For those of us that follow moon cycles with our tarot spreads

[Raggydoll]

I was wondering if anyone else here is doing tarot spreads for every (major) phase of the moon and for every sign the moon is in? I read the Moonology book earlier this year as I wanted to connect more with the moon. I also watched some YouTube videos on the same topic. Then I decided to try a new spread for every phase that the moon is in and write it in my journal. I have had quite a lot of fun and insights while doing so! So, is anyone else doing something like that, and would you like to discuss it? (and maybe share spreads for upcoming moons?)

[RavenOfSummer]

Yes! I love this Raggydoll! I was actually planning to post on the forums here to see if there was interest in maybe doing a monthly lunar group reading. My idea was to start a new thread posted on the new moon of each month along with that month's spread, and then people could join in for that month and chat away about various moon things through the month, and post the reading they did for themselves using that month's spread. I was envisioning that we would all do the actual reading on or near the full moon. Would something like that be of interest to you? I also love the idea of generally sharing other moon phase spreads and lunar-related practices etc as well! One of my intentions going into the new year is to deepen my lunar practice, and having a group to share things with is always both helpful and more fun :D

[Ephemeridae]

I do a new moon "seeds to plant" spread, and a full moon "illuminate the shadows" spread. They are the same spread, just with a different focus.

 

  2

5 1 3

  4

 

1- Theme or topic

2- Emotional

3- Physical

4- Spiritual

5- Mental

 

So, for example, last new moon the theme card was the 6 of Cups so the theme for that reading was Nourishment. The physical card in that reading was a 5 of Cups, which I interpreted very simply as... a walk in the cold will nourish my physical health (they totally do, btw). I will meditate or free-write on my reading. Then I charge actual seeds with the intent and plant them, and I keep the intent going by watering the seeds throughout the lunar cycle.

 

On the full moon the reading is the same, except the focus isn't on building good habits or sewing seeds of positivity, it is about bringing unhelpful patterns ("shadows") into the light to confront and examine. Once I've worked those things out of the reading I will write a word or symbol to represent the shadow with watercolor and then I will leave it in an open container of water under the light of the full moon while the word dissolves into the water, then I will use the water throughout the month for cleansing or watering plants or sometimes I'll release it into a stream or whatever feels appropriate. This month I've been using the water to paint with.

 

Working with the zodiac correspondences drives me up a wall when I try. I find it infuriating that the astrological zodiac that everyone talks about the moon being in is not the astronomical zodiac that the moon is actually in at any given time.

[Raggydoll]

RavenofSummer: That is exactly what I had I mind! But I was thinking we could keep it all in one thread (at least to begin with) so it ends up as one ongoing discussion over many moon cycles, with information and different spreads in the midst of it. Do you think that would work?

[RavenOfSummer]

RavenofSummer: That is exactly what I had I mind! But I was thinking we could keep it all in one thread (at least to begin with) so it ends up as one ongoing discussion over many moon cycles, with information and different spreads in the midst of it. Do you think that would work?

 

Yes, good point! So excited :) I'm heading to bed now but can't wait to talk more about this, Raggydoll!

 

 

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[Raggydoll]

Ephemeridae: How interesting, thank you so much for sharing!

 

RavenofSummer: I'm really excited too! See you when you've had some good nights sleep! :D

 

 

[EmpyreanKnight]

I was thinking of how apt it would be to sometimes use moon-centric decks for these spreads. There is the Deviant Moon of course, and the Trionfi della Luna. Add to that the Blue Moon Tarot and the Tarot of the Moon Garden and you've got it made. Uusi decks like the Pagan Otherworlds and the Eros: Garden of Love Marseille have five additional cards depicting the moon in its various phases. There is a full moon card, a gibbous, a quarter, a crescent, and a black or new moon card for those two decks. There are also the Moon Oracle, the Spirit de la Lune, and the Wild Moon Lunar Phase decks, and a lot more lunar oracles that I can no longer remember. :)

[Raggydoll]

