Pagan Underworlds Tarot

Second Harvest 2026 – Autumn Equinox

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Today is the Autumn Equinox.  This is considered by many to be the first day of Autumn, and is one of only two moments in the year when the sun is exactly above the Equator, and thus day and night are of equal length.  Like Halloween is a time when the veil between the land of the living and the realm of the dead is thin, this holiday (as well as its cross-point in the spring) are times when the veil between our world and that of the Fae is at is thinnest… and it is when I personally experience more interactions with them than any other time of year.

Mabon, the Second Harvest

In my path, the Autumn Equinox is also known as the Second Harvest (also called Mabon), and is a day that marks the transition of the growing season into full harvest.  After this day, the darkness of night begins to overtake the sun’s reign in the sky as the days continue to grow shorter and shorter, and the nights longer and longer. The earth is winding down its abundant generosity and beginning to close up shop for the year.

Like with new moons and full moons, I usually do a spread to check in with myself and give myself some direction for the next couple of months for each solstice, equinox, and other Sabbats. This reading’s focus is about progress and my path. The time period for this reading reaches through the next handful of weeks until the celebration of the upcoming third and Last Harvest of the year (aka. Samhain, Halloween) at the end of October. Spread by @onyerbroom

Mabon Oracle Reading with the Seasons of the Witch Mabon Oracle

Area Ripening – Harvest Moon

You have done well at finding a more moderate pace for yourself and tamping down on your unreasonable expectations concerning performance and perfection. As the fall season progresses towards winter, these new self restraints and efforts towards moderation will come with extra challenges.

Notice how you are utilizing your mindset and time to create this balance, so that you can use these tools later on when they are needed most. Make sure that you are tapping into those tools and that part of yourself that is in need of a slower pace so that you don’t overdo it during these times.

Needs Gathering – Coven

Don’t forget that you are not alone. You are connected to others who are eager to be there for you and help when you need it.

Make sure that you are staying connected with these people and appreciative of their efforts and their offers. In doing so, you continue to hold them near you even when you don’t necessarily need the help… so that they are there when you actually do.

Must Tend To – Campfire

Communication is extremely important at this time of year, letting people know not only that you are going to need them in the season ahead that is coming, but building the connections needed to make sure that they will be available to you when you ask.

Make sure that you are expressing your needs, including the future ones to come. In doing so you are giving those you love a heads up. Do not look at this as demanding their time on or inconveniencing them. Instead, tap into your awareness that they actually -want- to help and are looking for an excuse to join you.

Season Ahead – Tea Magick

There are a lot of hidden “magics” in your life that help to keep you healthy and happy throughout the year. When you ignore these tools that are embedded into your life in the day to day, you neglect important parts of yourself that you don’t even notice are flagging until it’s too late.

Make sure that you are drinking your tea, doing your meditation, and otherwise taking care of yourself so that you will stay strong and healthy as you move forward.

Other elements included in this reading:
Goat Figure as Sympathetic Representation of Amalthea
Foraged Parmeliaceae Lichen for a “Breath of Fresh Air”
Japanese Cherry Leaf as a Reminder of Life’s Fleeting Moments
Desert Rose for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECKS USED: SEASONS OF THE WITCH MABON ORACLE

First Harvest 2026 – Lammas/Lughnasadh

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Today is the First Harvest Celebration for the year. This day marks the transition into the harvest season of August, September, and October (of which there is a Second Harvest and Last Harvest that correspond to these months).

harvest

This holiday is often called Lammas, Lughnasadh, or Lugh, although I usually just refer to it as the First Harvest. On my path, it celebrates the beginning of Summer’s decline and ramping up of the busy season where we begin to reap in the abundance that the bounty of summer’s energies has encouraged to grow and flourish.

Like with new moons and full moons, I usually do a spread to check in with myself and give myself some direction for the next couple of months for each solstice, equinox, and other Sabbats. This First Harvest, though, I’ve chosen to do the Tarotholics First Harvest Spread instead of the regular spread I usually do at this time of year.

First Harvest Tarot Reading with The Luminous Void Tarot

Calves: How can I better express my needs and vulnerabilities to welcome in nurturing assistance?

Six of Swords – Tune into what is right for you, and make sure that you are rejecting those things that aren’t. When you clearly communicate what works for you and what doesn’t, others are able to more easily understand what you need and provide it for you.

Corn – How can I foster the gift of greater long-term prosperity in my life?

Nine of Discs – Gratitude is the path to abundance. When you appreciate what you have and what you have done, gratitude allows you to open yourself up to more in a healthy manner. The key here is in the “opening up” instead of pushing and pursuit.

