| 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. The Lovers: Romantic passion. Amorous attachment. The stages of love: discovery, attraction, pursuit, flirtation, courtship and consummation. The gifts of Aphrodite: beauty, youth, dalliance and delight. |
 | 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. Nine of Cups (Happiness), when reversed: Misleading freedom. Refusal to cleave to others. |
 | The card at the top of the cross represents your goal, or the best you can achieve without a dramatic change of priorities. The Emperor: Worldly authority. Professional success. Social power. The life of action and decision, especially in politics and business. Patriarch, clan leader, and pater familias. |
 | The card at the bottom of the cross represents the foundation on which the situation is based. 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 left of the cross represents a passing influence or something to be released. Queen of Staves, when reversed: A dilettante. An impatient or jaded connoisseur. A superficial or pretentious person. A frustrated artist. |
 | The card at the right of the cross represents an approaching influence or something to be embraced. Ace of Cups, when reversed: Love unsatisfied or unrequited. Love trickling away, eroded by time, thoughtlessness and selfishness. |
 | The card at the base of the staff represents your role or attitude. King of Staves: A renaissance man, practical and imaginative, active and contemplative, forceful and chivalrous. Appreciation of the lessons and pleasures of life. Worldliness in the best sense. An intellectual, an artist or an inventor. |
 | The card second from the bottom of the staff represents your environment and the people you are interacting with. 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 second from the top of the staff represents your hopes, fears, or an unexpected element that will come into play. Six of Swords (Science), when reversed: A bluff. Deceptive show of force. A desperate attempt to impress. |
 | The card at the top of the staff represents the ultimate outcome should you continue on this course. Page of Cups: A young person of sensitive and meditative nature, capable of deep loyalty and profound affection. A conscientious worker. |
