Monahan advises beginning with a card shuffle while pondering the query you want to center the tarot reading around for a Celtic cross spread. You have two options: either keep the subject broad or get more focused with a question. A general query, for instance, may be, “How do I bring more abundance into my life,” while a focused query might be, “Am I going to get this job I’m interviewing for?”
In This Article...
How do I treat my tarot cards with respect?
Place crystals on the deck’s surface. Treat your cards with the same respect you do your clothes. To prevent them from becoming dusty or damaged, store them in a bag or box.
When the tarot cards are crossed, what does that mean?
Celtic Cross Throughout all of its iterations, is a very popular tarot spread. Its popularity may stem in part from the fact that it is all-inclusive, covering the majority of life’s spheres.
My preferred spread is a modified 11-card Celtic Cross, and I use it for almost all of my paid readings. This spread is included in both of my books, Fortune Stellar and Tarot Tour Guide.
I recently conducted a thorough analysis of my Celtic Cross for a Tarot Town class. Members of Tarot Town may access it in the archives.
I had the idea while preparing for that lesson that several of the Celtic Cross’s postures are intriguing and insightful enough to warrant presentations on them.
No card position, in my opinion, is more intriguing or informative than the crossing card.
First off, its enigmatic and descriptive name is charmingly antiquated.
Some magical traditions use the term “Cross signifies a curse or hex. This is undoubtedly consistent with the Celtic Cross’s crossing position, which stands for a difficulty, barrier, or trouble.
Nearly all readers will concur that the crossing card is interpreted as a problem, challenge, issue, barrier, or hurdle, despite the fact that specific locations of the Celtic Cross may have different interpretations depending on the reader.
The crossing card is really dealt across the central card and is always read upright due of how much flexibility its placement gives us when determining the card’s dignity.
The crossing card is often interpreted by readers as posing a direct challenge to the card it crosses. Others will interpret the card that physically crosses as symbolizing the greatest obstacle, which may not be what the customer is most concerned about or particularly related to.
The card that is crossed by the crossing card is typically understood as the current environment, location, or circumstance.
Finding the story within the crossing card and the particular card it crosses has enormous significance in my opinion, even though I prefer to interpret the crossing card as the client’s biggest overall concern.
The crossing card can have a variety of purposes within that narrative in addition to highlighting the difficulty.
The crossing card may occasionally reveal not just the issue at hand, but also its root cause or even a potential resolution.
Sometimes the crossing card merely describes the issue and calls for a follow-up inquiry and additional cards to suggest a resolution.
Based on this feature of the Celtic Cross, it is also possible to conduct a straightforward yet enlightening 2-card reading.
The first card should stand in for the environment, and the second card should cross the first to indicate the biggest challenge. You may also let the first card represent a desired outcome and the crossing card represent the necessary steps to get there.
Tarot readings have to go to the root of a problem and offer remedies in order to be considered a healing art. The crossing card is frequently a useful tool for assisting us in doing that.
View some examples of crossing cards that have appeared for me in readings, along with their meanings, in the presentation below.
Try using this two-card spread as a tarot exercise to see what stories you can discern from only two cards.
Check out Theresa Reed’s interpretation of what she cleverly labels the “tarot,” The Tarot Lady, for further information and proof that great minds think alike “The Little Cross
How is a Celtic Cross card number two read?
We’re going to talk about the in this lesson “mini-cross, also referred to as the tiny cross in the center of the Celtic Cross.
The first two cards are arranged in the shape of a cross.
The first card represents the present, or what is affecting the questioner or the circumstance. The following card is: “what bothers you, the challenges or opposition the questioner might be up against.
Take note of the energy that exists between the two cards. Do they get along? Do they complement one another or is there a contradiction? Are they both positive, for instance, or is one of them negative? What could the scenario be revealed by two negative cards? What about two advantages? What if the crossing card is positive and the first card is negative? These are the issues to think about when thinking about the small cross.
