Celtic Cross tarot reading

The most famous spread in tarot. Ten cards map the heart of the matter, what crosses it, its roots, your hopes and fears, and where it's all heading.

What's on your mind?

Read my cards for

The question is optional. Holding it in mind while you choose is what matters.

Celtic Cross positions

1
The present
The first card sits at the center of the cross. It describes the situation as it stands, and every other card is read in relation to it. If you only had time to read one card, this would be the one.
2
The challenge
Laid sideways across the first card, this is what blocks, complicates or tests the situation. A positive card here still counts as a challenge: too much of a good thing, or an opportunity that asks something of you.
3
The foundation
Below the cross. The roots of the situation: an earlier cause, an underlying need or a pattern you may not have named yet. Many readers see it as the subconscious layer of the question.
4
The recent past
To the left of the center. Something that recently shaped the situation and is now on its way out. Its influence is fading, but it explains how you got here.
5
The goal
Above the center, sometimes called the crown. Your conscious aim, what is on your mind, or the best this situation can become. Compare it with the foundation: when the two agree, what you want and what you need are aligned.
6
The near future
To the right of the center. What is moving into the situation over the coming weeks. It is the next step, not the final outcome.
7
Yourself
The bottom of the staff. Your stance, mood and self-image in this situation. It is the position most fully in your hands, which makes it the first place to look when you want to change the outcome.
8
Your environment
Second on the staff. The people, places and circumstances around you, and how others see you. It shows what you are working with rather than what you control.
9
Hopes and fears
Third on the staff. Hope and fear often sit on the same card, because we fear losing what we most want. Read it next to the outcome: it shows whether your expectations match where things are going.
10
The outcome
The top of the staff. Where the situation is heading if the energies in the spread continue. It is a direction, and the other nine cards show where you can steer it.

How to do a Celtic Cross reading

IHold one situation in mind. The Celtic Cross works best for a single, important question.
IIShuffle and choose ten cards.
IIIRead the cross (cards 1-6) first, then the staff (cards 7-10), then the summary connecting them.

How the Celtic Cross reading works

The Celtic Cross was popularized by A. E. Waite in 1910 and is still the spread most professional readers learn first. The six cards of the cross describe the situation; the four cards of the staff describe you, your world and the outcome.

Professional readers don't read the ten cards in isolation. They compare the outcome with the hopes and fears card, the goal with the foundation, and the past with the near future. Your summary does the same.

Celtic Cross questions

How long does a Celtic Cross reading take?

Choosing the cards takes a minute. Give yourself fifteen minutes to read and sit with it.

What if the outcome card is difficult?

The outcome shows where the current path leads, not a sentence. Look at the Yourself, goal and challenge cards for what you can change.

Is the full reading free?

Yes. All ten positions, the summary and the deep reading, with card-to-card analysis, advice from every card and journal prompts, are free.

Learn the cards in this spread

Every card in your reading links to its full meaning, upright and reversed. To read a Celtic Cross spread on your own, start with the Major Arcana, the four suits and how to read tarot cards, or browse all 78 card meanings.