The layout of the cards that you should do for a reading depends on the deck that you are using.  A more modern, western deck will probably have instructions to use the Celtic cross spread while some others will have other patterns.

Despite popular belief, the cards are not used to predict the future.  They only show possible outcomes based on things that have occurred in the past and present, or the state of mind of the querant.  The reader and the querant can influence the cards picked subconsciously, so it is important to take both the context in which the cards appear and one's own personal biases and culture into account.

For instance, a reading that to an Anglo person with a Christian background from the midwestern U.S. may say "You are a charismatic, vocal person who will be very popular if you use this correctly," may say to a Navaho raised and living on a reservation, "You are a loudmouthed looney who everyone dislikes, and one day you may pay dearly for this."

Whether the cards' power is mental or spiritual is not truly relevant.  Their track record over the years speaks for itself.  When the cards are picked under the correct circumstances, they work very well.

Tips for a good reading:

Both the reader and the querant should be as relaxed and comfortable as possible.  The room should have few distractions or be dark and quiet with a candle or two to light the reading area.  It is best that there be no one in the immediate area save the reader and the querant.

It is a good idea for the querant to see all of the cards available.  Their images should be in mind so that the deductive powers of the brain have a sort of database to work with.  This can be done by quickly laying out the cards, face up so that at least a partial image and the title and/or number at the top of each card can be seen.

The cards should then be gathered and shuffled, and then layed out face down.

The querant should be given all the time they need to choose their cards.  This usually doesn't take long, but it can take up to 5 minutes or so.  Be patient.  If it takes longer than this, it may mean that the querant is asking something they don't truly want to see the answer to.  This is okay.  They can come back later if possible.

In some cases, the querant may ask that the reader choose the cards.  This is a good thing to do if your querant is asking this because they are a wizard with some degree of control over others.  For them, choosing cards can set off a sort of psychological chain reaction throughout every living being in the world (all connected), resulting in a manipulation of the situation.

Readings over the phone would also be another case when you'd pick cards for the querant.  Also, if the querant has no hands or their hands are injured, the reader should pick the cards, however the querant should direct the reader to the cards they want to pick.

Reading for yourself:

Sometimes this can be problematic because a reader has had much more exposure to the cards than the average person, and most people who are drawn to the tarot have some psychospiritual leanings or abilities.  A solution to this may be to read from a deck you don't normally use, or from a deck whose design is closely linked to your personality and/or ancestry.

Next we'll look at a couple of methods for spreading the cards.