Spring has begun, a time of renewal and rebirth. This New Moon in Aries, make space for new blessings in your life through cleansing rituals, both physical (spring cleaning) and internal (letting go of what no longer serves). This tarot spread by Sabrina Scott connects with the moon's cycles in order to release old patterns – perfect for welcoming spring into our bodies and hearts.
The purpose of this spread is to connect deeply with lunar energies in order to develop a closer awareness of the cycles we’re moving through in the present moment. We begin at the new moon in order to learn what it is we need to release in order to make progress in our growth, in order to become more connected to ourselves and to expand into ourselves more robustly. The spread provides an excellent template for the coming weeks, and can be done as a general reading, or you can fine-tune it to be about any specific area of your life (career, friendships, romance and love, mental health and recovery, and so on). Here’s a little more about what each card in this spread teaches us:
The first card in this spread, the card in the waning moon position, reveals what we must dispose of in order to move forwards. This can be an energy you’re moving away from or letting go of, it can be a job or behaviour or group of friends. Look for clues in the suit you’ve drawn – is it swords? Wands? Or have you drawn a major arcana card? If you’ve drawn a major card, it may be a bigger life shift that is being asked of you right now. The change at hand may not be so simple as switching jobs or friendship groups, but may require a deeper emotional, spiritual, and psychological shift within yourself. This may be an ask to release habits and identities you’ve long clung to, in the interest of your movement forwards.
The second card in this spread represents the new moon, and shows us where we’ll be once we let go of what was represented by the previous card. This can be a little encouragement to release what we need to, or it might be one of those more difficult cards showing heartbreak. Release isn’t always easy and can stir up some powerful emotions. If one of those challengers comes up in this position, make sure to gather support for yourself in this transition: available friends, a spa day, maybe some time wandering through the local park, forest, or beach! If this is a signal to be kind to yourself and take care of yourself in this process, take heed and prepare.
The waxing moon card, in the third position, shows us what we can welcome in and embrace. In processes of letting go, we make more space for new things (habits, people, energies, projects) to be welcomed into the space left behind. The moon is growing again after its period of darkness. This card gives you a little nudge about where to focus your energies and your time, what habits to cultivate, what energies to align yourself with in this period of transformation and becoming.
The final punctuation in this cycle of change is the full moon card. Whew! Time for a big exhale, but also a strong breath in and a celebration for the ups and downs necessary for growth. Where will this process take you? What might you grow into? Where might you end up if you’re able to shift in alignment with the energies revealed in the spread? Be sure to take note of how you feel when you see this card. Are you excited, nervous, scared? Does the full moon card fill you with hope and happiness, or with despair? Whatever your reaction, sit with it, and spend a lot of time with this card in order to learn its nooks and crannies. You will receive clues for your entire journey within this card, if you proceed with an open heart and mind.
I would recommend working with this spread throughout the lunar cycle. Pull out each card and sit with it as you move with the moon’s shifting faces. As time passes and you connect with the energies of each moon phase (and card), how do the card meanings for each phase change through the weeks? Do they? Do you feel your relationship with each card shifting? Maybe you do and maybe you don’t. There’s no single way to relate to this process! Either way, befriend the cards and sit with them through each moon phase in order to stay present.
See also:
Soji: A Meditation on Zen Cleaning: "In Japan, cleaning is called ‘Soji’ and valued as a way to cultivate our minds. In fact, Soji is beyond mere cleaning. Buddhist monks in a monastery put more time into practicing Soji than into practicing Zen meditation."
Daily Practice Guide: The establishment of daily practice, a devotional rhythm in life through ritual and routine, is the bedrock of a magical practice. Dedicating yourself to such a practice can benefit your consciousness, health and general well-being.
Hildegard's Healing Recipes: “Your food shall be your remedy.” Hildegard's medieval recipes for inspiration for your own healing practices.
Spring Equinox: Magical Plants for Healing, Balance and Immunity: As well as seeding and nurturing plants, now is an important time to enhance your self-care for the days and weeks ahead through ritual, intention-setting and clearing your energy.
No Future: The Tower by Johanna Hedva: “Crisis is perhaps the most generative thing of all—the forest fire necessary for new growth—for how many of us change unless we are forced to?”
Please consider supporting small presses and independent bookstores in their ingenuity and passion at all times, but especially in this current moment.