Celtic cross tarot reading
The Celtic cross tarot reading is the classic ten-card spread for a big question. Pick ten cards and read the heart of the matter, the obstacles, the roots, the near future and the outcome.
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The ten positions of the Celtic cross
- The heart of the matter: the present situation.
- What crosses you: the challenge laid across it.
- The root: the foundation, often something from the past or below the surface.
- The recent past: what is just leaving.
- What you aim for: your goal or the best that can be reached.
- The near future: what is coming next.
- Yourself: your attitude.
- Your surroundings: people and circumstances around you.
- Hopes and fears: often the same thing seen from two sides.
- The outcome: where it is heading.
Tips for reading a Celtic cross
Read the cross (cards 1 to 6) first, then the staff (7 to 10). Compare card 5 with card 10: if your goal and the outcome agree, you are on track. Compare card 7 with card 9: the gap between your attitude and your hopes or fears is often the real message. The overview under the reading shows the balance of Major Arcana, suits and reversed cards.
History
The Celtic cross was popularized by A. E. Waite in his 1910 guide to the deck Pamela Colman Smith drew. It has been one of the best known spreads ever since.
How the draw works
The full 78-card deck is shuffled in your browser with a cryptographic random generator, then spread face down for you to choose from. How the readings work explains the shuffle, reversals and where the meanings come from.
The Celtic cross in numbers
| At least one Major Arcana | 97.2% |
|---|---|
| Two or more Major Arcana | 83.9% |
| At least one court card | 91.5% |
| At least two cards of the same rank (number or court title) | 75.2% |
| Possible readings (order and orientation) | about 4.7 x 10^21 |
Computed exactly from the 78-card deck. Ten cards almost always include Majors, a court card and a repeated number, so in a Celtic cross those patterns matter less than in a three-card reading: focus on cards 1, 5, 7, 9 and 10. More on patterns in the guide to tarot card combinations.
Questions
How long does a Celtic cross reading take?
Five minutes to draw, and as long as you like to read. Start with the cross (cards 1 to 6), then the staff (cards 7 to 10), and compare card 5 with card 10. Many readers save it and come back to it a few days later, which you can do in your journal.
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