> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://barn-witch.ghost.io/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Samhain Tarot Spread - URL: https://barn-witch.ghost.io/samhain-tarot-spread/ - Published: 2026-10-06T18:38:07.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-06T18:38:07.000Z - Author: Bethany Smith Good morning, barn witches! Yesterday I wrote a heavy post, one that I am sure many witches coming from Christian upbringings can probably relate to. Today, I want to pivot a little bit. I would love to take this morning to embrace the spirit of October with a Samhain-inspired tarot spread. So, I went to my favorite tarot blog called [Biddy Tarot](https://biddytarot.com/?ref=barn-witch.ghost.io). I often visit their website when I have a tarot question I want answered quickly and accurately. It did not disappoint, today- I found the perfect spread for an early October morning: ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/12/9d/129df3fd-eb06-4563-9013-13a1ee7e979c/content/images/2026/10/Samhain-Tarot-Spread-1--Biddy-Tarot-.jpg) \*All the credit for this image and this spread goes to [Biddy Tarot](https://biddytarot.com/?ref=barn-witch.ghost.io). If you would like to check out the original source, here is the direct link to the page I found it on: [Samhain Tarot Spread.](https://biddytarot.com/blog/samhain-tarot-spread/?ref=barn-witch.ghost.io) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/12/9d/129df3fd-eb06-4563-9013-13a1ee7e979c/content/images/2026/10/Samhain-Tarot-Spread-2--Biddy-Tarot-.jpg) \*Again, all credit for this image goes to [Biddy Tarot](https://biddytarot.com/?ref=barn-witch.ghost.io). Today I am choosing to use my first tarot deck - the [*New* *Mythic Tarot*](https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780312562014/thenewmythictarot/?ref=barn-witch.ghost.io), which I acquired while studying abroad in Ireland - because it is a beautiful deck, for one thing. For another, there is less nudity pictured on the cards than in my [*Divine Feminine*](https://www.cocorrina.com/products/divine-feminine-tarot-deck?ref=barn-witch.ghost.io) tarot deck, and I haven't yet discovered the "rules" for posting such images in a blog like this. Anywhoo, both decks are absolutely beautiful decks and they both respond really well to my energy, so I am happy using either one. --- Alright- let's get started. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/12/9d/129df3fd-eb06-4563-9013-13a1ee7e979c/content/images/2026/10/October-6-2026-Tarot-Prep-1.JPEG) My little, slightly dusty, tarot setup- the board is actually made for crystal grids, I got it and the little goddess from one of my favorite Etsy shops, [**Brigid's Grove*](https://www.etsy.com/shop/BrigidsGrove?ref=shop%5Fsugg%5Fmarket). Since this is my first post about tarot, I will explain a little bit of how I personally go about reading the cards. Before I do, though, I want to remind everyone reading that tarot is a wonderfully personal practice, and that no two tarot readers go about engaging with their cards in the exact same way. Please, feel free to take what resonates with you from my version and leave anything that does not. Your intuition should always guide you first and foremost. Anything that feels "wrong" need not be used. That being said, this is how I do it. I take a brief moment to breathe and ground myself (I use a method of grounding where I close my eyes and imagine tree roots growing from my feet and descending into the earth- I can provide more details on grounding in a future post, but in the meantime please feel free to send me a dm or email me if you are curious). Once I feel connected to the universe, or connected *enough*\- I try not to let my OCD or my perfectionism get in the way for the grounding step, which I'll be honest, sometimes *does* happen- I set my intention by asking the universe a simple but specific question. For today, it went something like this: "What kind of energy is waiting for me during this month of October, 2026?" Then I shuffle the cards. This is one of my favorite parts of tarot, to be honest. It is an important step because it helps the cards feel and respond to my unique energy. It also gives me a bit of confidence in the process, reassuring my neurodivergence that the cards will be relevant to what I have asked. As a complete aside, it also inspires me and makes me feel incredibly witchy and magickal. The next step is the hardest for me to not get in my own head about- letting the cards come forward. Now, I firmly believe that wisdom can be gained no matter which card shows up in a reading. There are therefore no *wrong* cards. At the same time, some readings resonate with me more than others, I think it just depends on if I am truly open to receiving the message that appears. Nonetheless, because of the way my brain likes to second-guess the cards, I try to let them be very obvious about their decisions. This is likely not the way most people go about tarot, but it helps me a lot. I try to let the cards "jump" out of the deck. That way, there can be no question in my mind of whether they are trying to say something or not. I am working towards trusting my intuition enough so that the cards do not *have* to leap out of the deck anymore- so that I can simply feel which card wants to come forward and let that be that. Today I did a little bit of both methods, trusting my gut and also listening when a card jumped out. Here is the resulting spread: ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/12/9d/129df3fd-eb06-4563-9013-13a1ee7e979c/content/images/2026/10/October-6--2026-Tarot-Spread.JPEG) These are the cards I pulled today, in the order in which I pulled them. So, we have our cards. Now it's time for the fun part- interpreting them. \*I am still a new tarot reader, and so I want to preface this interpretation by saying I am consulting both the [New Mythic Tarot](https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780312562014/thenewmythictarot/?ref=barn-witch.ghost.io) guidebook and the [Biddy Tarot](https://biddytarot.com/tarot-card-meanings/minor-arcana/suit-of-wands/five-of-wands/?ref=barn-witch.ghost.io) website for guidance. