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	Your Question: n.f.	Aug 4, 2009

Your Spread

Situation Self Challenges/ Opportunities Spread Information: The full Celtic Cross reading is a terrific bargain for a multi-faceted, in-depth look at your life and prospects. The Celtic Cross Spread is a bonafide emblem of Tarot. It is generally regarded as a standard "consultation" spread in the Tarot reader trade, which is attested to by the number of variations of it which are to be found in the pages of contemporary Tarot manuals. The Celtic Cross spread can give you valuable insight into several areas of your life, and how those parts interact within you. Possessing eleven positions with occasional "extras" at the end, the Celtic Cross offers enough positions to represent relatively complex situations. Within the wheel-shaped part of the spread is a horizontal axis which represents the flow of outer events from recent past through the present to the near future. The other central axis arises out of one's personal history, through the present moment, to focus on one's Mission or Higher Power. The self and the issues of the moment are at the center of the spread. The column to the right of the Wheel is called the Staff, which can also be thought of as a ladder. The ideas and advice in this part lift one from the plane of dilemma to a higher plane of resolution. Don't make the mistake of viewing the Past cards as irrelevant to the present or future!

Your Interpretations

Self: Five of Cups

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POSITIONAL (MAIN) MEANING
Past patterns that once confused you can be overcome; take action to change them.

The card in the Self position reveals aspects of how you perceive yourself right now.

When the Five of Cups is in this position, you are assessing the mixed messages you received in the past about relationships, an emotional legacy of highs and lows which you could be inclined to repeat. Every family creates an emotional climate that ultimately shapes the character and style of each child.

Early confusion about whether you were loved or wanted colors how you react to and interpret people in your present life. The Five of Cups suggests that you may be agonizing over a pattern from the "bad old days" which is arising in your present life. Don't let yourself simply sink into feeling miserable. Get up and try to make it right again.

GENERAL MEANING
The Five of this suit traditionally portrays the mess that is left after an emotional upheaval, such as a tantrum or fit of rage. Consequences run the gamut from a hangover and lost wages, to abuse and ruined relationships.

This card is also sometimes called Inheritance, suggesting the cross-generational legacy of such tragedies. Violent family patterns magnified to a much larger scale can become war.

MEANING of POSITION
The card in the Self position reveals aspects of how you perceive yourself right now.

The Self position represents your personal identity in the Now -- the only real point of power. It's not about you in an objective sense, but rather a reflection of how you perceive yourself. It points to an aspect of your self-image, outside of how others might see you.

Consider the meaning of the card that lands here in light of your inner experience, your personal perspective about yourself and the issues you bring to this reading. Who are you? What kind of attitude or energies are affecting you right now? What do you want? It's not always easy to know yourself. Clarity about values and roles is essential for skillful behavior. Values evolve, but don't be too attached to roles -- they can change.

Your attitude is of primary importance here because, more than anything, it supports a capacity for happiness, success and love. How are you contending with fears that arise? What aspect of yourself is in need of development here? Is there any attitude that may be in need of change?

The way you perceive yourself may prove to be accurate or inadequate as the reading unfolds. You may want to take a second look at this position at the end of the spread.

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Situation: Ten of Swords

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POSITIONAL (MAIN) MEANING
Since you are unable to triumph over forces larger than yourself, practice non-resistance to the energies around you.

The card that lands in the Situation position refers to social or circumstantial factors which could be affecting your life at this time.

When the Ten of Swords is in this position, the anticipated goal appears to have been aborted. Normalcy may have been disrupted and replaced with a certain amount of chaos. Despite appearances, all is not lost for you or your loved ones. It is, however, a shakeup of the prevailing order. You may be in no position to repair the situation because forces larger than you could be dominant right now.

If it seems like you have no control over the outcome, why spend energy trying? Perhaps all you can do is wait things out. Rely on the good sense nature gave you and save any remaining energy for a new start later on. Cut your losses and detach yourself from circumstances. If you do so, you might not have to go down with the ship.

