It’s ironic that tarot’s main association in pop culture is receiving direct answers about the future, because in my experience tarot’s truest strength is in helping us sit with uncertainty. As I put it on social media a couple years ago:

We bring tarot our tender inquiries. Sometimes tarot connects us to crystalline answers. More often tarot expands questions, sifts through their layers, explores their amorphous edges. Tarot creates a space for us to contemplate what is knowable… and accept what is not.

And as I said in a blog post five years ago, as the pandemic began:

Certainty is, and always has been, a myth. Things may seem more uncertain now than they were a year ago or even a couple of months ago. But certainty has never been real.

Even back in 2016 I expressed a similar sentiment:

If you don’t know…if you feel like you’ve long been stumbling towards the truth only to find more and more diversions and dead-ends and labyrinths…know that this is okay. There is no race. The truth moves at it’s own pace. Sometimes the wandering is necessary. Sometimes the deeply frustrating moments of unknowing are exactly what you need before setting into the truth. And of course, even once you’ve settled into the truth, you’ll likely find the truth shifting yet again, sooner or later.

Now here we are in 2025 and surprise, surprise; the world is full of uncertainty yet again. This manifests both on a global scale (trade wars, political upheaval, the list goes on) and a personal scale. Tarot can’t always fully dissolve the pain and discomfort of uncertainty, but it can be a powerful ally.

To use this spread, identify some element of uncertainty that’s been weighing on your mind. Again, this could be something personal (relationship changes, career or work issues, personal identity shifts, etc). Or you can use this spread to explore collective uncertainty.

To begin, take a few quiet moments to center yourself. A couple deep breaths can help calm your nervous system as you settle in with your cards. Start by asking yourself “which tarot card represents the highest and best way I want to show up amongst this uncertainty?” For this inquiry you’ll go through your deck face up and consciously select a card. It’s okay if you feel far away from the energy of this card right now. You’re looking for the ideal way you want to show up amongst this uncertainty, and the rest of the spread can help you move closer to this.

You might intuitively know which card to select before you even look through the images. As an example, I’m doing this spread for myself around uncertainty in my business and I knew right away the card I’d pick here is the Queen of Pentacles.

deck: Pastel Waite-Smith

Place this initial card in front of you to serve as your significator. Before you proceed spend a moment clarifying for yourself why you chose this card. You may want to journal, or just think it through. How would aligning with this card’s energy support you at this time? In what ways do you already feel the energy of this card coming forward within you? How specifically would this version of you navigate uncertainty?

I chose the Queen of Pentacles as this card harkens back to a reading I did when I started my business over eleven years ago. There have been times where I felt very aligned with her energy. Most notably when Annie and I launched the Spacious Tarot in 2019. The times when I’ve felt connected with my inner Queen of Pentacles were not only the most prosperous but the most fulfilling.

However, I’m also accepting that the way I align with her now won’t look identical to the way it did in years past. But there are some common themes she brings me: staying diligent and consistent. Being productive but also of service. Examining results but knowing results don’t define my worth.

This version of me navigates uncertainty by staying grounded in the present moment. By taking the next small step even if the outcome cannot be known. She finds a small bit of stable ground to sit with even as the earth shifts.

The rest of the spread positions look like this:

What prevents me from embodying the energy of the Queen of Pentacles? I drew the Four of Cups reversed. This was the first of two times I lol’d as I drew my cards. My friend and I used to call this “the wah baby titty mouse card.” I can’t align with the best version of myself when I’m just wallowing in all the shittiness of uncertainty, and I have been doing a lot of that lately. Poor me, we sold out of the Spacious Tarot and I don’t know what to do next. Poor me, tariffs. Poor me, I don’t wanna do social media anymore. Wah wah wah.

The reversal of the card in this instance feels like a reminder to just observe myself when I get into this pity party mode. To start by noticing when this happens. That’s the first way to soften this energy so that I can more fully step into the Queen of Pentacles.

What supports me in embodying this energy? Five of Swords. Wow, this is an interesting one. At first I had no clue what to make of it but then it reminded me of a conversation I recently had with a loved one about each of our mental health struggles. I told her that lately I’ve attempted to notice when I have an unhelpful thought and immediately shut it down instead of even beginning to entertain it. I think the Five of Swords could be representative of that concept.

It’s easier said than done, of course, but there are certain thoughts I really want to just nip in the bud. I need to draw upon my tools to help with this. Therapy helps. Consciously interrupting my neural pathways helps. Sometimes I do this by saying out loud to myself “NOPE, we aren’t doing that,” when an destructive thought arises. This card affirms that this is an important process to continue.

To represent what I can’t know in this situation I have the Moon, marking the second time I laughed out loud as the cards came forward. How on the nose is that? The Moon representing something that can’t be known? As groundbreaking as florals for spring.

As I sit with this card further, it reminds me that I’ve never known what would happen next in my business. Sometimes the projects I spent months planning and executing amounted to nothing and the things I just threw together got reactions and made an impact. So maybe the Moon here is a reminder that I’ve never really been able to know anything in my business, so this new phase I’m in is really just more of the same. Think of it not as a paralyzing terror but as an ongoing, intriguing mystery.

The Ace of Cups speaks to what I can know. This is a counterbalance to the practicality of the Queen of Pentacles, and it’s another element that has always been present in my business: following my feelings. I may not know exactly what to do next. I may not know how it will work out, if I will fail or succeed or go broke. But I can always know what feels right, and I can follow those feelings. This is what I’ve always done, and apparently the cards want to remind me I need to continue with that intention.

How to sit with the discomfort of uncertainty? Seven of Wands. I see a contrast in this card and the Four of Cups. With the prior, I see my tendency to withdraw, retreat and shut down when challenges arise. With the latter, I see my ability to stand up and face whatever life throws my way. It might be exhausting and at times I need to choose my battles. But this card shows me that a big part of handling the discomfort of uncertainty is believing you can handle it. Just showing up and doing what needs to be done from moment to moment.

I have the Six of Wands reversed as some closing advice. This card tells me that any time in the past when I’ve experienced difficulty in my business, it was transitory. And yet the same goes for success. There are times when I feel on top of my game, supported, confident. And there are times when I feel like a craptastic failure. Both have cycled in and out in the past, and both will continue to cycle in and out in the future. That’s just how it is.

So there’s my ramblings out of the way. I hope if the spread speaks to you that you’ll try it for yourself. And if you do, let me know how it goes.

Although I am a tarot practitioner through and through and rarely reach for other types of decks, I have to say: there’s something inherently charming about lenormand cards. Charming really seems like the right word here. Lenormand cards are typically less cryptic in their illustrations than tarot and they have a welcoming, folks-y energy. Yet they are still complex enough to lure you in and put you under their spell. They’re charming!

