Recapping 2021, Through Tarot

On January 1, 2021 I sat down and gave myself a "year in advance" tarot reading, as I have done nearly every year since I began reading cards. It's a twelve card spread that gives you an idea about what each month of the upcoming year will bring. I offer these readings for clients as well (only during the months of December and January, or on their birthdays), and they're really fun to do because they can help plan or outline big events for the year. The only downside is: it can be hard to tell how accurate they are, unless some time has passed. Well, as this year is wrapping up, I've decided to look back and see just how accurate my reading really was, and let me say: I'm shook.

Now, obviously I'm a believer in these cards. I've been reading them for over six years now, and I've witnessed countless, "oh shit" moments (of my own, as well as with other people). But its crazy how, even as a believer and knower that these cards are magic, they still shock me with their accuracy sometimes. As I mentioned, I did the reading about a year ago now, and as I reflect, I am especially grateful that I am a detailed journaler, because I've been able to cross examine the reading with what I later journaled about during each month. Let this be a quick reminder that keeping a journal is an incredible tool for growth, processing, and healing, but that's not why we're here. Let's just jump in shall we?

January: Two of Pentacles

For my reading, I wrote down just a few key words or themes of each tarot card. The two of pentacles evoked, "choices," "balance," and "finances." During the first week of January I wrapped my first group course I'd been holding for the six weeks prior, and as it finished, I definitely felt like I was at a cross-roads with choices. Mentally and financially, that group course was really good for me: I felt really proud to have completed my first container like that, and helped about 10 women develop a deeper sense of self. I received good feedback from the participants, and I began wondering, "Okay now what?" It turned out to be a month of balance in the sense that I needed to rest and recharge before making any more choices or big decisions about what to do next. So, while there isn't anything too "exciting" for January, it certainly was spot on.

February: Seven of Pentacles

The seven of pentacles evoked the words, "planning," "routine" and "power," as well as "stability," and "finances," which is exactly what February 2021 brought me. I took a little break from working my business, because I knew I would be launching the second round of my course at the beginning of March. Because of that, I did indeed do a lot of planning for the upcoming projects, and got set in my personal care routines. This was a stable and slow month, and honestly that was really great. We need cycles of rest and relax between our moments of work and power. You may notice as we go through these that my year seemed to play out like that: ups and downs. Such is life.

March: The High Priestess

Now here is where things start to get really fun. Let me tell you, in March, I was the mother fucking high priestess embodied. I felt so GD divine this month; I felt so connected to the earth, and the feminine energies of the world. My family took a nice, long, vacation to Cabo San Lucas, and I felt like a goddess, taking in the mountains, beaches, flowers, and overall atmosphere. In addition to that, I was leading my second group course (some of the time, while in Mexico). There was something really empowering about running my business from my laptop on the pool deck of a mansion airbnb in Mexico. I began to really feel and see myself as the leader, coach, and nomad I had only previously dreamed about being. The words I wrote in my journal for this card were, "magic," "confident," "divine feminine," and "truth seeker," and holy sheet, was I exactly that.

April: The Moon, Reversed

If you happened to see a recent IG post of mine, then you'll already know why April was super relevant: the moon, reversed came to me for what ended up being a month a deep reflection, specifically about the moon, and my relation to "moon magic" and "new age" spirituality. At the very end of March, I was presented with an idea about the moon being "false light" and it felt very resonant at the time, so I decided to take time off social media, and deeply reflect on my feelings and connection to the topic. My January words from the tarot reading were, "intuition," "shadows," "illumination," and "feminine energy." What was illuminated to me during this month was that the moon, is indeed known by many to be representative of feminine energy, but that is a BIG shadow element of spirituality. I plan on writing a much longer, more in-depth post about my ever-changing relationship with the moon, but this month (April 2021) was really when my eyes were opened to the illusions of her symbolism, which is why it's so fucking crazy that I got this card, four months prior.

May: Seven of Swords, Reversed

The words for this card were, "mental health," "patience," and "self-compassion," and looking back it makes sense. Nothing "major" happened during May. I looked through my journal to see what I wrote, and all entries were about how things felt kind of slow, and boring, but that I was thankful to just be living and taking things as they came. For me, I can have a tendency to feel like I'm not doing "enough" so working through slow, boring periods of life are definitely a mental health challenge for me. Overall, may was a very basic month, and sometimes, that's exactly what's needed in our life.

June: Ten of Wands, Reversed

June is another month that is BIG spot on. During the month of June I moved out of my mom's house where I had been for about 8 months, and into a little apartment by myself downtown. The words that I channeled in January for this month were, "completion," "renewal," "identity," and "new version of self." The "completion" is so obviously about the completion of my time at home, and the "new version of self" came with my new space and living in downtown Kansas City for the first time ever. My identity was challenged with this process because I had to accept that I was signing a one year lease, and that meant really committing to KC for awhile (which was something I was previously unsure I wanted to do). During this month I began to create new habits, and explore new areas, and really embrace my "hometown" in a new way than ever before. Looking back this was a month of a lot of change, and truthfully, some drama, but also a lot of excitement and growth. I should also mention my BFF and I went on a babymoon vacation to Florida which was an incredible time, and a representation of her pregnancy coming to a completion - which is just some more ten of wands vibes.

