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.
- The significator epitomizes what the reading deals with, the initial situation.
- An added impulse that compounds the significator, which may be either complimentary or contradictory.
- This is what is consciously known (thoughts).
- Unconscious driving forces that may not be known fully (emotions).
- The immediate past regarding the current situation.
- The first future card indicates the immediate future.
- This card represents the reader and their attitude towards cards #1 and #2.
- The external influences, the places and people which influence the topic.
- This tarot card suggests expectations; what is secretly hoped for or feared.
- The second future card reveals the long-term outcome.
Your Celtic Cross Reading
The Crown |
The Outcome![]() XX – Judgement
External Forces ![]() King of Pentacles
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The Recent Past![]() Knight of Wands |
The Crossing Card
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The Future![]() Queen of Pentacles |
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The Significator represents what the main theme of the reading deals with, the initial situation.
Seven of Cups
The 7 of Cups indicates having your head in the clouds. Your dreams are flourishing, but encroaching on you at the expense of your actions. Dreams are wonderful, but not so much when by contrast their inspiration is lessened causing disconnect in actions.
Also indicated is to watch that you don't get caught up in your dream world at the expense of reality. Balance and centre and you will be clear.
As with gardening, it is not recommended to cut things back too hard. In fact, do not cut them at all. Increase your actions. Start with a big breath. All dreams and no action may be pie in the sky, and as well may be more markedly that you are in a new place. Do not be afraid to act. Simply renew and think of a great wind. The smoke and chaff will begin to clear as the wheat of your dreams nourishes your newfound zeal.
* A manner of reading a reversal is to emphasise rather than a reversed meaning, an internal meaning relating more to one's inner self than indicating the outer world. Read the card with your inner context, what it says to you about your inner person.
The Crossing Card denotes an added impulse that compounds the initial card, whether complimentary or contradictory.
Five of Wands
The 5 of Wands card indicates stiff competition, not necessarily fair, with no clear winner implied. All are separate entities. Challenge with an unclear outcome, enterprise, and glory rule the wands. Like revving the engine but the clutch is in, strong competition often indicates obstacles. Do not stop the fight. Add new perspective that the competition is missing. Anger is a fabulous reminder that there are still a few things still misunderstood. At one and the same time feel the wonders of the contexts outside you, of your actions in context, and contexts inside you.
* A manner of reading a reversal is to emphasise rather than a reversed meaning, an internal meaning relating more to one's inner self than indicating the outer world. Read the card with your inner context, what it says to you about your inner person.
The Crown stands for what the asker is aware of consciously.
Seven of Swords
Sneaky. Devious. Sly. Stealth. Your troubles are hiding in plain sight. Underhanded, theft, robbery, unreliability, betrayal, spying, dishonour, deceit, suspicion. Mistrust. Look differently. Pause and expand outwardly. Take a day off in the middle of the week. Feel into your blind spots as they are actively deceiving you! Like the hand. Like the seventh sword. Feel the meditation of being able to hide in plain sight! You are OFF and THERE at one and the same time. Everywhere to be seen, and nowhere to be found.
Feel YOUR place. You may not be as exposed as you think. You MAY simply be in a place of creation or new place. Feel YOUR place, not your clever. The cards do not indicate your path, here. YOU DO!, with wonderful placement and awareness. Drop your stones. Your placement supersedes your trepidation. STAND and deliver!, from wherever you are IN A NEW WAY!. Silence is deliverance as well. Feel the contradiction. Feel your place in your multi-faceted context! Discern between the negativity of no-one noticing you vs the same thing indicating stealth.
Foundation card reveals unconscious driving forces that the querent may not be aware of.
Eight of Wands
The 8 of Wands indicates a positive change of mind with health, new ideas, goals, projects in the works, love letters, communications. Also indicated is a journey by air travel, by love, or by a love of open spaces. Gardening. Field sports. The indication is that things are 'up in the air' in a positive way, more of an active interest than a wait, a powerful witness watching interestedly to see how things turn out.
* A manner of reading a reversal is to emphasise rather than a reversed meaning, an internal meaning relating more to one's inner self than indicating the outer world. Read the card with your inner context, what it says to you about your inner person.
The Recent Past represents past events and concerns.
Knight of Wands
The knight of Wands indicates too great an emphasis on spiritual matters, thoughtless action, new and unfamiliar actions and feelings. The house cracked so to speak. . .hard to mend damage. . .or an awakening. Spiritual matters are indicated as being overly focused upon. . .or you are experiencing more spirit, adding / growing from your spiritual core rather than from / at the edges. A means of introspection is indicated. Your house is in some form of flux, transition, healing, renewal, awakening.
