Beltane tarot spreads center around the theme of the Mid-Spring pagan festival named Beltane. This witchy holiday is all about celebrating growth and joyous change, and there’s no better way to do that than with a tarot reading!
Beltane is a pagan holiday (in the northern hemisphere, around May 1st, and in the southern hemisphere around November 1st) that celebrates the beginning of summer. By Beltane, the dark time of the year is a distant memory and the possibilities of life seem sweet. It is a time of joy and fertility when the earth is bursting with new life. Here's how you can use tarot to connect with the energies of Beltane.
Beltane (or in other spellings: Beltine, Belltaine, and Beltaine) is a Gaelic festival celebrating May Day. The word Beltane roughly translates to ‘bright fire’ and is celebrated by pagans as the return of the Sun. As the Wheel turns and the grass turns greener, flowers blossom, their pollen heaving, enticing the pollinators to come and spread seed. Beltane is officially celebrated on the first day of May, but as a season, it lasts for much longer.
Greater Sabbats on the pagan Wheel of the Year are the cross-quarter holidays-what they call the Earth Festivals (as compared to the Solar Festivals that mark the equinoxes and the solstices.) Beltane marks the beginning of the transition from Spring to Summer. Blossoming flowers, the trees, and grass really take off, the bees begin to buzz…it is a time of lightness and fun, fertility, and growth.
Standing directly across from Samhain on the great Wheel of the Year, Beltane calls in light and lightness in the same way Samhain honors the dark of life. There is a focus during Beltane on life in all its sensuous and corporeal glory.
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Beltane uniquely focuses on sexuality and sensuality with a bevy of yonic and phallic symbols. The Horned God, birthed at Yule, begins to hit his lusty stage, ready to mate with the maiden Earth goddess. Both are honored at this time-Cernunnos (as well as Green Man, Pan, the Oak King) and the Maiden Goddess. Beltane honors our own unions.
The Roman festival of Floralia seems to have influenced the way Beltane was celebrated. Beltaine, the Celtic Christian festival meaning “Bright Fire”, honored the release of the cattle into the fields.
How to Use Beltane Tarot Spreads
Using Beltane spreads is similar to using any tarot spread: the reader pulls a card for each question and places it where directed in the spread. You can try this spread with old faithful decks or a brand new one you’re still getting acquainted with, but try to be outside, with blooming flowers in sight and the smell of a fire nearby - even if it’s just scented candles and incense.
Finally, take some time to reflect on the questions that each card position represents and what message the tarot cards in that position might be trying to tell you.
Beltane Tarot Spread Examples
Here are some examples of Beltane tarot spreads to help you celebrate this vibrant time of year. I have been passionate about reading divination for more than 15 years. This gives me a unique perspective when it comes to creating fun, supportive, and creative tarot spreads. I have really enjoyed creating tarot spreads around the seasonal energies this year.
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I create these tarot spreads to help us easily tap into the energetic and magickal work important around these different points on the Wheel of the Year and in our life. Because the energy of sex and creativity is so intimately tied together, you can use this layout for either.
Remember you can do this reading at any time you want to check in with a relationship or project of any kind, not just Beltane.
Spread 1
- What is my fire?
- This spread gives us permission to explore pleasure in our lives.
- This spread highlights our dreams and then showcases the shadows we have around them.
- This spread gives us the chance to create a special day just to explore creativity and joy in sacred space. This is so we always have at least one day of the year reserved especially for creativity. What important life lessons has met craft taught me?
- This spread uses the fast-paced exciting energy of Beltane to unlock our power to manifest. What is step 1 to manifest ___?
The May Queen Tarot Spread for Beltane
May is a time of fertility and high spirits. Use the May Queen spread to regain or confirm a sense of abundance and safety. If you have a specific question in mind, ask it as you shuffle the cards.
- Position 1: Safety. Emotional security. What you need to feel safe. Where are you secure in yourself? A seemingly negative card describes a situation that needs your focused attention.