You probably already have some familiarity with lenormand decks but just in case you don’t, let’s start with what they are. Lenormand is a deck of cards developed specifically for cartomancy. Unlike tarot, which has origins in Renaissance Italy, lenormand is much newer, coming onto the scene in the early 1800s. The deck was named after the well-known fortune teller Marie Anne Lenormand although they were not created until after her death.

A key difference between tarot and lenormand is that while historical evidence suggests tarot originated primarily for game play, lenormand cards always had an intention to be used for divination.

I am far from an expert. For more on the history of lenormand I recommend this post from Benebell Wen and this one from Labyrinthos.

One of my favorite decks in my collection is Pixie’s Astounding Lenormand (pictured above). It’s actually the only lenormand deck I own. The creators combed through Pamela Colman Smith’s artwork and created collage images to form this 36 card deck. If you’re already familiar with Pixie’s tarot artwork, this deck makes a nice segue into the lenormand world. I wrote a brief review of the deck back in 2016.

But if the imagery of the aforementioned deck doesn’t do it for you, never to fear! Just as we’ve seen with tarot, there’s also been a huge boom in new lenormand decks on the market in recent years. I’ve had my eyes on the Green Glyphs Lenormand for a while (pictured below).

So! If you’re used to working with tarot, why or when might you choose to use lenormand instead? I have some thoughts and I’ve organized them into an internet friendly numbered list.

You are looking for a prediction. In my experience, lenormand is much more effective than tarot when it comes to straight up predictive readings. I famously don’t do predictive readings as a general rule. But I have a confession: I’ve done a few unabashedly predictive readings for myself using my lenormand deck and the results were SO spot on that it freaked me out. I rarely use lenormand cards myself for this reason. I’ve decided in most circumstances, I don’t really want to know the future.

This is a contrast to tarot: the few times I’ve tried to do predictive tarot readings the results are garbled at best. I find that tarot cards want to wander and meander through the hows and whys and get deep into the weeds of situations. Usually this is what I want. But sometimes, you just want an answer. I’ve found lenormand very effective for this. So if you are feeling brave and want to try your hand at prediction, lenormand might be the card system for you.

You want a clear, simple answer. I suppose this has some overlap with what I already discussed in point one. Sometimes you don’t want a transformative, psyche-stretching, soul exploring reading. Sometimes you just want something simple. Maybe even a yes or no answer. The humble lenormand deck is much more efficient for this than tarot.

I’m one of those people who is always harping on that there’s no such thing as positive and negative tarot cards. Each tarot card has a spectrum of meaning, blah blah blah. But if you look at books that accompany lenormand decks each card is clearly defined as positive, negative or neutral. This makes for a more straightforward reading experience.

You like unpretentious systems. Sure, systems can be a thing in tarot reading. You can read tarot using strict guidelines of astrological and elemental associations and so on. But even if you like this more analytical approach to tarot, the systems imposed on tarot cards can be clunky and confusing.

I find the lenormand system much more no-nonsense. There’s not as much of a heady occult influence. Instead, as I mentioned earlier, the cards feel folksy. Tarot can be a bit intimidating, especially if you’re new. It feels like you need to be an occult scholar just to pull a few cards. Not the case with lenormand. The vibe is more sitting around a kitchen table in a cozy shawl with some tea peeking into the future. There is a system to lenormand but it’s fairly no-frills and welcoming to beginners.

You don’t want to fuss with a huge spread. There’s a time and a place for an unwieldy beast of a tarot spread with ten plus cards. Hell, there’s even methods of reading lenormand cards that utilize all 36 cards in the deck! But the most common method of lenormand used today is a simple two card spread. Labyrinthos suggests card one serves as a subject, card two as a modifier.

Unlike tarot which tends to be mysteriously symbolic, lenormand cards are often much more literal. There’s many good resources online for how to interpret every possible two card pair you might encounter in the deck. Of course, just like with tarot, intuitition plays a role in interpretation as well! When interpreting two card combos in lenormand, my best advice is don’t overthink it.

You just want a change of pace from tarot. I mean, this is really the bottom line. If you love the tactile experience of holding cards in your hand and just want something with a different energy than tarot, give lenormand a try. If things have gotten boring or frustrating in your tarot practice, give lenormand a try. Sometimes you’re craving something that inhabits a simliar sphere but isn’t the exact tool you’re acclimated to. And in that case, give lenormand a try!

I’m turning forty in a couple months. I recognize that by many standards forty isn’t that old and I can appreciate that perspective. At the same time, throughout my life I’ve known far too many people who lost their lives at a much younger age than this. When I remember friends and acquaintances who died in their teens, twenties and thirties, forty does feel like a milestone.

My friends and I have been commiserating about aging. One friend recently said something about understanding why old people are cranky, because life beats you down as you age. At first I agreed. I already feel life beating me down. The scary and infuriating state of politics, losing my mom, going through health struggles of my own, a global pandemic…. the list goes on. Sometimes it does feel that life has conspired to embitter me.

But that idea has been echoing through my head lately and it got me remembering a 2021 episode of Martha Beck’s podcast titled “Elder, not Older.”

art by Pamela Colman Smith

Age is psychological as much as it is physiological. That’s the basic concept Martha shared, and the one I’ve been sitting with lately. Some of us are old when we are young. This may be because life circumstances force you to grow up quickly. Or it may be simply because you are wise beyond your years, an old soul. And some of us are young when we are old: retaining playfulness, curiosity and self-expression even as the years pile on. This is the way of the Elder.

Of course, some of us are simply old when we are old: stuck in our ways, angry, bitter. This is the way of the Older. I can see that becoming a very real possibility for myself, and I don’t like it.

It’s important to acknowledge how much of this is cultural. Martha points out that in modern Western society we are set up to create Olders not Elders. This is very different in indigenous cultures and other parts of the world. So what am I (we) to do, being stuck in the time and culture that I exist within? How can we intentionally become Elders?

The Gaian Tarot retitles the court cards so instead of Page, Knight Queen and King we have Child, Explorer, Guardian and Elder. We took inspiration here and followed this nomenclature in the Spacious Tarot as well. How might these cards support us in becoming elders ourselves?

Perhaps a good starting place is considering how we interpret the Kings/Elders in general. In the guidebook for the Gaian Tarot, Joanna Powell Colbert writes “Elders give counsel and stand for the qualities of dissemination and decay.”

In the guidebook for the Spacious Tarot, I wrote “The Elder has mastery of their suit. They project the energy of their suit outward upon the world. They lead through action.” This is somewhat of a contrast to the Queen/Guardian, whom I define as having an internal mastery of their suit and leading by example. Though I also think it’s safe to say that as the ultimate embodiment of their suit, the Elder can have both an internal and external adeptness in their suit. That is to say, as an Elder, you are keenly aware of the way each suit manifests both within your psyche and in the world around you.

