The year ahead

For January, The High Priestess reversed: intuition held back or turned inward. Let it set the tone of the month.

Reversed, she suggests ignored intuition, secrets kept too long, or a disconnection from your inner voice. Slow down and listen.

The High Priestess sits between the pillars Boaz and Jachin, dark and light, wearing the triple crown of the moon. The scroll in her lap reads TORA, the hidden law, half covered by her robe. Behind the veil of pomegranates lies water: the unconscious, deep and still.

For the heart: A deep, mysterious attraction; something unspoken; a need for patience..

Upright, this card would speak of: The High Priestess sits between the dark and light pillars of the temple, the crescent moon at her feet and a half-hidden scroll of wisdom in her lap. Behind her, a veil hides the waters of the unconscious. She is intuition, secrets, dreams and the knowledge that comes from stillness rather than effort. She asks you to wait, listen and trust what you know without being able to explain it.

On the Fool's Journey: The High Priestess teaches the second lesson: that there is a hidden world within, known by intuition. In the Golden Dawn tradition the card belongs to the Moon and to the Hebrew letter Gimel, the camel.

For the heart: A deep, mysterious attraction; something unspoken; a need for patience.. At work: Keep your plans private; trust your instincts; research before acting..

For February, Seven of Cups reversed: blocked: a test of nerve in matters of the heart. Let it set the tone of the month.

Clarity, choosing at last.

The Seven of Cups shows cups floating in the clouds, each holding a different vision: castles, jewels, dragons, laurels. It is the card of choices, fantasies and wishful thinking. Some of the visions are true possibilities and some are illusions, and the card asks you to tell them apart.

For the heart: wishful thinking, too many options.

Upright, this card would speak of: choices, dreams and illusion.

The Seven is the test: assessment, strategy and inner work, when effort meets doubt. Here it acts in the realm of water: feeling, love, relationships and intuition.

For the heart: wishful thinking, too many options. At work: many possibilities; choose a real one.

For March, King of Cups: authority and command in matters of the heart. Let it set the tone of the month.

A king sits on a throne floating on a stormy sea, calm: emotional mastery, wisdom and kindness.

The King of Cups sits steady on a throne amid rough seas: emotional maturity, calm under pressure, compassion with boundaries. He is the counsellor and the wise friend, feeling deeply without being swept away. He may be a person in your life, or the balance asked of you now.

For the heart: a mature, steady, compassionate partner.

The King is the suit in command: mastery turned outward, authority, responsibility and leadership. Here it acts in the realm of water: feeling, love, relationships and intuition.

For the heart: a mature, steady, compassionate partner. At work: calm leadership, diplomacy, care.

For April, The Chariot reversed: willpower held back or turned inward. Let it set the tone of the month.

Reversed, the Chariot points to lack of direction, scattered effort or forces pulling apart. Take back the reins.

The charioteer stands in a stone chariot under a canopy of stars, drawn by two sphinxes, one black and one white, pulling in different directions. He holds no reins: he steers by will alone. The city lies behind him.

For the heart: Pursuing what you want; a relationship that moves forward; overcoming obstacles together..

Upright, this card would speak of: the drive that holds opposing forces together and moves forward.

On the Fool's Journey: The Chariot is the first victory, won by willpower. In the Golden Dawn tradition the card belongs to Cancer and to the Hebrew letter Cheth, the fence.

For the heart: Pursuing what you want; a relationship that moves forward; overcoming obstacles together.. At work: Ambition, success through effort, travel or a move..

For May, Queen of Wands reversed: blocked: quiet, inward mastery in drive and ambition. Let it set the tone of the month.

Jealousy, insecurity, a temper.

The Queen of Wands sits with a sunflower and a black cat: warm, confident, magnetic and independent. She is fire mastered from within, someone who lights up a room and leads by example. She may be a person in your life, or the self-assurance the reading asks you to claim.

For the heart: a warm, confident, attractive partner.

Upright, this card would speak of: confidence, warmth and magnetism.

The Queen is the suit held within: mastery turned inward, nurture, intuition and quiet power. Here it acts in the realm of fire: will, ambition, creativity and action.

For the heart: a warm, confident, attractive partner. At work: leadership with charisma, creative confidence.

For June, Ace of Swords: a new beginning in the mind, and in what must be said. Let it set the tone of the month.

A hand holds a crowned sword: clarity, truth and a breakthrough idea that cuts through confusion.

The Ace of Swords is a crowned blade rising from the clouds: clarity, truth and a breakthrough of the mind. It cuts through confusion and brings a new idea, a decision or a hard truth spoken at last. It is powerful and double-edged, and asks you to use clarity with justice.

For the heart: an honest conversation, clarity.

The Ace is the seed of its suit: the pure, undivided force of the element, a gift or opportunity offered from the clouds. Aces begin things. Here it acts in the realm of air: thought, truth, words and conflict.

For the heart: an honest conversation, clarity. At work: a breakthrough, a clear decision.

For July, The Empress: abundance and nurture. Let it set the tone of the month.

