Fugdale’s Funhouse

In this series of articles on the positions of the Celtic Cross Spread. I will attempt to illuminate readers to the sometimes subtle distinctions between the meanings of the positions. I will post more information on other aspects of the Celtic Cross Spread later. In these articles I will use the term ’subject’ to refer to the person you give the reading to (which can by yourself or someone else). I will use the term ‘reader’ to indicate the person giving the reading (which will usually be yourself).

Celtic Cross position number 3 – UNDERLYING ENERGY, SUBCONSCIOUS INFLUENCES, WHAT LIES BELOW

Card position 3 usually lies directly beneath the cross formed by cards 1 and 2. Therefore, it represents what lies below the main conflict of the spread. It informs the reader as to the influences coming from the subconcious level. These energies most likely don’t manifest in your subject’s mind, so this card can give you a bit of advice to give. You can tell your subject about some influences they may not have an awareness of.

If you visualize the spread as a novel or a movie, the third card represents the underlying motivation that drives the character to do certain things. The character doesn’t realize he/she operates from this influence. It may represent an event from the person’s past or some hidden away influence from the subconsious world.

After you have determined the conflict of the spread with cards 1 & 2, Card Position 3 will help you determine the personal influences that the subject manifests which may have led to the conflict or which may prevent him/her from progressing.

The third position could indicate any of the following:

• An underlying motivation
• A subconscious influence
• Something hidden or suppressed
• A gut feeling
• A forgotten memory
• A root cause

Court Card in the Third Position 

A court card in the third position will most often reflect a shadow personality of the subject. A personality traight the subject doesn’t realize he/she is exhibiting.

Conversely, a court card can represent another person whose influence on the matter at hand is secret or unknown to the subject.

Example:  A man asks about feeling stuck in his career path. You draw a Queen of Pentacles in the third position. This might represent a woman in his current career who has some sort of influence in holding him back (perhaps a supervisor or rival business owner). Or it could indicate that the man internalizes his business personality (indicated by the Queen) which may hold him back. You might suggest that he concentrate on speaking up or externalizing himself to others. Having more confidence or making new connections in order to counteract this subconscious influence.

Relationship to other positions

The number three card in the Celtic Cross spread relates to several other cards in the spread.

Vertical Axis - Cards 3, 1-2, and 5

The vertical line of cards represents the dimension of inner/outer or up/down. Position 3 starts on the inner point (the subconscious or gut feeling or instinct level) and progresses up through cards 1 & 2 (the conscious level) into card 5 (the superconscious or inspiriation level). Interpreting card 3 through this filter helps bring focus to your reading.

Relationship to Position 7 

The third card also has a very strong relationship with card position 7. They both indicate influences coming from within the subject. However, card 3 usually has a much more subtle influence and the subject usually doesn’t have any awareness of this influence. Card 7 indicates thought processes the subject has and is aware of.

Relationship to Position 9 

The third card relates to the ninth card because they both represent a secret or key that may help in giving advice to the subject. Card 9 usually indicates a desire, worry, fear, obstacle or a key to unifying the entire spread. Whereas, card 3 indicates a sub-influence that once the subject becomes aware of, they may suddenly make connections they hadn’t thought of before.

Hopefully you have a clearer understanding of the importance of card position 3.

Be sure to take a look at the previous entries:
Card Position 1
Card Position 2

If the words ‘Obstacle Course’ make you tingle down below, then I have a treat for you. Three games step out of the crowd in this sub-genre. Each game has its own unique twisted way of throwing obstacles at you. Hope you make it through.

Maze Frenzy - Somewhat Amazing

Deftly subtitled ‘NoName Game #1 by NotWorthy’, this simple obstacle course game packs a mean punch in a pretty pastel package. Recalling games like Puki , the color pallette for Maze Frenzy consists of almost white and baby blue.

You start by clicking a tiny red ball with your mouse button. Once you have the ball, you simple move it through the intricate moving course avoiding touching any walls or objects along the way. Similar to games like Operation, you have to have a steady hand…one slip and the game ends.

With all the turning gears and tight spaces in the game you will need all the stabilizers you can get. This game will frustrate anyone who likes to breeze through levels onto the next. It takes some serious skill to get through the course. Those who have a low threshold for starting over will quickly exhaust yourself on this one. But I think everyone will want to at least give it a try.

Everybody Panic! - Line Game - Obstacle Course on Crack

I love this game. I hate this game. Think Maze Frenzy on crack. You work your way through very similar 2-D obstacle courses full of swirls, traps and rotating areas. If you touch the sides of the walls or any object you get sent to the beginning. It takes all you have to get through these very tricky mazes. And you have 8 fully-relized courses to choose from. You can also choose between using your mouse/trackpad or your arrow keys. You can master it with any of these techniques, but each has its own dynamic, so you will want to experiment.

The cursor responds sluggishly to the motion and direction you move your mouse or keys. If you hold down the button you will speed up and if you suddenly switch directions you will quickly brake and reverse, but a definite lagging response from the cursor adds to the intensity of passing through the course. I guarantee only genius savants will stand a chance of making it to the end of any these mazes unscathed on the first try. Due to the massive size of the courses, you only see a portion of the maze at any time. Therefore, you won’t be able to anticipate the many twists and turns which lie just off screen.

An intense and nervewracking challenge course, Everybody Panics, will have you going back again and again just to get a little further than the last time.

The Game of Disorientation - Trip Out and Die

This twisted, acid flashback take on the obstacle course genre scores high marks in my book due to its truly disorienting visuals and gory death scenes.

You view the 2-D game as if hanging directly above the main character. You control a tiny man and guide him through some very simple mazes. The character has to cross over timed slicing machines or risk bloody massacre from the spike-lined walls, but those obstacles alone don’t cause much havoc. Whatever drugs this little man has taken cause the room to twist, turn and stretch like sheet of mylar in a windstorm.

As you progress, using the arrow keys, you must remember which direction you travel at all times because as the room morphs you must continue pressing in the direction you started in. This game quickly becomes a bizarre nightmare as you work your way through. I actually managed to make it through all the courses fairly quickly and only died a few times, but not without considerable challenge and entertainment. So I encourage everyone to give it a shot. Just watch out for those spikes!