There are various ways to do a Celtic Cross. I was never really a fan until I played around with it, moving the last 4 cards from a separate column to the corners and adjusting some placement meanings to align more with my numerological meanings, and taking some liberties with the order of card placement.
I’ve always preferred the more amorphous nature of box spreads to the more structured ‘one meaning per position’ spreads, anyway; so this combines the breadth of the Celtic Cross with the more flowy, relational 9-card box spread, with hints of a Tirage en Croix. It’s laid in sort of a spiral of a cycle, but also reads well flowing outward from the center, going down to the underlying factors and then up the left through some meatier stuff and then finally over to the right in resolution.
Now, as in a box spread, the center line is the situation, the bottom is what’s underneath it, and the top is how things could turn out, moving forward… but flows in a more spiralic form. It’s flexible enough to be used as a predictive spread for fortune telling or for a more introspective spread for self-awareness, and the ways that the cards interplay in this blending of systems has made for some really layered readings.
Following traditional spreads, some pairs play off of each other – 1 & 2 are internal and external, 4 & 6 are unconscious and conscious intent, 5. & 3 are what’s behind the matter and what’s ahead. It can be read with just the central 6 cards, but the outer 4 add the more developmental or introspective elements of the situation.
So, it’s no longer a Celtic Cross but still sort of resembles it and carries all of the breadth of one, but is now morphed with a 9-card box and there are so many potential ways of reading it, with layers of meaning. I’m still playing with it, but this is what I have, so far.
Don’t get stuck in how other people tell you it is. Play around with your cards and have fun. In the meantime, give this one a go and let me know how it reads for you!
ARCANIS TAROT 