The Celtic Cross

Six of Wands lies at the centre of the cross: harmony returning in drive and ambition. Everything else in the reading turns around it.

A rider crowned with laurel parades through a crowd: victory, recognition and public success.

The Six of Wands is public victory: the rider crowned with laurel, the crowd cheering. Your effort is recognised, your confidence restored. It also reminds you that success is partly given by others, and that pride can turn admiration into envy if you forget the people walking beside the horse.

For work: promotion, recognition, a win.

The Six is harmony restored after the crisis: generosity, movement and recovery. Here it acts in the realm of fire: will, ambition, creativity and action.

For the heart: being admired, a proud partnership. At work: promotion, recognition, a win.

Across it lies King of Wands: authority and command in drive and ambition. It is the challenge or the opposing force, and sometimes a help in disguise.

A king sits on a throne carved with lions and salamanders: vision, leadership and the power to inspire.

The King of Wands is the visionary leader: bold, entrepreneurial and able to inspire others to follow a big idea. He is fire in command, turning passion into direction. He may be a mentor or a person in charge, or the leadership asked of you now, with the warning to temper boldness with listening.

For work: visionary leadership, entrepreneurship.

The King is the suit in command: mastery turned outward, authority, responsibility and leadership. Here it acts in the realm of fire: will, ambition, creativity and action.

For the heart: a bold, generous, protective partner. At work: visionary leadership, entrepreneurship.

Beneath the situation lies Ten of Swords reversed: blocked: the end of a cycle in the mind, and in what must be said. It is the root in the distant past, often unconscious, that holds the whole matter up.

Recovery, survival, refusing to accept the end.

The Ten of Swords lies face down under ten blades as dawn breaks behind: an ending, a defeat, rock bottom. It is dramatic, and it is final: the worst has happened and cannot happen again. The sunrise on the horizon is the promise of the card, that from here the only way is up.

For work: a collapse, and a new beginning after it.

Upright, this card would speak of: an ending, rock bottom and the only way is up.

The Ten is completion: the end of the cycle, its full weight or its full blessing, and the threshold of a new one. Here it acts in the realm of air: thought, truth, words and conflict.

For the heart: a painful ending, then relief. At work: a collapse, and a new beginning after it.

Passing away behind you is The High Priestess: intuition and mystery. Its influence is fading, and the reading asks you to let it go.

The High Priestess sits between the dark and light pillars of the temple, the crescent moon at her feet and a half-hidden scroll of wisdom in her lap. Behind her, a veil hides the waters of the unconscious. She is intuition, secrets, dreams and the knowledge that comes from stillness rather than effort. She asks you to wait, listen and trust what you know without being able to explain it.

The High Priestess sits between the pillars Boaz and Jachin, dark and light, wearing the triple crown of the moon. The scroll in her lap reads TORA, the hidden law, half covered by her robe. Behind the veil of pomegranates lies water: the unconscious, deep and still.

For work: Keep your plans private; trust your instincts; research before acting..

On the Fool's Journey: The High Priestess teaches the second lesson: that there is a hidden world within, known by intuition. In the Golden Dawn tradition the card belongs to the Moon and to the Hebrew letter Gimel, the camel.

She is intuition, secrets, dreams and the knowledge that comes from stillness rather than effort. She asks you to wait, listen and trust what you know without being able to explain it.

For the heart: A deep, mysterious attraction; something unspoken; a need for patience.. At work: Keep your plans private; trust your instincts; research before acting..

Above, as the crown, stands Six of Swords: harmony returning in the mind, and in what must be said. It is what you consciously aim for, and the best that can come of this.

A ferryman carries a woman and child across the water to a calmer shore: transition, moving on, calmer waters.

The Six of Swords is a ferryman carrying a mother and child across the water to calmer shores: transition, moving on and leaving trouble behind. The journey is quiet and a little sad, and it leads somewhere better. It can also mean actual travel or a move.

For work: a move, a transition to something better.

