It’s the new year! Please don`t be fooled into thinking you need to loose weight, ok? You are perfect!
But it might be a nice time to sit down and take stock – what was the past year like for you? What was hard, what was beautiful and what will stay with you forever? What do you want more of? What will you leave behind?
I love playing with tarot cards for many different reasons, but mainly because they help to create quietness and ritual, they trigger emotional responses in me that deepen my connection with my own intuition and they help me to look at things from perspectives that I might otherwise not have considered.
I do believe in synchronicity – that we meet the people, situations and cards that we need. Obviously they wont always be what we want them to be, but in our openness to what we can learn from them lies incredible potential. But hey, even if you don`t believe in this kind of magic, the cards have a lot to give to you. The act of sitting down and formulating a question that makes sense to you at this time is powerful in itself. Just making time in our busy lives to think about what our true desires are is good stuff.
In the major arcana the fool (the first card) goes on a journey to meet various archetypes that help him to grow and understand himself on a deeper level. The cards of the minor arcana on the other hand are illuminating parts of this journey in more detail and add interesting perspectives on broader themes. In this sense the tarot illustrates the human experience and can be a wonderful tool for reflection. Its good to remember that you really don`t have to know all the cards to make a beautiful reading for yourself though, that is what books are for.
I am intentionally not sharing a specific spread here, because I think it’s amazing when we just make our own. If you are unsure where to start here are a few tips:
- Start small to make sure you are not getting overwhelmed. A simple two card spread could be one card for what the challenge is and one card for what is blocking you for example.
- Don`t overthink the shuffling – do what feels right for you! Many people like holding the cards with the passive hand and shuffling with the other, but that is totally up to you. I personally think the intention is what matters the most.
- That said, it is nice to create a beautiful space for your reading – maybe light some candles and sit in a clean, beautiful circle.
- Before you consult your book, think about what the cards you pulled mean to you intuitively. What you can see in the images? How do these things relate to your own life? What do the numbers and positions mean to you?
- I would also recommend reading various perspectives on the card’s meaning if you can. The internet is full of great tarot writing and I really love the Biddy Tarot blog for inspiration.
- It might be nice to write your questions and answers down so you can revisit them later in the year to see how your ideas and priorities might have shifted
Here are some ideas for questions you could ask:
- Where should I focus my energy in this new year?
- What should I leave behind in the old year?
- What possibilities am I not seeing yet?
- How can I love myself harder (obviously always a good one!)
- What is the theme for each months?
- Where am I being influenced by peer pressure rather than my own dreams?
- In which areas should I ask for help?
I hope this has been helpful, sweet one!
