The Celtic Cross Tarot Reading

Probably the most famous tarot spread is known as the Celtic Cross. The heathen idol mocks the Christian version by using a very close symbol to invoke Satanic visions. The spread is much more advanced than the 3 card Past, Present, and Future spread, looking into deeper forbidden zones such as the rational and emotional psychological basis and the reader's secret hopes and fears.

One begins using this infamous spread by looking at the significator, saying "this is it." The second card is laid cross-wise over the card, not quite like the picture which is altered for online convenience. The second card "crosses" the first, meaning this image compounds the significator.

The crowning card above the cross, #3 shows the rational thoughts, while #4 below shows the emotional feelings associated with the issue. Cards #5 and 6 represent the timeline just like the 3 card PPF's past and future cards.

Card #7 shows the asker about their own attitude, while #8 is concerned with the mood of the people and surroundings effecting the situation. Card #9 shows either what the asker is afraid of or secretly hopes for. The final card, #10 shows where the situation leads, the final result.

This crowns it

9 of Cups

Hopes and fears

Strength

This is you

The Hermit

This crosses it

5 of Wands

This is it

Page of Cups

It rests upon

9 of Wands

A girly man talks to a fish in his cup. Clearly somebody has had one too many. Delirium sets in as he starts tripping. The evil that is associated with this card is possession. Spirits that possess a soul may be invited by drinking, drugs, or other forms of personal experimentation. Such experiments always blow up in the person's face.

The fish emerging from the cup is actually an holy sign with dual implications. He holds the Holy Grail, which of course contains the Jesus fish. The cup symbolically holds the essence of Christ, the spirit of holy self-sacrifice.

The fish is probably telling the guy on this card that he dresses like a fruit and needs to be a man. He might think he knows himself, but he is not aware of God's plan for him. He better listen to the fish if he knows what's good for him.

Upright keywords: dreams, imagination, fantasy, figment, head trip, fancy, invention

Only 5 ranks into the suit of Wands, mankind has already ensured its own downfall. Instead of turning the other cheek and loving their neighbors, man seeks vengeance as a source of pleasure. His lust for blood culminates in war, which is what we have here. This is the card of war and aggression.

What has actually happened is that man has avoided the LORD's commandments and forsaken His wisdom. The LORD knows that man's nature is perpetually evil, which is why He keeps warning us. Here the problem is that things have gone too far. Too many men are now opening the gates of hell, to the point where it even seems to become commonplace.

The competion has actually gotten so fierce that bedlam has erupted. Chaos ensues in an apocalyptic battle where it's every man for himself. This card means there is a big fight in the position it appears in the spread.

Reversed keywords: dispute, trickery, contradiction, hypocracy, cheating, bribery

A glutton reels in pleasure after consuming mass quantities of spiritous beverages. He squats in a wide stance, feeling enormous after having committed the thoughtless sin. His ego swells as much as his stomach, yet his pride is false. He folds his arms on top of his fat stomach to conceal his growing embarassment.

He keeps telling himself that it's alright because it feels good so he keeps doing it. Before he knows it his physique will resemble the blob. Like the blob, his stomach will eventually eat him. Then it will undoubtedly continue to ingest everything it comes in contact with. Unchecked gluttony may not be the worst of the 7 sins, but it certainly is the ugliest.

The card, wherever it appears in the spread indicates a greedy person who takes more than their fair share whenever possible. He is like an obnoxious fat leach who ruins the party by eating all the catering. In his lame mind it is his birthright to act like an obnoxious fat stomach because that's just what he is.

Reversed keywords: truth, loyalty, liberty, stubbornness, purpose, direction, discipline

The guy in this card has managed to once again secure the loyalty of his comrads. They are protecting him because he has been injured and he's an important member of the group. They erect a shield of staves to protect their own to give him time to heal.

He gets the respect of a soldier wounded in battle, but he secretly revels in the power they once again present him with. He knows better than to try to command the group through force, so he chooses to manipulate their sympathies. He discovers a much easier form of power to achieve, which happens to be a lot more potent too.

He doesn't even have to lift a finger to control the group, who finally has a cause to support, a reason to come together. It fills the emotional needs of those who seek control and those who seek to be controlled at the same time. The man has learned a new trick from the devil.

