Tarot for the Harvest Season
deep peace of the dark harvest moon to you
September 10, 2026
Practice Noticing
August’s moon has set. And with it, the mighty sturgeon have descended back into deep water to feed, grow, and procreate until next summer, when they will rise to the surface again.
And so tonight, we pause to reflect on the coming harvest season with the rising of the new moon. Whether we have paid attention and done so mindfully (but also if we haven’t) we have all been sowing something—or somethings—over this past season.
That could be in your work, your relationships, your creative pursuits, your internal emotional landscape, or your spirituality. It could be a literal garden you've been cultivating.
Whatever it is and however you have tended to it, our practice for this new moon is to notice that something is flowing in toward us, and to offer up our gratitude for whatever it is.
If you’re feeling a sense of lack, that’s totally normal. That’s why we do practices like this, to help shift our perspective, whether we practice solo or together.
A note on Tarot
This exercise works well for folks at all experience levels, whether you’re seasoned reader, or if this is your first foray into the world of tarot.
For those who have not done this before, I’ll share a little bit about my philosophy:
There are many different schools of thought, but I personally treat both tarot and oracle cards as tools one can engage in order to tap into your own intuition.
Reflect on a question. Then pull some cards. And see what resonates. Often it can help to have others reading with us, to use books, blogs, or YouTube videos to help us tease out what the cards are saying. But ultimately, it’s not just about what the cards say, but what we say back. It’s a conversation that helps us tap into our inner wisdom. Nothing more, nothing less.
It’s pretty magical.
Tarot for Noticing
For this exercise, you can draw one, two, or three cards.
A three-card spread lets you put a few cards in conversation with one another without becoming complicated or overwhelming. And it’s versatile: you can assign whatever meanings to each position in the spread that you want to. Often it’s past, present, future. Sometimes I do body, mind, and spirit.
Today, to mark the harvest season, we’ll do:
What have I sown?
What am I harvesting?
What needs to lie fallow?
If you want to do just one card, choose any of those that you feel you want the most clarity on.
For example, if you feel sure of what you’ve put out in terms of your effort, energy, and other resources, but you’re not sure what you’re getting out of it, you can ask what you’re harvesting. If you sense you need to step back, conserve energy, or regroup, ask what needs to lay fallow for the coming season.
You may want to have a journal handy to write down any insights you gain from your reading.
If you don’t have a deck, there are several websites and apps you can use that will allow you to draw. Don’t be afraid to experiment! I recommend downloading the Labyrinthos app. You can create a free account to read articles, pull cards digitally, and explore different decks. It’s a great way to learn and get to know some cards without having to spend any money.
Once you’ve pulled one, two, or three cards, take a moment to reflect on what you see.
Are there any images, colors, or patterns that you notice?
Are you drawn to any particular imagery?
Are you put off by any particular imagery?
Any thoughts, ideas, or interpretations coming to mind for you?
Once you’ve gotten your own impression of the cards, feel free to reference any books or other resources. Does anything there resonate?
Some Resources I Love
Contemporary Tarot on YouTube
The Labyrinthos app
Modern Tarot book by Michelle Tea
Video Tutorial
This practice is actually a Wild Maven classic! It’s one I developed two years ago, and I totally stand by it. It’s great to revisit year after year. And you can use it to reflect at the changing of any season. Here’s a tutorial I created where I walk you through a sample reading.
Want more Moon magic?
Subscribe to get future moon-based reflections and practices delivered straight to your inbox.
Or come practice with me!
If you’re in Baltimore, join me Thursday, September 10 at The Space Within in Hampden. We’ll do this Tarot practice together and I’d love to hear what you’ve been cultivating this summer as we honor the harvest that’s already beginning to emerge.
No Tarot experience necessary. Come as you are!
Photo by Lachezar Asparuhov on Unsplash.