4 Easy Five Card Relationship Cross Spreads to Guide Your Love Life!

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Lou specializes in Tarot, spirituality, wellness, and new-age content. Aside from her focused development in spirituality, Lou enjoys writing freelance articles and ebooks on meditation, wellness, and crystal healing. She loves working on projects that help spread positivity and is passionate about helping others find their own spiritual paths. She believes that starting your spiritual journey can significantly impact your overall health and lead to a more fulfilling life.

What Is a Five Card Relationship Cross Spread?

If you are new to Tarot reading, it might be a bit confusing to read about the different spreads that you can do! A lot of beginners will start with a simple one or three-card spread, but the leap to a five-card cross spread isn’t actually that much difficult, and they allow you to understand your situation much more clearly.

A five-card cross spread is similar to the three-card cross spread, with three cards in a line. However, there are two extra cards (four and five). One is above the third card and one below. This gives the spread a cross structure.

Adding these two extra cards into the reading will help you gain more clarity and understanding of what the cards mean.

4 Five-Card Relationship Cross Spreads Explained

Let’s look at 4 easy five-card relationship cross spreads that you can do today for yourself and your loved ones. In this article, I will be using the Modern Witch Tarot Deck by Lisa Sterle. This is one of my favorite Tarot decks that is perfect for both beginners and experts alike. Its imagery is fascinating, and I love how it updates the traditional Rider-Waite deck for a modern audience.

Of course, these spreads can be used with any Tarot deck!

The New Relationship Five-Card Cross Spread

When my friends start dating someone, they will often come to me to provide them with guidance and understanding via Tarot. Beginning a new relationship is pretty wild and confusing, and Tarot is a great way of helping you get your head around what exactly is going on.

The five cards pulled in this cross spread are:

What You Bring To The Relationship
What Your Partner Brings To The Relationship
The Future of Your Relationship
What Works Well
Any Issues That You Might Face

Let’s dive deeper into the meanings behind the cards. The first card pulled reflects what you bring to the relationship. This will normally represent something pretty positive, and a reason why your new partner is attracted to you.

The second card pulled represents what your new partner brings to the relationship. These two cards are typically pretty obvious and should be taken at face value. You probably are aware of these things, as these are the aspects of you both that put the spark into a new relationship!

The third card pulled gives you a general idea of the future of the relationship. When approaching this card, it may take you a while to truly understand what the Tarot is trying to tell you. If you need to, pull another card to gain more clarity on what the universe is saying.

The fourth card pulled reflects what works in the relationship. Similar to the first two cards, this card is normally pretty easy to understand. You probably feel pretty confident about what makes you and your partner work well together!

Lastly, the fifth card reflects issues that may be brewing in the new romance. When you first meet someone, you might get swept away with all the love, and be pretty blinded to any problems! However, this card will help you find out things that might be an issue in the near future.

Let’s look at an example of this five-card relationship cross spread, and how we can interpret the cards.

The first card in this example is the Nine of Wands. If this were to represent me in the new relationship five-card cross spread, it suggests that I stand tall and strong when challenges arise. This is something that I bring to the new relationship and something that my partner admires in me.

The second card pulled is The High Priestess. This represents the other person in the relationship and what they bring. I feel we can interpret this as the person being deeply spiritual and in touch with their intuition. Perhaps this is something that allows the relationship to flourish!

For the future card, we have received the Seven of Cups. This is a card that reflects abundance and choice. Perhaps the new relationship will open doors and allow both participants to gain more opportunities in life! However, this card does come with a warning. Don’t fall for illusions in this relationship, and keep your head steady!

The fourth card that shows us what works in the relationship is the Ace of Pentacles. This card, although often associated with material goods and money, can also represent new beginnings, gain, and stability. It suggests that this relationship provides both participants with a fresh start. There is security and respect in the relationship and this allows both participants to flourish.

The fifth card is the Eight of Swords. As this is a card that reflects self-sabotage and negative thoughts, it definitely suggests that one or both of the people in the new relationship are at risk of harming the love by negativity.

