There’s a numerological formula you can use to work out your Tarot Card of the Year. This card represents the type of experiences you can expect to have during that year. I’ve been using the formula for so long I can’t remember where I learnt this trick, but I find it quite reliable.

The formula gives you a number that correlates with one of the Life Lesson aka Major Arcana cards. Because of the way it works each following year you shift into the subsequent Life Lesson card e.g. If your Tarot Year Card in 2016 was The Empress, in 2017 it will be The Emperor. However, at the turn of each decade or century, you will be sent to a different part of the Major Arcana, and begin a new cycle.

The formula is this: You add up your birth day + your birth month + the current calendar year. Then you work out which Life Lesson card matches the number you got. If the number is greater than 21, you add the digits together.

The Life Lessons cards are numbered as follows:

1 The Magician

2 The High Priestess

3 The Empress

4 The Emperor

5 The Hierophant

6 The Lovers

7 The Chariot

8 Strength

9 The Hermit

10 The Wheel of Fortune

11 Justice

12 The Hanged Man

13 Death

14 Temperance

15 The Devil

16 The Tower

17 The Star

18 The Moon

19 The Sun

20 Judgement

21 The World

My birthday is the 22nd May. The formula for me this year is: 2+2+5+2+0+1+7 =19 which is the number of The Sun. Finally! I’ve lived through The Devil, The Tower, The Star and The Moon over the last four years. The Tower was the hardest, followed by The Star, interestingly enough. I think that’s because in The Devil you’re in denial, but in the next two years you reap the consequences of that denial, which is the challenging part. Obs, it easies off a bit in The Star, but it’s still hard. I don’t actually mind The Moon. It’s like a reboot of your life, which is always exciting. But I’m delighted to be in The Sun i.e. Being more fully myself.

It’s important to point out that you should use this formula with a grain of salt. I throw a lot of salt over my shoulder while using Tarot. You should never let the cards chain you to a particular outcome. Just because your card for 2017 is The Empress doesn’t mean you should lie around and eat chocolate for a whole year – although that does sound kind of appealing.

Have a go and let me know what you think. And if your Tarot Year Card is one I haven’t focused on yet and you’d like to know more about it let me know in the comments section below. Cheers!