Guiding Light in Darkness 🌟 Winter Solstice Tarot Spread

[MeganB]

The Winter Solstice is a time of darkness and reflection, but it is also a time of rebirth. As we go through the longest night of the year, we often face the darker parts of ourselves in our shadow, wondering where to go next as we begin the process of being reborn with a return of the sun.

One of the things I love about tarot so much is that it can be used as a tool of divination but also a tool for self-reflection. As we go into the Winter Solstice this year, consider using this tarot spread I created to help you see the darkness that you still have, the darkness you’ve overcome, and the guiding light moving you into the light half of the year.

This tarot spread is easy to follow and uses only four cards to answer four questions. I am confident that the spread can be used by anyone with any divination style, but I have chosen tarot as that is the one I am most comfortable with.

To begin, I suggest starting with some meditation, really reflecting on what you have been through in the dark half of the year. I find that when using tarot for self-reflection, it’s very important that I spend some time in meditation before drawing cards. Some things you may want to meditate on before performing this reading are: shadow work, difficult events, and growth in the darkness.

Shadow Work

Oftentimes, witches find themselves delving into shadow work after Samhain. This is a natural occurrence as we come to the end of the light half of the year. The shadow work we have faced already can shape the growth we still have to do before the light half of the year begins at Bealtaine.

Challenges We Have Faced

With the darker months come challenges, both physical and spiritual. By meditating on the challenges you have faced, you open your mind to the future possibilities of growth through adversity. This is a perfect time for reflection as we look to our guiding light with this reading.

Personal Growth And Guidance

One of my favorite things to remember about darkness and growth is this: when you plant a seed, that seed is hidden from sight. We can’t see it, yet it is doing its most important and foundational growth in the darkness. As humans and spiritual beings, I have found that moments of immense growth can happen during moments of profound darkness. So, contemplate the darkness you have faced so far and let the light shine on the ways you have grown.

Without any further rambling from me about the dark half of the year and the solstice, let’s get into the spread for this reading!

As you shuffle the cards, focus on the dark half of the year and seeing through the darkness into the light. With this reading, we are going to find our guiding light out of the darkness.

Question One: What darkness have I overcome?

This card is a peak into the challenging situations you have faced so far. Sometimes we have trouble seeing the difficulties we have faced until they’re right in front of us or way behind us. Take this opportunity to reflect on how amazing you are and what you have accomplished!

Question Two: What darkness do I still carry?

Even though we have accomplished a lot, there is always more growth to be had. Our darkness and shadow constantly shifts, ebbing and flowing like the tide of the sea. This card will show you an area of your life that needs some attention.

Question Three: What gifts does the Sun bring on his return?

On the day of the Solstice, the Sun returns! The days grow longer again and the darkness is held at bay. With the Sun’s return come gifts of joy, radiance, and warmth. This card will reveal to you how the Sun’s gifts will show up for you.

Question Four: How can I utilize these gifts as my guiding light?

Lastly, card number four is your beacon in the darkness. The gifts that card three shows you are the gifts card four speaks on. You know what the gifts are and this is how you can best use them going into the light half of the year.

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I will be doing my own reading with this spread (see the comments) and I would love to see yours if you feel like sharing!

[MeganB]

For myself, I shuffled and thought about all the bull**** I’ve dealt with this year, especially since Samhain and this whole moving thing. So, here’s my reading!

What darkness have I overcome?

The Six of Wands Reversed shows that I have overcome my limiting beliefs around success. It’s interesting because the entire card deals with something that has always plagued me - my need for external validation and recognition. It has taken me a long time, but in the last few months I have felt a shift within myself. I have been trying so hard to shed this need for validation, the desire for external recognition of my achievements, and to take a harder look at my own sense of pride.

I don’t think I’m done with this just yet, but I think this is the start of a wonderful transformation.

What darkness do I still carry?

A cup card - not surprising to me with the way my emotions and intuition have been lately. This card suggests that I still have work to do when it comes to retreating within rather than extending outward. I have a tendency to go into “hermit mode” when things get tough, either mentally or physically. I know I have a good support system and I have people that love and care for me, but I have struggled for a long time with feeling like a burden. In this instance, I tend to spend too much time in my own head rather than sharing my thoughts and feelings with those who are there to help me. This card shows me that I need to be more mindful about the difference between checking in with myself and retreating within myself.