The Six is harmony restored after the crisis: generosity, movement and recovery. Here it acts in the realm of air: thought, truth, words and conflict.

For the heart: leaving trouble behind together. At work: a move, a transition to something better.

Coming next is Four of Swords: stability, or standing still in the mind, and in what must be said. It is the next step on the road, close at hand.

A knight lies in repose in a chapel, hands joined in prayer: rest, recovery and contemplation.

The Four of Swords is a knight at rest in a quiet chapel: recovery, retreat and contemplation. After struggle, the mind needs stillness. The card is a prescription: sleep, silence and space before the next battle, so that you return with your strength renewed.

For work: rest, a break, recharging.

The Four is structure: stability, rest and consolidation, sometimes stagnation. Here it acts in the realm of air: thought, truth, words and conflict.

For the heart: time out, healing after conflict. At work: rest, a break, recharging.

Ten of Cups shows you in this matter: the end of a cycle in matters of the heart. It is your attitude, and how you see yourself.

A family rejoices under a rainbow of ten cups: lasting happiness, home and harmony.

The Ten of Cups is a family beneath a rainbow of cups: lasting happiness, emotional security, a home full of love. It is the fulfilment of the suit, the harmony that comes when relationships are honest and shared values hold a household together.

For work: work–life balance, a fulfilling place.

The Ten is completion: the end of the cycle, its full weight or its full blessing, and the threshold of a new one. Here it acts in the realm of water: feeling, love, relationships and intuition.

For the heart: a happy family, lasting love. At work: work–life balance, a fulfilling place.

Eight of Wands reversed shows the people and the world around you: blocked: movement and effort in drive and ambition. It is the influence of others on the question.

Delays, frustration, rushing in the wrong direction.

The Eight of Wands is pure momentum: things move fast, messages arrive, plans take off. Delays end and the air clears. It is a card of travel, news and swift decisions, and it asks you to be ready, because once the wands fly they do not wait for anyone to catch up.

For work: rapid progress, travel, quick decisions.

Upright, this card would speak of: speed, movement, news and things happening quickly.

The Eight is movement and mastery: change, skill and the momentum that comes from effort. Here it acts in the realm of fire: will, ambition, creativity and action.

For the heart: a whirlwind romance, messages arriving. At work: rapid progress, travel, quick decisions.

Three of Pentacles holds your hopes and your fears: growth and first results in work, money and the body. What we hope for and what we fear are often the same thing.

A craftsman works on a cathedral as two figures consult plans: teamwork, skill and craftsmanship.

The Three of Pentacles shows a craftsman working while a monk and an architect consult the plans: teamwork, skill and the respect that comes from good work. Your abilities are recognised, and the best results now come from collaboration.

For work: collaboration, skill recognised.

The Three is the first result: growth, expression and the joining of forces into something new. Here it acts in the realm of earth: work, money, health and the material world.

For the heart: building a relationship together. At work: collaboration, skill recognised.

At the end of the staff lies The Tower: upheaval and revelation. It is where everything in the reading leads.

The Tower is struck by lightning, its crown blown off, flames pouring from its windows and two figures falling headlong. It is sudden upheaval, revelation and the collapse of false structures: shocking at first, liberating afterwards.

Lightning strikes a tower on a rocky peak and knocks off its crown. Flames burst from the windows and two figures fall headlong. Twenty-two drops of fire hang in the air, the letters of the Hebrew alphabet: even in the crash, the divine order is present.

For work: Unexpected change, a collapse that frees you for something truer..

On the Fool's Journey: The Tower breaks down every false structure. In the Golden Dawn tradition the card belongs to Mars and to the Hebrew letter Peh, the mouth.

The Tower is struck by lightning, its crown blown off, flames pouring from its windows and two figures falling headlong. It is sudden upheaval, revelation and the collapse of false structures: shocking at first, liberating afterwards.

For the heart: A sudden revelation or break; a shake-up that clears the air.. At work: Unexpected change, a collapse that frees you for something truer..