For reasons that are still not entirely clear to archaeologists today, people living in prehistoric times erected monuments made of stone and wood. Some of them - such as Stonehenge in England and Newgrange in Ireland - are still standing. The Celtic Sacrifice Spread takes its inspiration from one of the simplest forms of megalith, consisting of two vertical stones with a horizontal stone connecting the two.
The Sacrifice method is particularly useful when you're working with a Querent who wants to focus resolutely on a wish, a goal or a hope. Through interpreting the Tarot cards, they will attempt to understand what needs to be done to achieve their aim. The response that emerges should be simple, concise and as free from distractions as possible.
Preparation
To carry out this Spread, the Reader uses only the Minor Arcana numbered cards from one of the four suits.
Choose which suit to focus on based on the nature of your Querent's goal or aim, as follows:
Cups: If the wish or goal that the Querent wants to focus on involves emotions. Cups are the best option.
Pentacles: If the Querent's aim relates to financial or material matters, then Pentacles should be chosen.
Wands: If their goal is connected to creativity and projects, the Wands are the est choice.
Swords: If the Querent's goal involves intellectual or communication matter, Swords should be used.
Once you have selected the most appropriate suit, the Reader should pull out the cards from one to ten from the suit and set aside the rest of the eck. They and the Querent should take turns shuffling these cards, then the Reader draws three, placing them in the positions. The first two cards represent two stone pillars, on top of which the third card is placed, as if it were a bridge between the two.
Reading and Interpretation
The concept behind the Celtic Sacrifice Spread is that you cannot achieve anything worthwhile without making an appropriate sacrifice. For ancient people like the Celts, the word 'Sacrifice' was understood in the literal sense (slaughtering a person or animal as an offering to a god or gods), but in the contest of 21st-century Tarot, it can have a completely different meaning.
One interpretation of this concept of sacrifice is that everything has a value and a price, and if you are not prepared to pay the price, there is no point wishing for anything. In a relationship, for example, the price you pay for being with another person is having to give up some of your own freedom.
A rather more complex perspective might suggest that the sacrifice made to achieve something is an integral part of the result. The satisfaction of achieving a goal is directly related to the effort and sacrifice faced. The greater the effort you have made, the greater the satisfaction in attaining your aim.
The Celtic Sacrifice Spread is so called because it tries to connect the idea of sacrifice with the result that you want to achieve. Sought intuitively, the solution can help the Querent to achieve challenging goals that are important to them.
Sacrifice and the Suits
The four suits of a Tarot deck can be viewed as prompts or questions that help the Querent to think about four particular types of sacrifice.
Depending on which suit has been chosen in a reading using the Celtic Sacrifice Spread, the Reader might ask the Querent to consider the following questions. This will help them to gain more clarity about the compromises they need to make in order to reach their goal.
Wands
An intentional sacrifice
Is there something that the Querent should stop doing?
Is there a goal that they should rethink or give up completely?
Should they set aside a particular intention or career goal?
What energy do they need to let go of?
Cups
An emotional sacrifice
Is there an emotion that the Querent needs to stifle?
What about an emotional connection that they need to break off?
Is the Querent involved in a relationship that prevents them from pursuing something healthier and more mature?
Swords
An intellectual sacrifice
Is the Querent indulging in a way of thinking about things that is not helpful to them?
Do they stick with old opinions or beliefs they should have outgrown by now?
Is their manner of expressing themselves or communicating with others no longer working and in need of a rethink?
Pentacles
A material sacrifice
Are possessions hindering the Queren't ability to progress?
Do they have physical habits or addictions that they need to give up?
Are there any material possessions that they could donate to charity as a sign of good faith?
Discussions about sacrifices and compromises that a Querent needs to make in order to achieve their goals can be helpful when undertaking other types of reading. Studying which suit predominates in a Spread can help the Reader decide which steps need to be made.
Standing Stones
Take inspiration for the Celtic Sacrifice Spread from studying the imagery on a Universal Celtic Tarot deck. Before you start a reading, take a moment to look through the deck, keeping an eye out for the standing stones that are mirrored in the structure of this Sprad and that link us to our ancient past. To set the mood for a consultation, you may wish to show these cards to your Querent, including the ones from the Major Arcana which will then be set aside and not used in the Sacrifice Spread.
Examples include:
The Ace of Pentacles
The sun penetrates the stone circle, with its beams illuminating the central Triskell (a Celtic triple spiral motif), marking an auspicious beginning.
The Three of Pentacles
The power of Druid magic brings the stone circle of Stonehenge down from the heavens, according to the legend.
The Three of Cups
At the Feast of Beltane (Celtic May Day celebrations), women dance around a maypole in the middle of a stone circle representing fertility and joy.
XVIII The Moon
This card shows goddess Arianrhod holding the moon, which illuminates a neolithic stone circle and Stonehenge-like megalith.
Arcana and MOral Lessons
The principle behind the Sacrifice SPread arises from a firm and specific belief - that everything of value that you want requires a sacrifice. Obviously, the Reader and Querent may not be in agreement about this assumption. In spite of this, there are some advantages to using a Spread based on a concept of this type.
First, this Spread often comes up with responses that are more practical and specific than you find using other methods.
Secondly, even if the Reader or the Querent aren't in agreement about the underlying idea, they have the opportunity to discuss the issue and better understand why they don't agree.
