Tarot spreads for ghostly encounters

ancestors and haunted houses

I’m frustrated that I can’t find the

post from Stacey Williams-Ng about her haunted house experience, as I wanted to write (again) about haunted places. If you’ve been a subscriber for more than a minute you’ve probably read about my ghostly experiences in historic places, but never one in a ‘haunted house’.

[Just remembered, her experience was in Marie Laveau’s house in New Orleans]

I will tell you, though, about a truly ghostly experience from years ago, although it definitely wasn’t in a haunted house. I was living in a house here in San Diego, probably built around 1920. Late one night I was sitting on the floor in front of the TV, probably reading or looking for something to watch. When I looked up, I saw a full-bodied apparition gliding across the dining room. She wore a long dress that looked as though she came from the Victorian era.

Now that house wasn’t old enough to be Victorian, so what she was doing there, I’ll never know. But I clearly saw her move from the front door, across the room, and then poof! she was gone.

If you live in the American South, you’ve probably grown up with ghost stories. Stacey’s Southern Gothic Oracle features a few ghosties in her Haints expansion pack, including this one featuring the Bride of Annandale, haunting the grave of her dead lover. In general, though, ghosts aren’t typically part of a tarot deck.

If you’re reading this, I’m going to assume that

you use tarot and want to work with ghostly energy. I created two spreads for you, one for the ghostly ancestral energy of a particular month, the other when you find yourself in a haunted house.

Let’s start with the ghosts of June.

This is a 9-card spread that is used to connect with the ancestral spirit (ghost) who is with you during the upcoming month. For us, it’s June.

The positions are:

• Who is the ghost closest to me today (draw from Courts): Knight of Wands

• What is their message about last month (May): 4 of Wands

• What is their message for this month (June): 3 of Pentacles

• How can they help me in June: Queen of Pentacles

• What was their magick: 6 of Swords

• How can they help with my magick: 5 Swords

• What was the theme of their life (draw from Majors): Tower

• What is their gift to me: 8 Pentacles

• What form of magick did I inherit from this ancestor: 10 Cups - if this ghost is not an ancestor, you may replace this question with one of your own

This spread is a riff on the Ghosts of December from Ancestral Grimoire.

I was surprised, not surprised, at how accurate the spread was. May (4 of Wands) was when we were in Canada doing workshops, while June (3 of Pentacles) is devoted to creating all of the videos for an upcoming course on ancestral magick. I love that the Queen of Pentacles appeared as I need her help to keep me healthy while creating those 60+ videos. I’ll have to ponder those last four cards, but at a glance, I’m pretty sure I know what they mean.

Now it’s your turn. Shuffle and draw. For cards 1 (Court) and 7 (Major), I just drew down in the deck until I came to the first Court, then randomly drew 2-6, then drew down again til I got to a Major, then finished 8 and 9 with random draws.

Am SO interested to hear about the cards that came up for your June.

Now for a spread to use if you’re working with

a haunted house. This is a 7-card spread that you can layout in any position.

1. The House’s History: Represents the past events and history of the house.

2. The Present Energy: Current spiritual or paranormal energies residing in the house.

3. The Haunting Spirit: Identifies the primary spirit or entity haunting the house.

4. Spirit’s Story: Reveals the background or story of the haunting spirit. You can draw more cards here if needed to clarify or expand the story.

5. The Spirit’s Message: What the spirit wants to communicate to the living.

6. Resolution Advice: Guidance on how to coexist with or help the spirit move on.

7. Protective Measures: Steps to protect yourself from negative energies or influences.

If you’re wondering about using an oracle deck instead of tarot, I tried this spread with my own Sidewalk Oracle. I have to admit, I was surprised at the results. Since I’m not currently working with a haunting, I drew with the intention of answering at least part of the Victorian lady’s story.

I’d love your opinion, but as I read the cards, I feel that this apparition was just a fleeting spirit who (at that point) was a bit lost. However, the cards reveal to me that she has long since gone on to the Otherworld and needs no assistance from me, nor do I need any protection from her.

Also, with that ice cream cone in position 1, I don’t think she had anything to do with the house at all. It’s almost as if she floated through on her way to someplace else.

Thoughts? And, I invite those of you who are working with a haunting to use the spread and report back.

Until next time,

Nancy

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