Nine Fires Press is happy to welcome a guest blog post from Emily Heymans, whose work as an Omnist witch in mediumship and reading tarot for other people is a contrast to ours. Though we are not open to queries about full-length works (yet!), if you have an idea for a guest post, please reach out to us at info@ninefirespress.com.
When I "came out of the broom closet" in 2021, I felt called by Spirit to learn the Celtic Cross formation for tarot readings. I used it for Shadow Work, and then I continued this layout into my newfound profession as a psychic and medium. This formation is now my staple. I use tarot for mediumship, as well.
Before anyone uses this guide, remember your protection! These words of protection were given to me by Spirit/My Highest Self: "Spirits/energies/entities of purest intentions only, I welcome you into my reading/circle. All other energies are banished." Some readers feel strongly that words of protection should be spoken aloud. I disagree. In fact, I feel this teaching is ableist to those with disabilities who struggle to vocalize. You can say it internally; the spiritual realm knows what's in your heart and mind. Change it up to fit your needs, but remember that calling for "purest intended spirits only" is incredibly important for precision, accuracy, and protection. Without protection, manipulative energies have access to enter your space.
For those who are new to divination and channeling, expect spiritual tingles when connecting. The feeling can be overwhelming for some. For me personally, I get an airy and electrifying feeling in the crown, third eye, heart, and sacral areas. Sometimes I do get testy spirits and can feel that heaviness.
Another thing I do before a reading begins is prep my table for my client's needs. Guided by intuition, I place various crystals, oils, and herbs that call to me. This is also where I assess energy/chakra blockages and channel things that help me establish trust with my client. For example, once I saw a vision of my client (a nurse in my home state) the night before her reading. In my vision, I saw her at a bonfire with a beer. I also saw her flower tattoo. I wrote these things down and presented them at the start of her reading. Turns out, she had been at a bonfire the night before with a beer! She also showed me her flower tattoo I channeled.
I make a disclaimer with every reading: I am not a mental health professional. It’s important for clients to understand this because my readings are inspired by Jungian Psychology and Shadow Work. Due to certain laws, I am required to explain beforehand that my readings are for entertainment purposes only. I advocate for mental health and encourage my clients to follow up with a counselor when I do pick up on sensitive topics.
The Celtic Cross layout is my go-to tool for doing readings. Here’s how I approach it. Click on any position to skip to that section:
1. The Current Situation
I see this as a gateway card. I work with Hekate and often find my clients to be "baby witches" or people trying to find a new path or purpose. I see this card as the gate or key to their process, and the rest of the spread leads them onward down that path.
Common themes that may pop up: family conflicts, finding their calling, health issues, transition phases (such as moving houses or marriages), or traumatic events. This is a "big picture" card for where my client is.
2. The Challenge
This card is a challenge arising from the situation in the first card. I should also say that, although it's rare for me to pull a challenge card that doesn't relate to my client's current situation, it has happened. This placement dives into the feelings and the perspective of my client, and sometimes different paths will pop up relating to how they can overcome the challenge.
3. Past
I've obtained pasts as far back as past lives or their ancestor's lives. I've also read pasts from only a few weeks prior. Three months to a year is more typical, and I often receive glimpses of their childhood.
4. Future
Typically, this card placement brings me insight from between six months to a year out. I make myself aware of this time range for both consistency and to deal with realistic events. I don't like reading years ahead, as I don't want to overwhelm. Instead, I focus on the near future as it relates to their current situation and challenge. If Spirit guides me to read further out, then I will.
5. As Above/Consciousness
This card represents inner "angels and demons" while in an awake state. This is how my client thinks or speaks to themselves, and they're aware of it. This is where I'll pick up on intrusive thoughts. I think of it as the cartoon angel and demon on their shoulder.
6. So Below/Subconscious
This is where negative or positive wiring and thought patterns are picked up. My client often won't be aware of these subconscious thoughts, fears, or feelings. Their nervous system, however, is aware! This is an incredibly sensitive card, and I'm always careful in how I word things and bring these situations to light. Sometimes I'll pick up on childhood traumas and why my client has blockages in the present. I'll often remind them here to speak with a counselor to process.
7. Advice from Spirit
This is likely going to be the longest segment, for good reason: It's my favorite!
Advice will come from my client's Higher Self or from their spiritual guides, deities, guardian angels, or ancestors. I have connected with guides and deities from multiple faiths across the globe. My personal guides are the Cailleach of Scotland, Hekate, and a Valkyrie who watches, but doesn't speak or share her name. Here and there, other guides pop up (Hey, Odin!), but these are the three that have been persistent through my life.
Others who have popped in and out - Nyx, Lilith, the Morrigan (Thanks, ladies, for helping me through my divorce!), Aphrodite, and Asherah.
