| 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 Golden Tarot is a modern celebration of late medieval artwork. This deck is the choice of scholars, for it evokes images of elegance amid barbarism, and the light of virtue in dark times. If you would like your own copy of the Golden Tarot, you can buy it now! |
 | The card not shown but at the center of the cross, represents the atmosphere surrounding the central issue. Four of Wands (Completion), when reversed: Squandering a great and hard won victory through decadence and laziness. Failing to reward those truly responsible for an achievement. Using past accomplishments as an excuse to ignore current problems. Abandoning the very qualities that brought about initial success. |
 | 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 Hanged Man: Pausing to reflect. Surrendering to an experience. Adjusting to new ideas through sacrifice. Opening oneself to intuition and enhanced awareness. Letting go of past patterns and growing beyond them. Inner peace, faith, and serenity. |
 | The card at the top of the cross represents your goal, or the best you can achieve without a dramatic change of priorities. Nine of Swords (Cruelty): Debilitating mental anguish or ill health. Being dragged down by the dishonor of others. Participation in a shameful or regrettable act. Inescapable guilt, mistrust, and doubt. May indicate a death or other catastrophic loss. |
 | The card at the bottom of the cross represents the foundation on which the situation is based. Ten of Cups (Satiety), when reversed: Dissipation, debauchery, and stagnation. Taking one's good fortune for granted. Problems in domestic and social matters. A false love or infatuation, leading to a lack of fulfillment. |
 | The card at the left of the cross represents a passing influence or something to be released. Nine of Coins (Gain), when reversed: Bad luck attending material affairs. Elitism and snobbishness. Lack discipline resulting in the erosion of security and stability. Contempt for the exact labors that brought one to a position of refinement. Dishonesty in financial matters. |
 | The card at the right of the cross represents an approaching influence or something to be embraced. 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 at the base of the staff represents your role or attitude. Two of Coins (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. |
 | The card second from the bottom of the staff represents your environment and the people you are interacting with. Five of Coins (Worry): Hard times brought on by addiction, wasteful spending, ill health, or an outside event. Rejection, loneliness, and the need for comfort. May suggest unemployment, a catastrophe in personal finance, or a turn for the worse in business. |
 | The card second from the top of the staff represents your hopes, fears, or an unexpected element that will come into play. The Lovers, when reversed: Inner strife, frustration, suspicion, and disagreements in a relationship. Irresponsibility and indecision. Avoiding true intimacy in favor of lust. Unfaithfulness. |
 | The card at the top of the staff represents the ultimate outcome should you continue on this course. Ace of Wands, when reversed: The seed of a new crisis - perhaps as yet unseen. The start of an explosive situation threatening to consume all who get too close. The herald of birth, invention, or upheaval. An innate and primal force unleashed. May suggest a surge of vitality, creativity, or fertility that can set dangerous events in motion. |
