In Celtic lore, Halloween or Samhain, was seen as the beginning of the new year. It was the last harvest, after which the Earth would lay quiet and dormant until the beginning of the spring. And so, they celebrated this time in remembrance of their dead ancestors.

Halloween is a mixed bag of traditions these days. But, almost all of the traditions center around the theme of death and endings. In traditional lore, all the dead from the year travel to the after world on this night. So, treats are left to appease any angry spirits among them. Costumes are also warn in the attempt to scare off any not so friendly ghosties.

This is also a good time to do a Tarot reading which centers around the endings which you wish to make in your life at this time. It is probably the only time of the year that you would choose to center your reading around the Death card.

To begin the reading, locate the Death card in your deck and place it in the center position. Now, shuffle the deck and spread the cards out on the table. Choose fourteen more cards and put them in a pile. These are the cards you will be using for your reading.

Place the top card on the left side of the Death card and the next card in the pile to the right side. The next three cards go to the top left, the next three to the top right. Place the next three on the bottom left and then the last three on the bottom right.

As you are reading your spread, look to the middle three cards for things that you would like to leave behind. What things are holding you back from going forward? Meditate on these cards for a bit. Let the visions come into your mind and go with the flow of the thoughts you are receiving.

Now look to the top left cards to determine exactly how these things are holding you back. What part are they playing in your life? How much time and energy are you placing on things that may be zapping your energy and keeping you from moving forward?

Next, look to the top right cards to determine your fears about letting these things go. Why are you afraid to let go of what might be holding you captive? What is the worse case scenerio of what could happen if you did let them go?

Next, move to the bottom left cards to see what the potential cause and effect might be if you did let these things that are holding you back go. Can you picture your life without these things?

Lastly, look at the bottom right cards. These cards represent the probable outcome that would happen if you did let the things that are holding you captive go. How does it look to you? Can you see a pattern emerging? Can you see a life without the stress and burden of unwanted energies that you really don't need to hold onto any longer?

Meditate on these three cards for a bit. Picture your life as it could be.

So, just as the ancient Celts let their fears go into the unknown along with their ancestors, let your fears go too.

Happy Halloween!!