Samhain tarot spread: a 6-card reading to close the year’s cycle at Halloween

What Samhain is

Samhain (roughly pronounced “SOW-in”) is an ancient Gaelic festival from Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man. It marked the end of the harvest and the start of the dark season: cattle were brought back from summer pastures, food was stored for winter and communities lit bonfires. Because the Celtic day began at sunset, the festival ran from the evening of 31 October into 1 November.

Medieval Irish tales describe Samhain as a time when the boundary between our world and the “Otherworld” grew thin, so that spirits and the fairy folk could pass through. That is where today’s idea of the “thin veil” comes from. Many people who follow the modern pagan Wheel of the Year celebrate Samhain as a time to honour ancestors and begin a new cycle.

Samhain, Halloween, All Saints and the Day of the Dead

Several Halloween customs – dressing up, going door to door, carving lanterns (in Ireland and Scotland they were carved from turnips long before pumpkins) – have roots in Samhain and the folk traditions that grew up around it. The Church set 1 November as All Saints’ Day and 2 November as All Souls’ Day.

Mexico’s Día de los Muertos is a separate tradition with its own Indigenous and Catholic roots, so it’s best not to confuse it with Samhain. Still, all these festivals share a beautiful idea: remembering those who came before with affection and accepting that life has seasons. That is the spirit of this spread – there’s nothing spooky about it.

Why Samhain is a good time to close a cycle

Samhain sits right on the hinge of the year: the harvest is gathered and nature draws inward. It’s a perfect symbol for a personal review. What have you achieved since spring? Which project, habit or relationship has run its course? What would you like to tend quietly over winter so it can flourish later?

You don’t need to hold any particular belief to make use of it. Simply treat the date as a reminder, much like New Year, to pause, give thanks and let go on purpose.

Prepare your reading: candle, silence and gratitude

This preparation is simple and symbolic. Choose a quiet evening around 31 October (any night that week works) and follow these steps:

1. Clear your space. Tidy the table and, if you like, start with a rosemary energy cleansing.
2. Light a candle. White, orange or purple, on a stable plate and well away from curtains and paper. Never leave it unattended, and put it out when you finish.
3. Give yourself a moment of silence. Breathe slowly for a few minutes. If you wish, place a photo of a loved family member nearby.
4. Say thank you. Write down three things this year has given you, however small.
5. Set your intention. For example: “What am I closing this year, and what am I planting for the dark season?”

The Samhain spread: 6 positions

Shuffle while you hold your intention in mind and draw six cards. Lay the first five in a row from left to right and place the sixth above the middle card, like a small light shining over the rest:

1. What I let go: what ends with this harvest and no longer needs to come with you.
2. What I have harvested: this year’s achievements, lessons and fruits.
3. What the shadows teach me: fears, old hurts or parts of yourself asking for attention.
4. The wisdom of my roots: what you inherit from your family or those before you and want to carry forward.
5. The seed for the dark half: the intention you will tend quietly through winter.
6. Samhain’s advice: the attitude that helps you bring everything together.

How to read each position

First look at all six cards together: are there many Major Arcana (deep themes) or mostly Minor Arcana (everyday matters)? Then go position by position:

• What I let go: this is a permission, not a punishment. Ask yourself which concrete step would help you release it: a conversation, clearing out a drawer, learning to say no.
• What I have harvested: even if a difficult card appears, look for the lesson.
• What the shadows teach me: read it gently. It points to something worth facing, not something to fear.
• The wisdom of my roots: think of people, customs or values from your own story.
• The seed: turn the card into a small, realistic intention you can look after week by week.
• The advice: read it as a summary.

Death, The Tower, The Moon and reversed cards

It’s normal for some striking cards to turn up in a Samhain spread. Here they usually make perfect sense.

• Death is almost never literal. In this reading it is the card of the season: a natural ending that makes room for something new. In the “what I let go” position, it’s a very clear confirmation.
• The Tower speaks of structures falling because they were no longer sound. As advice, it suggests an honest change beats propping things up.
• The Moon fits Samhain night perfectly: intuition, dreams and doubts. It asks you not to rush decisions and to separate what you fear from what you actually know.
• Reversed cards point to energy that is blocked, delayed or turned inward. If you prefer, read every card upright.

A worked example

Hannah lays out the spread with the question “What am I closing this year, and what am I planting for winter?”:

1. What I let go: Eight of Cups. For months she’s been in a group project that no longer fulfils her; the card confirms she can walk away with gratitude.
2. What I have harvested: Seven of Pentacles. Her side project is growing slowly, but it is growing: patience has paid off.
3. What the shadows teach me: The Moon. Fear of not being good enough makes her imagine scenarios that have never happened.
4. The wisdom of my roots: Ten of Pentacles. It reminds her of her grandmother, who built a home steadily, bit by bit.
5. The seed: Ace of Cups. Opening up to new friendships and to what moves her.
6. The advice: The Hermit. A quieter winter of learning and listening to herself.

Together, the cards tell a coherent story: release what drains her, trust what is already growing and nurture her enthusiasm without rushing. Hannah doesn’t get a prophecy – she gets a kind plan for the months ahead.

Keep practising for free on Cardaluna

If you don’t have a deck to hand, or you’d like to add to your Samhain reading, Cardaluna has free online spreads with no sign-up:

• The past, present and future spread as a short version: read the past as what you close, the present as what you live and the future as what you plant.
• The yes or no tarot, for a specific question that comes up during your reading.
• Your card of the day, to keep your chosen seed in mind each morning.
• The meanings of all 78 cards, upright and reversed.

If you’re new to tarot, start with our guide on how to read tarot cards. And remember: the cards help you think, but the decisions are yours.