Reversed keywords: obstacles, adversity, calamity, delay, suspension, dark cloud, setbacks

The woman on this card is the wife of the Pope of tarot land. Of course the Pope is known as the Hierophant in tarot. She holds the Tora scroll and is regarded as the keeper of the female side of the secrets of creation. Obviously she is not to be trusted.

She is crowned with an Egyptian moon goddess head dress and she has the moon at her feet. There are strong connotations to the female reproductive cycle, and disturbingly obvious oral implications.

This card shows a woman who has no consideration for the sanctity of marriage and will perform and/or accept immoral favors at the drop of a few coins. She holds a sensual mystique that can overpower a man's senses and make him guilty of ungodly things.

Reversed keywords: whore, slut, harlot, prostitute, witch, succubus, sinister, dark communications

Adam and Eve after their fall from ignorance are pictured on the Devil card. Under his watch they are chained up like dogs. This is the fate that the Devil wants for all of us, but lucky for us Jesus Christ is our saviour. They have taken on the traits of the Devil under his influence. They are subject to their lower nature which the Devil delights in, having kidnapped God's children.

Arthur Edward Waite, the occultist who masterminded the most infamous version of the tarot deck in history, was known to be a black magician who encouraged grave robbing and other such unthinkable crimes. He wrote all about how to do it in The Book of Black Magic.

The Devil has come to enslave you. He wants to make you a deal you can't refuse so that you wind up selling him your birthright. The Devil feasts on the souls of ignorant fools who play with tarot cards thinking they are going to one-up their fellow men. These methods only work in the short term and are certain to come crashing down on you in the end, much like the next card.

Reversed keywords: torture, beatings, abuse, insults, mockery, personal vendetta, grudge, curse, torment

The Hermit is an old man who has spent too much time in the mountains talking to himself. He has clearly lost touch with reality following his own light instead of the light of Jesus. He delusionally believes himself to be God. Malnutrition is sinking in and he hasn't even cut his own hair in years.

The guy is just a loser, actually less that a loser because he quit the whole game of life. Yet he goes off to some fictional mountaintop where he is king of the world. He is master of all he sees, but his vision is skewed.

This card is much like the third trump, the Empress in its representation of Sloth as a coveted treasure. The only difference is that she is rich and he is a bum.

Upright keywords: reject, sloth, outcast, unemployment, delusional, self-deception, aberration

A creek unwinds in the distance between flat plains and a rocky range. The Knight of Cups gracefully rides into the picture taking center stage. His helmet boasts a pair of wings, symbolic of his lofty imagination. He is a dreamer.

Like any card, his appearance can take on different meanings depending on which position he appears in the spread. He may represent a person of authority you will encounter, or he could represent you achieving a level of authority.

Mainly he is an emotional type. But he also has an influence of a lot of thinking, which brews a storm above waters that may appear calm. One moment the waters are mellow, but they are ready to go into a high tide at any minute.

Upright keywords: seduction, arrival, approach, advances, proposition, demeanour, invitation, incitement

This card shows what real Strength is, a woman who can charm the beast into submission. She uses female intuition to soothe the lion's wild nature making him humble. He licks her in servitude with his tail between his legs.

The woman is crowned with the lemniscate halo like the Magician, as she is a magician is her own right. However she actually does seem to understand the LORD. Her servitude of the LORD is repaid with the gift of the lion's servitude.

The woman in this card is of supreme power, commanding fear and respect from those who do not wish to fall under her spell.

Reversed keywords: force, power, domination, hypnotic powers, lawlessness, anarchy

Children are at play in an old garden, symbolically stopping to smell the flowers. Children are not fully responsible for their actions because they can not help the fact that they have been ingrained with original sin. They must be taught not to chase their own evil passions, but to learn the difference between righteousness and wickedness. It is up to the adult to teach them because they are incapable of figuring it out.

Children playing is a good sign, perhaps the best sign of such a wreched deck of cards. It is a happy card to occur in a reading that points to joyous times of celebration.

Depending on the circumstances, this card can be very dangerous because of the possibility of innocence being corrupted. If it comes up near such negative signs, it may be a warning to protect your children. With the most valuable possession comes the potential of the greatest loss.

Reversed keywords: new friends, learning, change of environment, new experiences, growth