The May Queen Tarot Spread for Beltane
May is a time of fertility and high spirits. By Beltane, the dark time of the year is a distant memory and the possibilities of life seem sweet. Use the May Queen spread to regain or confirm a sense of abundance and safety. If you have a specific question in mind, ask it as you shuffle the cards. Shuffle the cards and place them in positions one through five, as shown.

Position 1: Safety. Emotional security. What you need to feel safe. Where are you secure in yourself? A seemingly negative card describes a situation that needs your focused attention. Work with the energy of that card to produce feelings of safety.

Position 2: Abundance. Feelings of plenty. Abundance may encompass monetary prosperity, but it also describes the emotional breadth of your life that is full and sweet. A challenging card directs you to constricted energy flow; by releasing the block of a challenging card, emotional abundance will follow.

Position 3: Regeneration. Exploring the possibilities. The bold action needed to grow and flourish. A challenging card will show you the block that keeps you from your heart's desire.

Position 4: Love. Emotions and relationships. All forms of love, from friendship to sexual passion. Only you know your heart. Look at the suit of the card: what does it tell you about your life right now? (Wands = passion or anger; Cups = love or friendship; Swords = loving the intellect, heartache, or painful decisions; Pentacles = sensuality, the body, or the value you place on love; Court Cards = personal characteristics in your relationships; Major Arcana cards = the big picture, karma, or the spiritual aspects of your relationships.)

Position 5: The Future. The present conceivable outcome based on the flow of cards one through four. What story do the cards tell? The lessons to be learned and the potential for growth. How does position three, regeneration, relate to the future?

Nothing in tarot is preordained, and you always have a choice. If you do not like the cards in this layout, honor the information they are giving you, for they offer great truths. Next, choose other cards that radiate the energy of your heart's desire and place them over the original layout. Focused will remains the core of magic.

To complete the Beltane reading, you can meditate with the cards, write a journal entry, keep the cards on your altar until Midsummer, or simply close. Carry a card or two with you during the day to strengthen the connection between you and your heart's desire. Affirm your power to reclaim abundance and safety: "I focus on the powerful energies of youth. Expectations for the future are high. This, or something better, is manifesting for me now, for the good of all, harming no one, according to free will. So must it be."

Excerpted from Tarot for All Seasons, by Christine Jette