Peridot: Where can greater focus and clarity draw out more joy in my life?

Seven of Cups – There’s always going to be more things in life that you’re interested in than there is time to explore them. By trying to explore too many of them at once, you end up overwhelmed and take the joy out of these experiences. Instead, be more judicial in picking and choosing which interests you pursue, and as a result, you will find more joy in the experience.

Golden Topaz: How can more authentic self-exploration improve how I see the world?

Judgment – When you connect not just with who you are, but with the person that you want to become, it allows you to see life as a journey of growth and experiences instead of a race or a trial to survive.

Crow: What message from beyond have I been ignoring that it’s time to acknowledge?

Queen of Discs – The stability you’re lacking (and thus crave) does not reside within resources or money, but rather it resides in the nurturing energy you feel is lacking in your life. If you want to find that stability, it is through nurturing yourself and allowing others to do the same that you will discover its source.

Basil: What risk or danger in my life is it time to take seriously?

Nine of Cups – There is danger in stagnancy and in wallowing in one’s comfort zone. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t enjoy the things that make you happy and appreciate them, but it does mean you shouldn’t linger there so long that you start to wallow and languish instead of just enjoy and recover.

Why?

Queen of Cups – It isn’t just your body and mind that need nurturing, but your emotions as well. Stagnancy in nature creates an environment for rot and decay, and this is also true for one’s body, mind, and emotions. To nurture these things in yourself there is a need to actively pursue those things that make you smile and spark joy, rather than just wallowing in comfort.

Other elements included in this reading:
Japanese Cherry Leaf as a Reminder of Life’s Fleeting Moments
Dried Red Maple Leaf for Adaptability and Connection
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECK USED: THE LUMINOUS VOID TAROT

Beltane 2026 – May Day

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The last evening of April through the first day of May is Beltane, which is also my sister and I’s birthday. Like Halloween is a time when the veil between the land of the living and the realm of the dead is thin, this holiday is the time when the veil between our world and that of the Fae is at is thinnest.  I personally often find myself amped up with extra energy around this time of year, which I most often use to spend more time playing in that thinning veil as much as possible.

Spring Lilacs

Like with new moons and full moons, I usually do a spread to check in with myself and give myself some direction for the next couple of months for each solstice, equinox, and other Sabbats. This year’s Beltane reading isn’t structured like my normal Solstice practices, as I’ve been feeling a bit overwhelmed, but instead is a lovely spread provided by @DarkFaeTarot

Beltane Tarot Reading with The Alchemical Tarot of Marseille

Tall wildflowers reaching the sky

King of Pentacles – You strive for the stability that you crave. This is a part of who you are. Instead of trying to abandon this part of yourself, consider working at managing it so that your craving for stability and security doesn’t become stagnancy, but instead creates an opportunity for growth.

Celebrating and embracing the joy of friends & family

Ace of Pentacles – Remember that sometimes when the opportunity lands in your lap to spend time with others, it does so for a reason. Take these moments for what they are… an opportunity to build stable and lasting relationships.

Everything that I am releasing as the days grow longer

Three of Swords – Use the movement of spring and the energies it stirs up to release disappointments and the negative emotions that stagnancy allowed to grow and fester within you. That energy and movement of spring offers a breeze to help blow away the dark pall that lingers and replace it with fresh air.

The grass beneath my feet

Ten of Swords Rx – It’s not over yet, so don’t act like it is. There’s plenty left to do, plenty left to experience, plenty left to enjoy, and plenty left still to overcome.

Other elements included in this reading:
Foraged Silver Maple Key for Bouncing Back to Thrive
Japanese Cherry Leaf as a Reminder of Life’s Fleeting Moments
River Rock for Resilience within Life’s Flow
Selenite for Purification and drawing in Positive Energy

DECKS USED: THE ALCHEMICAL TAROT OF MARSEILLE

Second Harvest 2025 – Autumn Equinox

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Today is the Autumn Equinox.  This is considered by many to be the first day of Autumn, and is one of only two moments in the year when the sun is exactly above the Equator, and thus day and night are of equal length.  Like Halloween is a time when the veil between the land of the living and the realm of the dead is thin, this holiday (as well as its cross-point in the spring) are times when the veil between our world and that of the Fae is at is thinnest… and it is when I personally experience more interactions with them than any other time of year.

Mabon

In my path, the Autumn Equinox is also known as the Second Harvest (also called Mabon), and is a day that marks the transition of the growing season into full harvest.  After this day, the darkness of night begins to overtake the sun’s reign in the sky as the days continue to grow shorter and shorter, and the nights longer and longer. The earth is winding down its abundant generosity and beginning to close up shop for the year.

