Celtic Cross – Example Reading
Card 5 
Card 4 
Cards 0, 1, 2 
Card 6 
Card 3 
Card 10 
Card 9 
Card 8 
Card 7 Deck: Hanson-Roberts
Question: What is ahead for me as a result of the divorce I am initiating and my hopes to create a new life and home for myself?
Spread:
Card 0: Significator – the person asking the question
Card 1: The main question on your mind
Card 2: A challenge within the situation
Card 3: The foundation of the question, subconscious issues
Card 4: The recent past, influences that are fading
Card 5: Conscious goals, what you think you can achieve
Card 6: The near future, influences that are coming
Card 7: Your current situation in relation to the question
Card 8: The circumstances surrounding you
Card 9: Your hopes and fears
Card 10: The most likely outcome
READING
Card 0: Two of Swords. This card shows a woman sitting blindfolded in front of a turbulent sea, balancing two swords. You are searching for inner peace in a situation that is emotionally difficult. You are attempting to direct and control your inner thoughts, in preparation for what is coming. The light of the moon represents your intuition and subconscious, and it guides your path. Listen to your inner voice and find a space of calm within the storm.
Card 1: Two of Rods. This card and the next card, High Priestess, also have the number two, and having three twos right at the outset of your reading is significant. Twos represent growth and investment in a new idea, putting down the roots that will support you as you begin your new life. The Two of Wands shows a person looking out toward the horizon. He holds the world in his hands, and is contemplating his next move – whether to stay with what he already has, or move on to the next phase of his life. As this card represents the main thing on your mind, it shows you weighing the consequences of having initiated this step. Although you have invested a lot of your energy into your past marriage, it is time to take a step beyond the past and go out into the world. In the first card, you are mentally preparing for this change, and in this card, you are preparing to actually do something about it – taking the first concrete measures toward your independence and wondering how it will all turn out.
Card 2: High Priestess. This card represents the challenge inherent in this situation. The High Priestess is the keeper of hidden knowledge within, and she holds the keys to your subconscious and inner feminine wisdom. Your challenge here is to find yourself, to know your own desires, and to become your own woman – to feel a sense of confidence that your own inner voice will guide you in the right direction. This card suggests using your intuition, paying attention to your dreams, and going with what you believe is right, regardless of what others may think. It is also the card of female potential – doing things your own way and not choosing or accepting a man’s approach to the world. Since this card appears as your challenge card, you may be feeling apprehensive or uncertain about your abilities to survive on your own and create what you want in your life. This card is meant to reassure you and challenge you at the same time – to find your own voice and follow its guidance.
Card 3: The Lovers. This card represents the foundation of the issue, and has both literal and symbolic meanings. In its literal sense, this card represents your marriage as the foundation of the current situation and what has caused it to come about. In a symbolic interpretation, it is the card of decisions and choices, and duality (here we return to the Twos theme). This card shows that you may have a strong desire to be linked with a partner in your life travels, which has led to the current situation. At the same time you have reached the point where you have realized that it is equally important to care for yourself and your own needs. There is a balance between these two facets of yourself, and it appears you are beginning to find it, as this card is upright – it is no longer holding you back. Never again will you allow yourself to be in an unequal, imbalanced relationship, where one partner’s needs take precedence over the other’s.
Card 4: Four of Swords. This card represents influences that have been present in the recent past and which are passing out of your life. The Four of Swords is a card representing a stable situation that is now coming to an end. It can represent stagnation and lack of action, such as a long-term marriage that is not making progress and is spiritually and emotionally empty. However, upright as it is, it can also represent your time of inner reflection and spiritual seeking that led up to this moment, and preparing to take up the battle. This card, along with the Two of Swords, says to me that you have successfully centered yourself and are ready to begin the challenges that will come with the divorce proceedings and setting up your life afterwards.
Card 5: The Hermit. This card represents what you believe you can accomplish through your actions. The Hermit chooses a solitary path in order to seek for the truth and come to know himself and his own abilities and strengths (in this case, *her* abilities and strengths :-). You are hoping that through this move, you will find yourself. You are happy to be alone for a while so that you can hear your own thoughts and search for whatever you want to know. In time, you may be able to share what you have learned with others and shine your light on the world. First, you must find your own light, and shine it on your soul, on your own special path.
Card 6: Eight of Swords. What is coming in the very near future is a period of frustration. You may feel that things are not progressing as quickly as you wish, and you just can’t find a way to make it go faster. Having set your sights on your own future, you are anxious for all the paperwork and financial issues to get sorted out, but it’s still going to take a while. This is a card of temporary endurance, so be patient and it will all come together eventually. There are no significant and long-term obstacles here.
Card 7: Five of Pentacles. This card suggests that even though you have the mental determination and will to move forward, you may be suffering physically and financially through the process. You may feel a bit “left out” of the good things that life has to offer as this change takes place (fives are the card of difficult changes). However, this card speaks of physical sacrifices that are necessary to gain a better place in life, emotionally and spiritually. The light of the church windows in the background reminds you that what is truly important in this situation is your sense of inner peace and reaching your emotional goals, not the material struggles you have to go through to get there. They are temporary, and they will pass. In the mean time, you can receive help if you wish it from spiritual counsel and charitable organizations.
Card 8: Nine of Rods, reversed. This and the next card are the only two cards reversed in the entire spread, which speaks well for the outlook of this situation. The Nine of Rods is a card of having all the resources you need, and reversed may support the previous card in that the circumstances you find yourself are difficult financially, and you may feel you don’t have access to the same level of resources as others in this situation. This is the most difficult obstacle you have to face, and you may be feeling defensive and apprehensive about this. However, this card is in the suit of Rods, representing will and action, and it reminds you that the most important thing you need in this situation is your own will and determination to see it through, regardless of what seems to be arrayed against you. If things are as difficult as they appear, you might really consider looking for temporary assistance from social organizations, just until you can get through this period and make it on your own.
Card 9: Queen of Rods, reversed. This is the person you hope to become, and shows a woman of warm personality, firmly centered in her own home and hearth, with her cat at her feet :-). She is strong, determined, self-confident, decisive, and able to create what she wants in her life. She is not afraid to take action when it is needed and is looked up to by others for the positive example she provides. The reversal shows the “hopes and fears” aspects of this card position, and your worries that you may not find the home you are looking for, or succeed in creating your place in the world. Because things may seem difficult right now, your fears may be winning out over your hopes – but this card would not have appeared here if you did not have the capability of becoming this woman and having your own home.
Card 10: Judgment. This is a very significant card to have in the outcome situation. The Judgment card appears when you are making a very important, life-changing decision. In the upright position in which it appears here, this card shows that the decision you have made will indeed be life-changing, and will bring you new life and a resurrection of your spirit. This card strongly suggests that this was very much the *right* decision for you, and that in the end, all of the material and temporal difficulties will be swept away, and a new life will begin. Since your spirit will be completely renewed, the new life can be and will be whatever you make for yourself. Congratulations in advance on your new life!
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