Beyond the Celtic Cross: Secret Techniques for Taking Tarot to an Exciting New Level [Paperback]

Can I make a confession? I've been waiting for this book with bated breath and was mighty envious that Douglas of Tarot Eon had his hands on a copy before I did. I'm usually not the jealous type but I was in full on coveting mode when I read his review. I had to have it! Immediate gratification!!! Oh, the agony of waiting! Finally the day came when the familiar Amazon smiley box arrived at my door and I got my paws around the long awaited book.

I'm an old timer here in regards to tarot reading. I've been playing around with it for almost 30 years. I've dealt with clients from all walks of life and answered every type of question that you can imagine. But I still find myself learning and searching for new techniques (even though I am rather fond of my own methods!). A few months ago, I got turned on to some excellent blogs from the UK that had some curious systems (card counting, Elemental Dignities, etc.) that caught my eye and I've been intrigued ever since. This book, "Beyond The Celtic Cross" by Paul Hughes Barlow and Catherine Chapman (two of the aforementioned bloggers) sheds light on these techniques and helps the reader to apply them in a way that can turn any tarot reading into a richer experience.

Written in a dialogue fashion between the two authors, we get to see these methods in action so to speak. It begins with Catherine writing to Paul about a tarot reading that she was having trouble interpreting. With Paul as her steady guide, they deftly maneuver through the different systems and demonstrate how to interpret with them using Catherine's reading as the example throughout the entire book.

Card Counting is very new to me and it was confusing to understand - but by following along with their example, it finally begun to sink in. And yes - it does add a new dimension to tarot reading. I had a basic understanding of Elemental Dignities but this book cleared up any lingering questions I had. I am a very visual learner and by having Catherine's reading to "see" what was happening, I put the pieces together and was able to understand where they got their interpretations. This is a huge plus in my opinion.

Not only do we get to see the methods in action but we get to see Catherine grow as a tarot reader and visionary. This made the book a very personal experience, not just some old dry tarot book that would have bored me to tears. I highly recommend this to any tarot reader - but especially to those who are looking to shake up their current reading style. Trust me, you will never look at tarot the same!

The Celtic Cross is one of my favorite tarot spreads. I love its history, its tradition, its symbolism. I love how it offers a comprehensive overview of any question or situation. And now, thanks to "Beyond the Celtic Cross," I've learned that the spread is even deeper and richer than I once thought.

I highly recommend this book to any student or teacher of tarot.

"Beyond the Celtic Cross" focuses on three techniques that can be used to add layers of meaning to a Celtic Cross spread: card counting, pairing, and elemental dignities. All three methodologies make excellent additions to any tarot reader's toolkit.

The three systems are fascinating, too. They're based on ideas and theories that were first developed by the Golden Dawn, the secret society that designed the decks most of us use today. I like that connection to history, and I like the layers of meaning that counting, pairing, and elemental dignities can add to a reading.

The three procedures aren't simple -- but that's why they take a full-length book to explain.

In fact, if you're interested in the techniques, you should break out a tarot deck and replicate the reading in the book with your own cards. If you follow along with the illustrations and the explanations, you'll feel like you're taking part in a tarot intensive or an experiential workshop on the subject.

In that regard, "Beyond the Celtic Cross" reminds me of New Thoughts on Tarot: Transcripts from the First International Newcastle Tarot Symposium, featuring Mary Greer and Rachel Pollack.

Most of "Beyond the Celtic Cross" is based on a tarot reading and email exchange between Paul Hughes-Barlow, a British tarot scholar, and Catherine Chapman, an up-and-coming tarot blogger. I expected a lively dialogue, which the book delivers.

The exchange between the two, however, is surprisingly intimate. It involves a subject that comes up in almost every tarot reading: Catherine's search for love and romance.

I liked that a lot, too. Even though I was reading a book, I felt like I was a privileged bystander, listening in on a private conversation.

That aspect reminded me of the written correspondence between Aleister Crowley and Frieda Harris, as they collaborated on the Thoth tarot. Paul and Catherine's dialogue gives the book an immediacy that's missing in most other tarot works, and it brings what could otherwise be a dry topic to life.

I've always thought of Paul Hughes-Barlow as a serious, scholarly man, because I only know him through his website. Reading his interactions with a student in "real time" gives us a refreshing glimpse of his real personality. As readers, we also get to experience his teaching vicariously, through Catherine-- who, in the end, helps communicate his message. It's the best of both worlds.

It was also interesting to observe how two experienced tarot readers could explore a personal question with a professional detachment -- and it was gratifying to note how the focus of the reading shifted along the way, from Catherine's search for someone outside herself to a better understanding of herself. That part rang true to life, too.

Catherine was especially forthright and honest in her approach. It took a lot of courage for her to bare her soul through an ongoing email exchange -- and it took even more courage for her to publish the results. The story that unfolds, however, only proves that the personal truly is universal.

Having followed the writings of both Paul Hughes-Barlow and Catherine Chapman, I looked forward to receiving their recently released book, Beyond the Celtic Cross, Secret techniques for taking Tarot to an exciting new level. The book's structure is based on an e-mail correspondence between Paul and Catherine - - each delving deep into the meaning behind Catherine's Celtic Cross spread, with the central question centered around a personal issue in Catherine's life.

Although the reading began as a standard Celtic Cross spread, with Paul's guiding hand, Catherine immersed herself in the techniques that took the reading to a far deeper level; these included counting cards, elemental dignities, and card pairing. Because I've always read using a blend of the traditional and the intuitive, I was particularly interested to learn more about these techniques.

The chapter on card counting is fascinating, and a technique I've been playing with since reading the book. Almost as important (in my view) is the take on the "uncounted cards"; this reminds me a bit of a reading that lacks an entire suit or contains no majors - - it's what's NOT there that draws attention.

The original card counting system came from the Order of the Golden Dawn, and is used to connect the cards to begin building a coherent story. I don't have either Paul or Catherine's level of adeptness at this, but I'm going to continue playing!

As a reader I'm always interested in learning new ways of interpreting the cards or a spread; through this book I've been challenged to stretch my brain and my skills! Oh yes - I do encourage you lay out out the same cards that were in Catherine's original reading while reading the book - it will make things much clearer if you have the visual right in front of you. If you're into Tarot - this is a must-have for the book shelf.