Like with new moons and full moons, I usually do a spread to check in with myself and give myself some direction for the next couple of months for each solstice, equinox, and other Sabbats. This spread is an adaptation of my Self Care Saturday spread, so there are sure to be  some similarities in how it is read. The focus of this spread, though, is not about Self Care, but rather about progress and my path. The time period is also longer, reaching through the next handful of weeks until the celebration of the upcoming third and Last Harvest of the year (aka. Samhain, Halloween) at the end of October.

Mabon Tarot Reading with the Jahreskreis Orakel Der Keltischen Feste, Pagan Underworlds Tarot, Compendium of Witches Oracle, Healing Herbal Cards Vol 1 - 3

Theme of the Season – Mabon/Abundance, New Moon, Dill (Anethum graveolens)

Mabon is a holiday filled with abundance. As the Second Harvest begins, we reap the rewards of all our hard work, stockpiling a cushion of abundance for the months ahead when scarcity will have the opportunity to step in and influence our lives. Remember that celebrating your hard work is important. The work done during this season builds up for us the strength needed to get through the sparse cold of the winter to come.

The New Moon is a time of beginnings, when we take the ideas we have been fostering in the back of our mind and bring them forward to prioritize and begin to encourage to grow.  Planning is the first step to acting on one’s dreams, and the new moon encourages us to plot and plan to our heart’s content concerning those things most important to us, and that we want to accomplish or achieve.

Dill (Anethum graveolens) is truly a jack-of-all trades kind of herb. Oh, did I say herb? Are you aware it’s actually considered a weed? Regardless, it’s not just delicious, but also possesses a swath of medical benefits and magical uses.

As a medicinal herb, dill is a spectacular choice for treatment of a variety of stomach ailments, bad breath, gas, and even hemorrhoids. It is also been shown to help lower blood sugar levels, is full of antioxidants, and high in flavonoids which are known to help in protecting the heart due to their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, and may help lower cholesterol. It’s essential oil is also antibacterial.

Metaphysically speaking, dill is an herb with many various uses from love and abundance to luck, protection, fostering adaptability, attracting money, and even hex removal and binding magic. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg, for you can find a myriad of spells for all sorts of purposes that use dill as an essential ingredient.

When looking at these three cards together, what I see here is an encouragement to focus on the things that you -can- do and be grateful for all you’ve accomplished.  Even if in life you are struggling right now, work on staying calm and use this time to appreciate all that you have instead of focusing on what you don’t have or can’t do.  Calm and ground yourself as best you can, and focus on taking care of yourself and your health right now.

Earth – Page of Pentacles – Be open to learning new things, but at a slow pace. Don’t push, but instead contemplate and savor. Roll new methods and skills needed around in your head and practice at them. You’re gonna feel like a novice for a good while longer, so be sure to use your spiritual practice to help bolster your confidence and foster patience as you move forward.

Air – Ace of Swords – Communication is key right now, as is information gathering. New ideas are coming, and you’re not going to want to just listen to them, but share them with others as well. This open communication will encourage new ideas and creative thinking.

Water – Eight of Swords Rx – It’s really difficult right now for you not to bury your head in the sand and hide, but a part of the communication mentioned above is also about listening. Make sure that you are keeping your eyes, ears, and mind open. What you glean from doing so will help remove barriers that are currently in your way.

Fire – Five of Swords – The mentality of defeat is just that… a mentality. A choice. You can stand strong to weather the storm and come out on top, or you can lay things down and walk away defeated with your tail tucked between your legs. Choose to fight, and you choose to win.

Waning – The Healer and Sickle – You cannot heal or adequately attend to others when you yourself are unwell. Step back from investing so much of yourself in others well-being on your path and practice right now. You need to be focusing this energy on yourself instead, at least for the time being.

Waxing – The Unbound and Roots – Reconnect with your roots by getting out in nature and doing those things that help you to feel that you are thriving. Connect with the wild, and let it lift you up into a better and healthier mindset as it fosters within you the grounding that you need right now.

Take Away – This season is all about taking care of yourself and your own needs. Make sure that you are getting the outside time that you’re craving. Even if it feels inconvenient; you still need it.

Don’t allow yourself to fall into the pit of despair, or hold yourself apart and hide away. You need to be open and aware and thinking clearly, so that when opportunity to begin learning anew arises, you’re able to step in and start right away. The learning curve on what’s coming is going to be a steep one, and you need to be ready to start as soon as possible, communicate openly with others as you go, and listen with an open mind to their feedback and ideas.

DECKS USED: JAHRESKREIS ORAKEL DER KELTISCHEN FESTE, PAGAN OTHERWORLDS TAROT, COMPENDIUM OF WITCHES ORACLE, HEALING HERBAL CARDS VOL 1 – 3

First Harvest 2025 – Lammas/Lughnasadh

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Today is the First Harvest of the year. This day marks the transition into the harvest season of August, September, and October (of which there is a Second Harvest and Last Harvest that correspond to these months).

Wheat Field

This holiday is often called Lammas, Lughnasadh, or Lugh, although I usually just refer to it as the First Harvest. On my path, it celebrates the beginning of Summer’s decline and ramping up of the busy season where we begin to reap in the abundance that the bounty of summer’s energies has encouraged to grow and flourish.

Like with new moons and full moons, I usually do a spread to check in with myself and give myself some direction for the next couple of months for each solstice, equinox, and other Sabbats. This spread is an adaptation of my Self Care Saturday spread, so there are sure to be  some similarities in how it is read. The focus of this spread, though, is not about Self Care, but rather about progress and my path. The time period is also longer, reaching through the next handful of weeks until the celebration of the upcoming Second Harvest (aka. Mabon, Autumnal Equinox) in September.

Lughnasadh / Last Harvest Reading with the Pagan Otherworlds Tarot, Compendium of Witches Oracle, and Healing Herbal Deck

Theme of the Season – Lughnasadh, First Quarter Moon, Grass Lily (Ornithogalum umbellatum)

Lughnasadh is a harvest festival of Celtic origins with a theme that has to do with competition, hard work, and bounty.  Lammas (aka. Loaf Mass Day) is a Christian festival that centered around gratitude and blessings.  The themes are different, but in my practice they are combined, which is why I prefer to call this holiday the “First Harvest”, as I feel it connects to both the gratitude and abundance, as wel as the hard work that this part of the season involves.

Half way between the New Moon and upcoming Full moon, the First Quarter Moon is a time to look at the intentions we set and began working toward with the New Moon’s cycle, and reassess how things are going. This is a time of action and adaptation as we apply determination to our goal and move forward, pouring our energies into those things we are working to accomplish during this moon’s cycle. Energy is building as we move toward the Full Moon, and at this time utilizing that energy is the name of the game.

Metaphysically speaking, Grass Lily (Ornithogalum umbellatum) symbolizes innocence, purity, honesty, hope, and forgiveness; and can be used to help in dealing with the shock of loss.  In medical circles, it has been researched for use in heart medication to lower blood pressure, strengthen the pulse, and discharge excess fluid in those that struggle to tolerate digitoxin based treatments.

When looking at these three cards together…

Earth – Temperance atop Eight of Wands Rx – Times of rushing and pushing need moderation, but so too do times when things are moving slow. Otherwise, these slow times turn from slow but healthy movement into stagnancy and decay. Don’t jump the gun, and don’t freeze in place. You need to breathe through the uncertainty, and “thread the needle” between the two extremes one step at a time.

Air – Queen of Wands – Direct your focus to the things that you were passionate about, and you have influence over. There’s no point in worrying about the things that you have no ability to change or influence, instead work on those things that you can and do.

Water – Five of Swords Rx – It really isn’t surprising that you’re feeling a sense of defeat at this time. With everything that’s going on in the world right now and how much of it affects you personally, it can be a struggle to keep your head above water and not just give up. This is understandable and these emotions absolutely influence your spiritual well-being. Take time to reflect back upon the Earth position (above) in this reading and keep going anyway. There is grounding to be had by reaching for the shore.

Fire – Ace of Swords – It may take some clever thinking (and possibly some clever doing) to keep things on track right now. This can be helped by communicating what you want to happen to others and listening to their ideas as well. All ideas are good ideas when it feeds your brain, and can possibly give you a new perspective and shake something loose that could be useful.

Waning – The Seer and Moon – Ungrounded divination is not the way to go right now.  Make sure you are getting the grounding and centering you need before flirting with the veil.  Natural affinities need strong foundations too.

Waxing – The Veil Walker and Distaff – It is time to claim your power by beginning the process of establishing boundaries in your mediumship practice. Moving further along this path, you will need protections in place in order to help in bolstering your strength.

Take Away – Much of what’s said in this reading are an an echo of my month’s end reading, which isn’t surprising since they are overlapping a bit in the issues I’m running into in life right now. The advice here is to make sure you are staying on top of balancing your need to fix things and your need to retreat from the unknown. The anxiety in this tug of war is causing you to be vulnerable in your spiritual practice in ways that you usually aren’t.  Make sure you are taking care to uphold your boundaries, and let yourself get lost in the things you enjoy for a bit of relief from the stress.