What gifts does the Sun bring on his return?

The Ace of Pentacles is a strange card to pull for a gift because of its association with losses and a lack of planning. I will have to meditate on this card some more, but maybe it is a gift of foresight…knowing that a lack of planning can cause losses. A gift of knowledge would be a good gift to have for the Sun’s return.

How can I utilize these gifts as my guiding light?

Death reversed… a personal transformation moving into the future. It looks like my transformation will keep going into the future, fueled by the Ace of Pentacles Reversed and guided by Death themself.

What’s interesting to me about this reading is that every single card is reversed. I take this as a sign that something is blocking me in soe way, some sort of obstacle is here and causing things to get all kinds of weird…

I’m not sure how I feel about this reading and if I’m getting things all muddied up because I am exhausted… so if anyone else has some thoughts on the reading, especially the wast two cards, I’ll happily hear them!

[Artemisia]

Oooooo I am so excited about this! My day got off track as Thursdays often do but I’m planning on taking some me time tomorrow morning and am adding this to my list!

[Devenne]

@MeganB

trying so hard to shed this need for validation,

Any tips on this? Anything that’s help u start to overcome this. This is a huge thing for me as well.

[Devenne]

@MeganB

What darkness have I overcome?

I pulled the three of wands
Which I would associate with moving forward, hard work paying off, experiencing life. After huge losses in my life and addiction. It left me unhappy with myself and my life. For me this card represents pulling myself out of unhappiness and hard work starting to pay off. Starting to have more confidence and starting to make forward plans. And thinking of future.

@MeganB

What darkness do I still carry?

I got the lovers card. Not surprised as my relationship hasn’t been easy at all. Full of struggle. Probably has to do with the major choice I’ve been contemplating for quite some time with him. Idk what happened but the last week with him has been different and not bad as usual. So idk…

@MeganB

What gifts does the Sun bring on his return

Queen of pentacles

Prosperity, creativity, wealth, capable woman who is both a mother and a business woman. So hopefully this means success in work coming?

@MeganB

How can I utilize these gifts as my guiding light?

Upside down king of wands

By realizing that through my own attitude and actions, I hold the power over my own life experiences. I M the determining factor in situations and circumstances and they will go whichever way I steer them.

[BryWisteria]

@MeganB

when you plant a seed, that seed is hidden from sight. We can’t see it, yet it is doing its most important and foundational growth in the darkness.

This is a beautiful message

I love the solstice tarot spread- I’m going to have to bookmark this one! I hadn’t picked out any spreads to do for Yule yet and this one looks very insightful. Thank you so much for sharing it, @MeganB!

[Artemisia]

Since I already had my Grimalkin tarot deck out for the tea ritual, I went ahead and did the Winter Solstice tarot spread.

I’ll admit I haven’t been pulling cards daily for a couple of months and I feel out of practice, but I’ll share what I pulled.

• The darkness I’ve already overcome - impulsivity. and specifically, by using food as a reward and often ending up overindulging. It’s been a challenge to find non-food rewards that motivate me as much as but I’ve been doing it.
• What darkness do I still carry? I need to get out of my own way. I need to stop holding myself back and pursue ideas and goals with confidence.
• What gifts does the sun bring on his return? A safe, positive, nurturing space for me to thrive.
• How do I utilize these gifts? By being given a safe, nurturing space, I am given the perfect environment to grow and flourish, to be confident and succeed, and that with patience and determination, my plans will blossom.
  

[starborn]

@Devenne

Any tips on this?

The following isn’t all directly about external validation, but it can be used to help it and its symptoms. I grew up constantly being told that I wasn’t good enough, so I can understand how deep-rooted and “valid” the underlying reasoning can be. But we can overcome this with time, a good environment, and care.

Journal the heck out of it

Start journalling. Like, right now. Start by writing down things that you have objectively achieved or felt good about, and write them as though you are a fan/supporter of yourself.

I had a good meditation session. Nothing exciting happened, but the candle danced beautifully, and I felt a sense of calm.

