Tarot Spread to Meet Your Inner Monsters
I can’t believe we’ve already reached the end of October, a time of year that always feels like the beginning of the end. Now we get to work shepherding another year into its grave before celebrating the arrival of yet another.
As the days get shorter and we spend more time in darkness, we may find that it’s easier to spot the monsters and beasts that lurk in the shadows of our inner realms. We all have parts of ourselves that we try desperately to keep out of our external personality, relegating them to the shadows of our internal world. Often, our spooky stories of monsters are archetypes and allegories for these inner parts. The evil witch, for example, can be seen as the negative version of the archetype of the powerful woman.
Usually, these are past versions of ourselves that did not receive the love and care they needed at an important point in our personal history. The powerful woman would not have used her powers for evil had she not been rejected for her power.
The practice of “shadow work” involves approaching these parts, understanding them, and giving them (aka ourselves) the love and compassion they were previously denied. Remember that 2024 has been a Strength card year, and Strength is essentially a card that speaks to the process of shadow work and how it can initiate us into a new phase of our spiritual development.
With all of this in mind, and in the spirit of Halloween being a time when monsters abound, I made us this simple spread to help us meet some of our inner monsters. Please remember to be gentle with yourself when approaching this kind of work, especially if its new to you. Recognize your limits and seek help from qualified professionals if and when you need extra assistance integrating your shadow.
Three card spread with the following questions: Which of my inner monsters scares me the most? What does this monster want me to know about its origins in my past? What does this part of myself need to receive in order to shed the monster mask?