The Finding Love Five-Card Cross Spread

This five-card relationship cross spread is all about finding love and what you need to do in order to build a healthy and harmonious relationship. For this one I have followed a simple three-card past, present, future structure, but added two more cards in order to help you gain an understanding of your situation right now.

The five cards pulled in this spread are:

Your Past
Your Present
Your Future
What Goes Well For You
What Issues You Need to Address

The first three cards reflect the past, present, and future of your love life. These allow you to think deeply about how your past affects your present, and how your present affects your future. I often think that these three cards tell a story, and provide a narrative arc to your life (but maybe this is just the creative writer in me!).

The fourth card pulled represents what goes well for you in your relationships. This is probably something that you already know, and can often be taken at face value. The fifth card, however, might need a bit of thought and meditation.

It represents what issues you need to address in your love life, and what might be stopping you from finding love. You may not realize that this is an issue for you. If you find it hard to understand the card, feel free to pull more cards to gain further clarity.

Let’s look at an example of this five-card relationship cross spread, and how we can interpret the cards. As I am single, I did this spread for myself!

When I turned over the cards, I definitely noticed the strong masculine energy in the spread. Two Knights, the King of Wands, and the Emperor card all turned up! Now, I am a cis woman, so I thought this was pretty interesting. But, instead of these cards representing other people, I had a feeling that these cards all reflect me.

So, for my past card, I received the Knight of Wands. This card reflects sparks of ideas and energy. There is impulsiveness to the Knight of Wands, and perhaps this does reflect my past love life. I have rushed into relationships previously, following sparks and creativity and putting maturity and practicality to one side.

For the present card, I got the Emperor. As this is a card that represents rules and stability, I got the feeling that I was the Emperor in my present circumstances. Perhaps it is a reaction to my past love life, but nowadays, I definitely end up keeping myself to myself and not really following the sparks of love. I tend to put myself and my career above romance, keeping my life stable and secure.

For the future card, I received the Six of Wands. I was pretty happy with this, as this is a card that reflects victory. By putting it with the Knight of Wands and the Emperor, I feel as if it suggests that I will one day balance these two sides of me and find long-lasting and successful love.

The fourth card, which represents what goes well in my relationships, is the Knight of Cups. This is a pretty romantic card and suggests that I am in tune with my emotions and feelings. This allows my relationships to flourish.

For the fifth card, I received the King of Wands. So, what does the King of Wands tell me I need to work on in order to find love? Well, when put with the other cards, I definitely feel as if the cards are telling me sometimes I need to step back and let other people lead. I am a strong person, and love to be in total control of my life, which is reflected in the Emperor. But, perhaps I need to let loose a bit and allow other people to guide me!

The Relationship Issues Five-Card Cross Spread

Perhaps you or your friend are facing a problem in their relationship and are wanting advice from the Tarot cards. This five-card relationship cross spread will allow you or your friend to understand the situation better, and what action is needed in order to resolve the problem!

The five cards pulled in this spread are:

Cause
What Is Making The Issue Worse
What You Need to Do
Your Side
Their Side

The first card pulled reflects the cause of the issue. In order to resolve relationship difficulties, finding the cause is really important is this means that you can work on breaking any cycles and stopping the issue from occurring again! You may need to meditate with this card to fully understand what it means.

The second card pulled represents the current situation and behavior of you or your partner that is amplifying the issue. The third card is an action card and provides you with guidance on what you need to do next in order to solve the issue.

The fourth and fifth cards are really important in this relationship spread. Discovering and understanding both your side and their side of the issue allows you to reconnect and grow together. I think that including these in the reading gives you the opportunity to read the cards together and discuss the problems that you are facing.

Let’s apply this spread to a situation. My friend Josh is a pretty outgoing guy and loves to go clubbing multiple times a week. However, his boyfriend Alex prefers to stay in most nights. Of course, they understand each other’s personalities and know that everyone is different. However, some nights Alex wants to stay in with Josh and watch a film, but Josh wants to go out. This causes issues, as sometimes Alex feels as if Josh is putting partying before their relationship. So, what can the cards do in order for Alex to understand his situation?

