Lesson 11: Spreads Part II

So how did you get on with your new 4 and 6 card spreads?

Hopefully you will have started to take 'ownership' of your Tarot cards and you are becoming more confident about translating their messages.

Just like learning anything new, it is pratice that will develop your skills and your confidence.

As I have said before, there may be specific meanings to each card, but we are all free to be creative with how we convey those messages to people. Make your Tarot reading style uniquely your own.

So take out your deck and let's continue. This lesson will focus on 2 spreads - the Celtic Cross and the 4 Aces.

The final lesson will cover some basic rules and guidelines about giving readings. You will also find that most Tarot books will have sections on Cartomancy (the art of reading the cards) to help guide you.

The Celtic Cross - 10 cards

This is one of the oldest and most popular traditional Tarot spreads - it's certainly the most popular of our membership readings!

It is ideal as a first spread in a reading, as it gives a general overview of the major influences and events in the querant's life, as well as the more mundane, day to day issues.

You can gather from the cards the major influence in the querant's reading; e.g. a predominace of Wands and Pentacles would show they are mainly concerned with work and finance, or if you find many Swords, especially in the positions that relate to the querant's frame of mind, you will see that they could be quite stressed and worried.

You can use just the Major Arcana or the whole deck. When I was learning, I focused on using just the Major Arcana, and as my confidence grew I started to work with the whole deck. Feel free to choose your own approach.

Your research will show there are variances in the titles of the card positions, but below is the Celtic Cross format I like to work with.

The cards should be laid out as illustrated below:

Card 2 lays horizontally across the top of Card 1

 

The card positions relate to the following:-

Card 1 - your current circumstances

Card 2 - what is blocking you or holding you back

Card 3 - your conscious thoughts

Card 4 - your subconscious thoughts

Card 5 - influences from your immediate past

Card 6 - your immediate future (closely linked with the outcome card)

Card 7 - how you see yourself

Card 8 - how others see you

Card 9 - your hopes and fears

Card - 10 outcome (closely linked with the immediate future card)

 

Take your cards and shuffle them well, pick out 10 cards in the way you have chosen to select cards. Then place them in the Celtic Cross spread and have a go at reading it and see how you get on.