The Tarot of New Year’s Resolutions

We often start our year doing this…

Page of Swords: Setting goals

Sometimes we tackle them like this…

Knight of Swords: In haste

In which case we might…

Ten of Swords: Burn out fast

In other cases, we need to do this…

Knight of Wands: Summon up courage to take action

Or you might approach your goals like this…

Knight of Pentacles: Laying solid groundwork

In which case you’re more likely to…

Six of Wands: Experience success

Maybe a goal you’ve chosen this year involves this…

Knight of Cups: An act of love

You might feel this…

Judgement: A call to serve others

In which case you’re this…

King of Wands: My hero

My resolution this year was this…

Three of Cups: Start up a dinner club with friends to experience the amazing food we have here in Melbourne.

However, this happened…

The Tower: Omicron

And my friends…

Eight of Cups Reversed: Don’t want to go anywhere outside their comfort zone

So I joined a bushwalking club instead…

The Empress: Enjoying nature

This week my youngest daughter said she would join my dinner club. We went to this high-energy Japanese eating house in the city, Yakimono, where I enjoyed the most wonderful smoked paprika raw tuna steak AND spent precious time with a child who is always super busy…

Nine of Cups: Feeling sated

So I get to participate in two new hobbies this year #win

Did you make a New Year resolution?

What was it?

Feel free to share in the comment section below.

Two of Wands: Be Bold!

I’ve started doing a ritual on the solstice before Christmas – the true New Year – whereby I choose a Tarot card to represent the year that is coming up.

This year I got the Two of Wands.

Not a card I’m super familiar with.

It signifies…

Having power over others

Wielding influence

Being a pioneer

Investigating a new opportunity

Stepping outside social expectations

Figuring out the way forward

Note: Wands involve action. So the figuring out occurs by doing, not thinking.

But my favourite meaning is…

Being bold!

Choosing your own path!

Taking a risk!

Do you know any other meanings for this card?

The Different Stages of the Christmas Season

We’re in the pause between Christmas and New Year. A time many have off from work. In some ways, this is my favourite part of the Christmas season. The manic rush of Christmas has passed and there is time before the New Year to reflect. But maybe you prefer another part?

Let’s explore the different stages of the Christmas Season…

We decorate the house…

Ten of Pentacles: Taking part in valued traditions

Catch up with friends for a drink…

Three of Cups: Socialising

Buy presents…

Six of Pentacles: Giving and receiving

Rush around like mad at the end to get everything done…

Ten of Wands: Being overextended

By Christmas Eve, you hopefully begin to feel this…

Ace of Cups: Spiritually renewed

Beit through your faith, by listening to carols, or by spending time with loved ones.

On Christmas Day we spend time with family.

Hopefully, it felt like this…

Ten of Cups: Counting your blessings

Rather than this…

Three of Swords: Reigniting old heartaches

Maybe by the end of the day you experienced this…

Nine of Cups Reversed: Food coma or other over-indulgence

We now have a week between Christmas and New Year.

Which is a great time for this…

Four of Swords: Restful contemplation

Before the new year comes around.

When we do this…

Ace of Swords: Set a clear direction for the next twelve months

What is your favourite stage of the Christmas season?

The Tarot of the Most Locked Down City in The World

Yes! I live in the place that has been crowned the most locked down city in the world over the past two years: Melbourne, Australia!

It’s been a journey, to put it mildly. We’ve endured six seperate lockdowns, each one more miserable than the last.

Right from the start, our state government did this…

The Emperor: Imposed strict rules

It was actually amazing how compliant everyone was!

We started off like this…

Page of Wands: Developing new skills

Baking sourdough, taking up crochet, improving our ability to work and play online.

We made lots of this…

Page of Swords + Temperance: Plans to improve our work-life balance

Some did this…

Knight of Wands + The Empress: Moved to the country

Many felt this…

Judgement: A call to serve others

People set up Facebook groups to support their community, gave money to charity, reached out to neighbours.

Some made the experience harder…

Knight of Swords: Sections of the media

With their sniping on the sidelines and their personal political agendas.

