Here we are, the last day of Samhain, and it’s time to do our divination for the new year! If you’re saying “Jess, I don’t know what divination is,” or if you’re saying “I don’t know how to do it,” or “I’m not good at that stuff,” then I’m here to help!
When we talk about divination we’re talking about what you might commonly think of as fortune telling. Divination is defined as “the practice of seeking knowledge of the future or the unknown by supernatural means.”
Divination is done by so many different ways – tarot cards, oracle cards, playing cards, runes, shells, crystals, stones, tea leaves, mirrors, water and wax, candle drippings, smoke patterns, cloud shapes, you name it! Almost anything can become a system for finding messages.
Divining is all about listening to your intuition and your inner voice, your Higher Self. While there are some traditional meanings for things, like with tarot cards, the best and always the most accurate way to get a messages is to just go with your gut.
- go with your gut
- go with the first thing that comes to your mind
- pay attention to every thought, sound, impression and feeling you get while doing the reading because everything that comes through is part of your reading
- when using tarot or oracle cards pay attention to the first thing in the card that draws your eye
- look at the colors – what is the dominate color and what does it mean to you
- don’t discount your personal filters – pay attention to what something means to you not someone else
That last one is key! This is one of the many reasons that I teach my reading students to learn to develop their own intuitive language, even when they do learn the traditional meanings of tarot cards.
For instance roses might mean love to one person but could mean healing to someone else. Both meanings are right, it just depends on the person who’s interpreting the message.
One of the most traditional activities at Samhain is to do some kind of divination to look into the year ahead. The veil between the world’s is thin and messages from our spirit guides and ancestors come through strong and clear this time of year. Taking time for some divination during the days before and after Samhain is a wonderful way to engage the amazing energy of the season.
Since tarot, angel and oracle cards are my area of domain, I’ve gathered together some of my Halloween and Samhain themed spreads to share. So gather your cards, bless them, light a candle and some incense, decide on a question and pick a spread!
In a totally non-kitsch way, this is a great time to do spreads that deal with digging into who you are, looking to find truths and connecting to ancestors. Again, go with your gut! Create your own spreads as you feel called.
The Year Ahead
This is what I do every Samhain night. Pull 13 cards, one for each month from November to October of next year with the 13th card representing the big lesson that Spirit has in store for you for the year ahead.
Who Am I, Who Will I Be?
Layout forms an equal armed cross.
Card 1, placed in the center: Who I am now. {what’s happening now that needs attention}
Card 2, placed below: Who I have been. {lessons from your past}
Card 3, placed above: Who I will be. {a look into your future}
Card 4, placed to the left: What I need to let go of now.
Card 5, placed to the right: What I need to work to manifest.
Finding The Truth Through The Veil
Layout forms a triangle.
Card 1: The thing that looms over me {the problem/issue}
Card 2 + 3, placed below: Illusions I need to see through, Truths I need to face
Cards 4, 5 + 6: Things I can change in this situation, Things I need to let go of, The answer on the other side of the veil
When it comes to more kitsch and fun based on symbols and themes of the season, you have things like these…
Halloween 3 Card Spread
Lay these cards from left to right:
Ghosts: what haunts you {situation}
Jack O’Lanterns: what lights your way {advice}Treat Bag: the treats you will receive {outcome}
Halloween 4 Card Spread
Lay these cards from left to right:
Heart: the heart of the matter
Bones: the foundation of the situation
Blood: what feeds you now
Breath: how you can breathe new life into this situation
Halloween 5 Card Spread
Lay these cards from left to right:
Masks: what you’re wearing to face the world
Tricks: unexpected problems to look out for
Treats: unexpected surprised that can help you
Witches: the magic you could make right now
Pumpkins: the harvest you could reap
Be sure to write down your reading so you don’t forget it during the year. If you do a year ahead spread, set up reminders for the first of each month for the year ahead with the info from your reading to refresh your memory about the messages you received.
Happy reading!
Happy Halloween!
Happy Samhain!
Today is the VERY LAST DAY to book a Halloween Reading. At 7pm PST they are gone until 2015!