My way of viewing the court cards was very much influenced by Joan Bunning. She writes of the Kings/Elders: “A King is mature and masculine. He is a doer whose focus is outward on the events of life. He demonstrates authority, control and mastery in some area associated with his suit. A King’s style is strong, assertive and direct. He is concerned with results and practical, how-to matters.” Of course, I’m not as into the gendered aspect, but if you consider gender as only a metaphor here it still works.

On that note, I quite admire Gail Fairfield’s simple and elegant way of interpreting the cards. Fairfield says that although many decks show traditionally masculine depictions of the Kings, “it is important to remember that the concept of king-ness exists outside of gender.”

I would add the concept of King-ness (or Elder-ness) also exists outside of age. I alluded to this earlier with the notion that some of us are old when we are young and vice versa. It’s safe to say that becoming an Elder does not just happen by reaching a certain birthday. Becoming an Elder is a way of being, an approach to life.

Martha Beck has this perspective on what differentiates Elder from older: “If you stagnate, if you stop allowing flow in any area of your life, if you hang on to the way you want things to be, the way they were when you were young, you will be old tomorrow. I don’t care if you’re fifteen or if you’re one hundred and five. You will be old, old, old if you hang on to the way things have been and the way you want them to be.

But if you let go and let go, and come to see impermanence as the flow of your life. Impermanence, transience, the continuous change of reality. If you come to love it, allow every change that comes, you will always be young, even if you live 2000 years.”

Let’s look at each King/Elder card individually and imagine how they might represent becoming older… and becoming ELDER.

King of Swords / Elder of Swords

Older traits: the suit of swords represents the mental realm. An ‘older’ trait of the King of Swords would be firmly believing your own thoughts and accepting them as the only possible reality. If you never change your mind, you’re becoming metaphorically older regardless of age. If you refuse to consider things from someone else’s perspective, you’re becoming older.

Your inner King of Swords could fall into confirmation bias. Only allowing in information that aligns with your pre-conceived notions. Be wary of finding yourself in information bubbles where everyone else shares your beliefs.

You know the saying “do as I say, not as I do?” That’s older King of Swords energy right there. Being able to articulate your morals is worthless if you don’t embody them. Even if your criticisms of others are accurate they don’t matter because you can’t truly change someone else. You can only focus on walking your own talk.

Elder traits: If you listen as much as you talk you’re on your way to being the Elder of Swords. If instead of rushing to judgement, you take in all of the information shared with you before coming to a conclusion, you’re doing something right.

And the Elder of Swords diversifies the information they allow in. Specifically seek out folks with a different lived experience than yours and consider their views. The point isn’t always to change your mind. Sometimes you’ll change your mind, and that’s great! Other times, you’ll remain steadfast in your long held beliefs. That’s okay too! The key is a willingness to deeply ponder new information.

King of Pentacles/ Elder of Pentacles

Older traits: sticking to the same tired-ass routines that aren’t serving you. Doing draining, self-sabotaging things out of habit. Telling yourself ‘I have to do this, I should do this.” Should-ing all over yourself, as they say. A quick way to become older.

Especially in our modern Western culture we have a belief money and power can save us. That belief is a symptom of becoming older, not elder. Yes, we need money to survive. And yes, unfortunately, we live in a fucked up system where money is the only answer to some problems. But those who focus only on money and power at the expense of all the other riches life has to offer, and those who hoard money and power that could be shared within a community, are OLD ASS BITCHES.

The King of Pentacles wants to be comfortable in their environment. This can be a trait of an elder or an older depending on how it is channeled. Allowing yourself to take up your space = Elder. Shrinking into your comfort zone = older.

Elder traits: Being comfortable in your own skin is a surefire sign of becoming an elder. Sure, you can care about your appearance. But as we all know, appearance is one of the first things to change with actual physical age. Body positivity is great, but body neutrality may be an even better indicator that you’re aligning with your inner Elder of Pentacles.

The Elder of Pentacles has a certain generosity of spirit. As we’re in the realm of pentacles, this can certainly mean being generous with your money, time, skills and other resources. But it’s also just an energy that is hard to explain. Yet you know when you are in the presence of someone who is generous of spirit. They don’t rush. They are at home in the moment. They are present.

King of Wands/ Elder of Wands

Older traits: “Hey you kids, get off of my lawn!” There’s a fiery exuberance to the suit of wands. When this is channeled into being metaphorically older, it can look like anger and indignance. You have a short fuse. You blow up over insignificant things. Basically the Simpsons stereotype of the old man yelling at clouds.

Wands can also be showy. If you insist on holding center stage and always being the focal point of attention, you might just be getting older. I mean, not to point fingers, but you know that thing where the Boomers are currently holding on to positions of political power and not really making room for younger generations to step in? Yeah…

Elder traits: I hope I have made it clear by now that the use of the phrase ‘older’ in this post is mostly metaphorical. But here’s something related to literal age. In our society, we have an unspoken belief that people (especially women) should fade away as they age.

But if you bring out your inner Elder of Fire, you will certainly NOT be willing to shrink away, regardless of your age. You will dress the way that you want to dress. You will do what you desire to do. You will continue to show up and make noise and express yourself. Instead of fading away, you become brighter.

King of Cups/ Elder of Cups

Older traits: the emotionality of this suit can bring about “woah is me” sentiments. Mourning the past, wishing the present was different… we circle back here to what Martha Beck says. Water wants to flow. If you are stagnant, you are becoming older.

The saying “back in my day…” is a cliché for a reason. Regardless of actual age, anyone can get stuck in a rose-colored view of the past. I’m certainly prone to this myself. Looking back fondly on days gone by is one thing. Constantly yearning for a version of the past that is most likely largely imagined is another.

It isn’t all just whininess though. Being as keenly in tune with emotions as the King of Cups is not easy. The pain of the world feels so vast and is so real. Becoming older can look like succumbing to despair.

Elder traits: opening to the presence of hope as strongly as the presence of despair. Not denying personal or collective pain, but not ruminating in it. Sychronizing yourself with the entire spectrum of the emotional landscape of each moment. And of course, letting that emotional landscape crescendo and decrescendo.

In the words of Rainer Maria Rilke: “let everything happen to you: beauty and terror. Just keep going. No feeling is final.” This is wisdom from the Elder of Cups.

As we wrap up, I encourage you to consider your personal relationship to each of these court cards. In what ways does each tarot King inspire you on your journey to becoming an elder?

I’ve become a great admirer of crocuses. Every year by the time we get to late February and early March I am hunting for any sign of spring, and the crocus blooms are usually the first sign I receive. Mine started blooming a couple weeks ago.

There’s some of my lovely crocuses last week. This week we got a late winter storm, so they are now buried in snow. But in a few days it’s supposed to warm up again, and crocuses are known for surviving freezing temperatures.

There’s plenty of symbolism here. The blossoms appear early, ahead of their time. The flowers are subtle and low to the ground yet bold. They are hardy, and close their petals at night to preserve themselves. And so on! I’ve created a crocus themed tarot spread to share today, and maybe you’ll want to try it for yourself as well.

