by Allan Ritchie
I love New Year’s resolutions. The New Year is full of promise and a fresh start makes my heart beat quicker. As Tarot readers we pride ourselves on the ability to look to the future and see potential. As I set my own resolutions for 2016, I wanted to reflect on Tarot resolutions; how they can be successful. It is also my hope to spark your curiosity about what you can do.
Before I get going I want to set some common sense ground rules. Resolutions are not binding contracts etched in stone. These are aspirations, hopes spoken aloud. Attempting and not completing does not give you the right to berate yourself. On the other hand if you are successful then by all means you can give yourself a high five and even treat yourself to a reward. Repeat after me, “It’s All Good!” You complete your resolution “It’s All Good.” You fall flat in week two, “It’s All Good!” We are not talking life or death but something to enjoy.
Another guideline for resolutions, they are not all or nothing. Your resolutions do not have to be for the WHOLE year. Set a timeframe that is achievable. Some different time frames I use are one week, one month, three months, this winter, in the next six months or one of my favorite is “by my birthday”. There are loads of ways to look at the year. These can help you create a resolution that is realistic. Shorter time frames allow for breaks if your resolution is rigorous or if the resolution is working then you can renew it again but if not then you are not committed to a plan that you will just give up on later.
Phrase a resolution in clear terms. Just like questions in Tarot, wording is important. Specifics are important because they will be your friend down the road. Vague resolutions are pointless. “I want to buy fewer decks.” “I want to read more.” “I want to journal more.” These are bad resolutions. I know. I have tried them all. I may have been successful or not. They do not allow me to know if I have completed the task. We each have dreams of what we can do so it is up to you to consider what success will look like to you. My advice, keep them specific.
Team work makes everyone successful. Find someone who will join you in the resolution then you will have help to accomplish the goal together. Moral support is a contributing factor to success. If you go at it alone then let a few people you trust know your goal and you are more likely to reach it. Also do not forget that there are plenty of ideas on productivity to employ too like smart phone apps, planners, calendars, sticky notes, index cards, and chalk/dry erase boards.
Tarot resolutions tend to revolve around tarot decks. How we use a deck or how we study a deck? One resolution is to limit yourself to a single deck. The limitation increases focus on study and use of that deck. This resolutions work best with a timeline. Three months with a single deck is a good goal. For those that think that long periods of time with only one deck isn’t a challenge then consider the opposite resolution. How about using a different deck each week? For those of us with extensive collections and an irresistible love for new decks and continually adding to the collection this gives you permission to plan to use them.
The best way to understand a deck is to use it. Set a number of readings you will complete in a year. Just how many can you do in a year? Press to consider how many you can do in a day, a week, a month, a season then to the year and total them up. Start with personal readings. I have daily draws and then weekly readings or monthly readings, then special occasions like my birthday reading or a New Year’s reading. But then how can you add readings for others? There are online forums that allow you to swap readings or do readings for feedback. When I push myself I can do online and e-mail readings. I love my on-line and e-mail readings because I keep a copy and with time I have a great resource on how cards interact, which spreads work. So are five hundred readings possible, what about a thousand?
A final resolution I would like to suggest is one of community. I would encourage you to look at attending a conference or joining a local Tarot group. There are more conferences now than ever before and the Tarot community is thriving. There are two long running and established conferences. Reader’s Studio which is put on by the Tarot School in the spring in New York www.readersstudio.com and The Bay Area Tarot Symposium (B.A.T.S) http://dodivination.com/ run by Thalassa and the Daughters of Divination in the fall. Several new conferences have started and worth considering if they are close. The Northwest Tarot Symposium in Portland in March. Also there is Tarotcon (www.tarotconvention.com) has been putting on several gatherings a year in different locations.
So now is the time to decide what you want to accomplish in the next 366 days. You even have an extra day this year! I have not come close to all of options you have. Spend some time to consider what the right choice is for you. Dream big and don’t allow the negative thoughts to get in your way.