Seasons and Tarot are intrinsically linked. The rhythm of the year is one of the main things ruling over the structure of any deck. And that’s one of the reasons why seasonal spreads are so important and powerful.
Spring is the time of awakening and renewal. The 2 spreads I will show you how to do here exactly go in that direction and look at what you can prepare, look forward to and even at your “weather forecast” for the Spring. Metaphorically speaking, in case you were wondering 😉
Spring Tarot Spread Tutorial: Learn 2 Easy Ways to Welcome the Springtime!
Before we start, I just wanted to add that I highly recommend that you keep track of your seasonal readings in your Tarot Journal (I feel like a post on how to keep a journal might follow in the coming weeks 🙂 ). Keep it handy and use it as a reference through the season. Even if – especially if – you are a beginner at Tarot, this will help you keep track of your own accuracy.
So, how to get ready for the Spring with a little Tarot spread? Let’s jump right into it.
SPRING TAROT SPREAD 1: THE WEATHER FORECAST
This is a 4 cards spread mixing soft predictions and guidance. It is totally doable even as a beginner.
First, you need to separate your major and minor cards.
Mix both piles well and place them next to each other.
Now start by drawing one card from your minor suits.
Place it at the top center of your spread.
Then draw 3 major cards and place them below the first as per the image below. It’s better if the first card is not sitting on top on its own but included in the spread while ‘ruling’ over it still.
The first card is your weather forecast. There are different things to consider to understand what this means:
First, which suit came out?
Wands will speak of work, social life, action.
Cups will speak of love, family and well-being.
Coins/Pentacles of money, possessions and the home.
Swords speak of legal matters, the intellect, studies and self-development.
So if you draw a positive Cup card, it means your weather forecast is not only good for the months ahead, it also announces that the season will mostly revolve around matters of the heart and health. If you draw the 4 of Swords, your next 3 months will be mostly quiet and reasonable.
Use your intuition as you read this first card as the meaning will also be influenced by the deck you decided to use. Some actually tend to be brighter, darker, dry or lush. This will give you additional insights. In the example below, we get the best possible forecast. Reunions, peace, well-being. It’s nothing but great “emotional weather”.
Now read the 3 cards below your forecast.
Card 2 is what you need to prepare.
What should you be working for? Spring is the time to plant, but before you can properly plant anything, you need to prepare the ground, clean your tools and make a plan. This card tells you how to do just that: plan your season, prepare the ground for something important.
Some projects are just like gardens, to really come to life and be sustainable, they need to be thought through and carefully prepared. In the example of the spread below, Justice tells our sitter to make sure they take care of any paperwork, legal matters or contracts that are pending. If everything is prepared in time, there will be no problem at all.
Card 3 is what you need to protect. You have something precious that you need to take care of. Something fragile. This could be a new idea, a resolution. It can be a relationship that is just getting started, an opportunity, which needs to be nurtured.
Take care of this gift to let it grow and become strong, like you would protect a delicate flower in its early days. Don’t forget, the frost can still bite in the Spring! In the spread below, it’s all about preserving the sitter’s strengths.
Don’t do too much at once says the card, take breaks and allow yourself to rest. Strength is here, but it needs to be used wisely to avoid a possible burn out. Especially in such a spread where changes announced will be major.
Card 4 is what to look forward to. Whether your forecast is sunny or stormy, there is always something to look forward to. Spring is like a lovely, friendly guest and never comes empty handed.
Look out for your own springtime gift, for what you can already enjoy. For example, in the spread below, it’s all about major changes bringing good luck. The sitter can look forward to these changes about to shake up their life as they will bring many new gifts, opportunities and good luck.
SPRING TAROT SPREAD 2: THE EARTH AWAKENS
This spread is somewhat similar to the previous one with two major changes: First, it will always be ‘charged’ by the Ace of Wands. Second, it is closed by a guidance card to be read on its own.
For this spread too, you will need to separate the minor and major cards. Then find the Ace of Wands and place it on your reading table. It will sit on top of the spread. Now mix the major cards well and draw 3 cards.
Before you start your reading, mix the minor suits separately and draw one fourth, final card, which you will place to the right hand side of your spread, a little further away from the rest.
Your spread will look like this:
The Ace of Wands is not to be read. It only acts as an Ambassador for the Spring (Wands is the minor suit associated with Spring, if you need a little refresher, check out my infographics on the minor suits here).
The first card tells you what you need to sow. A special seed calls for your attention as the timing is perfect for this specific crop. Whether you need to apply for a new job, start looking for a new house or consider joining an online dating platform, now is the time for this brand new start. Think of the project that you wanted to get started, something not yet in the pipeline but definitely in the back of your head. And start working to make it happen.
It’s the best time to get started.
The second card tells you what to nurture. There is something, an opportunity, a gift that needs to be not only welcomed but really appreciated and nurtured. It might not even look like a gift – in the example below and especially with this deck it does not. And yet, Death speaks of total changes and new beginnings that are only opportunities in such a spread and if you’re standing at some crossroads, appreciate your luck and cherish that moment.
Make the most of it.
The third card speaks of an early harvest. Even the Springtime bears some fruit. Some things will be ready to be enjoyed very soon, things you’ve been working for. You deserve this reward, be sure you don’t miss it when it’s ripe and ready. In the example below it seems to be some sort of news and the consequences of hard work (most likely done in the Winter). The reward in this case won’t even need to be harvested, it will present itself to the sitter when ready.
The final card is a little bonus message coming from the minor arcana. Consider all its key attributes and use them as a guide for the season. Again, first consider the suit: Wands ask you to focus on work and action, Cups on love and health, Coins/Pentacles on money and your home, Swords on your intellect and legal matters.
Then note if it is mostly a warning or a friendly advice. In the example below, it’s all about not shying away from hard work and responsibilities while accepting the end of a cycle, culminating in lots of preparation and efforts.
Example of the Earth Awakens Spread:
For all these spreads and the pictures I have used the wonderful Animal Totem Tarot, which is a fantastic deck for guidance and of course, one that is obviously and deeply linked to nature.
Ideally, I’d recommend using a deck, which is connected to the earth, the seasons and mother nature like this one or the Victorian Fairy Tarot, which I use a lot for seasonal readings too – including the one you can book online here.
The Wild Wood Tarot, the Animal Druid Oracle and other such decks would be perfect too. But fear not, if you only possess a Rider Waite or Marseille deck, you can absolutely do these spreads. Just follow your intuition and let the Springtime begin!
Let me know what you think by leaving a comment below of you try one of these spreads or feel free to share your own reading tips 🙂