may 2025: spreads for all

hello, friends. before we get into this month's spreads, i want to shoutout a few cool things in my orbit. first, i wrote an essay in the brand new tarot anthology TAROT IN OTHER WORDS, edited by the brilliant cassandra snow and out now! two of my beloveds, my wonderful wife jeanna kadlec and my dear friend maeg keane, are putting together an incredible lecture on creativity through the astrological houses, which has early bird pricing available through may 7th. and finally, i partnered with the truly magical bee scolnick to put together a workshop on using tarot and numerology to tell your story of 2025, which you can pick up right now.

our spreads for this month are about challenging yourself. and i know, you might not be in that headspace at all, preferring instead to use some spreads of comfort or joy of pleasure instead. (and if that's the case, explore the newsletter archives!)

but given that we're in a five month and have an important, necessary opportunity to sit in tension, listen to our bodies, potentially even change the ways that we think about or utilize our resources — i wanted to provide some spreads that could help to facilitate those explorations, in a way that doesn't completely suck.

tarot spreads in general require us to be willing to ask questions, ones that might be hard to sit with. but by using spreads, we're able to give ourselves a framework to explore those truths, to examine a messy thing in an intentional and deliberate way. even if you don't like tarot spreads, you might find that reading through these layouts still helps you approach your own questions, challenges, obstacles, or situations through a new kind of lens.

but if you love tarot spreads (or want to learn to love them), my next book is literally called TAROT SPREADS and is packed with tips on using spreads with confidence, writing your own spreads, and tweaking existing ones to suit your needs. it's really all about how to ask your cards questions that get to the heart of what you need. and if you've preordered already, i would love to gift you my latest tarot spread collection as a thank you!

our first spread is a simple one: because sometimes you've just gotta fuck it up.

card one // a thing that's stuck. what's stagnant, trapped, stale? what would benefit from a shakeup or a shakedown? what are you sick of?

card two // a way to unstick it. how can you make some change, mix things up, break that thing wide open? what will create some space for necessary movement?

spread two is based on one of my favorite songs from a favorite artists' new album. forever is a feeling by lucy dacus is already near and dear to my heart, and best guess simply demanded a tarot spread of its own.

card one // a graceful fall from grace. a past moment that changed you; a necessary pivot that you may not have chosen; an evolution.

card two // i don't wanna be fine. a current longing or craving; something you're not willing to lose; a hunger that lives in your everyday.

card three // my best bet. a grounding direction; a thing that you are continuing to invest in; the future you have chosen.

and finally, our last spread is based on a digital series that i have literally never watched but frequently see clips from anyway. hot ones just felt made for a tarot spread, somehow.

card one // classic. something you love, believe, and feel in your bones. something that's fine, reliable, working for you.

card two // hot head. something that's pushing you, challenging you, making you wonder and question and consider. something that's a little uncomfy, a little much.

card three // last dab. something that's making you rethink your life and your choices. something that's forcing you to reckon with how you got here, and why.

if you use these tarot spreads in your own work, feel free to tag me on social media or get in the comments! and remember, if you're a paid subscriber we frequently chat about our readings with these spreads over in the sanctuary discord server.

wishing you an honest, earnest month, friends. more soon.