Check in each day for a little bit of magic…
Card of the Day
The Wheel of Fortune
The Wheel of Fortune - Artist’s rendering by Kaylee Pinecone for Tales of Tarot Webcomic
New Year’s Day - we are sailing into 2021. Welcome a world of possibilities this year, but be ready for some waves and a little bit of stormy weather. Grab hold of that wheel - you are in control more than you think. Wrap your heart, mind and spirit around that wheel and prepare for the unknown of what is ahead. How will you choose to navigate through the ups and downs of this upcoming year? Steady your mind, so you have a clear picture of which storms you should steer into and which you should avoid. Study your map and plan your course with strong intention, but be ready to angle that rudder to change direction in an instant. Remember that what you put out into the world, usually comes back to you - wind, sun, rain. Maintain a strong reverence for the sea. You are your compass. You are at the helm. Wishing you safe, but thrilling, travels into your mysterious, undetermined future. “A good captain is not made from calm seas.”
Say goodbye to 2020 - Say hello to 2021!
Page of Pentacles (2020) into 8 of Wands (2021)
It’s New Year’s Eve and we are on the cusp of saying goodbye, so I took a moment to ask my deck - what will we release as we send off 2020 and what can we welcome as we say hello to 2021? In 2020 we all had to shift our perspective on finances, material gain and the things that matter most to us. While there was opportunity for great exploration in this new way of thinking, we have been lying in wait. Say goodbye to this gestation period, because in 2021 we will start to experience great movement. Expect directional shifts, quick bursts of movement and an energy that feels ALIVE! Using what you have experienced over the last year will help as we are all thrust into new experiences and quick changes. Growth is assured, but don’t hesitate this year! Tonight, after midnight or in the morning, when you awake to 2021, burn a little sage around your home. If you don’t have sage, a candle or incense will do. As you walk from room to room, watching that smoke drift up into the air and slowly disappear, imagine you are letting go of that which you do not wish to carry with you into the new year. Also imagine, all that planning, waiting and building of ideas releasing out into the universe. When you douse your stick, candle or incense take in the fragrance left behind - these are the things you should hold on to - the many things that will be useful as you move forward into 2021. When you start your first day on 2021 - leap out of bed in the morning with vigor. Find a way to welcome the day with movement and energy - stretching, a walk, a run, a work-out and impromptu dance party with music blaring! Really move into this year to let 2021 know you are ready! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!
Surprises in the New Year…
What good surprises await us in the New Year? Cards from my Sacred Rose Deck
Today, I felt compelled to check in with my Sacred Rose Deck to see what good surprises could materialize for us in this new year. Passion, drive, communication & thought are a few of the themes that popped up! Let’s place us in the center as the Queen of Pentacles - this year we will learn to use our worldly essences to nuture those around us in ways that bear great reverence. We may not currently feel “worldly”, but think of all of life’s lessons we have absorbed over the course of 2020…we are ready to luxuriate in who we have become and share the secrets of wellbeing with those around us in a meaningful and uplifting manner. Looks like new leadership will rise to the occasion and step in with swift and powerful decision making on our behalf! Finally! This clear and deliberate guidance will definitely help to ease our minds, but there is still a great deal we may stress about as we begin to reclaim our community. Stress is a given, but can also be a healthy motivator, depending on how we channel it. Death is leaving! Hurrah! I was nervous when I pulled this one, but that pesky death is the ONLY card that is facing away from us - beginning to make it’s way OUT of our picture. BYEEEEEE!!! Togetherness will happen in 2021. We will begin to rebuild our culture and communities with love and harmony as our biggest goals. New ideas emerge and are realized to great fanfare. This may even mean the reopening of shared cultural events (we can only hope at this point!) Overall, our drive to safely and securely refashion our existence is starting to grow. The fire within will start to clear out the hovering darkness. This will take time, but the biggest surprise of all - we are stronger individuals than we ever thought we could be and the realization of this will ensure we thrive! Here’s hoping all these predicted surprises materialize for us all!
Examining the challenges of 2021…
From The Dark Wood Tarot by Sasha Graham and Abigail Larson.
“Dare to enter the Dark Wood and discover your shadow self. How will you emerge?”
