Scorpio season is upon us and the veil is thinning. Honor the season of death, endings, and transformation with this tarot spread, crafted to shed light and wisdom on the transformations happening within your own life, both spiritual and material. (Rune spread variation included.)
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Table of Contents
- Scorpio Season: The Veil Grows Thin
- Tarot Spread for Scorpio Season
- Card by Card Breakdown
- Variations on the Scorpio Season Tarot Spread
- Rune Spread for Scorpio Season
- Card by Card Breakdown
- Variations on the Scorpio Season Rune Spread
- Sample Readings
- Sample Tarot Reading
- Sample Rune Reading
- More Ways to Play
- The Death Card as Significator
- An Alternate Method of Pulling the Cards
- After the Reading
- Tarot Journaling
- Spell for Inner Transformation
- Integrate the Wisdom
Scorpio Season: The Veil Grows Thin
Scorpio season rolls in like a thick grey fog as Autumn starts to really feel like Autumn. The leaves turn amber and gold, the weather cools, the veil thins, and the season of endings, death, and transformation is upon us.
This time of year when the veil is thinnest is ideal for communication with spirits and those who have passed beyond the veil, but it’s also a time when we often find ourselves passing through our own metaphorical veils, undergoing spiritual and personal transformations in alignment with the wisdom we receive through quiet reflection after the bulk of the year’s harvest.
This makes Scorpio season a perfect time to examine the transformations taking place within our own lives – the metaphorical deaths and rebirths occurring in our spiritual selves as well as the more material transformations and transitions that are either already underway or for which the time is ripe.
I created this tarot spread (and rune spread variation) to help you gain clarity and wisdom around the transformation that is either already happening in your life or for which you are ripe and ready. Grab your favorite deck for spooky season (or a trusty set of runes), and follow along as we explore the darkest corners of our psyches with this tarot spread for scorpio season.
Tarot Spread for Scorpio Season
This spread invites you to examine the spiritual and practical transformations that you are ready for (and which are perhaps already underway) this Scorpio season. Of course, you can perform a reading with this spread at any time of year when transformation and transition feels like a relevant and powerful theme for you, but when spooky season is upon us, I bet you’ll find these themes especially relevant to your life.
This is a three card spread at its most basic, although it’s pretty infinitely scalable, as I will explain below. In it, the bigger question of “What transformation(s) am I undergoing (or ready to undergo), and how can I ensure that/those transformation(s) is/are beneficial and successful?” is broken down into three micro-questions. Each card will serve as an answer to the micro-questions corresponding to that card’s spread position. The three cards together, by answering all the micro-questions individually, will synergistically answer the overall question asked by the spread.
Shuffle your cards thoroughly, then draw three cards by your preferred method for positions 1, 2, and 3.
Are you ready? For each spread position (the numbered and bolded questions) I’ll offer several questions for reflection or ways to think about what the card could mean (the bullets underneath). Here’s the breakdown:
Card by Card Breakdown
- Death: What energy or influence in my life is dying (or needs to die)? What do I need to let go of? What phase is ending?
- Is there anything in your life that you’ve been holding onto out of fear? Something you know you need to let go of, but are scared to?
- Is there anything in your life that seems to be naturally coming to an end these days?
- Is there anything you’ve been trying to let go of, but it just keeps coming back (or you keep letting it back in)? The seasonal shift can help you finally say goodbye for good.
- What aspect of your shadow or what part of yourself must be transformed, alchemized, or left behind in order to leave this energy or phase in the past?
- What existing habits or behavior must change or stop?
- The Veil: What wisdom will help me through this transition?
- What strengths and resources can you lean on when letting go gets hard?
- Can the meaning of this card be translated into a mantra or affirmation to help you through this transition or transformation?
- Is there a temporary phase you must move through to reach the other side?
- What attitude must you adopt or what action must you take to make this transition/transformation successful?
- What systems can you set up for yourself to help you be successful throughout this transition and transformation?
