Samhain Tarot Spread: All Your Divination Needs Met

Samhain Divination

Samhain, All Hallow’s Eve, Calan Gaeaf and more marks the time of year when the veil is thin, and spirits come to visit from beyond. It’s said that we can see the future with more clarity at this time, which makes it an ideal opportunity for divination practices.

Cleidomancy

Cleidomancy is generally the divination method of choice usually for Virgo season, as it was said to be used when the Sun was in Virgo or the Moon was in Virgo. Tied in with the Bible (and therefore big on Virgin energy) for older practices, modern use of keys in divination is more to do with cleromancy and charm casting, as well as in pendulum use. So this could be an excellent New Moon divination method to try as well as for Samhain!

For fun witchery ideas if you’re having a party, have a key hang by the door and for any person who touched it first would have their fortune read. This can be done by anyone and is as simple as allowing a key to dangle from a string or even your fingers. The result will be based on the direction it swings. Quite cute for social gatherings!

Hekate, our favourite psychopomp goddess of witchcraft, is heavily associated with keys, so this could be a nice way to bring her energy into your Samhain ceremony or ritual.

Using keys as a tool for answering questions, the person performing the reading can interpret different key shapes, sizes, and colors to give a broader answer. The keys can be placed in a bag and shaken, or they can be thrown onto a surface like a tablecloth sectioned with meaning. Different coloured keys can be corresponding to different scenarios or areas of your life. You could even write on the key (or use different coloured washi tape on keys) to give them specific intentions. Once cast and they’ve landed, the diviner will analyze how they’re positioned and what each key means about the question asked. This is a very cute way to get some clarity or inspiration!

Dowsing

Dowsing is one of the “proper” terms we call using a pendulum. You can use it for rods with seeking water or you can use it for divination purposes with answers to questions. It is important to get yourself into an intuitive state of mind when using a pendulum as this will help you connect your subconsciousness with the question at hand and give a more accurate answer. It’s a lot trickier to concentrate that it appears.

When asking your question, be sure that it has both yes and no answer potentials – dowsing only works if the answer is yes or no. You could ask your pendulum to show you a YES by moving clockwise, and NO by counter-clockwise. It’s also possible to use a pendulum to search for missing items – so if something has gone walkabout in your home this Samhain, give dowsing a go!

Dririmancy

Ahhh harvests and horror movies. They go hand in hand now, don’t they? Originally, and stick with me here, dririmancy involved divining the patterns in blood (or how bloods appearance changes) to gain insight into the future. A more modern take on this is using red melted wax or even red corn syrup to help access prophetic dreams.

There are a few methods of divining with candle wax, and here’s one I particularly like for you for Samhain:

Light a bright red candle before bed and gaze into it while you focus on the question or inquiry that’s on your mind, and then let the wax puddle down in front of the candle. The symbolism it forms for you offers you clues and answers regarding the question or inquiry you focused on. This can be a rather intense process, so it’s best to do it with intention and mindfulness.

If you use your menstrual blood in your practice, you can use it in a similar way – dripping it on paper and letting it dry. After drying, look for symbols or images that appear naturally. Menstruating at the time of Samhain is particularly interesting, as it’s the cycle of nature where life is fallowing, and nothing is more on the nose with that analogy than getting your period. Please ensure to dispose of any sanitary products responsibly.

Geomancy

Geomancy is divination by earth. This is an ideal practice to do outside or at least near a window, as you need to be close to the earth and in touch with it’s energies. You’ll also need some kind of material that can take a shape – such as stones, leaves, twigs, etc.

With each item collected, ask your question or inquiry before placing it on the ground. Then arrange them in a pattern, either randomly or in an order that you feel called to. The shapes and patterns that appear can help answer your question – some are self-explanatory, while others require a bit of interpretation.

Collecting items from nature is great for connecting with Mother Earth’s energies. It’s natural and non-invasive, not damaging to the environment and a great way to bring the outdoors inside as it starts to get cooler. Even the mindful moments of examining your items, and seeing how nature completely changes and transforms each piece, can offer a form of a private art show itself.

Shufflemancy

The modern method of having your playlist on shuffle, to see what insight it can offer, is a great way to get some clarity for questions. Just as with other forms of divination, you need to be mindful and intentional about which songs are playing at that time – but this time it’s more fun than serious!

Start the shuffle and take notice of what comes up. The lyrics and energy of the song could be addressing situations in your life, or it can just offer general guidance or acknowledgement to the emotional state you find yourself in. It’s generally a great idea to have a particular theme in mind when asking for guidance – this could be relationships, money, work or even general life advice.

It’s important to remember that it may not always make sense at first, and you might be surprised at some of the tunes you hear! It doesn’t even need to have lyrics, for it to pack a punch in meaning for you.

This is a form of divination you can utilise regardless of the weather (which we can’t always rely on in October) or regardless of who is nearby, as you can practice this even if you’re in the broom-closet, and it won’t “out” you as a witch. Do make a note of any meaning for you, even in the broom-closet, so like on your phone in the notes section or tag a post with that track.

Umbramancy

Sometimes known as sciomancy, umbramancy is using shadows as a form of divination. Whether that is casted shadows, or utilising shadow work, that’s up to you as a modern practitioner – I like to combine the two but it’s not to say that one is better performed without the other.

Things that I recommend when using umbramancy is a good lamp, and a pumpkin lantern is a fantastic use of seasonal goods. Then focus on the shadows it creates, and allow your mind to wander – what images do you see? Do they have a deeper meaning for you? What kind of symbols can you make out of the shapes that are casted?

If doing shadow work, I recommend getting comfortable in a darkened room and focusing the light onto yourself. Allow your subconscious to take over, and use mirrors if it helps – with shadow work, it’s all about allowing the subconscious to take over and to allow yourself to explore the parts of your mind that you don’t usually access.

Whichever form of umbramancy you use, make sure to keep a journal or a safe place to store any insights or learnings from your practice. It could be in the form of words, images or even a small video – whatever works best for you. With practice, grace and patience umbramancy can offer deep insights that will help you on your journey.