A future telling spread is aimed specifically at the question "what next?" Future telling spreads differ from other spreads in that they do not so much invite thought or reflection on past events or even the current state of affairs, but rather in what will be at some point in the future. Future telling spreads diminish the role of free will and free choice and emphasize instead the beliefs of destiny. Future telling spreads therefore appeal to people who tend to feel they have little or no control over the events in their lives.

Following is a description of how future telling spreads work. First, look at the overall weight of the spread. If you have equal numbers of positive and negative cards, then each card's meaning should be taken at face value. If you have more positive cards than negative ones, then you can assume that the severity of the negative cards will be lessened. The same is true of the positive cards; if you have more negative cards than positive, then the impact of the positive cards will be less.

Cards may also negate one another. For example, a card that claims you will enjoy good health is cancelled by a card that warns of health problems. This simply implies that health should be of no concern to you in the near future.

It is important to remember that the meanings of the cards are symbolic. What this means is that you will have to interpret the meaning of the card in terms of its position in the spread. For example, if you are using the Zodiac spread and get a card in the House of Taurus (which is concerning finance) that warns of death or illness, you will need to assume that this is a warning about your finances, not your physical health.

It is believed that most negative cards are warnings and should be treated as such with appropriate changes in current behavior. For example, if you get a card that predicts poor health and you are a smoker, you should seriously quit smoking.

Generally speaking, any of the spreads can be used for future telling purposes. What makes them "future" oriented is a) the question "what next?" and b) the point of view from which the interpretation is made. For this reason, it is important to discuss your purposes with the reader before a reading begins. Often, we want to know something about our futures because something is looming over us and we do not know what to do about it. A future telling spread will give insight, warnings, and suggestions and ideally, you should follow the implications in the cards if you entered into the reading with that in mind.