Three ways to level up for your new year with tarot

The Hermit :: Dreaming Way Tarot

Can you feel that? That little pull, that heightened sense of possibility bubbling up within you? Uh huh, that’s the new year energy starting to swirl around! At this time of year, a lot of us feel like we are being called to level up: to feel better, to create change, to acknowledge our weaknesses and enhance our strengths. Of course, you can choose to level up on any date, but it’s fun to tap into the symbolic power we bestow on New Years Day.

If you are ready to up your game in 2016 and could use some additional perspective…turn to the cards. Tarot can help you clarify your existing goals for the year, and it can also bring light to things you haven’t yet considered. You can use tarot to enhance your game plan for 2016, or you can use tarot to create your approach from scratch. Here are three ways you can level up for your new year with tarot!

1. Use this spread to reflect on the previous year

A new year offers a chance for a fresh start, but none of us are starting with a blank canvas. Before you fixate on the masterpiece you want to create next year, consider what you’ve painted this year. Here’s a simple and effective three card spread to help you look back at the past year. This will help you move into 2016 with useful knowledge about where you’ve been.

When you’re clear about the past, it’s a lot easier to get clear about the future. (tweet this)

Card one: What do I most need to reflect on from 2015?
Card two: What might I need to leave behind?
Card three: What is best to carry forward?

2. Open yourself to monthly synchronicities

A lot of people draw twelve cards at the beginning of the year, using them to consider incoming energies for each month. I did this a little differently this year, and my approach might work for you, as well. When I drew my twelve cards, I took note of overall trends and possibilities, but I didn’t attempt predictions.

Instead, at the beginning of each month, I turned again to the card that I’d drawn. I jotted down any ideas I already had about how that card might be relevant to my life. Then, as the month progressed, I would make note of any synchronicities that transpired, and consider any new insights the month brought me regarding my selected card.

This exercise is interesting in a few ways. First, it helps you stay mindful. Since the cards haven’t been used to make definitive predictions, your chosen card becomes more of a jumping off point to look for possibilities. Second, it can help deepen your relationship with the cards and expose you to different angles of their messages. Try this for yourself this year and see how things unfold!

3. Choose a theme word for the year

I am not anti-resolution, but I do find that resolutions sometimes become stiff and uninspiring. For 2015, I decided to try something different and used a theme word for the first time. A theme word (otherwise known as a power word) is an intuitively selected word that you use as a beacon for your year.

This worked really well for me largely because using a theme word is open ended. I selected my word using tarot, and here’s how you can do the same! Get your deck and shuffle, asking to be guided to a word that will uplift you during 2016. Pull three cards. As you look at your cards, let each card intuitively inspire one word.

It’s important to note that your word may or may not be related to the card’s traditional meaning. The point is to let the cards serve as a springboard for your imagination. Once you have three words, you can then choose the one that resonates the most strongly with you. That’ll become your theme word for the year!

If you’d like some additional guidance, I’m now offering Setting Your Theme for 2016 readings – click here for more info. In addition to reflecting on the previous year and giving insight for the year ahead, this reading also gives you three specific words that you might use as your theme for the year.

This year, I’m going to try something a little different. I’m going to use two theme words – one that I consciously choose, and one that I’m guided to through tarot. You can use theme words however you like. Take this concept and mold it so that it suits you!

So, what do you think? Leave me a comment and let me know if you’ll be trying any of these approaches as you head bravely into your new year.

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Setting your theme for the new year with tarot (video)