GENERAL MEANING
The Ten of this suit represents finality, the end of something. As is easy to grasp from the picture in many decks, there is no hope for revival here. A limit has been reached, a line has been crossed and there is no turning back. In some situations this may be felt as a tragic loss, but it often brings with it a paradoxical sense of release and closure. The waiting and wondering are over. There is no more ambiguity. You can rightly let go and move on, as there is no more progress to be made here.

Emotionally and psychologically, this card appears when one is exhausted and used up, burnt out by the effort of caring and responding and trying to make a difference. When a person feels this way, they have reached burnout and can no longer be held responsible for anything, and therefore can be forgiven for caving in or ceding the fight. The simple instructions are: "Go no further along these lines!"

MEANING of POSITION
The card that lands in the Situation position refers to social or circumstantial factors which could be affecting your life at this time.

The Situation position provides a general context for your question -- the set and setting, the politics, whatever is going on around you that might be impacting the situation or issue you are consulting the Tarot about. This card could apply to a specific drama or dilemma that you are now confronted with.

Consider this card in light of the issues, people, and forces shaping your environment, your current circumstances. This position also refers to that which is true from the start -- i.e. the hand you were dealt. Consider the set of influences that surround you and affect your personal life. Take a look at how you have been wandering down your chosen path. Our experience is naturally affected by external factors and cycles, the ups and downs of the times. This card can offer clues as to skillful adjustments you might make.

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Challenges/ Opportunities: The Devil

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POSITIONAL (MAIN) MEANING
Get in touch with your deepest passions and instinct, so they can be channeled to benefit everyone.

The card that lands in the Challenges/Opportunities position refers to ways that you can turn obstacles into stepping stones.

The Devil card in this position challenges you to feel your desire, passion or attraction fully, but to unleash that powerful force only for the greatest good. Be in touch with your vital force, its passionate energy and urges, but don't lose your head.

These powerfully transformative times demand that we learn to handle unpredictable and unimagined experiences with poise. That can't be done if you fall into judgment, unbridled lust or any other form of emotional or physical addiction. If you can participate in this arousing situation without completely losing your composure, you will be of great value to your friends, family and community. You have some powerful energy within you. Let it express, but channel that expression for good.

GENERAL MEANING
What has traditionally been known as the Devil card expresses the realm of the Taboo, the culturally rejected wildness and undigested shadow side that each of us carries in our subconscious. This shadow is actually at the core of our being, which we cannot get rid of and will never succeed in taming. From its earliest versions, which portrayed a vampire-demon, this card evoked the Church-fueled fear that a person could "lose their soul" to wild and passionate forces.

The image which emerged in the mid-1700's gives us a more sophisticated rendition -- that of the "scapegoated Goddess," whose esoteric name is Baphomet. Volcanic reserves of passion and primal desire empower her efforts to overcome the pressure of stereotyped roles and experience true freedom of soul. Tavaglione's highly evolved image (Stella deck) portrays the magical formula for harnessing and transmuting primal and obsessive emotions into transformative energies. As a part of the Gnostic message of Tarot, this fearsome passion and power must be reintegrated into the personality, to fuel the soul's passage from mortal to immortal.

MEANING of POSITION
The card that lands in the Challenges/Opportunities position refers to ways that you can turn obstacles into stepping stones.

The Challenges/Opportunities position helps you get the best out of your situation. It reflects the cutting edge in the situation, the learning curve whereby you can turn adversity into accomplishment -- using creativity and a positive attitude.

This card can point to recurring themes in the challenges you have faced in your life -- and to opportunities that may yet present themselves. Can you think of any patterns which are returning to affect you now? If so, try to recall how you have reacted in the past. Perhaps you can see new potentials, while noticing the hidden pitfalls too. Can you imagine a different way of responding to the situation this time around?

The wisdom of this card can help you turn surprises into strengths, blind spots into windows of opportunity. Bring creativity and flexibility to the way you go about your way in the world. Your expanding capacity will become an asset and source of inspiration to all.

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i am just wondering, can this be any more true...