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Samhain Tarot Spread

10/30/2015

18 Comments

 
Happy Samhain to my Pagan and Wiccan readers!


In a nutshell, Samhain is a time to remember, mourn, and celebrate the dead, to mark the end of the harvest season and the oncoming winter, and to reflect on one’s own place in the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. Samhain’s secular counterpart, Halloween, is the only mainstream holiday that plays with and laughs at our collective fears, especially the fear of death and dying. 
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Both holidays mark a meeting and parlay between the upper world and the underworld, the light and the shadow. I wrote a tarot spread inspired by the occasion, designed to survey and compare the terrain of one’s personal upper world and under world.
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I set down three pairs of cards, mirrored over an imagined horizon line. The first pair, Life and Death, asks the two questions I hold at the core of most of my readings. What do I need to move towards and embrace? What do I need to let go of and cut from my life? 


The second pair, Courage and Fear, contrasts the fears I manage well with the fears I repress and avoid. Where in life am I brave? Which fears do I openly face and manage with skill? What fears am I less skilled at navigating? What do I need to shed light on and tackle next?  

The final pair, Celebration and Contemplation, acknowledges the odd dual nature of holidays that jumble festivity and solemnity together. What do I have to celebrate? How can I let go and squeeze the most joy out of this moment? What requires more sober reflection from me? What do I have to meditate on? If you’re in a period of mourning, you could use the sixth card to reflect on what and how you grieve. 


Here’s a sample reading with the Halloween Tarot. I’ll spare you the gory details of my personal shadow-work, and stick to key points. The cards I drew certainly resonate with where I’m at right now.
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1. Life: What to Embrace
The Fool


Trust more, play more, keep following my gut.


2. Death: What to Let Go Of
Two of Pumpkins (Pentacles) Rx


I need to let go of that precarious, barely holding things together feeling. Constantly striving to reach my idea of perfect balance may be keeping me out of a true, attainable balance.


3. My Courage
Page of Ghosts (Cups)


I’m pretty good at facing my emotions and the weirdo recesses of my imagination. I’m good with sitting alone in my inner landscape.


4. My Fear
Four of Imps (Wands) Rx


I’m afraid of instability and insecurity. I’m afraid of getting my shit together, having nice things, and building because I expect anything I set up with love and care to come toppling down. I’m afraid that I lack a foundation to build on.


5. To Celebrate
Three of Pumpkins (Pentacles) Rx


This is basically the opposite of “put down the ducky if you want to play the saxophone.” Put down the pen and back away from the GD drawing board. Not every day is a work day.


6. To Contemplate
Ten of Pumpkins (Pentacles)


This ties right in with my fears card and gives me some themes to contemplate in order to work that knot out. Home, foundation, security, fulfillment, and bliss. I need to think about where I want to go next in terms of where I started, and where I am now. What’s been enough and what hasn’t? What resources do I have around me now? (Hint: more than I think.)


There’s plenty more in this spread to dig into, but that’s between me and my diary. 


Let me know what you think if you try this one out, yourself. As always, spreads that I post on the blog are free for personal use. I just ask that you don’t use them commercially, and if you decide to blog your results, I’d love a link. Thanks!
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Have a fabulous, blessed, and blissfully spoopy weekend!

Commercial Use of Tarot Spreads (UPDATED 11/26/18)

I aim first and foremost to helping people learn and use tarot for themselves. Everything I post is free to use at home or share with friends for personal, educational, non-commercial ends. That said, I recognize that some people will use my tarot spreads with paying clients, and I couldn't stop them even if I wanted to.

If you use my original spreads for paid client work, please make a donation--whatever is fair and proportionate to your use--to support the site and help me keep releasing free tarot spreads for all my readers. If you share my work on your website, blog, or social media pages, give credit and link back (or tag @evviemarin on Instagram) so others can find these resources.

My work is not for re-sale or promotional give-away. Do not use my spread diagrams or illustrations as promotional materials in your own business or website. If you have any questions about use drop me a line. 

I do not take any responsibility for the quality or content of others' readings. I do not endorse or recommend tarot readers or psychics. Some folks use my spreads in paid client work. None of them are affiliated with me, or recommended or endorsed by me.
18 Comments
Claire link
10/31/2015 12:37:11 pm

Oh this is a wonderful spread! Thank you SO much Evvie! Rich Samhain blessings to you x

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Evvie
11/2/2015 12:52:32 pm

Thank you Claire! Samhain blessings to you, too! xo

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Barb
11/2/2015 11:21:23 am

Evvie! This spread is magnificent! Sorry for all the emotion...if this was written in imogis it would be all unicorns and stars and booooms. I have pulled this spread for myself (on point) and just now for a friend (onner point!). Such jucie work! Thank you!

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Evvie
11/2/2015 12:53:29 pm

Thank you so much Barb! That's wonderful to hear! I'm very happy the spread gave you good results. Cheers!

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Misty
10/30/2016 10:47:24 pm

I have this a try tonight and I will keep this spread for sure. It actually came up all Major Arcana and spoke truth. Thank you for sharing this.

