Why this is the best, and worst, time to get a reading

The end of the year can be one of the busiest seasons for tarot readings.

Everyone wants to know what’s coming up in the year ahead:

"Will this be the year I find love?"

"Will my business be more profitable?"

"Will I move or change jobs?"

Overall, these are pretty common questions that people bring to tarot readers all year round – regardless of the calendar date.

Which is why, a couple of years ago, I started to question my own attachment to doing New Year’s readings for my community.

One thing that I grappled with was that life is not linear. Many of the things we are hoping for don’t just magically fall into place just because we changed the date on the calendar.

And so to expect that a certain date is going to signify something – be it love, success, or any other kind of goal – didn’t feel quite right.

Especially because some of the things we are hoping for in the New Year require some kind of planning or action.

I also realized that New Year’s readings were starting to feel like entertainment with some clients: People wanted to hear a play-by-play of how their year would unfold.

But life isn’t doesn’t happen like the movies, at least not for most of us. Sometimes people’s readings would turn out to be repeats of the year they had just had.

Some New Year’s readings feel forced for those reasons, too. Just because it’s a new year doesn’t mean you have to get a reading – only do it if you feel it will be helpful.

Otherwise, you can have a fresh start at any time of the year. Or, pick another time that feels significant – like the spring season, or your birthday. Not everyone feels aligned with the calendar dates, and that’s okay.

Still, I like the idea of a New Year: That fresh start, a whole 365 days ahead of you that feel like blank canvases. Even though the change in calendar feels arbitrary, there is something about stepping into a new year and symbolically leaving the past behind you.

I always make a plan for the New Year. I map out my business goals, my personal goals. I make resolutions, though they are usually the same ones: "I will not buy more books until I read all the unread books I have at home." (Still haven’t mastered this one, LOL.)

But those things are intentional – they are actions that are meant to cause something specific to happen.

Whereas getting a predictive reading about what could happen is different: It can feel more passive and less engaged in the future.

And that’s where I realized my discomfort was sitting with New Year’s readings. I would get asked to give prophecies and predictions: "Can’t you just tell me what’s going to happen?"

But in reality, I wanted to help people take charge of their lives, not just entertain them with a reading.

Just because it’s a New Year doesn’t mean you get a whole new life. You’re still you: Bringing the same passions, habits, quirks, and desires forward.

So unless you want your year to be completely different than what’s happened before, you need to start by looking at how your actions and intentions need to change.

Setting the same resolutions or sticking to the same routines will get you more of what you’ve already had. Which is fine if that’s what you’re happy with.

But if you want excitement, adventure, and new experiences, then you’re going to have to change things up – not sit back and wait for life to come to you.

If you’re thinking of getting a reading for the New Year, or giving readings, here are some tips to help:

1. Remember that even though the calendar dates are linear, our experiences are not. Some things may take longer to happen, and some things will follow you from one year to the next. Not everything gets neatly packaged into a one-year timeline.

2. Think of something you really want to see happen. Even if it’s just one thing, choose an intention for yourself. It can be an external goal, like an accomplishment, or an internal one, like a state of being. Reflect on this before your reading. And if you’re the tarot reader, then encourage your querents to bring an intention to the session in advance.

3. Readings are not just about predictions. When we’re doing year-ahead readings, it can feel like a forecast of what’s coming up. But it’s also an opportunity to ask how to reach your goals. Stop thinking in terms of "if" or "when," and instead reframe those questions to, "how" and "what."

At the end of the day, how your year goes will be up to you to a certain extent.

I’ve decided to a take a break from readings this time around and focus on my own planning for the year to come. But I do have a pre-recorded workshop available that teaches you how to do your own year-ahead readings using the Zodiac Tarot Spread.

If you want to read tarot for yourself, or add this spread to your repertoire for your clients, the class is now available and you can sign up for it here: Zodiac Tarot Spread

Until next time,

Liz xo