But others made it easier to do this…

The Star: Hold onto hope

Medical scientists and healthcare workers, those who went above and beyond to help through this crisis, friends on WhatsApp groups.

That was 2020.

2021 has been much worse.

There was a lot more of this between political leaders and from media commentators…

Five of Wands + Ace of Wands: Fighting for ideological supremacy

Which…

Judgement Reversed: Shattered our sense of community

And was a factor in increased…

The Tower: Mental breakdowns

And for some led to this…

The Star Reversed: Despair

People were either…

Five of Pentacles: Feeling poor

Due to businesses being unable to trade and government subsidies being withdrawn.

Or this…

Ten of Swords: Mentally drained

From being asked to work under challenging conditions.

I’ve worked six days a week for the last two years, as well as writing, and I’m in the latter category.

Up until September I felt I was doing this…

Two of Pentacles: Juggling my responsibilities nicely

But then I finished The Empress and suddenly barely had the energy to publish it, let alone write any more.

My brain just stopped working…

Ace of Swords Reversed: Unable to think clearly

And it’s only just coming back online now.

The inability to think on a deep level is definitely a symptom of this…

Nine of Swords: The ongoing stress of managing life in lockdown.

Which is why I won’t be publishing the next chapter in my Tarot series tomorrow.

I’m not sure when I’ll finish it. Maybe by the end of January, maybe not till next March.

Which is kind of funny, considering the next chapter is this…

The Emperor: Meeting deadlines

Guess this is a card I need to work on in my own life, lol!

More than anything in Melbourne, we have felt this, especially during the past six months…

Three of Swords: Brokenhearted

From being unable to spend time with friends and family – again!

From missing much-needed holidays we were looking forward to – again!

From being cooped up at home alone – again!

My Christmas wish for this year is that you get to do this…

Four of Wands + Ten of Cups: Spend the holiday season with family

Thinking of you all!

Sunday Spotlight: Eight of Wands – Making Things Happen!

Eight wands head towards the ground, with new shoots sprouting.

I don’t get this Tarot card in a spread as often as I’d like. It’s…

Making your move

Putting plans into action

Making progress

Fast paced change

Digging a lot deeper

Facing up to challenges

Experiencing positive growth

Gaining momentum

Making a strong commitment

Feeling excited

Enthusiasm

Going on a big adventure

Air travel

Reversed, it’s…

Hold ups

A kick up the backside

Failure to launch

Being told to move on

How often do you get the Eight of Wands in a spread?

The Tarot of Prince Phillip’s Passing

The death of Prince Phillip, consort to Queen Elizabeth, has made news around the world this week. Let’s dive into the Tarot of this a little bit, shall we?

With his passing, Britain has been plunged into this…

Five of Cups: Mourning

The British press has been united in lauding him…

Knight of Cups: The knight in shining armour

Even though they spent years doing this…

Five of Swords: Sticking in the knives

Prince Phillip was definitely…

The Emperor Reversed: A fallible man (aren’t we all?)

However, he was also…

King of Wands: A man of great achievements

I currently run a Duke of Edinburgh club at the school where I teach. Prince Phillip created this award scheme to encourage personal growth in young people. It has been incredibly successful in this endeavour for many decades, and I am proud to be a part of it.

But perhaps his greatest achievement was this…

It wasn’t easy for him to always walk two steps behind the queen, but he did.

Judgement: Serving a higher good

He had to give up this completely…

The Fool: Freedom to do what he wanted when he wanted

His experience must have felt a lot like this at times…

The Devil: Willing enslavement

Vale Prince Phillip!

May he rest now in peace!

The Tarot of The Ship Stuck in Suez

I love this David and Goliath image. Two men and a tractor turn up to dislodge the massive cargo ship currently stuck fast in the Suez Canal. It feels like a metaphor for these crazy times. There’s us with our little arsenal of tricks trying to deal with the overwhelming corruption and stupidity of the world.

The stuck ship is this…

Wheel of Fortune Reversed: Putting a hold on everyone’s plans

Those two men are this…

Seven of Pentacles: Wondering what the bleep they signed up for

The tractor is this…

Seven of Wands Reversed: Battling against overwhelming odds

The rest of us are this…

The Fool: Enjoying a bit of light-hearted relief on the internet for once

Of course, the blockage of one of the world’s largest shipping channels is no laughing matter. It is a very big, very expensive problem for companies which ship goods around the world. It will impose a cost that will eventually be passed down to us consumers.

