Divination systems are used for many reasons. The most familiar cultural trope is of telling the future, of course, but I find that I most frequently use my divination tools when I am trying to understand something about myself or others. There are so many layers to human experience and perceptions. Our feelings and actions are a combination of a response to external stimuli as well as the cumulative load of everything we have experienced in our lives. One thing I’ve observed both in my own life and through working with other people is that there is rarely a single, clear reason for how a person is feeling. Tarot helps me tease apart the different variables at play and get a clearer look at a given situation.
I am normally a big fan of the winter holiday season – my inner crow loves all the shiny decorations and pretty lights. A season marked with delicious foods, seeing my family and close friends, and lots of glittering winter displays normally fills me with delight. But this year? This year, of course, is different. I’m having trouble summoning my usual enthusiasm for everything Yuletide has been to me over the years. So, I sat down with my tarot deck to see if I could crack the code a bit and came up with a reading that was, for me, both informative and useful. I’d like to share it with you because I’m sure I’m not the only one struggling to find their Yule merriment.
I am a tarot user personally, but I suspect this reading would also work with Oracle cards, Runes, Ogham, Kahina Stones, or any other sortilege system. If you try it with something other that tarot, let me know how it goes!
Just for fun, I laid the cards out in a Yule tree pattern. See? I’m at least trying to be festive.
If you would like to perform The Yule Tree spread, take a moment to center yourself first. Allow your feelings about the holidays to come to the surface. They may be complicated, they may not be happy, and that’s totally okay. Just sit with those thoughts for a moment, allowing them to be what they are without punishment or reward. Then, get out the divinatory tool you plan to use and shuffle/mix it.
The Yule Tree Spread
To perform the reading, draw cards one at a time with the following intentions:
1) Your relationship to the winter holidays
2) What is holding you back from connecting to the holiday spirit
3) Where to find warmth
4) Where to find connection
5) Where to find light
6) Where to find hope
7) Where to find magick
8) The overall message to focus on this Yuletide
In my own reading, I learned that my disappointment and the grief of ‘not normal’ is the biggest thing getting in my way. I can find warmth in the work that I do, connection through supporting my community, light through working to manifest my vision for my life, hope through reflecting on my past successes, and magick through my ancestors. My main message is to keep going, to tap into my passion and drive as I focus on my projects. If that means that maybe I’m less full of cookies and more full of determination this year, so be it. This was never going to be a typical Yuletide anyway.
May you find light and warmth this holiday season. May the obstacles in your way soften, and may connection, hope, and magick bless your winter. If you try the reading, let me know how it goes. Hit me up in the comments section.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In