And so this is Christmas
And what have you done?
Another year over
And a new one just begun.
–John Lennon
It is the start of another year. Do you look back and see accomplishments? Or failures? What did you want to get done last year that you actually did? And (in my view much more importantly) what do you want to do this year?
I see the start of this new year as a clean slate. It is a new chance to reach a goal and maybe—just maybe learn to be stronger and better than we were before. Where it will go from here, we don’t know yet, but this is the beginning. In Tarot the Minor Arcana are numbered Ace through 10. Ace is the beginning and 10 the ending of a cycle. January 1st is the Ace in the tarot deck .It is the start of a new cycle. Where it will go from here, we don’t know yet, but this is the beginning. Aces are full of promise; we can go in any direction now. How do we want to proceed? Each suit is different, so they denote different beginnings. Ace of Cups is wellsprings of new Love and Energy. Ace of Wands is new commitment to an enterprise or project. Ace of Swords is seeing decisively. Ace of Pentacles is usually new prosperity or money—but in my deck of choice (the Worldtree tarot) it is also new paths.
Let us take these one by one. Cups are emotions. So Ace of cups is new emotions and feelings. We may feel good that the holidays are over and now we can begin a new year with renewed enthusiasm and hope. We may be in a new relationship with someone we just met. What do we want to do with it? Will this be the ONE or just another short term love? Will this be a new enthusiasm that turns into a new direction in our life or just an experiment that we got bored with after a while? We can direct the energy somewhat: pour a lot into it and see where it takes us, but if there is no renewal of energy from outside, we will get bored and burn out quickly. So, if this is new love, we have to get return on that love from the other person, or it dies. If it is a new interest, we have to get some results that keep us excited or we will give it up.
Ace of Wands is commitment to a new Enterprise. Perhaps, you just got a new job. Or maybe you just moved into a new house. Or are about to put your current house on the market. Or maybe it is just a new habit. This year, we resolve, we will keep up the budget. Keep to the exercise program. Contribute to our blog regularly! This requires less feedback, I think, just the desire to make it happen. We must chart our progress and see if after 3 months we are still doing what we said we would do. If so, great! If not, why not? Maybe we can figure out why we stopped and see if we can start again, or if we really were not all that committed to the project in the first place.
Ace of Swords cuts through the fog and sees the truth. The Ace of Swords is telling ourselves the truth: that new changes must be made and this (whatever we choose) is a new direction to try to effect that changes that are needed for growth. An Anne Lemont says, the Truth is a sword that points as well as cuts (Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life. Pantheon Books. 1994) so we need to kind, even tactful, in speaking the truth as we see it. Not just to others, but also in telling the truth to ourselves.
Ace of Pentacles traditionally means new money or power. It may be a new commitment to budgeting or better money management. Maybe it means that you are committing to seeking a better job or opportunity to make more money in the coming year. In the WorldTree Tarot Ace of Pentacles means new paths. Sometimes we do not have an outcome we want. Just an idea we want to explore. This new path is worth traveling on just to see where it goes. If we like it, again it can lead to new directions, new enthusiasms or maybe a new direction in our lives.
All together the Aces tell us to see reality as it is, to try new ways to effect the change we see needed in our lives. Aces tell us to commit to new paths that may get us where we want to go. To go forward with enthusiasm and with love—accepting that there will be problems, obstacles and maybe, just maybe…..cake!
I resolve this year to work on my blog more consistently (at least once a month, maybe an entry every two weeks.) I will work with my enthusiasm for tarot, commit to this enterprise and see where the path takes me. What are your resolutions? What are you feeling enthusiastic about? What Truth do you need to face and work on? Tell me about it in comments.
Happy New Year to all. May your path be bright and fun in this New Year.
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