The Celtic Cross

The Celtic Cross is the classic long spread. It has ten positions and can explore a question in real depth. It looks intimidating, but if you have done the five-card cross, you already know half of it.

A little history

The Celtic Cross was popularized by A. E. Waite in The Pictorial Key to the Tarot in 1910, the book that accompanied the 1909 deck. Different books label the positions slightly differently. That is normal. Choose one version and stick with it while you learn.

How to lay it out

First, the cross:

1. Card 1 in the center.
2. Card 2 laid sideways across card 1.
3. Card 3 below.
4. Card 4 to the left.
5. Card 5 above.
6. Card 6 to the right.

Then the staff: cards 7 to 10 in a column to the right of the cross, from bottom to top.

The ten positions

1. Heart of the matter: the present core.
2. Challenge: the pressure crossing it.
3. Foundation: the root or deep basis.
4. Recent past.
5. Crown: your conscious aim, or the best path you can currently imagine.
6. Near future.
7. Your perspective: how you see yourself in it.
8. Outside influences: people and circumstances around you.
9. Hopes and fears.
10. Outcome: the direction if the story continues on present terms.

Position 5 is not a second present. The present is position 1. Position 5 names what you are aiming at or telling yourself about the high road.

A worked example

Imagine someone is considering a career change.

1. Heart: The Fool. A real wish to begin again, with risk attached.
2. Challenge: Eight of Swords. Mental binds and fear of moving.
3. Foundation: The Empress. A deep need for creative, livable work.
4. Recent past: Four of Pentacles. Clinging to security.
5. Crown: The Hierophant. Looking for structure, training or a recognized path.
6. Near future: Ace of Pentacles. A chance to notice a real offer or resource.
7. Your perspective: Seven of Cups. Too many options, seen from the inside.
8. Outside influences: The Lovers. A values choice, perhaps involving a partner’s life too.
9. Hopes and fears: Ten of Wands. Hope for success, fear of overload.
10. Outcome: The World. This chapter can complete into a more integrated role, if the work gets done.

Tips for reading it

• Start with the big picture. Count the suits and the Majors before reading single cards.
• Focus on the heart and the challenge. Cards 1 and 2 set the main tension.
• Read the crown as an aim, not the present.
• Treat the outcome as a direction. It is guidance, not a decree that erases your choices.
• Compare positions 7 and 8 before you decide who or what “the problem” is.

Do not rush it

A Celtic Cross can take half an hour, and that is fine. If ten cards feel like too much today, go back to three. Match the size of the spread to the size of the question.

Try this

Today’s exercise: Lay out a Celtic Cross for a real question, and before reading single cards, write down which suits and how many Majors you see. Keep it short. Two or three lines in your notebook are enough, and there are no wrong answers. If you like, come back to the page tomorrow and add one more line about anything you noticed in the meantime. Small, regular notes like these are how the cards slowly become familiar.

Quick recap

• The Celtic Cross has a six-card cross and a four-card staff.
• Position 1 is the present, position 5 is the aim.
• Read the big picture first, then the heart and challenge.
• The outcome is a direction, not a decree.

Keep going

When you have done the exercise, press “Mark as done” and continue with the next lesson, Reversals: yes or no?. There is no hurry. If a lesson needs a second day, give it one.

To go deeper, read “The Celtic Cross Spread” in my book The Novice’s Guide to Tarot.

Need a refresher? Go back to Five and seven cards or see the whole course.

Go deeper: The Novice's Guide to Tarot: The Celtic Cross Spread

Mark as done