| The Celtic Cross spread is one of the most popular Tarot spreads, providing varied insight into many aspects of a complex situation and your role in it. The Renaissance Tarot is a modern deck, with symbolism drawn from the heroic age and rendered in renaissance style. This deck is an excellent choice for exploring questions of passion, mastery, and the inner workings of human reason. If you would like your own copy of the Renaissance Tarot, you can buy it now! |
 | The card not shown but at the center of the cross, represents the atmosphere surrounding the central issue. Knight of Cups, when reversed: Fraudulent emotion. A charming, but irresponsible person. |
 | The card visible at the center of the cross represents the obstacle that stands in your way - it may even be something that sounds good but is not actually to your benefit. Wheel of Fortune, when reversed: Inauspicious atmosphere. Strange omens. Dark auguries. |
 | The card at the top of the cross represents your goal, or the best you can achieve without a dramatic change of priorities. Three of Cups (Abundance): Rescue from difficulty. Comfort in apprehension. A strange but beautiful occurrence. |
 | The card at the bottom of the cross represents the foundation on which the situation is based. King of Cups: A dignified and accomplished person, compassionate and intuitively accurate. A successful professional, humanitarian and idealistic. One who appreciates the Dionysian side of the arts and the wild, mysterious aspect of nature. |
 | The card at the left of the cross represents a passing influence or something to be released. Knight of Swords: An enthusiastic man of action. One who confronts the world at full speed, with head held high. Sunny but fierce and leonine person. An uncompromising judge of character, like Michael the archangel. |
 | The card at the right of the cross represents an approaching influence or something to be embraced. Knight of Coins, when reversed: Small-mindedness. Insistence on the concrete. Lack of conviction in important matters. Lack of frankness in matters of the heart. |
 | The card at the base of the staff represents your role or attitude. Three of Swords (Sorrow), when reversed: Balance of forces in conflict. Rest from struggle. |
 | The card second from the bottom of the staff represents your environment and the people you are interacting with. The Hermit: Introspection. Retreat. Pilgrimage. Spiritual quest. The search in oneself and in the world for the "Honest Man" of Diogenes the philosopher. Meditation on the passage of time and the dissolution of matter. |
 | The card second from the top of the staff represents your hopes, fears, or an unexpected element that will come into play. Queen of Swords: A person of sharp insight, persuasive, powerful and thorough. If extroverted, an administrator, an organizer, a firebrand, splendid as a summer's day - and sometimes as overwhelming. If introverted, a person of deep sentiment, susceptible to flights of ecstasy, of the flames of inner torment. |
 | The card at the top of the staff represents the ultimate outcome should you continue on this course. The Fool: The personality in the primal state, the willful child in all of us. Instinct. Innocence. Impulsive actions. Setting off in a new direction in life. Liberation of the impulses. Insight and wit from instinct rather than instruction. |