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/12/9d/129df3fd-eb06-4563-9013-13a1ee7e979c/content/images/2026/10/Five-Of-Wands-Reversed.JPEG) Five of Wands, Reversed. **Card 1:** *Me in the Present Moment*: Five of Wands, Reversed: \*Just as another real quick side note, I *do* personally like to read reversals when I read tarot, as it feels slightly more accurate or more nuanced in my head. However, I totally recognize that there is no hard and fast rule saying every reader *must* read them, and it is once again up to your own comfort level. For those who do not know what a reversal is, it is when a card appears in a reading upside-down. It usually indicates that the upright card is somehow blocked or internalized, or sometimes even delayed, though that is not the feeling I typically get from them. Honestly, I personally feel they oppose the original upright interpretation of the card in some way. I do not think this means that reversals are always a *direct* opposite of the original meaning, but it is just an intuitive sense that I have that they do indicate a bit of a block, or opposing feeling, in the usual energy. Okay, so Five of Wands, Reversed... I am getting the sense from my sources that this card is all about conflict, whether it is right-side-up or upside-down. The fact that the card is upside-down pinged my intuition a little in the sense that I feel it is indicating an **internal** conflict for me today. This is not surprising - I have internal conflicts on a regular basis. I am not surprised by this energy showing up whatsoever. In particular, I am still thinking **a lot** about my post from last night. It was a very vulnerable [post](https://barn-witch.ghost.io/a-loving-letter-to-my-christian-family-and-friends/) for me to write and I am still debating whether I can safely share it with my immediate family. So, the internal conflict definitely checks out. Let's move on to card number two. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/12/9d/129df3fd-eb06-4563-9013-13a1ee7e979c/content/images/2026/10/King-of-Cups.JPEG) King of Cups **Card 2**: Ghost of the Past: King of Cups: This card features an image of the mythic figure Orpheus, according to the deck's guidebook. The Cups are all about the Water element, which, in turn, often has to do with emotions. The Kings, sitting at the end of each suit's journey, typically represent an individual who has reached mastery and authority in that particular realm. This makes sense to me, then, why the author and the artist chose Orpheus for this card. Orpheus is the mythical singer who bravely walked through the gates of Hades to make the perilous journey to the Underworld throne room so that he could beseech the King and Queen of death to return his wife to life. His journey was all about mastering his emotions so that he could return to the land of the living with the object of his desire- his wife, Eurydice. This suggests to me that I had good control over my emotions in the past. I think this is referring strictly to yesterday, as I had my head on straight when I wrote that post and did not let my emotions run completely away with me. I also showed a good amount of restraint- I wanted everyone in my family to read what I had written- to rip off the metaphorical band-aid, so to speak- but this probably would not have been wise. I think the King of Cups is nodding his head to me, this morning, acknowledging the effort it took me yesterday to control my impulsive emotions. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/12/9d/129df3fd-eb06-4563-9013-13a1ee7e979c/content/images/2026/10/The-High-Priestess.JPEG) Persephone! The High Priestess! **Card 3**: Spirit of the Future: The High Priestess: I love when the High Priestess card shows up in a reading- it feels like a visit from a dear friend. The High Priestess is a Major Arcana card, which means that she deals with more overarching themes than the suit cards usually do. She speaks of intuition and sacred feminine wisdom when she appears in a reading, and I always try to welcome both of these things happily. Additionally, this is my favorite card in this particular deck, as it portrays an image of my favorite goddess, Persephone. Persephone means a lot to me for a great many reasons, reasons which I'll likely explore in a post of her own. For now, seeing her as my "Spirit of the Future" card for October makes my heart want to sing. As the goddess of spring and the Underworld simultaneously, she embodies the sacred duality of light and dark. Light is needed for there to be shadows, and vice versa. Samhain, October 31st, is also considered the "Witch's New Year." It marks the transition from the lighter half of the year (in the northern hemisphere, at least) to the darker half. This is also the part of the year when Persephone traditionally makes her journey to the Underworld to be with her husband, Hades. I love that this card came up so much! It tells me that, if I play my cards right (get it?), I will have both a wonderfully witchy and intuitive Samhain this year, and, I'm also getting the sense that, this will extend further into the following late fall and winter months as well. Persephone is inviting me to be introspective, to follow my intuition, and to embrace the sacred femininity of the season. