Parsifal's Wheel: A Celtic Cross Variation

Since we've been having a spirited conversation about the Celtic Cross in Talking Tarot, I thought I would offer this more refined version of the thoughts I've been sharing there, It's part of a self-published booklet I'm working on that includes a dozen of what I call "Advanced Cross Spreads," along with detailed commentary and my rationale for the structure of each spread.

Thank you Barleywine, looks interesting. Just thought I´d copy paste the text here:

Parsifal's Wheel: A Celtic Cross Variation

The "wheel" metaphor comes from Eden Gray's method in The Tarot Revealed: the Significator card, if used, is at the center;

Cards 1 and 2 - the covering and crossing cards, here called “The Heart of the Matter” and “Major Motivators” - are similar in most systems of interpretation;

Card 3 at the bottom shows early advancement ("first steps") in evolution of the matter (often described as the “distant past”
or conditions that are no longer subject to change);

Card 4 is to the left, and represents the recent (often
still “active”) past;

Card 5 - the “crowning” card at the top - shows the "present," which is the realm of possibilities and opportunities, where emerging trends and the range of available options first become
visible;

Card 6 to the right is the "near future." This clockwise flow mirrors the diurnal motion of the Sun, from midnight (established past, Card 3), through dawn (recent past, Card 4), then high noon
(present, Card 5) and on to close of day (near future, Card 6).
Cards 1 and 2 comprise the "environment of the question," or how things stand at the moment, including both underlying influences (Card 1) and major challenges/motivating factors (Card 2). The
time-line begins with Card 3, the "established past, not subject to change;" Cards 4 through 6 are read as a fluid continuum since it isn't always easy to see where one phase leaves off and the next one
begins; one flows into the other, the recent past informs the present and the present presages the near future. The "evolution of the question" is the process by which the scope of the matter becomes clearer
as its development over time is projected.

Cards 7 through 9 reflect the querent's state of being as galvanized by emergence of the preliminary or
partial answer (Card 6) into the light of day. They show responses to the situation as it takes shape and
begins to impact the querent's life, ranging from early apprehension to renewed determination, either
encouraged or undermined by social and environmental factors. “What holds him back?” (self-limiting
attitudes - uncertainties, anxieties, self-doubts); "What supports or opposes him?" (coping with
environmental stress and/or the influence of other people who have a stake in the matter); and "What
inspires him" - aspirations, goals, objectives, hopes. wishes, last chance for a "mid-course correction"
(striving to bring the best possible result into manifestation) are all consequences of how the querent
confronts the current of change suggested by the "unloading of the wheel" at Card 6. Card 6 is directly correlated to Card 10 to see how it is likely to mature or ripen; the intervening cards (7-9) modulate the course of events via the querent's actions and reactions in responding to the initial outcome. This is where "constructive advice" is often most valuable since the situation is still pliable and the querent can shape the final outcome with judicious intervention. So Cards 7, 8 and 9 are a kind of continuum in their own right. In this model there is no direct correlation between Card 6 and Cards 8 and 9, since the point of ingress for the wheel's "download" into the querent's subjective reality is Card 7.

That said, Cards 4-1-2-6-8 may be read as a "line," with Card 2 as the focal point for pairs 4/1 and
6/8. The idea is to provide additional insight into the nature of any challenges that may be blocking
growth in the matter, in which case Card 8 is interpreted more broadly as "environmental factors."

Cards 4 and 1 "anchor" the querent in past achievements or failures, adding "fuel to the fire" or “grist
for the mill” to the interpretation of Card 2, while Cards 6 and 8 show externalizing factors that coax
the obstruction"out of its shell" and nudge it toward resolution.

Thanks, Hemera. After some more fruitful back-and-forth on the other CC thread, I tweaked the spread and edited the supporting text to match, and to break it into more readable chunks. I've attached it below and will cut-and-paste the text into a new post.

Here is the reconstructed text.

Parsifal's Wheel: A Celtic Cross Variation

The "wheel" metaphor comes from Eden Gray's method published in The Tarot Revealed:

The Significator card, if used, lies at the center;

Cards 1 and 2 - the covering and crossing cards, here called “The Heart of the Matter” and “Major Motivators” - are similar in most systems of interpretation;

Card 3 at the bottom shows early developments in the matter (the “established past,” elsewhere described as the “distant past” or factors that are no longer subject to change);

Card 4 sits to the left, and represents the recent, or “emergent,” past which may still be actively shaping the querent's situation;

Card 5 - the “crowning” card at the top - shows the "present," which is the realm of possibilities and opportunities, where emerging trends and the range of available options first become visible;

Card 6 at the right is the "near future."

This clockwise flow mirrors the diurnal motion of the Sun, from midnight (distant past, Card 3), through dawn (recent past, Card 4), then high noon (present, Card 5) and on to close of day (near future, Card 6).

Cards 1 and 2 comprise the "environment of the question," or how things stand at the moment, including both underlying influences (Card 1) and major challenges/motivating factors (Card 2).

The time-line begins with Card 3, the "established past, not subject to change;" Cards 4 through 6 are read as a continuum rather than as discrete blocks of time, since it isn't always easy to see where one phase leaves off and the next one begins; one flows into the other, the emergent past informs the present and the present presages the near future. The "development of the matter" is the process by which the scope of the situation becomes clearer as it unfolds over the course of the reading.

Cards 7 through 9 reflect the querent's state of being as galvanized by emergence of the preliminary or partial answer (Card 6). They show responses to the situation as it takes shape and begins to impact the querent's life, ranging from dismantling constraints to regaining optimism and momentum, either encouraged or undermined by external influences. “What holds him back?” (self-limiting attitudes - uncertainties, anxieties, lack of confidence, vacillation); "What supports or opposes him?" (external factors, including the influence of other people who have a stake in the matter); and "What inspires him" – enabling aspirations, goals, objectives, hopes and wishes (striving to bring the best possible result into manifestation) are all consequences of how the querent confronts the current of change suggested by the "unloading of the wheel" at Card 6.

Card 6 should be directly correlated to Card 10 to see how it is likely to mature or ripen; the intervening cards (7-9) modulate the course of events via the querent's actions and reactions in responding to the initial outcome. This is where "constructive advice" is often most valuable since the situation is still pliable and the querent can shape the final outcome with judicious intervention. So Cards 7, 8 and 9 are a kind of continuum in their own right.

In this model there is no direct correlation between Card 6 and Cards 8 and 9, since the point of ingress for the wheel's "download" into the querent's subjective reality is Card 7. That said, Cards 4-1-2-6-8 may be read as a "line," with Card 2 as the focal point for pairs 4/1 and 6/8. The idea is to provide additional insight into the nature of any challenges that may be blocking growth in the matter, in which case Card 8 is interpreted more broadly as "environmental factors." Cards 4 and 1 "anchor" the querent in past achievements or failures, adding "fuel to the fire" or “grist for the mill” to the interpretation of Card 2, while Cards 6 and 8 show externalizing factors that coax the obstruction “out of its shell” and nudge it toward resolution.

ETA: I have a couple more pages of positional "keyword" meanings and some more commentary that go with this but won't add them here since they haven't been brought up to date with my recent changes.. If anyone is going to try this spread out, PM me and I'll see if I can make the image-forwarding program work after I update.