But maybe, like Covid, it’s another sign from the universe that we all need to slow down and reflect on just where society is at in this moment.

Thoughts?

The Tarot of Bridgerton

Like many others, I spent the Christmas-New Year period glued to Bridgerton on Netflix. An 8 part series produced by the wonderful Shonda Rhimes. Based on a series of Regency romances written by Julia Quinn in the noughties.

Let’s investigate the Tarot of Bridgerton, shall we?

Obviously, it falls under this category…

The Lovers: Romance

As is typical of this literary genre, the female protagonist Daphne is…

The Fool: A naive ingenue

And the male protagonist, the Duke of Hastings, is…

Knight of Wands + The Devil: Dashing and damaged

They both come from…

Ten of Wands: Wealthy families

The plot is centred around Daphne’s attempt to…

Four of Cups: Get married to another member of the ton – a word used to reflect a member of English high society during this period of history

In order to improve her chances of appearing desirable, and, so he can avoid appearing available, she and the Duke make a pact to…

The Lovers Reversed: Pretend to fall in love

And we all know what happens when characters pretend to be in love…

The Magician: They create that reality!

But before there is any chance of a happily ever after…

Seven of Wands: They must battle many obstacles…

Not least of which is…

The Moon: Their own personal faults

One of the things I love about this series is the rich array of supporting characters, whose own stories are explored in some depth.

There’s the eldest Bridgerton son, Anthony, head of Daphne’s family…

The Emperor Reversed: A dysfunctional autocrat

Daphne’s mother, who sometimes provides…

The High Priestess Reversed: Terrible counsel

My personal favourite is Eloise, Daphne’s slightly younger sister…

Seven of Wands + The Empress: A raging feminist

Also notable is Eloise’s best friend, Penelope Featherington…

Three of Cups Reversed: The wallflower at every ball

There’s also the mysterious Lady Whistledown, who provides biting commentary on the London season, without ever revealing her true identity…

Knight of Swords Reversed + Seven of Swords: A sneaky barbed wit

Bridgerton has been brilliantly created by Shonda’s protege, Chris Van Duesen, who is an absolute…

King of Wands: Master of his craft

The tone is…

Six of Cups: Hyper-reality

The books and the era have been…

Wheel of Fortune: Given a modern spin.

This allows the series to have interesting conversations about…

The Empress + The World: The role of women in society

There is even more to Bridgerton that that.

Watch it for yourself and see!!!

The Tarot of Christmas 2020

It’s been a hard year.

The hardest ever for many.

You may be feeling like this…

Five of Pentacles: Without hope

Or like this…

Ten of Wands: Overburdened with cares

Or like this…

Ten of Swords: Mentally drained

If you’re young, you may be feeling like this…

Seven of Swords: Cheated of a normal childhood/young adulthood

If you’re middle-aged, you might be feeling like this…

Two of Pentacles + Seven of Wands: Juggling never-ending battles

If you’re old or have serious health conditions, you might be feeling like this…

The Devil + Death: Terrified of dying

Wherever you’re at, Christmas is a time to stop and remember…

The Christmas Star: There is ALWAYS hope…

Life CAN get better. We could be just around the corner from a turning point in our fight against the virus currently plaguing our planet. You could be one interview away from a much-needed job. One phone call away from loving support.

As Tarot reminds us, nothing lasts forever…

Wheel of Fortune: Life goes up AND down (not just down)

Wishing you and your loved ones a healthy and happy Christmas together!

Ten of Cups: Happy families (in whatever form they come for you!)

As a Christmas gift, you can read the first chapter of my Tarot Teaclub series now published on Amazon for free on Christmas Day. Just click on the link below…

Black Lives Matter

It goes without saying that all lives matter.

But right now, non-whites are incarcerated and killed by law enforcement at higher rates than whites. So that’s where the focus needs to be. Including in my own country of Australia.

Let’s look at the Tarot of this…