Three Wands at the End

December has given way to January and that means two things; a new month and a new year and those two things mean two other things; a check-in with my New Year reading for 2021 for December and a New Year reading for 2022. The latter will be forthcoming, so stay tuned.

Radiant Rider Waite Smith
(C)2003 US Games, Inc.

My card for December 2021 was the Three of Wands Reversed. In the traditional deck, we see a man standing on a cliff overlooking a body of water, a bay or an ocean. (Why it’s painted yellow, who knows? Unless it’s supposed to reflect the sunrise or sunset…?) He is dressed somewhat nicely suggesting he’s a merchant. He’s also watching some ships in the water. Are they his? Or is he just admiring the view? If they are his ships, are they sailing out on some adventure to acquire more merchandise or are they returning home filled with goods and trinkets for him to sell? Either way, this card is about anticipation of future events. Plans are needed for whichever scenario turns out to be true. The main message of this card is planning for the future, anticipating possible success, exploring new options and seeing the bigger picture. However, as this card came out reversed, it would suggest something other than that.

In the Grimalkin Tarot by MJ Cullinane, a young cat stares across the desert, wondering what adventure awaits. What lies on the other side of the mountains? Is it time to go explore and see what’s over there? 

Grimalkin Tarot,
(C)2020, MJ Cullinane

Reversed, the card would suggest I’m not as focused on the future as I ought to be; holding myself back from exploring new adventures. On the other hand, a reversed card can indicate an overindulgence of the message. In this case, I might be overly focused on the future to the point of not being in the present moment.

While it’s nice to have some eye on the future, focusing too much can create anxiety when things don’t turn out as expected.

So, which was it? It’s hard not to think of the future in the month of December. After all, we’re facing a new year and new hopes, dreams and aspirations. For the country, for the planet, for ourselves.

Maybe I had no hopes for all of the above. This has been a couple of unusual years with the pandemic and the political divisions in the US. Maybe the card was suggesting I should focus more on the moment than the future due to the current situations and not to hold out too much hope for any quick fixes. In other words, be more concerned with the short term rather than the long term. And maybe even the immediate term over the short term.

December is also a hard month for me and has been generally for the last several years. I tend to turn inward and keep more to myself than I had before. Maybe it’s due to the weather? The less light? Seasonal affective disorder? The holidays? All of the above?

Well, regardless, December is over and it’s time to move on.

And into my reading for 2022 with a new deck I treated myself to. This should be interesting.

My first card with this deck is Justice Reversed.

 

The Runic Tarot 
(C)2021 Jack Sephiroth et al, Lo Scarabeo

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