Looking back at a year ahead tarot spread.

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Dec 21

Welcome to this Yule Tarot Blog Hop! The theme of this hop is Traditions: Closing of the Year. Hopefully you have arrived here from Joy Vernon’s post on end of the year reflections and traditions. If not, you can check it out afterward by following the “PREVIOUS BLOG” link at the top or bottom of this post.

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Growing up, my family wasn’t big on tradition. Perhaps this is common amongst those raised by second-generation US Americans whose parents where obligated to assimilate. Same for my native American grandparent who was adopted away from her tribe. Or maybe it’s a Gen X latch key kid thing. If we honored any tradition at all, it revolved around people that we saw at specific times of the year. But as time passed, so have those family members.

As I reflect on what traditions I honor in my life now, what comes to mind is one of the few activities I’ve been sharing with a group of people for the past four years. Since I started the Tarot for Creatives Meetup, we have been performing a Year Ahead Tarot Spread together each year. To be honest, with all the shifts and transitions the Meetup (and the world) have gone through in this time, I’ve considered dropping the activity every year, but so far it keeps happening. However, we have never as a group reflected back on the spread when the year comes to a close, so I thought this would be a good time and place to do that.

To begin, the year that is coming to a close right now is the Year of the Lovers. This is determined by adding up the numbers of the year. 2 + 0 + 2 + 2 = 6 = The Lovers. Traditionally, the Lovers card is not so much about love as it is about choice. And what I have found to be true in my practice of reading the tarot, is that the Lover's card does not represent commitment even when it does indicate love. As long as one is in a state of choosing, one is not committed. At the same time, the healthiest commitments may consist of choosing the same thing again and again and again and again while recognizing you are making that choice and that nothing is truly an obligation unless you choose to view it that way. (For more on the topic of obligation and commitment, you may want to check out my post on the Devil tarot card here. The Devil, being the 15th card of the major arcana has close ties to the Lovers, being the [1 + 5] 6th card of the major arcana.)

The Year-Ahead Tarot Spread we use is based on an astrological birth chart and can be read in a few different ways, but the placement of the cards correspond to the placement of astrological houses. The reading we perform at the beginning of the year and that I will share a summary of here looks at each card as corresponding to the themes of the house it falls in. Because not everyone who attends our meetup is familiar with astrology, we used the following question prompts to guide us.

House 1. Aries, Persona & Appearances; How will we be challenged or supported in our perception of others in 2022?

House 2. Taurus, Resources & Self-Worth; How will we be challenged or supported in defining what is or is not ours in 2022?

House 3: Gemini, Communication & Networking; How will we be challenged or supported in obtaining what we need from others in 2022?

House 4: Cancer, Home & Roots; How will we be challenged or supported in nurturing ourselves in 2022?

House 5: Leo, Creativity & Inner Child; How will we be challenged or supported in expressing our true and unique selves in 2022?

House 6: Virgo, Work & Health; How will we be challenged or supported in maintaining our daily rituals and routines in 2022?

House 7: Libra, Relationships & Commitments; How will we be challenged or supported in how we partner with others in 2022?

House 8: Scorpio, Death & Rebirth; How will we be challenged or supported in embracing change in 2022?

House 9: Sagittarius, Philosophy & Travel; How will we be challenged or supported in feeling a sense of greater purpose or meaning in 2022?

House 10: Capricorn, Career & Status; How will we be challenged or supported in making ourselves of value to others in 2022?

House 11: Aquarius/Friends & Revolution; How will we be challenged or supported in finding a sense of belonging and common purpose with others in 2022?

House 12: Pisces/Secrets+Dreams; How will we be challenged or supported to explore what's hidden and unknown in 2022?

A second way to read this spread for a personal reading is to focus on the cards that fall in houses or signs relevant to your own birth chart. For example if your Sun is in Virgo, Moon in Scorpio, and Ascendant in Leo, you may want to read only cards six, eight, and five. Or, if you know what houses your planets fall in in your actual birth chart, you could read those houses. (The Ascendant is always in the first house no matter it’s sign.)

And finally, a third way to read this spread is to read each card as a prediction of the corresponding month. While we don’t read the spread this way at the start of the year, we do often revisit individual cards during their corresponding months to discuss how those energies are moving though our lives. While it’s the astrological reading that I share below, I’ve also listed several events that had some cultural or social significance so that you may compare these to the tarot card pulled for that month.

What follows is a summary of our reading. You’ll notice that the cards were pulled from an assortment of tarot decks. One of the special things about a group reading is that several different readers can contribute to it from their own decks. At times this has meant two of the “same” card has appeared in different months—something that would never happen if the cards were all pulled from the same deck—but two Lovers cards or two Ten of Swords can have a very different energy when pulled from different decks. While we didn’t have any “duplicates” in our 2022 reading, the variety of decks still produced a reading that no single deck could give.

