Alternatives to Year Ahead Tarot Spreads

Whenever the new year lands for you whether in January or one of the many seasonal and celestial celebrations of the year, it’s a popular time to cast a big ol’ annual spread of cards. I did this myself for many a year and then I stopped. Not because I don’t think the tradition of a year ahead spread is not a completely magickal way to begin your year, but because it no longer was useful for me and my practice. I began to notice that by the time I hit months seven through twelve of my reading in real time (i.e. seven to twelve months after casting my spread), the cards energies felt water down if not completely out of alignment with what was occurring in my life. Were the cards wrong? Or was I reading them wrong? No. In truth my life in recent years has seem to go through these seismic shake-ups and changes that the lines of my wyrd, to use the Old English word denoting a combination of personal unfixed destiny and the power of becoming, have been reweaving at a rapid pace. 

Experiencing a weird and wild wyrd? I think that’s true for a lot of folks right now. And I think at different parts in our lives different styles of an annual spread make sense. I imagine that in a decade or two I’ll probably try a traditional twelve month spread for my new year, but in the meantime, I’ve come up with a few alternatives. These spreads developed from my own seeking to find something that felt more flexible and co-creative with my cards and my magick. Here are my three alternatives to annual tarot spreads that are a little less fated, more wyrd, and a way to keep engaged with the turning wheel of the year.

The Elemental Tarot by Caroline Smith + John Astrop

The Yearly Guide

The simplest alternative is to choose to work with one card as a guide and ally through the year. Since I work with the wheel of the year, I like to call this card the Guardian of the Wheel. The Yearly Guide(s) act like a teacher, helping you to meet anything that may come your way during a year. They also embody qualities for you to examine within yourself including qualities that we might need to release and others that need developing. I recommend pulling from the Major Arcana of your deck to find a Yearly Guide card, but feel free to that which you are called to do.

There are a few ways to figure out which card is your Yearly Guide. You can pull out your deck and shuffle through, pulling a card at random to be the card of the year for you. You can look through your deck face up and purposefully choose a card to work with (this is especially powerful if you’re trying to gain a sense of will and personal power about yourself). Finally, you can use a bit of sacred numerology to discover your year card from the Major Arcana. To do this, add together the number of your birth month and birth date with the number of the year. Here are a few examples:

Someone born July 17 and seeking their annual card for 2019 would add their numbers as so: 7 + 1 + 7 + 2 + 0 + 1 + 9 = 27. Since 27 is larger than 21 (the highest number of the Major Arcana) they would then add 2 + 7 to get 9. Their card for 2019 would be The Hermit.

If you were born on November 9 your numbers would add up as so : 1 + 1 + 9 + 2 + 0 + 1 + 9 = 23. Then adding together 2 + 3 you would get 5 representing The Hierophant.

Sometimes you get two numbers. For example, someone born on January 17 has an annual number of 21. You could further add together 2 + 1 to get 3. So they would have two Yearly Guide cards - the World and the Empress. Alternatively, they could choose to work with one card over the other or work with one card for half of the year and the other card for the second half of the year. 

Once you’ve discovered your Yearly Guide card, you can incorporate it into your magickal work, add it to your altars, keep a copy in your wallet, paste it to a seven day candle. Keep it in your sight both physically and magickally.

The Luna Sol Tarot by Mike Medaglia

Six Months Ahead Spread

As the title suggests, the six months spread is half the length of an annual spread recognizing that energies often change halfway through the year. The six month ahead spread is a great choice for those who like the familiarity of the annual spread but are feeling, like me, that the cards for the last six months of the spread aren’t always as resonant as the first six. It’s also establishes a great mid-year magickal practice where you cast another six cards for the final half of the year.

The Numinous Tarot by Noel Arthur Heimpel (left) and Thea’s Tarot by Rhea West

The Solar - Lunar Spread

Here’s my most complex proposal for a year ahead alternative spread. It combines the tradition of the twelve card annual spread with a bit of Moon magick. Begin by casting your twelve monthly cards which we’ll card the Solar Cards from here on out. Alternatively, if you want to really tie it to solar energies, cast twelve cards for each of the twelve signs of the zodiac. So your first card would be for Aries corresponding roughly to the period of March 20 to April 20 (this changes year to year, so be sure to check your astrological calendar).

Your Lunar Cards are cast each month on the New Moon. If your Solar Cards are just for each calendar month, on the New Moon in January you would cast a Lunar Card to go alongside your Solar card. If you’ve chosen the astrological method, you would cast your Lunar Card on the New Moon corresponding to the solar sign. To cast a Lunar Card for your Solar Card of Aries you would cast it on the New Moon in Aries. 

