Celtic Cross positions...

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 09 May 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Macavity	09 May 2004
O.K. I've probably mention a bad word (or two!) here (Celtic Cross) but for the purposes of working with the thing, I have been trying to come up with suitable (or memorable?) names or ideas for the various spread positions. I tend to think (roughly) of something like: 1/2 Issue & Crossing 3/4 Past & Future 5/6 Root Cause and ??? 7/8 Querent View: Self/Other 9 Guidance or Key 10 Outcome Doubtless there are MANY such (positional/name) variants on this theme, but the above should be fairly obvious? I guess the position that gives me the most problem I have marked ??? (a.k.a "above")! :D Now I quite LIKE the notion of "below" being some... "root cause" but what of the former? Joan Bunning has: "Attitudes and Beliefs", "Concious Influence", "Goal or Purpose" and "Alternate Future". Hmmm DO any of these pair naturally with my "Root Cause"? I find the concept of an "Alternate Future" quite confusing! Perhaps (on seeing the words) "Goal and Purpose" ain't so bad? What think ye? Maybe I should change some of the others too? ;) Macavity (Looking for inspiration...)

closrapexa	09 May 2004
The Celtic Cross whoch I use is a different one, that I learned from Terry Donaldsen: 1)Present 2)Present 3)Emotions, feelings etc. 4)Recent past 5)Up to three years back 6)Future 7)Doorway from the present to the future, i.e, what you have to do so that this particualr future will happen or be avoided. 8)family, realationships, etc. 9)Hopes, fears, wishes (subconsious) 10)Overview, any other matters etc. I usually have a problem with #10, since I haven't found something to associate it with yet, and overview sounds like something you might find in an LWB!! I don't know if this answers your question, but I use this spread often, it my "basic" spread. I find it answers most questions and I can play with it alot, depending on the question.

crystal cove	09 May 2004
I like the tried and true "cause and effect" pairing. How about "immediate effect" for position 6 and "overall outcome" for 10? Or maybe "possibilities" for 10? Just a thought. :)

Macavity	09 May 2004
Actually "cause & effect" is really rather neat - And memorable! Even consistent with some notion of "root cause" and immediate future - a.k.a. NOW? :D Some interesting other suggestions too... Macavity

Ravenswing	09 May 2004
I look at 3-2-4 as a past-present-future general look at things, while 5-1-6 is past-present-future specifically applied to the question in mind. If it's a more 'general' reading I see 5-1-6 as the 'spiritual' look at things-- it's an uprising line... Just my take. fly well Raven

cheekyminx	09 May 2004
It is weird how the Celtic cross can have different layouts. The one i've used for the past 7 years goes like this 1. present 2. (placed over card 1)what crosses you 3. (above card 1) what crowns you 4. (below card 1) past 5. (to left of card 1) recent past 6. (right of card 1) future 7. how you see the situation 8. Environment 9. Hopes & fears 10. Outcome Cards 7 to 10 have always had the same meaning and position (coloum cards) but cards 1 to 6 tend to vary book to book, or person to person. You need to choose a layout that you feel comfortable with. What I did was have a large sheet of paper & trace around the cards in all 10 positions with the meaning. As you do your readings it all becomes familiar until one day you don't need the sheet. GOOD LUCK!

Macavity	09 May 2004
A lot of fun possibilities! I like the (Raven et al.) idea of three card progressions up and down. I also remember being struck by the notion that the central six cards might be the result of opening a cube. North:South:East:West... UP-DOWN. (mundane/spiritual) etc. On further thought, "crowning" cards might represent "Aspirations" (hoped for) future. But then I might even get rid of the (tendancy to duplicate) column and have a perfectly complete and functional six card spread... :) Macavity

The Celtic Cross positions... thread was originally posted on 09 May 2004 in the Using Tarot Cards board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Using Tarot Cards, or read more archived threads.