Leading up to New Years, I have decided to take a deep dive into the energy of 2021 for us all. Today, I longed to explore the challenges that we will face in this new year. Pulling from my dear friend’s deck, The Dark Wood Tarot, felt right. This deck illuminates the shadow self and guides your focus toward the murky and unseen pieces of the psyche. We may as well dive deep. Wow - powerful cards floated to the surface as I asked my question of the deck. Intense push and pull this year for us all. I know it seems like 2020 really forced us to examine the self in new ways, but 2021 is demanding you take it a step further. Movement vs seclusion - the desire to rush out and rush in will be tampered with periods of deep withdrawal, situationally and personally imposed. Harnessing stillness and retreat as a way to grow stronger will feel impossible, but is necessary. Moving forward is not as easy as we expect, even when life begins to reopen. Heavy new questions will weigh upon us and many of us will feel lost and forgotten to others. There is also the difficulty of sudden movement - changes that spring upon us, out of the blue, forcing us out of our comfort zones. It will be a wild and potent ride, but those that connect to their hidden reservoirs of strength and emotional adaptability will fair best in the darkest moments. Expect this year to be intense in it’s sudden shifts and life challenges, but also expect for it to deliver real change and power - things will start to improve. DON’T: Let anxiety about advancing overtake you, hold fiercely on to old habits that don’t serve you, refuse to connect with the world outside of you, deny your true feelings or act mindlessly. DO: Focus on achievable goals that are in alignment with your true nature, use the “downtime” to grow stronger and become internally clear about your personal strengths and weaknesses, understand that you may have to create a new reality and cleanse yourself of useless behavior and set clear intentions and be open and ready for anything.
Five of Pentacles into The Empress…
The Five of Pentacles into The Empress- Light Seer’s Tarot
This week, leading up to New Year’s Eve, I will be pulling cards from my decks to give us all a little insight into the approaching New Year. What can we expect from 2021? Our first two cards are highly encouraging, friends! Yes, we have been living in the Five of Pentacles - feeling isolated, struggling against adversity, out in the cold and wondering how and when will we be freed? 2021 brings us to The Empress with all of the nurturing energy of our planet and the universe shifting in a way that will help to guide us out of this darkness! It will take some time, but we will start to heal if we recognize that we have held the key to open the door to renewal this whole time. We will have to work together to change our own perspectives and guide our hearts and minds toward a more collaborative spirit, but we will be supported. Mother Earth is there to restore our lives and lift us up. This will be slow, but calming process, as we all heedfully step back out into the light. Remember as we move forward, collaboration is key. The time is now to start planning on how you will return the favor. What can you do for The Empress to show your deepest gratitude? How will you honor the loving guidance of our world?
The Ten of Swords…
The Ten of Swords - Tarot by Woody
Personal transformation isn’t always easy. Do you remember growth spurts when you were a child? Sometimes you could really feel the pull of your bones as they stretched underneath your skin and it wasn’t always pleasant. Growing Pains - ha! But growing pains are more than just the pulling of skin, muscle and bones. Do you remember that first real life lesson? Sharing was hard on the mind and the spirit in Kindergarten. Friendships weren’t always carefree, especially during recess in elementary school. Do you remember your first heartbreak? It was devastating and you probably didn’t see an end in sight to the hurt in your heart and the dark thoughts in your mind. But, all the while, you were just getting stronger - leveling up for what was on the horizon. Starting over is strange and scary, but necessary. Right now your thoughts are shifting in a big way to push you to a higher version of you. Welcome the transformation - don’t fight it. Let the light of change spark that new and exciting narrative that is waiting to emerge. Don’t lose sight of what you have learned along the way, but the time is now to let go. Hit the refresh button. You will feel taller.
The Ace of Wands…
The Ace of Wands from the Crystal Visions Tarot
We have entered that period of time that I like to call “the in-between” - those few days between the holidays and New Years Eve where you can lie still and ready yourself for a New Year! Though to most of us, the year we are leaving behind has felt like one long “in-between”, hasn’t it? Nevertheless, use these golden days to your advantage. Rest is good, but as you are relaxing, what do you sense bubbling up under the surface? This is the perfect, peaceful moment to connect to your inner fire and hatch a plan for growth moving into this upcoming cycle. Gestate, percolate and wrap yourself around the glowing intentions you hold within that are longing to be born. The biggest fires start as small embers. You will need a shimmering plan and all of the energy you can harness to fly out into the New Year with renewed spirit and sharp focus. Take this time to simmer. You are about to begin a blazing journey of growth and renewal.
