Celtic Cross tarot spread
Ten cards: the cross describes the situation and its timing, the staff on the right describes the querent, the surroundings and the outcome.
The 10 positions of the Celtic Cross
- 1The present
The heart of the situation: what covers the querent.
What is happening?
- 2The challenge
What crosses the present: the obstacle or the force to be integrated. It is laid across the first card.
What crosses your path?
- 3Recent past
What is ending and receding, but still has an effect.
What is passing?
- 4The foundation
What lies beneath: the unconscious root, the base on which everything rests.
What does the situation rest on?
- 5The crown
What lies above: the conscious goal, the best that can be obtained.
What do you aspire to?
- 6Near future
What is arriving in the coming weeks.
What is approaching?
- 7Your attitude
How the querent stands in relation to the matter.
How do you stand toward it?
- 8The surroundings
The people, the outside circumstances, the way others see the matter.
What comes from outside?
- 9Hopes and fears
What is wished for and what is feared: often the same thing.
What do you hope for, what do you fear?
- 10The outcome
The most probable tendency, a synthesis of all the forces in the field.
Where does all this lead?
How to read the Celtic Cross
- The cross (1–6) describes the situation; the staff (7–10) describes the querent and the evolution.
- Card 2 is never read as reversed in the strict sense: laid across the first, it is by nature what opposes or adds to the present.
- Dignities are read along the lines: horizontal (3–1–6), vertical (5–1–4) and the staff (7–10).
- The outcome (10) should be read together with the crown (5) and the attitude (7) before concluding.
- The present ↔ The challengePresente e sfida sono il nodo: la seconda carta dice cosa il presente deve integrare.
- The foundation ↔ The crownFondamento e corona: ciò che muove dal profondo e ciò che la coscienza desidera.
- Recent past ↔ Near futurePassato recente e futuro prossimo: la linea del tempo attraverso il presente.
- The crown ↔ The outcomeSe la corona e l'esito concordano, la meta cosciente è raggiungibile.
- Your attitude ↔ The outcomeL'atteggiamento di chi consulta pesa direttamente sull'esito.
Origin
Published by A. E. Waite in 1910 and become the most famous spread of the modern tarot.
Frequently asked questions
How many cards does the Celtic Cross use?
The Celtic Cross uses 10 cards: the full 78-card deck.
What do the positions of the Celtic Cross mean?
The positions are: The present, The challenge, Recent past, The foundation, The crown, Near future, Your attitude, The surroundings, Hopes and fears and The outcome. Each card is read as the answer to the question of its position.
How do you read the Celtic Cross?
The cross (1–6) describes the situation; the staff (7–10) describes the querent and the evolution. Card 2 is never read as reversed in the strict sense: laid across the first, it is by nature what opposes or adds to the present. Dignities are read along the lines: horizontal (3–1–6), vertical (5–1–4) and the staff (7–10). The outcome (10) should be read together with the crown (5) and the attitude (7) before concluding.
Where does the Celtic Cross come from?
Published by A. E. Waite in 1910 and become the most famous spread of the modern tarot.
Articles about this spread
How to Journal Your Tarot Reading
A simple template and habit that turns single spreads into a record you can actually learn from.
How to Read the Celtic Cross Tarot Spread
Ten positions, one clear order: what each card in the Celtic Cross actually answers.
The Wheel of Fortune Tarot Card Meaning in the Thoth Deck
Kaph, Jupiter and path 21: why Crowley just calls it Fortune, and what changes when the wheel turns.
More spreads of the same kind
Past, present and future: the trajectory of the matter read through the archetypal forces of the 22 Major Arcana alone.
Simple Cross (Wirth)For, against, the why and the judge; at the centre the synthesis, which is not drawn but calculated by adding up the Arcana.
Horseshoe SpreadSeven cards in a horseshoe: from the past to the outcome, by way of what is hidden, the obstacles, the surroundings and the advice.
Astrological WheelOne card for each of the twelve astrological houses and one at the centre as the dominant theme: a complete panorama of life.
