Jamontoast Posted February 10, 2022 Posted February 10, 2022 In the past my experience of tarot both receiving and reading was limited to simple e.g. three cards spreads. I found it too be only mildly interesting and hard to really get a full picture of a situation. It was the experience of receiving a celtic cross reading recently that really changed things around for me. My brain loves to piece together disparate aspects of a situation and get a broad and multilayered understanding. I'm curious how others feel about the celtic cross and if there are any other spreads you would recommend for a more "abstract" thinker like me?
DanielJUK Posted February 10, 2022 Posted February 10, 2022 There was a time in tarot where many books advised people to only use the Celtic Cross Spread as it was tarot tradition. But it's a difficult spread to use for every matter and also a nightmare for beginners to learn. It's better to use it and learn it when you have some tarot experience. In the last ten years, there has been a bit of a negative backlash to it and many people never use it anymore. I feel that is a shame really, it has a place in our readings. Tarot is at a wonderful place now, you can use any spread you want, even make your own positions or just use 3 cards! The Celtic Cross Spread is great to use when you are confused by a situation, it gives you so many different positions on it. Also great for complicated situations. But it takes time and work to do the spread each time. Sometimes a smaller spread is better. My own personal rule is I tend to use smaller spreads but a longer spread for confusing and complicated situations. Part of tarot experience is picking the right spread for the right reading or question. If you really love the spread, keep on using it! I would also warn that everyone has their own method with the positions, so I prompt people posting them here about which position is which. It has several different incarnations as a spread 🙂 . There is quite the variation, especially the above / below and bottom two positions of the column. My favourite variation seen is to have 3 cards as the outcome to get a fully outcome (you read them together). I always say this but mix it up in your tarot practice, add longer spreads if you never use them, use shorter spreads if you never use them. I rarely use the CC to be honest and I often see people use it for the wrong situation when it needed a much smaller spread. But it has it's time and place and I should use it more often.
stephanelli Posted February 16, 2022 Posted February 16, 2022 I like the Celtic Cross but I find that sometimes I don't want to sit and work 10 cards so I go with a smaller spread! I enjoy doing 5 card crosses which I think you might find interesting, they use similar layouts to the cross part of the Celtic Cross. --4-- 2-1-3 --5-- 1: Present 2: Past 3: Future 4: Reason for current circumstances 5: Potential Outcome Or 1: Situation (an overview of what's going on) 2: Challenge associated with this situation 3: Guidance associated with this situation 4: Focus (what to focus on going forwards) 5: Potential Outcome of this situation They can help give an extra layer of detail that perhaps a 3 card quick pull can't without doing the Celtic Cross. But as Daniel said, if you enjoy using the Celtic Cross them do go ahead and use it, nothing wrong with that at all, it's a useful spread to be able to use!
stephanelli Posted February 16, 2022 Posted February 16, 2022 @Jamontoast PS: I've moved this thread into the Tarot Spreads section as it is a better place for it!
gregory Posted February 16, 2022 Posted February 16, 2022 (edited) I am particularly fond of a three card one I got from Ricklef - yes if - no if - maybe if I have always found the CC too heavy, myself. Edited February 16, 2022 by gregory
katrinka Posted February 16, 2022 Posted February 16, 2022 I don't use it very often, either. It's too much for most questions - do I really need cards for the foundation of the matter, what everybody else thinks, etc. if I simply want to know whether a package will arrive in the next day or so?
Maxpphire Posted March 12, 2022 Posted March 12, 2022 I'll do a Celtic Cross to get really in depth information or if a customer asks for it, but beyond that I mostly stick to a simple 3 card line to start, and just add cards as needed.
