Sample Celtic Cross Reading:
by
Eric K. Lerner
This brief reading was done for a young woman concerened about finance and family issues. I had the advanatage of having worked out a natal chart for her, and following reading takes that into consideration. A Celtic Cross is not necessarily my favorite spread, but it is useful for quick question/answers. Plus, it has the advantage that most of my clients know how to read one themselves. If you would like a reading yourself, please click here.
Methodology
The Celtic Cross was thrown using Aleister Crowley and Frieda Harris’ Thoth Tarot. Reference is made to native’s horoscope to aid in timing. Extensive astrological analysis is beyond the scope of this reading.
Question 1. Will I find a way to deal with my financial debt on my own and still be able to refinance in the spring?
Note according to your horoscope, Spring promises to be a time of rebirth and abundance. Prior to Spring, tighten the belt. Money may be tight. However, THIS DOES NOT MEAN YOU CANNOT MAKE MONEY. It means that you must work to do so because random chance does not favor any easy money right now. There is a saying. A fool is ruled by his stars. A Wise man rules his stars. Application: Yes, things are tight. But knowing this, you can decide to make an extra effort, and successfully meet the challenged
From this point we begin the reading.
Celtic Cross
My initial reaction is that your marriage has a lot to do with your financial sense of well being, and that you make a lot of business decisions based on that. Be careful where and when you choose to fight. The obvious solution DOES NOT necessarily create the best outcome.
You
You are rallying your strength to meet the challenge. Indeed you are very brave by nature. (My one health concern for you is that you tend to over exert yourself. Later in life this may manifest as high blood pressure and heart trouble if you are not careful. Please do not smoke). Don’t make everything a test. You are very concerned with proving yourself. Rather than trying to be all things to all people, and thus trying to meet your economic challenge by leaping over tall buildings in a single bound, concentrate on reinventing yourself from within. You give too much, which may have had a lot to do with the debt you have created. (This can apply to your husband too since you are in this boat together.) Keep in mind your kids do not need the latest and greatest toy to have proof of your love. Also spending money to make a favorable impression on others has no place in your life right now. You have to learn how to make real value judgments. There is indication that you make value judgments based on a price tag rather than what is truly being offered. This can apply to charitable giving too. You are better to given of yourself through volunteer work than through writing a check. However, watch your tendency to over exert yourself. Sometimes you may make poor decisions about spending because of fatigue. For instance, you might order an expensive meal delivered, when planning weekly meals could have avoided that.
The situation
The challenge of your economic situation is basic. Steadfastness versus passion. Simply put, part of you grasps the necessity of developing a long-term strategy that requires perseverance and deliberate planning. This is in conflict with the desire to have everything figured out now. Like most of us, you would like a lottery win to solve your problems. You need to focus the intensity of your desire to be clear of debt on sticking to a long-term plan. However, I suggest that you plan little rewards for yourself along with way. Remember a relaxing foot massage from your spouse, or a scheduled play day with the kids cost nothing and can and should feel rewarding. It is also o.k. to budget small rewards for yourself. Let me provide an example from my own life. I like comic books. Planning on spending $15 on five books is fun, as is reading them. I recognize this as a reward indulgence for myself. (Indeed it is a small fraction of the money I would have spent on cigarettes) but such an expenditure is not going to hurl me into debt, just so long as I am not rewarding myself every day. It is o.k. too to occasionally get yourself that a new c.d. or rent a few videos, but keep these small incentives budgeted! Also, remember that you will need to learn how to say no to the kids and their desires.
I know that Christmas is coming up and you dearly want to make it special for your children. I am not sure of their ages. You must set a budget this year and stick to it. (All this advice goes for your husband too. I can envision him being wonder daddy around Christmas time.) During my own childhood, my father went into hock every Christmas for me. Even though we were far, far from wealthy, I cannot remember ever not getting anything on my list. However, my fondest memories of my father are of us doing things together. As much as he sacrificed to get me material things, I can only remember one or two Christmas gifts. But I remember the quality time with him vividly. Both you and your husband in and of yourselves are the most important things you have to give your children. It might be hard to do so, but you need to keep the Christmas spending within limits. Think instead of things you can do with your children that you can enjoy together as a family. For instance, my mom always let me help make the Christmas cookies (and of course sample the dough.) I looked so forward to doing that every Christmas season. It is never too early to teach a young person that what really matters in life is the people you love.