*Modern Witch Tarot* by Lisa Sterle © 2019 Liminal 11.

Month: January
Astrological House/Sign: 1st / Aries
Themes: Persona & Appearances

Five of Cups

The first house rules the personality and how one is perceived by the world. The Five of Cups told us that in 2022 we might find ourselves focusing on the negative in others or on the parts we perceived to be lost in our relationships.

Notable Event:

US hits 1 million new Covid-19 cases in one day, 1/03/22
Successful transplant of a pig's heart into a human, 1/07/22
Prince Andrew stripped of titles and patronages, 1/13/22
France records a record 464,769 new COVID-19 cases, 1/18/22
Neil Young removes his music from Spotify, 1/26/2022
CDC requires face masks on public transport in U.S., 1/29/22

Month: February
Astrological House/Sign: 2nd / Taurus
Themes: Resources & Self Worth

Nine of Wands

The second house rules our finances and sense of self-worth. The Nine of Wands told us that in the Year of the Lovers we would find ourselves looking for who might be in possession of what we are lacking and possibly looking to collaborate with them.

Notable Events:

Austria issues vaccine mandate for all, 2/03/22
Trucker convoy on US-CA border deemed emergency, 2/06/22
Australia lists koala as endangered for first time, 2/11/22
Australia's border reopens after nearly two years, 2/21/22
Three men convicted of killing Ahmaud Arbery, 2/22/22
Colombia Court decriminalizes abortion, 2/22/22
Russia invades Ukraine, 2/23/2022

*Mystical Medleys Tarot* by Gary Hall © 2021 Sterling Ethos.

*Tarot of the Origins* by Sergio Toppi © 2002 Lo Scarabeo.

Month: March
Astrological House/Sign: 3rd / Gemini
Themes: Communication & Networking

Two of Swords

The third house rules communications and networking. This Two of Swords told us we would feel a need to build connections with others who share our passions in 2022 and that it would be wise to express these passions intellectually rather than through violence.

Notable Events:

Russian forces seize the Ukrainian nuclear plant, 3/03/22
FL Senate passes Parental Rights in Education bill, 3/08/22
Microplastics found in human blood for first time, 3/22/22
Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act signed into law, US, 3/29/22

Month: April
Astrological House/Sign: 4th / Cancer
Themes: Home & Roots

Five of Coins

The fourth house rules our foundation of home, security, and nurturing. The Five of Coins pointed us toward a choice between falling back into old childhood roles or stepping into the center stage of our own lives.

Notable Events:

Ketanji Brown Jackson joins US Supreme Court, 4/07/22
First all-private space flight, 4/08/22
Will Smith banned from the Oscars for 10 years, 4/08/22
Subway shooting injures 26 in Brooklyn NYC, 4/12/22
US Federal judge rules mask mandates “unlawful,” 4/18/22
Emmanuel Macron wins re-election in France, 4/24/22

*CBD Tarot de Marseille* by Yoav Ben-Dov © 2011 Yoav Ben-Dov.

*Holographic Rider Waite* (images) by Pamela Coleman Smith © publishing info unknown.

Month: May
Astrological House/Sign: 5th / Leo
Themes: Creativity & Inner Child

Ten of Wands

The fifth house rules self-expression, creativity, drama, play, and fun. The Ten of Wands in this context appeared to represent the masks we wear to express ourselves to the world and how those masks might become a burden if we don’t make adjustments to them as needed.

Notable Events:

Shireen Abu Akleh killed by Israeli forces, 5/11/22
US release report on Indian boarding school deaths, 5/11/22
Finland says it intends to apply to join NATO, 5/15/22
Sweden announces it will seek to join NATO, 5/16/22
Uvalde Texas school shooting in US, 5/24/22

Month: June
Astrological House/Sign: 6th / Virgo
Themes: Health & Service

Queen of Swords

The sixth house rules routines, schedules, organization, and healthy living. This Queen of Swords told us we would be doing away with any mental shame spirals we may have engaged in the past in favor of embracing accountability for our own health and well-being.

Notable Events:

Proud Boys’ Enrique Tarrio indicted, 6/06/22
Canada's PM apologizes for residential schools, 6/11/22
LA jury finds Cosby liable for sexual assault, 6/21/22
US Supreme Court upends State Gun Restrictions, 6/23/22
US Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, 6/24/22
Ghislaine Maxwell sentenced to 20 years, 6/28/22
R. Kelly sentenced to 30 years in jail, 6/29/22

*Tarot of the Spirit* by Joyce & Pamela Eakins © 1992 U.S. Games Systems.

Month: July
Astrological House/Sign: 7th / Libra
Themes: Relationships & Commitments

Seven of Pentacles

The seventh house rules both personal and professional partnerships. This Seven of Pentacles spoke to us of how we might notice connections we’ve attended to regularly have flourished while others have yet to reach their potential.

