The Bright Season: Tarot for Connection & Purpose
As Midsummer passes, I grow impatient and split between trying to be grounded and centered in the moment and wanting to get through next grand effort of summer as swiftly as possible.¹
I've lived many kinds of summers - from the short and mild to humid to desert dry - and, while I do fine in the heat, I crave the shadow and shade that autumn and winter bring. Living in one of the sunniest places on earth, and sometimes going weeks without seeing a cloud, can send me into a state of overexposure. It's tempting during these intensely bright days to let my mind race into the latter half of the year, restlessly counting down until I feel like I can relax again. Of course, all of this is impacted by the corresponding season of fire and smoke mingled with the fear of powerlessness against entrenched systems exploited by untethered people.
And yet, the golden days leading up to Lughnasadh are also some of my favorite of the year. I've loved the days surrounding the First Harvest since I was a child - it felt empowering to have this easy to overlook sacred day sitting not-quite-in-the-middle but not-quite-at-the-end of summer that celebrates the labor and efforts of the year. In an effort to settle into these long summer days, I've tried to draw this feeling of golden celebration out, extending it towards Midsummer and beyond to Harvest Home, seeking out the pleasure of this time of year instead of running from the discomfort it can bring. Because, I would like to have many, many more of these bright seasons and so I'm learning how to connect with the energy of these hot months rather than trying to hop-skip over them.
I think I love Lughnasadh so much because it gives these hot days purpose and connects me back to the wheel of the year (instead of feeling like I'm engaging with the impossible task of hiding from this season). One of the ways to celebrate Lughnasadh is to look back at the year(s) behind us and marvel at what we've accomplished and how our communities have been made stronger through our collective efforts. Pulling on the thread of golden light that stretches through from the end of June and through July, I've found it to be the same thread that I find such joy in noticing during the dark half of the year. This golden thread needs these bright days and, even though I might be squinting through them trying to keep hold of my vision for what lies ahead, it's ok to take delight in the glow, even if it disorients me for a moment.
While I'm not seeking to find endless ease in every season, I think these moments of discontent can be illuminating, pointing us towards what it is we're seeking without missing out with the magick of the year that has already found us. In the bright season, where things can feel unsheltered and too big to comprehend, we can still learn how to pull some of that into our bones, glowing throughout our life so that we might trust in our path even when we can't wait to get around the bend.
While my bright season appears between Midsummer and Lughnasadh, your bright season might appear at another time of the year. I encourage you find your own season of brightness and I hope the following tarot spread helps you to follow the golden light of connection and purpose throughout all parts of your year.
Tarot for Connection & Purpose
The following tarot spread helps to illuminate the path of your current purpose, shining light on what has come before and peaking into what might be ahead, while drawing our attention to where we're at currently and the connections that are seeking us out. This spread is best for times when we're feeling a bit muddled on our path and who we are on it with, where everything feels big and urgent, and we need help centering what it is we currently have the capacity and calling for.
✨ Card 1 & 2. The Path Behind
These cards take a look at the path of purpose that you've been moving along and that has brought you to this current season of your life. If you're in the midst of reevaluating your calling and purpose in life and/or your approach to living with purpose these cards may highlight previous patterns and/or relationships and communities that you are moving away from. Or these cards can be a celebratory affirmation of what you've done before. Or some combination thereof!
✨ Card 3 & 4. The Path Ahead
These cards look ahead on your path of purpose, taking a peak at what might be around the corner. Sometimes they can point out obstacles, other times they are cards that show significant events or experiences coming your way. Often they show us something we are desiring (challenging cards can point out a desire for healing in these parts of our life).
✨ Card 5. Connections to Strengthen & Seek Out
This card points out connections - whether individual or community relationships - to either strengthen or seek out (or let yourself to be found).
✨ Card 6. The Thread of Light
This card that helps you connect what has come before to what may come to be by helping us to ground in the golden eternal moment. This card can highlight where you are right now energetically and how it connects you to your purpose and community.
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Are you a child of summer’s heat or a creature of the dark year’s shade?
While you can peruse through my complete archive of tarot spreads, you can also find the rest of my in-between the seasons tarot series below:
May you find the golden thread of inspiration throughout your year, ever guiding you on your path.
This post was made possible through patron support.
❤︎ Thanks, friends. ❤︎
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Footnotes
1. As the longest day of the year passes, do I whisper "lo and behold, the darkness is returning" to my partner with a gleeful look in my eye? Yes, I very much do.
