| 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. Child of Painting: Riding the wave of prosperity. A time to show your hand and reveal your innate powers. Enjoying a position of material advantage. Putting forth charisma. Hedonistic enjoyment. Drug experimentation. Surfing the Internet. Total absorption in your activities. Trusting your body and instincts. Open to 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 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. Moon, when reversed: Encountering unconscious fears. Possible self-deceptions and distortions of reality. Lunatic urges, including sexual license. Keeping secrets. Hidden conditions and unknown circumstances. Cyclic patterns and influences. |
 | The card at the top of the cross represents your goal, or the best you can achieve without a dramatic change of priorities. Four of Science (Repose), when reversed: Self-absorbed solitude or seclusion. Forced withdrawal. Brooding about something. Depleted or fatigued by stress. Avoiding action by drifting. In the creative process: Allow new insights to surface by becoming more fluid and letting go of mental demands and pressures. |
 | The card at the bottom of the cross represents the foundation on which the situation is based. Six of Poetry (Cooperation): "Gods are visions of the eternal attributes, or divine names: They ought to be the servants, and not the masters of man... Cooperating in the bliss of Man obeying his Will Servants to the infinite & Eternal of the Human Form". Ability to evoke what you need by using personifying and mythologizing as creative tools. Special help is on the way. Accessing your own unconscious powers. Creative traveling. Soaring to success through teamwork. Dealing with those in high places. Acting as the courier of important information. In the creative process: This is a time to rely on your intuition to invoke the "eternal attributes" you need to get the job done; cooperate with your visions. |
 | The card at the left of the cross represents a passing influence or something to be released. Eight of Poetry (Swiftness): "Time is the mercy of Eternity: / without Time's swiftness Which is the swiftest of all things: / all were eternal torment". Vigorous and imaginative assertion is strongly indicated. Experiencing the relativity of time. The speeding-up of events or gathering of energy. Falling in love, or being swept off your feet. Everything is up in the air or in process. Flux. Rapid communications across time and space. The Internet. Look for coincidences and serendipity at work. In the creative process: Transcend all illusions of time and space by using your imagination, which can take you anywhere at any time. |
 | The card at the right of the cross represents an approaching influence or something to be embraced. Child of Music, when reversed: The struggle to kindle your emotions. Being ruled by your own feelings. Emotional risks and instability. Disguising your vulnerability. Being shy and moody. Keeping your feelings to yourself. Self absorption clouding your empathy with others, and with animals. In the creative process: Go inside yourself to experience emotional innocence and primal voice. Don't be afraid to improvise in your own way. |
 | The card at the base of the staff represents your role or attitude. Innocence, when reversed: Misinterpreting something old and conventional as something new and unique. Failure to trust your instincts. A foolhardy venture, or confrontation for which you are unprepared. |
 | The card second from the bottom of the staff represents your environment and the people you are interacting with. Ace of Poetry (Inspiration), when reversed: The madness of divine inspiration. The illusion of higher consciousness. Obsession with a personal vision of truth and beauty, leading to a sense of false ecstasy. Mistaking cynical seduction for creative expression. Delusion of being guided by a higher force. In the creative process: Being in contact with the purest and highest part of your being provides the impetus for fresh expressions in both art and life. |
 | The card second from the top of the staff represents your hopes, fears, or an unexpected element that will come into play. Nine of Science (Despair), when reversed: Enduring mental anguish without the need to escape reality. Support from friends in dark times. Keeping a vision of hope despite loss. A period of dark gestation. Love and forgiveness may be closer than you think. Working through guilt. Getting to the bare bones of a situation. In the creative process: Your creativity is blocked by self-judgments and criticism. Forgive yourself and get back to the basics; recapture your innocence and rejoin the human family. |
 | The card at the top of the staff represents the ultimate outcome should you continue on this course. Reversal, when reversed: Inability to look at the situation in a new way or from a different perspective. Flailing about and getting lost in the search for solutions. Undue reliance on the unconventional. Inability to accept losses or reversals. Unwillingness to withstand a difficult or uncomfortable position. |
