October is here and with it all the spooky fun of Halloween! Of course, not everyone celebrates Halloween, but from Dia de los Muertos in Mexico to Pangangaluluwa in the Philippines, holidays that connect the living with the dead are a global phenomenon. Some contemporary witches celebrate the Celtic festival Samhain, from which Halloween traces its roots, while others may draw from religious or spiritual traditions, such as Fet Gede, the Vodou festival celebrated predominantly in Haiti. However you celebrate the season, we’ve created three tarot spreads that center on some recurring themes: connection to the spirit world, death, and masquerade. If you feel drawn to one or all of these universal spreads, go ahead and give it/them a try!
The Seance Spread
This spread calls on the dead so it may not be for everyone. Depending on your spiritual practice, you may want to make sure your space is safe so you only draw on good spirits.
The Spirit (1): This is a card that represents someone in your life who has passed, someone who wants to speak to or guide you.
The Focus (2): This card is the central message you are receiving from the spirit and/or ancestor that wants to communicate with you.
The Lesson (3): This may or may not be related to the The Focus card, but in general it is what you can learn from the spirit who has passed. It might be a quality they had, a choice they made, or something else that you are able to learn from them.
How to Honor them (4): This card shows you what you can do to honor the spirit and thank them for the guidance they gave you. Perhaps you already have an altar but the card you picked shows a certain flower or a chalice indicating what sort of offering you should leave them.
Letting Go (5): This final card can be executed right away or at the end of the holiday season. It tells you how to let go of the spirit and/or how to guide them back to the spirit world.
The Graveyard Spread
The Fear (1): This card represents something in your life currently that you are afraid of or that is causing you strife. It could be tied to a more long term challenge but will most likely just be something that you’re currently afraid of.
Digging up Bones (2): What bones do you need to dig up? In other words, what problems haven’t you been dealing with? This will be tied to The Fear card.
The Disguise (3): This card represents something you are hiding behind or changing about yourself to deal with the last two cards.
Laid to Rest (4): This is a hopeful card that tells you how to deal with your fears. It is an action card. It well may be that simply doing this spread and confronting your fears is enough but if you need an extra step to take, this card can help.
Trick or Treat Spread
The Route (1): This card shows you what path you’re on this month/season. It could have to do with career, ideologies, travel, relationships, or really anything that is shaping you at this moment.
The Jack ‘o Lantern (2): This card is the light that guides you. It could represent a person, a thing, an animal, or even a feeling, but whatever it is, it is there to help you.
Inner Child (3): This card tells us how we can reconnect with our inner child. Whatever path we’re on, we should approach it with the joy and excitement of a child trick or treating for the first time (or anything else you loved as a kid).
The Candy Stash (4): This is the card that shows you what reward you have or will reap this month/season. You’ve done the work, now is the time to enjoy your bounty!
