My 2018 was a bit of scamp: mischievous and harmlessly naughty. There were delightful surprises (I became a grandma!) and annoying disappointments (50^th birthday week in bed with the plague) There were feverish bouts of creative inspiration, oncoming disasters averted at the last second and angels of mercy lighting my way through darkness and melancholy. Yep, a rascally year.

Want to know what helps me make sense of the lessons in my life? For the past 28 years, I’ve been reading tarot cards. I do readings at the end of every year, at my July birthday and whenever I’m craving clarity with a particular challenge.

(I sometimes do readings for friends too – I’m pretty good at helping them create a cohesive story from the cards that are drawn in the context of what is going on in their life.)

We can see our situation more clearly through the tarot’s fascinating combination of :

1) Ambiguity (like Rorschach’s ink blots, we project themes from our deepest thoughts & feelings)

2) Archetypes (universal patterns that give us a broader view of the patterns in our own lives) and

3) Synchronicity (Is there a reason I drew this specific card at this specific time?)

From my readings this week, I can more clearly see the creative, personal and professional seeds I planted in 2018, the constrictive mindset I inadvertently developed (whoops!) and the focused action steps I want to take in the new year.

I’m glad I have this decades-long practice of reflection in my life, because at 50, time accelerates at a dizzying speed! If we’re not careful a whole year can whiz by without aligning our daily lives with what is most important to us and the legacies we hope to create.

BTW, I’m leading a Moving Forward in Sync with Your Soul workshop at Loyola on January 19. We will not use tarot cards but there will be plenty of other reflective tools for you to enter your new year with intention. Join me!

Note: I most often use Motherpeace Round Tarot Deck by Karen Vogel and Vicki Noble and the Wheel of Change Tarot by Alexandra Genetti.

Here is my 2017 end of year reflection.