In the divinatory use of the
Tarot, a spread is a
pattern into which the exposed
cards are placed. Generally, the
position within the spread will
color the
interpretation of the cards. For instance, in a simple three-card spread the first card might signify "the
past", the second "the
present" and the third "the
future".
The most popular spread is probably the ten-card "ancient Celtic Cross" spread which is neither ancient nor Celtic having been created by Arthur Edward Waite one of the two principals behind the Waite-Smith deck.