Tarot Spreads: Full and New Moon

IT’S LAUNCH WEEK, MY DEARS! My very first tarot book, Your Tarot Toolkit, comes out this week! It’s honestly still pretty surreal, but I’m so excited to share this box of activities, reflections, and affirmations based on the tarot. It’s been a labor of love for sure! 

To celebrate, I thought I’d share two moon-cycle spreads I created a few years ago. One is for the full moon and one is for the new moon. They are slightly more involved spreads than the ones I’ve shared in the past (six cards for one, and seven for the other) so they’d be best suited for a full/new moon when you have a few spoons to spare. 

Tomorrow is also the full moon, so we’ll start with that spread! 

HARVEST YOUR FULL MOON

Image description: A tarot spread template for the full moon. There are six cards needed. The first three are laid out in a horizontal row from left to right. The fourth and fifth cards are on top of the row of cards 1-3, and the sixth card is at the very top. All together, they form a pyramid.
  1. REFLECT on the lessons you’ve learned
  2. REFINE the goal you’ve been working towards
  3. RECHARGE after the growth you’ve achieved
  4. REKINDLE a positive energy from the past month
  5. REDIRECT an upcoming negative energy
  6. RECEIVE a message from the universe

The full moon is all about reaping what you sowed over the last month (or so). It’s an excellent time for introspection, observing the fruits of your endeavors, and celebrating abundance. I find it’s a great opportunity for journaling, or for catching up your Book of Shadows if you keep one. I designed this spread with harvesting and reflecting in mind. It’s a barometer of sorts, allowing you to check in with your craft and see how it’s going, note any potential speed bumps ahead of you, and open yourself to the universe’s wisdom. 

A quick personal anecdote about this spread with particular relevance to spoonie witchcraft. When I first created this full moon layout a few years ago, I had been going around in circles for months about whether to buy a walker/rollator. I felt instinctively that choosing one with a built-in seat would be ideal for situations where I might be expected to stand for long periods. Waiting in a long line, for example. But I’d talked myself out of going through with a purchase several times. Did I really need it? Shouldn’t my cane be sufficient? Etc. The usual internalized ableism. So one full moon, I sat down to do this spread, still undecided about whether to buy the mobility aid. I used my beloved Numinous Tarot, which features characters of many races, gender identities and expressions, and (notably) ability levels. In the sixth position, for my message from the universe, I pulled Nine of Wands, which also happens to be the only card in the Numinous Tarot that features a character using a rollator. 

Image description: The Nine of Candles (Wands) from the Numinous Tarot. It shows an older white person with a rollator pausing atop a bridge to look back. They are holding one candle, and eight more burn behind them.

Welp. Message certainly received, universe. I bought the rollator not long after, and yes, it has been incredibly helpful. 

BLOOM WITH THE NEW MOON

  1. An affirmation for the coming month (this could be an oracle card, if you prefer!) 
  2. A challenge to learn from
  3. A tether to ground with
  4. A negative energy to release
  5. An energy to welcome in
  6. A triumph to celebrate
  7. A goal to reach for

The new moon is a time for making plans, setting intentions, and beginning projects. This can be an exciting period of embarking, though for disabled and neurodivergent witches there is always the temptation of overdoing or overcommitting as well. The good news is that oftentimes, our tarot cards are more honest/realistic than we are about our limits and access needs. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve pulled Four of Swords for my “goal to reach for,” reminding me that rest is just as important a goal as anything else I might be working on. And although I might roll my eyes upon pulling this card and say, “I KNOW, DECK. I GET IT,” it’s always a needed reminder, too. 

If you give these spreads a try, I’d love to know how they felt for you, or if you pulled any particularly impactful cards. And if you want to go a step further and incorporate one or more of your moon-cycle cards into your daily life, you can get my book TODAY! It’s available anywhere books are sold, but I particularly recommend bookshop.org, as the sales there help support local bookstores. 

Tarot Spreads: Full and New Moon Tiny Witchcraft

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://ruleestory.com/2023/02/04/tarot-spreads-full-and-new-moon/

Published by Ru-Lee Story

Tea-drinking, asexual, agender tarot practitioner and author battling chronic illness and social injustices. Not necessarily in that order. They/them or ey/em.

Leave a Reply

%d bloggers like this: