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Beyond the Veil: A Tarot Practice for October

I love October. I feel aching yet delicious melancholy at this time of year. As the season truly begins to change, I see beauty in the fallen leaves and bare branches, and I feel reverence for this time of rest, retiring into darkness, and communing with the Dark Goddess.

What scares you? Is Friday the 13th an unlucky day?

At this time of year, when the veil is thin, there is much to be discovered. We can look within and find illumination in our own shadows, and messages from those who have gone beyond are easier to hear.

Tarot can help you to tap into this energy, to take you as deep as you are ready to go, and to guide you through this process.

Here is a practice that you can try with your cards for the month of October:

Pick one deck to work with for your own personal practice. Choose a deck that you find somewhat dark, or challenging, or blunt, or even a bit unsettling. I would recommend the Deviant Moon Tarot, or the Tarot of the Crone, the Raven’s Prophecy Tarot, the Bohemian Gothic Tarot…there are so many to choose from, let me know YOUR favorite of the more shadowy decks.

On October 1, pull one card, asking, “What message awaits me from beyond the veil?”.

Keep this card on your altar for the month, and make note of your initial response to it in your journal. Give yourself some time to breathe in that card, meditate with it, don’t push but be open to whatever it wants to reveal to you. 

For the rest of October, pull one card every day to get more information about that first card. You are going to pick that card daily, make note of it in your journal, and then leave it out somewhere that you can see it. Lay the cards out one by one, in a line, or in rows, or in a circle around your first card, adding another each day, and look for the story and the connections that you see. Each card builds off the previous ones.

On October 31, put aside some quiet time for yourself. Have all of those 31 cards in front of you, in the order you drew them. Light a candle if you wish, and call in a white light to surround and protect you. If you like, with love and gratitude, call on your ancestors, passed loved ones or guides to assist you.

Now, write or speak the story that you see in the cards. Start with the first one, start with “once upon a time” if that inspires or frees you, find yourself in those cards, and spin the tale. Don’t censor yourself, or question yourself, let the images on the cards relay their message to you.

Once you have gone through all the cards and heard their story, go back to that first question, “What message awaits me from beyond the veil?”. Reflect upon it, based on the cards and your story, and make sure you get your answer.

Wishing you a beautiful October, let the cards weave their spell and spin their tale, magical discoveries will result.

PS. A special thank you to Tiffany Crosara for her wonderful presentation at the Light and Love Tarot Festival, her storytelling technique really fired up my imagination!

 

4 Responses to Beyond the Veil: A Tarot Practice for October

  1. Carole October 1, 2019 at 1:37 pm #

    I’m not partial to dark tarot decks (also not an experienced reader) so the darkest I have is the Wildwood Tarot. My card for October 1 is 5 The Ancestor (The Hierophant). The description in the book resonates.

    Thanks for creating this practice.

    • innergoddesstarot October 1, 2019 at 8:43 pm #

      I drew the Hierophant as well! I’m using the Bohemian Gothic Tarot, and I think the Wildwood is a great choice. Thanks for reading!

  2. Lynda Austin November 25, 2019 at 3:44 am #

    Just saw this, and i think I’ve missed my chance for October. Will this work in November?

    • innergoddesstarot November 29, 2019 at 7:32 pm #

      Certainly! This is something you could do anytime really, it is just helpful to set a time frame so that you do it consistently.

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