The month of February ends on a dramatic note, with the full moon in Virgo. Whether you love or hate the full moon, it always brings unexpected energies into play. So, on that note, I decided to try out a lovely Full Moon Spread that I found on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum. I’m giving my Bohemian Gothic a whirl, with its unique and amazingly realistic imagery. Some of the images fit the more traditional meanings, but overall the deck is its own playground.
Note the color red as it appears throughout this spread!
1. What can be seen with clarity, so bright it could blind you. – The Chariot
The Charioteer gives the impression of a dark archangel, with large black wings, and a red cloth wrapped around his torso. He wears a green Mardi Gras like mask, with feathers poking from the top. With one hand he lightly holds the reins, which lead the two sphinxes. They are statues of beautiful women, who don’t even resemble sphinxes until you examine their lion-like paws. Above them is the full moon, quite apropos, wouldn’t you say?
Apparently, I am getting my life into balance. Drawing the warring influences within myself into a cohesive whole. Learning how to do so with dignity,calm and poise, no matter how hectic the world around me may be. Yet I’ve still got a mask, a persona, that is in control. Not quite being my true self, not yet, but still getting things done.
2. What is completed, what closes a cycle. – Death Reversed
A walking skeleton sashays through a corridor, holding an hourglass and a red sheet draped over his left arm. At his feet lay two decomposing bodies, which he stares at intensely. Reversed, the bodies appear to be staring back at him. In the distance, three candles glow at the end of the hallway.
Getting Death reversed here suggests to me that things aren’t changing, and aren’t ending, not yet at least. I’ve been going through a period of personal growth and expansion, and I feel like I am just beginning. Although a new phase of growth and change may happen, it will not be a completed cycle, rather a new step in the same journey. The impression that the bodies are in sync with Death when it is reversed suggests that I am going to revisit some old paths, perhaps with a new perspective.
3. What begins to fade away, to darken, to abandon you…or what needs to do so. – Ten of Swords Reversed
Here the permanence of the swords’ effect is so real, that the body has been laid to rest. His tombstone is a cross, bearing the emblem of a sword. White flowers grow out of the earth, next to a potted plant, which was likely brought by the woman mourning at the site. Her eyes are covered by her hands, and her multicolored outfit includes a red apron. Dark clouds loom overhead, with just a touch of brighter light on the horizon.
Reversed, the sword appears as though it would impale the man again, rather than stand for a symbol of his life. The mourning woman is put above the dark clouds and the brightening sky. It indicates that mourning for the past is no longer necessary, what’s done is done, and the future contains hope. Over time, I will let go of my misgivings about my prior actions, and move forward, and perhaps finding a new “partner” or perspective on life.
0. Yourself. The Shadow Card. – The Star
A woman stands alone next to a fountain at night. Her hands are casually clasped above her head, as she looks above at the single star in the sky. A blue cloth is draped over her right arm, and a purple cloth is wrapped around her torso, exposing her breasts. The fountain is made up of two large, muscular men, holding up a deer and a ram, while the water runs out of the animals’ mouths.
The red cloths that were prominent in the Chariot and in Death reversed are still here, but now dyed into more subdued colors. Naturally, the apron of the receding reversed Ten of Swords isn’t here, as it is going away. I have hope for the future, and for this time in my life, incorporating the control of the Chariot and the transitions of Death in my own way. I am capable of improving my life, following my own spiritual path, and living by my own rules. I need not worry about the opinions of others, who would not wish me happiness and success. I am comfortable in my own skin, and can proceed peacefully, following my own star.
What does tonight’s full moon have in store for you? How do you reflect on the moon’s message? Do you have any insights you wish to share on this Full Moon reading?
~Kimberlee
