Deck: (Top) The Victorian Romantic Tarot; (Bottom) The Bohemian Gothic Tarot

I read a post on Tarot Dame’s Blog featuring a New Year Spread last week. I was planning doing a 3 card reading using the past, present and future positions, and this spread is a fun take on it:

New Year Spread

(Left)What I should leave behind me when the new year arrives?
(Center)What I should take with me in the new year?
(Right)What I have to look forward to in the coming year?

My first observation was that I drew three Major Arcana cards. This implies that each of the answers involves a significant event or stage. Valuable and possibly life-changing events are in the works for 2010. Most of us feel this way when we start the year and we tend to focus on the immediate. Sometimes it’s wise to take a step back and observe where we where, where we are, and where we are going.

(Left)What I should leave behind me when the new year arrives? – The Empress

I drew The Hanged Man from The Victorian Romantic this past Christmas Eve. It signifies sacrifice and physical sacrifice to learn something new and insightful, or removing oneself from day-to-day activities to seek something new.

In The Bohemian Gothic Hanged Man, my eyes quickly gravitated towards the moon which creates an aura of mystery. The Moon is directly above the suspended figure that hangs from the window of an old gothic building, illuminating the scene and the calm waters behind him. An owl sits on the outer ledge of the building towards the left corner, a metaphor for actively becoming wise.

Summary:

Together, they represent seeking answers in a solitary environment by methods. The focus is natural and organic. I should take into account any lessons I have learned and remember that material things are just a temporary solution. Last year was a difficult one, as I am sure it was for many die to the current financial climate. The answer to this question tells me that I should make a move and that it’s time to step out.

(Center)What I should take with me in the new year? – Death

The Victorian Romantic Tarot The Empress shows a woman who looks maternal, is full of life, love and happiness. She is the epitome of nature and nurture working together in sync. She sits on a stone monument and is surrounded by flowers, two children and doves, symbolic of strength, creativity, growth and purity.

The Bohemian Gothic Tarot shows life, but also death. We see a woman who has grey hair and may be a grandmother to the child in the card. And, in a mirror behind the woman, we see her reflection depicted as a skull. This is symbolic of the cycles of life. This Empress is in a lushly decorated room and looks quite wealthy. While material things may make us happy in the short-term, they will mean nothing in the long-term when we pass on…

Summary:

In the New Year, I should focus on embracing life and the happiness that can be achieved through relationships with family and friends, as well as creative projects. They will come to an and–as all things do–but, these experiences are most valuable.

(Right)What I have to look forward to in the coming year? – The Hanged Man

The Victorian Romantic Death card shows various types of people in a scene with the Grim Reaper, an archetype for death. Once The Grim Reaper makes the cut with the blade, the end will be here. But in tarot, The Death card doesn’t mean a physical death; it represents the end of a stage in life, and the start of a new one. They people don’t appear fearful; a women holds up a baby and a man holds a skull with a laurel crown on it in his left hand. In the Victorian Romantic Gold, which is what I am reading with, the skull and laurel are gold, emphasizing the details. There will be conscious victory in the end.

In The Bohemian Gothic Death card, we see three skeletons in a church. One wears a red robe and holds an hourglass, while the other two lay covered on a bed of skeletons. There is a theme of duality represented in the stone scenery, but there is no balance here.  Time is running out in the hourglass, but the people are already dead in this card’s scenery. If that is the case, than time doesn’t matter. Does this represent being stuck in time?

Summary:

In the upcoming year, there will be a life changing transition or stage that may be drastic, but if I come out unscathed, it can be a great new beginning. I must not allow myself to get stuck in the past and must do my best to accept any changes instead of fighting them. An arrested development will work against me.

Image: The Victorian Romantic Tarot © Magic Realist Press

Image: The Bohemian Gothic Tarot © Magic Realist Press

© 2010, aurarcana – A Tarot Blog | Tarot Journaling & Tarot Cards. All rights reserved.