The Solar Cards act much in the same way as a the twelve cards in a traditional annual spread. They give an overview of energies for a month-long period in their life. The Lunar Cards, which are cast month-to-month, take into consideration the fluctuating energies and changes happening for you at the moment in time that you’re casting them. The Lunar Cards can reveal what had been hidden but come to light or speak to the ways that you have changed since you cast the original twelve Solar Cards. They’re really helpful at nuancing the message of Solar Cards cast for the latter half of the year. It can be very revealing to read the twelve Solar Cards at the beginning of the year and then notice how your interpretation shifts or deepens when you pair each Solar Card with their Lunar Card partner.

What will I be doing this year? A combination of all three! I’ll be working with my annual guide along with pulling a six month Solar - Lunar spread.

So there are my three alternatives to year ahead tarot spreads! You can check out all of my divinatory spreads or my spreads for each one of the Sabbats if you’re feeling inspired. And if you’re thinking it’s time to discover the intersections of herbal healing and tarot, come this way.

The Windswept Garden: The Herbal Wisdom of the Suit of Swords

I am doing a guest post series on the amazing Little Red Tarot blog all about Tarot + Herbalism. Little Red Tarot is the home of Beth Maiden who has created an intelligent and inspiring alternative community to us Tarot folk who are queer, rebellious, multi-cultural, and rad. I hope you enjoy the latest installation in the series all about the herbal wisdom of the suit of swords!

All cards shown in this post are from Thea's Tarot.

Check out the other posts in the Herbal Tarot Wisdom Series:

• The Windswept Garden: The Herbal Wisdom of the Suit of Swords

• The Well of Memory : The Herbal Wisdom of the Suit of Cups

• The Flame of Desire: The Herbal Wisdom of the Suit of Wands

• The Foundation Bones: The Herbal Wisdom of the Suit of Pentacles

Our journey through the world of tarot and herbalism begins with the suit of swords and element of air. In many western esoteric traditions, the direction of east and air is honored as a place of beginnings. The east is where the sun rises each day and it is in the suit of swords that we learn to speak and express ourselves when we engage the illuminating path of tarot. In my experience, the suit of swords is also the area that most often illuminates conflict, challenges, miscommunication, and injustice in a reading. Swords are sharp and swing both ways - they represent our thoughts and words which can lift us up in one moment and tear us down in the next. They are the doublespeak of advertising and politics as well as the sacred charm and song of revolution. Swords are also the suit of illumination, inspiration, and knowledge before it alchemizes into wisdom, and risk-taking. The swords hold incredible power, so when lots of swords show up in a spread I know to pay attention to what is in motion.

Swords can represent mental tension, stress, and a busy brain. We live in a hyper-connected suit of swords time with a constant barrage of social media shouting and an ever increasing consumption of media. It becomes harder to take moments just for ourselves - quiet moments of tea time become an opportunity to connect with a multitude of followers via instagram. Suddenly a quiet pleasure-centered moment where we might settle into our bodies becomes a moment to get in our heads, our of the moment, and rack up likes. Such is a very out-of-balance swords world we live in.

Connecting the swords to herbalism, I think about plants that quiet hurried thoughts, release tension, and bring about a sense of ease. I welcome in plants that ease heartache (especially when the three of swords shows up) and take the edge off. I call to plants that enliven the mind where new ideas are needed and to clear out sluggishness which may have settled into the mind.

Peppermint (Mentha piperita) is a enlivening herb which cuts through mental fog and I love it for invoking the clarifying powers of the swords. When the winds are tossing about emotionally and mentally, we can find ourselves in a state of tension and stress. Gently antispasmodic and a classic digestive, Peppermint relieves tension and the complaints of indigestion including gas, nausea, and intestinal cramping. Since we’re concerned with speaking and communication in the suit of swords, Peppermint has the very practical benefit of being an herb for bad breath. The herb is a classic cold care ally in Traditional Western Herbalism, especially when combined with Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) and Elder (Sambucus nigra). In a garden, Peppermint is as tenacious as the thoughts that go round and round in our head, which makes this plant particularly suited to bring in the power of swords into your life. Spray or diffuse the essential oil to awaken a space and clear out old energy - especially useful before a reading if you are seeking clarity on an issue that feels muddled and unclear.

The diffusive herb I chose for the suit of swords is Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora) which is one of my favorite relaxing nervines. You know that mental chatter that goes round and round and round in your head keeping you from falling asleep at night? Skullcap might help quiet the noise. A powerful nervine, Skullcap restores strength to an overwhelmed nervous system (by working on the cerebro spinal centers), relieving spasms, nerve pain, and cultivating calm. The common name Mad Dog Weed speaks to Skullcap historical uses for St. Vitus dance, hysteria, epilepsy, convulsion, and major disturbances of the nervous and mental systems. It is a classic herb for those overworked and feeling like they are stretched to their limits, but there is a nasty voice in their head saying they just have to buck up and keep going.  It is particularly useful when those drama llama cards arrive (10 of Swords, anyone?). Skullcap kicks out the nasties and welcomes in bliss. I like combining it with Lavender (Lavandula officinalis) and Tulsi (Ocimum sanctum) for a deliciously soothing blend. Skullcap can alleviate the sharpness of too many swords in our lives helping us to connect back to the clarity that the airy suit can provide.

