January 2025 Tarot Forecast

1st: New Year’s Day

6th: Triple Goddess Day

14th: Full Wolf Moon in Cancer

29th: New Moon in Aquarius

31st: Disablot

Note: In the forecast below, we revisit the Marseilles tarot deck with our usual spread. With recent readings, my understanding of money has shifted to include other types of wealth. This could look like money, time, energy, access to resources, and earth’s abundance, etc. Thus the money section is now titled “wealth.”

We begin the year at the earliest point in the hero’s journey. This is when we’ll have the greatest clarity and wisdom about what we’re leaving behind, and what we want to pursue. The loss of the old year has a sobering and celebratory effect of retrospection. The year ahead becomes an intentional road map that we have yet to draw. We may not know fully what it looks like, but the past is a helpful resource that can inform us of our values, resources, and resilience. On the 6th, Triple Goddess Day is an excellent opportunity to consider what stage of life we are in (Maiden, Mother, Crone), and how we want to embody it. On the 14th, we experience a Full Wolf Moon in Cancer. We are reminded that the journey ahead of us in 2025 is not a solitary one, but one that considers the health and wellbeing of the entire pack when making our choices. In winter, we slow down to match the pace of the eldest wolf or the injured wolf, to stay together. This is a time to tend to foundational healing, emotional wellbeing and care that will foster our connections and sense of belonging. On the 29th, we’ll have a New Moon in Aquarius. During this phase, we want to consider where we fit in on a higher, visionary scale, in service of humanity and divinity. Finally, on the 31st, Disablot, a Nordic celebration, marks a new season and reaffirms new beginnings. Practitioners seek the blessings of the female spirit for prosperity, fertility and protection in the year ahead. This brings us full circle, reaffirming our choice to close an old chapter to bring in the new. 

Energy of the Month: Ace of Wands ~Spell by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds~

January’s energy is akin to lighting a matchstick and casting it into the dark of the year ahead. It is a powerful initial spark that leads the way that allows us to move forward with confidence. It is the beginning of a vision that keeps us warm, and coming back for more. Alone it is a small perishable flame, but if we build a fire pit with logs, tinder, and paper, it can become an immense bonfire that sustains us for a season or a year. The Ace of Wands helps us reclaim the latent power that is our birthright, by providing it with a conduit, a pathway of manifestation. We are offered a blank slate so we may bring forth the dreams of our raw, unaffected, most authentic self. In our hands, the wand becomes a mighty club we can use to take down our enemies–obstacles, criticism, self doubt. Our passion burns hot and chases away old belief systems and modes of being, leaving only what is desired. With the wand in our hands, we become a music conductor, orchestrating many moving parts to create a masterpiece greater than their sum. Per Tarot of the Holy Light, spirit is recruiting us to higher purpose, and now is the time to respond. 

Love: Reverse Strength (Force) ~Flowers in December by Mazzy Star~

As we engage with Ace of Wands energy, we must take care to protect it from dominant culture. The dominant culture would have us wrangle our will or use force to fashion ourselves into an acceptable norm before we can begin to love ourselves. The punitive perfectionism we may have been taught to use to accomplish these means is not forgiving enough for sustainable change. The Force card (reverse Strength) shows us that we have been conditioned to approach the blank slate in this way, but it also offers another path. We can start with love and self care and seek out what feels pleasurable, rewarding, and good for us, instead of concerning ourselves with quantifiable metrics. In this way, we can celebrate progress, satiety, and engagement. Out of love we may want to push ourselves and fix everything right away, but we know through lived experience that it doesn’t work this way. We have to meet ourselves where we are at, and find what we are innately willing and wanting to do. The lion, our egoic force, has a say in this too. Using the whip to get it to perform circus tricks will cause it to revolt. If we can build a loving relationship with it, that’s what will make it want to stay and work with us.

Wealth: 8 of Wands ~Winter (from the Four Seasons) by Vivaldi~

The wealth we have available to us in January is quick moving and ready to act. At the slightest quiver, a string orchestra hums in support of our act. The expertise with which we orchestrate resources is capable now of yielding spontaneous beauty and manifestation that is visible to, and inspires others. We are reminded that our strengths may not be typically viewed as such, but we are equipped with unique contributions, viewpoints, strategic mindsets, and resourcefulness. When we accept what we are, we are able to harness and focus all our energy into the most efficient means of achieving our goals. Spirit has led us to the point where the orchestra of forces is now in our hands and it is up to us to lead it. This is a period in which we can affect great transformation within and around us, because we are able to see what others can’t. From the outside, we represent freedom of motion and thought, the perfect marriage between the big picture and the small steps that it takes to get there.  

