Tarot and the seasons have more in common than you might think. The tarot deck is full of nature: seeds, harvests, stars, water, darkness and light. Yet many of us read the cards as if they existed outside of time.

Right now, in October, nature is entering its harvest season. The leaves are falling, the soil is preparing to rest and the days are drawing in. The same movement lives in the tarot cards if you let them follow the turning of the year.

In this post, I’ll show you how to give your tarot readings a natural rhythm. Not through rules, but by letting the nature outside your window become part of the reading.

Why tarot and nature belong together

The 78 cards of the tarot describe a cycle. The Major Arcana follows a journey from the Fool taking their first step to the World, where the circle closes. The four suits of the Minor Arcana move from the Ace, a seed, to the Ten, a full harvest. It is the same movement you see in a garden over the course of a year.

Nature inspired tarot doesn’t have to mean witchcraft or ritual. It is enough to look at the cards with the same eyes you use to watch the seasons. What is beginning to sprout? What is ripe for harvest? What needs to rest?

The four tarot suits as the four seasons

The Minor Arcana has four suits, each linked to an element. Many tarot readers also connect the suits to the seasons of the year. The links vary between traditions, so see this as one way of reading, not the only right one.

• Spring – Wands. Fire, vitality and new ideas. Like buds bursting open and energy waking up after winter.
• Summer – Cups. Water, feelings and relationships. Like summer warmth, togetherness and time for what reels good in your heart.
• Autoimmune – Pentacles. Earth, the body and the practical. Like the harvest, the stores and the work that bears fruit.
• Winter – Swords. Air, thought and clarity. Like the cold, clear winter air where everything unnecessary has fallen away.

When several cards of the same suit show up in a reading, ask yourself which season is unfolding inside you, whatever the calendar says.

Six tarot cards that carry nature’s rhythm

Almost every card in the Major Arcana holds images from the natural world. Here are six that are especially lovely to read with the seasons in mind.

• The Empress, the fertile earth. Abundance, growth, nurture and creativity. A card for spring sowing and summer green.
• The Sun, the light of midsummer. Joy, vitality and clarity. Everything is visible, everything is growing.
• The Wheel of Fortune, the turning year. Nothing stands still, and every phase has its time. A reminder that winter is always followed by spring.
• Death, the falling leaves of autumn. Not an ending, but a transformation that feeds something new. Like leaves becoming soil.
• The Hermit, the stillness of winter. Turning inwards, listening, and letting the lantern shine in the dark.
• The Star, hope after the darkness. Healing, trust and the first light finding its way back in February.

A simple tarot spread for autumn

Autumn is a time for harvesting and letting go. This five-card spread helps you do both with intention. Shuffle the cards, think back over the year that has passed, and lay them out in a row.

1. The harvest; what has grown for me this year?
2. The store; what do I want to carry with me into winter?
3. The leaf; what am I ready to let go of?
4. The soil; what needs to rest so it can grow again?
5. The seed, what is already quietly sprouting for next spring?

Write down your cards and your thoughts. Come back to the spread in February, when the light returns, and see what has become of the seed.

Four ways to bring nature into your tarot practice

1. Draw a card at each turning of the season. Pull a card at the spring equinox, the summer solstice, the autumn equinox and the winter solstice. After a year, you’ll have four cards that tell the story of your year together.
2. Read outdoors. Take your deck on a walk and draw a card on a stone, a tree stump or in the grass. Notice what you see around you as you interpret the card.
3. Let nature answer. Draw a card, then step outside. Look for something in nature that reminds you of the card like a feather, a leaf, a spider’s web. Let it become part of the message.
4. Keep a seasonal journal. Note down your cards alongside what is happening in nature: the first snowdrop, the first frost, the birds flying south. Over time, you’ll see how your inner and outer seasons are woven together.

Frequently asked questions about tarot and the seasons

What is nature-inspired tarot?

Nature-inspired tarot is a way of reading tarot that connects the cards to nature’s cycles and the seasons. You can use any tarot deck, it’s the way you look at the cards that makes the difference.

Which tarot suit belongs to which season?

A common approach is Wands for spring, Cups for summer, Pentacles for autumn and Swords for winter. Different traditions make different links, so choose the one that feels right to you.

Do I need a special tarot deck?

No. There are decks with nature imagery, but a classic Rider-Waite deck works just as well. Most of the cards already contain images from the natural world.

Is nature-inspired tarot the same as witchcraft?

No. The Wheel of the Year is used in traditions such as Wicca, but you can follow the seasons in your tarot readings without holding any particular belief. It’s simply about living in rhythm with nature.

Let the cards follow the turning year

Nature is never in a hurry, yet everything gets done. When you let your tarot cards follow the seasons, each reading becomes part of a larger cycle, and you are allowed to be in whatever phase you are in.

Would you like a tarot reading in tune with the season? Book a reading with me at www.eldraharmony.com, and we’ll draw the cards together to see what your season has to tell you.