The World…
The World from a Christmas Tarot Deck
The Holiday Season is a time of culmination, when we pause for time with friends and family to celebrate our successes and let go of our collective disappointments. Together we raise a glass to all that the World had to offer and muse over what is yet to come in this quiet time before launching into a brand new year. The World, this past year, has been an unusual place, though, truly testing and pushing us all. This year’s holiday celebration looks and feels very different for most. Though many of us cannot be together the way we wish and many more of us must find a way to just get through this day, the sentiment of the holidays hasn’t been lost. We have united together in the challenges that have been thrust upon us this year and it’s been overwhelmingly affirming to see our first responders, leaders, friends, neighbors and community rise to the occasion with bravery and hope. If you think about it, in some ways, this year has been a year FULL of Holiday Spirit. A new year is on the horizon, so let us raise a glass to what is yet to come. Our world is cyclical and we are destined to find balance, fulfillment, wholeness and harmony.
One of my favorite Christmas songs is “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” written in 1943 for the Movie Musical, “Meet Me In St. Louis”. It has been covered and re-recorded hundreds, maybe thousands of times since its release. But, there is a lyric modification in most versions that has always struck me as strange and a bit lacking. It is really lovely to “Hang a shining star upon the highest bough”….but the original lyric is far more touching and meaningful. “Through the years, we all will be together, if the fate’s allow. Until then, we’ll have to muddle through somehow. So have yourself a Merry Little Christmas now.” Muddle through - and be as merry as you can be. A New World in a New Year is coming!
Seven of Cups…
The Seven of Cups - Artist’s Interpretation by Lacey Bryant from
The Slow Tarot Collection
I have always believed that magic is everywhere. It is, I promise you…sometimes you have to look really hard to find it, but you will never be disappointed if you truly open your eyes and heart to the possibility of magic. If you are a curious and inquisitive dreamer then life is always an adventure - sometimes a big adventure and sometimes a small, lazy day kind of adventure. Today, embrace that wondrous creative spirit within. Wander into the enchanted forrest of spellbinding possibilities. Do you see all of the options before you that have the power to enhance your life’s journey? Pick one. Any of these choices will fulfill your heart in a captivating way. Why play it so safe? There is no right or wrong decision - only options that will delight and engage you in new ways. If you long for change, make a choice - the magic will materialize for you in ways you haven’t dreamed. Take a chance. Make your fantasy reality. Believe and you will receive.
Eight of Swords…
Eight of Swords
Are you feeling a little trapped? Fun challenge for you tonight - close your eyes to find the way out. Sit in stillness with your eyes shut and ask the universe to free you. Wait there and connect with all of your other senses. What do you hear all around you? Which sounds jump out - the sound of your own breath, the sounds from outside in the distance? What do you smell in the air - the remnants of a dinner well cooked? What do you feel? The cool air on your skin? The rise and fall of your chest with each breath? The floor or the cushion supporting you? The answer you seek to feel more free likes within. You must connect mindfully and with your whole self to truly feel freedom. Your blockage is more in your mind than you think, so get into your body to find your way out.
Queen of Cups Colliding with the Six of Pentacles…
Queen of Cups and Six of Pentacles - COLLIDE!
Powerful night - Winter Solstice and a rare celestial event, The Great Conjuncture in which Jupiter and Saturn will overlap and form a visible “Double Planet”. In my mind, I see these two planets colliding and conjoining, which is not entirely accurate, but the visual excites me! So, then I thought, maybe I should pull two cards tonight to reflect this event. What cards would my deck like to see collide together as an extension of this planetary fusion? The Queen of Cups smashes into the Six of Pentacles tonight. Powerful intuition and emotional connection meets fairness and the infinite possibilities of giving and receiving. Your introspection and creative thinking will fully manifest if you share it, evenly and openly. Those that are hoarding their power and status will find they can no longer refrain from reciprocity that is long overdue. All will reap the benefits of an unavoidable connection to community and the vivaciousness of universal alignment. How will you be a part of this powerful shift? What secret magic have you been brewing in silence that you can cast out to those around you? What amazing energy are you willing to accept from others as we move forward collectively? Light a candle tonight and feel your heart swell with the promise of union, charity and love. Be prepared to give it to get it, but get ready to feel the force of this new energy grow and multiply all around you! I love an unexpected collision of spirit!
