Select your zodiac sign (and your rising sign and/or moon sign if you know it) to meet your Tarot inspiration for the new year.

ARIES

Card: The Emperor

Theme: Building your vision

Meditation for yourself: I manifest my visions for the good of all.

When in doubt: Tell everyone you are building a thing (then build the thing)

Practical action: Hire the best people; Print up some business cards; Introduce yourself as an expert; Break ground on your project

The Emperor is a master planner – one who can envision a better world for him(her)self, and one who has the moxie to build it. First, the vision, then the belief in the vision, then the building. You’ve got to have all three parts. And since this card has shown up for you, your Tarot Mission is to build it. Whether it’s an actual physical thing (like a cabin by a lake) or an entrepreneurial thing (like a freelance business), build it. Of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to the handle the power tools yourself…feel free to find tasks to delegate. You are the boss, you are the architect, you call the shots and outsource the menial labor. (Unless you really dig getting your hands dirty, then by all means, knock yourself out.) Sit comfortably in your authority, make it happen.

TAURUS

Card: The Empress

Theme: Nurturing abundance

Meditation for yourself: I create safe spaces where beauty expands

When in doubt, try: A charm bomb, An expectation of satisfaction; Believing compliments

Practical action: Make something beautiful with your own hands; Start a gratitude journal; Indulge in nature

The Empress is the archetype of the giving, responsive creative mother. For some readers, the appearance of this card could suggest actual pregnancy. For most others though, it’s a metaphor for ripeness and increase in creative ways. This card is all about planting or cooking, decorating or party planning, artistic endeavors and/or craft projects. Your Tarot Mentor calls you to find more ways of amplifying beautify and nurturing good times with joyful people. This card reverberates with being receptive – but please note, that’s not the same as passive. The Empress invites you to balance your natural force of presence with conscious openness to others and subtle beauty. It’s about creating an environment and holding space where invitations, compliments, gifts, guests, and general loveliness can thrive.

GEMINI

Card: The Five of Cups

Theme: Refocus

Meditation for yourself: I release expectations that do not match the current atmosphere, and open myself up to new options.

When in doubt, try: Looking for the silver lining; Listing past successes, Gratitude for all blessings – even small ones

Practical action: Work on building trust; Schedule an appointment with a therapist/doctor; Ask a friend for help

Traditionally, the image on this card shows someone mourning over-turned cups, ignoring the two that are still upright. If one focuses on the three tipped cups, one misses what is still available in the two left over. So this card suggests you may be entering the new year a bit stuck on a situation that did not go to plan. This card reminds you that even if you feel a loss, you still have blessings to build on. You have resources and/or relationships that could help you, but you don’t seem to fully value them at the moment. Getting back in the flow requires a pivot on your part, and this year is likely to revolve around recognizing new (or otherwise untapped) resources and expanding them.  Trust that the essence of what you need still exists…and it’s nearby.

 

CANCER

Card: The King of Cups

Theme: Uncovering and releasing traumas (yours and others)

Meditation for yourself: I clear away trapped energy and restore good vibes with loving compassion

When in doubt, try: Writing a poem; A cleansing cry

Practical action: Use laughter as medicine; Initiate ‘the talk’; Schedule therapy; Coordinate an intervention; Write in your journal; Ask someone how they feel

This King is the master of the emotional realm. Not only does this card indicate a natural genius for showing the love, it suggests a skill for diagnosing the emotional pitfalls that others fall into, and the ability (and inclination) to reach in and help others dig themselves out. These are qualities that a Cancer naturally vibes to, and skills you can turn on to help heal yourself. This year your greatest successes will be found when you pause to feel the world with someone else’s heart, and then check in with your own. Whether you do this as a formal therapist, or as a 12 step sponsor, a new mother, or as a comedian exploring hard truths in front of an audience, this card is your validation. Your emotional intelligence grows like a healthy garden this year, and the beauty therein encourages the growth in others around you. Share your gift.

LEO

Card: The Two of Wands

Theme: Best laid plans

Meditation for yourself: My heart-led efforts lead to real world results.

When in doubt, try: Updating your status; Practicing your pitch

Practical action: Send a resume; Post on social media; Launch your service

This is a year to make your move, Leo. Twos generally appear at the beginning of a new project as you begin to pull together resources and lay some foundations. This Two is a Wand, meaning it rules the area of inspiration and creativity. So this is where your biggest, hottest ideas become actions that garner results. Even if you are one of those hard-working Leos who hasn’t seen much in the way of a return on your investments in the last few years, this year is going to feel different. Making practical plans and taking deliberate, regular actions will lead to the kinds of results that haven’t manifested in the past. That’s right, you still have to do the work. But this card encourages you to follow your passions and invest your energy into things that inspire you. This is a growth year.

VIRGO

Card: The Ten of Wands

Theme: Tying up loose ends

Meditation for yourself: I honor healthy endings to clear the way for new beginnings

When in doubt, try: Letting go

Practical action: Leave a dead-end job; Go back to school and finish your degree; End an expired relationship; Purge your closets/cupboard; Recycle

This Ten reflects the end of a cycle which includes clean up duty. You know, like after you throw a great bash, there are all the decorations to take down and plates to clean up and empty bottles to recycle. This card suggests treating 2023 like last night’s party…or maybe like cluttered attic that you’ve been meaning to reorganize. There might be trash wasting precious space, and treasures you’ve forgotten about that deserve to be brought back into the light. Clear out the dead weight in your life, Virgo, and let go of the bits that cannot be recycled. Then have a look at those treasures to polish up. This is a year to clarify what you really value and make space for it.

