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Hyperfixation Tarot

The Celtic Cross

When I was getting started with Tarot, I almost exclusively laid out a version of the Celtic Cross. This is not necessarily recommended, as it’s a spread with a lot of cards and complexity, and there’s many ways the cards “communicate” with each other. But for a beginner, it can also be fun to see a lot of cards on the table and muse on the meanings between the cards and the ways they interact. This spread can also feel more specific that the classic three card spreads, and therefore more fun.

How to lay out the Celtic Cross

I’ve found a couple of different interpretations of how to lay the Celtic Cross. Here’s mine:

"The Celtic Cross"

Start by laying out the middle card. This card represents the querent or subject of the reading. Lay a second card over that, sideways. That represents what concerns the subject— what you are asking about.

Lay a card above and a card below the cross you’ve made. Those represent what is consciously known about the situation, and what is perhaps subconsciously being processed, respectively. Lay a card to the left and right of the cross. These are respectively the past and near future of the situation.

Lay four cards out to the right side of the cross, starting at the bottom and going up. These cards represent:

  • Attitude. This card speaks to the attitude of your subject. How are they feeling about the situation?
  • Environment. This card speaks to the environmental or situational influences on the subject.
  • Hopes/Fears. This card speaks to what the subject hopes will happen, or fears will happen.
  • Outcome. This card speaks to the outcome. It might show an outcome you can avoid by heeding the message of the cards, an outcome you are trying to achieve, or something to keep in mind about the outcome in general.

Reading the Celtic Cross

I don’t personally feel like there’s a hard and fast rule about reading the Celtic Cross, but one thing to keep in mind is that with ten cards on the table, there will be a lot of potential interactions between cards. Are there multiple pages, to the point where they may represent children or schools? Are there multiple knights, to the point where they might represent rivalry and competition? Is there a lot of fire energy in the reading? Make sure you go over the spread after it is fully drawn, even if you are talking about the cards as you draw them.