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/12/9d/129df3fd-eb06-4563-9013-13a1ee7e979c/content/images/2026/10/Five-Of-Pentacles-Reversed.JPEG) Five of Pentacles, Reversed **Card 4**: Behind the Veil: Five of Pentacles, Reversed: So, this message comes from my ancestors, and it felt a little negative, on first glance. Reversals, to my intuition, always have a slightly negative feeling to them, despite the fact that I know they are simply providing me with information from the universe. However, upon looking up the meaning of this particular reversal, it might be a little more positive than I initially gave it credit for. According to Biddy Tarot, it can potentially mean that I will (or that I can) recover from a financial loss. This is great news, as, unfortunately, my finances are a little bit dismal at the moment. I would love this to be the primary message from my ancestors. However, the other one is ringing slightly more true in my mind, and that is that there is a presence of spiritual poverty hovering around me. I know where that is coming from, now that I think about it. I have not done very much ancestor work. In fact, I've basically done *zero* ancestor work. Sometimes, I do feel interested in exploring this realm of magick, but most of the time I know that I shy away. For one thing, there is baggage. I was very close with my grandparents on my father's side who passed away a few years ago. They are my most recent ancestors, and they were *very* Christian in their beliefs. Part of me feels shame and fear that if I reach out to them in the spirit world they will be angry with my spiritual choices. I have discussed this with witchy friends in the past - have been assured not to worry about this, because now that they are beyond the veil they know the *truth*. Well, that may be, but something about reaching out to Christian ancestors in a very non-Christian way feels wrong to me. I'm not saying this as a rule. I am saying how I personally feel about it up to this point. All this to say... the message I'm getting from this card, which was supposed to be from my ancestors themselves, is something along the lines of: > *"You can shy away from engaging with us, but we have a wealth of knowledge to share with you. There is a bit of spiritual poverty lingering over you because you have left our realm unexplored. We have much to offer, so speak with us."* It still makes me feel nervous, the idea of reaching out to them. I also have a fear of not interacting with them often enough once I start a relationship with them. This happens with my relationship with Persephone and my spirit guides, too. I simply do not remember to speak with them on a regular basis. However, I have heard your voices reaching out in this Five of Pentacles card, ancestors. Please be patient with me, I will contact you when I feel ready. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/12/9d/129df3fd-eb06-4563-9013-13a1ee7e979c/content/images/2026/10/Two-of-Pentacles.JPEG) Two of Pentacles **Card 5**: In front of the Veil: Two of Pentacles: Well, this is a bit on the nose. The description of what this card in the spread means says that it is pointing towards "how I can bring these messages from my ancestors into my daily life." This Two of Pentacles card is about juggling priorities and making room for what is truly important. It is about being careful about how I spend my time, basically. I suppose that tells me what my ancestors want me to do even more clearly. They want me to make time for them. They have seen that I am busy juggling many things - cultivating my marriage, cleaning my house, pursuing a new job, writing a new blog, finishing a novel, writing text for children's books, and making time for my family and friends... Well, through this card they are saying: > "We are also your family. Make time for us." While I don't want to make them any grand promises, as I know how crazy my life likes to get, I do want to say this to them: > "I hear what you are saying. I will try to slow down and make time for my practice. By the time Samhain rolls around, I will make it a goal to reach out to you while the veil is thin." --- Alright- this has been a long post. I am stopping it here, even though I could write for days trying to tease out every nuance of the cards' meanings. I think I have discovered the main points, for today at least. And now you can see how I personally like to approach a tarot reading, too. After I do a reading I like to go back to the grounding exercise and close it. For the one I used today, I simply visualize the roots I sent down into the Earth coiling their way back up and into my feet. I also try to remember to thank the Earth for allowing me to use its grounding energy. Then the reading is "done" and stored away in my head (or on paper, or in a blog) for later use. I hope you've enjoyed this Samhain-themed tarot reading. Please feel free to reach out and let me know your thoughts on it, I would love to hear them.