July: Three of Swords, Reversed

For three of swords, in January I wrote down, "three's a crowd," "fear," and "individual mindset," and truthfully reflecting on this month has been a bit hard to nail down. It's interesting because I don't even remember who I wrote this about, or why, but on July 9th I wrote in my journal, "I am maintaining a pretty good state of balance, but I must be cautious of who I let into my sphere. I can connect, and always remember that not all people are coming into my sphere with pure intentions. Perhaps I'm in a phase of life where giving everyone 'the benefit of doubt' is not good, necessary, or an honorable thing to do." Now again, I don't remember what or why I wrote that, but it certainly feels a little bit like "fear" and "individual mindset." Clearly I was catching a vibe that someone around me didn't have the best intentions, and I was aware enough to protect my energy.

August: Wild Card

Whew, August really was a wild card. So, in my specific tarot deck there is an additional card with no number or text on it, that I've always just called it the "wild card." When it comes out in a reading, I tell people, "only you know exactly what this card is saying," and I implore them to sit and listen to their intuition about whatever comes up. For myself, on New Years Day, I looked at that card and wrote, "questioning purpose," "spiritual renewal," and "diving deep." What's interesting is that in August I was presented an opportunity to teach breathwork in person at a studio for the first time ever, and in a way that did feel like a spiritual renewal. I taught several classes there and used the studio to do yoga on my own a few times. During this month I for sure questioned my purpose and my work. I began sharing a lot of content about codependency, and created a course (that ultimately flopped) about cutting codependency from our lives. It felt like that was the direction my business should take, and a topic I really wanted to help people on. It turns out (for now at least) that work isn't the direction I was meant to go. This was also the month my best friend had her first child, which was and continues to be, so inspiring and beautiful to witness. This also (whether I like to admit it or not) makes me question whether motherhood is in the cards for me at some point or not.

September: Two of Swords

The two of swords evoked the words, "choices," "communication," "growth of mind," and "balancing options." This is very interesting to me because this is a month when my "dating game" stepped up more than it had in awhile. I won't lie, I had some choices lol, and it did feel like a growth process that involved a lot of communication (with myself, and the people I was going on dates with). I found myself, for the first time maybe ever, having to balance my time between (mostly really good) prospects. I also grappled with whether or not I was even really ready to date or potentially commit to someone, or if I still enjoyed the freedom and healing that comes with being single. I'm a highly independent person (who when in relationships can tend to fall into codependency patterns), so making this choice, and finding balance between my own time, and dating, was legitimately a growth period for me. I'm aware this could sound a bit annoying, so I'm gonna keep it pretty simple, but overall September was indeed a month of choices and a lot of communication.

October: Four of Swords, Reversed

Perhaps you've noticed by now (or maybe you didn't, and that's fine too) that I had A LOT of "swords" cards in 2021 - this one, the four of swords reversed, is kind of like a pause button of the mind. In January I wrote, "creating the reality in the mind first," and, "master a stable mind, or feel upside down," which is a little different than things I wrote for other months. When it comes to what October actually brought me, it was all good things. I spent a good amount of time having festive fall fun with friends, family, and the boy I nanny. I continued dating and narrowed it down to one person. Really, I can't think of anything massively eventful relating to this card, but I definitely think things in October felt more stable than they did in months prior, so perhaps that's what "master a stable mind" meant. And as far as my business goes, I spent some more time in planning/meditation mode rather than go go go mode, which again, is nice.

November: The Hermit, Reversed

For November I wrote, "alone time," "recalibration," and "be in practice," which truthfully I could have been better about. Perhaps the fact that the hermit card was reversed was a prophecy that "hermitting" or having alone time and being in practice, is what I should have done more of, but wouldn't actually. It's not that I didn't have any alone time, or that I wasn't in practice at all, but November for me included a vacation, my birthday, and several gatherings. I definitely exerted more energy than I kept for myself, and while that's not a bad thing, it's also something to stay conscious of. Our energy is our life force, and it's so important to live life, which is what I feel like I did in November. But it's also important to take it easy, and slow down. Especially if you're feeling drained, or looking for "recalibration." We need those moments of protecting our energy, and reclusing, in order to be the best version of ourselves (but maybe that's just the introvert in me speaking).

December: Strength, Reversed

And here we are at December: the card is strength reversed. Since this month isn't complete yet, I can't say FOR SURE how accurate this card will be, but I can say in January I wrote: "heart chakra," "love is the ultimate strength," and "remember that you have it," and as I write this, that feels like an attack. Lol it's kind of personal (or maybe it just feels that way because I'm still living it) but I needed to hear that message today. I've been getting in my head a little bit, overthinking, and potentially on the brink of self-sabotaging, in the area of the heart chakra. So, I will take this message of strength, and pivot. I remember now, in this moment, that I am a being of love, and my vessel is one of strength. What an absolutely beautiful year this has been.

If this intrigued you, and you're interested in booking an Year-In-Advance reading for yourself or someone you love, you can do so through the "book a session" tab on my website, or you can email me at spiritcoachmalana@gmail.com and we can set something up.

~Your growth and peace are within reach~