The New Year - A Multi-Purpose Spread

I'll be sharing some of my favorite spreads throughout the year. This is one I use every January. It's called 'The New Year' and can be read in a variety of ways. The layout consists of twelve cards as shown in the picture below.

The Slow Tarot by Lacey Bryant

One of the ways in which it can be read is by assigning one card to each month of the year, starting with the card in the top left hand corner and reading from left to right. This gives you a general idea of what energies to expect month by month or what areas of your life you need to focus on every month.

Another way to use this spread is by reading each horizontal row in connection to one specific area of your life. For example, the first row would be assigned to relationships; the second row would be about work or school and the third row would tell you about finances. Again, this is a New Year spread, so the reading would cover the entire year.

You can also read the rows vertically by assigning one season of the year to each row. Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall. This will give you some guidance on how to navigate the year ahead. You can also go by trimesters instead of seasons if you prefer.

And finally, you can simply use the spread as one long message about the year ahead. The cards will tell you a story that may or may not initially make sense to you. There may be contradictions, double speak, repetitions, warnings. Pay attention to those idiosyncrasies as they will eventually come in handy when the situation arises. 

No matter what option you choose, be sure to keep a record of your reading for reference throughout the year. A photo, a journal entry, etc.. I find it quite interesting to look back on my thoughts at the time of the reading and figure out whether I read the message correctly or if I got thrown a bit off track.