As a little girl I referred to the Cailleach's apparition as "The Blue Lady." I believe my guides protected me while growing up in a broken home. I had a strong pull towards Celtic traditions as a child also, well before unraveling my ancestry and realizing I am of predominantly Scottish, Scandinavian, and Germanic descent.
One of my favorite experiences with deities, is when I connected with Lakshmi, whom my Indian client already knew was her guide before I spoke Lakshmi's name. She was my first client from a different country, and Lakshmi asked her to "get back into her Akashic Records." My client informed me that she had them professionally read prior to her tarot reading with me!
My other favorite is when I connected with the Archangel Michael of the Abrahamic faiths. To confirm that I had indeed connected with an angel, I asked for confirmation. I pulled "Angel" upright. Angels are diplomatic and, in my experience, honest. He came to represent my client's mother who had passed away, but "is at peace."
This is also a reason why I'm an Omnist who believes in all creeds and faiths. Coexist!
This card placement is where spiritual communication is the most direct. In my most recent reading last week (and another favorite experience), I picked up on either my client's ancestor or possibly a resident that passed in a nursing home my client worked for. The woman was shy and a little sad, but she had the lightest, purest feeling I've ever felt from a human that had passed. She didn't give me her name, but she did let me see her physical form. Blue eyes, long silvery blonde hair, petite frame. Sometimes guides give me their names and vivid details, and other times they do not. I believe consent is very important in the spiritual realm, so I never pry, demand, or force information. In this case, the guide asked my client to start trusting in her and in her Higher Self more than she has been. I channeled several paragraphs. The elderly woman ended it with this: "You made it; now keep going." She then vanished from my third eye's vision. My client said everything I channeled was accurate.
Awhile later, this same guide channeled more information to me. It happened so randomly. I was closing my freezer door, and I had a "That's So Raven" moment and saw a vision of the patient in a wheelchair. She was indeed a nursing home resident who had passed away. I got the first letter of her name—M—when I was walking down the stairs. My client and I figured out the name based on the initial and other little details, such as the patient’s weight and posture. To protect the woman’s privacy, my friend couldn't share a name, but she knows who’s guiding her now.
8. External Influences/Fated Scenarios
As I tell all my clients, I believe we have fated paths with the freedom of will to choose those paths or to go elsewhere. When I pull this card, I see it more as a fated slot to upcoming events based on choices the client has already made. External influences may come, such as a karmic person returning from their past, job advancement opportunities, or someone important they're going to run into during their travels. In the moment, it'll feel fated or inescapable, but we still have freedom of choice on how to handle the situation. There are hundreds of different scenarios with this card.
9. Hopes and Fears
Due to the intensity and clarity this slot requires, I pull two cards to confirm my reading. We can't have hope unless we are fearful. Hope derives from fear. I approach this part of the reading differently from many readers. Some tarot readers pull two cards, assigning one to Hopes and the other to Fears. I do not read this way and instead see the hope and fear dualities in each card, and use the second card to confirm.
10. Final Outcome
As the title suggests, this is the final outcome of the situation, based on CURRENT energies. Everyone has the ability to change their fate, in my opinion. This is where I might suggest different perspectives or paths, especially if the outcome card isn't looking good. I always listen for my guides to give advice to change my client’s destination for the better.
11, 12, 13. Confirmation Cards
I like to use three to represent the Triquetra or Mother/Maiden/Crone. Sometimes I read this as a past/present/future. Sometimes I only pull one confirmation card. It depends on what Spirit is guiding me to do.
This is the way I use the Celtic Cross layout to read tarot, as well as other types of mediumship. Celtic Cross is a versatile tool, and I highly recommend everyone who reads tarot for personal or professional use be familiar with it.
Advice for other professional tarot readers or those interested in becoming readers: don't forget to take breaks between readings. The spiritual realm can be exhausting! Drink plenty of water and keep healthy snacks around you. This is a complicated spread, and it's recommended to start with three-card spreads and work your way into larger layouts like this one. Remember that you don't have to stick to a script. Do whatever Spirit calls you to do. My Celtic Cross formation is only one style out of hundreds. Here's an example of what I mean by not sticking to the script: if you ever feel like you need to pull a second card in the "as below" spot, then do it. Trust your gut!
Remember client privacy. Sharing general stories is okay, but never speak your client's name. Protect their identity, and don't share anything that can indicate who your client is. Keep it vague. There are also things you'll intuit as a psychic that'll help you understand the reading, but sometimes only we as psychics are allowed to know and not your client (not yet anyway. They'll figure it out as they experience life.) Always listen to your guides on what you should and shouldn't say.
~ Emily Heymans is a psychic, medium, and seer in the midwestern United States. Check out her work on Instagram at @midwestmystic_.