Welcome to 2021! If you’re reading this right now, that means you too made it through 2020. Congratulations, really. It was not easy for many of us. So how can we use tarot to make this year better? I’ll share with you my favorite ways to use tarot for planning.
If you’ve already read my post about the Samhain Year Ahead Tarot Ritual, then you may already have a card drawn for each month of the year. If not, go check that out after you’re done here. You’re not too late, as it doesn’t have to be done on Samhain, that’s just when I prefer to do mine. You can do a year ahead spread any time of year, but Samhain, the New Year, and on your birthday are the most common.
Now, what are your goals for 2021? Now is a good time to get a pen and paper and write them down.
Tarot Spread for the New Year
The New Year is a great time to reflect on the last year and decide what you want to do differently. Here is my favorite tarot spread for New Year reflection.
- Card 1- What can I take from the previous year?
- Card 2- What do I need to leave behind?
- Card 3- How can I improve my life in the year ahead?
- Card 4- What will be my biggest lesson?
- Card 5- What challenges will I face?
- Card 6- How can I best overcome them?
- Card 7- What is my potential for the year ahead?
- Card 8- How can I make sure I reach that potential?
- Card 9- Overall advice from my guides.
Lay the cards out however you like and journal your thoughts. I love looking back at these the next year to see how much I’ve changed and grown throughout the year.
Setting Goals with Tarot
Using tarot for true soul-aligned goal setting is one of my favorite uses for the cards.
Start with the big picture goal in mind.
Now, break that down into bite sized pieces.
- What can you do each month to get you further towards your goal?
- What about each week in the current month?
- Now each day this week?
Don’t go farther than this week for your daily goal, as things will inevitably change too much for that to be practical. It helps to set a specific day each week when you’ll plan for the week ahead with your monthly goal in mind.
Tarot comes in by helping you decide whether or not your goal is too much, or not quite enough. Tarot won’t let you underestimate yourself, and it also won’t let you shoot for something too grand.
Draw a card and ask if this goal is in alignment with your greatest good.
- What did you get?
- How does it make you feel?
Now think about how you can adjust that goal if needed, until you are confident about it.
As you’re breaking down your goals into smaller pieces, keep doing the same thing. Draw one card for each goal, adjust if needed, all the way down to your goal for today.
Tarot for Self-Care
With the current climate the way it is in the United States, it’s no secret that we’re all on edge right now. Tarot can also be used to help navigate tough times whether it be due to quarantines, politics, or personal issues. It’s become a powerful and needed self care tool for me. It helps to keep yourself connected to your intuition when it may otherwise be hard.
Good questions you can ask the tarot during hard times
- What can I focus on right now to help restore hope?
- What can I focus on to get through today?
- What positivity lies ahead?
- What do I have to look forward to this week/month/year?
- How can I help those around me today?
- How can I best help myself today?
- What good do others see in me that I don’t always see in myself?
- What do my angels and guides want me to know about this situation?
- How can I best support my mental health in this chaotic time?
- What can I let go of to lighten my load? What should I hold onto?
- What are my greatest strengths?
- What are my guides most proud of me for?
I could go on, but I think you get the picture. Tarot doesn’t have to be used strictly for predictions, it’s a great self-reflection tool as well. But be warned, that last question might have you in tears, so keep the tissues handy.
New Year, New Practice
The New Year is the perfect time to re-dedicate yourself to your practice. Grab yourself a planner, sit down, and decide what you’re new routine will be. Stick to it as much as you can, but don’t beat yourself up if you miss a day here and there. Even if it’s just pulling a card in the morning, lighting a candle while you drink a cup of coffee, and taking moment to sit in silence, it’s the little things that truly make a witch a witch. Most of all, don’t let yourself forget this year how truly amazing and magickal you are. And yes, it’s absolutely okay to write it on a post-it and stick in on your mirror as a daily reminder. I encourage it.
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