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Historical Tarot spread · Rider–Waite–Smith

Historic Celtic Cross Tarot Spread: A. E. Waite's 1910 Method

Draw ten Tarot cards in the arrangement documented by A. E. Waite in 1910: six cards form the cross and four form the staff. Read each position first, then connect the whole sequence.

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Draw the ten-card Celtic Cross Tarot spread

Think of one clear question. The cards are drawn without duplicates and may appear upright or reversed.

The ten positions in Waite's Celtic Cross

  1. 1. What covers you. The present influence affecting the matter.
  2. 2. What crosses you. The opposing force, obstacle or complication laid across the first card.
  3. 3. What crowns you. Your aim or ideal in the matter, and what may be attained.
  4. 4. What is beneath you. The foundation or basis that has already become part of the situation.
  5. 5. What is behind you. The influence that is passing or has just passed.
  6. 6. What is before you. The influence approaching in the near future.
  7. 7. Yourself. Your position or attitude within the circumstances.
  8. 8. Your house. The environment, other people and the tendencies surrounding the matter.
  9. 9. Hopes and fears. Your inner expectations, anxieties or competing hopes.
  10. 10. The result. The outcome shown by the combined sequence if the present course continues.

What the 1910 source describes

Waite calls this his method of divination and gives a fixed dealing order. Cards 1–6 form the central cross. Cards 7–10 rise in a separate vertical line from bottom to top. His text assigns a distinct role to every position and asks the reader to interpret the final card in relation to the whole sequence.

Primary source: A. E. Waite, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, Part III, §7 (1910)

Celtic Cross Tarot spread: frequently asked questions

Is this the original Celtic Cross Tarot spread?

This page reconstructs the ten positions and dealing order printed by A. E. Waite in The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1910). The interface and explanatory wording are modern.

Why is the second Tarot card laid sideways?

Waite directs the second card to be laid across the first. Its sideways display marks the crossing force; the upright or reversed reading is shown separately by its label.

Should I read reversed Tarot cards in the Celtic Cross?

Waite included reversed meanings in his card vocabulary. This tool therefore assigns upright or reversed orientation at random, while stating the orientation explicitly.

What question works best for a Celtic Cross Tarot reading?

Use one focused, open question about a situation you can examine. Avoid combining several unrelated decisions in one reading.

Does the tenth Tarot card predict a fixed future?

It represents the result of the sequence under the present course. Treat it as a conditional outcome to reflect on, not a guaranteed event.