Celtic Cross Spread

Difficulty: Average

This is probably the most well-known tarot spread. A good, basic spread for beginners to practise with, the Celtic Cross is useful for questions of all types. In this spread, it can be helpful to notice the relationships between the pairings of cards #5 & #9, #1 & #2, #3 & #4, and #6 & #10.

1. The significator epitomizes what the reading deals with, the initial situation.
2. An added impulse that compounds the significator, which may be either complimentary or contradictory.
3. This is what is consciously known (thoughts).
4. Unconscious driving forces that may not be known fully (emotions).
5. The immediate past regarding the current situation.
6. The first future card indicates the immediate future.
7. This card represents the reader and their attitude towards cards #1 and #2.
8. The external influences, the places and people which influence the topic.
9. This tarot card suggests expectations; what is secretly hoped for or feared.
10. The second future card reveals the long-term outcome.

Your Celtic Cross Reading

	The Crown 7 of Swords		The Outcome The Hanged Man Hopes and Fears Princess of Cups External Forces 10 of Swords The Querent 5 of Coins
The Recent Past Strength	The Crossing Card 4 of Cups The Significator 4 of Coins	The Future Temperance
	Foundation card 10 of Wands

The safe symbolises the need for protection. Certain themes are referred to: money, possessions, love and relationships. The star stands for the vision, which is worth holding on to.

The blue-and-white checked-pattern portrays narrow-mindedness through misunderstood reliability. At the bottom of the picture the devil's horns and some hell-fire have found their place, illustrating dependence.

A fourth cup, which, does not really want to fit in the well-balanced harmony of the other three, joins the three cups. The hand with its intensive colour shows the rejection it experiences. The fourth fish is green, as though it felt ill. Altogether the colours are lighter than those of the Three of Cups.

The left hand points to the new path towards intuition and the subconscious. The colours correspond with those of the Cups. The right hand tends to turn towards the swords. This area is dominated by the colour blue. The question is how many swords should be taken on the journey.

The intensity of the Nine of Wands diminishes in the Ten of Wands. The colours are paler; it seems more difficult to hold the wands together; at the same time the small flames are burning both hands, the leaves are beginning to wither.

A sceptre and a sword seem to be fighting. Water and fire, portrayed in striking red, stand for subconscious strength. They are kept under control by the symbols of earth and air, the conscious elements, portrayed by the sword (clarity), the house (stability) and the wall (limits, firmness). The violet colour of the wall also shows a penetration of the colours red and blue.

The trees also contain this mixture of the elements, but they are growing cautiously as well as the clouds, water, which so to speak, becomes air (gaseous). They also stand for integration, which on the one hand makes us more flexible but on the other hand obscures things. The lemniscates, which can be seen clearly in magic, can be found in the two trees in the top left corner. It illustrates swinging into the next bend.

A fourth cup, which, does not really want to fit in the well-balanced harmony of the other three, joins the three cups. The hand with its intensive colour shows the rejection it experiences. The fourth fish is green, as though it felt ill. Altogether the colours are lighter than those of the Three of Cups.

Wealth and poverty are separated by a wall. The rich man is wearing white gloves. He doesn't want to get his fingers dirty. The poor man has a missing middle-finger, the centre has been lost. His stick is brittle.

The colour blue separates the colours red and yellow from brown and green. The yellow is similar to gold. Red used to belong to the most expensive colours. Green is also the colour of mould and brown is the colour which at first appears to be inert.

The candle is helping the poor man to find sense and the distant path, as far as he is aware of them.

Letting go of rationality is shown here as a dissolving process. Nine swords are cutting up a tenth sword, the point of which is melting and with this fluid wets the other nine swords.

The hand is injured by the four lower swords and is opening up; two drops of blood can be seen. It is not clear how many of the swords are or should be melting. The sun rising in the background brings with it new strength.

Waves emboss the picture and the princess‘ hair and the night-sky move with them. The moon and stars indicate intuition and emotionality.

The eyes seem to mirror the night-light, and also point to the personal inner starry sky. The hearts in the picture speak for themselves and the three fish suggest approaching materialism.

The sole of the foot is turned upwards, the world is turned upside down. This is what the picture shows. The beam and the rope are blue. Rationality, an attempt to consciously act, binds the hanged man. But here there also seems to be hope. Leaves are growing out of wood.

The colour yellow at the bottom of the picture stands for the light which the hanged man experiences when he manages to let himself fall. The wide path in the background leads to a dead-end against blue rocks. Walking back a bit one can find a narrow track which leads around the rocks back into the light. The violet background portrays the night sky. Normal vision is not carried any further.