Into the Wildwood

I love tarot, and to me it’s not about trying to predict or control the future, but to stay better rooted in the present.

I see the cards as allies, teachers, and parts of ourselves that offer a window into our deeper psyches.

As it’s the start of 2023, I thought it was prime time to do a few pulls! I’ll share what I discovered below. (And feel free to pull cards to the same questions which I’ve lovingly adapted from this amazing offering!)

My inner guide for the year ahead:

10 of cups.

This card fell right out of my deck (right side up!) just moments after asking my soul, guides, and Spirit for guidance — wow!

The 10 of cups is probably one of the sweetest cards in the tarot. It asks the question, “what does true happiness look like, really?” Personally, I see this card as a potent ally for my focus of reparenting my inner child this year and it talks about building and nurturing a happy inner family. As above, so below, as within, so without.

My card for the year ahead:

The Fool.

I can sense already that I will be going into unknown territories this year (including starting this blog!), but what exactly these uncharted places are is a total mystery.

This card to me is about openness, vulnerability, humility, and the capacity to be gentle with ourselves when we’re clumsy — to embrace not knowing the answers or the direction, and to trust. Yes, trust for me is a big one. I am an extremely mistrusting person (I chalk it up to childhood conditioning of how “Satan is lurking around everywhere waiting to drag you down to hell” and “other people are sinners and will make you sin and fall from grace” — that kind of bullshit). So learning to let go and trust is going to be a major focus for me this year.

My deepest soul lesson for 2023 is:

The Moon reversed.

I cringed when I pulled this and my inner kiddo did NOT like receiving this card. Although my pen name elsewhere is Aletheia Luna (Aletheia being my birth given name, and Luna being an adopted name), the moon card both thrills and terrifies me. There is something just eerie about it, but also beautiful, like a Tim Burton movie.

Reversed cards to me are about suppressed energy and stuff buried in the unconscious. (I rarely see them as being the opposite of the upright card, instead, reversed cards to me are about what’s going on internally on a deep level.)

So The Moon reversed I believe is pointing to areas within myself that resist healing, that don’t want to come to the light, and also that I need to approach all soul work with great gentleness and kindness. There might even be the hint of resolution and clarity as I move into and out of this card. I guess I’ll have to wait and see what this card ultimately means for me this year.

(By the way, around Jan 1st of this year I dreamt of walking outside at night and seeing an eclipse in which the moon became dark — synchronicity much?!)

My inner ally for the year ahead:

Knight of Wands.

This card teaches me about how I choose to use and distribute my energy. Am I rushing into things too quickly? Where do I need to slow down? Where do I need to listen to my heart rather than my mind?

What is my soul work going to help heal this year?

Five of disks (or pentacles).

This is a card about an inner sense of poverty and homelessness. I’m someone who struggles with feelings of emptiness and loneliness (even when surrounded by others and loved ones) quite frequently. And I know that when those feelings arise, I need to connect with my loving inner parent to take care of my inner child. This is such a meaningful card to me and I’m excited to see how the inner soul work I do can help me return home to myself.

What type of energy am I drawing into my life this year?

Two of disks (or pentacles).

I feel like I will be presented with a lot more choices and perhaps even responsibilities this year — and that will require me to manage my energy properly. The message of this card is to stay grounded and find my center! It also gives more context to my ally for this year: the Knight of Wands. Don’t take on too much or rush into things! You have enough on your plate!

I also selected one soul teacher for each month of the year, and I got the following:

• January: Queen of Cups
• February: 2 of swords
• March: 10 of swords reversed
• April: Awakening (aka., Judgment)
• May: Page of pentacles
• June: 7 of cups
• July: 7 of swords reversed
• August: Justice
• September: 5 of cups
• October: The Star
• November: King of cups reversed
• December: Queen of swords reversed

So … cups and swords show up a lot — as well as three major arcana cards. Hmmm, interesting. I think I’ll dig into each of the above cards over the next 12 months.

But for January I got the Queen of Cups. I feel like she’s shown up to prepare me for the next few months, which by the looks of it, are going to be a bit more intense. Compassion, gentleness, receptivity, and staying grounded in the heart are what I feel when I look at this water-based card. I feel like she’s saying, “your heart is your safe space, root into it.”

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So that’s it from me. If you have a tarot or oracle deck handy, feel free to pull a card for each of the above questions. I’m sure you’ll learn something wildly new or intriguing about the year ahead!

P.S. this spread was adapted from Lindsay Mack’s Year Ahead Spread offered in The Threshold (I love their work and highly recommend supporting them). 2023 is ruled by The Chariot, and they go more into depth in their sweet offering!

Deck used: Illuminated Tarot by Carol Herzer

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