| 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 Tower: Comeuppance. Setback. Disaster. Arrogance of pride cast down by Providence. Unforeseen event. Calamity. |
 | 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. Two of Cups (Love), when reversed: Separation. Dissolution. Unhappy love. |
 | The card at the top of the cross represents your goal, or the best you can achieve without a dramatic change of priorities. Strength: Strength and fortitude. Moral resolve. Triumph over base instincts. Mens sana in corpore sana (Sound mind in a sound body). |
 | The card at the bottom of the cross represents the foundation on which the situation is based. Wheel of Fortune: The intrusion of chance into affairs. Unlikely coincidence. "What goes up, must come down." The intercession of good fortune in life. A sudden opportunity that must be exploited deftly and promptly; according to Machiavelli, in The Prince, Fortune is "bald behind", that is, once she runs past, it will be too late to grab her, and so she must be seized as she approaches, "by the forelock". |
 | The card at the left of the cross represents a passing influence or something to be released. Five of Cups (Disappointment): Serious, but not irreversible mistake. A betrayal born of lack of faith. Beauty found and lost, where ugliness was expected. |
 | The card at the right of the cross represents an approaching influence or something to be embraced. Seven of Staves (Valor), when reversed: Embarrassment. Missed opportunities. Hesitation resulting in predicament. |
 | The card at the base of the staff represents your role or attitude. Page of Staves: A young person of faithful countenance who, even unintentionally, helps others. An unofficial Hermes: a carrier of important news, an envoy, a guide, a pleasant stranger. A suave, bring and noble soul. |
 | The card second from the bottom of the staff represents your environment and the people you are interacting with. Knight of Staves: A traveler. A journey. The call of far away places. The arrival or return of a pilgrim or wanderer. A person of far-ranging interests and restless curiosity who is desirous of change and transformation. Inventive and artistic, but sometimes absent-minded person. Having one's "head in the clouds." |
 | The card second from the top of the staff represents your hopes, fears, or an unexpected element that will come into play. 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 top of the staff represents the ultimate outcome should you continue on this course. Temperance: Balance. Moderation. Harmony. "Nothing in excess." Blending of opposites. Androgyny. |
