Why does the second card lie across the first?

In Waite's method it "crosses" the matter: the obstacle laid over the situation. On this site it covers the lower part of the first card so both stay easy to tap.

Is the Celtic Cross better than a three-card spread?

Not better, larger. For one clear question three cards are easier to read; the Celtic Cross suits a question with many sides.

Does the last card show the final outcome?

It shows where things tend if they continue as they are; Waite called it the culmination of the other cards' influences, not a sentence that cannot change.

The Starveil Sanctuary

Celtic Cross Tarot Spread

Let the world grow quiet. Bring a question, and discover a different perspective.

Selene, keeper of the cardsTake your time. I will keep the light.

78 ✦ A conversation with yourself

← All spreads

The best-known tarot spread, described by A. E. Waite in 1910. Six cards form a cross around the matter itself; four more rise beside it as a staff, showing you inside it. It takes time to read, so keep it for a large, many-sided question.

The positions

PresentWhat covers the matter: its general atmosphere now.
CrossingWhat crosses it: the obstacle or opposing force, laid across the first card.
CrownWhat crowns it: the aim, the best that can be reached, what is not yet realised.
FoundationWhat is beneath: the foundation the matter rests on, often in the past.
Recent pastWhat is behind: the influence just passing.
Near futureWhat is before: the influence coming into play.
YourselfYourself: your attitude and position in the matter.
SurroundingsYour surroundings: other people and circumstances around you.
Hopes and fearsHopes and fears: often one card holding both, since what we hope for can also be what we fear.
Where it leadsWhere it leads: where the other cards' influences tend, if things continue.

When to use it

a large question with many sides: a turning point, a long relationship, a career
when you want the whole picture rather than one step
a reading you have time to sit with

Questions to ask

What do I need to understand about this turning point in my life?
Where is my relationship with my work heading?
What is really going on in this situation with my family?

How to read it

Read it in groups: the cross (cards 1 to 6) is the situation, the staff (7 to 10) is you inside it. Then compare pairs: crown and foundation (what you aim for against what the matter rests on), past and near future (the movement through time), yourself and surroundings (your part and other people's).

Read the last card together with the first: it shows where the present tends, and the cards before it show what could change that.

Questions and answers

Why does the second card lie across the first?: In Waite's method it "crosses" the matter: the obstacle laid over the situation. On this site it covers the lower part of the first card so both stay easy to tap.
Is the Celtic Cross better than a three-card spread?: Not better, larger. For one clear question three cards are easier to read; the Celtic Cross suits a question with many sides.
Does the last card show the final outcome?: It shows where things tend if they continue as they are; Waite called it the culmination of the other cards' influences, not a sentence that cannot change.

Other spreads

The 78 cards

Every card has its own page: the art, the symbols, upright and reversed meanings for love, work and inner life.

Browse the card library →