katrinka Posted March 12, 2022 Posted March 12, 2022 I started with the CC, because when I was first learning Tarot I was under the impression that you had to use it. 🤣 It was liberating to find out this was not the case, and for a long time, I stopped using it altogether. It's a clunky spread if done the way people tend to explain it. But I learned a way of doing it from one of Andy's old blogs that improves it considerably. To begin with, I lay the cards according to the PKT: https://www.sacred-texts.com/tarot/pkt/pkt0307.htm But there are some key differences: Cards 5, 6 and the staff are laid according to the regard of the significator. So if your significator is the Queen of Pents, "This is before you" and the staff are laid on the left, and "This is behind you" on the right. But the significator itself is left in the pack so it can appear - or not - in the spread. If it shows up, the sitter is taking an active role in the matter, in the area indicated by its position. If it doesn't, they're more passive, or without influence on the situation. Additionally, you'll want to consider the interactions of near-lying cards. Doing it this way has made it much more incisive and enjoyable. It's a ten card reading instead of ten one card readings. 🥰
fire cat pickles Posted March 12, 2022 Posted March 12, 2022 47 minutes ago, katrinka said: But the significator itself is left in the pack so it can appear - or not - in the spread. If it shows up, the sitter is taking an active role in the matter, in the area indicated by its position. If it doesn't, they're more passive, or without influence on the situation. This is intriguing... does a card get drawn (and read otherwise) for position #1, or do you start with card #2?
katrinka Posted March 12, 2022 Posted March 12, 2022 38 minutes ago, fire cat pickles said: This is intriguing... does a card get drawn (and read otherwise) for position #1, or do you start with card #2? Card #1 is "this covers you", the same as always. I don't think of the significator as numbered. People just put it down, like it's supposed to magically make the cards work. But they work anyway. 😉 So, starting with a bare table, "This covers you, this crosses you, this crowns you. This is beneath you, this is behind you, this is before you. This is yourself, your house, your hopes and fears, the final outcome." Where the significator shows up is the area they control. Have fun with it!
sebbyr Posted March 19, 2022 Posted March 19, 2022 I usually ask a friend to do my readings but sometimes I feel she has no patience with it. So I started to do it myself, by doing the celtic cross trying to have my own interpretation from an online drawn since I don't have a deck. Is this wrong? And sometimes I can't interpret them at all because it can have so many different meanings on the current situation I ask for guidance.
gregory Posted March 19, 2022 Posted March 19, 2022 @sebbyr I wouldn't recommend the celtic cross for a beginner - I avoid it myself because it's far too heavy. You might like to try Orphalese. https://orphalese.net Free, comes with its own decks - two of them, a TdM and a Waite type - and if you decided to buy in, you can add many more. Basic "Standard" meanings are also included, which can help you to learn. The CC is in there as a possible spread - but honestly, for a beginner it's a bit much, and even for many of us who have been at it for years, it's on the hefty side.
Pierre Posted May 20, 2022 Posted May 20, 2022 On 3/19/2022 at 11:59 AM, gregory said: @sebbyr I wouldn't recommend the celtic cross for a beginner - I avoid it myself because it's far too heavy. So, as a beginner, I'm not sure I know what to do with this. For me, CC was what I learned, and am learning from, mostly BECAUSE it has 10 cards and it's easier to construct a narrative using that many cards. The relationships build themselves. I just recently even realised that readers have other spreads that they use more often or even exclusively. That's part of the reason I'm here I suppose. I did see a Two Options spread on Incandescent Tarot that looked good, and a 6-card Full Moon spread that looked good, but I kind of saw them as "lesser" spreads because, I guess, I was a bit misinformed. My learning path was to learn the cards, then do as many CC spreads as I could, just alone for practice, and I've done thousands by now, and they all taught me a lot about the deck, the relationships, and extended meanings. So I guess I have a bit of Stockholm Syndrome for the CC spread because it's pretty much all I've used. So I guess two things here: 1) should I hat CC as much as everyone else? 2) what is a better spread that uses a lot of cards - 6 at least - that I can get my teeth into. I'm all ears, mixed with some confusion and bewilderment, but that could just be my age.