The Empress sits on a cushioned throne in a field of golden wheat, a forest and a waterfall behind her, the sign of Venus on her shield. She is Mother Nature, fertility, abundance and the pleasure of the senses: everything that grows, from children and gardens to projects and love. She brings comfort, beauty and creativity, and she asks you to nourish yourself and others.

The Empress sits on cushions in a field of ripe wheat, a forest and a waterfall behind her, the sign of Venus on her heart-shaped shield. She wears a crown of twelve stars, the months of the year: she is nature's abundance, season after season.

For the heart: Fertility, sensuality, a loving and nurturing relationship; sometimes a pregnancy..

On the Fool's Journey: The Empress shows the traveller the abundance of nature and the senses. In the Golden Dawn tradition the card belongs to Venus and to the Hebrew letter Daleth, the door.

She is Mother Nature, fertility, abundance and the pleasure of the senses: everything that grows, from children and gardens to projects and love. She brings comfort, beauty and creativity, and she asks you to nourish yourself and others.

For the heart: Fertility, sensuality, a loving and nurturing relationship; sometimes a pregnancy.. At work: Growth, creative projects, abundance and work that brings pleasure..

For August, The Hierophant: tradition and teaching. Let it set the tone of the month.

The Hierophant sits between two pillars in papal robes, raising his hand in blessing over two kneeling followers, the crossed keys of heaven at his feet. He is tradition, teaching, spiritual authority and the institutions that hold knowledge: churches, schools, families and rituals. He asks you to learn from those who came before, or to become a teacher yourself.

The Hierophant raises his hand in blessing between two pillars, two acolytes kneeling before him and two crossed keys at his feet: the keys to outer and inner knowledge. He wears the triple crown of the church: tradition, teaching and belief.

For the heart: A traditional commitment, marriage, shared values; meeting family..

On the Fool's Journey: The Hierophant brings learning, tradition and belief. In the Golden Dawn tradition the card belongs to Taurus and to the Hebrew letter Vav, the nail.

He is tradition, teaching, spiritual authority and the institutions that hold knowledge: churches, schools, families and rituals. He asks you to learn from those who came before, or to become a teacher yourself.

For the heart: A traditional commitment, marriage, shared values; meeting family.. At work: Learning, mentors, institutions, working within an established system..

For September, Ten of Wands: the end of a cycle in drive and ambition. Let it set the tone of the month.

A man carries ten heavy wands towards a town: burden, responsibility and too much on your shoulders.

The Ten of Wands is the burden of success: carrying every bundle yourself, bent so low you cannot see the town ahead. It speaks of responsibility taken too far, of tasks that belong to others, and of the moment when your ambition has become a weight. The journey is nearly done, but not like this.

For the heart: a relationship that feels like work.

The Ten is completion: the end of the cycle, its full weight or its full blessing, and the threshold of a new one. Here it acts in the realm of fire: will, ambition, creativity and action.

For the heart: a relationship that feels like work. At work: overwork, carrying everyone else's tasks.

For October, Two of Swords reversed: blocked: a choice to be balanced in the mind, and in what must be said. Let it set the tone of the month.

Indecision ending, or overwhelm.

The Two of Swords sits blindfolded with crossed blades: a stalemate, a decision avoided, a truce held by not looking. It can be a necessary pause, or a refusal to face what you already know. The sea behind her is the feeling she keeps at bay.

For the heart: avoiding a decision, emotional stand-off.

Upright, this card would speak of: a stalemate, a difficult choice avoided.

The Two is the first meeting of opposites: choice, balance, partnership and the tension between two paths. Here it acts in the realm of air: thought, truth, words and conflict.

For the heart: avoiding a decision, emotional stand-off. At work: a stalemate; you need more information.

For November, Six of Pentacles: harmony returning in work, money and the body. Let it set the tone of the month.

A merchant weighs coins and gives to the poor: generosity, charity and fair exchange.

The Six of Pentacles holds a scale while giving coins to those in need: generosity, fairness and the flow of giving and receiving. You may be in a position to give, or to receive. The card asks for balance, so that help does not become power or debt.

For the heart: giving and receiving in balance.

The Six is harmony restored after the crisis: generosity, movement and recovery. Here it acts in the realm of earth: work, money, health and the material world.

For the heart: giving and receiving in balance. At work: a fair deal, generosity, support.

For December, King of Wands: authority and command in drive and ambition. Let it set the tone of the month.

A king sits on a throne carved with lions and salamanders: vision, leadership and the power to inspire.

The King of Wands is the visionary leader: bold, entrepreneurial and able to inspire others to follow a big idea. He is fire in command, turning passion into direction. He may be a mentor or a person in charge, or the leadership asked of you now, with the warning to temper boldness with listening.

For the heart: a bold, generous, protective partner.

The King is the suit in command: mastery turned outward, authority, responsibility and leadership. Here it acts in the realm of fire: will, ambition, creativity and action.

For the heart: a bold, generous, protective partner. At work: visionary leadership, entrepreneurship.