As I look to begin the new year and plan out goals, I thought a year spread would help provide some clarity. I’ve had my Wild Unknown tarot deck for a few years now, and while I often go months without picking them up, I would like to start using them more regularly. I know some may find the tarot absurd and a fool’s tool, but I find it helpful. I like to think of my tarot readings as a guiding light in my quest to understand certain issues, decisions, and even the next year. To me, the tarot does not tell me anything I do not already know, nor does it make decisions for me. Instead, it helps me reflect, mirroring my own thoughts and ideas so I may better understand myself.

With all that said, here is my tarot reading for the upcoming year. May it hold all the wonder and joy it presumes, and may it soften the darkness it foretells.

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January – 6 of Cups

The 6 of Cups is generally considered the card of children, childhood, and youthfulness. There are a few ways I am interpreting this card for January. It could be reminding me to enjoy the simple pleasures in life. Children have this wonderful ability to see the magic in everyday life, that often gets misplaces as we age. I think after a year of worry, this would be an excellent way to start the new year.

I am also contemplating what’s next for me, as 2020 really changed my direction. Thinking about that causes me a lot of stress and anxiety. I’m glad this card appeared for January, because I need to step back and just let my life happen. Sometimes I over plan and then I get upset when the world doesn’t follow what I told it to do. That just isn’t how the world works, and leaning into simple life is what I plan on doing instead.

This card can represent the physical children in your life, as well. In December, I spent time with my nephews and for the first time I felt extremely connected to them. I’m hoping to spend even more time with all of them in 2021. I also recently accepted a position as a dedicated substitute teacher. At first, I was worried, because I thought I wouldn’t work well with children. I’ve come to realize, however, that a lot of those thoughts about myself stem from the opinion of others and that I really do love being around children and working with them. So now, I am quite excited to start this teaching position, which will allow me to decide whether my future in teaching will be at a primary or secondary level.

February – Death

The death card is always scary to draw, but it really doesn’t mean physical death. Instead, it’s more about change and transformation. Something in my life needs to end. Maybe a lot of things, actually. I will admit that I often cling to the past, both the positive and negative experiences. I think it is time to realize that those negative feelings I harbor really only hold me back. They are not adding anything to my life but pain and sadness.

I do not like change, though. It’s scary and hard to manage. However, with change usually comes something more beautiful than expected. Positive transformation can only occur when I allow myself to travel the long and uncomfortable road of change.

For February, I imagine I’ll have a few bad habits that need broken, but what this card is really saying to me is that I need to say goodbye to a few things. Goodbye to the harsh criticism I give myself. Goodbye to the guilt I feel for just breathing somedays. And perhaps goodbye to some people I’ve held on to for much too long.

March – The Star

It is a very good sign to have the star appear in a reading, as it is a card full of hope and positivity, especially for the future. In the journey of the tarot, the star follows the tower, which is a card of hard times. Hopefully this means I have now moved past troubling times (aka 2020) and am ready to embrace the future with a renewed sense of hope and prosperity.

I think this is a particularly interesting card to draw after the death card in February. I am sure to struggle a little with letting things go, but knowing that March will be better gives me a lot of hope. I really believe that March is going to be less about the actions I take/the situations I encounter, and more about the mental challenge of accepting the past and moving forward.

I hope that throughout the month I can work on connecting with the part of me that is calm, positive, and hopeful. I need to remember that everything is going to be okay at the end of the day, and that everything happens for a reason. I don’t have to have everything figured out right now, but I do need to open my mind to the possibility of a great future.

April – Daughter of Swords

As a court card, the daughter of swords probably represents me or someone else in my life. Some would view this card as full of aspirations for the future, think lots of planning, visualizing, and inspiring ideas. Others see it as more of a communication card. For me, I think it is a combination of both.