The Sword Court Cards

Seeker of Swords: Borage

The Seeker of Swords is adventurous, hurried, and ready for action. They jump in first and think later - they’re confident they’ll be able to talk themselves out of any trouble they might find themselves in. They’re also the most intuitive of the Sword Court, in that they listen to the song of the wind for guidance. I recommend Borage Flower Essence for the Seeker of Swords because the beautiful flower teaches true bravery through contemplation of what lies ahead. The Borage flower bends over and looks down at the earth - gazing at the path that it will soon fall on. Borage helps Seeker of Swords folks to find their bravery when it is lacking, to check their ego when it is drawing them into undesirable situations, and reconnect them to the wisdom of knowing before just rushing in.

Apprentice of Swords: Impatiens

The Apprentice of Swords may get the prize for one of the most if not the most impatient card in the deck. Let’s go already! So, it is no surprise that Impatiens is a recommended essence for Apprentice of Swords folks. Impatiens honors the quick-thinking energy of the Apprentice of Swords while tempering the irritation and impatience that can accompany such speed of thought. In addition to teaching patience, Impatiens also teaches empathy and the importance of collaboration to Apprentice of Swords folks who can come off as bossy lone wolf types. Connecting with their empathy and patience, the Apprentice of Swords is able to move beyond being a know-it-all into becoming wise.

Artist of Swords: Vervain

The Artist of Swords disdains injustice in all its form. When in balance, the Artist of Swords is a revolutionary leader inspiring through words. An out-of-balance Artist of Swords uses the same strength of words to bulldoze other’s ideas and input until everyone agrees with their vision. The essence of Vervain is a good teacher for Artist of Swords folks because it helps to take an edge of the urgency of need for everyone to see why their vision is the best. Instead, Vervain helps Artist of Sword folks to hear and appreciate the ideas of others while talking about their own vision with a spirit of collaboration. Vervain also helps to protect against burnout which many Artist of Swords folks are prone to as they can push themselves past their limits for the cause they are fighting for. Remember, wordsmiths and fighters, we need you for the long-run, not just the next protest. Vervain helps us create sturdy foundations to fall back on so our fire can burn brightly for many years to come.

Mentor of Swords: Sage

The Mentor of Swords embodies the ideals of the suit of swords - a person who communicates with confidence and clarity, inspiring others with their self-expression. The essence of Sage helps to distill knowledge gained through experience into wisdom that can be shared with others. Sage also helps Mentor of Swords folks develop confidence in teaching others. On the flip side, the essence assists Mentor of Swords folks in understanding the importance of intergenerational collaboration. If you’re struggling to find your wisdom flow in your tarot practice or you’ve been reading for years and feel like you’re in a rut, Sage flower essence might be a good ally for you.

Loose Incense

In addition to enjoying herbs in tea and tincture form, the suit of swords and the realm of air invites us to enjoy herbal medicine as aromatic remedies such as aromatherapy and loose incense. Loose incense is incredibly easy to make - simply choose your herbs and mix them together. You can burn them on self lighting charcoal (this is my favorite stuff) or cast into a fire. Loose incense can be blended into powder and cast into the winds or used to dress candles. There are a lot of possibilities and the following are a few tips for creating your own loose incenses:

• Purchase or harvest good quality herbs. Old herbs smell like old herbs, whereas freshly dried and well-harvested herbs have a quality of life to them that creates wonderful incense. If wildcrafting, please do so mindfully.

• Less is more. You can burn a single herb or a few combined together, but start with simpler recipes where each herb is working in harmony.

• Let your incense incubate. Once you have blended together your herbs, cap them in an air tight jar and let them “brew” for a week or so (I like to wait for a full cycle of the moon). The blend ripens and the herbs have time to mix and mingle. You can sing charms to the jar each day or bury it in the earth for the entirety of incubation - whatever your heart is called to do.

• Charm your incense. Take time to charge or charm your incense. Speak the names of each herb you are using and their powers. Name your incense and its purpose. Hold it at your heart, your belly, your head. Do what you do to raise energy and fill the incense with your charm. Remember your magick, clever one.

How will you be connecting with the herbs and energies of the suit of swords? Post your experiences below as well as any questions you might have about the information already shared. Next time we’ll be exploring the suit of cups and the element of water. Until then, journey well, clever ones!