CC Spread?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 18 Jul 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

midnightmerry	18 Jul 2002
How necessary is the CC spread to you? I usually use three kinds of spreads: the 3 card spread as either past, present, future or in daily readings as main event/influence (center card) with other influences flanking. The second spread I use most is a 10 card spread with 3 rows of three cards (basis of situation bottom row, present manifestation/influences middle row and future trends/influences on the top row) and then with an extra 'advice from the Tarot' card. The last spread I use is mainly for employment/life path questions. This spread is a pyramid: 3 cards on bottom row (basis/current attitudes) , 2 cards on the next row (hopes & fears) and one on top (highest aspirations), with an advice card to the side. I have found that these three spreads tend to cover most any situation. The truth is I never use the CC as it has never 'worked' for me, but all the books list it as THE spread to use. Am I the only one not to use it? Midnightmerry

Starfish	18 Jul 2002
Quote: Originally posted by midnightmerry Am I the only one not to use it? Definitely not! :) I rarely use it myself - there are so many great spreads out there to try. Some of my favorite spreads were created by some of our fellow Aeclectic members (phoenix's Wings of the Phoenix is awesome - I recommend it highly). :T3C Starfish

midnightmerry	19 Jul 2002
Thanks, Starfish; that is good to know. I've studied Tarot for years but know no one else who reads (in person, that is). Reading all the books, you'd get the idea that the CC is used by everyone & is the best spread to use, but it hasn't worked that way for me at all. Midnightmerry

Liliana	19 Jul 2002
I despise it, it usually just ends up confusing me because the position meanings arent as intuitive as like, I always find myself going what does that position mean again? which breaks reading flow. 3 card spreads are what i use most often, using whatever position meanings appropriate, Mary Greer has a list of about 10 possible 3 card spreads in Tarot for Yourself. I also sometimes try new spreads by form membes, and the other day I just layed out cards making up position meanngs in my head as I went along for the issue at hand, worked pretty well. :THP

Emily	19 Jul 2002
I find the celtic cross way too limiting, there are so many good spreads out there now and to me the CC is very out-dated. It still amazes me that most tarot books say that it is the most popular spread and most tarot decks have it included in their LWB's. One of the spreads I use was updated from a version of the CC but its a lot easier to use and understand. :)

jema	19 Jul 2002
i only use it on request. i find it too hard to grasp actually. my clients get confused with the two outcome cards for one thing. i also don't like to work with so many cards. i much prefer spreads with only 3-5 cards. i also spend some time reading for the free readings site on the net where we used one card only. that was quite liberating and it just felt right. i would say that most of my readings are just 1-3 cards.

HOLMES	19 Jul 2002
eheh guess i am the only one who likes the cc. i think it was because it was the one spread everyone uses or it was supposed to be eheh. i mean it was in all the lwb that came with the tarot. so i spent sometime studying it. the key to understanding it is. 1. get rid of all that below, above, behind and ask yourself"what does it all mean basil" from the austin powers coffe **** scene eheh. 2. below distant past, beind recet past, usally above means higher goal. your dream.. it varies from spread to spread. and that phrase that which crosses him .. "what does it al mean basil" basically it means if it is a postive card it helps him if it is a negative card it opposes the heartof the matter. as a result of trying to understand it all "i was even doing it by ritual for a year that which is below him.. what does that mean tarot reader? umm i dont' know but it is in the book yep that is how it was. i lay the cards accordng to my own logic. 1, heart, 2. influence 3. which goes down for distant past, instead of above for goal. 4. recent past left 5, present (in the postion of the usal goal postion) 6. on the right possible future 7 self 8. eniroment. it used to be what people thought of the sitition. but i adapted it to mean anything outer affects it. 9. hopes and fears, again i go postive hope, fears, reversed. and some tiems reversed means you hope it doesn't go well secretly all dependingg on the energy. 10. outcome and ifit is a court card i say it depends on the action of a person not an event. and looking at mary k greer celtic cross which comes from a typical white book in her tarot reversals (i just looked) it is the same, (i wonder what white book she used it must of been one i had..)i dont' have access to a lot of white books i am absent minded.. brb i got a lwb from ellen connoly tarot up stairs. ah the connolly has it 5. could come into being 7, our fears, 8. feelings of others around you. 9 hopes, and my gendron lwb has it a slightly differnt as well 3 above becoems, destiny goal while in my standard it become distant past 7, querent attitude, 9. desire. the celtic has many variations so many it is better to pick the best and adapt it to what it means to you. i am favour of the cross as i used it for most of my 12 years in the tarot. and besides the chraka spread i only used the celtic until i came to the forum and decided to test out other spreads. it taught me to relate the story from position depending on inuition and meaning. in fact each card position to me is like a comic book panel. and the whole makes up the comic. :O)

midnightmerry	19 Jul 2002
Thanks everyone for the replies. It has always bothered me that I didn't connect with the CC & now I feel better about it. I have the same question: why do the books keep insisting that the CC is the best way to read?? I have always felt that the position meanings in the CC were as several of you have said: limiting! and really, kind of meaningless to me. But it is so prevalent in the books, decks, etc... I just bought the Sacred Rose deck & book set yesterday and guess what? It came with a very attactive Tarot layout sheet in ....the CC!! ugh! Same thing with another Tarot of mine which came with this nice black cloth...printed with the CC. You can't get away from it & it's irritating. Jema, what is the free readings site on the net you spoke of? Midnightmerry

Helruna	19 Jul 2002
I do not tend to use the CC that much neither. When I first started, it was almost the only spread given in the books I bought. I really honestly tried it... but it was so confusing to me, I got almost aggrivated, if not simply frustrated. I think it definitely is not the best spread to start out with, and today, I hardly ever use it as there are other spreads that tend to be more specific for a certain question then the CC anyway. To be honest - I cannot even recall when I last used it! :O) There are many good spreads that can easily compete with the CC in my opinion, and are much more precise and "easier" to use than the CC. Even today, it still seems to me more "dissembled" and confusing than really a "complete" spread... somehow the position meanings to me, that is, seem to be "singled out" from the overall picture. And besides this, there is even more then one "version" out there... to make it a bit more complicated. I guess it is a nice way to give different approaches and offer a different "connection" for people so they can find the position meanings that are of the most benefit for them... I still cannot really relate or connect with it. I did some nice readings with it in the past, but I never felt that comfortable with it. I understand you not using, or liking it. :) BB, Helruna

MeeWah	19 Jul 2002
Move over, Holmes: I am another who loves the Celtic Cross! For general readings, I have found no other spread that can address the various aspects of life. It is capable of giving an in-depth analysis of what one is looking at on more than one level. The disadvantage of this spread is that it can offer *too much information* that may not be pertinent nor appropriate to the query & even distract from same. Its effectiveness as a spread may be dependent on the individual reader &/or the matter at hand. For other than general readings, I may use the cross part only & eliminate the staff; or utilize some other spreads of fewer cards. Like any thing else related to Tarot, a apread preference is subjective & according to the individual. What works for one may not work as well for another. The approach to reading differs; likewise the view & perception. The variety is reflected in the proliferation of different decks that offer choices also.

midnightmerry	19 Jul 2002
Ahh, another view pro-CC! Thank you Holmes & MeeWah for an alternative perspective. MM

midnightmerry	19 Jul 2002
I just noticed that this thread probably should have been placed in another forum area...arrgghhhhh. Sorry about that. I'm still learning my way around! If the AT Forum Gods wish to move this thread, I could understand why. (hanging head) Midnightmerry

The CC Spread? thread was originally posted on 18 Jul 2002 in the Talking Tarot board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Talking Tarot, or read more archived threads.