Tarot has been a part of Barbara Moore's personal and professional lives for nearly twenty years. Right from the start, tarot intrigued her with its marvelous blending of mythology, psychology, art, history, mystery, and magic. She has studied under...
The Celtic Cross Spread is a very traditional and well-known spread, included in almost every tarot book for beginners. There are many reasons it is so well known and popular. It provides a wealth of information about any situation. There are enough cards to provide plenty of material to work with. It gives a clear overview of a situation as well as the probable outcome. It can be read as a large spread or as a series of smaller spreads. Because the Celtic Cross Spread has been around for about one hundred years (it was invented by Arthur E. Waite, who falsely claimed it was an ancient spread), there are many variations. You may see versions that label the positions slightly differently. Remember, tarot has evolved and continues to evolve, and that goes for spreads, too. It's okay. Don't assume that one variation is wrong and the other, right. In addition to a variety of positional meanings, people have altered or added to the Celtic Cross layout. As you work with it, if you notice areas or types of information that you'd like, add positions and see how they work out.
In chapter 4, we talked about the importance of creating an experience during a reading. The Celtic Cross, as first presented by A. E. Waite, included instructions for a dramatic presentation. The reader was told to lay down the significator, saying it represented the querent. When laying down the first card, the reader must say, "This card covers her." With the next, "This card crosses her." For the third, "This card crowns her"; for the next, "This card is the foundation," and so on. The words don't really mean anything, but said in the right way, they certainly can add a sense of style to a reading.
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Significator
1. Covers: the influence that is affecting the querent or the situation
2. Crosses: the obstacles or energies working against the querent in this situation
3. Crown: the querent's ideal, or goal, in the situation
4. Foundation: the basis, or foundation, of the situation
5. Behind: influences that affected the querent or situation but are now passing away
6. Before: what is likely to happen next
7. Yourself: the querent as she sees herself in the situation
8. Your House: the influences of circumstances or people surrounding the querent
9. Hopes and Fears: the querent's hopes and/or fears regarding this situation
10. What Will Come: the culmination, resolution, or outcome of the situation
This spread was originally designed for purely predictive readings, and the position meanings show that. For this, or any spread you try, always tweak the meanings so that they make sense with your beliefs and your reading style. For example, if you do not like how "the culmination, resolution, or outcome of the situation" implies a sense of absolute, written-in-stone fate, change it to something like "the current most likely outcome if all things remain as they are." If the outcome isn't to the querent's liking, a common practice is to follow up with another short one- to three-card reading to advise the querent about how to change that outcome.
As mentioned earlier, the Celtic Cross can be read as several mini spreads as well as one large one. For example, the first mini spread is the cross in the center made up of the significator, the covering card, and the crossing card. These cards, read together, very concisely create a picture of the situation or conflict concerning the querent. Card 5, the significator, and card 6 together make the familiar three-card spread of past-present-future. Cards 6 and 10 show the trend of future events. Cards 3 and 9 tell what the querent wants, hopes for, or fears. Reading these cards in these combinations also allows you to use your skills in reading card pairs and elemental dignities to add nuances to the reading.
