Celtic Cross   This is one of the simplest layouts to use, in my humble experience, and it works unilaterally well for either solo readings or when reading for another.  When one is reading for oneself, a significator is recommended (but not required).   If using a significator, place the card in the center of the table, and lay the number one card for the reading immediately over it.  Then proceed with the rest of the cards.   Click here to view the layout   The first card to be laid down represents the question in the mind of the querent.  This can be a question they are asking consciously, or it can be something that is in the back of their mind.  The second card is laid across the first card horizontally, and can be interpreted to mean an obstacle to the querent's question, or it can be another factor in the question itself.  I choose whichever is more fitting from the actual cards themselves.  Context is everything when reading the tarot.   The third card is laid down on the table below the first two, and it represents an issue or element in the querent's past which has influenced him or her to become the person he or she is today.  This can be a recent event or a long-ago time, and it affects how this person views the situation they are in which has prompted them to seek tarot counseling.   The fourth card in the spread is laid directly to the left of the first and second cards, and represents the phase which the querent has recently been in and is just now leaving the influence of.  It can be either an emotional or mental phase, or it can show actual events or people in the querent's life which have been influential recently.   The fifth card in the spread is laid down above all the rest of the cards, and represents one possible outcome of the situation the querent is going through presently.  This is not, however, a Final Outcome, rather, just one possibility in a wide sea of opportunities.  It is important to remember that everything the querent does to change the path they are currently on changes the outcome of their situation.   The sixth card is laid out directly to the right of the first and second cards, and represents the phase the querent is going to be passing into.  Like the fourth card, the sixth can mean either an emotional or mental phase, or an actual person or event in the querent's life.   The seventh card gets laid out to the right of the sixth card, and lower down, to begin forming a column on the side.  This card represents the unconscious or subconscious feelings of the querent regarding the situation in question.  It can be a person or an event, insofar as the querent is focused on them mentally, however, it is usual that the meaning is more about the emotion than an actual person or event.   The eighth card is laid out above the seventh and represents an outside perspective on the situation in question.  Usually this is interpreted as the way the querent's family and friends view the situation he or she is in.  Things which are read in this position are to be noted strongly for the perspective which they can give the querent, however in no way do they reflect the actual oucome or events in the situation.   The ninth card is laid out above the eight and represents the querent's goals regarding the situation in question.  This can mean avoidance goals (things the querent wishes to avoid) as well as goals the querent would like to fulfill.  This can be either emotional or mental, or an event.  It is unlikely that an actual person will be represented here.   The tenth card is laid out at the top of the column and represents the Final Outcome as it pertains to the querent's situation at hand.  All of the cards leading up to this card should be considered as lending their own meaning to its context; in other words, this card represents the sum total of the reading and all the other information gathered.  As with any outcome, if the querent changes the path he or she is on, this outcome's probability also changes.  It can be used as a warning or an alert to watch for certain kinds of activity in the querent's life, or as a form of advice as to how to handle a certain situation in question.   Click here to return to Layouts   Layout Review Copyright 1998 by Gina M. Pace