Using the Choice Tarot Spread to Make Important Decisions

We make thousands of decisions throughout our lives. Some barely deserve the word decision. What do you want for dinner? Which movie should you watch? Do you really need another purple notebook?

Other decisions can change the direction of your life. Should you take the new job? Move to another state? Start the business? Stay where you are? Choose one opportunity over another?

When you have two or more possibilities in front of you, it can be difficult to think clearly about any of them. That's where the Choice Tarot Spread can help.

The Choice Spread is one of my favorite ways to use Tarot for decision-making because it doesn't ask the cards to make the decision for you. Instead, it gives you a way to explore the possible outcome of each choice so you can look at your options from another perspective. My husband and I have used versions of this spread for some pretty significant decisions over the years, including which job he should take, what state we should move to, and even which home we should buy.

We've also used Tarot for considerably less consequential things. Not every reading needs to alter the trajectory of your existence.

If you're working through an important decision, remember to write your Choice Spread down in your Tarot Journal. Decision readings are especially interesting to revisit later because you can compare what you saw in the cards with what you ultimately chose and what actually happened.

What Is the Choice Tarot Spread?

The Choice Spread works best when you've already narrowed your decision down to two or more specific possibilities. Instead of asking Tarot to tell you what to do, you'll explore each possibility separately by asking:

What is the most likely outcome if I choose ______?

Then you'll draw one Tarot card for that choice.

For example, imagine you're considering three career options. Choice A might be taking a job in Tucson, Choice B might be taking a job in San Diego, and Choice C might be starting your own business. You would ask, What is the most likely outcome if I take the job in Tucson? Then you'd ask the same question about San Diego and again about starting your business.

That distinction matters. You're not asking the cards to choose your life for you. You're exploring each possible path and gathering more information before you make the decision yourself.

Before You Draw the Cards

Before you shuffle, get clear about exactly what you're comparing. You can draw Tarot cards anywhere, at any time. But if you'd like to create Sacred Space before your reading, read our article here. You can label your possibilities Choice A, Choice B, and Choice C, or simply write down each option in your own words.

As you shuffle your Tarot deck, focus on the first choice and ask your question out loud: What is the most likely outcome if I choose ______? Whenever possible, I recommend actually speaking your Tarot questions rather than keeping them entirely in your head. Saying the question engages you with it differently and can help focus your attention and clarify exactly what you're asking.

Draw one card for that choice, then repeat the process for each of the remaining possibilities. Keep the choices separate as you draw so you're always clear about which card belongs to which possible outcome.

Reading Your Choice Spread

Start by looking at each card individually and noticing your immediate reaction before reaching for a guidebook or card meaning. What stands out to you? What seems to be happening in the card? How do you feel when you imagine this card representing the outcome of that particular choice? You may notice excitement, resistance, relief, discomfort, curiosity, or something you can't immediately explain. Pay attention to it.

Then interpret the card specifically in the context of the choice you're considering. This is important because a Tarot card doesn't exist in a vacuum. The same card can tell a very different story depending on the question you've asked and the possibility you're exploring.

If you're using the Amethyst Tarot Method, this is a perfect opportunity to work through the card in front of you and determine what this card means here, rather than immediately forcing it into a memorized definition. If you need another perspective after you've made your own observations, you can also consult your Tarot Meaning Cheat Sheet or another Tarot reference.

Once you've interpreted each card separately, put them together and look at the spread as a whole. Which possibility feels most appealing? Which outcome looks most like something you actually want? Does one card make you feel relieved while another makes you tense? Did one reveal a consequence or possibility you hadn't considered before?

Sometimes the cards will be hilariously obvious. If Choice A gives you the Tower, Choice B gives you the Sun, and Choice C gives you the Nine of Swords, you probably don't need seventeen additional clarifying cards to notice the difference.

But the answer won't always be that dramatic. You might get three perfectly reasonable possibilities. One could offer greater stability while another offers more freedom. One might require considerably more work but lead toward something you value more. Another might look objectively "good" and still not be the life you want.

That's why I don't recommend reducing a Choice Spread to simply deciding which cards are "good" and which are "bad." The more useful question is: Which of these possible outcomes fits the life I actually want to create?

What Can You Use the Choice Spread For?

You can use the Choice Spread for almost anything involving two or more clearly defined possibilities. You might compare a job offer with staying in your current position, two different places you could move, starting a business versus remaining employed, different degree programs, projects competing for your attention, business offers, potential collaborations, purchases, creative opportunities, or different ways to spend your time.

You can also use it for much smaller decisions. Should you go to the movies or go ice skating? Join the 24-hour gym or the gym with the pool? Buy the better microphone or the better camera? Have Mexican or Indian food for dinner?

And yes, you can absolutely use Tarot to choose dinner. Tarot does not require an existential crisis before it agrees to come out of the box.

The important thing is to define your choices clearly and explore one possibility at a time.

Keep the Question Open

One of the most useful things about the Choice Spread is that it moves beyond a simple yes-or-no question. Instead of asking, Should I take this job?, ask, What is the most likely outcome if I take this job? Instead of asking, Should I move?, try, What is the most likely outcome if I move to this particular place?

An open-ended question gives the cards room to show you something about the experience rather than reducing an entire possible future to yes or no. Learning how to ask questions that open up the conversation with your cards is an important Tarot skill in its own right, and we explore this more deeply in the Amethyst Tarot Method, including how changing the question can change what you're able to discover in a reading.

And remember that most likely does not mean inevitable. Tarot can help you explore possibilities based on the situation as it exists now. You can still make different choices, respond to new information, change direction, and decide what matters to you.

The Choice Spread doesn't make an important decision for you. It helps you see the choices more clearly so you can make the decision yourself.