I’ll be using the Spacious Tarot to try this spread for myself (by the by: we only have around 40 copies of our Spacious Tarot bundle left before it goes out of print 😭).

What a way to start off. The Death card speaks to how I am ahead of my time. It sounds a little cliche and cringe, but this card affirms I’ve always been somewhat of an ‘old soul.’

Even though I had a privileged childhood in many ways, I was inherently aware of the cycles of life and death. Charlotte’s Web was one of my favorite books and films as a kid. The 1973 animated version, specifically. The song Mother Earth and Father Time touched me in a deep way even from a very young age.

“How very special are we

For just a moment to be

Part of life’s eternal rhyme

How very special are we

To have on our family tree

Mother Earth and Father Time.”

Because I’ve always intuitively sensed the transitory nature of life, I think I’ve also had a heightened sense of gratitude. I know nothing lasts forever which leads me to appreciate things more. I guess this does make me ahead of my time, because some folks don’t realize how fleeting life is until they get old or sick or go through traumatic events.

I’m also aware that I inherited this from my mom. She was keenly in tune with life’s preciousness. I miss her every day. But I know that part of her still lives in me.

The Five of Wands hints at unassuming strengths I have. This is quite an interesting card to see here because I generally consider myself to be conflict averse, and this can be a card of conflict. So perhaps this card tells me I’m actually more capable at handling conflict than I give myself credit for. Which seems important right now, as the world is full of many intense conflicts.

I think the key thing with the Five of Wands is knowing which conflicts are and are not worth investing my energy in. Like, getting into an argument with a stranger on social media? Probably not worth it. Definitely not worth it, actually! But reaching out to my political representatives, having difficult conversations with friends and family… those kinds of conflicts may actually be worth the discomfort.

I have the reversed Nine of Swords to show what sadness is with me right now. Jesus Christ. It’s like the cards know I’ve been navigating somewhat debilitating anxiety for months and now that I’ve gotten some therapy and treatment going I’m finally starting to rewire my brain. Starting to rewire my brain, haven’t fully figured out how to do this yet. That’s what I’m feeling with the reversal of the card – the anxiety has lessened but is still very much present.

I’m no therapist or neuroscientist but I’m told rewiring your neural pathways is possible, but difficult. The Nine of Swords does seem like an apt representation of the way my brain has gotten used to going into paths of fear, despair, and assuming the worst is about to happen. I’m able to identify these neural pathways now, which is the first step in rewiring them.

The Two of Pentacles suggests how I can protect myself at this time. This feels incredibly literal for how I’ve been coping with life lately. I’ve been doing two things at the same time for hours and hours on end: cross stitching and listening to podcasts. This card feels affirmative in that as far as coping mechanisms go, these are fairly healthy ones. I’m doing something with my hands, creating something tangible, and taking in information on a variety of topics.

Here’s my cross stitching project which I have put countless hours into and I’m finally almost done!!!!!!

Finally, the Elder (King) of Swords suggests how I can be a bright spot in the world. I particularly needed to see this card today. I’ve been struggling to believe I have any strength in communication. I sit down to write a post like this, and my brain is immediately like: nope. You can’t do this. You have nothing insightful or valuable to say.

But the Elder of Swords does have something to say. The Elder of Swords has gained knowledge and has a clear perspective. I need to let this part of myself come forward. I need to trust and believe that the insights I have are useful. This doesn’t mean proclaiming to be an ‘expert’ or that everything I say is the end all be all. My perspective is just that: mine. Influenced by my culture and life experiences and brain chemistry.

But perhaps I can be a bright spot by becoming less inhibited with sharing my point of view. Staying calm and centered and saying what I need to say. Will do.

That’s that. If you try the spread for yourself, I hope it brings you something nourishing and bright.

If the Hermit spoke to you, what would they say?

The Hermit can communicate to you as an external force, a guide you meet on your path who imparts you with wisdom. The Hermit can also communicate as an internal force, a key part of your psyche.

So… the question comes again… if the Hermit spoke to you, what would they say?

cards from Pastel RWS & the Spacious Tarot

This inquiry is inspired by Alejandro Jodorowsky’s book The Way of Tarot. It’s a remarkable book in many ways, but my favorite part is that for each major arcana card, Jodorowsky includes a passage channeling what the card would say if it spoke. Some of these entries get quite bizarre and trippy indeed, but that’s what I like so much about them. They’re mystical and thought provoking.

So, it’s a Hermit year in 2025. Today I’m going to share some channeling of the Hermit myself, and I encourage you to try this for yourself as well if it intrigues you.

First, we’ll imagine what the Hermit would say to us as an external figure. Then, we’ll let our inner Hermit come forward to speak.

I’ve selected two versions of the Hermit to use as a visual anchor for this exercise. The Pastel RWS serves the traditional imagery and seems a solid representation of the Hermit as an external force. The Spacious Tarot, with its first person imagery, is perfect for inviting forward the inner Hermit. Finally, I’ll share an excerpt of Jodorowsky’s writings at the end of this post.

….and if the external Hermit spoke…

I know you are weary. Weariness is a hallmark of the human experience, and is more prevalent at some times in history than others. This current moment is a weary age for many. You can acknowledge this and name it and feel the weight of it.

Yet you must also feel the brightness as well. You must make an effort to carry forward the brightness for yourself and for those you encounter. Why? Because it is just as real as the weariness. Yet it is harder to find. It hides. It must be sought, contemplated, revered.

You are always alone, yet never alone. You carry the echoes of ancestors. Your very being is shaped by the culture you happened to come in to. As Kamala Harris said, “You think you just fell out of a coconut tree? You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you.”

Contemplation should not be a luxury, yet for many it is. You may not have the capacity to escape your life and spend a month in the woods meditating. But can you claim five minutes of silence today? Can you guard 30 seconds to process before responding? Can you take ten delicious seconds for one deep breath?

Urgency is a destructive force. Shifting the culture of urgency is sacred work that you can be a part of. When urgency strikes, protect yourself. Pause. Seek within to differentiate what is urgent from what is important.

Cloak yourself against the perils of this time. This does not mean hiding or denying. It means existing with peace in your heart regardless of circumstance. As Martha Beck pointed out in a recent podcast, “peace makes you alert… peace makes you aware of what your opponent is doing and allows you to move in peace to get the right action in response. When you are calm and attentive you can move beautifully to block an aggressor.”

You deserve peace always, but at this time it is absolutely essential.

…and if the internal Hermit spoke…

You have found an energetic realm that is always available to you, but requires a slight shift in perspective. Here, alongside the fear and business of your mind, is a neutral space. It is dark, yet bright. It demands nothing. Here, you can simply exist outside the bounds of normal time.

Times moves differently when you join me here. One minute of true reprieve might replenish you for days. This space is always available to you, even in glimpses. Even if you move in and out.

