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?”
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For what purposes do Celtic Cross readings?
One of the most well-known tarot spreads is the Celtic Cross.
It is used by many readers, but it also intimidates many more.
The Celtic Cross is particularly great in my opinion because it lends itself well to overall outlooks or closing spreads as well as providing a plethora of information about a specific circumstance.
This series aims to help you learn tips and tweaks so you may master it once and for all. It also aims to help you get over your fear of it.
As I continue to add tutorials to this series once a month, keep checking back.
The Marseilles deck was the first tarot deck I ever possessed, and the Celtic Cross spread was the first spread I ever learnt. This was a difficult start for a young want tobe tarot reader. The Marseilles was difficult enough without illustrated pip cards, but that enormous Celtic Cross? Before I could even recall how to put it out and what the positions represented, it took me a lot of practice. (PS There was no internet back then, and living in a rural area prevented me from having access to many tarot cards or books. I was by myself!)
I mastered it over time. I eventually obtained The Rider Waite deck as well, and it immediately resonated with me. I suddenly began to recognize the patterns, how the many configurations might affect a circumstance, and how adaptable the Celtic Cross might be. Since then, there has been a 35-year love affair!
In this series, I hope to make you fall in love with the Celtic Cross and show you a variety of interesting perspectives.
However, we must begin with the most fundamental lesson of all:
Ten cards make up the Celtic Cross; six of them are arranged in a cross arrangement, while the other four are arranged in a vertical row on the right side of the cross (see image below).
I’ve seen various different arrangements of the cards, frequently with positions 3 and 5 reversed, but I like the arrangement I learned because I think it makes perfect sense.
Here is how to arrange it and an explanation of what each location entails:
1This is the current situation; here is where you are right now; this is the crux of the subject.
This is what offends you, whether it’s good or bad. Position two depicts potential barriers or sources of help.
This serves as the situation’s basis, or the historical circumstances that led to the present.
It reflects your point of origin. the origin.
This represents the recent past or events that are just now receding into the background.
This card’s energy may still be present, but it is beginning to fade.
scenarios that are likely to occur in the future or what might be, or the possibilities.
According to some, “this is what crowns you.
It can be a reflection of your goals.
The current inquirer is 7this.
This may reflect the respondent’s present position or attitude toward the circumstance.
This refers to the surrounds, environment, or other factors.
The atmosphere at home or at work, as well as any additional parties that might be affecting the scenario, can play this role.
This represents the inquirer’s wishes and anxieties.
It may also represent the necessary shadow effort.
This is the result or the direction you’re going.
Once you have interpreted this card, you can move on to considering other spreads or cards to make decisions, especially if the conclusion is bad (more on that in a future lesson).
When you think about this approach, you’ll notice that using position 3 as the middle cross’s foundation position and then working clockwise around it makes senseyou’re looking at the foundation, or how we arrived to where we are now, while still making smooth, flowing progress.
Before they even shuffle the cards and spread them out, some readers will choose a significator to stand in for the questioner. Personal taste will play a role here. I refrain from doing this because I think the reading will reflect the energy the subject is manifesting at the time. The Celtic Cross significators will be covered in a later session, so don’t worry about it right now.
Instead, practice arranging it and keeping track of what each position represents as your assignment.
How can I interpret tarot cards on my own?
I discovered early on in my tarot excursions that knowing the meanings of each card isn’t necessary, even if there is much value and wisdom to be gained from them. Your intuition holds the key to learning how to interpret tarot cards. And this makes sense given that they are instruments for receiving and deciphering messages from the universe or our inner selves. Get the best advice from readers below to learn how to read tarot cards for yourself instinctively and without memorization.
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 sacred 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.
How is a tarot spread set up?
What to Do First:
- Get out your tarot deck.
- The cards are in your hand.
- “Knock or tap the pile of cards numerous times while holding them in your palm to disseminate your energy throughout the deck.
- Shuffle the cards completely.
- The cards are divided into three heaps, which are subsequently reassembled into one pile.
What does the tarot signify for you?
Position 5, labeled “potential outcome,” is located at the top of the mini-cross.
This card represents potential future events, potential future developments, or potential futures.
This role is described as “what crowns you” in some publications.
Based on the moment of the reading, I frequently interpret this card as the location you will most likely end up.
Therefore, if a card like the Three of Swords appears there, the inquirer might be in for disappointment or loss.
I can see what is setting up that possibility by going back and looking at the first two cards. If the Three of Cups represented the past and the Devil reversed represented the recent past, this would suggest that the querent may have met a new person, started an extramarital relationship, and is now considering ending their marriage. Or you may read this as a fun-at-first romance that went horribly wrong and is most certainly going to an end.
Always keep an eye on the previous cards since they provide information about how the story is developing and what factors led to this “potential result.”
The question, “What about that outcome card then?” may come to mind.
Why bother with an outcome card if this demonstrates the possibilities?
These two, in my perspective, support one another, and I frequently see them as a triad with the card in position 6.
However, we’re moving on already.
I’ll be demonstrating a variety of card pairing techniques as well as what to do when we encounter contradictions as we move forward with these classes.
Let’s just use this card by itself for the time being.
The Two of Swords is crossed by Strength and the Tower in the past position, and the Three of Swords is reversed in the recent past in our last lesson on the recent past position.
If we position the Sun in the Possible Outcome position, what might happen?
That could indicate that the person asking the question has through a very trying change in their life that requires a lot of inner work and healing. They are currently overcoming the difficulty and making progress toward a nicer period. This demonstrates the client’s strength and that the decisions they are making will result in a better, more fruitful chapter. even a rebirth
This could be seen as the client becoming more grounded and solid after adversity, like the King of Pentacles.
They may have grown up and developed a sense of what matters most as a result of the change.
Or it can be a sign that a helpful person will soon enter their lives, someone who will have a stabilizing and positive influence on them.
Should Tarot cards be bent?
The Quick. Even if it lets you identify which Tarot card has which mark, a few marks and bends won’t really matter. They won’t know if you’re reading for someone else. Even if they are not a surprise to you, the Universe will nevertheless direct you to the correct cards.
Are tarot cards supposed to be shuffled?
Because the left side is connected to intuitive and receptive energy, traditional tarot readers used their left hand to shuffle the cards. For similar reasons, some people think you should deal and shuffle tarot cards with your nondominant hand. I’ve never done this, though, because I can’t shuffle with one hand!
Apparently, it takes seven precise shuffles to get a completely random tarot deck, although in all honesty, you don’t have to follow that rule. As they focus on their query, some people prefer to shuffle their tarot deck a few times, while others prefer to shuffle for at least a minute. Use a non-traditional shuffling technique if it works for you. The most crucial step is to simply shuffle the cards.
Infuse the cards with your energy
Pichinson advises first imbuing your oracle cards with your energy by playing with them or even carrying them around with you in order to develop a deep bond with them. She claims that your cards will work for and with you more the more you use and interact with them.
