The Archetypal Celtic Cross
AUTHOR’S NOTE: The deck in the photograph is the Waite-Smith Centennial Edition in a Tin, which is copyrighted by U.S. Games Systems Inc. of Stamford, CT, used by permission and in accordance with the provisions of Fair Use.
In The Way of Tarot, Alejandro Jodorowsky characterizes the Magician as dwelling entirely in the present, and as having all conceivable potential at his fingertips. This aligns well with my own view of the fifth position of the Celtic Cross spread as “the Present,” the “realm of possibilities and opportunities; a chance to seize the initiative, gaining traction and momentum toward resolution” In other words, it suggests “where the rubber meets the road,” or ways in which we might steer any emerging trends in the matter; everything behind it is history and everything ahead is malleable conjecture that will respond to whatever we do now. Jodo’s observations inspired me to consider similar trump-card associations for all of the Celtic Cross positions. At first I intended to have one Major Arcanum for each position but realized that, except for the first and tenth positions, two related cards would work better to bring in almost all modes of archetypal expression.
Although this is primarily an intellectual exercise, these allocations are proposed for consideration as an underlying theme in the interpretation of each position, supplementing the traditional qualities assigned to that position. Approach it as the idealized “story behind the story” of the actual reading that can lend narrative cohesion and flow where they might be lacking in the cards pulled. (Note that I’m using personal position meanings that evolved as a creative retooling of Eden Gray’s Celtic Cross design from her 1960 book, The Tarot Revealed, and her version was itself a remake of Arthur Edward Waite’s original.) Following the graphic below I’ve laid out my rationale for the cards I selected; the choices are entirely subjective but are based on sound esoteric principles..
The Fool in the first position (“Beginning of the Matter”) and the World in the last position (“End of the Matter”) seemed obvious. Because the Fool represents “inception” and the World depicts “completion,” I decided to place them singly in those positions as the “Alpha and Omega” of the reading template.
For the rest of the “cross” I used an “elemental” model: Earth at the bottom; Air at the top; Water at the left and Fire at the right. I also brought in the five “personal planets” of astrology: the fixed-Earth mode of Venus at the bottom; Mercury at the top (along with its zodiacal “opposite number,” Jupiter); the Moon (as “memory”) at the left; the Sun (as “inspiration”) at the right; and fiery Mars (corresponding to the Tower) as the “challenge” half of the “crossing” position (which I see as the home of “major motivators,” both challenges and opportunities); I selected Judgement (elemental Fire) as the “opportunity” half. As an aside, in one system of esoteric thought Pluto corresponds to the Fool and in another it is connected with Judgement while also being the modern counterpart of Mars as ruler of Scorpio, so this seemed like a neat convergence of ideas. Astrologically, Pluto is an engine of major upheaval and transformation, which may or may not have any bearing on the subject of the reading but the potential is there.
Only rigid Saturn as the “Taskmaster” and the “Great Teacher” fails to make an appearance in this fluid developmental scenario (but it does join the party later). Quite by accident with no premeditated intent, I’ve mated elemental Air (Fool) with its elemental accomplice, Fire (Judgement), in the “Heart of the Matter” area of the “cross,” and positioned elemental Water (Hanged Man) and its elemental confederate, Earth (World), at opposite ends of the “staff.” Make of it what you will.
In the “Distant Past” position at the bottom of the “cross” I placed the Empress (Venus) and the Hierophant (Venus-ruled Taurus) to suggest historical aspects of the situation that are stable and steady, not subject to change. The Hierophant offers access to ancestral recollection via his “go-between” function of linking Heaven and Earth, the awareness of which may have a lingering impact on the querent’s affairs. Even if the archival insights are no longer portentous or directly germane to the matter at hand, they may simply be ingrained in “who we are” and difficult to escape (like the long shadow of a famous or infamous forebear).
In the “Recent Past” position at the left (which I think of as a transitional waypoint), I applied the two nominal “Lunar” cards, the High Priestess and the Moon, to suggest the residual effects of “volatile memory” and any unresolved emotional baggage on the querent’s response to present circumstances. (At the very least, both are “Water” cards in line with my model.)
In the “Present” position at the top I set the Magician as described above, and added the Wheel of Fortune to show that the goal is a “moving target.” Jodorowsky mentions that the upraised wand implies that the Magician is seeking aid from a higher source of wisdom, which nicely echoes the Hierophant’s role of spiritual conduit. I toyed with the idea of placing a trump card above the “Present” position to portray this exalted mentor but decided against it since there were few options left: the Emperor (a reasonable choice if we assume the Oversoul is patriarchal), Death (not my first choice for constructive input), the noncommittal Lovers, and the inscrutable Hermit. None seemed particularly sympathetic to the objective.
In the “Near Future” position at the right I put the two “Solar” cards, the Sun and Strength, as earmarks of inspiration and innate optimism in the near-term outlook. (It’s interesting to note that, in the annals of “numerological counterparts,” the Magician, the Wheel of Fortune and the Sun are all linked by being reflections of “1” via reduction, lending credence to their sequencing here.)
The seventh position at the bottom of the “staff” was re-titled “Fears” by Eden Gray, and I’ve massaged it further into “The Root of Self-Limitation” (in other words, all manner of demoralizing, self-defeating attitudes and behaviors that fetch up in the “psychic basement”). This looked like an ideal place for the Devil and the Hanged Man, two “demons” that many of us wrestle with.
The eighth position I deem to be one of “environmental adaptation” both situational and interpersonal, and have renamed it “Clarifying Factors” as a mediator between “Fears” below and “Hopes” above, ideally transforming one into the other through “right-minded intervention.” The two cards of balance and adjustment, Temperance and Justice, seemed to belong here.
The ninth position was recast as “Hopes” by Eden Gray, and I expanded the idea to “The Root of Self-Motivation,” and aspiration as embodying not only the hoped-for successes that we want to happen, but those that we are willing to work to make happen. The Star exemplifies the “Hopes” aspect, and the Chariot, with its focus on “triumph in practical matters” and “movement toward a goal,” I felt was a good significator for “Motivation.”
The “Outcome” (or “End of the Matter”) position I left alone, although placing the World there presents intimations of Saturn that may impose obstacles and impart resistance and delay in bringing the situation to an expeditious close. The World promises (typically satisfactory) “completion” but it doesn’t say when. Although in my own practice a Celtic Cross prediction is targeted for around three months (and is marginally effective for no more than six), my bet is that the last word in a reading will usually occur “later rather than sooner” in most cases, depending of course on the temporal envelope of the question.
Originally published at http://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com on November 20, 2022.