How should I maintain my Tarot deck?
While rearranging the cards in the tarot deck is a good approach to purify and clear their energy, there are some circumstances in which you might wish to perform a more specialized ritual. If you’re just getting started with tarot, cleaning your deck can be an excellent place to start.
You might want to clean your tarot deck for a variety of reasons, including:
- beginning with a fresh deck
- readings for other people
- You think you need to recharge.
- Your card readings seem a touch “odd” or “disconnected”
- Your deck hasn’t been used recently.
- Your deck has been handled by others
- You think you’ve been utilizing your deck a lot. A LOT, especially for books with strong emotional content
Why should you cleanse or clear your tarot deck?
Tarot deck cleansing helps keep the energy flowing between you and your deck. Consider it as a little spiritual hygiene to maintain a strong and clear connection. It’s not necessary, but if you have any of the aforementioned symptoms, try a few of the energetic cleansing techniques listed below and note which ones seem to work the best for you.
How often should you cleanse your tarot deck?
This is another way of stating USE YOUR INTUITION: there are no hard and fast laws. Don’t stress if you don’t believe it is necessary for your deck. Alternately, if you like to cleanse them once per week or once per month, that’s great. If it feels appropriate to you, you can even place your favorite crystal on the balcony each night.
If you frequently place crystals on your deck and store it on an altar while not in use, you might not feel the need to cleanse it frequently because this quick ritual will likely be sufficient to keep your deck feeling nice.
There are numerous ways to cleanse your cards, just as there are numerous reasons why you might desire to do so.
Different ways to cleanse your tarot deck
Use holy smoke. Light a dried rosemary, lavender, cedar, sage, or palo santo cleansing wand until it begins to smoke. Hold the smoke a safe distance below the deck while holding the burning herbs in one hand and the deck in the other so that the smoke drifts upward onto the cards. Turn the deck so that the smoke covers it from all angles. Next, safely put your deck to the ground and put out the fire.
On the deck, set a selenite stone (or a black tourmaline or a transparent quartz). It works well to leave it like way for an hour, but I prefer to leave it overnight.
Set them on display during a new moon. The New Moon is energy of a blank slate; you can purify the deck by setting it on a window sill on a new moon night. At this moment, you can also make a brand-new intention for your deck.
Place the cards in a salty dish. A strong and stabilizing cleaner is salt. My preferred choice for a thorough cleansing is this. Allow it to sit anywhere from one to eight hours in a dry area.
Unorderly shuffle. Spread the cards out on the ground, then shuffle them around like a child playing in dirt. This method’s freedom and randomization serve as an excellent reset.
the shuffle and sort. Set up the deck in rows of seven cards across, commencing with the Major Arcana numbers 0 to 22. (see photo above). Next, arrange the cards, Ace through King, one for each suit, as follows: Swords, Pentacles, Cups, and Wands. View the deck in this configuration, then mix everything up (like the chaotic!) and shuffle it thoroughly.
Do I need to put my tarot cards under my pillow at night?
It’s crucial to have a deck you identify with because tarot reading is such a very personal experience for each reader.”
Find the deck that resonates with you. Avoid looking at the most well-liked decks. Even if you’re purchasing online, Katelan advises taking a closer look at each deck to see which one appeals to you.” To discover a deck that speaks to you, consider how they are drawn and how they are arranged. She claims that several times she purchased or was given a deck that was lovely but didn’t exactly fit her needs. If you want accurate tarot readings, according to Katelan, you can’t force it.” Finding the deck that works for you is worthwhile.
Make sure you’re attuned to your new tarot deck when you first obtain it. Tarot cards contain a lot of energy, so while you’re getting used to them, you should be sure to clear them of any outside energy. When you receive a fresh deck, Katelan advises taking some time to browse the cards and take in the imagery. “Make careful to thoroughly mix them up, and you can use some incense to clear any energy. I wrap all of my playing cards in scarves and put them under my pillow for three nights. During that period, you’ll have some incredibly bizarre dreams, but it will also attune your energy to the cards.
