It’s just about the new year, a time when many people are looking to plan for the future. Why should we magical people be any different? We just have different tools at our disposal for peering into the future. This is a re-write of an older post I had on my previous website. Since my original site went down, it has given me the opportunity to write about this tarot spread again! So, let’s look at a few things before we get to the New Year Clarity spread. (If you’re already a tarot pro, you can scroll down to get the spread and skip all the basic info!)

What is a tarot spread?

Put simply, a tarot spread is a template for laying out tarot cards. Each position is attached to a specific question or theme, and the card drawn for that position is then the answer or insight. A tarot spread can be as simple as two cards or as elaborate as you want to make it. The most common tarot spread is a general three-card past/present/future spread. This is three cards laid out from left to right symbolizing the past, present, and future.

Tarot spreads can be created and used repeatedly, as this spread is, or they can be made up as you go! The orientation of certain cards can have a meaning as well. For example, in this yearly spread, one card is placed on top of another in a cross pattern. That card represents obstacles of the card beneath it so it is fitting that one card should lay on top of the other!

Why use a tarot spread?

In my experience, the patterns and orientations of a tarot spread can help your mind and subconscious to connect with the reading on a deeper level. If you’re doing a reading for love, it might help to lay the cards out in the shape of a heart. If a decision is weighing on your mind, it might be helpful to pull one card for your thoughts and then another for the decision positioned above the first card.

As a final example, if your reading involves two people and a decision or feeling you can lay out one card for each person with the card signifying the outcome, decision, or answer in between them. The position of the cards becomes symbolic of the relationship between them.

Look into the next year!

Get a glimpse into your future with this 15 card tarot spread for the new year. The inner three cards correspond to the goals, obstacles, and theme of the year. Pull one card to represent the general theme of each month. Two more cards give you further details for the year in general. These cards give you a look into your goals and theme while also getting a preview of any obstacles you might face.

The outer ring, starting with card 4, is one card per month to represent that month’s theme. Begin with January and pull a card. This card represents what you should keep in mind for that month. It might be a goal, a general theme, or it can represent a person. Continue for the following months and sum it all up at the end with your final conclusion.

Goal of the Year: This card represents the overall goal of your subconscious, the goal of the year, and something you need to achieve. It could also represent something you’re trying to let go of or need to release. This is going to depend on the card you pull, how you interpret it, and the rest of the reading. This card doesn’t hold as much weight for me as the theme of the year, and sometimes they go hand in hand.

Obstacles: I feel like this card is pretty self-explanatory. This card is drawn and placed on top of the Goals card. This card represents anything that might get in the way of you achieving the goal of the year. Again, the way this card is interpreted is going to depend on what the Goals card is.

Theme of the Year: This card represents an overall theme of the year, something that will be of importance throughout the next 12 months. While it isn’t the same as the Goals, they often correlate well with each other. You can view this card as the card of the year, while the Goals card is your necessary achievements surrounding this theme.

I like to use this spread every new year to give me insight into the next 12 months. It isn’t very in-depth since one card is pulled for each month. However, I also do a monthly reading that gives me more insight to go along with the original card pulled.