The Year-Ahead Spread
The flurry of summer ends when the hours of sunlight and moonlight hang suspended in perfect balance at the Autumnal Equinox. This special time is celebrated by some as Mabon, which this year was from September 21 until September 29. From that time through the next coming months, the cool, crisp nights greet us earlier and earlier. It’s during these darker days that Samhain marks the New Year on the ancient Wheel. Samhain means “summer’s end” in Gaelic and it is the third and final harvest before the cold sets in. Traditionally, this is the night when the veil between the seen and the unseen worlds is at its thinnest; it’s a time to communicate with spirits, to honor ancestors, or to take time to appreciate the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth.
Every Samhain I do a tarot spread and I’d like to share it with you. It’s a very simple one, I call it my Year-Ahead Spread. First, I set up my space with incense or palo santo, candles, and music and tea (optional but I find it helpful). Next I choose a significator card. This card represents the focal point of the spread. It can be any card you want, for example, it could be your natal card, your astrological card, or a Court card you relate to. It also could be a goddess card you like working with, an ancestor card, or a constellation card, perhaps Andromeda, as this galactic empire climbs the eastern sky on October evenings. It’s whatever card in whatever deck calls to you. This year I’ll pull my cards from the Crow Tarot and I’ll choose my significator card from the Green Witch Tarot.
Place the significator in the middle and shuffle your deck (can be the same deck or a different one). When you feel ready, pull 12 cards and place them in a circle around the significator card without looking at them, starting with November through October 2020. Turn the cards over one by one (month by month). Write down the cards on a calendar or in your journal to remember them and throughout the coming year refer to the card you pulled for the month for meditation, study, pathworking, shadow work, or simply as a jumping off point for future readings. I set out the card for the entire month in a place I will see it. It’s also interesting to see if the card is a good fit for what’s happening in your life at that time.
In addition, I use an oracle deck and randomly pick out a card for each month to complement, deepen, and enhance the meaning of the tarot card.