11 Card Celtic Cross Spread

The 11 card Celtic cross spread is one of the most popular spreads and one of the hardest to learn too. Why? Because it has 11 cards, and we have to learn to interpret them individually AND together simultaneously.

To make things easy for you, I will teach you the BEST method to read the Celtic cross spread like a pro.

First, you will learn to easily interpret each card position in the Celtic cross spread using a key question. And then, I’ll show you the card combinations that you should pay attention to to get a coherent and complete interpretation.

Let’s go!

Celtic Cross Meaning in Tarot

Have you ever wondered why we use a Celtic cross in Tarot spreads? What is its meaning? And where does it come from?

According to Wikipedia, The Celtic cross is a form of Christian cross featuring a nimbus or ring that emerged in Ireland, France, and Britain in the Early Middle Ages. The Celtic cross is essentially a Latin cross with a nimbus surrounding the intersection of the arms and stem.

The Celtic cross spread, also known as the Sun Cross spread, is one of the most popular. This spread is inspired by the shape of the Celtic cross but divided in two, with the long branch of the cross on the right rather than below (to make interpretation visually easier).

The Celtic cross spread first appeared in print in 1910 in the book Pictorial Guide to the Tarot, written by A. E. Waite with illustrations by Pamela Colman Smith. Since then, the Celtic cross spread has been used, reproduced, and modified countless times over the years.

And with so many new and modern versions of the Celtic cross spread, you may wonder, is there any that is correct?

The Correct Celtic Cross Spread: Is There Such a Thing?

I must clarify that there is NO such thing as the correct version of the Celtic cross sperad. All versions of the Celtic Cross are valid, as they all offer different perspectives and information.

That said, you should know that the traditional Celtic cross spread is done with 10 cards. However, in the version that I use and teach my students, we use 11 cards.

Why and what is the difference? Which one should you learn and use? To answer these questions, I’m going to teach you how to do both spreads, the traditional and the 11 card Celtic cross spread. Then you can choose which one you feel most comfortable with.

First let’s take a look at the traditional Celtic cross spread.