About the spread
The Celtic Cross was described by Arthur Edward Waite in The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1910), the companion book to the very deck whose pictures you see on this site. It has been a classic ever since, and most tarot readers learn it first.
The spread has two parts. On the left is a cross of six cards that describes the situation itself, its roots and its near future. On the right is the “staff”, a column of four cards read from the bottom up, which speaks about you, the people around you, your expectations and the outcome. The Celtic Cross suits complicated, tangled questions, where you need to understand not only what will happen but why, and what is in your hands.
How to do the reading
- Choose one serious question. The Celtic Cross is not for small matters: it comes into its own with situations that have many sides and strong feelings.
- Type the question into the box above the deck if it helps you focus. It stays on this page.
- Press “Shuffle and deal”. The first six cards form the cross, with the second lying across the first, and the last four form a column on the right.
- Turn the cards over in numbered order: the heart of the spread first (1 and 2), then the root, the past, the goal and the near future, then the staff from the bottom up.
- Read the meanings below the spread, then return to the first and the last card: together they show the path from the present situation to the outcome.
What each position means
1 The situation
The heart of the spread is the essence of your situation right now. This card describes the main theme of your question and the atmosphere you are in. The reading starts here, and everything else comes back to it.
2 The challenge
The card lying across the first is what blocks or complicates the situation. It may be an outside circumstance, another person or your own fear. Sometimes a favourable card lands here — then the obstacle is too much of a good thing, such as excessive caution or wanting something too badly.
3 The root
The bottom card of the cross is the foundation the situation rests on: its deeper causes, often unconscious. It shows what you may not have thought about but what shapes events all the same.
4 The recent past
The left card is the recent past: events that have just happened and are already fading. Their influence is still felt, but their part is ending.
5 The goal
The top card of the cross is the goal, or the best possible outcome you are consciously striving for. Compare it with the tenth card, the outcome: do your wishes match where the situation is going?
6 The near future
The right card of the cross is the near future, the coming weeks. It is the next step rather than the final answer: an event or a mood that will soon enter your life.
7 Yourself
The bottom card of the staff is you: your attitude to the situation, your stance and how you behave in it. It is often the most honest card in the spread.
8 Your surroundings
The second card of the staff is your surroundings: family, colleagues, your partner, and how they see the situation and you within it. It shows outside influences you do not control.
9 Hopes and fears
The third card of the staff is your hopes and fears. Surprisingly often they are the same thing: we fear what we want. This card explains what is really on your mind.
10 The outcome
The top card of the staff is the likely outcome if nothing changes. Read it together with the fifth card (the goal) and the seventh (yourself): they show what you can do to bring the outcome closer to what you want.
How to read the spread as a whole
Do not try to read ten cards one by one — you will end up with a list rather than an answer. Read them in pairs: the first and second (the situation and the challenge), the third and fifth (the hidden and the conscious), the fourth and sixth (where from and where to), the seventh and eighth (you and others), the ninth and tenth (expectations and outcome).
Look at the overall picture too: how many Major Arcana there are, which suit dominates, how many cards are reversed. Many reversed cards point to delays and inner resistance. If the outcome worries you, look for a hint in the seventh card — that is the part that depends on you.
Questions about the spread
Why does the second card lie sideways?
That is how the spread was designed: the second card crosses the first, just as an obstacle crosses your path. Some readers always read it upright, others take reversals into account. Here, as in the bot, it can come out reversed — then the obstacle is weaker or hidden.
What time frame does the Celtic Cross cover?
Usually a few months ahead. The near future in the sixth position means the coming weeks; the outcome in the tenth is how the situation develops as a whole. For a question about today, the card of the day is a better fit.
How is the Celtic Cross different from a three-card spread?
Three cards show the course of a situation: past, present, future. The Celtic Cross adds the roots, the challenge, your part, the influence of others and your expectations. Three cards are enough for simple questions; for complex ones, use the cross.
Can I use the Celtic Cross for love?
Yes, relationships are one of the most common questions for it. The seventh card shows your stance, the eighth your partner’s and other people’s, and the ninth your hopes and fears about the relationship.