It’s not that weird that work has been a major Twelve Days of Tarot theme this year, because clearly it was already on my mind for other reasons. Still, it was a bit of a surprise how intense that focus seemed to be. First there was a reconsideration of obligation, followed by sticky situations that don’t move forward with effort, then, well, work, then ambition, then practice, then expert knowledge.
At the same time, there was more going on. For starters, things were looking pretty positive for romance, domestic harmony, and, generally speaking, enjoyment of nice things. Overall, the vibe started looking to me like, yes, a year to focus on work, but not at all in the sense of drudgery. This is a year when you should have what you need to really focus on what you can bring to the world, without having to kill yourself in the process or miss out on actually living.
Plus, there were a couple of reminders that even a seemingly material focus like work can have seriously spiritual dimensions. The Queen of Cups suggests that with the right intentions we can use this work (and everything else we do) as its own kind of spiritual practice, and the Ace of Swords reminds us that our deep selves are always at work in the background, too. While we chop wood and carry water, we may be surprised at the personal transformation and insights that come to us, seemingly out of nowhere.
Today’s card – my card of the year for 2023 – Is basically an elaboration on all these themes.
The Queen of Pentacles (three queens! still pondering what to make of that – this one from the Anima Mundi Tarot again) is, like the Queen of Swords, about mature, embodied expertise. In this case, though, it’s less intellectual knowledge and more about practical skill – perhaps craft, in its most expansive sense. This year is, apparently, a good year to focus on really honing and applying that kind of expertise. It’s also a year to reap the benefits of your own expert projects, including personal satisfaction, improved living conditions, connection with others, and last but certainly not least the mystical benefits of applied craft knowledge.
I’m still working out the details, but I hope to write quite a bit on that last part this year, as I feel this kind of embodied knowledge is underappreciated (as well as closely related to the imaginal theme of this newsletter). In the meantime, I did have some downtime over my holiday break, so here is a sketch of a few thoughts on analogy that finally clicked together over the past couple of days:
What (if anything) is coming up for you around all that? Are you drawing your own cards (or consulting another kind of oracle) for 2023? I’m pretty excited about all the directions these themes could go, and would love to discuss them further in the comments!