Harvest Home & The Hedgewitch Tarot

Harvest Home & The Hedgewitch Tarot

By Beth Allen

Harvest Home, or the Autumnal Equinox, is Ostara’s counterpart on the Wheel of the Year, as once again light and darkness, day and night, hang in perfect balance.

Also called by its Welsh name Mabon, this is the second of the three harvests and falls between Sept. 21 and the 24th, depending on the year.

We’ve said goodbye to fiery Leo and Lammas as the harvests continue

under the gentle guidance of earthy Virgo. Libra will hold the balanced scales of darkness and light at the Equinox and brings in air to stir the leaves, nature’s message that colder days are coming.

Harvest Home or Mabon is the time for apples, grapes, root vegetables, and squash. It’s the time for preparation and contemplation. Both practically and symbolically we begin our descent into darkness as the longer nights approach.

Our journey mirrors the Celtic deity of light, Lugh, who was celebrated at Lammas and now has died. In Greek lore, Persephone begins her yearly descent to the underworld and her mother, Demeter, casts a cold pall upon the land until her daughter returns in the Spring.

Harvest Home also is about gratitude. The harvesting of grapes makes way for the festive spirit of Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and revelry, and community sharing in celebration is encouraged.

Recognizing and honoring this time of year can be difficult in our modern-day world but there are observances we can do ourselves. Tarot can help to connect with the energies of Virgo and Libra, Demeter and Dionysus, earth, air, and harvest.

The Hedgewitch Tarot by Tudorbeth, with illustrations by Angela Rizza,makes a perfect pairing with Mabon’s magick and mead.Published by Llewellyn, this 78-card deck comes with an illustrated 253-page guidebook that’s chock-full of interpretations, spells, rituals, and ideas that offer special meaning at this time of year, and to your daily practice going forward.

The cards sparkle with detailed and beautiful depictions of Nature and the mysterious portals, spaces, and beings found there.

The suits represent the elements of fire (Wands), water (Cups), air (Swords), and earth (Pentacles), and their corresponding directions, seasons, and sabbats.

The Wands represent the south and Spring, the Cups are west and Summer, the Swords are east and Autumn, and the Pentacles are north and Winter. 

The artist’s choice of saturated colors enriches the meaning of the cards, adding another layer of depth to the deck.

The Wands are a fiery red, the Cups are in lavish pink hues (the color of Aphrodite and the emotions of love), the Swords a calming blue, and the Pentacles are filled with evergreens, ivy, and holly.

Written from the perspective of a hedgewitch, Tudorbeth is a renowned British writer, teacher, and practitioner and this deck reflects her own experience and passion for the craft.

While generally following the RWS system, the cards veer away from traditional meanings enough that new readers or RWS purists may lose their way. However, the guidebook’s explanations and viewpoint expand our capabilities to read the cards in this, or any, deck.

The Hedgewitch Tarot walks two worlds; shining light on our conscious thoughts to help us organize our days more effectively, and riding beyond the hedge into the dark forest to explore the subconscious, unveiling the fears and resistance found there.

These cards recreate a liminal space that allows us to sit quietly with our feelings and reflect on the changes around us and within us as we transition into a new season.