Every single year on Samhain we celebrate the festivities as a family and have a special Tarot deck that we pull from at the end of the night.

That deck we only use on Samhain, too.  Its dark and has a negative (black and white) version of the front on the back that's slightly different from the front.  Its called "Tarot of the Secret Forest" and you can find it on Amazon here.

The four of us gather in a circle and each pull a card.  We sit in candlelight and silently contemplate our yearly card for a moment.  Then we look up the meaning in the book.  I use my own knowledge of the Tarot mixed with that particular deck's interpretation to put together our "message" for the year, as the deck's meanings can be sometimes vastly different than traditional ones.

Our questions are always the same: What do we need to concentrate on this year?

I give everyone their message, and then I write them down in our "Spirituality Binder", which is the place where I keep all things spiritual for our family.  I then store the cards in the front plastic holder on the inside  until the next year.  That way they are accessible if anyone wants to check on their cards before then.

I also keep the cards stored in their own specially carved wooden box to keep their sacredness separate from my masses of other decks.

I love this deck for the reason there is a "shadow" version on the back of every card, which identifies well with the Samhain theme. 

Why celebrate Samhain at all?

Samhain (sow-en) is a Celtic holiday in which we honor the dead, especially the family members and friends who have died that year.  It supposedly the time of year when the veil between the worlds is the thinnest, making it easy to contact your loved ones. 

We do not subscribe to a religion at our house, but we have always celebrated Samhain each year as a way to connect spiritually to our ancestors.  It is probably the biggest holiday in my family besides Christmas. 

Known in Pagan circles as "The Witch's New Year", Samhain in our house is known as "The Spiritual New Year".  We celebrate the actual New Year on January first, but our "spiritual" one concentrates more on inner work than say resolutions like losing weight, writing more, or anything else that's usually on my own January list.  Our October thirty-first list is only "What do we need to concentrate on for the coming year?", which is then answered by our beloved Samhain Tarot deck.

Other Questions For the Tarot on Samhain

You can use the Tarot for other things on this night, such as:

• What does my loved one (deceased) need me to know?
• Does my ancestor have a special message for me?
• What does the next year have in store for me?
•  What are my dreams trying to tell me?
• What part of my shadow side am I repressing that I need to acknowledge?
• What am I afraid of (or I am afraid of this, how do I get past it?)

Here are some great websites for Samhain spreads:

http://tarotelements.com/4874/gift-of-samhain-part-two/
http://www.gaiansoul.com/2010/10/elder-of-fire-tarot-spread-for-samhain/#sthash.D4jtxS07.dpbs


How to Choose a Samhain Deck

I honestly do not remember how I came across this deck.  It must have been near Halloween as I had never once used it for anything else other than that night.

To find your own Samhain deck (or other holiday deck), go onto Amazon, Aeclectic.net, or the book store and look at the different decks and see which one fits with the theme you want to convey with your cards.  Introspection?  Dreams? 

Once you find your deck, grab a gorgeous box or bag to store them in, so you know that this deck is ONLY to be used for your holiday.  Here is a pic of my box, which cost me $1.00 at a thrift store.  I keep it in a special desk where I keep all our Samhain items (candles, decorations, etc.).


This holiday is a night for some very powerful readings, so be prepared to get answers you may, or may not want to hear.  So make sure the questions you are asking are ones you want to know the answers too. 

Happy Halloween and Samhain, tarot readers!  And have fun with your readings!



Do you have any special decks for particular things?  If so, tell me about it below!