- Rebirth: What energy or influence in my life is being (or needs to be) reborn? What do I need to bring into focus? What phase is beginning?
- Is there anything you’ve been meaning to start doing or any major project or life phase you’ve been meaning to transition into (a career switch, parenthood, etc)? What has been holding you back? It might be time to leap!
- Is there anything you’ve been wanting to begin, but you haven’t felt ready? Maybe you’re ready now, or maybe there’s no such thing as really being ready.
- Is there any area of your life which requires serious attention to get in proper order (perhaps your health, your finances, or your home)? This may be your sign.
- Who must you become to successfully inhabit this next phase and accomplish the goals associated with it?
- What new habits and behaviors can replace the old ones that no longer serve you?
Variations on the Scorpio Season Tarot Spread
- Draw for Greater Detail: Each spread position question comes with a list of questions for reflection. Instead of just using these questions to help you interpret the cards you drew, you can use these as questions to draw further cards for clarity and deeper detail, to help you better understand the wisdom that Spirit is trying to share with you.
- Rune Spread: This tarot spread for Scorpio season was inspired by the Death tarot card (the card associated with the astrological sign of Scorpio). If you’d prefer to work with runic symbolism, I’ve created a runic variation of the spread. Where the tarot spread is constructed around the concept of Death and the veil, the rune spread is constructed around the concept of Dagaz and the door. The concepts are the same, but the symbol language is different, and whereas I suggest the Death card as significator for the tarot version of the spread, I suggest Dagaz as the significator for the corresponding rune spread.
- Combination Reading: If you want, you can combine the rune and tarot versions! Just pick whichever version of the spread resonates with you more, and then pull one card and one rune for each spread position and read them together. For example, if I drew Raido and the Ace of Wands for the first position, I might interpret that as indicating that I’ve done enough “finding my path” (Raido) and “discovering my passions” (Ace of Wands) and it’s time to pick something to focus on and commit to it.
Rune Spread for Scorpio Season
This rune spread for Scorpio season is less its own spread and more of a variation on the above tarot spread for Scorpio season. They are pretty much interchangeable, so many of the details for this rune spread are repeated from the previous section. The main difference is merely the symbol language it’s presented in.
Whereas the tarot spread is constructed around the card and concept of Death, this rune spread is constructed around the rune Dagaz and its meanings.
Dagaz is the door, the dawn, the dusk. It is sometimes known as the “day” rune, but it’s less about “daytime” and more about the point of transition to “a new day,” aka dawn or dusk (depending on whether you think of a new day beginning at dawn or at dusk). The deeper meaning behind these is the point of transition between two things. Dusk is the point of transition between day and night, and dawn is the point of transition between night and the new day. Similarly, a door is a point of transition between one space and another space, just as Death as a point of transition between life and rebirth, or the veil is a point of transition between life and death.
I could go on and on about Dagaz, but I’ll save that for another post (or you could read more about it in my book, Modern Runes: Discover the Magic of Casting and Divination for Everyday Life by Vervain Helsdottir). For now, I think I’ve shared enough to help you see why these spreads are indeed parallel and roughly interchangeable.
Rune by Rune Breakdown
- Dusk: What energy or influence in my life is coming to an end? What do I need to let go of? What phase is ending?
- Is there anything in your life that you’ve been holding onto out of fear? Something you know you need to let go of, but are scared to?
- Is there anything in your life that seems to be naturally coming to an end these days?
- Is there anything you’ve been trying to let go of, but it just keeps coming back (or you keep letting it back in)? The seasonal shift can help you finally say goodbye for good.
- What aspect of your shadow or what part of yourself must be transformed, alchemized, or left behind in order to leave this energy or phase in the past?
- What existing habits or behavior must change or stop?
- The Door: What wisdom will help me through this transition?
- What strengths and resources can you lean on when letting go gets hard?
- Can the meaning of this card be translated into a mantra or affirmation to help you through this transition or transformation?
- Is there a temporary phase you must move through to reach the other side?
- What attitude must you adopt or what action must you take to make this transition/transformation successful?