Truly, love in its rich and various forms is just about the only thing that makes life tolerable. You don’t need a penny to give and partake. Being broke is stressful, but it provides us with a good time to recognize what is truly worthwhile. Technically, the cards say that a strong component of what lead to your economic woes was a problem sorting out what is truly valuable in life and expressing that value. There is nothing bad about you that lead to the problem. But maybe you were overly generous or tried too hard to keep up appearances. When money is tight, we all need to learn to spend down and live within our means. Sometimes we make mistakes because we are successful in the world’s eyes and spend above our means without realizing it. Many more "rich" people declare bankruptcy than poor ones do. In either type of case, the problem came about because money and materialism were blinding. You weren’t getting at what was truly important for you to be learning or doing. I do not want to speculate further on this point. You probably have a good idea of how you got into your situation. What is important is that you give some thought to the why.
Conscious and Subconscious States
"Oh-oh, he’s getting psychological on me now,’ I can see you saying and shaking your head. "Wasn’t philosophical enough already...." Unfortunately or fortunately, the language of tarot cards (Thoth) is the realm of ideas, values, thought and even spirit. Ultimately, these factors dictate how we behave. Analyzing these factors is how a tarot reader can "predict" the future. People tend to act certain ways based on those factors. Looking at one’s state of mind reveals much about the subject, as well as suggests ways to handle it.
On a subconscious level, you are caught up in the ancient quest for a deeper truth. Sometimes, that manifests as dissatisfaction with a job. At worse, it can present as an illness or depression. What this says about your situation, is that part of you was caught off guard because you should have been focusing your energy elsewhere. That has something to do with how the money situation soured. It may mean that dealing foremost with your economic woes is a way of not having to face a more serious problem. Solving money woes is not a lock on happiness. I hate to say it, but you are looking for something more in life. Whether that’s a new career and a personal relationship with the Godhead and all creation, I am not fully in a position to say.
Astrologically, there is an impending complex relationship brewing between Uranus, Saturn and Venus. That can indicate tension in a marriage coming to a head because one or both the spouses to define his or her needs. In addition, the understanding of the other spouse is essential. Since I do not have the advantage of talking to you, I cannot get a handle on whether or not this may indeed be an issue (the cards support this as well) or if you are even comfortable talking about such intimate subject matter. It can also be a struggle for self-identity and expression, i.e. your work – and thus a good part of how you are perceived in the world – is not a true reflection of what you want. In the best scenario, there is a need to act on your need for being yourself. A few examples. In a marriage, it could mean declaring Wednesday is my night out with the girls, period. In a creative career, stop thinking and start painting, writing, or sculpting your masterpiece. In a profession, time to start that college course preparing you for the career you really want – not the one you need to pay the bills. Bottom line, solving your economic issues is not necessarily going to solve this one. Indeed the economic problem can be a mask for the real problem. It is easier to be under strain and showing signs of stress because you need to keep the electricity from being turned off than it is to admit that the fabric of your life if not working out as your soul requires.
On a conscious level, you are struggling to see that everything is in its place. You need to see things function. Under money strain, you do not see things a working out. Your life, and particularly your life as lived together with a husband and children, has to be a well-oiled machine. There is a tinge of desperation here. You need to declare who you are. This is beginning to emerge from the depths of your subconscious. You define yourself in context of where you are in the family unit, but is this really being fair to you? Is that all you are? Part of you is thinking this? Trying to solve the money problem represented as a fire that need extinguishing is easier than answering to yourself who indeed you really are when you are not sure. Also, your family unit is indeed all-important and drives your situation. A husband and children are blessings from heaven. I do not want to devalue these. Indeed part of the reason you so badly want the money problem to end is that you want things to be working out for these special people. You base a lot of your self worth on being able to deliver for them. That is an important thing. But you are still going to need to deliver for you!
Others
The other people in your life affected by the money problem are a foundation for you. As stated, they represent the basis on which you see yourself. You do a lot to build a home for them. You want to protect your loved ones against outside threats of all kinds. You and your husband do face this challenge together. He is building something new for himself at this point in his life, and that may raise your hackles in regard to your own desire to be building something new for yourself.
