How to Read the Star Layout in Tarot Cards
The Star layout in tarot cards is a seven-card spread in the shape of a star. It is used to understand both the inner and outer influences that are operating in a person's life at the present time. The spread will also highlight any problems or opportunities that are prevailing at the moment of the reading. As with all tarot readings, the predicted outcome is the most likely course the person's life will take in the circumstances presented.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
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The Star Layout
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Lay a cloth on the table and ask the person you are doing the reading for to shuffle the tarot cards. Lay the cards out in star formation. Card one is placed closest to yourself at the bottom of the spread. Card two is laid at a 45-degree angle above and to the right hand side of card one. Card three is laid at a 45-degree angle above and to the left of card one. Card four is placed in the center of the spread directly above card one. Card Five is placed diagonally at a 45-degree angle above card two on the right hand side. Card six is placed at a 45-degree angle above card three. Card seven is placed directly above card four.
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Explain to the person that card one represents the root of the matter. It should describe the present situation of the person you are doing the tarot reading for. It should also describe what is helpful or problematic at this time.
An example: If card one is the Three of Cups, this would indicate that they have just finished the first phase of something. This could be a relatively new job or, as it is cups, it is more likely to refer to the first phase of falling in love. It could also mark that the first stage of pregnancy has been completed. This is a time of rejoicing and celebrating but also of preparation for a long journey ahead.
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3
Read card two, explaining that this card represents feelings and emotions. This card will represent the persons relationships, love life and emotional state at the present time.
If for example, the card is the Hanged Man, this would indicate that a sacrifice has been made by the person in the hope that it will get them to where they want to be emotionally. The sacrifice could have involved great changes in their emotional life, such as moving in with someone and having to sacrifice certain freedoms, or it could have meant having to give up a relationship in order to lead the life they wanted.
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4
Read card three, explaining it represents intellect and working life. The card will reflect the sitter's attitude toward work and career as well as his mental state.
Say card three were the Queen of Pentacles, who is the earthy part of Taurus. Here she would represent a love of earthly comforts and material possessions, a love of luxury, beauty and high-quality goods. Though slow to anger, that anger is more likely to be physical rather than verbal. At work, this card represents patience and perseverance in completing projects, but it can also be stubbornness. This card shows that the person is loyal and trustworthy in their work and also very practical.
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5
Explain to the sitter that card four, the center card, represents the heart of the matter. The reading revolves around everything in this card. It is the most significant in the star layout and reveals the truth or the problem at the core.
An example: if the Hermit was laid here, it would show that the person you are reading for is in a period of waiting for something. This is something that is perhaps very personal and has been done very privately. The card here is expressing the patience that has been exercised and the very solitary nature of the waiting. At the heart of everything, this personal matter has been very important in teaching the sitter about remaining silent, the good side of spending time alone and showing patience.
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6
Tell the sitter that card five represents unconscious hopes and fears. This will show hidden things that are beginning to come to the surface. These are new forces at work in the sitter's life.
An example of card five could be the Seven of Pentacles. This card would show that the person is looking for a change in direction. The person may feel secure at the moment, but has other ideas and hopes that are emerging, and needs to decide whether to stick with the status quo or take a risky step that might unbalance the present security.
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7
Read card six explaining that this represents the sitter's conscious desires. This card will show what the sitter consciously knows that he or she wants from life at the present.
If card six were the Ace of Wands, for example, this would mean that at the present time the sitter is feeling energized and ready for action. The person is feeling imaginative, creative and inspired to do something. And if the person does want to take a risk and change direction, he or she has the energy and willpower at the present time to achieve this.
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8
Explain to the the sitter that card seven represents the top of the matter. This final card will reveal the outcome of the present situation as just read.
An example of the final outcome card could be Death. This will show that a cycle of life will end and a new one will begin. There may be a period of upset or uncertainty before the new beginning. This card is about letting go of the past and embracing the future. Accept the decisions made and the new cycle of life that you have created.
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Tips & Warnings
The Star layout is not always laid out in the star shape. You can lay the tarot cards out in a line of seven if you find this easier.
There is a shorter three-card version of this spread, but it is not as in-depth as the seven-card version.
Never say that the outcome is definitely going to happen. Instead, say that this is the most likely scenario based on what you have read in the cards.
You can read upside-down cards as the negative aspect, or you can decide upon the positive and negative aspects that are most prevalent during the reading.
Do not dwell on the negative aspects and try to focus on the positive.
References
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