Universal Celtic Tarot

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This legend of consumption and rebirth symbolized how shamanic initiates had to be absorbed into the womb of the goddess before emerging wiser and forever changed. The harvest festival of Samhain celebrated the two aspects of this divine womb, both the dormant seed that lies within, and the wisdom shared from the spirit world. This celebration used the herb vervain, an ingredient in Ceridwen’s potion and one of the most sacred herbs for the Celtic druids. Vervain was only gathered on moonless nights when the “dog star” Sirius was rising, and Celtic lore associates the wisdom of this herb with the wisdom of the wolf. This card represents what is happening to the querent at the present time. It also reflects the querent’s state of mind and how they may be perceiving the situation. Card 2: The challenge

This card represents the events that have lead up to the present situation and may provide some indication of how the challenge came about. Card 4: The futureThe larger cross consists of two lines that overlay the smaller cross. The horizontal line (Cards 1, 3 and 4) shows time moving from the past on the left into the future on the right. The vertical line (Cards 1, 5 and 6) is the querent’s consciousness moving from unconscious on the bottom to conscious mind on the top. On the positive side, the book gives good descriptions of the standard meanings for most cards (even when these meanings seem to be at odds with Davis’s artwork, as in the three of Swords). Paterson also describes the Celtic Cross layout, the Alchemist’s spread, and a new, useful spread, called the Druid’s Star—essentially, an eight-pointed star based on the familiar four elements of earth, air, fire and water. Sadly, her failure to include a coherent explanation of dignified and ill-dignified cards decreases the usefulness of these sections of the book. Horses were known as the chosen mounts of the gods, particularly the sun and moon deities. They symbolized the virility of the land itself, as well as strength and swiftness. The Iceni tribe derived their name from the word for horse, and Britain’s horse cults predate the arrival of the ancient Celts. Horses were shown on the earliest Celtic coins, and they were common god or totem creatures through the Iron Age and into the Bronze Age. For ancient Celts, horses represented the instinctive aspects of humanity, which often needed to be tamed and controlled. The horse’s master used the bit and bridle to control his horse, and this symbolized the intellect that tempered destructive impulses. While horses symbolized raw life-force, the reigns betokened the willpower and intelligence needed to harness this life-force effectively. This card represents the immediate challenge or problem facing the querent. This is the one thing that, if resolved, would make life a lot easier. Even if you draw a ‘positive’ card in this position, consider it carefully as it will still represent a challenge. Card 3: The past Wearing deerskin, this shaman sits at his cauldron, beating his bodhran drum to call to the spirits. He brews a potion that helps him engage the spirit world, and a few of the potion’s ingredients surround him, notably the sacred herb vervain.

The Knight is a rather somber figure. His hair sweeps across his sorrowful face, as chilling winds blow across the landscape. Symbols of death are around him: crows, hover above, and the flowers he holds are wilted. This is Balin, the Knight who killed the Lady of the Lake. The Chariot is a card of action, but the charioteer has perfect control of all the elements and energies of the universe. The mightiest hero and charioteer of the Celtic race, Cuchulain, was born with a druid’s prophecy. The prophecy contained the message of the card, and went thus: ‘His praise will be in the mouths of all men; charioteers and warriors, kings and sages will recount his deeds; he will win the love of many. This Child will avenge all your wrongs; he will give combat at your fords, he will decide your quarrels.’ Compare the Future and Outcomes cards (Cards 4 and 10). How are the events of the near future contributing or influencing the overall outcome? Will the querent need to manage these events in a particular way to create the right outcomes? Again, refer to the Advice card (Card 7) for more detail. This card is representative of where the situation is headed and if/how the issue will be resolved. It assumes the outcome based on the querent continuing their current course of action. Of course, if the outcome card is not a desirable outcome, it is within the free will of the querent to make the necessary changes to their situation. Together these six cards give a snapshot of the inner and outer environment at the time of a reading.

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This is perhaps one of the most difficult positions to interpret. Keep in mind that hopes and fears are closely intertwined, therefore that which we hope for may also be that which we fear, and so may fail to happen. Sometimes it is useful to draw a second card for clarification after the reading has been laid and to read the two together. Card 10: Outcome Sure, you can read each Tarot card, one-by-one, in the Celtic Cross spread, but if you want to be the Tarot reader everyone raves about, you'll need to master the dynamics between the cards and tell the story in your Tarot reading. First, let’s imagine the Celtic Cross split into two main sections – the Circle/Cross section on the left (Cards 1 to 6) and the Staff section on the right (Cards 7 to 10). And even though the Celtic Cross spread is in nearly every Tarot book and is used by Tarot beginners, many Tarot readers miss the deeper insights that are available in this complex spread. According to the ancient Celts, the winter quarter of the year was ruled by the wolf. Winter was a dead time, a time of purification while the earth rested in darkness and grew ready for the rebirth of spring. This period stretched from Samhain in October to the Imbolc festival in February, which celebrated the goddess Brighid with a giant feast. In ancient Gaelic, the month of February was known as Faoilleach, which can translate to “the wolf month,”“the storm month,” or “the month of bleak death.” For the Celtic shaman, the wolf taught about instincts and psychic intuition, as well as the cyclical powers of the moon. The wolf’s wisdom guided shamans to trust their inner voice and to seek their answers within.