I did a reading for myself using the celtic cross layout and I would like to have anyone and everyone's input!  I combined the meanings from my book w/ the Rider waite meanings and tried to use my intuition to interpret this spread the best I could.  If anyone has anymore insite or see's something I may have overlooked please let me know.

Significator – 2 Cups – 1st card
I can interpret this card as signifying a new aspect to my marriage.  This year has been a stressful one for our family and I think we have come to an understanding with each other about our situation.  It has brought us closer together, so I guess it is a new relationship in a sense.

Crossing – Queen Cups – 2nd card
I guess I could interpret it as meaning that I need to exhibit these qualities at this time in my life.  Later in the spread I see that the Lovers card appears next to her and I wonder if this means a possible affair.

Crowning – 3 Swords – 3rd card
My book says that this card describes the atmosphere and situation which hangs over the seeker in the immediate present. But this doesn't make sense.  This card would indicate that I am currently in a state of sorrow, suffering and tension, but I am not.  If I interpret this card as Samantha has suggestion (being the 3rd card drawn, making it the distant past card) it fits more appropriately.  Since about 5-7 months ago I was in this state.

Base – Strength – 4th card
If I try to interpret this card as the base of my current situation I could say that I need to not focus so much on details and look more at the big picture.  This is a time to exhibit determination, courage, patience and self-discipline.  If interpreted it as the past (as Samantha suggests) then I can say courage, strength and self-discipline have contributed to my current situation.

Past influences – 3 pentacles – 5th card
This could represent our financial situation.  We have had to employ all of these factors to get our budget under control, ie, planning, team work, etc…

Forthcoming – Lovers – 6th card
This could signify that my relationship with my husband will only improve in the future.  On the other hand I could also interpret this as an affair, since this card appears next to the Queen of cups I could surmise that my husband will start an intimate relationship with a woman of with these qualities.

Where you are – 8 Cups – 7th card
I think that interpreted as my book suggests, this card implies that this is my mental state over a loss in my life.  I feel weary over the battle this year that has taken so much time out of our lives as well as resigned that we have to give up on this chapter and move on.  Interpreted as what I fear (as Samantha suggests), it would also fit.  I fear that things would get worse and we would have to make more sacrifices which would make me depressed and withdrawn.

Friends and Family – 7 Cups – 8th card
I guess this would suggest that others see me either as living in a fantasy land or they believe that I am in a better place than I am.  They may think that I am “living the good life” or the life that I hoped for, full of magic and possibilities.  In some ways this would be an illusion because I believe I am far from the place I would idealy like to be in my life although I am currently not unhappy.

Hopes and Fears – 6 cups – 9th card
If I use the meaning of this card from my book I can interpret it as a time of serenity which grows out of the testing of the dreams of the past.  That dreams from the past can still be accomplished.  Although, the original dream that we could all live happily ever after together isn’t still possible, I can still have my dream with some changes.  We will still have a happy family, just not as I had planned.

Outcome – 6 swords – 10th card
This card could signify a more peaceful mental state.  A time of calm after an anxiety provoking time. Also I could say that this card means that this may be the calmer period after turbulent times. My situation will improve and I will find the solutions to my problems.

I did rely on the book more than intuition.  I'm still trying to get the hang of this and I don't have all the meanings memorized yet.  Even with the keywords listed on my cards I find myself going back to the definitions for some clarification.

Thanks in advance for any input.

Just a speedy comment.....The spread look good.....but to read for oneself is one of the hardest thing to do, in my opinion.

Why? just because you know yourself so good and want to fit everything into what you know or think is true.
With this I AM NOT saying that you have done this, I just have that feeling  so I never lay for myself

I will use the opertunity to challange your 2 classmates, take her spread and the cards she has recived and do your own interpretion of the spread.

Always have in mind that diffrent readers have diffrent approch to spreads...so even if all 3 are different, none of them is wrong in my opinion.

I am a bit bussy or I would tried to it myself....will be better in 2-3 weeks.....but for you 3 such challange can be fun

That is absolutely what I did here.  I guess I can't really interpret it if I can't see where if fits in to my life so I guess I might get some better insight if others tried to interpret it.  They may see things that I don't because it didn't fit in with what I know to be true.

i printed out your layout and will do it sometimes next week and try to post it as soon as i can within that work or the following.  

it looks like you layed your cross out like i did the first time for myself.    your significator card is not the first card out of the ten you will lay to make your cross and scepter.  you pick your Significator and then place first card on the Significator completely covering it (which means you will not see the significator at all when reading your cross's layout.  At this point you will have 11 cards on the table.  (although i am getting the feeling or i read it somewhere that some people do not use the significator at all).    

Did you ask a question or three before laying the cards or did you just lay the cards out?  usually, the querent  (you) asks one to three questions of the cards and then spread the cards. (of course, these doesn't seem to be a rule set in stone). i've did one with one question and two without any questions and they all seem to hit the mark.  the ones without the questions seem to be more of a general reading and not trying to answer
any questions which seems to work for me, so it goes...

fear not the cards still can be read... it seems that any set of cards can be read even if you do it differently then others, so it goes...  after all it's intuition and not rocket science!  

as for you using combined meanings of your books that is good.
keep in mind that each cards has several meanings and that is when inuition kicks in to choose those meanings.
i'm finding that inuitition will kick for me when choosing which meaning by the cards surrounding a certain cards because they all start telling the story of the querent.

for instance:  i've doing a reading right now that the card "that crosses him" is a 7 of swords meaning that the querent has had setbacks, back luck and hitting with everything at once (so my inutition tells me considering all the other meanings for this card).  my book states that if other swords cards and around that the querent is at a "stand still"   so instead of just saying that the card that cross you and is the chanllages and negative influences that he has to face has to do with bad luck and set back but i change the meaning to say you have dealt with setbacks that our making you feel like you are at a "stand still"  so he is not facing what has happen but what was the product of it.  i hope that makes some sense.

good luck  

George - I followed the directions in my book.  This is how it tells me to lay it out, with the first card drawn as the significator and a total of 10 cards.  I guess there must be several different ways to do it.  Your suggestion sounds interesting though, I wonder why you would hand pick the significator?  Also, when I did my reading I just had the idea in my head of finding out where I should be focusing my energy.  If there is an affair in the future as the lovers and the queen may suggest I guess I need to focus on my marraige.  What do you think?