Work: Reverse 3 of Swords ~Quiet, the Winter Harbor by Mazzy Star~

This month, we are encouraged to cut away the aspects of our work that feel unnatural to us. This is less about trying to fit a mold or meet a certain ideal, and more about making space for something more aligned to our interests and talents. When we do this, we change the narrative. There might be an aspect of work perfectly suited to us that we don’t even know about yet. We have to cut the old parts loose to discover what that is. This requires us to let go of old identities. It encourages us to try on radically different ones that might feel strange and foreign at first.This could lead us to fight for what we are grateful for, for what we care about the most. This may be new terrain –a role we must forge. We are not entirely alone in this–our ancestors may have something in mind they’d like to help us with. We can look to and ask for guidance if we feel lost, until we get an understanding for our talents and our part in this role.

Health: Reverse Page of Swords ~A Violent Yet Flammable World by Au Revoir Simone~

It can be helpful to reevaluate our boundaries surrounding health–whether we are enforcing them firmly in the company of others, or whether we are being too strict with ourselves. Are we compassionate with ourselves on our health journey, as we figure things out? Or do we berate ourselves out of a sense of perfectionism? It is important to allow ourselves to be a page, someone who is learning and doesn’t have all the answers. We learn through trial and error, and through practice, rather than avoidance. We can also learn when to keep our sword in a sheath and find spaces in which we can relax and be at ease. We don’t always have to be on the defensive or offensive with the sword, a state which floods our systems with cortisol and keeps us on high alert. This is not an area where we want to be forceful with ourselves (to eat the right foods, exercise the right amount, etc). Instead, we can learn to communicate with our bodies and let them teach us how to meet our needs.

Spirit: 3 of Wands ~A Hazy Shade of Winter by Simon & Garfunkel~

The spirit in January is represented by the three of wands. We have just received an invitation to a new school of magic we never encountered before. In January we find we are complete beginners, uncertain of what awaits us. Luckily, this is not a solitary journey, but one in which we encounter new friends. Each has a unique set of skills and talents that compliments the other and ensures the group’s success. Together, the group can approach the lessons ahead with an animated spirit, inspiring all to stay on track. This is just the beginning, a time to embrace the conceptual part of the journey in which we get to revel in the fun and novelty of it all. Stoking the fire of the beginner spirit allows us to remain to each other, to new people, teachings, ways of life, and reciprocal relationships. Now is a time to immerse in the surrounding community, make the most of our teachers, wonder at our surroundings, and approach the next chapter with a lively spirit. 

 Happy New Year,

Angel Intentions

January 2024 Tarot Forecast

A Note: Last month I forgot to mention Winter Solstice and Yule, which in the Pagan world represents an earlier start to the New Year! We’ve been able to access the new year energy since December 21st.

New Year: 1st

New Moon: 11th (Capricorn)

Full Moon: 25th (Wolf)

Intro: 

In honor of the new year, I’m changing some things for this year’s tarot forecast for the Ahimsa newsletter. I’ll be rotating different decks and spreads for each month of the year. In addition, I will only be creating playlists when music related decks are in rotation. January features the Starman Tarot deck, in honor of David Bowie’s birthday, death date, and final album release. This month’s spread is a preview for what you can expect for the Minute Analysis year-ahead readings I am offering for 2024. 

Now accepting sign ups for the Angel Intentions Newsletter! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeQeQZYTscuvBCaycVjpvKjwvNVvbZfygkYmqxQXSvZtTGBvQ/viewform?pli=1 

I’ll be sending a monthly three card forecast with an oracle card, plus send out invites for a monthly discussion group! For those who sign up this month, I’ll be offering $5 off a one hour year-ahead reading, or $10 off the Minute Analysis reading (a two hour year-ahead reading)

January galvanizes us to pursue new goals with vigor. Being the first month of the year, it is symbolic of creation, manifestation, and willpower. In the first few weeks we feel disciplined and determined that this year is the year we can finally make a change. After several attempts, we learn momentum alone is not enough. We ask ourselves, what can we do this year to make lasting change? How do we navigate change when affecting our personal sphere seems to pale in comparison to the greater change we want to see in the world?

