Full Moon Tarot Spread – A Ritual of Illumination, Release, and Rebirth
Why I return to this spread every full moon, and how you can make it your own.
My Full Moon Tarot Practice
There’s something about the full moon that asks us to pause.
Not to hustle. Not to strive. But to stand still for a moment and let things rise. Let the noise fall away.
I used to use a sleep tracking app with my Apple Watch that charted your sleep quality against the moon phases. It was fascinating to see it ending up forming a perfect sine wave, oscillating between my having my best sleep during each new moon and my most restless sleep during each full moon. Back and forth, over and over. Exactly how that connection is made I don't have an explanation for, but I can say it's not about light exposure – my bedroom is blackout dark. There’s something else going on. Something more subtle. More embodied.
When the moon is at its fullest, so are we. Emotions crest. Truths surface. Patterns we’ve kept buried start to shimmer in the light. It’s not always comfortable, but it’s clarifying. That’s why I do this ritual. Not to tame my feelings, but to understand them.
I started pulling cards every full moon fairly recently, not because I read about it in a book, but because I needed a rhythm. A way to check in. As a neurodivergent, queer artist moving through a world that often feels too fast, too noisy, too performative… too restrictive. This ritual became my exhale. A place to lay down my mental weight and recalibrate.
It’s not about predicting what will happen. It’s about understanding where I already am. The spread I use is simple but layered: one card for each phase of the moon. Eight cards total, moving in a cycle—from the illuminating truth of the Full Moon, through the shadows of release, to the quiet spark of the New Moon, and into the intentional growth of the waxing phases.
Each card becomes a mirror. Sometimes a gentle one. Sometimes not. But always honest.
This is how I realign with myself.
Under the moonlight, I remember who I am, not who I’ve been told to be. The cards speak a language that bypasses performance and taps directly into the part of me that already knows the way forward. That part just needs space. Stillness. And sometimes a nudge.
This ritual helps me come home to myself, again and again. It brings softness to the sharp edges. It reminds me that growth isn’t always loud and that clarity doesn’t always arrive in words.
And every time, it tells a story. Not just about where I’m headed, but about what I’m still holding on to. About what wants to be honoured. And what’s finally ready to be released.
If you’re sensitive, imaginative, deeply feeling, or just tired of pretending you’re not affected by the tides of life—this might be for you too.
How You Can Use This Spread
You don’t need to be a tarot expert to try this. You just need a tarot deck, a quiet moment, and a willingness to listen.
When to use it:
I do it on the Full Moon.
You might prefer the New Moon.
Or both. Each brings its own magic, its own energy.
How often:
Monthly works well, but follow your own rhythm.
Even once a season is powerful. Lunar rituals don’t need to be rigid to be real.
The Eight Phases & Prompts
I lay the cards starting with the full moon at the top and continuing clockwise in a circle.
🌕 Full Moon — Illumination
What truth is surfacing? What’s ready to be seen?🌖 Waning Gibbous — Gratitude
What should I honour or give thanks for?🌗 Last Quarter — Release
What am I ready to let go of?🌘 Waning Crescent — Surrender
What do I need to stop controlling and hand over to the universe?🌑 New Moon — New Beginnings
What intention wants to emerge?🌒 Waxing Crescent — Growth
What will help me nurture this new beginning?🌓 First Quarter — Action
What action should I take now?🌔 Waxing Gibbous — Refinement
How can I fine-tune my approach or mindset?
Feel free to rephrase these prompts in your own language. This isn’t about perfection, it’s about honesty. Let the cards speak in the way only you can hear.
My Last Full Moon Reading (13 April 2025)
Last month, I did my usual ritual outside under the light of the full moon and pulled this spread. It shook me a little. Not because it was dramatic, but because it was true.
(Watch the reading on YouTube)
Let me walk you through it:
🌕 Full Moon – Illumination
Eight of Cups (Reversed)
What surfaced was my avoidance. I was staying emotionally tied to something I knew was done—an old pattern, a relationship, a way of working. I knew I needed to let go. But I hadn’t.
Key Message: The truth you’ve been avoiding is surfacing. You’re being asked to leave behind what no longer aligns, even if it’s uncomfortable.
🌖 Waning Gibbous – Gratitude
Seven of Cups (Upright)
Despite the emotional fog, I was reminded that I have options. I’m rich in imagination, visions, creative ideas. It can be overwhelming, but it’s also a gift.
Key Message: Appreciate possibility. Let yourself dream.
🌗 Last Quarter – Release
Seven of Swords (Upright)
This one hit hard. I saw where I was hiding, especially from myself. The masks, the perfectionism, the tendency to edit out parts of my truth.
Key Message: Stop deceiving yourself. Step out of the shadows with self-respect.
🌘 Waning Crescent – Surrender
Eight of Pentacles (Reversed)
I’d been pouring too much into the wrong things. Working out of habit, not inspiration. The card told me: rest is sacred. Obsession with “getting it right” was blocking my flow.
Key Message: Release control. You don’t need to earn your worth through effort.
🌑 New Moon – New Beginnings
Strength (Reversed)
This card was a whisper: stop doubting your resilience. Stop letting your inner critic steer. I needed to come back to gentleness. With myself, with my body, with my process.
Key Message: Set the intention to meet yourself with compassion, not critique.
🌒 Waxing Crescent – Growth
Queen of Swords (Upright)
Clarity. Boundaries. Truth. This card showed me how to grow. Not through hustle, but through discernment. To say “no” more often. To speak honestly.
Key Message: Growth is clarity in action. Honour your voice.
🌓 First Quarter – Action
The Magician (Upright)
I had the tools. I just needed to use them. This card told me to stop waiting. To create, not overthink. To act, not spiral.
Key Message: You are the alchemist. Begin now.
🌔 Waxing Gibbous – Refinement
Five of Pentacles (Reversed)
Healing was already happening, I just hadn’t noticed. I was carrying the mindset of being unsupported, even though support was showing up.
Key Message: Things are getting better. Let your mindset catch up with your reality.
Key themes from this spread
Emotional detachment from the past
Permission to dream again
Honest self-confrontation
Letting go of burnout cycles
Choosing softness over self-judgment
Taking aligned creative action
Shifting from isolation into connection
Remembering you already have what you need
Journaling prompt from this spread
“Where in my life am I still clinging to what I’ve already outgrown, and what truth am I finally ready to face?”
Try It Yourself
If this calls to you, try it on the next Full Moon (12 May). Or try it today. No ceremony required. Just honesty.
Steps:
Pull one card per lunar phase
Journal your reflections
Let yourself feel what you find
And if eight cards feels too much, start with just one:
“What truth is being illuminated for me right now?”
Let that one truth ripple outward. Let it guide your next step.
🌝 Tell me…
When the moon speaks to you, how do you listen?
Do you pull cards? Light a candle? Dream in questions?
I’d love to know how the lunar cycle moves through your world.
Whisper your ritual in the comments below.
🖤 This is for the too-much, the too-loud, the ones who never shut up inside.
If that’s you, stay tuned. Stay loud. Stay weird.
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