Cross spread

The cross spread is a four-card method in which the cards are laid out in the shape of a cross, often completed by a fifth synthesis card placed in the center. In France, it is one of the most widely used spreads with the Tarot de Marseille. Conventions vary from school to school; a common arrangement puts what helps or the situation on the left, what opposes on the right, the development or advice at the top and the outcome at the bottom. Its compact form makes it well suited to a single, clearly worded question.