Theme or Major Event: The Lovers ~As the World Falls Down by David Bowie~

With the world in the state that it is, it may feel counterintuitive to think that the Lovers could be at the heart of it all. Our collective love is tinged with grief and heaviness. The world seems senseless and painful, with little room for lasting thrill or fun. Yet beyond this binary of light and dark, love and grief, is the possibility for coexisting experiences. In this time, we find support, and those who are there for us. Spirit grants us the gift of seeing clearly. We are given the ability to hold dreams, relationships, intuition, and natural cycles in our hearts that can make waves. We are able to experience beauty, richness and love. 

The key word we are granted in this card is “cede,” as in, ceding and not ceding to the other (boundaries). This could be in relation to partnership, narratives, ways of thinking, and more. The image of Tipheret suggests we find spirituality, balance, integration, beauty, miracles, and compassion when we embrace the spirit of the Lovers card. In this card we experience a mirroring of the self, in relation with another on several levels –mind, body and spirit. We learn what we need, how we communicate, how we can be our best selves, how to hold space for ourselves, for another, and for the relationship (be it with person or Spirit). We learn to become flexible and nimble. We learn to catch each other like circus performers and fling each other to the highest heights. In this union, our third eye opens and we experience closer communion with the divine. We tap into fertility and creativity, inspiring creativity in kind. We ourselves are creation. Part of a greater web. We are able to be vulnerable, sensual and in greater connection in an emotive, intuitive, subconscious, creative, and fertile water. We want to be able to keep tapping into this space and this ability throughout the month, in all the facets of our experience.

Block, Complication, Need for Spiritual Maintenance: The Hierophant ~Quicksand by David Bowie~

The beauty of the Lovers card is a result of putting two forces together and seeing what unfolds; the sum being greater than the individual. In contrast, the Hierophant does not really allow room for this curiosity. Instead, it subjects the forces to judgment values of what love “should” look like. When we get caught up in what relationships should look like, we stifle connection. Or, if we get caught up in the idea of what things should be, perhaps we feel powerless or like things are going wrong when they don’t follow this model. We sink in the quicksand of our thoughts and cease to believe in ourselves when we fail this model. We deceive ourselves with this belief of failure. 

It is also striking that in this deck, the Hierophant seems to be a werewolf. A werewolf does not belong fully to either the human world or the natural world. Furthermore, they do not have packs. In this case, the binaries of light and dark, neither nor, create a sense of distance, and a defensiveness against anything beyond the self. Every part of the Hierophant’s body is either subtly shielded or clothed. This presents an obstacle to the flexibility and vulnerability that the Lovers card has to offer us this month. The feeling in the reversal of this card is very one-sided. The symbolism in this card suggests one sided insemination of information. This Hierophant feels they are the only ones who have something to teach, and cannot imagine that they have something to learn from the student. In this card the students do not even have a face, and seem spectral in nature. They emerge as a projection from the Hierophant’s hands, much further down on the stairs. The rest he perceives as innocent lambs that need his protection. He does not seem entirely altruistic either – he bears a couple medallions and money lies beneath his feet. It may be time to question those financially benefiting from us adhering to certain beliefs, and from the historical revisionist narratives we are meant to believe.

Lean In: Reverse Seven of Pentacles ~Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide by David Bowie~

The Hierophant would have us believe that his paradigm -external success that others can see– is the only valid way to be. Under this paradigm, we might find marriage without love, work without fulfillment, a place to live but not a home, Instagram likes but no connection, and so on.

We may make efforts to adhere to this image of success, and find ourselves failing. We are asked to step back and reassess what in our environment is causing our garden to struggle, what needs tending, and what we truly want to grow. We should focus on things that nurture us in the long-term, rather than ripping out what little we have nurtured just to have something to show. We do not want to collect the harvest preemptively under the Hierophant’s pressure, procuring something under quick, capitalistic, extortionary means. If we move with slow and careful cultivation for a grander vision, we have the potential to grow Jack’s beanstalk, which can take us to the crystal palace in the sky. We are asked to stick with it. Instead of assuming the worst of ourselves, we need to see what is not supporting us. In these circumstances we can look to the larger community that can support us, and see we are not alone. If we reach out and take each other’s hands, we may be able to see that we are wonderful in our own rights.

