Mabon, which most may know as the time of the Autumn Equinox, marks a point during the year when the hours in the day and nighttime are equal.
This falls between 21st and 24th September. Mabon is known as Thanksgiving for the Pagans and is a celebration of the second harvest.
During this festival, people express their gratitude to nature and the blessings it offers through celebrations, such as prayer, apple picking, or rituals that often involve apples. This fruit represents the second harvest and, thus, is significant during this festival.
Read on as I show you how you can do a 5 card spread during Mabon and capture the energy of the season.
Starting Your Mabon Tarot Spread
Ensure that you begin by cleansing your tarot deck if you haven’t already done so.
Prepare the area that you are going to read tarot in, making sure it is a calm and peaceful environment that you can relax in.
It can be useful to have a pen and paper with you so that you can write down anything significant during your reading, such as any thoughts or feelings you experience and the impression that you get from each card as you draw it.
The lighting of a candle (if it is safe to do so) is helpful to add to the relaxing atmosphere that you are trying to create – a scent such as pumpkin spice may help to create a warming yet autumnal atmosphere.
Once you have prepared your area, ground yourself by taking deep breaths in and out.
In your mind, it can be helpful to think of the words “thank” as you breathe in and “you” as you breathe out.
After all, this is a time for giving thanks, and having these words in mind as you ground yourself will help create an overall feeling of gratitude throughout the reading.
Next, shuffle your cards, continuing to thank them and your spiritual team for the guidance that they are about to give you.
This will set those appreciative energies in motion to guide the reading.
Laying Out Your Cards
Take your time with shuffling your cards – there is really no rush. Once you feel that they have been shuffled enough, you can begin to draw your cards.
Remember to continue to keep in mind and also say out loud how thankful you are for the messages that you are about to receive as you draw each card.
Position your cards so that card 1 is at the top, followed by cards 2, 3, and 4 underneath (card 3 should be positioned directly under card 1), and finally, card 5 at the bottom (underneath cards 1 and 3). This should form a “+” shape.
Connect With Each Card
You will want to begin by asking as you draw card 1, “What can I release with gratitude during Mabon?” Here, you want to know what part of your past or present you should let go of.
Leaving things behind can feel difficult, but it is often necessary for moving forward; hence, we can do this without guilt and feel grateful to be able to release something that is no longer serving us.
When drawing card number 2, you are asking, “What can I be most thankful for during Mabon this year?” Whilst we go about our everyday life, and there may be things that we are very clearly appreciative of, sometimes there are events happening in our lives that we don’t always realise are serving us well that we can also give thanks for.
This card may help to highlight what you already know you can be grateful for and encourage further appreciative energies towards those areas, but it may also uncover parts of your current circumstances that you hadn’t considered were leading you to a better place.
Next, you’ll want to advise your cards: “I am grateful for all blessings big and small in my life. What blessings are there for me to accept during Mabon?”.
This question you are posing for card number 3 will help to reveal what you can expect to receive during this time of giving thanks.
For card number 4, say, “I appreciate my ability to learn. What lessons does Mabon hold for me this year?” Here, you are looking to explore opportunities for growth and development that will contribute to you receiving blessings at this time.
Lastly, for card number 5, you are asking, “What message do my ancestors have for me to succeed for the remainder of the year?”. You are asking spirit for some final advice on how to approach the last few months of the year to enable you to succeed.
Allow those appreciative energies to flow through you throughout the reading. Take your time and pace yourself. Do not rush to select a card each time – ask the question and see which card you are drawn to.
Make notes about what you sense the message is from each card as you draw it. I would recommend not looking at the meaning of the card before you have made your own notes about the card. Your intuition is important to follow throughout your reading.
After You Have Laid Out Your Cards
Take in the energies of the reading, and review your notes. What was the overall feeling of the reading? What do you feel spirit is trying to communicate to you during Mabon?
Following this, you may then wish to look up the meaning of each card. You do not have to take this step, but if you are new to tarot (or even if you are not), it may be interesting for you to see how your intuition tallies up to what the card means.
By pairing the two together, you will get a good sense of the message being communicated to you.
Finishing Your Reading
As always, once you have finished your reading, it is important to thank the cards, spirit, and the Universe for the messages conveyed to you. Process the reading and allow yourself to feel the emotions that the reading may have uncovered.
Once you have processed these, release your reading out to the Universe. After this, you can put your cards away carefully and with respect.
You may find that there have been changes in your energy during the reading. Now is a great time to enjoy what the harvests have to offer and fuel your body with the nutrients that nature has grown.
Final Thoughts
Mabon is a time for giving thanks, reflecting on the seasons that have passed, and looking towards what is yet to come.
Doing a tarot reading at Mabon can be a helpful exercise – it can allow you to see what you’ve learned and what lies ahead for you.
I’ve shared an easy Mabon tarot spread above, which I hope you will find useful.
Blessed Mabon!
Next, learn how to perform a Samhain tarot spread.
I started Spirit of Sapphire in August 2017 after finally building up the courage to start reading tarot for people other than my loved ones.
At the same time, I embarked upon expanding my spiritual knowledge and skills and so attended various psychic mediumship courses and circles, and I also began to train as a Reiki practitioner.
I’ve designed this site to be a hub of spiritual knowledge. As I learn new things, I want to share them with you.
- Pegasus Symbolism: Understanding The Spiritual Meaning And Dream Meaning Of Pegasus - November 5, 2023
- 50 Beautiful Moonstone Affirmations To Try - November 5, 2023
- The 6 Best Samhain Crystals To Work With This Spooky Season - October 23, 2023