Urgency doesn’t exist here.

Tell me your worries. I can hold them. I can handle them. Tell me your secrets and I will tell you mine. We’re safe together.

Quiet. Listen. Communication doesn’t always happen through words. Here, receive messages that transcend language: …

I am your peace, and I am your power. It may be a mad world, but we can move through it with intention. We don’t have to slot in to the narrative that others try to corral us into. We claim our own way of being.

…and if the Hermit spoke (Jodorowsky’s version)…

“I have arrived at the end of my path, there where the unthinkable presents itself like an abyss. Faced by this nothingness, I can no longer move forward. All I can do is retreat, while contemplating the road I have already traveled….

…Little by little I have freed myself of all bonds. I no longer belong to my thoughts. My words do not define me. I have vanquished my passions. Detached from desire, I dwell within my heart as if inside a hollow tree. My body is a vehicle that I witness as it ages, passes and vanishes like the irresistible course of a river…

…Taking the path of the will, I have reached the highest peak. I was a flame, then heat, then cold light. Here I am the one who shines, who summons and who hopes. I have known complete solitude… I continue to shine until I have consumed myself. I am the oil of my own lantern; this oil is my blood, my blood is a cry calling for You. I am the flame and the call.”

Thank you for being here, fellow Hermits.

I have a thing for obscure old tarot books, and I also have a thing for Mary K Greer. So when I discovered Mary K Greer had written a book on tarot and essential oils back in 1993, which had been out of print for ages, I tracked it down on eBay. I’ve now had the OOP version for several years, but thought it was a shame more people couldn’t access it. So I was delighted when I was recently contacted by Weiser Books with the news that they were brining the book back in print, and they sent me a copy to review!

Originally titled The Essence of Magic, the new edition is called the Essence of Tarot, which I believe is a more fitting name. Before we get into the pages within, can we take a second to admire this lovely cover? I like it almost as much as the original edition.

The core concept Greer presents here builds upon the well established notion of tarot correspondences. We’ve all seen the cards linked to zodiac signs, or elements, or myths, or psychological concepts (and on, and on ad infinitum). Greer suggests that tarot cards can also be linked to the energies of certain essential oils, and that working with these oils can deepen our connection to the cards.

The book begins with an explanation of what essential oils are and how they are extracted from plants. Greer believes essential oils have what can only be described as magical properties. “Plants take on the energy of sunlight and of the cosmos itself, the energy of the earth, and the exhaled life force of humans and animals and transform them into various new forms. This vital energy is concentrated and efficiently stored in essential oils, which is why they have been called liquid light,” she writes.

There’s a hefty bit of historic information regarding how essential oils have been used in the cultural and religious practices of various people throughout the globe and throughout history. This is an important reminder that if you choose to work with oils, you are not doing so in a vacuum. You are participating in something that, most likely, many of your ancestors also experienced.

Very importantly, there’s a section acknowledging the socio-politics of essential oils. Greer points out that in some cases the harvesting of essential oils can be exploitative and contributes to colonization. She also points out that throughout history, the wealthy class has had greater access to fragrances in general (incense, perfumes, oils etc).

As a personal note, I went through an essential oil phase about 8 years ago. The socio-political implications was one of the main factors that led me to stop purchasing oils for many years. I didn’t feel confident that I was purchasing something created with any semblance of ethics. So I think it’s great that not only did Mary K Greer bring this up in the new edition, but the same disclaimer was also included in the 1993 edition as well.

The book also includes a brief primer on tarot. This makes it approachable for total beginners, but I think the target audience is more tarot novices and above. Although the history of using tarot imagery with scents is more recent, Mary points out there is evidence that images and scents have been used together over 5,000 years ago.

One of my favorite portions is a primer on the plant symbolism used in the Waite-Smith images. There are such fun gems here: a suggestion that the Fool is guided by the fragrance of his white rose, the Empress is surrounded by Cypress trees which are symbolic of death and rebirth which reminds us “the new life the Empress carries is born to die.” I was particularly struck by an observation on the Five of Pentacles. Mary points out that the stained glass window contains red flowers, “promising that spring will follow the cold of winter.”

Throughout the book we get some information on the science of scent. How scent is processed by the brain, how scent is linked to memory and so on. In particular, research shows that “the earliest recognitions of different scents in the brain are not to the scent itself but to what one associates with it.” Therefore by linking certain scents to the energy and meanings of different tarot cards, we can enhance our connection to the cards. “It’s easy to see how much more useful to us those scents could be if we deliberately crated memories and emotional states by using what we know about symbolic correspondences,” Greer explains.

At last, we get to the core of this work! A convenient table lays out each of the major arcana cards and the essential oils Greer attributes to them. The book is mostly focused on the major arcana, but Greer does include information on how to link oils to the minor arcana, as well. The table is a quick reference guide (I’ve dog-earred this page in my book) but Greer goes on to include a passage detailing each card in the major arcana and laying out why each oil fits with each card.

As for deciding which oils you may want to work with first, Greer suggests your birth card could be a good jumping off point (she also explains how to find your birth card if you aren’t yet aware). Mine is Strength, and the energy of that card is very fitting for where I’m at in my life right now, so that’s where I began.

There’s quite a bit of detail on ritual included, with an emphasis on how tarot oils can be incorporated in magical workings. Mary affirms that intuition is vital here, and although her ritual outlines give you something to experiment with, she encourages you to find your own way.

There are several different ways to use essential oils, and we are encouraged to pick what speaks to us. Water sprays, diffusers, baths, and carrier oils are some tried and true options. For my first foray into tarot oils I decided to use a carrier oil and make an oil for anointing myself.

I had a modest essential oil collection already, but of course none were the ones I needed for my Strength oil so I hauled my butt to a health food store to purchase rosemary, juniper berry and orange.

Neroli is actually the ideal oil to use here, which comes from the orange blossom. But Mary points out certain oils are more expensive and harder to come by in general, in which case she suggests substitutions. Neroli comes from the flower of the orange, the sweet orange oil I purchased comes from the peel. I took an additional liberty by choosing sweet orange, the actual suggested substitute was plain ol’ orange oil. I paid around $36 for all three oils.

I already had some jojoba oil on hand (if you have a Trader Joe’s nearby, it’s not too expensive there) and as an added benefit, since it is technically a wax not an oil, jojoba doesn’t go rancid like other carrier oils can. So, that’s what I used.

I also conveniently found I already had some tiny little sun-resistant bottles which I’d completely forgotten about so I used one to house my Strength tarot oil.

Mary does give some guidance on how to properly dilute your oils, but to be honest I kind of just threw caution to the wind and followed my heart. I plopped in several dashes of rosemary, a hint of juniper berry, and a generous amount of orange. I’m already partial to the scent of orange and Mary says it can help with depression, to which I say, YES please!

