Full Moon tarot spread
A Full Moon tarot spread is a four card reading for taking stock, laid around the day of the Full Moon. Its cards are what has come to light, what you have gained, what to let go of and what's next. It pairs with a New Moon spread two weeks earlier.
The next Full Moon is on November 24, 2026, in Gemini. Every New and Full Moon on the calendar.
What each card means in this spread
- What has come to light. What you can now see clearly that you could not see a month ago.
- What you have gained. What has come of the effort, which is often more than you have stopped to count.
- What to let go of. The habit, grudge or plan that has done its job and can be set down.
- What's next. What to do in the two weeks before the next New Moon, while things are quieter.
When to use it
Lay it on the day of the Full Moon or the day or two after. Tradition takes this as the point when things come to a head and can be seen, so it suits a question about something already under way, not a new start.
If you drew a New Moon spread two weeks ago, lay this one next to it. The comparison is often more useful than either spread by itself: what you meant to begin on the left, and what actually happened on the right.
Questions that suit this spread
- What has this month shown me?
- What can I let go of in this relationship?
- What has my hard work really brought me?
A worked example
This is a draw made the way the form makes one, for the question: "What has this month shown me?"
- What has come to light: Six of Pentacles. The Six of Pentacles weighs coins on a scale while giving to those in need. It is the card of generosity and fair exchange: giving when you can, receiving when you need to.
- What you have gained: Ace of Wands. The Ace of Wands is a hand holding out a sprouting branch: the first spark of an idea or a passion. It brings a burst of energy and the urge to begin something. The card suggests the raw potential is there; what matters now is giving it a first concrete step.
- What to let go of: The World. The World shows a dancer inside a wreath: a cycle finished well. It is the card of completion and of feeling whole, of reaching a goal and taking in how far you have come before the next journey begins.
- What's next: Six of Swords, reversed. Take the step toward calmer water.
How to read it
Read What has come to light first and say out loud what it reminds you of. Most people know straight away. Then read What you have gained. Tarot readers often say it is the card people skip, and many of us are much better at listing what went wrong.
What to let go of asks for a real decision, and it should end up as something you stop doing this week. What's next is meant to be small. The two weeks after a Full Moon are read as a time to tidy up and finish things, and not to launch anything new.
The cards are read in the same words as our card pages, from the Rider-Waite-Smith tradition. Each draw comes from a hash of the day and your question, so asking the same thing on the same day gives the same cards.