- What systems can you set up for yourself to help you be successful throughout this transition and transformation?
- Dawn: What energy or influence in my life is dawning? What do I need to bring into focus? What phase is beginning (or needs to begin)?
- Is there anything you’ve been meaning to start doing or any major project or life phase you’ve been meaning to transition into (a career switch, parenthood, etc)? What has been holding you back? It might be time to leap!
- Is there anything you’ve been wanting to begin, but you haven’t felt ready? Maybe you’re ready now, or maybe there’s no such thing as really being ready.
- Is there any area of your life which requires serious attention to get in proper order (perhaps your health, your finances, or your home)? This may be your sign.
- Who must you become to successfully inhabit this next phase and accomplish the goals associated with it?
- What new habits and behaviors can replace the old ones that no longer serve you?
Variations on the Scorpio Season Rune Spread
- Draw for Greater Detail: Each spread position question comes with a list of questions for reflection. Instead of just using these questions to help you interpret the runes you drew, you can use these as questions to draw further runes and help you more deeply understand the wisdom that Spirit is trying to share with you.
- Combination Reading: If you want, you can combine the rune and tarot versions! Just pick whichever version of the spread resonates with you more, and then pull one card and one rune for each spread position and read them together. For example, if I drew Raido and the Ace of Wands for the first position, I might interpret that as indicating that I’ve done enough “finding my path” (Raido) and “discovering my passions” (Ace of Wands) and it’s time to pick something to focus on and commit to it.
Sample Readings
Here are two sample readings with this Scorpio season spread:
Sample Tarot Reading
As an example, I drew the 8 of Swords, the Father (King) of Wands, and the 10 of Cups for this Scorpio season tarot spread. (These cards are from the Wild Unknown Tarot.)
- Death: 8 of Swords
You’ve been feeling trapped, when in truth you have the power to fly away and remove yourself from your self-imposed or imagined bonds at any time. The time to break free is now. - The Veil: Father of Wands
It’s time to light a fire under your ass and become a person of action. You’ve been a dreamer, and while you can keep dreaming, it’s time to become a doer. - Rebirth: 10 of Cups
By becoming a person of action, you can release yourself from the bonds that have held much more power over you for so long than they should have been able to. Each action you take will bring you to a new step on your path, granting you new perspective. Soon you will see that where there once was darkness there is now abundant living color. Where you once felt hopeless, you can now see the light. Where you once were bitter and pessimistic, you can now be hopeful and inspired. All you needed was to see things by the light… of that fire under your ass.
Sample Rune Reading
To demonstrate this Scorpio season rune spread, I drew Ansuz, Tiwaz, and Mannaz for a sample reading. (This is my fluorite rune set, and you can find a similar set here.)
- Dusk: Ansuz
You’ve been living in your head and in the clouds, focused on inspiration and all things spiritual, and dreaming rather than doing. - The Door: Tiwaz
The rune Tiwaz is thought to pictographically represent Irminsul, the pillar that hold up the heavens, connecting earth and sky. It’s time to get grounded. Don’t abandon your spiritual pursuits; instead, ground them in reality and take actions on the material plane that reflect and suport your spiritual growth. - Dawn: Mannaz
Mannaz is the rune of our humanity. It represents that which makes us man and not god. It is our physical bodies, our earthly desires, and our interpersonal relationships. While you had your head in the clouds, you probbly learned a lot about how you want to live. Now, live that way, with grace for your and others’ shortcomings. Apply your spiritual growth to your material life and your relationships, and don’t be too surprised if not all of the ideals you’ve come to possess hold water here on solid earth.
Do you need a new perspective? I’d be honored to read for you! To book a reading with me, click here. If you’d like a reading done with any of the spreads I share on my blog, just mention it in the notes when you add the reading to your cart.
More Ways to Play
Below you’ll find a couple suggestions for practices to incorporate as part of this reading.
