Three Tarot Spreads for the Season of Samhain
The season of Samhain has nearly begun and I am ready for the new year and the cooler weather to come. As I write this the skies are gray, promising rain, and the wind is stretching through the branches of autumn tinted trees, excited for the wild riders who’ll soon take to the sky to fly the land ‘tween Hallows and Midwinter.
For many Witch folk, myself included, the season of Samhain is the most auspicious time for divination, so I thought I’d share a few spreads to inspire your own casting of cards and lots. The following three spreads touch on important themes and lessons of the year: how we reconcile our differences with members in our family and community so that we can journey into the new year unburdened; the ways we can invoke transformation to help us call in our dreams; and the magick of facing our fears to know our power.
Enjoy and blessed be!
The Hazel Branch Tarot Spread
To help you reconcile differences between you and another, so that the new year can arrive with greater lightness of heart and spirit. If you're looking to learn more about Samhain and the practice of reconciliation (including a suggested ritual), come this way. This spread can also be cast to help you heal the wounds between yourself and someone who has passed beyond the veil - Samhain teaches us that healing knows no time, no space, only possibility.
Card 1. The Knot
This card highlights the grievance which binds you to the other person that you are in conflict with.
Card 2. What I Think I Want
& Card 3. What They Think They Want
These cards help to highlight what has been expressed publicly about the grievance. These cards are about the surface level of the conflict and what is easy to see.
Card 4. What I Actually Need
& Card 5. What They Actually Need
These cards dig a little deeper and examine some of the unconscious or hard-to-share needs of both involved. Comparing the first two cards with these two cards can reveal unspoken elements of the challenge which is adding to the conflict. It's important to remember that Card 5 is only going to reveal to us what is appropriate for us to know and ways for us to find compassion for the other within the conflict.
Card 6. What I'm Not Seeing
& Card 7. What They Are Not Seeing
These cards show what part of the conflict remains hidden from view, but is important to recognize.
Card 8. The Hazel Branch
This card shows a step towards reconciliation, the Hazel branch being a symbol of peace and wisdom.
Card 9. The Ancestors Speak
A card of unknotting, this card illustrates the possibility of what reconciliation may bring and the healing that is possible.
The Cauldron Tarot Spread
To tap into the transformative energies of Samhain which straddles time and space, spiraling between life, death, and rebirth to help you manifest a dream. A great spread for casting during ritual and with a coven of friends to help you focus on a goal and how to work towards it.
Card 1. The Fire
That which inspires you and keeps you engaged with the world and your magick.
Card 2. The Cauldron
How your desire guides you and can be transformed into a tool to reshape your life in a way that supports your goal.
Card 3. The Swirling Brew
As yet unknown, unfamiliar or forgotten energies at work that you can choose to connect to between now and Yule to help you with your goal.
Facing Your Fear
A spread to support the work of facing our fears to know our power. Choose one fear or anxiety to focus on for this spread - it is often best to start with the one that is most present in your day-to-day life and/or hinders your ability to connect with your magick.
Card 1. My fear
The card which highlights your fear - sometimes in surprising ways.
Card 2. The ties that bind
This card looks at the way that your fear has created restrictions in your life.
Card 3. The wall that separates
This card examines how your fear is, in often misguided ways, trying to protect or support you.
Card 4. What lies beneath
Fears have origin stories and this card highlights the most important part of that story for you to examine.
Card 5. Where there is fear there is power
The final card starts to help us understand the power that lies within our fear. The title for this card is a quote by activist and elder, Starhawk.
If you’re looking for more Samhain inspiration I have a whole might-do list for the season and a tarot spread for connecting with your ancestors and the magick of the new year. You could also spend some time learning about the herbs and astrology of the season - including Lunar Samhain. Or maybe you’re just looking for a cup of tea.
I wish you and your community a beautiful Samhain - may you find the joy and reunion with those who have gone before and plenty of peace with the living.
This post was made possible through patron support.
❤︎ Thanks, friends. ❤︎
