Finally, a few words on Paterson’s book itself: it gives a worthwhile introduction to the cards for beginners, but has omissions and errors that will annoy people who have pursued Celtic studies, or Tarot studies, to any degree. Influenced primarily by Robert Graves, whose fertile imagination was the source he consulted most frequently, she tells us earnestly what gestures were made by the druids, that the druids predicted the birth of Christ, how Tarot cards correspond with the Druids’ tree zodiac, and other similar tales. All of this is guesswork at best, willfully misleading at worst. Practically all of Paterson’s references to the beliefs and practices of the Druids are questionable; little was ever recorded of druidic belief and practice, and most of what was written down was from outsiders who knew only rumors. The Fool is a beautiful card with great energy. The Fool, dressed in green, the colour of youth and springtime, races towards the edge of the cliff, a white rose held to his nostrils. The element of Air, symbol of Spirit is shown around him – more heavily on the ground in white swirls, and in an ethereally beautiful interlaced pattern above him. Similarly, Davis’s three of swords card suggests a different interpretation than the usual. It shows two crossed swords, surmounted by a third, larger sword. Paterson gives this a sinister interpretation, no doubt influenced by the card’s usual meaning. She writes: “The two crossed swords are surmounted by a third sword and has split (sic) a previous alliance. […] The intruding sword is pointed toward the heart of the querent when drawn. It signifies tears and sorrow.” Looking at the picture, however, the third sword does not seem to have split up an alliance; it is not between the two other swords, but rather lying over them. Moreover, Davis’s art on the sword pips generally represents discord with flashing energy bolts, but this card has none. Indeed, this card looks to me much more like a ceremonial arrangement of swords, such as one would find at an oath-swearing, rather than a battle. In the Celtic context, it is most reminiscent of the practice of choosing a high-king, or high chieftain, to eliminate internecine struggles and unite warring tribes against larger enemies—the historical Vercingetorix and the legendary Arthur were both leaders of this type. Significantly, both Arthur and Vercingetorix were on the losing side of history. In the Celtic context, then, an arrangement like this of three swords may connote useful and noble cooperation, and valiant effort, that nonetheless are doomed ultimately to fail. This would make the card’s meaning different from Paterson’s, but give it some of the general flavor found in typical interpretations of the three of swords. Sure, you can read each Tarot card, one-by-one, in the Celtic Cross spread, but if you want to be the Tarot reader everyone raves about, you'll need to master the dynamics between the cards and tell the story in your Tarot reading.

Compare the Future and Outcomes cards (Cards 4 and 10). How are the events of the near future contributing or influencing the overall outcome? Will the querent need to manage these events in a particular way to create the right outcomes? Again, refer to the Advice card (Card 7) for more detail. According to the ancient Celts, the winter quarter of the year was ruled by the wolf. Winter was a dead time, a time of purification while the earth rested in darkness and grew ready for the rebirth of spring. This period stretched from Samhain in October to the Imbolc festival in February, which celebrated the goddess Brighid with a giant feast. In ancient Gaelic, the month of February was known as Faoilleach, which can translate to “the wolf month,”“the storm month,” or “the month of bleak death.” For the Celtic shaman, the wolf taught about instincts and psychic intuition, as well as the cyclical powers of the moon. The wolf’s wisdom guided shamans to trust their inner voice and to seek their answers within. The path of the Celtic shaman was strongly tied to the land and the cycle of the seasons. By honoring the spirits of nature and learning their wisdom, a shaman sought to transform himself and expand his awareness. Conscious of the subtle connection between all things, Celtic shamans recognized the sacredness within everything, allowing them to form a bridge between the spirit world and the human world. Ancient Celts viewed the wolf with awe and respect. Considered very wise, the wolf only chose to share its wisdom with certain people, and many shamans sought the wolf as their familiar. The wizard Merlin was said to have an old wolf companion during his years as a forest hermit. The white wolf Emhain Abhlac once met the druid Bobaran, who threw three rowan berries at the wolf, three into the air, and three into his own mouth to receive the wolf’s wisdom. The Gundestrup cauldron shows a wolf beside the horned god Cernunnos, and the goddess Brighid is often shown with a wolf nearby. The wolf was a totem guardian of Britain, and one of Brighid’s four sacred animals. The Knight of Coins is an interesting card, his shield has the coins symbol, and his horse is brown representing the energy of Earth. Violets growing in the foreground indicate that he is on a spiritual mission. Many of the court cards feature characters from the Arthurian legends, and this knight is Sir Bors of the Round Table, who eventually found the Holy Grail.All the Major cards are characters from Celtic Mythology, much of which is not commonly known to people (like myself) with only a very average knowledge of the subject. I must therefore confine myself to commenting on the artwork and energy of the cards rather than the characters they represent. The Chariot is a card of action, but the charioteer has perfect control of all the elements and energies of the universe. The mightiest hero and charioteer of the Celtic race, Cuchulain, was born with a druid’s prophecy. The prophecy contained the message of the card, and went thus: ‘His praise will be in the mouths of all men; charioteers and warriors, kings and sages will recount his deeds; he will win the love of many. This Child will avenge all your wrongs; he will give combat at your fords, he will decide your quarrels.’ This card is representative of where the situation is headed and if/how the issue will be resolved. It assumes the outcome based on the querent continuing their current course of action. Of course, if the outcome card is not a desirable outcome, it is within the free will of the querent to make the necessary changes to their situation. Compare the Above and Outcome cards (Cards 5 and 10). Again, is there alignment between what the querent wants to happen and what will happen? Is the querent helping or hindering the situation? If you find that Cards 5 and 10 are opposing, then the querent will need to think carefully about how to create the outcomes they want. Look to the Advice card (Card 7) for more guidance.

First, let’s imagine the Celtic Cross split into two main sections – the Circle/Cross section on the left (Cards 1 to 6) and the Staff section on the right (Cards 7 to 10). The wands suit is stunning: all these intricately decorated wands are placed against a variety of gorgeous sunburst designs.

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The Staff section shows the relationship between the querent and the environment in which they operate, and can provide a better indication of what is happening in the broader context. The Circle/Cross shows what is going on in the querent’s life at the time of the reading. This section is made up of two crosses – a central one (Cards 1 and 2) nested within a larger cross (Cards 3 to 6). The smaller cross represents the heart of the matter – what is most central to the querent at the time of the reading. The Hermit is Merlin. A solar disc lights the path in front of him. Ribbons of light from the lamp he holds, stream across his head symbolizing illumination. He bare feet show his humility, and he is supported by his staff, symbol of his faith. The Knight is a rather somber figure. His hair sweeps across his sorrowful face, as chilling winds blow across the landscape. Symbols of death are around him: crows, hover above, and the flowers he holds are wilted. This is Balin, the Knight who killed the Lady of the Lake.