I did retrieve the Strength card from my RWS to have on hand while I concocted the oil, and I left them near each other throughout the next 24 hours to absorb each others’ energies.

I’ve now been working with my own Strength essential oil blend for about 3 days and I must say, I love it. The smell is somehow both invigorating and grounding (very in keeping with my associations of the Strength tarot card). I’ve been dabbing it on my wrists and temples before doing some quick journaling each day, and I do feel it gives me a bit of a boost into my oncoming tasks.

I’m already thinking I want to create a Hermit oil blend next, since 2025 is numerologically a Hermit year. In fact, I wanted to purchase the oils for this at the same time as my Strength oils, but the health foods store I went to didn’t have them all. We used to have a really wonderful family-run essential oil shop in town, and I miss them dearly. I’ll likely do further into the best places to purchase oils going forward.

A personal note as we wrap up my review: this book came into my life at a serendipitous time. I’ve been making a real effort to improve my mental health and to reconnect with my spiritual and creative nature. Given the state of the world (and my personal life to a lesser extent) this isn’t an easy task, but I’m really trying. Creating a tarot essential oil is something the old Carrie (pre-trauma) would have loved. So reading this book and trying out the process felt like a small homecoming. And I really needed that right now.

Dare I say it might be something we collectively need as well? I’m grateful that Weiser brought Essence of Tarot back into the world, and I hope it finds the people who need it most.

A few weeks ago I wrote an introduction post titled ‘telling secrets about me + tarot.’ Since then I’ve had the hankering to take this concept and channel it into a tarot spread. I can’t resist a good alliteration so I’m calling it the Spiraling Secrets Spread.

The spread positions are adaptable. The idea is to start small with a central card that offers a secret about yourself. From there, gradually increase the scope of the secrets (these cards spiral out from the center).

What secrets are you ready to reveal? Perhaps you’ll have ideas of spread positions to include that I haven’t even considered. But here are some options you might incorporate into your version of the spread:

A secret about myself

A secret about my family

A secret about my community

A secret about my country

A secret about humanity

A secret about the world

A secret about tarot

A secret about the universe

A secret about secrets

A graphic showing how this would look if you stick to the default positions I created:

Usually at this point I’d test drive the spread and include my interpretations of it for you here. But today I’m sensing I need to keep my secrets to myself. So I’ll submit this spread, succinct and sweet, and sincerely hope it is of service.

If you do try, I’d be curious to hear your thoughts?

With well wishes and a wink,

Carrie

“If we want to discover the secrets of tarot, we must expose our own secrets.” – Rachel Pollack, Forest of Souls

Well friends, it seems unavoidable to begin this post with the cliché of saying “I’ve had some new followers lately and I haven’t introduced myself in a while!”

So, hi. It’s possible you’ve known me some time as I’ve been blogging over ten years now (!!!). Or maybe you’ve only recently connected with me on Substack (I migrated here a little over a year ago). Either way… greetings. Here are my secrets.

about me
My name is Carrie Ann and I go by Carrie, I was named after the song Carrie Anne by the Hollies though my parents dropped the E. I was born June 24 1985 which makes me a Cancer Sun (Virgo Moon) and 39 years old. I’ve lived in Utah all my life but my husband is from Michigan so I feel a connection to that area too.

There’s Ben and I on a 12th anniversary trip to Southern Utah this past October. We are childfree and have two cats and two dogs. Here’s the least awkward photo I could find of all four animals.

2023-2024 kicked my ass and I’m still reeling. My mom, one of the people I was closest with on the planet, was diagnosed with a terminal illness with no treatment and no cure (ALS). I lived with her part time this last year helping take care and keep her company. She passed away last July.

My spiritual foundation – much of which I inherited from her – has helped, but the grief/trauma is immense. I’m not the same person I used to be. I’ve lost a lot of my sense of meaning and joy, but I’m open to inviting them back in, in new forms.

I don’t typically talk a lot about my personal life/family online so even though this is pretty basic info it feels odd. So let’s talk about…

me & tarot
The story goes: I had a quarter life crisis in my early twenties. I’d spent all my life up to that point doing what I was ‘supposed’ to do: went to college, got a degree, got a corporate job. Then I was like, wait, so this is just life now? Working all day, then being too tired to do much else besides eat frozen burritos and watch TV?

It turned out I had a lot of pent up creative energy that desperately needed somewhere to go. I can’t remember the exact sequence of events but the following things happened: I completed The Artist’s Way. I did NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). I began studying Carl Jung. And out of nowhere, I got an intuitive hunch to call in sick to work and go buy a tarot deck.

I was on a ROLL. I was TRANSFORMING. I was having A-HAs! And tarot was the glue that connected everything. Tarot mirrored the Jungian concepts I read about. Tarot gave me plot ideas for my novel. Tarot helped me understand myself, where I was stuck, and how to find more freedom and vibrancy in my life.

Me with my first tarot deck circa 2011ish. I miss this person. I know I’ll never quite be her again, but I do hope to reclaim some of the magic and purpose she sensed in this world.

I started my business in 2014 under the moniker Happy Fish Tarot. Ultra big shout out if anyone happens to remember that name. I switched to simply going by my name a year or two later. A few highlights of my tarot career so far:

2014-15: I wrote a series on card meanings for the Wild Unknown Tarot which at their peak received over 70,000 views per month.

2018: Travelled to Montreal to present at a tarot conference. The keynote speakers were my two top tarot idols, Rachel Pollack (rest in peace) and Mary K Greer, so I got to meet them briefly.

2019: Along with my collaborator Annie Ruygt, ran a very successful Kickstarter campaign to fund our indie deck, The Spacious Tarot (we still have some in stock, but it will be going out of print soon).

2022: Travelled to Salem, MA to present at another tarot conference!

2023: switched from a regular ol’ blog to Substack 🙂

That’s my baby and I’m proud 🥺

my tarot philosophy
There are as many approaches to tarot as there are tarot readers. That said, Mary K Greer identified four main styles of reading tarot. I expanded on Greer’s initial ideas in a free workshop a couple years ago, but here’s a brief overview:

Analytic: prioritizes systems of interpretations, correspondences and ‘traditional’ card meanings

Therapeutic: a dynamic & collaborative approach which seeks the most personal meaning for yourself or your querent, even if that doesn’t align with a ‘traditional’ meaning

Psychic: primarily prediction based, card meanings come more from intuition than tradition

Magical: aims to find the highest potential in a card and use tarot to transform consciousness

My own style is a blend of therapeutic and magical (with an emphasis that just because something is labeled “therapeutic” that does NOT mean it is equivalent to the support of a credentialed mental health professional).

Another milestone in defining my approach to tarot:

Earlier I mentioned the Artist’s Way. For those unfamiliar, this is a book/course by Julia Cameron which aims to untangle creative blocks. It is widely revered and I can certainly say it changed my life all those years ago. The book begins with a set of “basic principles” which create a foundation for the lessons that follow.

