Celtic Cross
The Celtic Cross is one of the most popular and enduring Tarot spreads. It is used as a practical method for divination by laying out the cards in a pattern that resembles a Christian cross of the style found in formerly pagan regions.
Origin
The Celtic Cross spread was first mentioned in print by A.E. Waite in his 1910 book, A Pictorial Key to the Tarot as "An Ancient Celtic Method of Divination." Waite likely created the spread himself and ascribed it an "ancient Celtic" pedigree as an imaginative means for giving the spread some credibility as a divination tool.
Waite's original instructions differ slightly from later methods of using the spread, and the differences are worth noting.
- Use a court card from the Minor Arcana as the Significator card.
- Use a specific card as the Significator to receive a specific answer: i.e. the Justice card for a question about a lawsuit.
- The fifth card in the layout should be placed in the direction the character on the Significator card is looking. This would be a different side for each reading.
- If the tenth card does not provide a strong answer, it should be used as the Significator card in a new reading, done immediately after the first.
Composition
The Celtic Cross is comprised of ten cards, six of which are laid out in a cross formation while the other four are in a vertical row on the right side of the cross. This spread has the benefit of providing detailed information about the situation in question, but also gives a general overview. The "final card" component is especially useful for answering specific questions.
Layout and usage
The cartomancer first selects a card to represent the person (or matter) about which inquiry is made. This card is called the Significator. Should you wish to ascertain something in connection with yourself, take the card with which you feel the strongest connection. This will often be The Magician or The High Priestess. Having selected the Significator, place it on the table, face upwards. Then shuffle and cut the rest of the pack three times, keeping the faces of the cards downwards, while pondering the question at hand.
Central cross cards
- FIRST CARD: Cover the Significator with it. This card shows the influence which is affecting the person or matter of inquiry. The atmosphere in which the other currents work.
- SECOND CARD: Lay it across the first card. It shows the nature of the obstacles in the matter. If it is a favorable card, the opposing forces will not be serious, or it may indicate that something good in itself will not be productive of good in the particular situation.
- THIRD CARD: Place it above the Significator. It represents either the Querent's aim or ideal in the matter; or the best that can be achieved under the circumstances.
- FOURTH CARD: Place it below the Significator. It shows the foundation or basis of the matter, that which has already passed into actuality and which the Querent has made their own. It can also represent a skill or talent that the Querent possesses which will be beneficial in the situation.
- FIFTH CARD: Place it on the right side of the Significator. It shows the influence that is just passed, or is now passing away.
- SIXTH CARD: Place it on the left side of the Significator is facing. It shows the influence that is coming into action and will operate in the near future.
Vertical line cards
- SEVENTH CARD: Signifies the Querent themselves, whether person or thing, and shows its position or attitude in the circumstances.
- EIGHTH CARD: Signifies the home, family, and friends of the Querent, that is, their environment and the tendencies at work which have an effect on the matter.
- NINTH CARD: Represents the Querent's ultimate hopes or fears concerning the matter.
- TENTH CARD: Shows what will come, the final result, the culmination which is brought about by the influences shown by the other cards. It is on this card that the Querent should concentrate their intuitive faculties in respect to the divinatory meanings of the spread.