you look and your reputation. This card represents the ‘rising sign’ or ascendant in a chart so pay close attention.

Card 2 – 2nd house: Your finances, what you earn, your possessions and your inner assets and values.

Card 3 – 3rd house: Siblings if you have them. Communication, short journeys, transport. Your car also writing and publishing.

Card 4 – 4th house: Home and emotional security. Your mother, female caregiver or females you live with other than family members.

Card 5 – 5th house: Love, romance, children. Creative ventures. This is the house of love affairs as opposed to permanent partnerships. It is where relationships begin.

Card 6 – 6th house: Your every day work. Your ‘day job’ if you are aspiring to bigger and better things. Your boss. Housework. Your health and wellbeing.

Card 7 – 7th house: Your closest personal relationships. These include marriage partners, long term relationships, business partners, collaborators and long term friends. This house also rules open enemies.

Card 8 – 8th house: Shared resources, relationships where sex is important, endings and transformations. Other people’s money and how this affects you. Loans, payouts and large institutions such as banks.

Card 9 – 9th house: Expansion, adventure, luck, higher learning, legal matters, long distance travel and foreigners, big business especially the media, large animals, sporting activities.

Card 10 – 10th house: Career and reputation. Fame and honours. Exam results. If you are a woman this house indicates the status of your partner.

Card 11 – 11th house: Friends and your social life. Professional connections and contacts of all kinds. Your goals, wishes and dreams.

Card 12 – 12th house: Your inner self. Your soul. Spiritual truths. Psychic ability, intuition and inspiration. Your secrets and also secret enemies.

Spend as much time as you need with this spread. You may even want to leave it out for a few days as you may notice more and more information coming through as you look at it more. As always, don’t just go by the traditional meaning of the cards, write down everything that comes through no matter how far etched it may seem at the time. 12 months later when you refer back to it you may be amazed at what you intuited!

This spread not only hones your Tarot reading skills but tunes you into the planetary energy that available to you at the time. So, get some added astro-insight into your Tarot readings and get the power of astrology working for you.