joy Posted May 20, 2022 Posted May 20, 2022 2 hours ago, Pierre said: So, as a beginner, I'm not sure I know what to do with this. For me, CC was what I learned, and am learning from, mostly BECAUSE it has 10 cards and it's easier to construct a narrative using that many cards. The relationships build themselves. I just recently even realised that readers have other spreads that they use more often or even exclusively. That's part of the reason I'm here I suppose. I did see a Two Options spread on Incandescent Tarot that looked good, and a 6-card Full Moon spread that looked good, but I kind of saw them as "lesser" spreads because, I guess, I was a bit misinformed. Lots of people learn first the CC but it is not for everyone. It uses a lot of cards and some might not like that and prefer to start with 3 cards a day. Smaller spreads are not lesser spreads, you can get a lot of information with one card only. 2 hours ago, Pierre said: My learning path was to learn the cards, then do as many CC spreads as I could, just alone for practice, and I've done thousands by now, and they all taught me a lot about the deck, the relationships, and extended meanings. So I guess I have a bit of Stockholm Syndrome for the CC spread because it's pretty much all I've used. A thousand that is a lot and I am sure you must know your cards in and out. Bravo! 2 hours ago, Pierre said: So I guess two things here: 1) should I hat CC as much as everyone else? Of course not! I would not say that people hate it but might just find it too complex for a beginner. 2 hours ago, Pierre said: 2) what is a better spread that uses a lot of cards - 6 at least - that I can get my teeth into. There is no better or less good spread in my opinion. There are spreads particular designed for a particular question. So my question back at you is, what questions do you want answered? 2 hours ago, Pierre said: I'm all ears, mixed with some confusion and bewilderment, but that could just be my age. Hope we can clear up the confusion. ☺️
Pierre Posted May 21, 2022 Posted May 21, 2022 7 hours ago, joy said: A thousand that is a lot and I am sure you must know your cards in and out. Bravo! Okay, that may be an exaggeration on my part. Let's says hundreds, but that does mean thousands of cards, and I do know my cards, but I still get tripped up because, well, I'm not that smart (clearly) and they can mean different things in different positions - within reason. Anyway, thanks for the reply, super helpful. I am now working on a couple of other spreads and, to be honest, they seem like fun. Will stay in touch, and thanks again Joy!
DanielJUK Posted May 21, 2022 Posted May 21, 2022 The secret really is to pick the best spread for the question and what you want to know. For a long time many books had the CC as the spread you use, it's traditional, but it's a bad idea to make people starting out use it because it's a large and complex spread. We live in a great tarot time where you can read however you want! Beginners should really start out with single cards and then 3 or 4 card spreads and increase. You have to work out the best spread for what you want and that is a skill that you learn. It's wrong to always use a Celtic Cross and it's also wrong to never use it. It has it's place 😀
thecuriosbotanica Posted May 22, 2022 Posted May 22, 2022 The Celtic Cross was the very first spread that I learned and it remains my "go to" for all my readings. I love it because if done correctly it will give you and your client a plethora of knowledge of the matter at hand. I will occassionally use a few other spreads in addition to it but this is the one that I will always begin with.
gregory Posted May 23, 2022 Posted May 23, 2022 I disagree - it's a bit much for a new reader. And if you are going that route, you need all the card meanings burned into your brain before you start. But to each their own, I guess. "Used correctly - what exactly do you mean though ? There are a good few variants on the positions....
Pierre Posted May 23, 2022 Posted May 23, 2022 Since posting to this, I have picked up a new favourite spread. I am really getting acquainted nicely with the 7-card Full Moon Spread - similar facets as the cross, but fewer cards, a little quicker, and kind of nimble if you take your time. I only ever learned the cross, so I had no idea about other spreads, but I think I've unleashed another addiction. But learning new spreads and buying new decks is normal, right? RIGHT?
Guest Posted May 25, 2022 Posted May 25, 2022 I'm new, so take what I say with a grain of salt, but I think the 'best' spread is one that works for the reader. And what works for the reader may very well change depending on the question being asked. I feel drawn to the Celtic Cross. I tried it once and made a mess of it lol. But when I had a readying done and that was an offered spread, I took it. That said, I've had other readings done that used different spreads (different readers) and they were also good. So, if you like it, and it works for you, go for it!
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