Katelan advises choosing a location for your tarot card reading based on where you feel most at ease. Her home arrangement is less formal than when she reads cards professionally. She used to practice at the Bronx Botanica, which had a table set up in an altar room. “I frequently sit on the ground. If I’m performing a three-card spread, I prefer to pull cards on these old trays I have. I will either do a big spread on the couch or the floor.
In order to feel more rooted and engaged to the practice, Katelan also advises reading up on the background of tarot reading. She cites its antecedents in Jewish New York tenements throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as well as in Romani society. “When wars broke out or other significant events occurred, there were frequently spikes in interest in fortune telling, card reading, tea reading, and other related practices. People are looking for explanations and purpose in their own life now because of the pandemic.
Questions you don’t really want answered
Even though it might seem apparent, it’s advisable to refrain from asking the tarot cards questions that you aren’t prepared to hear the answers to. That’s because answers to these questions can reveal information you’re just not quite ready to hear.
“Tarot can definitely come off as offensive if you’re not willing to hear the truth or consider an opposing opinion. Tarot reading Nicole Fortunaso
According to tarot reader and life coach Nicole Fortunaso, “tarot may truly come out as offensive if you are not willing to hear the truth of the problem or look at an alternate viewpoint.” She advises analyzing why you’re reacting the way you are in order to reflect on how to effectively address the underlying problem if you ask the question and aren’t satisfied with the response.
How are tarot cards charged?
Leave your deck in a sacred location where you can “knead (shuffle) it each hour, giving it your magical power with your hands, for one waking day, much as you would a loaf of rising bread.” The greatest time to use this charge is when you’re taking a day off at home or in a retreat.
Do I need to always cleanse my tarot cards before using them?
That’s correct
Magdaleno really suggests cleaning your deck before each reading to achieve the most accurate results. She advises starting with a cleansing to make the cards clear for your reading, whether it’s for yourself or someone else.
How are fresh tarot cards blessed?
Your playing cards will inevitably take up on any unfavorable energy that gather around you as you employ them. On the other hand, the leftover energy of the people you’ve given readings to can also accumulate.
It’s a good idea to routinely cleanse your cards because of this. The goal is to realign the cards towards their receptive neutral default condition by clearing the opposing and adversarial energies surrounding them.
The full moon charge is a common practice for blessing playing cards. You can achieve this by setting your playing cards beside your window or somewhere else where they can get a lot of moonlight on a full moon night.
Filling your cards with the sun’s radiant energy is an alternative. The procedure is the same as a full moon charge, but you should exercise caution because heat and humidity might warp and harm your cards.
You can choose to bless and purify your cards with a crystal as well. When your cards are not in use, you can continuously purge them of any lingering outside energy and concentrate the cards’ inherent power by placing a piece of clear quartz on them.
Other well-liked gems include black tourmaline, which acts as a grounding agent and can absorb bad energy, and amethyst, which can enhance psychic insight.
Do your new tarot cards need to be cleansed?
Therefore, it would appear that mastering the art of cleansing tarot cards is something you might wish to perform before purchasing a new deck, if you already own one, or if you’re giving a new or used deck to someone else. Actually, if the cards are a gift for someone else, it’s a good idea to cleanse, bless, or activate them. Tarot cards are typically offered as gifts, according to Tarra. Before giving the cards to a new owner, perform a protection ritual on them and clean them to remove any strange energies they may have picked up along the route.
There is a legend.
Myth: Purchasing your own deck of tarot cards brings bad luck. And I suppose giving my mother a cursed one would be extremely impolite of me. So Tarra gave me a royal blue mesh bag of goodies after dinner and wisely explained how to clean them, and I promptly forgot all about it until we spoke again this morning.

