For me, 2023 is a Hermit Year.
If you know me, I’m sure that made you smile.
Why? Well, what comes to mind when you hear the word, “Hermit”? What is the defining characteristic of a Hermit? Yes, you got it, they like to be alone. They need to be alone.
I am the biggest introvert I know, and the Hermit is the archetypal introvert. So, the energy of my year card resonates with me, and I am looking forward to sinking into it fully. I’m going to write, meditate, continue to read Tarot online from my cozy turret-like home office and see what there is to see within my own vast inner cosmos.
The Hermit brings their own challenges as well, there’s the possibility of withdrawing too far from loved ones and getting too deep into that introvert comfort zone, but compared to some of the other Tarot Major Arcana cards, the Hermit feels pretty darn good to me. The Hermit confirms what I’ve been feeling, I’ve got some work to do, just me, and the time is right to get down to it.
Do you know what your 2023 Year Card is?
HOW TO Calculate your Year Tarot Card (a la Mary K. Greer)
I use the wonderful Mary K. Greer’s method to calculate my Year Card (which can be found in her books, Tarot for Yourself and Who Are You in the Tarot). You add the month and day of your birth to the current year, and the resulting number corresponds with a Major Arcana card. Always keep the highest number under 23, add the digits together to reduce if it’s above 22. (in this case The Fool corresponds with 22.).
For example, my birthday, June 5, plus the new year, 2023 comes to NINE, and nine corresponds to The Hermit.
I prefer to calculate my Year Card starting from January 1, rather than on my birthday (I know, I know, this is a big debate in the Tarot community).
I like the universal ceremony of the start of a new year, and the idea of a whole calendar year ahead. The annual changing nature of your Year Card really differentiates it from your unchanging astrological, Chinese zodiac and Mayan zodiac signs, which makes it an interesting combination of internal and external forces at play in your life for this fixed period of time.
That being said, if your birthday is late in the year, you may feel the energy shift intensify as you approach it.
Once you determine your year card, get to know it, let it become a close friend and advisor.
Meditate on the image. Imagine a conversation you would have with the figure on the card. Journal about the strengths that you see in the cards, the challenges, what you like about it and what you don’t. Look it up in your favorite Tarot reference books and see what other people have to say about it.
Do a Tarot spread asking for insight into the card and the lessons it offers (click here for mine).
Call upon the image when you need strength, inspiration and guidance, see it as your own guardian angel for the year. Know that you have a powerful ally and resource available to you.
So, over to you! What’s YOUR Tarot Year Card for 2023?
How do you feel about?
What does it tell you about possibilities and opportunities for 2023?
Comment and let me know, and may your 2023 be abundant and magical.
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Card images are from the Unifying Consciousness Tarot.
9 the Hermit….perfect for me! thank you.