The Mental Clutter Tarot Spread
There is a lot going on right now in the world, and various facets of life and it is safe to say that it is fucking overwhelming. I’d be lying if I said I had it all figured out and had my own shit together but alas I do not. I am optimistically thinking that I am not alone in this, with the way the votes went for this post. This isn’t a fix it all, type of Tarot spread. Trust me I wish it was. So that we are on the same page, I wanted to share the definition of Mental Clutter from the APA (www.apa.org/) that makes the most sense to me. “Mental clutter refers to the overwhelming jumble of thoughts, worries, and distractions that can make it difficult to focus, remember details, or feel at ease. It often results from constant information overload and can lead to increased stress and anxiety.” The intention that I created for this spread was to help me uncover a single aspect of my mental clutter, how it is affecting me and my daily life, and what I can do to move towards some clarity. Before I begin sharing the Tarot spread, I personally do this spread over the course of two to three days. There are a few different mechanics in place, and if you are having an already mentally overwhelming day, trying to do this spread in one sitting may not be feasible for you. Give yourself permission to do this spread in parts if you need to.
Disclaimer:
This is my own personal spread. This has a journaling aspect to it. If that is not your thing, this spread may not be for you. I am not a medical professional, nor claim to be, nor do I suggest this spread to be used in replace of medical treatment. This is just what helps me and I wanted to share it with others. This isn’t the only way, the absolute right way or the way that you “should” approach this topic. I encourage you to use what you find useful and tweak or dismiss what you do not find useful. I am sure there are various other people in the world who choose to do things differently regarding this topic and that is perfectly okay. I can only speak from personal experience and what has worked for me. I encourage you to do your own research, to do what you are comfortable with and to tailor any advice provided henceforth to your specific needs and individual situation.
Take some time to get yourself a pen and paper and a beverage of your choice. Make yourself comfortable, get a comfort item like a squishy toy or a blanket, etc and remember you can take as many breaks as you need and want. There is no rush to do this in one sitting. I repeat, heavy things may come up, you do not have to do it all at once.
The Uncovering:
Shuffle your Tarot deck. Pull a single card however you see fit. This is the current mental clutter you are going to focus on. We’ll call this your Mental Clutter Card or MCC for short.
Okay but what if you get The Sun card or the Ten of Cups, or another seemingly positive card…. I am a firm believer that each of the 78 tarot cards have duality in meaning. This has happened to me before, and I did get the Three Of Cups. You can decide to look at the card meaning as being blocked, watered down, or even an imbalance of that particular energy. Listen to your intuition. You may also wish to pull a clarifier card if it can help you narrow down the area of focus.
So when I had pulled the Three of Cups for this position, I read it as I was dealing with a lot of social obligations that I wasn’t fully in control over. It was stressing me out because I had over committed myself to some projects and in turn it was leading me to burn out. The Three of Cups was an excess of social interaction that my mental battery was not capable of handling.
The importance of this part is to get that mental clutter out of your head and into a tangible form you can address. Take some time to journal your findings or even make a note of it on your phone.
You can take a breath and stop here if you need to and come back later. Sometimes just seeing or uncovering what is cluttering your mind can be a lot to process because you are essentially facing something that you may be trying hard to avoid.
The Investigation:
Place your previous Mental Clutter Card back into the deck.
Shuffle your Tarot deck and find that card again.
The card before it, is what is keeping you from seeing this specific mental clutter. This showcases what is obstructing your view or acknowledgment to your situation.
The card after it, is how it is affecting your everyday life. This showcases how this mental clutter shows up during your day to day.
These two spread positions help bring not only awareness to what is going on but also showcases an outside view of the bigger picture that sometimes we can miss when our lives are on auto pilot.
Take some time to journal your findings or even make a note of it on your phone. You can again stop here and come back to the final part at a later date.
The Resolve:
Place the cards back in your deck and shuffle one last time.
Pull three cards.
One: What is something I am in control of regarding ( Your Specific Mental Clutter ) This can be a difficult spread position because sometimes we often feel like we have lost control or lack the ability to assert it. I challenge you to frame this card as a way of you obtaining your power back even if it is just by acknowledging this mental pattern isn’t one you are going to maintain any longer.
Two: What do I need in this moment to help bring me clarity? This could reveal a lot of things such as sleep, comfort, a meal, support from friends or even just a break from your current routine. I find that thinking outside the box for this particular spread position is useful because you never know what unexpected or nontraditional ways you are able to see through the mental fog. I remember pulling the Four of Cups in this position and I laughed because I instantly thought YES I need a fucking cup of coffee before I even attempt to process the bullshit at hand. Sadly, it didn’t come to me floating from the sky.
Three: What small boundary can I set today that would give my mind some breathing room? Now is the time to take control. Accept that this process will not happen overnight. As I mentioned in the beginning this is not a solve it all type of spread. The focus here is to look at what you have uncovered in all three parts of this spread and then take the steps to refocus and chip away at the mental clutter when you are safely able to do so. Sometimes it can happen in a day, a week and sometimes it’s months before we are ready to deal with our own stuff. For me with the Three of Cups card, I mentioned before, I needed to stop over committing myself. I realized that no was a full sentence and that saying no protected me more than any yes could.
It is my greatest hope that this spread helps you unclutter your mind, empower you to set boundaries, unlock your strength and realize that you are not alone in your struggles.
-------------------
Post Notes: Please do not remove the captions. Spread: The Mental Clutter Tarot Spread by @tarotprose Copyright: © Ivan Ambrose 2026 Spread Disclaimer: This is my own personal spread. I am not a medical professional, nor claim to be, nor do I suggest this spread to be used in replace of medical treatment. This is just what helps me and I wanted to share it with others.