The Future depicts that which lies ahead.
Five of Wands
The 5 of Wands card indicates stiff competition, not necessarily fair, with no clear winner implied. All are separate entities. Challenge with an unclear outcome, enterprise, and glory rule the wands. Like revving the engine but the clutch is in, strong competition often indicates obstacles. Do not stop the fight. Add new perspective that the competition is missing. Anger is a fabulous reminder that there are still a few things still misunderstood. At one and the same time feel the wonders of the contexts outside you, of your actions in context, and contexts inside you.
* A manner of reading a reversal is to emphasise rather than a reversed meaning, an internal meaning relating more to one's inner self than indicating the outer world. Read the card with your inner context, what it says to you about your inner person.
The Querent represents the asker and their attitude towards the subject of the reading.
Four of Wands
The Four of Wands indicates the joy of coming together for a purpose and the growth and happiness that can result. A surprise or thrill out of the blue may be in store for you. You may meet someone unexpectedly. Planned celebrations or the freedom of building something together with someone are also indicated. Build it together and you will reap abundance.
Reversed you may find an obstacle blocking you from happiness. A surprise may bring both happiness and sorrow or dissatisfaction. Look to the surprise for its surprise, and amend your soil with the newness alone, letting the sorrow and dissatisfaction fall away at most as compost, more probably as chaff.
External Forces represents the influence of others in your life as well as trends in your relationships with others.
King of Pentacles
The King of Pentacles indicates the Master Builder, building concrete and psychic structures together. Everything built here stands the test of time as it is living of its own accord and rooted strongly. There is an uncompromising quality with clean lines spare of ornament. This is not the domain of the glorious, but of grand simplicity with strength and wit and directness of gesture. In regard to an architecture of clean lines spare of ornament visualise the human body.
This is the card of strong foundations already built under your dreams. Proper reinforcement and formwork is not a requirement, was the norm, and all exceeds expectations. Formwork was sloughed off as forgotten memory, afterbirth. Reinforcement enhances and strengthens the structure, and is embedded. Quick fixes make for shallow roots. This is the card of developed roots and healthy and prominent accomplishments.
* A manner of reading a reversal is to emphasise rather than a reversed meaning, an internal meaning relating more to one's inner self than indicating the outer world. Read the card with your inner context, what it says to you about your inner person.
Hopes and Fears shows the expectations you have concerning the outcome of your question.
Five of Swords
The 5 of Swords indicates feeling an overwhelming sense of defeat. Everything is out to get you or there is no way out. Beware of truth- against-the-world thinking as it is only ego-echoes tantrum-ing through what may be depression or low energy. Your ego's socio-pathing you so to speak, and remember that some studies have shown that it can only tantrum for 2 minutes at a time. Right now, its endurance may be dealing you successive strikes. Weather this storm as your inner storm making your outer one. Cease pitying yourself! Cease pitying yourself! DO NOT return the ego-echo's call! You DO NOT need to perfect yourself to be loved! Feel that!
The 5 of Swords indicates that with some careful reassessment, or simply a good bout of forgetting transparent beliefs, you will be free to accomplish your visualised outcomes again before too long. Go get the oil changed in your car if it's time, and empathise with that process. Google it. You might just feel like you've exploded. There WAS calm before the storm. You will MAKE calm as it becomes AFTER the storm. Do it differently this time, though. The landscape may be a little different after a storm.
Also, think about it this way: as with splitting wood with an adze which is stuck and all work is stopped. Stop pulling. Stop whacking. Tap your adze. Get yourself out of your heart knot and wipe your brow.
The Outcome of your question. Interpret this card in the context of the entire reading and as an indicator of the path you are currently on, but not necessarily bound to.
XX – Judgement
Judgment indicates a weightlessness of memory in mind that exacts a heavy toll or provides one with a breadth of self-born experience. It is indicated to not dig in your dirt at this time in respect for your own dead. In respectful remembrance forget them to sprouting and flowering naturally as you simply amend your soil.
It is indicated that you alone carry your memories into the present, no more at the mercy of your past, than you are of old photo albums. Take more pictures! Judgment indicates the respectful remembrance of perennials poking their noses up in newly amended soil.
Now is indicated to be a time where the cycles of your memories will flourish.
* A manner of reading a reversal is to emphasise rather than a reversed meaning, an internal meaning relating more to one's inner self than indicating the outer world. Read the card with your inner context, what it says to you about your inner person.

