Tarot for Today

By Melanie Harris
Winter is in full gear, and hibernation is becoming a popular pastime.  Despite the promise and possibility brought by a new year, many of us want only to stay indoors and be cuddled.  January is a time of nurturing and sustaining, and it's natural for hermit tendencies to be on the rise.  Our survival instincts are stirred by this coldest month, urging us to huddle close to our homes and to those who love us.  Women have long been widely considered as the rulers of the home, and many cultures choose January as the time to celebrate feminine energy.  As January marks a beginning, this month is also an excellent time to boost good fortune and to explore what lies ahead.  Here are some Tarot activities to help you create a very happy new year.

January Tarot Talisman for Wealth

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Ace of Pentacles and 10 of Pentacles from The Wise Woman's Tarot. The Wise Woman's Tarot is published by Flash Silvermoon and is available on her website at www.flashsilvermoon.com

Money can't buy happiness, but it can buy food for the hungry, clothing for your children, shelter, chocolate, and a slew of other necessities and worthy luxuries.  Try this Tarot talisman to increase your wealth this year.

Choose the Ace of Pentacles or the Ten of Pentacles, and prepare the card by covering it with a bit of money, contemplating prosperity and giving thanks for your current blessings.  Envision the energies of wealth and abundance flowing into the card.  

If you have a spare Tarot deck, carry the talisman with you all year, repeating the initial ritual to charge up the card every month or so.  As an alternative, you can carry the talisman during January, and then extend the charm to other months by touching the card to each page of a calendar before returning it to the deck.


A Year's Fortune Tarot Layout

This Tarot spread gives you a preview of the upcoming year, offering knowledge to help you make informed decisions that will create the future you desire.

Mix the deck freely, letting your deepest wishes flow through your fingers as you touch the cards.

Choose twelve cards to represent the twelve months of the year, and lay them out in order.  Each month's card symbolizes the main power flow of that time period.  

Pay equal attention to positive and negative predictions.  You will learn to be sensitive to opportunities, and you will know when to take extra care in making decisions and in taking risks.

January Nurturing Ritual

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Illumination (as High Priestess) and Fertility (as Empress) cards from The Wise Woman's Tarot. The Wise Woman's Tarot is published by Flash Silvermoon and is available on her website at www.flashsilvermoon.com

This Tarot ritual honors the feminine and provides a way to nurture yourself, whether you're a man or a woman.

Lay out the High Priestess, and contemplate the qualities this card symbolizes.  Think of the joy brought to your life by women who have powerful intuition and deep spiritual wisdom.  Look for these qualities within yourself, and express a desire for these personal characteristics to increase in strength, enlightening your spirit and nurturing your soul.

Next, lay out the Empress.  Meditate on what this card represents.  Think of women who are beautiful, sexual, or motherly, and ponder how these women enrich your experience.  See your own beauty and sexuality, and contemplate your nurturing, loving qualities.  Invite these energies to exert their influence, fortifying your positive self-image and guiding you to mother yourself with caring and respect.

January is cold, but that's no excuse to stay in your cave until the spring.  These Tarot activities will give you the luck, knowledge, and nurturing you need to get out in the world and create some great fortune.

Happy New Year!

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Tarot Reflections is published by the American Tarot Association - Copyright (C) 2008

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