A plea for sanity: beginners, DON'T use the Celtic Cross!

Man, I wish I had this advice when I first started reading.
The first book I had was the Connolly method, and the Celtic Cross was the first spread explained.

It was tough, and confusing at first, so I basically changed it to fit what I felt worked for me. I didn't have any more trouble with it after that, but the inevitable result is, that I read the CC differently from many other readers I know. So what, I get very accurate information. But I have found that it really isn't an appropriate spread in some situations.

For a beginner, 3 card and 5 card spreads are a great way to learn. 5 card spreads are good because you can begin to see the relationships of the cards to each other a little more. Thirteen, once again, great advice!

I'm a relative newcomer, having dabbled a bit many, many years ago. And perhaps because one of my closest friends is a reknowned professional clairvoyant and has given me a lot of guidance, I find I am quite comfortable with the CC spread. I'm also comfortable with Talisman's Tea Cup Spread, and sure, the three card spread. Not because I'm terribly exceptional, but because, as a beginner, I took a lot of time studying the cards and reading as much as I could about them (and thank you Thirteen, your Tarot Basics was a huge help to me). What I'm trying to say is, if you get very familiar with the cards then the larger spreads start to tell a larger story. I think it's more important as a beginner to stay with a spread for a long time, study it, look up meanings, decide which meanings resonate with you, develop your own intuitive understanding...do this and I don't think any spread will be all that intimidating. In my book, CC rules!!

i know i may not say much here, but im here watching and learning. 2 books i have collected have helped me out. the first tarot made easy by nancy garen, has a short version of the keltic cross. the second book tarot decoder, by kathleen mccormack used the celtic cross, but tells the meanings of the cards if they where in any place in the spread. im not sure if this will help , but it has helped me.....

CC

The first deck I bought (actually it was offered) was the golden rider, and as usual it has the LWB. The spread that came with the LWB was

3
1 5 2
4

1- confirmation: goal of the querent
2- negation: negative influence
3- discussion
4- solution
5- totality: inner aspects of the matter in question

I couldn't get along very well, and later the CC just made it worse. Now I do the 3 card spread and it's the best.

Re: CC

anjocoxo said:

The first deck I bought (actually it was offered) was the golden rider, and as usual it has the LWB. The spread that came with the LWB was

3
1 5 2
4

1- confirmation: goal of the querent
2- negation: negative influence
3- discussion
4- solution
5- totality: inner aspects of the matter in question

I couldn't get along very well, and later the CC just made it worse.

Click to expand...

As a simple spread, this isn't too bad. But what the heck does "discussion" mean and what does "totality" mean ("Inner aspects"??)? That's where it can trip up a beginner--or, heck, me! Goal of the querent, negative influence and solution, on the other hand, would seem pretty straight forward.

Hell, it's not even a spread

'Lo all,

Okay, so I'm beating a dead mouse here. But saying you use the Celtic Cross is like saying you speak a language.

Yeah, but what language? Frisian? Old Low Franconian? One of those languages spoken by a remote aboriginal tribe who incorporate into words the sound you can make by making a "click" with your tongue against the roof of your mouth? (Anthropologists have so much fun with this: Hot(click) dog (click)!)

Way back in the long, long ago, I acquired my first Tarot deck and set off down the Tarot road with only the little white book as a guide. The LWB offered only ONE spread, called "The Ancient Celtic Method of Divination."

After some absurd stuff about selecting a card to represent the subject of a reading, always me (I won't even go into this), the "Diviner" is instructed to turn up the first card and say, "This covers him . . ." and then turn over the second card, layed crossways, and say, "This crosses him . . ."

Are you guessisng it was the Celtic Cross? After that, the directions go off plumb gollywampus, but then, most Celtic Crosses do.

And, (my fault! my fault!) I wrestled with this spread for years.

Finally, and this took years too, I created my own spread. (Maybe this is like saying, well, I can't speak Chinese or French, so I'll just make up my own language. This is terrific, unless you plan on using the language to actually communicate with someone. What a novel idea. Still, I was so pleased that lawguy51 finds the Teacup useful.)

(If I had a time machine, I'd send Thirteen's Tarot Basics back to the guy I was when I got my first deck. Would have been like a cook drink of water under a scorching desert sun.)

I know some of you took to the CC like ducks to water, or basil to tomato, but here's what I'm guessing. You are people with a natural talent, and could just have well layed out a pattern of acorns in the dirt under an oak tree and read them. (MeeWah, for example.)

But some of us have to learn, and I side with all those who advise finding another starting point than the Celtic Cross.

And, of course, some of us have to learn the hard way. 'Cause, when you say, "I use the Celtic Cross," I don't even know what language you are speaking.

Talisman
---------------
Who uses the Teacup Spread.

Alissa said:

This is a great thread revival. I weigh in agreeing with Thirteen, it's an awful hard spread to start with.

I've always used the CC, but only because of the exact reason Thirteen mentions -- it was the only one in the LWB, which was my only resource at the time.

Click to expand...

Same here. I bought my first Tarot deck in late 1991/early 1992 and it was the only deck on the book shelf, the Rider-Waite. The LWB had the CC so that it what I started with and I felt intimidated by it. If I had realized there were other spread options (or that I could make up my own) and that there were other decks out there I wonder if I wouldn't have been so quick to give up Tarot back then.

I tried using the Celtic Cross when I got my first deck - it was one of only 2 listed in the book (the other being the 7-Card Horseshoe). I hated using it, but I didn't know there were other options. I wanted to practice, to read for my friends, and to get to know them and initially I gave up on the cards completely. A year later I found my deck again and took toward the internet and found this site and others. I printed out a bunch of spreads and kept them with me so I could use them instead. I've used the CC maybe once since and still don't much like it. Despite it being a bigger spread I just don't get much out of it.

I just saw this thread that was born before I knew AT . i agree wholeheartedly with you Thirteen. I don't know exactly what it is about the CC but it is too dense and mysterious for even some seasoned readers. I guess it's the positions and their vague meanings. As you said, what's crossing you, immediate future, distant future, what the heck ? It reminds me a bit of people having a hard time with the Grand tableau for Lenormand readings. Ssme scary stuff: too many cards all speaking at the same time When I used the CC I just kept the design because it looked cool and adapted the positions to what I thought could make it readable. It was probably a heresy but without much of an option, it helped. Now, many mentioned 3-7 card spreads. Isn't it funny that reading with 3 is often much easier than taking only one card out ?

I don't quite understand what people find confusing about the cross part of the CC. This crowns you ... it hangs over your head. Crosses you ... opposes.

I was more confused by the vertical line and the widely varying versions of what the 7 and 9 card mean. I like the balances, and all the different axes that you can study relationships on.

I wouldn't abandon the spread, IMO. It gives a lot of detail that smaller spreads would not. A three-card blob can leave a lot up to guesswork, which is OK I guess if you are a more intuitive reader, but I mix them up.

Also, because it has so many cards that deal with the past and present, it has a built-in meter to see if the reading is being accurate. I like to deal the cards face down and then reveal the past cards first. If they make no sense, I re-deal.

ETA: an easy way to ease into it is to just do the cross part. That's an easy variation.