Outcome
Here is where I get to reiterate the maxim. A Fool follows what his Tarot Cards say will happen. A wise man lays out his own cards the way he makes things happen. Your economic prospects and general turn of fortune seems to improve beginning around the end of March based on more generous and open types of astrological configurations. It is not a done deal. It can both become undone and done in a manner that exceeds your wildest expectations for happiness. The cards show us both extremes. As I wrote, you like to be heroic and make things happen even if that exhausts you! And you are plunging full speed ahead in that direction, doing everything that is within your formidable power to shake things up and put things right. REMEMBER TO GIVE YOURSELF A BREATHER. IT’S NO FUN TO BE WEALTHY IF YOU'RE IN A CLINIC WITH A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN! The obvious turn of events is for you to rally your resources and put this thing right. (However, you really need that energy to find the courage to address the underling factors that are making you so uncomfortable!)
On a practical level here, I must warn against bringing in third parties into the problem solving process. If you do, be so careful that they have your best interest at heart and most importantly in sound mind. Remember that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. An old lady gives her grandson one hundred bucks because he looks haggard and tired to her. She figures that he needs a good meal. He takes the money, blows it on cocaine, and dies horribly from an overdose. Actually, the old lady solved his problem if you want to get real technical. However, even though she acted out of the sincerest love and good intention, her kindness cost her grandson his life! Keep this scenario in mind as well as the banker in the tall black hat that just happens to include a stipulation that if you are five minutes late with a payment, you forfeit your house. Read any legal paper governing this agreement at least three times. The pay a lawyer who does not know you from Adam and who had verifiable credential to read over any contractual agreement you may sign related to this, since that inevitably will involve a third part created by you + your husband + whoever is forking over the money. I see the potential for some act of bad faith or stupidity really corrupting the deal. Fortunately, there is a remedy for this: your own vigilance.
Another factor here is that you must look at everything clearly even if you are going to be hurt or disappointed. Maybe you or your husband made mistakes that need to be redressed. You have not told me exactly why you are in this situation.....And the outcome does not eliminate an incomprehensible act of God form the list of possibilities....
Still, this whole spread talks about the need for a reckoning. Reckoning is never easy, but there is indication that a true reckoning can be very liberating. You also have to own up to what it is that you want. I am not sure if it is your husband with whom you are afraid to face up to facts. Let me give some potential scenarios, so that you can get a clearer idea of what I am trying to communicate. In this situation, husband has a gambling addiction that had lead to the problem. He refuses to admit he has a problem or seek help. You join a group for affected family members of gamblers and develop and intervention strategy. Doing so brings the problem out in the open and enables you both to work on your marriage and family. If you do not do this, you may pay off this round of bills, while he is already creating 2nd, third and fourth such scenarios. Scenario two. You have always wanted to study pottery making and open a small shop featuring your work and that of other women potters. You have put this dream on hold to have a family. Then you put it on hold to work at an unrewarding job to pay the bills. In the meantime, you have acquired 900 pairs of shoes, some of which retail upward of a thousand! Here you need to be able to state to your husband, this is what I want. Then you need to implement a game plan to make it happen. Providing this as a background framework, you are able to deal with the challenges of cutting back, because you can see a positive goal in sight. You are becoming a happier person......
Both the imaginary situations I described involved you showing courage. By finding the courage to deal with the underlying challenge, you fashion a positive long-range outcome. If you do not, you will have to deal with the underlying factors at a later date. This may interfere with your genuine commitment to change and undermine your likelihood of success because you are still not happy about what you are doing. Hence, you might find the type of routine that lead to the problem initially recurring. I realize that you like to show your strength by undergoing hardship and that you care deeply about family. Facing facts openly may seem like shooting the moon – taking an exhilarating risk with long odds. But you won’t know if you never try. Remember the importance of love. Seeing to your own needs is not selfish. You need to be happy to make your loved ones happy.
Good luck. There is nothing that argues against you succeeding. Remember be straightforward. Don’t shy away from confrontation if the truth is at stake.
Additional Note: There is not any Water Element present. This suggests a need to stop and smell the roses, as well as an underlying need for emotional expression.
That’s how it ends. May it be so.
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