AUTHOR’S NOTE: It’s time once more for New Year’s predictions. Here is a spread that offers a little more “meat on the bone.” I’ve used this approach before (notably in my annual “Wheel of the Year” readings), but here I’m providing additional storytelling guidance for its use. The premise is that the yearly forecast is a “moving target” that benefits from periodic updates. Reversals are acceptable with this spread, as well as more than one deck for the separate sections.

This reading is performed in two parts. The Part One cards are pulled on or before January 1 and provide a long-range annual outlook broken down into twelve monthly installments. The purpose is to give a very general picture of “what” is likely to happen each month. Part Two is a series of monthly cards pulled on or before the first of each month that serve as an update or “refresher” for the predetermined monthly scenario. These cards offer amplifying detail and can be read as adverbs and adjectives for the “noun” or focus card from the annual layout. I see them as describing the “how” (pip card); the “who” (court card); or the underlying “why” (trump card) that may influence the “what” of monthly circumstances. It’s also possible to draw more than one card for the monthly update that will give a fuller perspective on potential events. (For example, a three-card pull is suggested.) The annual “card-of-the-year” can be derived in more than one way as described in the spread text. You can also use any other method of your choosing for coming up with a “Year Card;” it should be read as the overarching “theme” for the coming year.