The Harvest of the Major Arcana: Tarot for Autumn’s Abundance

Autumn is a season of shifting light, crisp air, and glowing fields heavy with ripened crops. Spiritually, it is a time of harvest and balance, a moment to gather what has been sown, reflect on cycles of growth, and prepare for the descent into winter. Tarot, with its timeless archetypes, offers a lens through which this seasonal shift can be understood. The Major Arcana, in particular, mirrors the journey of autumn: from abundance and balance to reflection, transformation, and release.

In this first installment of our Autumn Tarot Series, let’s explore how the Major Arcana can guide the spirit during the harvest season, and how to work with these cards in ritual and reflection.

The Empress: The Fullness of the Harvest

Few cards capture the essence of autumn’s bounty like The Empress. Associated with fertility, creativity, and natural abundance, she represents the ripening of what was once planted. In a harvest context, the Empress is the overflowing basket, the fruits of labor, the grain stored for winter, the richness of life at its peak.

In readings, The Empress during autumn may ask:

• What has grown in life that is ready to be harvested?

• Where is abundance flowing, and how can it be honored with gratitude?

• What can be preserved to sustain the soul during leaner months ahead?

Working with this card in autumn is a reminder to practice gratitude rituals, whether through journaling, offerings to the land, or sharing abundance with community.

Justice: Balance at the Equinox

Autumn begins with the equinox, a point of perfect balance between day and night. The Major Arcana card most aligned with this turning point is Justice. She represents truth, fairness, clarity, and the scales of balance.

In this season, Justice reminds us that every harvest comes with consequence: the seeds sown earlier in the year bear their results now, for better or worse. It is a card of accountability and recognition that choices ripple outward.

Questions Justice may bring during autumn:

• What am I reaping from the seeds I planted months ago?

• What choices are calling for balance, fairness, or adjustment?

• Where in life am I out of alignment with truth?

Justice calls the spirit to weigh and measure, not with judgment, but with honesty. As the days grow shorter, this card reminds us to align actions with values, preparing for the inner journey of the darker season.

The Hermit: Reflection in the Gathering Dark

As leaves fall and the nights lengthen, the Hermit emerges as an autumnal guide. Cloaked in quiet wisdom, carrying a lantern in the dark, the Hermit represents introspection, solitude, and inner light.

Autumn is naturally a season of turning inward. The Hermit invites reflection on the year’s harvest, not just in crops or work, but in personal growth. What lessons were learned? What wisdom can be carried forward into winter?

In an autumn reading, the Hermit may ask:

• What truths emerge in silence and stillness?

• What guidance lies within, waiting to be heard?

• Where can I retreat for restoration and clarity?

The Hermit suggests carving out time for meditation, journaling, or solitary walks in nature during autumn. Just as animals store food and energy, the Hermit stores wisdom for the journey ahead.

Death: The Transformative Cycle

No card captures the essence of late autumn more than Death. Often misunderstood, this card is not about literal endings but about transformation, release, and transition. Autumn is the season when life dies back into the earth, when leaves fall, and when the land prepares for the long sleep of winter.

The Death card in autumn is a reminder that all things cycle. The harvest cannot last forever; what is no longer needed must be released to nourish new growth later.

In readings, Death in autumn may ask:

• What is ready to be released with love and respect?

• What transformation is underway, even if unseen?

• How can endings be honored as sacred thresholds?

Working with Death during autumn may involve rituals of release, burning written fears, burying symbols of what is complete, or simply acknowledging the beauty of impermanence as leaves scatter in the wind.

A Seasonal Spread: The Harvest Tarot

To work with these archetypes, try a simple Harvest Tarot Spread.

1. The Empress – What have I harvested? (The fruits of labor, lessons, or blessings that have come to ripeness.)

2. Justice – What is out of balance? (The scales of truth—where harmony can be restored or adjustments made.)

3. The Hermit – What wisdom do I carry inward? (Lessons, insights, or guidance to illuminate the darker months.)

4. Death – What must I release? (Old cycles, habits, or attachments that must return to the earth.)

Lay these four cards in a row, aligning them with the journey of autumn. As you interpret the spread, notice how the cards reflect your own harvest season.

Ritual: Honoring the Harvest with Tarot

For a deeper connection, try this autumn tarot ritual:

1. Create a seasonal altar with autumn leaves, apples, corn, or other harvest symbols.

2. Place The Empress, Justice, The Hermit, and Death on the altar in that order.

3. Light a candle to represent the waning sunlight.

4. Sit quietly, breathing deeply, and reflect on each card. Speak aloud what you are grateful for, what needs balance, what wisdom you carry, and what you release.

5. End by thanking the season for its lessons and snuffing the candle with intention.

This ritual is a way of weaving tarot archetypes into seasonal practice, aligning personal rhythm with the cycles of nature.

Closing Thoughts

Autumn is a liminal season, a threshold where fullness gives way to decline, where harvest yields to rest, and where light surrenders to darkness. The Major Arcana offers a mirror to this transition, guiding through gratitude, balance, reflection, and release.

The Empress, Justice, The Hermit, and Death remind us that autumn is not just about gathering crops but about gathering wisdom. It is about embracing the impermanence of cycles and honoring both what flourishes and what fades.

As you journey through this autumn, may tarot be a lantern illuminating the path, helping harvest abundance, restore balance, find inner light, and gracefully release what no longer serves.