Shadow Work Tarot Spread: Deep Healing
Have you ever felt like you’re carrying things that you just can’t name? I know that feeling all too well. Being an empath, card reader, and psychic, I’ve dealt with emotions that weren’t even mine on top of my own unresolved stuff.
That’s where shadow work tarot spreads comes in—it’s a way to dig deep, to really confront what’s been lurking in the background.
Tarot card reading has been a huge part of my own shadow work. It helps bring to light what I’ve been avoiding, but it doesn’t scream at you. The cards have this way of showing you what you need to see without overwhelming you.
You don’t have to be an expert to use tarot for shadow work, either. If you’re ready to ask yourself the hard questions and open yourself up to whatever comes through, you’re already halfway there.
What Is Shadow Work?
Shadow work is basically taking a long, hard look at the parts of yourself that you’ve pushed aside. It’s the stuff you don’t want to deal with because it’s messy, uncomfortable, or painful. Trust me, I know. I’ve been doing this work for a while, and as someone who feels everything so intensely, it hasn’t been easy.
Thanks to Carl Jung and his profound work with the subconscious and in-depth dives into our personalities.
But when I think about all the emotional weight I’ve carried, especially as an empath, shadow work has been the only way to really start letting go of what’s been dragging me down.
Card reading helps me make sense of it all. It’s like sitting down with an old friend who’s willing to tell you the truth, even when it’s hard to hear. The cards reflect what’s going on beneath the surface, giving you a place to start.
Tarot and Oracle Cards for Shadow Work
You might be wondering, Can I use oracle cards for shadow work too? Absolutely. I often mix both tarot and oracle decks during my readings. Oracle cards have a more open-ended, intuitive feel to them. They give me the space to dive deeper when I need to, especially when I’m feeling stuck or overwhelmed by a particular shadow.
I’ve even created my own oracle deck, The Seer’s Veil Deck, which you can try out for free right here on the blog as many times as you want. It’s designed with shadow work in mind, and each card I crafted was inspired by my own journey.
You can use the digital deck to pull one card or three, and it’s always free because I know what it was like to want to try something out before spending a lot of money on that new shinny deck of cards.
While I mostly read intuitively, I even have a guidebook PDF you can download for free, too. You may be thinking, that’s a lot of free! But to me, helping you is helping the world one shadow at a time.
If you want to learn to read intuitively, you can start with the clairsenses.
It’s been a major part of my own healing, and I hope it can help you too
(But for this spread, you're gonna want to do the one-card draw.)
The Shadow Work Tarot Spread
If you’re ready to dig into your shadows, this spread is one I’ve come back to again and again. It’s helped me when I’ve felt stuck, lost, or disconnected from myself. It’s simple, but powerful, and the messages that come through are usually exactly what I need to hear (even if it’s not what I want to hear).
Here’s how it works: Pull each card separately and put the intention for each card you as stated below in the shadow work questions.
1. The Shadow Card: What part of my shadow needs attention right now?
This is where you get honest. This card shows you the part of yourself that you’ve been ignoring. For me, it’s usually something I thought I’d moved past, but deep down, it’s still hanging around, waiting to be dealt with.
2. The Root Card: Where did this shadow come from?
Here’s where you start digging. This card helps you trace back the shadow to its root. Is it something from your past? Maybe a childhood experience or a wound from a relationship? Sometimes, this card has brought up things I hadn’t thought about in years, but it all makes sense once I see it laid out.
3. The Block Card: How is this shadow affecting me right now?
This card shows you how this unhealed part of yourself is playing out in your current life. It’s not always obvious—sometimes it’s a small thing, like being overly critical of yourself, and other times it’s huge.
One time, this card revealed how much I was letting fear hold me back from stepping fully into my intuitive work. I was honestly shocked, but once I saw it, I couldn’t unsee it.
4. The Healing Card: What can help me heal this part of myself?
This card offers hope. It’s not a magic fix, but it points you in the direction of healing. It might suggest self-care, boundaries, or even something as simple as giving yourself permission to grieve. For me, it’s often a reminder to slow down and give myself grace. It’s going to vary with each shadow.
The healing process takes time, but this card gives you something to hold on to.
5. The Integration Card: How can I integrate this shadow into my life?
This is the step where you start living with your shadow, rather than running from it. Once you’ve faced it, the real work begins—figuring out how to make peace with this part of yourself. I’ve found that when I stop fighting my shadows and start accepting them, life feels a lot lighter.
It’s like saying, “Yeah, this is a part of me, and that’s okay.”
My Experience with Shadow Work Through Tarot and Oracle Cards
Honestly, I’ve had some tough moments during my shadow work readings. Sometimes I’ll sit down with my deck and walk away feeling like I’ve opened a floodgate of emotions I wasn’t ready for. But that’s the thing—shadow work isn’t about feeling good in the moment.
It’s about feeling real.
It’s about confronting the things I’ve pushed aside, and while it’s not always comfortable, it’s always worth it.
Being an empath, it’s easy for me to get lost in other people’s energy. I’ve spent years trying to sort through which emotions were mine and which weren’t. But shadow work has shown me that some of the heaviness I’ve felt has been my own unhealed wounds. The more I’ve done this work, the lighter I’ve felt.
It’s like unpacking your packrat closet that’s been collecting all your junk for years—you didn’t realize how much you were squeezing in there until you started to unpack it.
And as a psychic, tarot and orcale cards has always helped me cut through the fog. Sometimes the cards show me things I’m not ready to admit, but that’s part of the process. Shadow work isn’t supposed to be easy. It’s supposed to be real. The cards don’t sugarcoat it, but they also don’t leave you without hope.
How to Get Started with Your Own Shadow Work Tarot Spread
If you’re ready to try this for yourself, don’t worry about getting it perfect. Just start. Sit in a quiet space, shuffle your cards, and ask yourself what you need to know about your shadow. Pull one card at a time and take your time with each message. Write down what comes up. Let yourself feel whatever emotions come through, even if they’re tough.
And if you’re curious about oracle cards, try my Seer’s Veil Deck. It’s always available right here on the blog, and it’s completely free. You can pull one card or three, and each card is designed to speak directly to the hidden parts of you that need healing. It was a huge inspiration for me when I crafted it, and I hope it brings you the same clarity and healing it’s brought me.
Shadow work isn’t easy, but it’s one of the most powerful ways to heal. Tarot and oracle cards are amazing tools for guiding you through it. Just remember to be gentle with yourself. Healing takes time, but each card you pull brings you a step closer to feeling lighter, more whole, and more at peace with who you really are.
And if you want to do some shadow work journaling, I have the perfect prompts to get you started, trust me, they were a lifeline for me, and I want to share them with you.
Want to see an example reading I did just for this? I’ll go through what I got for each card in the spread so you can see a bit of how I read my own.
Here’s what I got for my own shadow work tarot spread click here to see what it means.
Love, Nicole.
