10-card spread

Celtic Cross Tarot Spread

The Celtic Cross is the best-known tarot spread in the world, and for good reason. Its ten cards look at a single question from every angle: the heart of the matter, what's working against you, the roots underneath, what's passing and what's arriving, and the forces inside and around you.

It first appeared in print in 1910, in A.E. Waite's guide to the very deck we use, and it has been the go-to spread for serious questions ever since.

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Draw your Celtic Cross

When to use the Celtic Cross

Choose the Celtic Cross when a situation feels tangled and a three-card reading isn't enough: a big decision, a relationship at a crossroads, a project that has stalled, or a chapter of life you want to understand more fully.

The 10 positions

The Present: The heart of the matter: where you are right now.
The Challenge: What crosses you: the obstacle, tension or unexpected factor.
The Foundation: The roots beneath the situation, often something from deeper in the past.
The Recent Past: What is passing out of your life or losing its hold.
The Best Outcome: Your highest potential here: what you're aiming for, consciously or not.
The Near Future: What is coming into play in the weeks ahead.
Yourself: Your attitude and the part you play.
Your Environment: The people, places and influences around you.
Hopes and Fears: What you long for and what you dread, which are often the same thing.
The Outcome: Where things are heading if the current path continues.

How to read it

Read the first six cards (the cross) as the story of the situation, and the last four (the staff) as the story of you within it.
Compare The Best Outcome with The Outcome. If they agree, you're on track; if they clash, the cards in between show what could change the course.
Notice repeated suits or a cluster of Major Arcana cards: they show which part of life, or how big a turning point, the reading is really about.

Celtic Cross FAQ

What does the Celtic Cross tarot spread show?

The Celtic Cross looks at one situation from ten angles: the present, the challenge, the foundation, the recent past, the best possible outcome, the near future, your own attitude, your environment, your hopes and fears, and the likely outcome. Together they tell the story of where a situation came from and where it's heading.

How many cards are in a Celtic Cross reading?

Ten. Six form the cross on the left, describing the situation, and four form the staff on the right, describing you and the forces around you.

Is the Celtic Cross good for beginners?

Yes, as long as you take it one position at a time. Each position has a clear job, and reading the cross and the staff as two short stories makes the whole spread much easier to follow.