Shamanic Shadow Tarot Spread

Shamans tend to look at persistent negative thoughts or voices in our heads as coming from the spirits of the underworld. I.e. they are deceased spirits who are latching on to us in order to continue to feed the particular delusion that keeps them separate from the Light. They can do this because there is some kind of energetic resonance between them and our own fear / delusions.

Let’s say this view of looping negative thoughts is legit. How could we use the Tarot to engage the spirit lurking in the shadow? Because engage we must if we wish to rid ourselves of their influence according to shamanic teachings.

The good thing about spirits is that once we ask them direct questions, they will give direct answers. However, not all of us are able to hear them directly. And is where we can use the Tarot as a translator or interface between us and the spirits.

Above you can see a very simple, three-card Tarot spread for just this purpose. Below is a sample reading with the Thoth Tarot.

Engaging Shadow Tarot Spread – Thoth Tarot Sample Reading

Spirit of Apathy, show yourself! 10 of Swords – This spirit has so completely infiltrated my thoughts by catastrophising all possible negative outcomes that I often give up before I even begin. If I would have had to pick a card face up, I would have picked this one.

What is your medicine? 6 of Disks – Success is scary. It brings many more responsibilities and therefore many more opportunities for failure and ultimately the ruin we are all destined for. There is no point. Give up now.  I keep you safe from humiliation and from wasting your energy on futile ventures. When you play it small, you can have small successes. That’s why I also make sure that you always have the resources you need for small successes. That way you never have to shift too far outside your comfort zone and I can keep mirroring / feeding off your energy of apathy.

At this point, I turn to the spirit with love and tell the spirit out loud, ‘This is not what I want for myself and ultimately, it is not what you want for yourself either. It is time to go into the light and forgive yourself for playing it small while you were here on earth.’

What kind of relationship can we have now? Queen of Swords – I can help you cut through your own BS so that you use your energy wisely, especially when it comes to all forms of communication, such as writing and your social media presence.

Finally, I will thank the spirit out loud for engaging with me in conscious awareness and welcome them back whenever they have sound advice for me.

Listening to Spirit Hacking by Shaman Durek inspired this post and Tarot spread.