LIBRA

Card: The Ace of Swords

Theme: Conversations

Meditation for yourself: I open my ears and my heart to facilitate full self-expression.

When in doubt, try: Listening

Practical action: Making invitations, Asking questions, Conscious networking; Social media sharing, Information gathering

 

This is a year for perfecting ways to communicate and connect. It’s a great time to reach out to others – individuals and groups – to learn and share. The rise of social media in our lives shows us that a big part of communicating effectively is knowing your audience and tailoring your message so that it lands. Not to mention, making use of new technologies to connect for business and for pleasure. So it’s not just what you say but how and where you share it. Of course, that requires listening (or following) as well. You may have an intellectual appreciation for this concept, but it’s time to level up. You are ready to discover more successful ways to connect and share. Moving forward, doors will open for you and progress will come from boosting your own signal

SCORPIO

Card: The Ace of Cups

Theme: Spooning and communing

Meditation for yourself: I become more fully myself in relationship to others

When in doubt, try: Sharing what’s in your heart

Practical action: Ask your crush on a date; Join a club; Say I love you; Say I’m sorry

 

The Ace of Cups augurs a new emotional cycle, a time when real gains can be made with regard to your emotional fulfillment. This card supports mating and relating in all ways – communing with others is a definite. Make a new start connecting with others – not just through words, but through sentiments and commitments. Maybe your social circle imploded during the pandemic, so it’s time to take practical steps to bring more souls back into your sphere of influence. This is a year to welcome new people and group associations into your life. It’s also about reaching out to make amends for fresh starts in previously troubled relationships. This card says that your greatest successes will be had when you share more of yourself and risk being vulnerable. Go ahead and let the people you care about know that you care.

SAGITTARIUS

Card: The Three of Cups

Theme: Success through emotional connections

Meditation for yourself: I easily attract joyful collaborators

When in doubt, try: Mixing business with pleasure;
Throwing a last minute bash

Practical action: Flirt; Dance; Call the gang over (or call them online); Get the band back together; Confess a crush

This is the party card – good friends, good music, good laughs, and possibly free-flowing libations. Even though public health concerns still dampen how we gather together, this is your year to make your important connections a priority. Get creative if you have to, but this card is supporting your efforts to re-connect with your favorite collaborators and make some new ones. Your greatest successes this year will be through your connections with others and by creating mutual admiration societies. While you are likely to receive plenty of invitations directly, don’t be shy about inviting and refreshing connections yourself.

CAPRICORN

Card: The Queen of Pentacles

Theme: Crafty creature comforts

Meditation for yourself: My home is my castle and my safe space

When in doubt, try: Moving the furniture around; Re-potting some plants, Baking some bread

Practical action: Invest in creature comforts, Hire a cleaner; Make your side-hustle an official home-based business

 

This Queen represents the crafty earth mama who has a genius for things like creative endeavors, home based businesses, redecorating the nest. She appears when life becomes abundant enough to support projects at home that amplify comfort. No matter your gender identity, this lady suggests this year you will be using your home space and altering it to your advantage. Maybe it’s an official transition to working at home, general home projects and upgrades, dedicating more time to meal planning or crafty side hustles that grow, this card suggests more conscious efforts in your comfortable headquarters. Craft on, my dear!

AQUARIUS

Card: The World

Theme: A new life

Meditation for yourself:
I honor my evolution as I step into my new life

When in doubt, try: Recycling clothes that no longer fit; Redecorating a room; Creating a new hobby space, building a nursery; Throwing a graduation party for yourself

Practical action: Share your success; Give an acceptance speech; Thank a parent and/or partner;
Take a picture of this moment

This is a liminal moment, that transitional phase as you move from one role or chapter of life to the next. When this card shows up, it validates the completion of a cycle and guarantees a new era. Right now, you are at the precipice, feeling the shift as one door is closing, aware that change is ahead. Take account and acknowledge the lessons of the past cycle that have been incorporated into your being, consider how you can move into the next phase with all the knowledge you have gained. Often this card comes just before a birth or just after a wedding – when change is not instantaneous but to be discovered and implemented day by day in the time to come. Trust that you have all you need to grow into your new role. Feel free to own your confidence as you leap into the next great adventure. You have earned it.

 

PISCES

Card: The Four of Swords

Theme: Self-care

Meditation for yourself: I value my physical, mental, and emotional health so I make time for self-care.

When in doubt: Take a long breath, and exhale

Practical action: Do some yoga stretches; Schedule a doctor’s appointment: Go for a jog; Take a nap

 

This card supports a sturdy foundation for your health. There will be excitement heading your way later in the year that will best appreciated if you set some healthy routines now. Whether it’s scheduling work outs, joining a gym, investing in a trainer, ordering food prep supplies or meal kit subscriptions, you know where your self-care is out of balance coming into 2023. Think about following up with check-ups or screenings at the doctor’s office, or making time for meditation every day. Maybe it’s been too long since you’ve pampered yourself with a massage, or a bubble bath, or a mani/pedi. With this card, there is a call to restoring balance that might be about detox: reducing time at the office, limiting time with toxic people, or eliminating other unhealthy behaviors. This isn’t bad news or some sort of cosmic spanking – this is self-preservation. If you get in the habit of taking care of yourself now, you will be better prepared to make inspired choices with clarity and determination as the year progresses.