Using Tarot to Work with the Witch Wound This Winter
Welcome home, Enchanted Sister.
It’s a great year to make some magic, y’all. As we settle into 2026 and find ourselves in the throes of winter, when it’s dark and gray and cold, when the earth feels a little dead and a whole lot drab, I want to talk about something that comes up for so many of us right now. The witch wound. And how tarot, that beautiful tool of reclamation, can help us see it, name it, and begin healing it again and again.
What Is the Witch Wound?
The witch wound shows up when we dim our light, filter our stories, or shrink ourselves down to be more palatable for other people. It’s that voice that whispers “don’t be too much, too different, too visible.” You know the one.
Maybe you noticed it over the holidays, sitting with family members you don’t super love to sit with, dressing a little differently than you normally would, not saying something you wanted to say. All of this? It’s coming from the witch wound.
Why Winter Makes It Harder
When it’s dark, when it’s gray, when the days are short and it’s cold outside, when everything just feels heavier, it becomes even more challenging to see these patterns for what they are. Seasonal affective disorder might kick in. We might get that humdrum feeling. And in that darkness, the witch wound works its unfortunate magic in the background, keeping us from taking the bold leaps we want to take, from using those wild, audacious, juicy, controversial words to describe how we want to feel this year.
And here’s the truth, y’all: the witch wound isn’t something you heal once and done. It’s something you heal again and again and again. It’s cyclical, like dry skin in winter. You’ve got to keep putting the ointments on it, you’ve got to do the things, you’ve got to make sure you hydrate. Every year you’re a new person with new experiences, and that impacts how your witch wound shows up.
Tarot as Reclamation
Using tarot? It’s an act of reclamation, y’all. The beloved deck we use today illustrated by a woman, Pamela Coleman Smith, was for the longest time called the Rider-Waite deck. Notice there’s no Coleman Smith in that name? The two dudes who crafted some of the meanings and symbolism got all the credit.
But here’s what we know: so much of tarot is the connection. So much of the beauty is in the relationship of the reader with the images. And without Pamela Coleman Smith’s very specific images, we would not have the relationship to tarot that we have today.
So when women use tarot, whether we just look through the images, read the guidebook, or use it for spreads, we’re reclaiming power. We’re closing the gap on that witch wound. We’re giving credit where credit is due to women in art and literature throughout history.
In pop culture, tarot is often misunderstood, associated with witches, evil, fortune-telling, the forbidden arts. I kept my first tarot deck hidden between my mattress and box spring when I was fifteen because I was nervous. What will people say? I was already the weird one. That perception itself? That’s the witch wound in action.
But tarot as a mirror can show us what we aren’t quite seeing in the darkness. It’s a wonderful tool for working with the witch wound, especially in the winter months when everything feels heavy.
Key Cards for Witch Wound Work
Here are some powerful cards to explore when working with the witch wound. Pull them out from your favorite deck, look at them, explore them. What comes up for you?
The High Priestess represents the hidden knowledge that you carry. Are you silencing your intuition, or are you allowing it to be heard? What wisdom are you keeping tucked away?
The Empress embodies creative, sensual creation energy. And here’s the thing, for so much of time, even today, a sensual woman is a shamed woman. They are one and the same. That’s the witch wound in action, y’all.
Strength depicts power, but not the heavy, forceful kind we typically value in our society. This is a quiet, gentle, loving power. It’s the kind of power women hold that’s often feared because it feels sneaky or conniving, like we don’t see it coming. We don’t place value on quiet power. But working with Strength and considering power from that gentle, innate perspective? That’s a wonderful way to work with the witch wound right now.
The Tower asks the big question: what must fall for something else to emerge? When we’re setting intentions for the new year, we’re often doing it on top of all the stuff from the year before. And when we don’t clear out the witch wound nonsense, when we don’t release the previous year, we’re just adding more and more junk. What tree must fall so there’s room in the forest for the new tree, the new version of you, to grow? That’s tricky and scary, because there’s so much shame for women in changing our minds. But changing your mind based on new information? That’s actually a very powerful act. Dare I say, a quiet act of power, like the Strength card.
The Moon invites us to look at shadows, at fear, at what’s hiding beneath the surface. What may not be directly seen in your life right now?
The Star represents hope, being visible, being seen in all your glory. Hope comes when you’re not afraid to be visible, when you’re not afraid to refill your emotional cup for yourself without trying to hide parts of yourself or fit into somebody else’s box for how they think you should be.
A Tarot Spread for the Witch Wound
Try this five-card spread to explore the witch wound in your life right now. It’s a good one, y’all:
- Inherited Wound – What wound have you inherited?
- Hidden Fear – What fear is operating beneath the surface?
- Your Mask – How are you hiding or making yourself more palatable?
- Your Gift – What gift is waiting to be seen?
- Medicine to Reclaim – What power or medicine is ready to be reclaimed?
Sometimes these questions can feel very obscure when you’re using tarot. You pull a card and you can’t quite make the association work. That’s the beautiful thing about your intuition, though, what’s the first thing that comes to mind for you?
If you feel like you’re really trying to force it, maybe start doing some free journaling. Let it go. Walk away and come back to it. Because trying to force it? That’s another instance of the witch wound in action, rather than deciding you can just let it be and come back to it. Maybe you don’t need to know the answer right now. And that’s okay.
Healing in Community
Here’s the truth: healing the witch wound alone is a slog. Healing it in community is where it’s at.
I would love to know, what’s your inherited wound? What do you think it is? You can’t get it wrong. Share your insights, your cards, your reflections in the comments. Sometimes the most powerful healing comes from seeing our patterns reflected in each other’s experiences, from making connections with the community of people who are working with the witch wound together.
As we move through these winter months and set our intentions for the year ahead, let’s not add new goals on top of old witch wound nonsense. Let’s use tools like tarot to see clearly, to reclaim our power, and to declare, not respond to, but declare, the energy we’re creating this year.
That’s the vibe, y’all. That’s the thing. That ain’t it for the witch wound keeping us small.
Stay magic, Enchanted Sister.
Listen to the Full Episode
Want to dive deeper? I have an entire podcast episode dedicated to this topic! Listen to the full Stay Magic podcast episode where I walk you through each card in detail, share more about the witch wound, and guide you through the complete tarot spread.
Pull out your favorite deck and spend some time with the cards mentioned above. Journal on what comes up. And remember—changing your mind based on new information is a quiet act of power.
Thank you so much for being here. We appreciate having you as part of the Sisters Enchanted family.
Until next time, stay magic, Enchanted Sister.
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