Ten cards, ten positions, and one question at the center: the Celtic Cross is the layout most tarot readers learn first and return to for years. This Celtic Cross tarot spread guide is a full-color sheet from U.S. Games Systems that gives every card a numbered place to land, with a printed note beside each position that tells you what that card speaks to in the reading. Unfold it on your table, lay your cards right on top, and read in order from the present position to the final result. You never have to stop and check a book to recall which card goes where. Over time the pattern settles into your hands, and the sheet becomes a familiar table you come back to. Key Features of the Celtic Cross Tarot Spread Guide Ten numbered card spaces. Each position in the spread is printed and numbered, so you lay the cards in the right order every time and keep your attention on the reading. Notes beside every position. Printed notes explain what each of the ten positions covers, from the present position and immediate influence to the questioner, inner emotions, and final result. A full-size reading surface. The sheet opens to 18 x 20.5 inches, which gives you room to lay out a whole reading and leave it in place while you write down what you see. Product Details Size: 18 x 20.5 inches when open Format: full-color printed sheet, ships folded Title printed on the sheet: Ancient 10-Card Tarot Spread Publisher: U.S. Games Systems, Inc. ISBN: 978-0-88079-113-7 Tarot cards are sold separately The Spiritual Significance The Celtic Cross is a ten-card tarot layout that readers use to look at one question from every side: where you stand now, what crosses you, what lies behind and ahead, how you see yourself, and where the matter is heading. The spread reached a wide audience through Arthur Edward Waite, a member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, who published it in The Pictorial Key to the Tarot in 1910 under the name "An Ancient Celtic Method of Divination." The title on this sheet echoes that name. Tarot historians have found no record of the layout before the late 1800s, so the word "ancient" is best read as tradition and not as a date. You can use this sheet to learn the spread as Waite's readers did, one position at a time, until the cross and the staff beside it feel like your own. How To Use the Celtic Cross Tarot Spread Guide Unfold the sheet on a flat surface and smooth the creases with your hands. Shuffle your deck while you hold one clear question in mind. Lay cards one through six on the numbered spaces of the cross, and read them in order using the note beside each position. Lay cards seven through ten on the column at the right, from the bottom space to the top, and read them the same way. Look at the whole table before you gather the cards, and write down the pairs and patterns that stand out to you. The printed notes are a starting place. What you notice in the cards is part of the reading too. Pairs Well With The Rider Tarot Deck: This is the deck Waite and Pamela Colman Smith created, and the one his Celtic Cross instructions were written for. The Pictorial Key to the Tarot by Arthur E. Waite: Waite's own book holds his original description of the spread along with his card meanings. Learning the Tarot by Joan Bunning: This beginner course teaches card meanings lesson by lesson, which you can practice on the sheet. Tarot Journal Page: A reading log gives you a place to record each ten-card reading before you clear the table. Rider-Waite Tarot Deck Kit: The kit adds a deck, cloth, and bag, so you have a full reading setup to use with the guide. Frequently Asked Questions Does the Celtic Cross tarot spread guide come with tarot cards? The guide does not come with tarot cards. It is a single printed sheet that shows where each of the ten cards goes and what each position covers. You bring your own deck, and any 78-card tarot deck follows the same ten positions, whatever its art style or the tradition it comes from. Can beginners use the Celtic Cross spread? Beginners can use the Celtic Cross, and this sheet is made to help with that. Ten cards can feel like a lot to hold in your head at first. The numbered spaces and printed position notes carry the structure for you, so your attention stays on the cards and on your question. Is the Celtic Cross spread really ancient or Celtic? The Celtic Cross spread is not documented as ancient or as Celtic in origin. Arthur Edward Waite published it in 1910 and called it an ancient Celtic method, and the name stayed. Tarot historians trace the layout to British occult circles of the late 1800s, around the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Will my tarot deck fit on the sheet? Any tarot deck can be read on the sheet, because the ten positions and their order stay the same. The sheet opens to 18 x 20.5 inches. Cards from larger decks may reach past the printed spaces, and the numbers still show you where each card belongs in the reading. How do I store the guide sheet? The guide sheet stores best folded along its original creases or laid flat under a book. It arrives folded, so the creases are part of the sheet from the start. Many readers keep it tucked inside their tarot book or journal, where it stays clean and is easy to find for the next reading.
