Under last night’s dark moon, I was inspired to create a new tarot spread.
I’ve been feeling a little lost lately. I’ve done plenty of longer tarot readings, and pulled daily cards too. But now, I wanted something long enough to tell me a story, but short enough to be concise and actionable.
I created the Wayfinding Tarot Spread
…designed for the new moon, when intention-setting feels a little tricky – but ideal for any time you feel confused about which way to head.
The spread is direction-oriented, rather than goal oriented – we don’t always know exactly where we’re going and that can be a beautiful thing (living in the mystery forever, pals!) …but even so, knowing in which direction to move is important.
Here are the card positions:
- You: Where you are
- Message: A message you need to hear
- Action: What to do, how to approach this, how to take your first step
- Guidance: Your north star
The idea is not to get bogged down in the reading, but to receive simple clarity and a sense of direction. Try keeping answers short and simple, and pull them together at the end to create an overall message.
My reading
When I tried this spread last night, I received entirely major cards!
1. You: Where you are
The Moon
Yes, I’m a little lost. I’m journalling, ritual-ing, tarot-ing, fumbling around and trying to find clarity, but all I can find is that uncomfortable message: stay in the mystery. I confess: I am tired of being in the mystery. I have grown weary of ‘sitting with this discomfort’. I want to act, to do, to experiment. And I want to know I’m present and open to whatever may bubble up from the darkness. This card affirms my seeking on this dark night – the crescent moon reassures me that clarity is coming as the moon waxes these next few days.
2. Message: A message you need to hear
The Fool
For me, this is non-attachment to an outcome. Whenever I think about moving forwards right now, I imagine an end-place, a final destination. Immediately I have something to prove, to live up to. It’s not helpful! The Fool encourages me to let go of the baggage of an ‘outcome’ and be present and trusting in the moment. There is something here about experimentation, risk-taking, being playful and trustful. It feels light, and liberating.
3. Action: What to do, how to approach this, how to take your first step
The Chariot
Whilst the Fool asks me not to grip onto an outcome, the Chariot emphasises the importance of a sense of purpose. The two are different, and that feels like an important message in this reading. Purpose is about knowing what to experiment with, and why. It does not (necessarily) guess at an outcome, but gives context and meaning to current actions. I love how the galloping horse in this image bears a crescent moon on their forehead – they’re guided by intuition, rather than by reason. And yeah – I do feel lacking in purpose right now (that is very much the source of my discomfort). I don’t know what to do, and when I do try things, I’m not sure of my why.
4. Guidance: Your north star
The Sun
The Sun is joy. Pure, simple joy. And it is a hot sunny day, and the forecast is good for the rest of this week. The Sun – and the actual sun – is inspiring, life-giving, playful.
For me, the message is clear. Let joy be my guide. Let my experiments be around what feels good. Let the steps I take, the things I try, and my sense of purpose be rooted in what is genuinely (not supposedly, but really, truly) joyful to my spirit.
Overall, this reading encourages me to stay with the mystery. While I am frustrated by the lack of clear answers and directions (how I long for someone to tell me what to do right now!), my explorations fixate on outcomes, often far in the future. Instead, these cards tell me to play, to experiment – with purpose. What purpose? That of experiencing joy, pleasure. Understanding what desire means, how to hear it, how to feel it.
There is so much to dig into here (like the mother of questions for me this year: how, exactly, to hear my own desire, buried under all that shame and duty…) – but there is plenty of time for that as the moon waxes. For now, I feel satisfied with the simple answer: let joy be my purpose. Act, play, do, but let go of predetermined outcomes. Step into two weeks of experimentation…then check back in for the full moon.