Lean Out: Reverse World ~The Man Who Sold the World by David Bowie~

We do not need to put the world on our shoulders like Atlas, in an endeavor to meet the standards of the Hierophant. This is overwhelming. We do not need to have it all accomplished, nor pursue every area of interest. It is better to simplify and pick one thing to excel at. Further, we should select something that we are okay with pouring ourselves into, regardless of the outcome of our efforts, which we cannot always control. We do not constantly have to be a source of strength for ourselves or others. To come up with or present a solution that could solve the world’s problems. To be wise and always know the next step. To see above it all. If we can lean out of this pressure, we can focus on tending what we are working towards in the 7 of pentacles above. January does not have to be about accomplishing some great thing to be worthy of celebration or even rest. It can be enough to just be. 

Hidden Jewel: Reverse Temperance ~Under Pressure by David Bowie~

That which is not working in the reverse 7 of pentacles can be used as the fuel for transformation in the reverse Temperance card. This is the hidden jewel. Energy that was once expended for something we no longer want to pursue can get redirected to a new goal. It can be used to bring us back into balance with the higher self. We can create the image in which we would like ourselves and others to see us. This shedding of old energies, old forms, things we no longer recognize or want in our lives, all of this can be recreated into what represents us best. Rather than think of this time or energy as lost, we can see it as great potential that we can call back to ourselves. The sense of feeling pressure can be transformed into the love we need to give ourselves one more chance.

Your Gifts/Blessings: Reverse King of Swords ~Space Oddity - Moonage Daydream Mix by David Bowie~

This month, we are able to see the world with clarity, in its greater macrocosmic totality. We are lone explorers that offer an imaginative and very different point of view. What’s missing is the ability to connect with people so they can properly hear us. It does not seem like this is going to be achieved through conventional means, such as teaching from a higher platform like the Hierophant. An authoritative stance like the Hierophant or King of Swords is what distances us from students and people. It is in fact to our benefit to lean into the reverse 7 of pentacles energy. We are more relatable when we are not an authority and do not know it all. We are figuring it out with everyone else, and thus do not have a judgmental air. We make a greater impact when we step out of this role and reanimate ourselves. We step out of the throne of one-sided judgment, and intermingle with the people so that we are better able to learn their circumstances for ourselves. Further, when combined with the Lovers card, even moments of short-sightedness or unjust judgment on ourselves and others can teach us to practice greater compassion and humility in regards to others. We are not immune to this, and thus we do not expect others to live up to this clean ideal either. This is how we can bridge the gap in misunderstanding and miscommunication, or lack thereof. 

A musical supplement to this month’s forecast

January Forecast

New Energy in 2023

January has a special meaning to us. It is our first foot forward into the New Year. We emerge from intentions we may have set in the Winter Solstice. Days get shorter and we learn to make the most of them. We wrap up 2022 in a celebratory way before ultimately parting ways with it. In some cultures we even burn the old year in a definitive way, to end an old chapter and hearken the new year. It is the first opportunity we get to shed a snake's old skin and either make new goals or rededicate ourselves to our goals, life's purpose, motivations, ambitions, and our true path.

Energy of the Month: Hierophant ~A Letter to my Younger Self-Ambar Lucid~

Recommended tools: Working with the Future Quantum Self in the Akashic Records, Writing a Letter from your Future Self, Visualization exercise

Astrological Correspondence: Creativity, Self-expression, recreation, relationships, offspring

This month, the Hierophant calls on us to embody our future selves in order to shorten the gap between the starting point and our desired goals. Imagine that you are already your most successful self and in the place where you want to be, with all the positive habits and routines that you've developed. Treat yourself the way you would if you were already happy with where you are. Now emulate those helpful habits and routines in your daily life. Perhaps this version of you takes daily vitamins, meal preps, reads half an hour before going to bed every day, and listens to classical music. It is time to start acting as this version of you and follow your own roadway to the success that this version of you already has. Write a kindly letter from your Future Self to the current you, so that you can read it whenever you falter or whenever you need a word of encouragement. This version of you is so compassionate towards you and whats the very best for you. 

The Hierophant also calls us to release the attachments that obstruct our path and get in the way of communication with the divine and our future self. We want to become a clean slate, an open cup for divinity to fill and speak to us. Then we can more readily transmit divinity message to us. This is how we can awaken to the power of the divine and our passion for conveying its message. Even if we don't feel like we know it all (in truth,  we never do), we may also step up to teach if a student comes our way or if we feel called to do so. Do not doubt the wisdom you have gained from experiences. 

