Mabon (the Autumn Equinox) is all about balance — day and night are equal, the harvest is gathered, and we naturally begin to reflect on what we’ve received and created so far this year, what still needs to shift, and how to move forward into the darker half of the year.
One of my favorite ways to work with this seasonal energy is through my cards. A tarot or oracle reading at the equinox can be incredibly powerful — especially if you’re asking the questions you actually want the answers to. So instead of using a fixed spread that might not quite fit your life right now, why not design your own?
In this post, I’ll give you a menu of questions inspired by Mabon themes like harvest, balance, release, and guidance. You can pick and choose the ones that resonate most with you and create a spread that’s completely personal and relevant to your current situation.
Hey, what's a tarot spread?
A tarot spread is simply the layout of cards you use for a reading, along with the questions assigned to each card. Think of it as a structure that helps you focus your reading and use the cards to tell a fuller story. You're not just pulling a card, you're looking at a situation from various angles and connecting the dots into a whole.
You've probably seen spreads being used already - like the classic three-card spread for past–present–future. But the spread possibilities are endless, and a spread can be simple or much more elaborate, with ten or more cards. The important thing is that each position in a spread has a purpose, and contributes to the bigger picture.
At the Autumn Equinox, using a spread allows you to explore different themes — like harvest, balance, release, or guidance — in a way that feels intentional and organised. And the best part? You don’t need to stick to someone else’s template. You can design a spread that speaks directly to where you are in life right now.
How to use this list
Think of these questions as a menu — you don’t have to work through every single one (unless you want to!). The point is to choose what feels most relevant to you right now.
Here are a few ways you can the questions below:
- pick one single question for a simple, focused Autumn Equinox reading
- combine a few that speak to you most, and you’ve created your own unique spread.
- repeat the practice throughout the season - the same question might give you a completely different insight a few weeks later.
Trust your intuition here — let your eyes land on the questions that catch your attention or make you curious. That’s your soul nudging you toward what matters most.
I chose these questions specifically for tarot and oracle readings, but you can also use them as part of your journalling practice. As always, do whatever works best for you and gives you what you need!
🍁 Questions to inspire your Mabon tarot spread
Mabon is such a beautifully layered moment in the year — it’s about harvest and gratitude, balance and alignment, release and transition, all at once. These questions are here to help you explore those themes in a way that’s personal and meaningful.
You’ll find plenty to choose from — but you don’t need them all. Just notice which ones make you pause, spark curiosity, or feel like a gentle nudge from your soul. Those are the ones to start with.
Here's a list of questions to play with, by Mabon theme. Each section can be a tarot spread, or go ahead and mix and match questions from various sections. Lower down in this blog post, I've also included Mabon-themed questions on specific areas of life - in case you want more than general guidance for the season.
🌾 Harvest & Gratitude Questions
- What am I harvesting right now?
- Which seeds I planted earlier this year are bearing fruit?
- What blessings do I need to acknowledge and give thanks for?
- Where am I further along than I’ve realised?
⚖️ Balance & Alignment Questions
- Where in my life am I out of balance?
- What would help me stay grounded and steady this season?
- What do I need more of this season?
- What do I need less of this season?
- Which part of me needs to be brought back into alignment?
🍂 Release & Transition Questions
- What am I ready to release before winter?
- Which old pattern or belief is no longer serving me?
- What am I still holding on to that’s keeping me stuck in the past?
- How can I move through this transitional period with more ease?
🔮 Guidance for the Season Ahead Questions
- What is my soul asking me to focus on this autumn?
- What energy would support me in the coming weeks, if I let it?
- What message does my intuition want me to hear right now?
- What is the best next step to carry me forward?
You can make any of the above questions about a particular area of your life - here are some examples:
💰 Questions About Money & Resources
- Where am I in balance (or imbalance) with money right now?
- What old belief about money am I ready to release?
- How can I best invite abundance in this season?
- What abundance am I overlooking in my life?
💼 Career & Work
- What needs my focus at work right now?
- Where am I being called to trust myself more in my career?
- How can I bring more balance into my work life?
- What’s the next aligned step for my career path?
💜 Relationships
- Where is there harmony in my relationships — and where is there strain?
- What can I release to create more balance in love/friendship/family?
- How can I show up more authentically in my connections?
- What guidance does my soul have for me in relationships right now?
What a Mabon tarot spread might look like
If you’d rather not design your own layout, here are a few simple spreads you can use with the questions above:
3-Card Spread
- What am I harvesting now?
- What needs to be released?
- What guidance is carrying me forward?
5-Card Spread
- The energy I’m standing in right now
- What’s in balance
- What’s out of balance
- What to let go of
- My best next step this season
Mabon Money Spread (7 cards)
- Harvest — What financial blessings or progress am I reaping now?
- Gratitude — What do I need to acknowledge and appreciate about my money situation?
- Balance — Where is my financial life in balance?
- Imbalance — Where is it out of balance?
- Release — What money belief, habit, or fear is ready to be released?
- Support — What energy or resource can help me move forward?
- Next Step — What’s my most aligned financial action this season?
Mabon Career Spread (7 cards)
- Harvest — What progress or achievements am I reaping in my work?
- Gratitude — What aspect of my career deserves appreciation right now?
- Balance — Where in my work life am I in balance?
- Imbalance — Where am I out of balance at work?
- Release — What career pattern or belief is ready to be released?
- Support — How can I thrive more in my work this season?
- Next Step — What’s the next aligned step for my career path?
Mabon Relationship Spread (7 cards)
- Harvest — What harmony or connection am I experiencing right now?
- Gratitude — What relationship (or aspect of a relationship) deserves my gratitude?
- Balance — Where in my relationships am I in balance?
- Imbalance — Where am I experiencing strain or imbalance in relationships?
- Release — What pattern, fear, or old dynamic is ready to be released?
- Support — How can I show up more authentically in my connections?
- Next Step — What guidance does my soul have for me in relationships this season?
Use this as a starting point and feel free to swap in any of the questions from the list that feel more “you.” Remember — your intuition always gets the final say.
The Autumn Equinox is such a rich and magical time to pause, reflect, and realign. Whether you use one question, create a full spread, or try one of the examples above, the most important part is that you listen to what feels right for you. Your intuition knows how to guide you — the cards are simply a way to bring that wisdom to the surface.
If you’d like more inspiration, check out my Autumn Equinox Ritual post, where I share journaling prompts, ritual ideas, and another Mabon tarot spread to deepen your practice.
And if you’d love non-seasonal questions to ask your cards, check out my blog post with 44 Questions To Ask Your Oracle or Tarot Cards — perfect for when you want a little extra inspiration for your readings.
Happy Mabon to you!
P.S. Turn any of the questions in this post into a personal Mabon reading just for you. Get more info here.
