| 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 images of the Minchiate Tarot are drawn from a rare surviving 18th century deck of 97 cards - 19 more than the traditional Tarot. It is considered by many to be the single most powerful divination tool on the web, providing deep insight, rich in ancient symbolism, to any question you may pose. If you would like your own copy of the Minchiate Tarot, you can buy it now!
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 | The card not shown but at the center of the cross, represents the atmosphere surrounding the central issue. Death, when reversed: Stagnation or petrifaction. The refusal to let go of the past. Resistance to change because of fear. |
 | 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. Four of Swords (Truce): A time of tranquility and intellectual repose in the midst of a great struggle. A temporary retreat from stress to regather inner strength, reaffirm convictions, reorganize thoughts, and formulate a new plan. The need for vigilance in a moment of calm. May suggest a withdrawal from the material world to find spiritual guidance. |
 | The card at the top of the cross represents your goal, or the best you can achieve without a dramatic change of priorities. Seven of Wands (Valor): Standing courageously for your beliefs in the face of adversity. Fear of failure overcome by the will to succeed. Great obstacles met with heroism and determination. Inner strength brought to bear at a critical moment. |
 | The card at the bottom of the cross represents the foundation on which the situation is based. Temperance, when reversed: Lack of restraint and self-control. Losing one's cool. Energies dispersed through conflicts in personal, business, and spiritual matters. |
 | The card at the left of the cross represents a passing influence or something to be released. Four of Coins (Power): Cleaving to earthly power in the desperate fear that it will be lost. Making yourself an obstacle to progress due to lack of originality and a desperate fear of change. Believing that security and identity are based primarily on the possession of material things. Coveting things and people. Living in a cloud of suspicion and prejudice. |
 | The card at the right of the cross represents an approaching influence or something to be embraced. Six of Coins (Success): A time of prosperity and profit. Success and generosity in material things. Power and influence turned to noble pursuits. Philanthropy, and the balancing of physical and spiritual life. May suggest gifts or aid to one in need. |
 | The card at the base of the staff represents your role or attitude. The Lovers: A caring and trusting relationship. Beauty and inner harmony. A decision calling for emotional control and faithfulness to spiritual values. |
 | The card second from the bottom of the staff represents your environment and the people you are interacting with. Ace of Swords, when reversed: The seed of defeat - perhaps as yet unseen. A challenge met with the invocation of force, leading to disastrous results. Reason and intelligence misdirected or cast aside, resulting in injustice and falsehood. An excessive power abused. May suggest new ideas or information with dangerous implications. |
 | The card second from the top of the staff represents your hopes, fears, or an unexpected element that will come into play. Water, when reversed: A limitless depth of emotion in which to lose yourself. An idle state of passivity and submission. The dark and unknown terrors of the collective unconscious. The embrace of suffocating unconditional love. The inability to project an identity different from that of the observer. Withdrawal from the external world. |
 | The card at the top of the staff represents the ultimate outcome should you continue on this course. Two of Swords (Peace): Contradictory characteristics brought together as a means of resolving a conflict. Refusing to be ruled by negative emotions. Strife brought to a close through clarity of mind and restraint of force. Turning a blind eye to the minor infractions of others. |