As I’ve long been an Artist’s Way fangirl, the notion occurred to me many years ago to articulate my own set of basic principles for the way I approach tarot, but I hadn’t gotten around to it yet. Until! A sychronicity came about (which I discussed in a video at the time). In 2021 I read The Inner Sky, an astrology book by Steven Forrest. Forrest describes his approach as “evolutionary astrology.” Evolutionary astrology fuses ancient wisdom with modern humanistic and psychological frameworks.

When I discovered evolutionary astrology, I thought, hmm. Kinda sounds like how I read tarot. I wonder if anyone’s ever used the phrase evolutionary tarot? So I googled it, and lo and behold! I found a wonderful post by James Wells written in 2013 titled ‘Basic Tenets of Evolutionary Tarot’. I very much resonate with James’ philosophy, and I’ll share his tenets, in his words, here:

The tarot is not a belief system; it is simply a tool.

All tarot cards are neutral symbols. There are no “good” cards and there are no “bad” cards. The card symbols are enlivened by the questions, processes, templates, life experiences, and understanding that we take to them.

Neither the cards nor “fate” make things happen; people make things happen.

Rather than considering a tarot card concept as a noun, it can be helpful to consider it as a verb or process. E.g. Rather than say, “I’m a High Priestess”, one might say, “I’m High Priestessing.”

Rather than considering a tarot card concept as a blanket statement, it can be helpful to consider it as an open-ended question. E.g. “The Ace of Pentacles says that you’re successful” can become “The Ace of Pentacles asks, ‘What personal definition of success have you cultivated in response to this endeavour?’”

The tarot practitioner is simply a guide; the person or group who is the subject of the tarot encounter is her/his/its own best expert on her/his/its life. The tarot encounter is a catalyst for her/him/it to tap into this personal expertise.

The fundamental questions that underlie the tarot encounter include: Who am I? What questions do I carry in this lifetime? What is my full potential as a human being? What script can I write in order to become this? What are my unique qualities and gifts? How can I share these with my community and the world in a life-affirming manner? What do I most need to know or learn at this time?

The tarot encounter’s primary aim is the intensification of a person’s consciousness or self-awareness. It is an invitation to empowerment.

I am grateful to both Mary K Greer and James Wells for helping me further define how I view and work with the cards.

From here…
I aim to post at least twice a month here on Substack during 2025. I had the same goal for last year but life upheavals and mental health prevented me from quite reaching that aim. The thing is, though, that even when life kicks my ass, tarot is there to support me. Even when the broader world seems like nothing but chaos, fires, tyranny and destruction, tarot is there.

Tarot doesn’t SOLVE these big issues. It doesn’t even always help them make sense. But it helps me survive, truly. It creates space for even a small sense of grounding and connection and that is incredibly useful.

At the beginning of this post I shared a quote from Rachel Pollack about sharing our own secrets in order to understand the secrets of tarot. I believe that’s a lot of what I do here in my posts: I attempt to be honest. Vulnerable even, if I dare to use a buzzword from several years ago. I have strong boundaries, yet I share my personal readings and revelations and even secrets as they relate to the cards.

So, going forward, I’ll be here in your inbox as much as I can! As a subscriber you can expect a mixture of tarot related musings: book reviews, history lessons, spreads and other tarot activities.

So far I haven’t put anything behind a paywall, but I am immensely grateful for those of you who have become paid subscribers. There’s only around 20 of you right now, but that is still honestly amazing to me! It makes a difference not only financially, but in my morale, to know that people value what I share. So thank you for that. I am considering ways I can create bonus posts and special content for paid subscribers this year, while still keeping most posts available to everyone.

I suppose that’s it for now. Much gratitude for your presence and we’ll be in touch again soon.

This time of year used to be the most active time for me, tarot-wise. In years past I’d complete dozens and dozens of client readings. I’d create elaborate New Year themed tarot spreads and rituals and workbooks. It was fun, until it wasn’t. Maybe someday I’ll be called back to something more intense, but these past couple years I want simplicity.

So that’s what I’m offering today. I’ve concocted what may be the simplest new year tarot spread ever, using only two cards.

Integration and exploration are words we use a lot in relation to tarot, so when I came up with the idea for this spread I thought “surely someone’s already done that.” But Google didn’t find anything, so maybe not?

Anyhow. The spread positions speak for themselves. You have a card to integrate what’s transpired in the past year. Then a card to invite explorations for the coming year.

I’m going to try the spread out for myself and share my insights with you. To add another twist of simplicity, I’ve decided not to use a tarot deck at all, but to do the spread for myself using only my 21-card Spacious Tarot Expansion Pack. I hope you’ll also try the spread for yourself using tarot, oracle, or whatever cards your precious heart desires.

For the integration of 2024 I have Aquarius. Preamble: I’m not an astrologist, and when I use the expansion pack I don’t always interpret the zodiac cards literally. Sometimes I’ll just look at the image and read them more like an oracle card. BUT, in this instance, the astrology does feel relevant.

During 2024, Pluto moved into Aquarius and those more knowledgeable than me say this is a Big Deal. Taking in astrologer Steven Forrest’s thoughts on this transit a few things stand out to me.

Forrest suggests that with this transit, we begin to see possibilities that we could not have seen before. For better or for worse, in my personal life and in broader society, I have in fact already began to see possibilities I couldn’t have seen before.

So as a message of integration, this card invites me to go deeper into that territory. What happened in 2024 that I simply couldn’t have imagined before it happened? How have those events already changed me? How can I continue to adapt and process these huge shifts? This brings up many very specific things for me, but I don’t feel like unravelling them here. That’s to stay between me and my journal 😉 but it’s a powerful inquiry.

Forrest also says:

What if everybody is wrong, you included? Let’s remember that if humanity gets this passage right, it will shock us. The answers that are trying to emerge do not exist yet. Nobody has them. Pluto in Aquarius is about creating them.

This harmonizes perfectly with something I’ve already been thinking about as I process 2024. This year I became a lot less interested in arguments. I don’t really have the life force for them anymore. Don’t get me wrong, I still find myself getting sucked into them from time to time, but I’m much more aware of the energetic toll that they take.

Aquarius is about big abstract ideas. I’m still interested in sharing my big abstract ideas, but I’m less invested in convincing anyone else to share my perspectives. Maybe this is a bigger shift we can continue to make collectively? We’ll see.

For 2025 exploration I have Air. My initial reaction to seeing this card was THANK GOD! More than ever I am craving, well, basically what the imagery on this card shows. Skies, moons, clouds. Space to think, yes, but also space to just be.

A synchronicity: I’m several years late to the hype, but I’ve finally been reading How to Do Nothing by Jenny Odell. Drawing the Air card for the new year feels in tune with this spirit. It’s nothing new, but I’ve been extra depressed lately about the fact that everything in our world has to be optimized and monetized. Any little way I can find to resist that in 2025 would be a breath of fresh AIR.