This card speaks to the beginning stages of something new and exciting. In 2020 a lot of new ideas took hold in my life, and I’m excited to see where they continue to grow and take me in 2021. As communication is present in this card, I could see this taking a turn towards something with writing. I always yearn to be more present on this blog and my social media. I feel like I have a lot to share and say about the world, and I want to be able to communicate that with people. I’ve been wanting to do all this since 2015, and fear has held me back. It makes me a little sad to look back and realize if I had just started and not worried about judgement and fear, I would be 6 years into blogging and have a massive amount of work to share with you all.

So, maybe April looks like me planning to finally dig deeper into that dream, or maybe it looks like something else. April is also my birthday month, so maybe this card has something to do with the changes of another year into adulthood.

May – Father of Cups

Pulling the father of cups surprised me, because what the card represents feels so far from my reality and the truth of my life. This father is supposed to be a master of his emotions. He doesn’t allow life to get the better of him, instead he uses his emotional maturity and stability to navigate through all the drama and emotional triggers.

If 2020 has taught me anything, it’s that I do not have a strong control over my emotions, and perhaps a lot of people are feeling that way too. I mean, we are living through a pandemic and it’s hard. There’s no question about it, 2020 has left an impression on me, and while I can’t blame all my problems on COVID, I do think I could have weathered the storm much better if I’d had more coping strategies and an overall better grasp on how my emotions control me.

I have to assume that this relates to someone else in my life, whether it’s someone I know now, or perhaps someone new that will come into my life. My emotions are all over the place lately, and I know I need to learn how to better control them. Perhaps May will be about learning how to do that, because I don’t think I’m anywhere close to achieving emotional stability. I have a lot of work to do in that department.

June – 4 of Pentacles

The 4 of pentacles has to do with money and how it affects your life. When it is present in a reading, it’s calling you to re-examine this relationship with money. Do you have a positive or negative perspective on your financial situation?

I’ve recently been struggling with my relationship with money. From one angle, I am doing great. In the last year I’ve paid off half of my student loans, I’ve saved quite a bit, and I’m committed to keeping a monthly ledger and budget. However, I also feel incredibly guilty anytime I spend money, even on essentials like hygiene products and food. I don’t know why I have this mindset about spending money, but it drags me down. I don’t want to give myself a hard time about buying toothpaste.

When I was thinking about goals for 2021, even before this tarot reading, I thought about including one related to money and finances. My financial situation affects my mental health a lot, because in order for me to pursue the life I want and achieve my goals, I need to have money saved up. However, I don’t want to not enjoy my current life because I’m too obsessed with saving my money for the future. I think there is a delicate balance there, one I hope I can learn.

July – Mother of Swords

Halfway through the year and it seems that I will have learned and grown a lot. So, to pull the mother of swords feels fitting, because it revolves around maturity and mental clarity. I think July will be a great time to sit down again and reevaluate my goals and what is important in my life.

The mother of swords is a strong woman who doesn’t let her emotions and compassion affect her decisions in life. She’s logical and uses sound reasoning to her advantage. I’m not quite this woman yet, but I think I could be, and it might be in my best interest to be.

August – 9 of Swords

The 9 of swords is not a fun card to pull because it deals with dark thoughts and depression. Usually these thoughts are causing you to worry excessively, keeping you in a dark, vicious cycle of sadness.

When present, the card becomes a warning to not let yourself all into the trap again. Instead, think of a positive thought every time a negative one pops up. I know, easier said than done. I struggle with that mentality, because when I get into a negative mood like that it’s almost impossible for me to drag myself out of it.

I just need to remember that the anxiety I experience is often created by the ideas in my head, and that they are not always an accurate reflection of my life and current situation. I need to be mindful that my life is not always miserable and falling apart 24/7, even if my brain makes me think it is.

September – Father of Swords

October – Son of Wands

November – 9 of Pentacles

December – The World

I sort of gave up writing descriptions for the last 4 months. In an effort to “just post the damn blog post,” I’m publishing it. Unfinished, imperfect, but still okay. Maybe I’ll try again next year lol.