Love: 5 of Pentacles ~Maybe October- Dekker~

Tools: Mirror Work, abundance, "I am enough."

The presiding energy this month in love is: "How can I be exactly what is needed. Maybe another  week, day, or year, I will be better or stronger." We may be feeling particularly lacking in the financial sense. We may be feeling that we are not contributing enough financially or domestically to the relationship. Or we may be wanting a relationship but feeling like we arent in a financially stable enough place to pursue one. We may be comparing ourselves to our partner's contributions and feeling down on ourselves for it.

But if the situation were reversed, we would be supportive of our partner in the same way they would be for us. It's okay to be experiencing setbacks and to accept lovingly given support. It is okay to build up our strength until we can contribute in a way that we would want to. It's okay to build ourselves up to a place to be able enter a relationship too.

Money: Chariot ~Chariot-Page France~

Astrological association: Social Life

Recommended tools: Parts Work (Internal Family Systems)

In money, you are asked to be the Bringer of your own future. To swing your way from dreams to happy endings. This can be accomplished when you achieve unity over your ambivalence. You must overcome the oppositions within, so that you can throw your entire being into the direction of your goals. Through strength of will, you can bring together contrary tendencies and have them work together as a team with you. You can make money the sphere of your personal action. This is the time to choose your financial path and autonomy, to become the triumphant master of your fate. The best way to harness this energy is to work with the Hierophant first, to follow the true path made evident to you when you become receptive to divine will. Without this guidance there is a risk of subjecting yourself to the Wheel of Fortune, but combined with the energy of the Hierophant,  the Chariot becomes unstoppable.

Work: 3 of Wands ~Into the Great Wide Open- Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers~

Tools: Flow State, Creativity

In work this month, we have a lot of opportunities for personal development. This is the time for looking ahead, towards growth, expansion and exploration. You have a lot of creative enthusiasm,  and a spontaneous and intense energy. This is the time to seek and embrace enthusiastic work, to create from a State of flow and joy. If you do this, you will tap into relentless motivation. This is a good time to make plans for studies, travel, creative businesses and collaborations. Accept whatever changes life may have brought your way, and think in terms of the big picture. Embrace discovery and learning, and embrace the new. Be bold, have faith, and see you are able to create from this space. 

Health: 3 of Swords ~Loveletting-Sons of an Illustrious Father~

Recommended tools: Sacred tear energy, emotional release, trauma-based yoga, reading and learning 

Our health this month ties in deeply with our emotional state. We must resolve the our struggles in the emotional sphere so that they do not manifest in the physical sphere. There are many difficult emotions to be dealt with, particularly for those of us who have painful associations from the holidays. The holidays may accentuate grief, for that which we do not have. We may feel isolated in our experiences when we feel surrounded by others who do not share in this difficult experience. In this life we all must at some point experience pain, suffering, loneliness, sorrow, rejection and even betrayal. We must release this energy, and cry out. But we must also be wary of giving into the emotion so fully that we only identify with it and forget to let go and move on. We must accept loss and face reality in order to grow and move on. Growth is what results from pain. We learn how to overcome suffering. We learn through the consequences of our actions. We may also let go of what may have been comfortable but is no longer serving us...but it is necessary to have more rewarding experiences in the future 

Spirit: Hermit ~End of Beginning-Djo~

Astrological association: Personal beliefs, philosophy, religion

Recommended tools: Meditation, Solitude, Introspection

The Hermit signifies the end and the beginning. It represents who we are when we enter this world and when we leave it. The Hermit proactively ended the relationship with the old world (and the old year). With this, we can venture into a mysterious future that we have yet to master. The Hierophant serves as a bridge that leads to a known ideal, whereas the Hermit ventures into the unknown. It is the highest mission, birthed from deep crisis. It is a lonely but rewarding path that leads to wisdom, experience, and deep reflection of the path we've led up until this point. This inevitable crisis leads us to the profound change that we seek in our lives, to get to the goals and ideals that we seek to establish in the new year (of which January is a symbol). This step cannot be skipped. But we can choose whether to perish or to be renewed. Faced with nothingness, it is here that we release ourselves from the attachments holding us back. This spiritual pilgrimage is where we can overcome our doubts. We learn how to fight injustice, and we learn of our own errors that have shaped our past. This will teach us the prudence that we need when creating our own futures.

A blessed New Year to you all on this path. ✨️ 

A musical supplement to this month’s forecast.