- Position 2: Abundance. Feelings of plenty. Abundance may encompass monetary prosperity, but it also describes the emotional breadth of your life that is full and sweet.
- Position 3: Regeneration. Exploring the possibilities. The bold action needed to grow and flourish.
- Position 4: Love. Emotions and relationships. All forms of love, from friendship to sexual passion. Only you know your heart. Look at the suit of the card: what does it tell you about your life right now?
- Position 5: The Future. The present conceivable outcome based on the flow of cards one through four. What story do the cards tell? The lessons to be learned and the potential for growth.
Nothing in tarot is preordained, and you always have a choice. If you do not like the cards in this layout, honor the information they are giving you, for they offer great truths. Next, choose other cards that radiate the energy of your heart's desire and place them over the original layout.
To complete the Beltane reading, you can meditate with the cards, write a journal entry, keep the cards on your altar until Midsummer, or simply close. Carry a card or two with you during the day to strengthen the connection between you and your heart's desire. Affirm your power to reclaim abundance and safety: "I focus on the powerful energies of youth. Expectations for the future are high. This, or something better, is manifesting for me now, for the good of all, harming no one, according to free will."
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Six-Card Beltane Tarot Spread
To begin, shuffle your tarot deck and draw a card for each position as shown in the below layout.
- Like Apple Blossom, bursting in with an energy that only later shows its fruitfulness, this card highlights a project for you this season that may become fruitful in ways you’d not perceived.
- Like the common Daisy, this pure and loyal flower provides you with a card placement that equally stands by you in solidarity, provides you with security, and that will always provide moments of little joy.
- Like a White Rose often found at funerals, this is something that you need to let go of (with kindness, with love in your heart). Pruning things up makes a stronger bloom for longevity. It might not seem ideal, but it’s always to your benefit.
- This is a card that will highlight small sparks of good coming your way, and how you can fan the flames to make them grow. Be mindful of what is lit here and nurture it as you would a new flame - with care and attention.
- This card is the wild untamed energy of the season itself. What does it want to teach you? How can you revel in it and make it work for you? This card can indicate that there are things in your life that need tending to, and if left unchecked, they could potentially become a problem.
- This final card in the Beltane tarot spread will show you what has been beneficial for spring, and even the previous winter, but now deserve to be left to rest. This could be an old project, a relationship that’s run its course, or something that you’ve outgrown. It’s time to let go of what no longer serves you and make room for the new things headed your way this season.
Reflecting on Your Beltane Tarot Reading
After you’ve finished a tarot reading, there are a few things you can do in order to reflect on the experience and integrate the insights you gained.
- Tarot Journaling: Jotting down your thoughts in a tarot journal after reading can be helpful in a few ways. First, it can help you remember the details of your reading later on, such as how you felt at the moment and perhaps your first impressions of what a card meant. Second, it can provide a space for you to process the information you’ve received and explore what it means for you.
- Photograph the Spread: If you want to remember the position of the cards and what they meant in relation to your questions, take a picture of the spread. This will help you look back on the reading later and review the insights you received.
- Meditate on the Insights: Immediately after a tarot reading, it’s important to take some time to sit with the insights you’ve received. This can be done through proper meditation, visualization, or simply taking some time to reflect on the reading. It can be helpful to think about what the messages from the cards mean for your life and how you can apply the advice that was given to you.
- Discuss with Fellow Practitioners: If you have close friends who also happen to be tarot practitioners, it can be helpful to get their take on your reading. They may be able to offer additional insights or perspectives that you hadn’t considered before. This can be especially useful if you’re struggling with a decision or trying to figure out which path to take as to offer suggestions, provide perspective and encourage your confidence to move forward.
- Incorporate Other Divination Tools: Why not try adding astrology dice or a pendulum reading to your tarot session? Your intuition will guide you on how to best use these tools, but they can be helpful in providing more clarity around the messages from your tarot reading.
- Track Progress: This is a great way to check in on your progress and see how far you’ve come. It can also be helpful in understanding the cyclical nature of our lives and how our current situation is likely to change over time.