Six of Swords crossing over Nine of Swords…
Six of Swords Crossing Over Nine of Swords
Though it may feel a little like you are taking a big step back, you are actually moving forward in ways you couldn’t imagine! Lately, you have allowed yourself to become weighted down and clouded with dark thoughts. You have felt like you cannot get out of your head. Luckily, you are now realizing how this behavior isn’t serving you at all. By letting go of the mind and truly taking that big step back to see the full picture, you have begun the process of letting go and are now starting to see the light. Keep clearing out the junk - that trash in your mind that is blocking out the sun! Good news, as you do this, the universe is guiding you forward on a safe journey toward optimism and hope. You are partnered and you have support. If you choose to recognize it and utilize it, it is there. Even if you don’t, it is there. Drift peacefully into the light and start to feel the warmth of its healing glow. Those dark thoughts are floating away, as you rejoin a world outside of your head. You are supported. You are safe. You are loved. Welcome the healing spirit of the world that waits there to embrace you.
The Six of Wands…
The Six of Wands from The Tarot of Timeless Truth
You deserve to be celebrated. Thinking back on this long, hard year, don’t just see the defeat of it - notice how you triumphed despite the odds. You are a survivor - you are a thriver and you keep going! Tonight, take a moment to honor yourself for all that was accomplished in the face of doubt and fear. You deserve recognition for simply making it through. Make a list of all that you have done this year….every little detail - zoom meetings, home schooling, keeping a small business afloat, work outs, fundraisers, voting etc. When you think about it, there was a whole lot that you conquered. And, yes, just getting out of bed in the morning counts as a success!!! You held your head high throughout the worst parts of the year and stayed in the game of life. You were creative in ways that you never thought you could be. You were there for friends and family when they needed you most. You also learned how to approach life in new ways you hadn’t imagined! You did this mostly with a mask on! You deserve to be pampered and showered in appreciation. What can you do for yourself this next week to rejoice in your personal successes? Pick one thing that will fill your heart with happiness - then do it! No excuses, if you have done all of those other things on your list - why not add one more? Pay tribute to yourself this week - you’ve earned it.
Three of Swords…
Three of Swords art by Xander Hook Hultgren
She’s back….that Three of Swords is haunting us - isn’t she? So, you cannot shake this dark feeling of deception and hurt? It’s like a cloud has descended upon you and no matter how hard you try, the light is obscured and all you see is pain. Internally, even if there is nothing outwardly causing this, you feel an emptiness - a kind of foreboding, throbbing ache in your heart. BIG sigh. Here’s a thought - let’s stop avoiding this feeling and let’s embrace it. Allow yourself to really give in and wallow. Cry, scream, shout. Lock yourself in your room and listen to sad, sad music. Watch tragic films. Read dark novels. Any HEALTHY way you can exorcise this emotional avalanche is suggested. Sometimes feelings need to be felt to the fullest, and we don’t grant ourselves this kindness. I think you can honor yourself by letting the insanity of what you are feeling swirl around you for this one day. In fact, welcome it with open arms and let it run its course. Tomorrow is a new day and maybe you just need to get this out of your system. It’s mostly in your mind anyway - I PROMISE!
The World and The High Priestess…
The World and The High Priestess
Wow. I asked a powerful question today and got a couple of very powerful answers from my cards. The question: “How can we get our world back on track?” The answer: The World. “Ok, Yes,” I thought, “That’s what I am asking about!!!” Time for a signifier - “Tell me more…” I thought. The answer: The High Priestess. Obvious? Maybe…but the deck doesn’t lie. Community and self awareness have been major themes for all of us this past year. Who are you and how do you choose to be out in the world? Everyone recognizes the phrase “Know Thyself” that was once inscribed on the Temple of Apollo at Delphi and touted by Socrates. Or, maybe, you didn’t know the history of that little phrase, but you definitely have heard it or read it in some silly little meme. But, there are so many ways to “Know Thyself” and the “Thyself” is constantly changing to parallel a world in flux. These have been tricky times, indeed. But, you can decide who you would like to be for the community at large and instinctually follow your own personal calling of fulfillment. You do not have to accomplish massive feats of outreach or change, but can expect to effect change with a pure and simple intention. By just being the purest, most sincere version of you, you exert a potent energy that touches so many. I do believe this to be true. And, today, instead of moping around wondering when I’ll be able to get back out into the world, I’m going to cast a little magic and you should, too. The High Priestess would want that.
