The Celtic Cross method is perhaps the best-known and most widely used tarot reading method, online and offline.

For this method of tarot reading, only the deck of the 22 Major Arcana can be used, or the entire tarot deck can be used. It's just a matter of preference, and everyone can choose as they see fit.

In the Celtic Cross each card has a precise meaning according to its position, and therefore it must be read, without distorting it, according to this.

The fortune teller then shuffles the cards, places the pack in front of the consultant, and asks him to cut it.

Once the deck has been reconstituted, the fortuneteller begins arranging the cards as in the image in the figure, placing the cards initially face down.

Meaning of the cards according to the position

• Card 1 – The present. Represents the current situation, and describes the starting point, and how the consultant feels in relation to it.
• Card 2 – The obstacle. Unfavorable influence. Anything that hinders, slows down, or negatively affects the situation. It also represents the consultant's doubts, and what separates him from his goals and from an improved situation.
• Card 3 – Destiny, fate. The possible solution, the objectives. It represents the possible natural solution to the situation, that is where fate tends to take us if we don't decide to intervene to subvert the outcome.
• Card 4 – The future. It generally indicates the changes and events that may occur in the consultant's life. It's not the end result, but it's what could trigger it.
• Card 5 – The basis, the foundation of the consultant's request. What lies beneath the consultant's question, and what he really wants to know. The meaning of what you want to know. The origin of the question.
• Card 6 – The (recent) past. The past lived by the consultant, in particular the one connected to the consultation, the one that led to the consultation. It can also represent the past that affects the current situation card (card 1), and the concerns of the querent.
• Card 7 – The consultant. This card increasingly defines the position and role of the consultant within the framework that is emerging. It can indicate his hopes, and his state of mind.
• Card 8 – The environment, the situation, and external forces. It represents the context in which the consultant moves. They are the forces, people, and circumstances that have an effect on the situation and the querent, but they are also the forces, people, and circumstances that the querent can have an effect on.
• Card 9 – Hopes, wishes, and fears. It is the more intimate and personal side, with its hopes and fears. They are also emotions and feelings, and these can play a huge role in the context of the consultation and in the unfolding of events that will lead to the final outcome.
• Card 10 – The final result, the final answer. It represents the conclusion, and the final solution to the question posed. It is the result of all the forces that have been highlighted by the other 9 Arcana. It is the future that has not yet been written.