Tarot spread
The Celtic Cross
Ten cards arranged as a cross and a staff, examining one situation from every angle. The most detailed spread in common use.
The ten positions
- The situation as it stands
- What crosses it
- The root beneath it
- What is passing
- What is above, the conscious aim
- What is approaching
- How you are meeting it
- How it looks from outside
- Hopes and fears, often the same card
- The direction it leans
When to use it
Use the Celtic Cross for one situation you have circled for a while, not for a quick question. It rewards time, and it needs a clear subject to hold together.
Read the cross first as a whole, then the staff. Individual cards mean less here than the shape they make.