The Six of Cups…
The Six of Cups from The Victorian Romantic Tarot Deck
Feeling nostalgic? The holiday season is the perfect time to snuggle in and connect with childhood memories that bring you joy. Remember when a snow storm felt like a gift from the universe that transformed the world into a magical new reality? Recall how you stared at those flakes floating slowly down like each one was sent just for you? I remember hearing the quietness like a symphony from underneath a snow covered pine tree in the front yard. Perhaps you are feeling the warm memories of friends and family past? Pour yourself a warm tea or hot chocolate and allow yourself to connect to their love like a warm blanket engulfing you. We cannot live here, in the past, but we can stop here and recollect the wonders of the world seen through youthful and innocent eyes. Don’t lose sight of this perspective - it’s still there, if you dig deep enough, waiting to be seen and felt.
Ace of Pentacles…
Ace of Pentacles
As you wind down tonight, say goodbye to whatever has been holding you back and plan to start fresh in the morning. Plant a seed in your mind and spirit about all of the possibility you hold within for personal gain. A quick visualization of your juiciest desires before you slide into sleep is recommended. See all of those gorgeous elements blossoming from a magical garden all around you. As they rise from the dirt and stretch toward the sun, feel their determination. This is your determination - to bring these long yearned for dreams to fruition! Embrace ambition and go for it! You are at the start of a path that will lead you to great heights, if you truly put the work in. Nuture yourself and say yes. When you wake up tomorrow, you will feel an exciting new energy bubbling from within and ready to burst out. Now blossom!
The Seven of Pentacles
The Seven of Pentacles - “Good things take time”
You have put so much work in - work that you didn’t anticipate, but did nonetheless. Because you have dedicated yourself tirelessly, even though the world seemed to conspire against you at every step, your labor will prove to be fruitful. You have planted honorable seeds that have not gone unnoticed. Get ready for a harvest, because it’s coming your way. However, don’t just claim your earnings and move on - savor every second of collecting on the dream that you planted so long ago. Who else will benefit from your rewards? There is more value than just currency here. Appreciate the glorious ways you have effected change all around you. Notice how the completion of your work fills your heart and mind, not just your pockets. Love and honor the enthusiastic diligence you have shown. Tonight when you dream, I hope you find yourself in a magic garden delighting in how much you have grown. Relish in the blossoming joy of you.
The Tower
The Tower - An Artist’s Rendering from
the Slow Tarot Collection by Lacey Bryant
I have to admit when I pulled this card tonight I sighed a heavy sigh, rolled my eyes and thought, “REALLY?!? WHAT NOW?” I mean, this year has been like one giant tower and we are so close the finish line - right? What more can possibly present to truly shake us from the windows?!? But, there is always more - isn’t there? Life sends challenges to redirect our path toward truth and authenticity. Crazy changes come to keep us on course to our sincere and purposeful destiny. We build and build and build our lives in a way that we think is correct, but it may be struck down by a universe that wants us to build stronger and better - a deeper plan is already there for us, waiting for restructuring. There is another reader, that I read and study with sometimes, who says this is her favorite card. At first, when she mentioned this, I was shocked and surprised. But, now, I get it. We are often resistant to change - we get comfortable and we start to feel complacent. Even right now, amidst this awful pandemic, a great amount of change is upon us, but it’s strangely easy to feel safe here. I think in pulling this card tonight, the universe is saying - what you are doing or have done is not quite enough - there is more to be explored. Your house of cards is easy to shake down, so how do you rebuild in a meaningful and lasting way? Sometimes life just doesn’t let us take the easy way out, so embrace the hard work - roll up your sleeves, dig in and restructure. You deserve a strong foundation. Just know, when that lightening strikes, you deserve better.