A Tarot Spread for a Fresh New Year

There's nothing like a brand new calendar to give a sense of determination and optimism. It's a new year! With no mistakes in it! Yeah! There is the temptation (or peer pressure) to make resolutions…to start something or quit something or do something.

Before you go too far, though, take a few minutes and analyze where you are at. Take a look at the last year before jumping into a new one. You'll want to see what you've accomplished and learned…and what you haven't, before you make too many plans.

Year End Wrap Up

1. What Was Learned: This card shows an important lesson or skill that was learned in the past year, one that will be part of your foundation as you move into the next.
   
   
2. What Was Not: This card is a lesson or skill was not learned last year, likely something that you are still dealing with and will continue working on in the coming year.
   
   
3. What Was Finished: This card is a project or task that you finished this year. The accomplishment will give your confidence and a building block for your goals in the coming year.
   
   
4. What Was Not: This card represents something that you started this last year but did not finish. It may be something you've given up on or intend to continue working on. If it is something you've given up on, think about it again. It showed up here for a reason.
   
   
5. What to Take: This card is something from the past year, a feeling, a lesson, a memory, a hope, or a dream, that you should bring with you as you move forward.
   
   
6. What to Leave Behind: This is something that happened or that you felt, believed, thought, or imagined that should stay in past year. Bringing it into the New Year won't do you any good.

Need a Resolution?
Here's an interesting approach to the usual Daily Draw that you might want to try. Often when people are learning tarot, they are advised to draw a single card each day, either in the morning or at night, and see how it relates to their day and then journal about it. This Daily Draw is a little different and allows you to spend a little more time with each card.

You draw one card at random (or you can go in order through the deck if you like). You will spend three days, or three journaling sessions with it. Focus as much as you can on the actual image. So often, we just glance at the name of the card and forget that the art is an important part of the experience.

On the first day, explore the card as if it were an event. If the card were an event, what would it be? You can, of course, start with whatever is pictured on the card, but expand that, considering events in your own that relate.

On the second day, imagine the card as a feeling. Look at the card and feel empathy for the character or characters. Don't worry about what caused the feeling, just the feeling itself.

On the third day, think about the card as an action. Again, the action, if any, on the card is a good starting point, but expand that to actions that you might take in your daily life.

These ideas are just starting points and a way to get to know the variances and nuances of each card. You can make up your own areas of focus, even expand the number of them. Why not spend a week or a month with a card? Okay, maybe a month is a bit much, isn't it?