| 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 Colman Smith Tarot is a modern reinvention of the classic Rider Waite deck, infusing the original line drawings by Pamela Colman Smith with colors drawn from the psychedelic digital age. |
 | The card not shown but at the center of the cross, represents the atmosphere surrounding the central issue. The High Priestess, when reversed: Being confused and led astray from the true path. Spiritual deception. Overzealous and shallow-minded pursuit of the esoteric. Insecurity, conceit and self-destructiveness. The forces of nature unleashed. |
 | 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 Fool: Fearlessness, imagination, open-mindedness, and an adventurous spirit. Freedom from cares and worries. Ideas, thoughts, and impulses coming from a completely unexpected place. Nonchalance at the threshold of gaining all or losing all. Extravagance and intoxication with life. The pure and undifferentiated power of creation itself, where ultimate knowledge and oblivion are unified. |
 | The card at the top of the cross represents your goal, or the best you can achieve without a dramatic change of priorities. Ten of Swords (Ruin), when reversed: The darkness before the dawn. An end to suffering, leading to spiritual transformation. A crushing and seemingly total defeat that hides within it the seeds of final victory. Ultimate knowledge gained through ultimate sacrifice. |
 | The card at the bottom of the cross represents the foundation on which the situation is based. Queen of Cups, when reversed: The dark essence of water, such as a deep and foreboding lake: Discomfort with the worlds of mind and matter, leading to a retreat to the spiritual. The embrace of negative relationships, driven by the desperate fear of being alone. Devotion to fantasies and daydreams, to the exclusion of practical skills or the pursuit of knowledge. Insecurity leading to dishonor, vice, and undue susceptibility to outside influences. |
 | The card at the left of the cross represents a passing influence or something to be released. Page of Wands: The essence of fire behaving as earth, such as wood or coal: The surprising appearance of a new passion. An adventurer who blazes through life, acting as a catalyst that others may harness. The intense enthusiasm and childlike imagination that fuels any new venture, needing only the application of mind and material to make it a success. Inner fire that can drive away fear and replace it with fury. Can represent a person of some timidity, but whose innate passion can be easily ignited. May indicate the birth of a child. |
 | The card at the right of the cross represents an approaching influence or something to be embraced. Seven of Pentacles (Assessment): A pause to check on the progress of your labors. Making difficult financial decisions. Exercising patience and perseverance. Evaluating the status of your work and your options for the future. |
 | The card at the base of the staff represents your role or attitude. Six of Swords (Science): Trusting in intelligence and intuition and setting off into the unknown. Leaving an untenable situation and charting a new course. Passage from difficulty and progress towards a solution. The road to recovery. Travel and exploration. |
 | The card second from the bottom of the staff represents your environment and the people you are interacting with. Eight of Swords (Interference), when reversed: Learning a valuable lesson from the unexpected consequences of prior decisions. Narrowly escaping criticism, censure, and the imposition of external restrictions. Focusing on the crux of a problem and freeing oneself from a difficult situation. Coming to grips with a past failure or humiliation and moving on. |
 | The card second from the top of the staff represents your hopes, fears, or an unexpected element that will come into play. Four of Pentacles (Power), when reversed: Using your power freely for your own enjoyment and the betterment of others. Coming to grips with progress and using your position to help it along. Finding security and identity someplace other than in the possession of material things. Letting go and encouraging others to find their own path. Being magnanimous and generous with your success. |
 | The card at the top of the staff represents the ultimate outcome should you continue on this course. Two of Pentacles (Change), when reversed: Imbalance and disharmony as a result of upheaval and transformation. Taking one step forward for every two steps back. Chaos caused by the shifting importance of projects and priorities. Industrious yet unreliable actions. Furious activity producing negligible results. |