In the guidebook that accompanies the expansion pack, I shared the famous Pema Chödrön quote in relation to this card:

You are the sky. Everything else is just the weather.

The weather has very much been all invasive and pervasive during 2024 and I don’t like it. I would very much like to get back to identifying as the sky in 2025. I claim this energy, as they say on TikTok 😉

Well! That’s the small but hopefully useful spread I have to offer for you today. I hope it brings something comforting if you choose to try it for yourself. Let me know.

Somehow we are wrapping up 2024, which has been a Strength year if you’re into the tarot numerology method popularized by Angeles Arrien and Mary K Greer. I considered the implications of this in this post at the beginning of the year. It was interesting reading back through this today, as the year winds down. For example, I wrote:

Perhaps this year asks us individually and collectively:

What difficulties are you facing internally and externally? Will you respond with force and violence, or patience and gentleness? Or perhaps some combination thereof?

There’s also the question of perception and framing here. What one person perceives of as gentleness might be perceived by someone else as violence and vice versa. Things aren’t always what they seem.

I can’t help but see this now in the context of the news of these past couple weeks. Someone gunned down the CEO of an insurance company and the interpretations of this event vary widely depending on who you ask. For some, this was a gentle hero taking down a predatory beast. For others, this was an act of despicable violence. Perception and framing.

Finding patience for the long-haul was another major theme I brought up at the beginning of the year. I talked about how the problems of 2024 don’t have simple solutions and we need to find a way to stay present with them for the long term. That seems even more relevant now in light of many events, not least of all the results of the US presidential election.

To take us a bit out of the doom and gloom, I also wrote:

Cherish the moments of laughter and thriving this year. Even when they are small, they matter immensely. That’s part of conserving your energy for the big picture.

This resonates very strongly (strength-ly?) with me on a personal level. I lost my mother to a terrible disease this year and during her last few months I lived with her part time. Even in such dire circumstances, we did share moments of laughter.

Like, one time we were playing Scrabble (one of her favorite games) and I put down the word “peck.” She added -er to form the word “pecker.” Without thinking, I said “wow! That’s the longest word on the board!” We looked at each other and the unintended double-entendre hit us at the same moment and we both cracked up. A silly moment. A cherished moment.

In the aforementioned post I also commented on the facial expression of the woman on the RWS Strength card:

To me, their appearance conveys acceptance. Here I am. I’m in this reality. I may not like it. It may be brutal. But I’m here and I will do what I can.

Weeeellll, I dunno about you, but that PRECISELY sums up how I felt most the year. Enough said…

Now I want to share a Strength themed reading to wrap-up + integrate 2024. This is from Rachel Pollack’s Tarot Wisdom. She designed this reading for personal use. I’m slightly modifying the questions to offer a collective reading. Which, as always, comes with the caveat “take what resonates and leave the rest.” The prompts are:

This year, how were we strong?

How were we weak?

Going forward, when do we need to be strong?

When do we need to be weak?

This year, what strengthened us?

What weakened us?

I’m turning to the Gentle Tarot to explore these questions.

The Nine of Cups shows how we were strong this year. This is a lovely echo of the something we talked about earlier: cherishing the small beautiful moments. The person here lounges with a flower, enjoying the view of a rainbow, visited by birds above. Rain falls around her, suggesting sadness or hard times may still be around. But this moment of joy happens even during the storm.

Each you laughed this year, you were strong. Whenever you enjoyed a small bit of beauty, you were strong. Hell, each time you got out of bed and faced the day, you were fucking strong!

This year we were strong because we found moments of beauty, connection and gratitude despite the many real challenges we faced.

The Star shows up in response to the query “how were we weak this year?” I think this adds more nuance and depth to the messages from the previous card. Perhaps even though we were able to enjoy fleeting moments of happiness this year, our weakness was in projecting that into a longer term vision.

This resonates for me, at least. Sure, I was able to find some small moments of goodness in 2024 as suggested by the Nine of Cups. But I still held a pretty pessimistic view of the future overall. The Star is about hope, so in this position asking about weakness, it makes me think that longer-term hope was weak this year. Does that make sense?

You can’t force yourself to feel hope that isn’t authentic. But you can have the intention to open up more energetic space for hope, slowly but surely.

Going forward, when do we need to be strong? Seven of Cups. Once again, the message of this card seems to weave back into the message of the previous card. We need to be strong when we are faced with distractions and disillusionment. Social media and the daily news present us with dire situation after tragedy after distraction. So it has been for years.

If we don’t cultivate inner strength, all of this results in compassion fatigue, hopelessness, listlessness, disorientation. We need to be strong when we notice those warning signs that the overculture is sapping away our sovereignty.

The Chariot shows when we need to be weak. Rachel Pollack clarifies that weakness is not necessarily a negative trait. She points out that sometimes weakness means stepping back and letting someone else carry the burdens. That is essentially the message I’m getting from the Chariot here.

Generally, the vibe of the Chariot is “keep going! You got this!” But when life tries to pull you down a path that doesn’t feel like the path you’re meant to walk, it’s okay to stop. When the direction you think you have to go feels impossible, it may be necessary to reverse course.

Flower (or Queen) of Wands represents what strengthened us this year. We each have a vital life force within us. Not just a survival instinct, but a thriving instinct. Flower of Wands is that force within us. The part of your psyche that was able to retain some gusto despite all the bullshit you encountered during 2024.

Any tarot suit can represent creativity, but wands especially so. As such, this card makes me think our collective creative spirit was strengthened this year, even if in mostly subtle ways. Maybe as one example, online, people found new ways to connect in decentralized spaces like Blue Sky.

Mari Aparicio-Tovar, creator of the Gentle Tarot, writes of this card:

She is outwardly compassionate and at the same time inwardly focused. The balance of the two is a major part of her strength.

A lovely synchronicity that the word strength comes up again here. And it does feel so relevant that this year strengthened us by requiring that we simultaneously remain aware of the broader world while also being ruthless about tending to our inner realms.

What weakened us this year? The Six of Thunder (Swords). Of course, the Six of Swords follows the Five, which can represent power struggles and aggression. With the Six, we’re past the initial trauma but we’re still reeling from the impact.

This year did kind of feel like Six of Swords moment after Six of Swords moment. As soon as one piece of brutal news had made its way out of the cycle, in comes something else. We never really got the chance to fully recover from one event to the next. This isn’t just true of 2024 but seems to be the result of decades of the 24/7 news cycle.

There’s a rainbow visible on this card, but this past year it felt hard to fully reach that rainbow. Perhaps that’s a call back to the messages from the Star. Perhaps a broader take away here is the need to intentionally carve out spaces for collective hope, and collective healing.

Hard times are never going to stop. How can we open to healing + hope anyway? That is the question.