The Death Card as Significator
A significator in a tarot reading is typically a card you choose intentionally to represent yourself in the reading. The cards you pull as part of the reading are then pulled around it. However, when performing readings inspired by the astrological seasons, I like to use the tarot card associated with the astrological season as a sort of significator, not for myself, but for the reading.
I invite you to do the same for yourself when you use these spreads, if you are using a tarot deck. (You can also use my spreads with oracle cards, runes, Lenormand, or other similar divinatory tools.) Simply pull out the Death card (typically card XIII in the major arcana), and place that at the top center of your reading before you begin.
Then you can use the Death card to help you visualize the rest of the spread, as cards 1 & 3 in each spread correspond to the reality on either side of the veil (or Death’s scythe), and card 2 corresponds to the veil or scythe itself, the magical tool which enables the transformation and transition from one to the other.
If you are reading with Lenormand cards, you could use the Coffin card; if you are using runes, I suggest Dagaz as significator (depicted on the graphic). Certain oracle decks may also have appropriate cards to use as a Death-like significator, but I’ll leave that up to you to determine in each particular case. If you want, you can use the Death card as a significator for the spread and still pick another significator for you as a person.
This is all totally optional and totally up to you! If all this significator talk is confusing, feel free to just skip it and move on.
An Alternate Method of Pulling the Cards
You probably have your preferred method of pulling cards for divination. Perhaps you like to shuffle, cut, and then draw from the top of the cut. Perhaps you like to fan out the deck and pull whichever cards speak to your intuition. Any method you like will work for this reading.
However, you might enjoy the following alternate method of pulling cards for this Scorpio season tarot spread:
- Shuffle your deck as you normally would.
- Locate the Death card in your deck, as well as the card directly in front of it and the card directly behind it.
- The card directly in front of the Death card corresponds to card #1 in the spread.
- The card directly behind the Death card corresponds to card #3 in the spread.
- Draw card #2 last, according to your usual method.
After the Reading
Once you’ve completed your reading, you might be left wondering, what’s next? Not to worry! Here are a few suggestions for how to move forward. The last one is the most important!
Tarot Journaling
I always recommend journaling during and after a reading. Make note of the questions you asked, which cards came up in which position, and how you interpreted them. A little sketch is always helpful, or you can use some tarot stickers instead!
Journaling your readings means you can look back on them later, which can be especially helpful if you feel like you keep getting the same card or cards over and over again, if you learn something new about a card and want to see how it applies, or if you have new insights that might help you understand and interpret your cards better. Its also good to have a written reminder of the wisdom you are meant to be integrating, and it can be interesting to go back and see how you interpreted the cards at the time of reading. Plus, the simple act of writing out the reading and the wisdom gleaned helps it to stick in your mind better.
Spell for Inner Transformation
You may also wish to do a simple spell to help you through this transition or transformation. If you want to transform your life, you have to transform yourself. I think the best spells are always the ones you write yourself, but if you’d like me to create a post about spells for inner transformation and what such a spell could look like, let me know in the comments! I want to create the content that helps you make your everyday life more magical, so it’s always good to hear what would be helpful directly from you!
Integrate the Wisdom
Journaling and spellwork can help you achieve your highest potential, but they’re not the only paths to the top. Far from it! The most important thing you can do after a reading is incorporate the answers you receive and the lessons you learn into the way you live your life moving forward. This looks different for every person and every reading, and it’s not something I can tell you how to do in a blog post.
If you desire personalized guidance and support in completing and integrating a reading like this, you might be interested in my divinatory coaching services. In our sessions together, I help my clients have the most helpful readings possible by co-creating empowering questions and digging deep, but that’s not all. I also make sure all my clients leave with an action plan: specific steps you can take to integrate the wisdom from your reading into your everyday, so you can have a better and more magical quality of life.
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That’s all for now! I hope you found this tarot spread for Scorpio season and the rune spread variation to be helpful. If you use them, I’d love to hear about how it goes for you in the comments below!
Until we meet again – be well, seek beauty, and leave a little magic wherever you go.
Blessings,
