Reflections : Into 2012

2012. Pretty crazy, huh!

And with it, as with every New Year we move into, buzz about resolutions and reflections. What will you change? What will you make better? What went well? What went horribly wrong?

It makes sense to do this, by the way. We’re wired to recognize patterns and cycles and the turning over of that calendar page is a natural kind of demarcation for us. You could be cynical about it — refuse to take part. Decry resolutions as setting oneself up for failure. Or you might be an optimist, I suppose, and cheerfully make yourself a list. I fall somewhere in the middle.

Though I find that the year end time for me is best spent in reflection. And oh boy, was 2011 a doozey for me! Good, bad, everything in-between. You know, the normal life kind of year. How did yours go? Normal as well, I’m guessing (no matter how wrapped up in it you probably feel).

I’ve got something for you, if you’re the introspective type like I am. I was sitting with my cards the other evening like I do when I entered into some frantic tantric tarot-inspired journalling. I wasn’t reading cards in the sense that I was asking questions and divining answers. Rather, I was pulling the cards and letting them ask me. It was a different kind of experience for me. Kinda good. Kinda scary. A lot helpful. Because the cards gave me memories back that I might not have attached importance to before. They reminded me of things that I had forgotten (but should remember). They validated a lot of my feelings about painful events and helped me to see those .

And then I got to thinking about it — how this might be helpful to you, gentle readers. So I put together a booklet, staring the Payen Tarot de Marseille, with 22 reflective writing prompts.

As an experiement, I made this as a slideshow on google documents. You can preview the presentation here:

Each card of the Major Arcana is paired with some questions for reflection and a prompt to make a list. If you’re not a compulsive journaller like I am, you may enjoy making the lists instead. I recommend you write them on index cards, use a hole punch and binder ring to keep them together. Save them for next year and see how your experiences change (or how much they stay the same!).

If you like what you see, I’ve got two options for downloading. The first has four “slides” on each page with the background. Download this option if you have no plans of printing out the slides.

Download 22reflect : 2011 (the pretty version) here.

If you think you’ll want to print the slides and make cards, I’ve got a version without the background. Print them out on cardstock and bind them to use as you move throughout the next few weeks, or make your lists on the back of the cards.

Download 22reflect : 2011 (the printable version) here.

And if you like it a whole bunch, you might consider buying me a cup of coffee (or other celebratory drink).

AND just because I genuinely do enjoy New Year divination (the kind where we talk about what’s coming up in the year ahead. I’m offering half hour readings the first two weeks of January (via skype voice, chat, video or telephone) for $45. I’m going to be experimenting in the New Year with taking on new clients (and not being overwhelmed), so we’ll see how this goes! If you’d like to book your session, make payment by clicking the banner above (or right here) on the left and I’ll be in touch to schedule your reading (please note that I read cards in EST time zone and I keep reasonable business hours). If you want to book an hour for $90, simply change the quantity to 2 before you check out on paypal and if you have any questions about my reading style, feel free to get in touch!

I have lots of goodies planned for myself and the Sassy Sibyl in 2012 – starting with another free download on the first. So come back and see me! Until then, have a safe and bright New Year!