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Evvie
10/30/2016 11:46:15 pm

I'm so happy to hear that, Misty. Thank you!

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Violet
10/31/2016 06:29:10 pm

Thank you so much, this is exactly what I needed after leaving the cards for 2 years and choosing this occasion to pick them up again, it feels like fate that I saw this and the spread felt so right, the duality/mirroring at this time. It's shown me what I already knew but was avoiding looking at, not what I expected (wanted) but what is a truth the be acknowledged.

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Evvie
10/31/2016 07:28:46 pm

You're welcome. Thank you for sharing this, Violet. I'm so happy to hear it! I'll be drawing this spread again for myself later tonight. I'm so delighted that others are finding it useful as well. Happy Samhain! <3

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Violet
10/5/2020 08:05:51 pm

Oh, wow this is weird.
I picked up my phone to double check my tarot guide, and an email had come in because I'm subscribed to this via my previous post - 4 years ago! I'd given up tarot again in that time, and last year while I was drawing daily I didn't really believe in it you know? It was like an interesting thing to learn. But this year has been... Fate led.
I am halfway through writing a post elsewhere that says "I have tae dree ma ain weird" in Scots, this means you have to bear your own fate, succumb to destiny.

I'm grateful again to you in present tense for this post, this spread is so timely just now, not only because of Samhain coming up but all the workings and mythologies I'm weaving lately.

Deep gratitude, to you and whoever commented recently, because I found my 2016 Self here. I was so close to opening my eyes, but needed a flash of lightning to truely wake up and See. Again, Now, this is a very Right Thing.

Evvie
10/10/2020 10:32:50 am

Wow, Violet! That's a beautiful story and synchronicity. Thanks for sharing! It's an honor to hear of these spreads clicking for people like that. Be well and have a great spooky season!

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colin reid
9/23/2018 11:21:48 am

Love this spread and your example. Will definitely use this 23/9/18

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Evvie
9/23/2018 04:55:15 pm

Thanks Colin! That’s great to hear. Hope it works well for you in practice!

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Lark
11/1/2018 02:27:17 am

I’m pretty new to tarot, but I just tried this spread and loved it! I may have to do this every Samhain. It gave me a lot of food for thought. Nothing too groundbreaking, but it was really interesting to see it all so accurately laid out in the cards in front of me.

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Evvie
11/1/2018 04:09:12 pm

Thanks, Lark! That's great to hear. I'm glad you like this spread. Welcome to tarot!

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Nancy
10/5/2020 03:45:34 pm

I hope it was ok to take a quick synopsis of this idea of a Samhain spread for my son who is incarcerated. The fellas in his group were looking for any spreads that might be interesting for them to do as part of their celebration. I Thank you & pray many blessing upon you & your work.

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Evvie
10/5/2020 06:41:30 pm

Hi Nacy,

Thanks for your comment & checking in. I don't mind at all! Everyone's welcome to share any tarot spreads here in free or non-profit study groups. Permission and licensing are only required for for-profit situations like paid classes or commercial downloads. I hope your son and his group enjoy this one. Take care, and blessings back to you and yours!

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Cody
10/31/2020 10:38:43 am

Hey so I'm not really the best at understanding Tarot cards and their meanings. What's a good way to further understand them? I have a book and a mini pamphlet type of thing, but I still don't know how to read them entirely. I just rely on what I see and apply it to me. For example, I got 9 of cups, and just saw it as two different things: I think my friends mental health is okay and that everything I'm doing is fine, or I just need to have more confidence in myself.

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Evvie
11/17/2020 04:08:30 pm

Hi Cody,

Pardon the super delayed reply! Busy behind the scenes and been away from the blog for a bit. So first up, each card can mean a lot of things and it takes time to get a feel for them. That's okay, it's part of the process! Your own intuition and associations are valid--that's what you're trying to connect with, after all. Try interpreting the cards for yourself through the pictures alone before checking your books. Then maybe pick up another guide book and start cross-comparing different author's views. I love Rachel Pollack's 78 Degrees of Wisdom. Journal your progress to keep track of your own interpretations and stories. Practice with friends or solo. There's no way to unlock it overnight, but a little practice each day will get you farther than you'd imagine! Hope that helps!

I've got a series of articles on here you might like called Learning Tarot With The Major Arcana, and they're full of tips for beginners. I'd check that out. Start here: https://www.interrobangtarot.com/blog/back-to-school-learning-tarot-with-the-major-arcana-part-1

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    Hi, I'm Evvie. I'm an animist, artist, lyricist, chronically ill queer, and huge nerd for divination & folkloric craft. I've been playing with tarot, art, and illustration for over twenty years each. I also go by the nickname Evvin.

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Unless otherwise credited, all works on this site are by multimedia artist Evvie "Evvin" Marin (they/them). Check out my sibling site, www.evviemarin.com, for interdisciplinary art inspired by folklore, natural history, and subconscious fantasy. Join me on Patreon to support my work and receive rad, exclusive content! © 2024 Evvie Marin. All Rights Reserved.​