Baba Yaga Tarot Spread
In which drawing the cards is an initiation ritual
I have been studying Baba Yaga for several years now, and I feel like I’ve finally reached a place where I have something worth saying about her. This is part of the reason that I decided to dedicate the first issue of Croning—a zine about getting old—to this chthonic spirit.
If you’re not familiar with Baba Yaga, she is a figure from Slavic folklore. She is often called a “witch,” but that English word might not be quite right. She is old in the sense that she is eternal, and she is often depicted as a hag, but she can also appear as a young woman. She is known to have a taste for human flesh, but she sometimes serves as a benefactor to those who make their way to her hut. Maybe the safest thing to say about her is that she is an initiatrix, and that no one who encounters her leaves her presence unchanged.
It’s with all this in mind that I designed a simple four-card spread. You may use a querent card if you like. It is, of course, up to you to determine which card best represents you. If you would like to use a card to represent Baba Yaga herself, my suggestions would be Death, the High Priestess, or the Queen of Swords. You may have other thoughts.
Finally, the first card may need a little explanation. Are you doing a deed, or fleeing a deed? is a question that Baba Yaga often asks those who arrive on her doorstep. As I read interpretate it, this incantation is asking us to reflect on where we are and how we got here. Am I doing what I’m doing right now because it’s what I should be doing, or am I doing it because I really don’t want to be doing what I should be doing? Or maybe it means, Have I arrived at this place because I chose this path, or have I arrived at this place because I am trying to escape the choices I have made? Perhaps the card you draw here will help you understand what this formula means for you.
The Spread
First card: Am I doing a deed or fleeing a deed?
Second card: Is Baba Yaga my friend or my foe?
Third card: What will die while I am inside Baba Yaga’s hut?
Fourth card: Who will I be when I emerge?
I hope you find this helpful.
If you’d like to know more about Croning, there’s a Substack for that. I hope you join me there.
Illustrations by Ivan Bilibin. Both of these images are in the public domain.