In the example, if the Querent wasn't in agreement with the need for a sacrifice, the Reader could ask, 'Why don't you think its necessary to make sacrifices to get your own home?' or 'Why do you think you deserve this independence?' These questions, regardless of the Querent's answers, can help them t clarify the emotions and needs involved in this subject.
Key Information
Number of Cards: Three
Cards Used:
Minor Arcana numbered cards from one selected suit.
Objective:
To understand how to cause a wish to come true and what it will cost to make it happen.
Layout:
Two cards are placed vertically as if they were standing stones. A third card is placed horizontally to form a bridge over the other two cards.
Example Reading
The Querent for this example, has just got their first job an is earning a salary for the first time. They have been in a steady relationship for a few years now, but don't intend to get married. Their life is changing and they aren't sure that what is perfect now will be in the future. They would still like to experience a lot more before settling down.
Striking out
The Querent would like to be more independent. They don't want to live with their family any more or share a flat with friends, like they did when they were studying. Now that they have a steady though modest income, they long for a home of their own.
The Querent has given the impression of being a precise and practical person, but one who over-rationalises emotional aspects. The Celtic Sacrifice Spread is particularly suitable because it can give practical answers, while also helping to look at things from a less rigid point of view.
Due to the wish to be independent and have a home of their own, the suit of Wands would be recommended to use. They are associated with fire, but they also convey the idea of home and independence that the Querent has been looking for.
Action
The card in the first position indicates what has to be done - that is, the Querent's actions as they relate to other people, the situation and the outside environment. When the Reader picks out this card, they should think to themselves, 'This card stands for the Querent's actions and the way in which they should try to influence the world around them.'
Two of Wands
Essential Meanings: Ambition, Restlessness
Keywords: Project, Risk, Plan, Design, Expectation, Appetite, Yearning
The Two of Wands Indicates Action
This card suggests that, if the Querent really wants a house of her own, she has to stop hesitating and start taking action. The solution is to delay no further and bite the bullet, without wasting any energy asking herself if it really is the right thing to do. The decision has already been taken. There is no advantage in waiting any longer or once again bringing up doubts that have already been resolved.
Acceptance
This card represents what the Querent must be prepared to receive from the outside environment. They will need to be willing to let the outside world have an influence on them. When drawing this card, the Reader can say to themselves, 'This card indicates the way in which the outside world exerts an influence on the Querent and their wishes.'
Seven of Wands
Essential Meanings: Opposition, Defence
Keywords: Inspiration, Nonconformity, Self-Confidence, Opinion, Defensiveness
The Seven of Wands Represents Acceptance
The presence of the Seven of Wands in this position prompts the QUerent to realise that the people around her aren't going to be a lot of help in this choice. Perhaps their parents don't see them as grown-up, or independent, or maybe their partner doesn't understand why they would want to live on their own rather than with them. In any case, the Querent must be prepared to accept this opposition and understand it, trying to not get angry or distance themselves from those who care about them.
Sacrifice
The card in this position symbolises the price that the Querent will have to pay to achieve their goal and to allow the goal achieved to provide the expected rewards and satisfaction. The sacrifice could be represented by giving something up, by committing to a new behaviour or responsibility, or simply by choosing to pursue one goal at the expense of others. As the Reader picks out this card, they should think, 'This card is the solution to the riddle. Only by giving something up can the Querent find a value equal to or greater than the value of the sacrifice.'
Four of Wands
Essential Meanings: Preparation, Perfectionism
Keywords: Tranquility, Celebration, Peace, Stability, Rest, Harmony, Concord
The Four of Wands Symbolises Sacrifice
Interpreting this card, the Reader reminds the Querent that they will have to make do with what she they get in terms of accommodation, as they don't have a high salary. They need a place of their own where they can be independent of others and be themselves - but it certainly won't be a palace. It will, however, be their home and provide them with a safe haven. This should result in everyone receiving what they deserve and represent a satisfactory solution to the problem.
Synthesis
The arrangement of the cards in this method mirrors the shape of the prehistoric megalithic monuments, a clear demonstration of humanity's desire to build them and above all, of the work and effort involved. The two pillars, which are the symbols of action and acceptance, are connected by the concept of sacrifice. This reminds the Querent that in order to get what they want, they will have to do something (for example, demonstrate a willingness to make a commitment to achieving the goal), accept something (be prepared to adapt and learn) and give something up (to embrace new things).
It is obvious that the Querent cannot take on these three actions all at once. The numbers of the cards might suggest the order in which these phases should be addressed - the Querent should, first of all, take the action associated with the lowest number, then move on to the one with the middle number and finally concentrate on the last action, indicated by the highest number.
At the end of this reading, the Querent who has a practical personality, should have discovered a few things. if they really want their own home, they will have to face up to the fact that those close to them might not understand what they need.
Maybe the right thing to do isn't to explain to others what they want as they have done up until now but to accept their point of view.
The Querent must be really pragmatic and start with a small project, perhaps a studio apartment, in line with what they earn. The rest will come later.
The first step the Querent needs to take is to find a new place to live, after that, they can start to furnish it and convert to their tastes, a bit of time later, without expecting it to be perfect straight away. The last stage will be to handle the relationship with their parents and partner, one day at a time, as living in a new home may change their habits and priorities