Notable Events:

Germany to return 1,000+ Benin Bronzes to Nigeria, 7/01/22
Omicron BA.5 variant COVID-19 dominates in the US, 7/01/22
U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson resigns, 7/07/22
Former PM Shinzō Abe assassinated in Japan, 7/08/22
Thousands storm Sri Lankan Presidential Palace, 7/09/22
WHO declares monkeypox a Public Health Emergency, 7/23/22

Month: August
Astrological House/Sign: 8th / Scorpio
Themes: Death & Rebirth

Page of Pentacles

The eighth house rules birth, death, transformation, and inheritances. This Page of Pentacles told us that to truly embrace change we would need to be ready to nurture opportunities for change when we encounter them.

Notable Events:

Four officers charged in Breonna Taylor's death, 8/04/22
Alex Jones found guilty of defamation in Texas, 8/04/22
Volkswagen debuts electric flying car prototype, 8/05/22
FBI search of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home, 8/08/22
Scotland makes period products free for all, 8/15/22
Biden signs the Inflation Reduction Act into law, 8/16/22
Biden to cancel $10,000 student loan debt, 8/24/22

*Modern Witch Tarot* by Catrin Welz-Stei © 2020 U.S. Games Systems.

*Welcome to Night Vale Tarot* by Jay Holloway © publishing info unknown.

Month: September
Astrological House/Sign: 9th / Sagittarius
Themes: Philosophy & Travel

Seven of Swords

The ninth house rules travel, adventure, higher education, and philosophy. This Seven of Swords told us this would not be a good year for travel. Also that we may be building new philosophical foundations that would best be held close to the chest and not broadcast just yet.

Notable Events:

Biden warns of MAGA extremism in public address, 9/01/22
Queen Elizabeth II dies, 9/08/22
DeSantis sends immigrants to Martha's Vineyard, 9/14/22
Mahsa Amini protests in Iran; 9/16/22
Cuba legalizes same-sex marriage, 9/25/22

Month: October
Astrological House/Sign: 10th / Capricorn
Themes: Career & Status

Queen of Cups

The tenth house rules public image, achievements, authority, and traditions. Marian Anderson depicted as the Queen of Cups here spoke to us of leading others by our own example though the use of our creativity and embracing our own unique talents.

Notable Events:

Stampede at Indonesian soccer stadium kills 131, 10/01/22
Alex Jones found guilty in defamation trial, CT, 10/12/22
UK PM Liz Truss announces her resignation, 10/20/22
Elon Musk takes over Twitter, 10/27/22
Lula da Silva elected president of Brazil, 10/30/22

*The Philly Tarot Deck* by James Boyle and Gina Tomaine © 2019 self-published via Kickstarter.

*Antique Anatomy Tarot* by Claire Goodchild © 2019 Abrams Noterie.

Month: November
Astrological House/Sign: 11th / Aquarius
Themes: Friends & Revolution

Page of Cups

The eleventh house rules teams, friendships, social justice, and rebellion. The Page of Cups here told us some unexpected events in 2022 would find us socially regrouping around new common causes.

Notable Events:

Oregon decriminalizes small amounts of all drugs, 11/04/22
Election of Fetterman flips a Senate seat in PA, 11/08/22
Taliban bans women from parks and funfairs, 11/09/22
Trump announces he’ll run for President in 2024, 11/15/22
Cypto currency FTX files for bankruptcy, 11/11/22
Mass Shooting at LGBTQ nightclub Club Q in CO, 11/19/22

Month: December
Astrological House/Sign: 12th / Pisces
Themes: Secrets & Dreams

The Moon

The twelfth house rules endings and surrender as well as secrets and the unconscious mind. The Moon here felt like confirmation and encouragement to explore the dark and uncharted parts of ourselves.

Notable Events:

Trump Org convicted of tax fraud in NY, 12/06/22
Warnock wins re-election over Herschel Walker, 12/07/22
Brittany Griner released by Russian authorities, 12/08/22
New Zealand passes first tobacco ban, 12/13/22
Biden signs the Respect for Marriage Act into law, 12/13/22
Dutch PM Mark apologies for the slave trade, 12/19/22
Taliban bans Afghan women from universities, 12/20/22

*Ophidia Rosa Tarot* by Nicole Rallis © 2016-2017 Nicole Rallis of Leila + Olive

Thank you so much for reading. I chose not to offer my own personal reflections on how these cards fit the past year as this was a reading for the collective and will hopefully relate to each of our lives differently. If you saw a connection between our predictions and your experience of 2022, please do share in the comments!

xo
kim

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Thank you for stopping by and I hope you are enjoying this Yule Tarot Blog Hop on Traditions: Closing of the Year! Much love and thanks to Jay Cassels for putting this blog hop together ♥ Please continue on to Jay’s post by following the “NEXT BLOG” link at the top or bottom of this post. Thank you for reading!