Our Celtic Cross today contains no Pentacles. Indicating that the cards are not symbolizing material or monetary successes or failures, rather issues of the mind and heart. The interpretation below refers to our intellect and emotions, not our bank account.
The spread opens with the Two of Wands, symbolizing our anticipation of good things to come because of the energy and work we have put into our efforts. We are anticipating, and expecting, those efforts to yield to us the successful outcome we seek.
The Two of Wands is crossed by Judgement. Indicating that in order to achieve that which we are anticipating, we have to have put forth the necessary energy. Our goals will be met in proportion to the work we’ve put into them.
Crowning the Two of Wands is the Page of Cups. Symbolizing a new beginning that we have put a lot of our heart into. That we are feeling good about this new beginning, and have invested ourselves emotionally into it.
Beneath the Two of Wands is the Three of Swords. Symbolizing a past disappointment. The cause for the new beginning that is represented by the Page of Cups.
Putting the above cards together it is clear that while past failures remain in the back of our mind, reminding us of our failings in times of worry and darkness, hope and faith in ourselves remain front of mind for us, and that our hopes will be fulfilled, if we back them with effort and energy. The darkness of the north may lie in our past, but the light of the south is ahead for us.
The Eight of Swords stands behind our Two of Wands, again symbolizing the sting of mistakes in our past, but more specifically a feeling of being trapped by those mistakes. The card, in this spread, is telling us that we should not fret over past errors, rather to learn from our mistakes and make efforts to not repeat them, doing better in the future.
Before our Two of Wands stands the Ten of Cups. A card of strong, positive, and joyous emotion. Joy that we are about to experience in our lives, because of the efforts and energy we have put into overcoming past errors.
Putting these cards together we can see that while in the past we have made errors that have resulted in disappointments, and while we have tended to feel trapped by those past mistakes, we are anticipating a successful future and putting efforts into achievement of that success. We will indeed find it, and we will do so because of the efforts and energy we’ve put into it.
All of the cards above, forming the cross itself, illustrate the generative energies surrounding us in the upcoming week.
The Three of Wands stands at the base of the vertical half of our spread. It shows that we are viewing our current situation accurately. It too shows our anticipation for what is to come from the energies we have expended and the work we have done.
Above it stands the Five of Swords, showing that others are holding a different view of us than we are ourselves. Those around us who have been hurt by us in the past, or who may have felt taken advantage of, haven’t forgotten those feelings. We can overcome those feelings, but to do so will require us to put effort into making up for our past mistakes or mistreatment of those around us.
The Six of Wands serves to remind us that we can and indeed will receive the success and joy that we are anticipating and hoping for, but that we can not be afraid to accept and embrace it when it comes to us. We can not allow past disappointments and hurts put us in a place where we could reject those positive feelings that are about to manifest into our lives. We must step beyond those past feelings illustrated by the Three and Eight of Swords.
Finally The Sun symbolizes an extremely light and bright result for us. We will receive that good and joy that we are anticipating, because we have put the energy behind our efforts that we needed to give in order to have it come into our lives.
The cards above, comprising the vertical side of our spread illustrate the active energies surrounding us in the week to come.
A wee bit of retail:
If you are looking to buy cards or books, I made a little post about where I buy mine. This includes two brick and mortar shops here in Washington State, as well as a superb online shop. I’m proud to give all three my highest recommendation, each fills a need wonderfully in its own way. That post can be found at:
She wrote about it quite a few years ago now, but recently I’ve been enjoying The Pyramid Spread as described by Mary K. Greer. I’ve found it to be quite excellent. You can read about this spread on her blog at:
The Cadillac Of Readings: The Pyramid Spread
The thing about The Pyramid Spread is that it only utilizes the Major Arcana. I don’t own a Major Arcana only deck, as I’ve never seen the need to do so in the past. I don’t really have a need to own one now, as I’ve just segregated the Majors from the Minors in a regular deck for use with the Pyramid, but heh, one does love to buy decks, and a fellow Freemason has created an amazing looking Major only deck. I couldn’t resist, and have it on order. You can see it on the artist’s website here:
While you are on the website, check out the other splendid artwork he has available too!
If you are wondering about the card images pictured here on The Keystone, there is a bit of information about them posted here:
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-CMB