EmpyreanKnight: Yes, great idea! I don't have that many decks but there are some of them that I find work better for this purpose than others (for example, I would not be so inclined to take out a classical RWS for lunar work, it just does not have the right vibe for me). The decks that I have been using so far is Stella's tarot and Tarot of the magical forest (worked even better that I thought it would). I will probably also try the Bohemian Gothic for this purpose. But I think I might well be looking in to acquiring one ore two more decks that feel specifically aimed towards lunar works. So I am loving all your ideas!! (The borderless deviant moon has been in my thoughts some time, just not completely sure that I will like it. But the Pagan Otherworlds I will probably end up buying sometime)

[Raggydoll]

Since we have a New Moon in Sagittarius coming up next week (18th December) I thought I might share some pointers from the Moonology book by Yasmin Boland (excellent book, by the way - highly recommended for those that don't already have it).

 

Here are some things that she mentions as especially beneficial during this New Moon:

 

1. Get away. Travel. Get a new perspective to see how blessed your life really is

 

2. Study. This brings up new opportunities which can lead to more freedom

 

3. Search for meaning. (She specifically asks you to check that you are not being narrow minded.)

 

4. Laugh Have fun and take risks!

 

5. Be grateful. Count your blessings!

 

If anyone have something else to add about this specific New Moon, please do so!

[Raggydoll]

I have also been looking at different spreads and this is one that I thought might suit me (I usually always end up modifying my spreads though, but it is nice to have a good starting point for inspiration!)

 

I found the spread at this site: https://labyrinthos.co/blogs/learn-tarot-with-labyrinthos-academy/a-new-moon-in-sagittarius-tarot-spread

 

It's a four card spread, plus you use the Temperance card as a focus card (it represents Sagittarius)

 

.........Temperance...........

...............1....................

..........2...3...4...............

 

1. What is it that I am searching for? What is my quest during this period and cycle? What answers am I looking for?

 

2. What have I left behind in that search? Who can I reach out to again? What has been forgotten but can be reclaimed?

 

3. What am I not committing to? Where is it that I am too focused on exploring, and not focused on developing?

 

4. What have I been to careless about? What have I stopped appreciating? What is it in my life that I have forgotten to focus on?

 

Please share any spreads that you are contemplating on using!

[Raggydoll]

So is anyone doing a reading for tonight's New Moon? I am planning on doing it as soon as my kids go to sleep  :) I am thinking about setting some intentions also.

[RavenOfSummer]

So is anyone doing a reading for tonight's New Moon? I am planning on doing it as soon as my kids go to sleep  :) I am thinking about setting some intentions also.

 

Hi Raggydoll, blessings of this new moon cycle to you! I have a spread that I try to do every new moon that I've been meaning to post for a while. I first found the spread back on AT a while ago, posted by user Milamber. I just posted the spread here on the Tarot Spreads board, just so it can be found if people search there, and will post here too:

 

The card layout suggests the phases of the moon:

 

1            4

  2  7  5

3            6

 

1: Releasing. Things you should be letting go of in your life.

2: Retaining. Things you should be holding close to you.

3: Receiving. Things that are coming into your life.

4: Surroundings. How the world around you is affecting you.

5: Giving. What you should be giving to others.

6: Beginning. Something new that will begin soon.

7: Your lesson. What you should be learning at this point.

[Raggydoll]

Oh, moon blessings to you too, RavenofSummer! I've actually seen that spread (wonder if it was on the Little Red Tarot blog?) but never gotten around to trying it. Thanks for reminding me of it! I was just thinking, aren't those crescent moons backwards in the layout? (me being in the northern hemisphere :) ) It probably looks better this way, though!

 

I will use the spread I posted earlier but I'll probably tweak it so it is a little less reflective and more suited for setting intentions.

[RavenOfSummer]

I have been meaning to add more discussion to this great thread! I love the spread you posted Raggydoll- will add that one to my journal. And very interesting to see those tips from the Boland book!

 

In my personal practice, I look at the moons through the year using the various full moon names that correspond to the seasons- most of the common ones today are drawn from Native American traditions, but there were similar practices in Europe and so there is some overlap between those, and also there are different names for the same moon that come from different group of people. A list of the most common names can be found on the Farmer's Almanac website here, and there's a similar article at National Geographic here.

