How often do you Celtic Cross?

The CC is my go-to spread. I use it by default, pretty much.

I read mainly for friends these days. They're good about not asking stupid questions and not wasting my time--those of you who have read professionally know exactly the type of client I'm describing here, unfortunately. :/ Because of this, I usually read for them once every few months. The CC gives a good overview of whatever issue they're dealing with as well as a fairly good road map of how things may play out. Other spreads are more useful for more specific questions, perhaps, but I've found the CC is far and away the best for the types of readings I do.

tigerlilybug said:

How often do you use the Celtic Cross for yourself?
How often do you use the Celtic Cross for others?
How would you use it if it were for practice only?

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I haven't done a Celtic Cross spread in over twenty-five years.

And not because it's a "special" spread saved for a "special occasion", but because it's impractical for most issues. I have designed a heap of spreads, and I have two or three of those that I use all the time - they are all far more informative and less difficult than the CC.

I have had a love-hate relationship with the Celtic Cross. Like others, when I began to use tarot I was kind of taught that this is *the* tarot spread, the mother of all tarot spreads, and that it is to be used for any type of question. And so I tried to use it for any type of question and found that often it didn't fit.

So then I stopped using it completely, and began doing simple three card spreads, typically custom-creating them based on each situation. That's still what I do, usually.

But I'm developing a new love for the Celtic Cross lately. Now that I'm past the beginning stage of learning tarot, I can appreciate the complexity of this spread. I find it good for questions that need a really detailed and thoughtful approach. I think it was Joan Bunning who said that a lot of 'energy' has built up around this spread, because so many readers have used it over such a long period of time, and I like that idea.

So in summary, this spread can be great, but it definitely can't be a one-size-fits-all, and it can be a bit overwhelming for a beginner.

tigerlilybug said:

Is there a time frame with the CC as in does it tell the story up til the next new year, your next birthday, your next celtic cross spread or this will appear in your lifetime?

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If I'm doing it as a once-a-year event spread (like new year's and birthday), I've found that it relates to the most significant events of that year, though the themes do carry over into my life after that.

I will never forget the year that the final card in my New Year's spread was the Devil, and that was the year I faced my alcoholism and got sober. I quit drinking in March, so the final card started playing out early in the year, but it was certainly the most important message and it being at the end really hammered that home.

I think that reading is actually why I still use the CC, despite other drawbacks. It was the clearest message I ever got from Tarot and I trust the spread to tell me the big, deep, overarching truth.

celtic cross

I use the celtic cross spread most when doing a general reading for other people.

I consider the future timing to be about 3 months, I don't read the person with a celtic cross again unless those months have passed.

Sometimes I use it on myself, a quicker version would be to eliminate the last four cards and just go from the significator to the immediate future.

I use the CC spread all of the time because I like complete answers to my questions and the CC offers that best.