I’ve been enjoying a relaxing and solitary long weekend of this New Year celebration (good riddance, 2020), and spending time in my favorite tarot groups and activities. Everyone is posting their Year Ahead spreads, and I’ve been having some fun creating and throwing some, as well. I’m also secretly relieved that my own cards have been pretty non-pokey, as I see others with their Towers and 5 of Pentacles outcomes. A friend texted in the afternoon, deflated by her 3 of Swords theme, “I just remembered why I don’t like new year spreads.”
I’m a silver linings person. Being an optimist to the very core of my being can prove challenging when reading cards (which is why focusing on their shadow aspects is really balancing, for me); but what I’m seeing this weekend is the highest potential of tarot on full display. Oh, sure, you say, you’re not the one with the 10 of Swords and 5 of Cups.
It’s really easy to see these shades of doom & gloom and to throw up our hands, resigned to the fate of another tough year, but isn’t this why we use tarot? Don’t lose sight of your autonomy. The cards are providing some much needed guidance on your trajectory, and this is a jumping off point, where you start really asking questions. “OK, 3 of Swords, what are you really doing here? Are you my reality or just that part of me that overreacts and sees crisis where none exists? How might I process this realization and respond from a more balanced or Self-led place?” “I see you, Tower. What aspect of my life needs my attention and tending right now, in order to re-stabilize on my terms and minimize fallout?” Don’t just sit there, start shuffling again and get into it with these cards!
This is the beauty of tarot. Use the cards to help you navigate, to avoid upsets, to recognize obstacles so that you can maneuver more gracefully. A tarot deck is a powerful thing, indeed. Use it to help you steer your chariot.
ARCANIS TAROT 
I think it was Lon Milo DuQuette who said in his book on the Thoth deck that the three of swords is still a very good card despite its scary appearance. Three is Binah, the supernal Mother, who lives above the abyss with Kether and Chokmah. She is Understanding, so the 3 cards are high level emanation. It may suggest some grief or mental struggle, but it’s a “godly grief” that brings understanding and breakthroughs.
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I agree, Syd. I almost included a little side rant about the ubiquitous pierced heart imagery and the “heartache” meaning it perpetuates. To me, 3 (Binah) is the response to the 2’s blending, now evolving and striving for expression. With Swords as mental realm and belief systems, it seems to me more about realization and response.
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Exactly. ❤️ Are you on Twitter?
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not for tarot (just politics / current events — I compartmentalize my social media!)
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