Spring has officially sprung. A very merry belated Ostara to my Pagan and Wiccan readers in the Northern Hemisphere, and a happy Mabon to those of you in the Southern Hemisphere.
The Equinoxes are astronomical events, marking the times of year when the sun crosses the Earth’s equator, and day and night are roughly equal in length. In occultsville, we see this as a metaphor for moments of balance, not only between day and night, but also between light and dark, life and death, and the upper-world and under-world. These themes color the first several weeks of spring and autumn, and in parts of the world, we can see them in reflected in weather patterns and natural growth cycles.
The Equinoxes are astronomical events, marking the times of year when the sun crosses the Earth’s equator, and day and night are roughly equal in length. In occultsville, we see this as a metaphor for moments of balance, not only between day and night, but also between light and dark, life and death, and the upper-world and under-world. These themes color the first several weeks of spring and autumn, and in parts of the world, we can see them in reflected in weather patterns and natural growth cycles.
Here in New England, the local weather follows its own, increasingly chaotic timeline, but the themes of life and death still play over the landscape in tangible ways. Some years, we’d still be buried in snow at the vernal equinox. This winter was unusually mild, and as I write this, a dusting of snow melts into spongey earth, peppered with the tentative shoots of early perennial sprouters.
Winter’s ice can kill, and yet it stalls decomposition. The same thaw that brings the first signs of new life also brings decay, baring corpses and husks to scavengers, microbes, and fungi, and fertilizing the incubating ground. The warm sun feels heavenly, but the air stinks of something faintly rotten. To put it more suburban and less poetic, you have to smell the melting dog shit before you get to smell the fresh roses bloom.
It’s that imagery that inspired my latest Spring Equinox tarot spread. We could also call it The Gardener’s Spread. I’m posting this a bit late, I know, but the themes here should keep relevant through the next several weeks.
It’s that imagery that inspired my latest Spring Equinox tarot spread. We could also call it The Gardener’s Spread. I’m posting this a bit late, I know, but the themes here should keep relevant through the next several weeks.
This spread goes from bottom to top. We begin in the underground, with death and decay.
1. Death/Passage: What died for me in the past season?
2. Decay/Fertilizer: How does that passage fertilize what comes next?
Next, we consider the perennial, and turn our attention to any old growth due to renew.
3. The Perennial (Rebirth): What renews or rekindles for me now?
4. Tending & Cultivation: How can I best greet and tend to it?
Finally, we look above ground to consider the annuals, the unplanted seeds, and our garden plans.
5. The Annual (New Life/Seed): What do I plant next or start afresh?
6. Planning & Plotting: How can I best prepare to make sure that it thrives?
You can use this as a general spread, or direct it towards one area of your life. It should work particularly well focussed on your social life, work, or creative projects.
1. Death/Passage: What died for me in the past season?
2. Decay/Fertilizer: How does that passage fertilize what comes next?
Next, we consider the perennial, and turn our attention to any old growth due to renew.
3. The Perennial (Rebirth): What renews or rekindles for me now?
4. Tending & Cultivation: How can I best greet and tend to it?
Finally, we look above ground to consider the annuals, the unplanted seeds, and our garden plans.
5. The Annual (New Life/Seed): What do I plant next or start afresh?
6. Planning & Plotting: How can I best prepare to make sure that it thrives?
You can use this as a general spread, or direct it towards one area of your life. It should work particularly well focussed on your social life, work, or creative projects.
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.
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.
RSS Feed
