| 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 Renaissance Tarot is a modern deck, with symbolism drawn from the heroic age and rendered in renaissance style. This deck is an excellent choice for exploring questions of passion, mastery, and the inner workings of human reason. If you would like your own copy of the Renaissance Tarot, you can buy it now! |
 | The card not shown but at the center of the cross, represents the atmosphere surrounding the central issue. Five of Cups (Disappointment): Serious, but not irreversible mistake. A betrayal born of lack of faith. Beauty found and lost, where ugliness was expected. |
 | 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. The Hermit: Introspection. Retreat. Pilgrimage. Spiritual quest. The search in oneself and in the world for the "Honest Man" of Diogenes the philosopher. Meditation on the passage of time and the dissolution of matter. |
 | The card at the top of the cross represents your goal, or the best you can achieve without a dramatic change of priorities. The Fool: The personality in the primal state, the willful child in all of us. Instinct. Innocence. Impulsive actions. Setting off in a new direction in life. Liberation of the impulses. Insight and wit from instinct rather than instruction. |
 | The card at the bottom of the cross represents the foundation on which the situation is based. Three of Coins (Works), when reversed: Imbalance. Imperfection. Mediocrity. |
 | The card at the left of the cross represents a passing influence or something to be released. Ace of Coins: Prosperity. Security. Well-being. Material riches and spiritual richness. |
 | The card at the right of the cross represents an approaching influence or something to be embraced. The Hanged Man, when reversed: Masochism. Self-imposed confinement. Potential release from bondage. |
 | The card at the base of the staff represents your role or attitude. Wheel of Fortune: The intrusion of chance into affairs. Unlikely coincidence. "What goes up, must come down." The intercession of good fortune in life. A sudden opportunity that must be exploited deftly and promptly; according to Machiavelli, in The Prince, Fortune is "bald behind", that is, once she runs past, it will be too late to grab her, and so she must be seized as she approaches, "by the forelock". |
 | The card second from the bottom of the staff represents your environment and the people you are interacting with. Knight of Cups: A person of turbulent, poetic, romantic cast. An opportunity or favorable event in the near future. Deep feeling transformed into verse, music or visions. |
 | The card second from the top of the staff represents your hopes, fears, or an unexpected element that will come into play. Ace of Staves: Creativity. Change. Success in new undertakings. "A breath of fresh air." "New blood." The sanguine temperament of the Ace promotes experiment, reform and appreciation of beauty, both of people and of nature. |
 | The card at the top of the staff represents the ultimate outcome should you continue on this course. Eight of Staves (Swiftness): An explosion of movement and activity. A dramatic event. An unusual manifestation. |