 

I just love the poetry of these names, and how they take you through the wheel of the year. There's a great book by DJ Conway, Moon Magick, that's organized in this way and talks about various cultural practices from all over the world that can be related to each moon.

 

So that's the way I think of the moons in my personal practice, but it's very interesting to think more about the Western astrological associations as well! (Although you'll have to forgive me because my knowledge of astrology is very limited  [emoji15] ) My FAVORITE deck for working with lunar energy, the Spirit de la Lune, actually draws on both of these. Here's a good example in their most recent blog post- they usually send out an email twice a month, at the new and full moon, discusses various lunar practices and rituals.

 

I love working with the Spirit de la Lune- like, if I had to whittle my deck collection down to just five decks, this would be among them! So that's saying a lot!! [emoji2]  The excellent guidebook actually has a spread for each of the full moon throughout the year, so those tend to be my go-to spreads for Full Moon readings. I do generally read with the Spirit de la Lune for them too, although they could also be done with tarot or another oracle. If for whatever reason I'm not feeling the spread from the book for a particular month, then I go looking for another or create a new one. I plan to create more moon-based spreads this year. I found this one a couple months ago that I think works great as an anytime full moon spread.

 

So the upcoming full moon will be the Wolf Moon in January. I can type out the spread later, but for now I'm just attaching a picture of the Wolf Moon spread from the Spirit de la Lune guidebook. Interestingly, there will also be a second full moon in January, making it a Blue Moon, and it will also correlate with a lunar eclipse!

 

If we wanted to do a more formal monthly hosted group reading, and we wanted to split hosting duties, it could be interesting to have a mix of Western astrological- and Native American name-based spreads throughout the year!

 

I was thinking of how apt it would be to sometimes use moon-centric decks for these spreads. There is the Deviant Moon of course, and the Trionfi della Luna. Add to that the Blue Moon Tarot and the Tarot of the Moon Garden and you've got it made. Uusi decks like the Pagan Otherworlds and the Eros: Garden of Love Marseille have five additional cards depicting the moon in its various phases. There is a full moon card, a gibbous, a quarter, a crescent, and a black or new moon card for those two decks. There are also the Moon Oracle, the Spirit de la Lune, and the Wild Moon Lunar Phase decks, and a lot more lunar oracles that I can no longer remember. [emoji4]

 

I'll just reiterate again since you brought it up EmpyreanKnight, what a HUGE fan I am of the Spirit de la Lune! I also love the Moon Phases Oracle, which is unfortunately now out of print. I'll attach a picture of that too, since there's no website to point to for it. I wouldn't mind getting a copy of the Wild Moon Lunar Phase deck as well!

 

 

[Raggydoll]

Just wanted to say Thank You RavenofSummer! So many great tips and lots of things I want to discuss further. I have guests arriving for the holidays soon so I will have to get back to you when things are a little less hectic. Happy holidays to you (and everyone else!)

[Raggydoll]

So, I am starting to make plans for next full moon, which is Full Moon in Cancer or Wolf moon (on January 2nd).

 

Here are Yasmin Bolands top 5 questions to ask yourself this full moon (from her Moonology book):

 

1. Have I been insecure, clingy and no fun this month?

 

2. Have I been coming at what I want sideways, instead of tackling it head-on?

 

3. Have I been sulky, moody, brooding or manipulative?

 

4. Have I been secretive and possibly even a tad paranoid?

 

5. Have I had enough time with people who feel like family?

 

----------------------

 

And here is a spread that I came up with for this full moon:

 

FULL MOON IN CANCER SPREAD

 

                1

              2    3

 

        4  5    6  7

 

1. My emotional state right now

2. My insecurities and vulnerabilities

3. What would make me feel safe and secure

4. What I've been doing that simply isn't working for me

5. What I would be better off doing

6. What I need to let go of (what is holding me back)

7. What I need to nurture and make more of a priority in my life

 

 

[EmpyreanKnight]

It seems like there are going to be ots of lunar activity this January with two supermoons, a blue moon, and a total lunar eclipse.

