Sylvia Abraham’s 17-Card Tarot Spread Explained

Go Beyond the Celtic Cross Tarot Spread

17-Card Tarot Spread. Image by Gem Blackthorn

This 17-card tarot spread is from Sylvia Abraham’s How to Read the Tarot: The Keyword System (1997).

I’m sharing the spread because it’s an insightful expansion of the Celtic Cross spread focusing on plans and goals. But if you decide to pick up this book, I advise you to disregard her take on tarot history.

“Tarot images were pictured in the pyramids of ancient Egypt, where many secret schools existed.”

This has been debunked for some time. The Egyptian tarot myth is a fabrication of 18th–and 19th-century occultists seeking to lend antiquity and prestige to their systems.

The false Egyptian connection was popularized by Antoine Court de Gébelin, a French Freemason and occult writer, in his work Le Monde Primitif (1781). He claimed (without evidence) that tarot cards were derived from an ancient Egyptian “Book of Thoth,” supposedly containing esoteric wisdom preserved by priests.

The myth was further entrenched by Eliphas Lévi, a French occultist, who tied tarot to the Kabbalah and Hermeticism (a philosophical tradition inspired by Greco-Egyptian texts like the Corpus Hermeticum). Lévi’s writings (e.g., Dogme et Rituel de la Haute Magie, 1854–56) blended tarot with mystical systems but still lacked historical proof.

However, we don’t dismiss the entirety of someone’s contributions just because they were mistaken in some areas. I still find their 17-card spread valuable, especially if you’re looking to advance beyond the Celtic Cross in your tarot practice.

How to Read the 17-Card Tarot Spread

Place the cards in numerical order. All cards should be face up.

Before launching into the reading, sweep the spread for Major Arcana and Court cards. These represent real people in the client’s life.

1. Querent’s concern — This is the client’s main concern or question

2. The conflict — What is “crossing” the client/causing the concern

3. Happiness or sadness — In the Celtic Cross, this position represents what is “above” the client, most of the time alluding to a spiritual component that is pushing the client along. This spread alters that to represent the overarching emotion that is driving the client.

4. Conditions of health or security — In the Celtic Cross, this position represents the subconscious. If we feel safe or unsafe, we tend to store those emotions in our subconscious, so this change is not too far off. This version expands the sense of security to the physical realm by adding “health.”

5. Past actions affecting the first card — This will represent the client’s actions that caused the client to have their main question or concern. This is great for accountability purposes, but be careful not to slip into victim-blaming or finger-wagging.

6. Immediate future — This card is meant to be a prediction. The immediate future can be up to 3–6 months.

7. Character and ego traits of Querent — Qualities of the client that are relevant to the overall question and conflict.

8. Outside influences affecting money, environment, and the main concern

9. Hopes and fears relating to the tenth card (outcome).

10. Outcome — This is the overall outcome. Depending on the question, it may confirm Card 6 (immediate future), but not always. The overall outcome may take months or years and may unravel in very different circumstances than the near future.

11. Past actions of family and friends — We’re affected by our community. This card represents how they affected the current situation.

12. Illusions regarding the main question or secret enemies

13. Future plans — It’s important to remember that future plans are not the same as future outcomes. Cards 6, 10, and 13 may all rhyme if you’re already on the right path, but that won’t always be the case.

14. Past emotional concerns — Emotions evolve. This card represents past emotions that contributed to the current situation.

15. 16. 17. Goals for the future

And that’s it! If you have some more time to kill or you’re just bored the Celtic Cross, give the 17-card tarot spread a shot and let me know how it goes!

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Thank you for making it this far. If you use this tarot spread, share your spread on Instagram or TikTok and tag @gemblackthorn. I have a new download available: What every tarot card means in a money reading. Perfect for tarot readings regarding business, workplace, or personal finances (for entertainment purposes only, obviously).

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