Erecting the cross, the « tirage en croix »
The famous cross reading, "tirage en croix", has a lot of variations from 4 to 6 cards and more. As any reading technique, it is not truer, nor efficient, nor authentic than any other technique, it always depends on how it is used.
This is one of the method I've been using, it has been built from what I've been taught and is here explained to be expanded or used as is to practice your own version.
It might be a good start in a longer reading, using only the trumps ; its main interest is to underline the main interrogations and to shed a light on the most important obstacles or caveats - even if it sometimes doesn't directly, at first sight, answers the consultant questions, it will always give a good structure to at least consider the context.
Six cards are drawn and organized as follow :
..3.. 6
1.5.2
..4..
The sixth card being away, on the left or the right or above or below or in the next room, it doesn't matter more than the significance you see in its placement. Marcel Picard also suggest to use a this sixth card in the reading using four or five cards. We'll consider the group of five first.
After observing the global outlook of the five cards, the interpretation often begins by the center card - the fifth - whose role is to put a light on the question itself. It often plays a role of a reading grid by its structure, for instance if LE DIABLE (tarot de Marseilles style) is there, it would give an importance to other cards whose structure answer directly to it like LE PAPE, LE JUGEMENT or L'AMOUREUX, and with other cards it is interesting to read the other cards as if this central card was superimposed over them and how this articulation answers or resolve things identified in this central card.
It's obviously reflexive, and the other cards also give hints to read this card.
Once this done, the reading follows classically the "tirage en croix" :
The card number 1 on the left represents present aspirations and condition, influences currently affecting the consultant - to be interpreted without emphasizing positive or negative meanings associated to the card, nor any mantic (predictive) projection.
Card number 2 on the right underlines the obstacles, and possibly unhelpful temptations of action by the consultant - again, the card is not to be seen qualitatively, but through its position ; it can give a « quantitative » indication, depending on the card's intensity about the « obstacles to overcome » to speak in classic cartomantic terms.
Card number 3 on top indicates a way to unblock, a form of resolution - sometimes announcing also the necessary consequences. It can give some mantic indications or prevision, tendencies, etc... or shed a light on consciously or unconsciously ignored elements.
Card number 4 at the bottom talks about development, how what has been sown will grow ; its relation to card number 3 may help in estimating qualitative and quantitative aspects, and in identifying what might be "out of one's control".
Card number 6 finally, it's about feeling how it speaks ; sometimes giving indication about a longer term evolution, sometimes mantic and predictive hints, it's not mandatory to turn it on the visible side nor interpret it, it's giving more perspective, that's why it's kept away. In general this while reading this card, the mental may struggle to integrate the information, but it is not necessary to integrate it in the structure nor to wanting to put it in a narrative construct ; instead of trying to articulate them with the group of five, it's more appropriate to verbalize directly what intelligible intuition they invite to express, with all the usual care, even if it's a single word.
As in any reading technique, the inter-cards relations, especially visual, are to be interpreted - and to further explore this it is warmly recommended to read the page commenting how to read the pip cards.
What is explained above is mostly the technical, in practice it should be fluid and not feel algorithmic.
As in any reading technique using less than 23 cards, it can be done with the full deck, with the pip cards only, with a 32, 36, 40 or 48 standard or latin deck, or oracular cards.
The cross structure has the virtue of not reflecting a purely linear evolution, avoiding the desire for prediction.
This structure can also be used in a reading technique like the « grand tableau » or any technique involving a wall of cards on a regular grid, looking in the grid for a card corresponding to a question or to further interpret this card, considering this card as a number five (central) card - as indicated below : (considering purely the position instead of the order the cards were drawn )
x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x
x.x.x.x.x.x.3.x.x
x.x.x.x.x.1.5.2.x
x.x.x.x.x.x.4.x.x
If the card 5 is on the side one could imagine an infinite grid as illustrated below (a pretty extreme example) :
x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.4
x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x
x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.3
2.x.x.x.x.x.x.1.5
but actually it may be better to accept that these information, functions, are missing at the moment - in the example above, there wouldn't be a card 2 and 4, hence the absence of card 2 might mean there's no obstacle for the moment or it is impossible to see them or act on them ; the absence of card 4 might indicate a structural block, or simply that the consultant's question is not where they have leverage on their situation.
NB : although the present text - as the whole website - is subjected to author's right and "copyright" , cannot be copied or reproduced without author's prior authorization, you are greatly invited to use this technique, and to pass it forward freely to who you may see fit, with your own words once you'll have reworked and integrated it to your personal practice.
B.S.G MMXII
translated back from french and revised on the 18th of September MMXXIIII