[OutoftheAshes]

I was wondering if anyone else here is doing tarot spreads for every (major) phase of the moon and for every sign the moon is in? I read the Moonology book earlier this year as I wanted to connect more with the moon. I also watched some YouTube videos on the same topic. Then I decided to try a new spread for every phase that the moon is in and write it in my journal. I have had quite a lot of fun and insights while doing so! So, is anyone else doing something like that, and would you like to discuss it? (and maybe share spreads for upcoming moons?)

I would love to join in on this! ;D

 

Following and understanding the influence of each of the phases and sign the moon is in is a big part of my practice and a new moon and full moon spread this way sounds wonderful!

The upcoming Wolf Moon spread and added introspective thoughts you shared Raggydoll, look wonderful. I'm going to the site to look at the deck as well.

I've not been able to narrow down a moon deck and with all the different ones mentioned I believe I may finally find the one for me. :)

[EmpyreanKnight]

What lunar deck have you chosen, OutoftheAshes?

[Raggydoll]

It seems like there are going to be ots of lunar activity this January with two supermoons, a blue moon, and a total lunar eclipse.

 

Yes it’s going to be really exciting!

[Raggydoll]

I would love to join in on this! ;D

 

Following and understanding the influence of each of the phases and sign the moon is in is a big part of my practice and a new moon and full moon spread this way sounds wonderful!

The upcoming Wolf Moon spread and added introspective thoughts you shared Raggydoll, look wonderful. I'm going to the site to look at the deck as well.

I've not been able to narrow down a moon deck and with all the different ones mentioned I believe I may finally find the one for me. :)

 

Glad to have you join us!!

[Raggydoll]

I wanted to add some general information on working with the full moon (mostly taken from the Moonology book).

 

Yasmin Bolands keywords for working with the full moon are forgiveness and gratitude. She talks about how forgiveness is crucial for any kind of manifestation, and that when you forgive and release resentment you need to replace that feeling with something - gratitude.

 

So the full moon is a time for shedding the old and letting go of anything that is counterproductive - like fear, guilt, jealousy, disappointment, but also toxic thoughts, habits (and toxic people). Yasmin recommends that you do a forgiveness ceremony followed by a gratitude ceremony at every full moon (she gives instructions on how to perform those ceremonies in her book)

 

The full moon is also a great time for inner work, such as healing, shifting blocks and reflecting on our lives.

 

A lot of us also use the full moon for cleansing and charging our ritual tools.

 

What do you guys use the Full Moon for?

[RavenOfSummer]

Blessings of the Dark Moon, everyone!

 

Raggydoll and I have been talking about deepening our lunar practices by sharing them with the group here. As part of this, we thought we would try offering a monthly group reading that is open to anyone to participate in. The idea is that through sharing our practice we deepen our own practice, have an opportunity to learn new information and spreads related to the Moon throughout the year, etc. We’re posting the first lunar group reading of the year TODAY on the day of the New Moon here!

 

So, here is the idea:

 

1. This is a group reading using a shared spread, NOT a reading exchange circle. Similar to the Sacred Days of Yule for those who have participated in that- if you sign up to participate, you will be doing the reading for yourself as part of your personal lunar practice and journey. At the same time, it will be a communal experience because we will share that journey with one another.

2. Each month, on the day of the New Moon, a new thread will be posted in the Group Readings subforum. The thread will contain a spread that we will focus on for that month’s moon cycle.

3. You may sign up to participate in the month’s reading any time between the New Moon and the Full Moon.

4. During that period between the New Moon and the Full Moon, you can chat away about anything you are focusing on for this moon cycle. For example, many people like to set an intention at the time of the New Moon, which they cultivate over the course of the moon cycle.

5. You can also share other details about your moon practice, information related to the astrological or Native American associations of the moon for that month, decks you are using as part of your moon practice, etc.

6. The reading itself is done at or near the Full Moon. When you read for yourself using the month’s spread, on the day of the Full Moon or close to it, share your reading with a post in that month’s thread.

7. For the rest of the month, use the thread to chat away about how the reading is relating to your life, how your intentions for the month are progressing, etc.

8. The whole cycle starts over again at the next New Moon!

 

So, that is the idea! We really hope this will appeal to folks so that we can share our practice as a group together here. We would love if you sign up! Please head over to the Group Readings subforum, where we have a spread pertaining to the Lunar Eclipse coming up on January 31st!