No Love for the Celtic Cross

[entropy]

Anyone else find the Celtic Cross just... annoying? It seems like it's treated as the end-all, be-all of tarot spreads, but it's never made sense to me.

Alternately, I'm open to be corrected in my heresy.

 

[AJ]

I've only felt the need to use it once. It was a good reading, but there is just more information there than I can use for my simple needs.

 

[Barleywine]

Before I joined AT last year, I used only the Celtic Cross and the first part of the Opening of the Key for 4 decades. I was inspired by the larger spreads others here have made and created my own 10-card spread that makes more sense to me than the CC. I still think the Celtic Cross has its place, but I use it less now.

 

[Carla]

I started out with the Celtic Cross, fell out of love with it when I discovered making my own elaborate spreads, fell out of love with elaborate spreads when I realised the 3-card draw is so amazing, and have come back round to the Celtic Cross. Particularly the actual cross part (cards 1-6). It's a journey. I still believe the 3-card draw is all most people ever really need.

 

[MissMacchiato]

it's not actually a spread I've ever used. I went staight from a 'v' spread to personalised spreads.

I've never learnt it, although I'd like to, it being so common.

 

[Richard]

I got my first deck around 1969. The spread described in the LWB was the CC, so I thought that was the way to go, and I used it for many years. However, I gradually discovered that it can produce information overload and thereby be subject to internal inconsistencies. A simple three-card spread works much better for me now.

 

[Barleywine]

"Information overload" in the Celtic Cross is a phenomenon I haven't encountered. What I HAVE sometimes come up against is a wildly fragmented "jumble" of cards that makes no sense on the surface and stubbornly resists being woven together into a seamless story. (Maybe that's what is meant by "overload?") That's when I take a deep breath and go into "intuitive overdrive." It's also when it's most critical to have a face-to-face sitter to bounce possible interpretations off until something clicks to open up the reading. Maybe every deck should have an "out-to-lunch" card that comes up when it's not interested in talking sense. That would save a lot of time and effort . . . !

 

[toj]

I prefer a smaller draw and usually go with 3 to 5 cards. I definitely went through my CC phase where I thought that was what I had to do. Not so much anymore...while I don't dislike the spread, I just don't use it much.

 

[Sulis]

I like it. I don't use it often but if you want a detailed overview of a situation I think it's fine. It's not a beginners spread though so I don't like the way it's included as 'the spread' in the little white books that come with decks.
It's an spread for people who know how to read, how to link the cards together and can see nuances and patterns between them.

I think part of the problem is that people try to use it without really understanding the meanings of the positions - things like 'crowning' and 'unconscious' are just confusing in my opinion.

It's easily adaptable too so you can change the meanings of some of the positions to get more useful answers.
My favourite version is one that I often use with clients and I've adapted it to make it more of an advice spread:

........4...................10
..............................9
..5...1.2.....6............8

........3....................7

1 / 2 - The situation and what's blocking it or supporting it
3 - The basis of the situation / problem (what's causing it)
4 - Focus on
5 - Leave behind (don't do)
6 - Advice for the near future (do)
7 - The querant in the situation (relate it back to positions 1 and 2)
8 - Environment - others around the situation
9 - Key card - general advice
10 - Probable outcome

 

[entropy]

I think part of the problem is that people try to use it without really understanding the meanings of the positions - things like 'crowning' and 'unconscious' are just confusing in my opinion.

I think you've hit on why I find it so annoying... The mysterious "this crosses you" business and putting one card sideways over the other, the language of the positions etc... It seems far more interested in the "beingness" of a tarot experience rather than getting someone some perspective that they were having trouble getting to themselves. Your interpretation seems far more useful and less fussy.

entropy.