A Solstice Tarot Spread

Source: Maria Julia Tarot

Blessed be from the sunny southern hemisphere.

Here in Australia we have been celebrating our spring equinox which is dedicated to Ostara – the goddess of new beginnings, fertility and vitality; Spring is a time to reignite hope for your dreams – we all open our eyes to the birth of the sun as it warms us and stirs us to start creating our dreams – get on with our plans; time to drop the weight of winter where we were turning inwards and connecting with our deeper selves and our ancestor spirits, and start to feel the energy swelling once again. As the sun gets hotter and brighter we will roll into Midsummer on the 21st of December when the Goddess Litha represents the culmination of the sun at its peak and everything around us is blooming and ripe. And, as this time coincides with our Christmas there is much celebration with wonderful feasts which reflect the bounty of all the seasonal tropical foods that we enjoy during our summer – there is much generosity displayed with friends and family and we all come together to give thanks for all we have.
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As I like to work with Tarot cards, I seek inspiration during these seasonal cycles to glean wisdom from the cards as to messages of what we are leaving behind in the Spring and what we are turning towards as the Sun increases in its power and we gain more masculine energy in order to bring our dreams to life. I would like to share a simple seasonal spread using any Tarot card deck that you possess.  

You need to separate the Major Arcana from the rest of the deck; once you have done this you need to shuffle and meditate on what you have learned from the last seasonal cycle and what you will be turning towards in the next seasonal cycle – what wisdom is there for you – so for us Southern witches this is Spring/Summer and for the Northern Witches Autumn to Winter. Once you stop shuffling you need to flip the cards over until you find the Wheel of Fortune Card.  Take special care to also find the card that comes BEFORE the Wheel and the card that comes AFTER the Wheel … these are the 3 cards for your reading as the Wheel of Fortune is the Central card representing the cycle of change with the seasons. The card before is the season we are leaving behind and the card after the Wheel is the card we are turning towards. If the Wheel is at the very end of the pile then you take the card that precedes it and the card at the bottom of the pile.  

​If you like you can make a small alter representing the colours of your season – Here in Australia I use a Green Candle for Ostara (representing fertility) and a Yellow Candle for Litha (representing the power of the Sun). Crystals will also amplify and give you clearer messages. As you can see by the photo – the Temperance card is the season we are leaving behind (spring) and after some reflection I feel the message that this card is giving me is that even though I have put down some seeds of new beginnings, creative ideas and projects that I have to be patient ….. all plans in the earthly dimension take time to come to manifest …. By meditating on this card I can see that there will be changes to my plans and some refining but that it is an angelically led process and that I need to be patient and not try to force those seeds to bloom before they are ready  - Ostara is a time of finding balance. Coming into the Summer I have pulled the Empress Card – again; to me the Empress represents creation and fertility – she is sitting in a field of abundance which coincides nicely with the height of summer. She is pregnant and is wearing a dress which is covered in pomegranates which is the ancient symbol of fertility. This echoes the Temperance card of patience - the Empress is waiting for her seeds to gestate and be born so the conditions for growth and fertility for my projects has got the sun smiling on it at this time and with the nurturing energy of the Empress I will be able to see the rich harvest of my goals.
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I hope you enjoy this fun spread that you can reflect on and maybe write up on your journal as it really is an introspective spread.  If you wish you can extend the spread. To seek what Action you need to take to give the reading extra layers – you take the minor arcana pile; shuffle the cards and then pull a single card under the Major Arcana Cards – look carefully at the *action* in the card and ask yourself – what action can you take to help with the process. These minor arcana cards are the tools that you can use to help you realise your dreams.

Author: Maria Julia Tarot of Silfren Circle
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