How to Use the Celtic Cross Tarot Spread

The Celtic Cross spread is a common spread that you can find in almost every tarot book that you pick up. It’s a 10-card spread that gives you a lot of information about a situation. For beginners, this can be a hard spread due to the number of cards and their interactions. It is recommended that you use this spread after you are comfortable doing a smaller spread, like a 3-card spread. BUT this should be a spread that every tarot reader learns in their tarot journey and has in their pocket to use when needed.

It started with Arthur Edward Waite in his book The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, where he states that this spread “is the most suitable for obtaining an answer to a definite question”.

Card 0: The Signifier Card

The first step to using this spread is to select a signifier card. This is a card that signifies the person asking the question, or the topic of the question.

For example, if you want to know if you need a lawsuit, then you would choose Key 11: Justice, which relates to legal matters. But, here is the tricky part, if the question is “Will I be successful in my lawsuit?" then you would want to use the signifier that directly relates to you. Typically signifiers are court cards that represent the qualities of the person asking based on age and personality.

I have a whole post on signifiers here if you’re unsure which court card to use as your signifier.

Once you’ve chosen the signifier, it’s time to get into the spread itself.

Card 1: This Covers Him

This card will show you the influences that are affecting the person or matter at hand. This card should be laid directly over the signifier card and literally cover the card.

Card 2: This Crosses Him

This shows the nature of the matter. If the card is favorable, then the opposing forces will not be serious. The things that could go wrong, won’t be that big of a deal, if they do go wrong at all.

Card 3: This Crowns Him

The third card should be placed above the first card, like a crown on top. This can have two options for what it means. It could be what the seeker aims for, the goals, or the ideal outcome of the matter that you wish to see. Or it could be the best outcome that can be achieved in the matter, but it may not have come to fruition just yet.

Card 4: This is Beneath Him

The fourth card should be placed below the first card, making a straight line between cards 3, 1, and 4. This card shows you the foundation of the matter. This is something that has already happened and you are dealing with.

Card 5: This is Behind Him

This card will have two options for placing. Most people choose to place this card to the left of Card 1 as this is what is behind you. According to Waite, this card should be placed whichever way the signifier card is looking. If the card chosen as the signifier, whether it’s a Major Arcana, Court Card or Minor Arcana card, does not seem to be facing a specific way, you should choose which side, left or right of Card 1 is behind them. Below is the placing of Card 5 based on the way that the Court Cards face.

Place to the Left if the Card is: Page of Swords, Page of Cups, Knight of Wands, Knight of Swords, Queen of Pentacles, Queen of Cups, or the King of Wands

Place to the Right if the Card is: Page of Wands, Page of Pentacles, Knight of Cups, Queen of Wands, Queen of Swords, King of Pentacles, or the King of Cups

Readers Choice: King of Swords

You can use the example above if you have chosen a card other than a Court Card as your signifier.

Card 5 shows you what is in the past about the question or what is passing at the moment.

Card 6: This is Before Him

Card 6 should be placed on the opposite side of card 5. Typically on the right of Card 1, but depending on where you placed card 5, it could also go on the left. It shows what is coming in the near future in the situation at hand.

This is the last card in the actual “cross” of this spread. The remaining cards, 7 - 10 should be placed in a straight line, bottom to top to the right of the main cross.

Card 7: Current Self

This card should be placed at the bottom of the new line on the right of the cross. This shows you your current energies or the current energy of the situation. It shows how you feel about the situation.

Card 8: His House

This card should be placed above Card 7 and shows the environment of the situation. This has a lot of options for meanings depending on the card that shows up here. This can show your tendencies, your position in life, and the influence of friends or family.

Card 9: Hopes and Fears

This card is pretty self-explanatory. It shows you your hopes and fears about the situation that you may not be recognizing.

Card 10: Outcome

This is the final card and should be at the top of the line to the right of the cross. This shows the outcome of the situation based on the other cards that have shown up in the spread. If you were to follow the guidance outlined in the spread, this would be the result.

If the 10th card is a court card, it shows that the outcome of the situation is in the hands of the person represented by the card. Refer to the signifier post here to help you figure out who this person may be, based on personality, zodiac sign, age, or appearance.

If the 10th card is a court card or shows that there isn’t a final outcome in the situation or it’s a doubtful card, you can repeat the entire spread using the 10th card as the signifier card.