Full Steam Ahead with The Chariot in 2023

I love reading Tarot at all times, in all seasons and on all occasions, but there’s something especially powerful and empowering about consulting the cards at the start of a New Year. A New Year Tarot reading gives you the chance to pause and assess before you get pulled into the demands and patterns of everyday life. It gives you space to reflect on everything that you’ve experienced over the past year, and to get clear on what you want to achieve and how you want to feel in the new one.

This year, we all need that sacred pause more than ever. There’s a lot to digest from 2022, many triumphs, defeats, miracles, losses, worries and hopes. The cards can help you to make sense of it all, from personal to world events, and to understand the lessons and blessings that 2022 had to offer.

And then, you can look ahead to 2023 with optimism and faith in your ability to reach your goals while smoothly navigating anything that the universe sends your way.

So, where do we start?

Before you dive deep into your own specific situations, it’s helpful to widen the perspective and get an idea of what we are all working with on the grander scheme of things in 2023. Here’s how.

Each year is connected to a particular Tarot card, based on some simple math. This Universal Year Card as it’s called gives you insight into the atmosphere and the energy of the year ahead, as well as a sneak peek at upcoming challenges, opportunities and external circumstances that impact us collectively as a planet. The Year Card gives you the lay of the land and helps you to hit the ground running at the start of a new year.

The Universal Year card is always one of the 22 Major Arcana. The Major Arcana are the heart of the Tarot deck, cards that represent archetypes that we recognize from the depths of our souls, even if it is the first time we are picking up a Tarot deck. The Majors are the life lessons we all go through, the milestones we celebrate, the experiences that shape who we are as human beings.

2023 is a Chariot year, according to the Tarot.

2+0+2+3=7, and The Chariot card corresponds with the number 7.

But before we start the Chariot rolling, let’s take a look back at the Universal Year card for 2022, The Lovers, and see what can be revealed and released.

2+0+2+2=6, and The Lovers corresponds with the number 6.

What does The Lovers represent?

The Lovers means LOVE. Of course, this can be love between two people, the kind of love that makes us feel whole and uplifted.

But even more importantly, The Lovers teaches us how to find unity within ourselves, and encourages us to love all the parts of ourselves, even the ones we might not like so much. We’re reminded that as human beings we all have aspects of the masculine, the feminine, and the Divine within ourselves, and that we’re all connected to each other and that divine source. And that’s a beautiful thing.

The older meaning of this card was CHOICE, making choices that are aligned with the heart, rather than what is proper, or expected, or easier. This card is an invitation to be who you really are, and make choices that are in sync with your highest self.

So how did the Lovers card play out in 2022:

• Many people’s priorities shifted towards their loved ones, and in achieving greater happiness and satisfaction in their work and lifestyles (quitting jobs, working from home permanently, moving house to be closer to loved ones and family)
• There has been a strong reaction to unfair treatment of support workers and caregivers and other essential workers
• Backlash – some decisions/choices we made out of fear and with a lack of compassion and love

And now, looking to 2023, what might a Chariot year bring?

The Chariot represents victory and success over obstacles. It is independently striking out into the wide world to seek your fortune, to have adventures, and ultimately, to achieve your goal. The Chariot wants to move, to roll forward, and although it’s important for the driver to know what their final destination is, they can trust in themselves to navigate and overcome any mishaps or challenges along the road.

When I look ahead to our collective 2023 Chariot Year, here’s what I hope for:

• Bold actions that are guided by values and love
• Bringing people together to work towards common causes
• Determination to move forward
• Independent thinking
• Innovation, big strides in science, technology, knowledge
• Travel and greater freedom of movement

The Chariot doesn’t advocate rash actions, but it let’s us know that the time of rumination and endless discussion is ready to come to an end. We can’t be prepared for every eventuality, so we have to trust that as a planet together we can navigate the challenges that will come our way with our intelligence, experience and capability.

As you embark on this Chariot year, ask yourself:

• Do I know where I’m heading?
• Where does my confidence lie?
• What will guide me along the road?
• What successes will I achieve in 2023?

You can record your answers in your journal, and if you have a Tarot deck, why not pull a card for each question and see what your intuition reveals.

May 2023 put you firmly in the driver’s seat of your own life.

Card images are from the Tarot deck that I co-created with Leo Scopacasa – the Unifying Consciousness Tarot.