Why hate on the celtic cross?

I don't hate it, I just think it's a rather complicated spread for beginners. It's always in that "little book" that comes with a new deck. I think it's really clear but never understood why it comes with new decks rather than something simpler like 3 Fates or something.

I've always been a fan of the Celtic Cross for showing how a situation is trending (or is likely to trend). It's excellent for showing the development, both practical and emotional, of the matter over time, and also for showing any branching or parallel paths the answer may take. Since I'm not a professional and I'm not "on the meter," so to speak, if I can get through the reading in 45 minutes to an hour (maximum) including answering all the querent's questions, I think the spread has served me well. I seldom use it when reading for myself, though, since I'm not looking for that much detail on a regular basis.

The mods should edit this with a poll with your permission, Legion

I have always used the CC more than other spreads. I learned on it and used only that spread for a very long time, so I'm comfortable with it and get lots of information. It's the readings for myself that I have problems being objective using other spreads with; and when I read for others who know nothing about tarot it's as if they expect that kind of spread, like they've heard the name of it before.

Another one here who doesn't understand the 'hate' on the Celtic Cross. Sure, it was a bit overwhelming as a beginner, but after a few spreads I got the hang of it. I consider it one of the most useful spreads for analyzing almost any situation (barring very specific questions) and in for looking at a situation from multiple viewpoints. It is one I continue to use to this day, despite having been exposed to numerous other more 'progressive' spreads.

I also used the Past-Present-Future spread a lot in my early tarot days and never really jived with it. Past in terms of what? I appreciate the fact that the CC has a central card that grounds the whole reading together.

I like the Celtic Cross for some readings. It's very good for complex issues and in-depth readings. But, that is also one of the drawbacks to the CC spread - it is complex and in-depth. Meaning, that for a beginner, it may be difficult to use at first. I admit that it was the first spread I ever used ... and it was hard to learn. I was actually able to start learning how cards interact with one another in a reading more from shorter spreads once I started using them. I still use the CC on occasions when I need it, but I rely more on 3 to 7 card spreads. The smaller spread makes for quicker readings which usually have enough "depth" for most questions.

This thread had gotten me to thinking about an older thread. Back in Dec. 2002 there was a thread about folk's personal variations of the Celtic Cross. It had prompted me to create my own ... creating my own variation helped a lot with understanding the spread. Come to that, I think it also gave me better insight into how to create my own spreads.

You can see that original thread here; http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=9708

I find the CC too vague. I like to use spreads that uses a lot more cards to give a bigger picture.

I was kind of terrified of the celtic cross spread at first. It seemed extremely intimidating at first, when I didn't have any core meanings of the cards memorized, and I knew that I'd be flipping through a Tarot book for each card during the entire reading.

Now that I'm a lot more confident and less book-dependent, I don't mind it as much. That said, though, I think that I still haven't found the "right" version of the celtic cross for me yet. That is to say, I still haven't found one that resonates with me.

For example, in a lot of spreads, card 9 supposedly represents your "hopes and fears". I won't mince words here: I can't *stand* this position. Yes, I am aware that sometimes the things we hope for are also the things that we fear. But a lot of time, they are completely different things, and I find the vagueness of a "hopes and fears" position to be rather irritating and hard to work with. Perhaps I just haven't arrived at a comprehensive understanding of what is meant by this position, but at present I really hate it.

I also dislike versions of the cc where there is an "outcome" card and an "alternate outcome" card. I'll admit it. I don't fully understand how the reading makes clear which outcome is likely to happen and what that likelihood is based on.

Obviously much of my frustration with this spread stems from my inexperience, and I totally realize that. But I also think that for the celtic cross and I to ever truly get along, I'm going to have to tweak it for clarity.

Again, please bear in mind that these are the thoughts of a beginner.

cc for me is too vague, i use it time to time to answer a simple question.

But for general readings i need a spread with a lot more cards, and complicate questions i don't need to know fears and desires of the consultant, the possible outcome i never tought it was childish like you wrote. But yeah now that you said it is.

But hey, everyone have their own way don't feel insecure or have the need to change only because some people don't like it. If it works for you, that is the important thing.

Cassandra022 said:

i find it unwieldy and unneccesarily long for many questions.
also i find it just too long to use regularly...i frequently don't have that much time/attention.
also to me, it's kinda boring. i prefer to experiment, make up a spread on the spot, whatever 'feels right' or seems interesting.
also, i have lingering negative feelings towards this spread because when i was less experienced...at first when i was just starting out i too thought this was 'the' spread to use but because it was so long and complex and doens't work well with my brain it really put me off from reading very often and thus gaining experience. it wasn't till i finally decided 'screw the CC, i'm doing my own spreads' that i really started to make progress and read more regularly/connect with tarot in a more meaningful way so...yeah.

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I very much relate with this.
Right now I think I'm trying to figure out in what cases the CC still comes out useful.
But for the most part I do think that drawing your spreads out intuitively usually wields better results.