DECKS USED: SABBAT THEMED ART CARD, PAGAN UNDERWORLDS TAROT, COMPENDIUM OF WITCHES ORACLE, HEALING HERBAL CARDS VOL 1 & 2

Beltane 2025 – May Day

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The last evening of April through the first day of May is Beltane, which is also my sister and I’s birthday. Like Halloween is a time when the veil between the land of the living and the realm of the dead is thin, this holiday is the time when the veil between our world and that of the Fae is at is thinnest.  I personally often find myself amped up with extra energy around this time of year, which I most often use to spend more time playing in that thinning veil as much as possible.

May Day

Like with new moons and full moons, I usually do a spread to check in with myself and give myself some direction for the next couple of months for each solstice, equinox, and other Sabbats. This spread is an adaptation of my Self Care Saturday spread, so there are sure to be  some similarities in how it is read. The focus of this spread, though, is not about Self Care, but rather about progress and my path. The time period is also longer, reaching through the next handful of weeks until the Midsummer celebration in June.

Beltane Tarot Reading with the Pagan Otherworlds Tarot, Compendium of Witches Oracle, and Healing Herbal Cards

Theme of the Season – Welcome the May, Waxing Crescent, Lady’s Mantle (Alchemilla vulgaris)

The phrase “Welcome the May and the Greening of the Land” speaks of the change of season that happens around May Day / Beltane.  Finally, the trees are budding with new leaves and the world is turning green again. The deciduous trees and bushes are once again leafing, the evergreens are sprouting new tips, and wildlife is stirring to life, coming out to enjoy the sunshine.  It is a time of awakening, where those plants that have been stirring to life since March finally begin showing the fruits of their labors invisible ways.

The Waxing Crescent Moon is a moon phase that is often considered a time of growth and determination, associated with making plans on what you want to accomplish and taking those first steps in that direction. It is a time when the moon’s energy is building, and with it we can use that energy to our advantage in strengthening our own resolve.

The herb Lady’s Mantle (Alchemilla vulgaris) is often seen as a weed, but exhibits antibacterial, anti-fungal, and antiviral properties that has had it being used in folk medicine around the world to treat a wide range of maladies that span from diarrhea to diabetes, from skin disorders to inflammatory conditions, as well as many forms of menstrual and gynecological issues. The last of which connects with its metaphysical properties as well, where it is seen as an herb used to connect with feminine energy, create flow and growth of the feminine within us, and encourage creativity.

When looking at these three cards together, the message seen here is that now is a time in your spiritual path when reawakening your “feminine” side and setting goals in that direction is in its prime.  Take time to connect with your creativity and intuition, as well as those softer and warmer sides of your personality. Remember that it’s okay to be vulnerable, and that this vulnerability does not make you weak, but merely stronger in a different way.

Earth – Ace of Cups – A lot of your focus right now is on learning how your emotions affect your body and the physical world around you. It can be hard sometimes to look outward when something new and confusing is trying to draw your focus within, but it’s a part of the process of learning about your emotions to understand in what ways they influence your body and the world beyond yourself.

Air – Seven of Wands – Take care not to let others bait you into going on the offensive. You are susceptible to this right now. Remember that there is no need to defend yourself, your beliefs, or your values to others. As long as you are secure in them yourself, that’s what matters. 

Water – Knight of Pentacles – Don’t twist and turn trying to fight against the slowness of your progress. Just taking things as they come is enough. Pushing for more is just putting a great deal of unnecessary strain on you that doesn’t need to be there and won’t help.

Fire – Queen of Cups – Instead of continuing to pick apart and berate yourself for what you’re doing wrong or isn’t working, try a little more radical self-acceptance and encouragement.

Waning – The Crossroads and Light – Stop looking for a guiding light to lead you out of the darkness. That’s not what this lesson is about.  Although we aren’t speaking of “embracing the dark” here, what is needed is acceptance rather than banishment. Understanding rather than rejection.

Waxing – The Comforter and Standing Stone – By giving yourself that acceptance and understanding mentioned above, you create a space of strength within you that you can lean on when needed and others find safe and secure.  It’s something that has to come from within.

Take Away – You are in a vulnerable place right now where emotions are taking the center stage. If you feel like you are twisting in the wind? It’s because you are in fact doing just that. It’s in connecting with your values and finding the strength to accept and be kind to yourself that you will build the inner strength needed to carry through.  This is a time of growth and vulnerability, not a trial or a test.

DECKS USED: SABBAT THEMED ART CARD, PAGAN UNDERWORLDS TAROT, COMPENDIUM OF WITCHES ORACLE, HEALING HERBAL CARDS VOL 1 & 2