The Relationship Issues Five-Card Cross Spread

For the first card, he received the Chariot. This is normally viewed as a positive card, reflecting willpower and determination. However, as this card is about the cause of the issues, we can definitely see it as telling Alex that both he and Josh may be too controlling and strong-willed in their relationship. They are both determined to live their own lives, but perhaps they are being too stubborn!

For the second card that reflects what is making the situation worse, he received the Seven of Wands. This is a card all about standing your ground but paired with the Chariot, we can see that stubbornness is making the issue worse.

The third card reflects what Alex needs to do in order to move forward with Josh. For this card, he received the Four of Swords. This suggests that both Alex and Josh need to have time apart to meditate on their current relationship.

For the card that reflects Alex’s side of the problem, he received the Four of Cups. This reflects how he finds Josh’s partying a little bit boring! For the final card that reflects Josh’s side, he received the Two of Cups. This is a beautiful card, that represents a flow of love between two people. Perhaps Alex is not fully understanding that whilst Josh does like to party, he does have a whole lot of love and affection for Alex!

The Breakup Five-Card Cross Spread

Finally, we will look at a five-card relationship cross spread that helps you understand your breakup. A breakup is always difficult, but it is a part of life. We often forget that we can learn things from a breakup, but Tarot can help us do this, and allow us to see the positives from any situation!

The five cards pulled in this spread are:

What Worked
What Went Wrong
The Future
What You Gained
What the Breakup Taught You

The first two cards in this five-card relationship cross spread are pretty easy to understand and should be taken at face value. They represent what worked in the relationship, and what went wrong. The third card pulled reflects the future of you and your ex. There may be a potential for a friendship with this person!

The fourth card reflects what you gained from the breakup, and the fifth card represents what the breakup taught you. You may need to meditate on these cards and pull out some extra cards in order for you to fully understand what the Tarot is telling you.

Let’s look at an example of this five-card relationship cross spread, and how we can interpret the cards. I decided to do this reading on myself in regards to my last boyfriend.

For the first card, which represents what worked, I received the Three of Pentacles. I thought this was a really nice card to pull as it reflects teamwork and collaboration. I had a lot of fun with my last boyfriend and we did work together to create a harmonious and fulfilling relationship.

For the second card, I received the Seven of Wands. This is a card all about standing your ground and fighting for the things that you hold dear to you. Perhaps there was too much of this in the relationship, and we both tended to be pretty stubborn when we fell out!

The third card reflects any future between me and my ex, and for this, I received the Magician. I am still friends with him, and I think that the Magician reflects a new start for both of us and how we still have a great connection.

The fourth card represents what I gained from the relationship, and the card I received was the Empress. This is a card that represents femininity and beauty. Perhaps the Tarot is telling me that because of the breakup, I became more in touch with my feminine side and the abundance from within.

For the final card, I received the Ace of Pentacles. So, how does the Ace of Pentacles reflect what the breakup taught me? As this card is all about new beginnings and prosperity, I feel as if it is telling me that I learned the importance of fresh starts and trying again in new ways. My ex and I are great friends, and just because romance didn’t work, it didn’t mean that everything between us was over!

FAQs

Let’s look at some FAQs that you might have in regards to the five-card relationship cross spread.

Question: Can I Do a Five-Card Relationship Cross Spread on Myself?

Answer: Of course! I always read my own Tarot cards and find them a great way of understanding myself and the world around me.

Question: How do I Do a Relationship Tarot Spread?

Answer: In order to do a relationship Tarot spread, simply follow the instructions in this article.

Question: Can Tarot Tell me to Break up With Someone?

Answer: No! The Tarot will never tell you to break up with someone. The cards will simply show you any issues you are facing and help you work out the solution.

Allow Your Love Life to Flourish With These Simple Five-Card Relationship Cross Spreads!

I really hope you have enjoyed this article and discovered new ways in which Tarot cards can help you. Love, like Tarot, feels pretty magical, and therefore it is no wonder that they complement each other so well.

Remember to listen to your heart and intuition when reading the cards, and allow the Tarot to guide you towards happiness.

You should also try these spreads, below: