“I want to know what the cards have to say” spread

Rachx

Hi Barleywine - I know there are loads of CC but is there a definitive way to read as groups of cards? I read singly but then the first 2 cards as a cross then the larger cross of the 6 cards in the wheel then 3 horizontal cards across to get a PPF and then 3 cards vertically to give me a what's hidden/what's conscious and then I move onto the upright staff. I group read the 5th, 6th and last card to get a view of the future.

I know however that people read other pairs like cards 8 and 9 and other groups that form a "U" shape but I never really know what these are meant to point to. I'm probably asking something that's been asked a million times but sometimes the CC is a complex read. It would be good to have a step by step way of reading them! X
 

Barleywine

Rachx said:
Hi Barleywine - I know there are loads of CC but is there a definitive way to read as groups of cards? I read singly but then the first 2 cards as a cross then the larger cross of the 6 cards in the wheel then 3 horizontal cards across to get a PPF and then 3 cards vertically to give me a what's hidden/what's conscious and then I move onto the upright staff. I group read the 5th, 6th and last card to get a view of the future.

I know however that people read other pairs like cards 8 and 9 and other groups that form a "U" shape but I never really know what these are meant to point to. I'm probably asking something that's been asked a million times but sometimes the CC is a complex read. It would be good to have a step by step way of reading them! X
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There are a few ways to slice-and-dice the Celtic Cross. One of the older ones is to treat the first six cards (the "cross" and "wheel" section) as being about the matter itself, and the last four cards (the "staff" section) as describing the querent's reaction or response to the emerging situation. Cards 1 and 2, the "cross," show the pros and cons of the situation as it stands and Cards 3 through 6, when read from the bottom as a clockwise "wheel," provide the timeline for its development. Cards 7 through 10, the "staff," reveal the ways in which the querent can deal with the impact of those developments. For this reason, I handle the first six cards as purely situational and the last four as conditional, including all aspects of the querent's psychological state (subconscious in position 7, which Eden Gray titled "Fears" and conscious in position 9, which she called "Hopes").

Some readers also pair Card #6 and Card #10 (near future and outcome) to describe how one leads logically into the other. In his book Tarot Beyond the Basic, Anthony Louis combines Cards #5 (the present) with Cards #6 and #10 to show that progression. In addition, I read Cards #7, 8 and 9 as "waypoints" along the road that show how the querent gets from one to the other.

As Eden Gray revised them, positions #7 and #9 show the dichotomy between self-defeating behaviors ("Fears") and affirmative attitudes and aspirations("Hopes").

What doesn't work very well is Elemental Dignities, which work best with triplicities, and the CC doesn't break down well into three-card sets. I solved the problem by creating a realignment of the CC layout to work with EDs (which in fact was the inspiration for the spread I posted above.) Although it looks complicated, in practice all you do is adjust the potency of each middle card according to its relative "friendliness" to its two neighbors, and then read it pretty much as usual.

http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=257131
 

Rachx

Barleywine said:
There are a few ways to slice-and-dice the Celtic Cross. One of the older ones is to treat the first six cards (the "cross" and "wheel" section) as being about the matter itself, and the last four cards (the "staff" section) as describing the querent's reaction or response to the emerging situation. Cards 1 and 2, the "cross," show the pros and cons of the situation as it stands and Cards 3 through 6, when read from the bottom as a clockwise "wheel," provide the timeline for its development. Cards 7 through 10, the "staff," reveal the ways in which the querent can deal with the impact of those developments. For this reason, I handle the first six cards as purely situational and the last four as conditional, including all aspects of the querent's psychological state (subconscious in position 7, which Eden Gray titled "Fears" and conscious in position 9, which she called "Hopes").

Some readers also pair Card #6 and Card #10 (near future and outcome) to describe how one leads logically into the other. In his book Tarot Beyond the Basic, Anthony Louis combines Cards #5 (the present) with Cards #6 and #10 to show that progression. In addition, I read Cards #7, 8 and 9 as "waypoints" along the road that show how the querent gets from one to the other.

As Eden Gray revised them, positions #7 and #9 show the dichotomy between self-defeating behaviors ("Fears") and affirmative attitudes and aspirations("Hopes").

What doesn't work very well is Elemental Dignities, which work best with triplicities, and the CC doesn't break down well into three-card sets. I solved the problem by creating a realignment of the CC layout to work with EDs (which in fact was the inspiration for the spread I posted above.) Although it looks complicated, in practice all you do is adjust the potency of each middle card according to its relative "friendliness" to its two neighbors, and then read it pretty much as usual.

http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=257131
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Thank youThank you x

I love the idea of that longer time line- up to card 8. I need to have a good play with the spread and try some out. I'm interested about what the crossing card will add to a time line . Thanks again. X
 

Barleywine

Rachx said:
Thank youThank you x

I love the idea of that longer time line- up to card 8. I need to have a good play with the spread and try some out. I'm interested about what the crossing card will add to a time line . Thanks again. X
Click to expand...

The covering and crossing cards aren't really part of the formal timeline; they're more like a situational signature for the reading: the "heart of the matter" or "situation as it stands" and opposing influences (although I often see opportunities in the crossing card as well as challenges). The "foundation of the matter," Card #3 in my system, begins the timeline with an historical perspective. One other thing I forget to mention is that I usually see the fourth, fifth and sixth cards as a continuum, often with no clear demarcation between past, present and future, because life doesn't always arrange itself in neat bins. The timeline is a flow rather than a series of step-changes.
 

Rachx

Barleywine said:
The covering and crossing cards aren't really part of the formal timeline; they're more like a situational signature for the reading: the "heart of the matter" or "situation as it stands" and opposing influences (although I often see opportunities in the crossing card as well as challenges). The "foundation of the matter," Card #3 in my system, begins the timeline with an historical perspective. One other thing I forget to mention is that I usually see the fourth, fifth and sixth cards as a continuum, often with no clear demarcation between past, present and future, because life doesn't always arrange itself in neat bins. The timeline is a flow rather than a series of step-changes.
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Ah I have been reading your link to CC for ED triplets and card two (crossing card) is a driving force from old to new on the timeline. I'm experimenting with it at the moment! X

I also have never used the "wheel" as a timeline before, just cards 4 through to 6 but it seems like a logical move to me, so I will play with that too. Sometimes the positional meanings in CC are a bit jarring to me so improving the flow would be a benefit to my reading I think. Thank you [emoji4]
 

Barleywine

Rachx said:
Ah I have been reading your link to CC for ED triplets and card two (crossing card) is a driving force from old to new on the timeline. I'm experimenting with it at the moment! X

I also have never used the "wheel" as a timeline before, just cards 4 through to 6 but it seems like a logical move to me, so I will play with that too. Sometimes the positional meanings in CC are a bit jarring to me so improving the flow would be a benefit to my reading I think. Thank you [emoji4]
Click to expand...

I can't take credit for the clockwise flow model; that came from Eden Gray's 1960 book, The Tarot Revealed. The only change I made was to make the top card ("above") the Present to complete the cycle. I like to see the series as emulating the daily path of the Sun through the sky: the bottom card is midnight, the left-hand card is dawn, the top card is noon and the right-hand card is sunset. I never liked Waite's "sign of the cross" design for cards #3 through #6; Gray's has always seemed much more natural and organic.

I moved Card #2 off of its crossing position to make an ED-friendly arrangement, and only realized later that the set 4-1-2-6-8 resembles an arrow shot from the bow represented by Cards #1, # 3 and #5, suggestive of that driving force you mention.
 

Scarlet Air

Three Cards or a Monthly Forecast

As others have suggested three card spreads are great for when you don't have a specific question but want to see what the cards will say. Along with Past/Present/Future you could also try Mind/Body/Spirit

Mind: How you’re doing mentally
Body: How you’re doing physically
Spirit: How you’re doing spiritually

Or I also really like Greatest strength/Greatest weakness/Driving passion It's fairly general and self explanatory, plus you can pull clarifying cards depending on what aspect of the reading they're drawn to. For example if they really respond to the 'Driving Passion' card you can pull cards giving advice on how to achieve their Passion. If they want to know more about their Greatest Weakness you can pull cards asking where it stems from and how they can best overcome it. So much potential.


If you'd like something larger than a three card spread to begin with then I'd recommend a monthly forecast. You literally pull cards for different aspects of their life for the month ahead. Personally I lay the cards across the table in a straight line just like a weather forecast on the TV would read. First card is always the energy/theme for the month. Then you could pull cards for love, relationships, family, work, finance, school, health, et cetera. Whatever you think applies to the querent. Then the final card is the advice for the month or thing to look out for.

Its nothing fancy but touches on a lot of aspects in their life over a measurable span of time. And again if they want to know more about a particular part of the reading you can pull more cards to give more context. One clarifier below the card for whats dragging the situation down, and one placed above the card for whats needed to lift the card up and onwards.

Hope you find what you're looking for :)
 
A spread for a will/probate The Mind Reader