| The Celtic Cross spread is one of the most popular Tarot spreads, providing varied insight into many aspects of a complex situation and your role in it. The William Blake Tarot explores the mystical vision and artistry of the renowned English painter and poet. Through rich interpretations focused on creative undertakings, it has long been the deck of choice for artists, writers, musicians, and thinkers. For more information about this deck, or to buy your own personal copy, go to www.blaketarot.com.
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 | The card not shown but at the center of the cross, represents the atmosphere surrounding the central issue. Ten of Music (Sublimity): "Peace & Plenty & Domestic Happiness is the Source of Sublime Art". Gifts of love, especially in relationship or marriage. Sharing your deepest feelings with others. Rewards of friendship and social involvements. Recognition of achievement. Finding happiness in hearth, home, and hospitality. Experiencing fulfillment in communal or community involvement. Resonating with others. Joining the sexy dance of life. In the creative process: Combine your efforts with others to create a unified whole greater than the sum of its parts. |
 | The card visible at the center of the cross represents the obstacle that stands in your way - it may even be something that sounds good but is not actually to your benefit. Child of Poetry: "I found them blind: I taught them how to see". Feelings of creative restlessness and artistic impulses. Sparks are flying. Learning through experience. Taking risks. Bending over backwards in your effort to see the appropriate direction for self-development and creativity. Looking for inspirational influences in your environment. In the creative process: An inspirational breakthrough is at your feet; it is up to your to pick up the energy and make the most of it. |
 | The card at the top of the cross represents your goal, or the best you can achieve without a dramatic change of priorities. Liberty, when reversed: Restriction of personal freedom. A call to action goes unheard. Failure to reach a deeper level of awareness or sense of spiritual self. Failure to effect a basic change of state. Refusal to make an important decision or judgment, perhaps one long delayed. Being bound by limiting circumstances. |
 | The card at the bottom of the cross represents the foundation on which the situation is based. Child of Painting, when reversed: Being carried astray by a wave of prosperity. Relying on your innate tendencies to the exclusion of acquired sense and skills. Inability to leave a position of material advantage. Hedonistic enjoyment. Drug experimentation. Surfing the Internet. Total absorption in your activities. Being ruled by your body and instincts. Obsession with new experiences. In the creative process: Now is a time to experiment with processes and materials, taking great pleasure in what you learn and create. |
 | The card at the left of the cross represents a passing influence or something to be released. Energy, when reversed: Intoxication with vitality and lust for life. Reliance on physical strength and endurance rather than wit and reason. Being blinded by your natural instincts. Seeking in vain for animal or totem forces as allies. Being imprisoned by language, as the Tower of Babel. Irrationality and stubbornness. |
 | The card at the right of the cross represents an approaching influence or something to be embraced. Seven of Poetry (Boldness), when reversed: Fighting the wrong fight. Taking foolhardy action. Grandstanding over empty idealism. Tests of true integrity, firmness, and commitment. The challenge to do the right thing even if it is the inglorious thing. In the creative process: Maintain your artistic tenacity and courage despite any criticism, disapproval, or influence of societal prejudices or market pressures. |
 | The card at the base of the staff represents your role or attitude. Error: Seeking ego-gratification through manipulation or duplicity. Self-importance. Lacking a sense of humor. Being controlled by your lower nature or personal shadow. Fears engendered by ignorance. Feeling pressured by materialistic, institutional, or corporate agents. Negative obsessions. Blind adulation. Sexual or material bondage. Giving in to temptation, guilt, or panic. |
 | The card second from the bottom of the staff represents your environment and the people you are interacting with. Moon: Psychic insights. Relying on your instincts. Using your dreams and musings as sources of inspiration. Hidden conditions and unknown circumstances. Cyclic patterns and influences. |
 | The card second from the top of the staff represents your hopes, fears, or an unexpected element that will come into play. Angel of Poetry, when reversed: Burst of imagination that requires action. Feeling torn apart by creative fire. Profound inner realization that cannot be dealt with. Being drawn by the Spirit away from Reality. Madness brought on by creative forces unbound. In the creative process: Imaginative insights are transforming your work, making it into a receptacle of divine truth and spiritual artistry. |
 | The card at the top of the staff represents the ultimate outcome should you continue on this course. Woman of Painting, when reversed: Bureaucracy and administration to the exclusion of the creative. The pursuit of tangible rewards at all costs. Team building and cooperative efforts where a single vision is required. Supporting and acknowledging others for political gain. Infatuation with the shallow. In the creative process: Your creative ideas are now taking tangible form, assisted by good use of your available resources and personnel. |
