2013 – Guidance for the Year Ahead

Happy New Year and welcome to the energies of 2013!  New Year’s Day is always a special time for me. I like to welcome the day with meditation,  a walk at the beach, and a swim in the ocean (one of the benefits of it being summer in Australia right now). Then over the course of the day I contemplate my year ahead, asking for spiritual guidance, and writing in my journal.

I have one tarot deck that I use only for the first day of the new year.  I have done this for over 20 years, and it is something I look forward to as a touchstone to set the themes of my year so that I might live with greater awareness and understanding.  I don’t use it as a predictive tool – rather I use it for reflection, and to seek guidance about qualities, actions and perspectives that might benefit me over the next twelve months.

This morning I asked for one card for you – to give YOU guidance over the year ahead.  This is my personal interpretation of that card for you.  Take what resonates as truth for you, and discard the rest.

The EMPEROR – Insights for 2013

In 2012 our focus was on huge change and growth, but that change and growth was within us, and our immediate surrounds and relationships. We weathered many challenges and always the emphasis came back to the personal and internal.

2013 is a foundation year of growth and positive change, where we are reflecting these energies out from ourselves as we inhabit a place of stronger authenticity, awareness and connection. This year, as we sit in our personal power, we will feel a desire to contribute, to explore, to dream up new ways of being, and to action those dreams in the world.  It is a time for visionaries, leaders and the building of lasting change.

Take time to reflect on what you have learned from the crucible of 2012.  What are your strengths, your weaknesses, your passions and desires?  What do you want more of? Less of? Use this information as a map for your future.

This next year will see opportunities for you to set or rebuild the foundations for stability and financial security again – for yourself and family, and within your community, business or country. As you begin to feel secure, it will feel natural to extend a helping hand to others, and so the cycle of growth and kindness will spiral outwards in many manifestations.

2013 is a year for inspired vision – the vision we hold for ourselves, and the vision we hold for the world around us.  Many leaders and positive movements will be born from this energy, and those with a yearning to serve and to shape will have ample opportunity to do so.

It will no longer work for us to be engaged in activities ‘just for the money’.  We will only find satisfaction as our hearts, our intellects, our values are integrated into how we live and the way we operate in the world. We will feel compelled to make decisions and to take actions that reflect our vision, and we will have a strong need to make the world a better place – at home, and then further afield.

2013 is a year for developing our skills and our craft – be it a creative, personal or spiritual path. You’ll discover a strength within you, and it will no longer serve you to live a life that is categorised by fear, doubt and limitation.  Forge partnerships, find your tribe, align yourself with mentors and courses and resources that encourage and support your growth, or be that supportive teacher for others!

Creating a sense of richness and inspiration through the arts, culture, nature, time, relationships, travel, and your own creative endeavours can make this a landmark year for you. Let go of relationships and pursuits that are empty and meaningless and focus your precious time on what lights you up.

Allow yourself to be a bold explorer of life this year.  Blaze a trail. Think outside the square.  Lend your voice and your energy to the things you are passionate about.  Be part of this powerful force of change.

Cultivate a sense of personal responsibility, make a plan and be open to new opportunities that come your way. This year you are being empowered to make your life work, and for it to look more like the life you dream for yourself.  This will take courage and action, but with these two qualities so much is possible.

2013 is the beginning of a new age – so get ready to make the most of this transformative energy and be part of this global vibration of change.

It’s time to remember…