Or,

I made my first spell jars today. I was nervous about getting it right initially, but I did it anyway! I must have done something right, because I feel excited to make more.

Or,

I managed to meditate for 10 minutes daily over the past week! I think it’s been helping me keep grounded.

Those examples are generally subjective in nature, but you also can’t refute that those moments felt good, like achievements, and that, in itself, is validating of the achievement.

Then, keep going back, reading these things, and intentionally celebrating yourself. It will feel fake at first, but that’s okay. It’ll generally be hard to do this for the first few weeks or even months, but it really does start to help.

Use a friend in your mind

Another thing to think about is how you would feel if someone you knew and called a friend did what you did. For example, if you feel unsure about whether it’s okay to do this thing or whether that thing is good enough, imagine a close friend asking you the same question. What would you say? Would you worry with them over whether they’re doing the right thing? Or would you be more supportive, telling them to do what feels right for them?

If what you would say to friends is more positive than what you’re saying to yourself, use a friend/friends like mental poppets to remind you that you are being inconsistent with yourself.

The external is unreliable

Another perspective… I know this is a bit into the negative reinforcement realm, but if you start to realise that external validation isn’t reliable because it can easily be swayed, that can help. For example, by other people’s moods, whether they want something from you or not, their personalities (e.g. getting a compliment from a self-centred person isn’t actually much of a compliment because they’re usually doing it for themselves), and so on, you start becoming disillusioned even with ungrounded positive external feedback. I mean, notice how much some people flip-flop between compliments and not even criticisms but straight-up insults?

Also, remember how much you feel like people don’t know you. How are those people valid in their opinions, even those positive ones, if they don’t really know you? You may be your biggest critic, but over the course of our lives, there will be very few people who get the time and openness with us to really know us.

There’s a lot that this obviously doesn’t cover, but it’s geared mostly towards not being swayed by manipulative, gaslighting, or narcissistic individuals.

[Devenne]

I bookmarked it so after work I can spend time with this lovely post u made. Thankyou. Imma use it after work.

[Susurrus]

I like this spread & recently spoke with my cousin about the need for validation & recognition. At the same time, this is still a relatively new thing for me to work on, as in the past 9 months. It was something deeply ingrained in me from a very young age. It has been difficult to realize that I don’t need either, whether it’s a certificate, diploma, or anything else. Even the recognition from others around me has been hard to overcome. Which usually comes with a lot of questioning from myself & asking if I’ve gotten it right or if it makes sense when I talk it over with someone else. I’ve made quite a bit of progress & getting back in touch with my intuition by dropping walls has made a tremendous impact on this for me. I still struggle with it, though, more than I would like to, if I’m completely honest.

@Artemisia

I’ll admit I haven’t been pulling cards daily for a couple of months and I feel out of practice

I’ve started with my tarot cards again, which feels amazing. I started with the Daily Single Draws but still need to get back into my daily practice. It’s also been quite a while since I have been in this practice. I’m excited to get back to it

I’m going to have to bookmark this one as well @BryWisteria!

@MeganB… I will have to think & re-read the spread, questions, & what you’ve pulled. You may be internalizing energy that is there, so it’s something you need to take steps to bring into your life in a better way… don’t quote me on that, though… I want to re-look at the cards & their relation in the spread.

[Devenne]

I really really love this and I need to utilize this every day until I get over this. It will help me in so many ways. I really can’t explain how much this means to me. Thankyou @starborn so much .

@starborn

if you start to realise that external validation isn’t reliable

This right here. I need to write this out in my notes on my phone in a quick guide for daily use to look at everytime I’m bothered by the way I’m treated. I have to do this. I need this.

[Sivonnah]

@MeganB sometimes if we look at ourselves from a 3rd person point of view we can see ourselves in a more positive light. Talk to yourself like you would a loved one. The harsh things we tell ourselves we wouldn’t say to someone we love, so why should we treat ourselves that way. I know thats easier said than done. I’ve been working on that for myself. When a negative thought pops up I tell myself that it’s not true or question why I would say that! I call that voice Karen lol For example, I might think that I’m not a good friend. I’ll say, “shut up Karen! That’s not true! I am a good friend!” The more you do it the better you become at rephrasing those negative thought!