This season’s tarotscopes feature The Modern Witch Tarot and The Astrology Deck.

Welcome to the new year, friends. If your 2022 has been anything like mine, you may feel like you’re scrambling to keep up, wondering what this next cycle around the sun will bring. Jupiter in Pisces creates a bright new sense of hope for the future, and as we shift into intellectual, intentional Aquarius, we also invite in the possibility of dreaming. It may feel so out of reach at this point to imagine any kind of new future, yet Aquarius dares us to do just that: to envision new pathways, to consider new possibilities, to take all of the space that we’ve carved out for ourselves with loss and boundaries and decide what we want to do with it.

Aquarius is often associated with humanitarian actions: making the world a better place, working towards equality for all, carving out space for voices that are historically ignored or silenced. Able to sharpen their gaze and note what is and isn’t working, this sign of fixed air offers a uniquely curious and idealistic energy, pairing a deep sense of logic and desire for truth with a powerful drive towards progress. Carrying the focused ambition of Capricorn forward, Aquarius brings creativity and innovation to our biggest goals, expanding outward and bringing others along for the ride. No longer content to prioritize individual goals, Aquarius is concerned with the collective, with universal growth, with building opportunities for the many rather than the few. What shifts are you embracing? In solving the problems of your present, what doubts or patterns from your past are you unwilling to carry forward into your future? Think about what you’ve really chosen, versus what you’ve been handed or simply ended up with. What do you want to keep, and what are you ready to build on?

Our card for this season is the Star: an archetype of healing, hope, new growth, renewal, faith, wonder, and trust in the self. In the wake of the Devil’s temptations and the Tower’s dramatic change, the Star asks us to look at ourselves and our world after the dust has settled, after the storm has passed. What do we really see? What do we truly feel? What do we honestly want? The Star offers an opportunity for a fresh start, gently but firmly inviting us to recognize the ways that we have evolved, and making space for new choices, new decisions, new realizations. As wishes start to become clear, as our eyes find focus and our heart becomes lighter, what are we eager to reach for, to pursue, to discover? How have our priorities shifted, and what are we willing to do to get what we truly crave? And in thinking about what we want on an individual level, what do we learn about the world we want to build, about the ways that we see our contributions impacting those around us?

When we look at our goals with clear eyes (and full hearts), when we focus on our long-term desires, when we invite in healing instead of telling ourselves that we deserve to suffer, which new pathways open up? Which possibilities reveal themselves when we allow ourselves to look for them? When we shift our gaze from our daily efforts to our future visions, what changes?

From a numerological perspective, the Star as card 17 reduces down to 8, tying us to the energy of Strength. Both of these archetypes understand their value, celebrate their talents, honor their contributions. But while Strength exercises patience, maturity, and observation while pursuing their goals, the Star urges us to dream bigger, to shed the self-limiting beliefs that we confronted with the Devil during Capricorn season. Where have you been getting in your own way? The last few years of struggle have likely shown you what truly matters, what you care about the most deeply. How are you building your life, your relationships, your future, around those important pieces?

While the Star is tied to the number 8, our number for the year of 6 also points us back to the Lovers. And when we think of these two archetypes together, the theme of healing is impossible to ignore. This could be easy to simplify, tempting to gloss over — but resist the urge to tell yourself that you don’t have time for healing, that you don’t deserve the recovery and freedom and joy that comes with making space for your own needs. What are you afraid of recognizing? How would be honest with yourself about your needs, your desires, demand that you make a long-avoided change?

In this season of Aquarius, pay attention to the ways that the choices you make today will impact your tomorrows. What are you really working towards? Which limits are you ready to break free of, and where might you be ready to work with someone instead of going it alone? Experienced tarot readers or astrologers can plug the cards I’ve drawn for their sun, moon, and rising signs into the spread below to create a custom reading for this season. Aquarius is traditionally ruled by Saturn, planet of boundaries and discipline, but modern astrologers also use Uranus, planet of ingenuity and discovery, so if you know your placements for these planets you can include them in this spread template for a more complete picture of your season.

Make sure you check out my list of favorite witchy nonfiction books from 2021, as well as my piece on the numerology of 2022 and our yearly archetype of the Lovers. You can find my writing on Substack, Patreon, my website, and Instagram, and follow me on Twitter for the latest announcements about my upcoming tarot book, publishing with Weiser in January 2023.

As always with these tarot readings, take what you need and leave what you don’t. Happy Aquarius season!

Aries

Two of pentacles

This season will be all about balancing for you: balancing resources, balancing energy, balancing priorities. What really matters to you, and where have you been going through the motions? What new goals have you recently set, and how are you willing to adapt in order to achieve them? You’re capable of handling a lot of things at once, juggling projects, responsibilities, and collaborations with ease — but it may feel that you’re working at a pace that’s not sustainable for the long-term. Rather than pushing through until you’re burned out, be intentional about making small, incremental changes, delegating what you can and setting aside anything that you don’t actually need to be working on. How can you let your biggest dreams take up space? And what old wounds might heal when you put your most authentic dreams first, instead of downplaying what you really want?

Taurus

Seven of swords

After a season of taking charge and standing up for yourself, it may feel like something within you is shifting, hesitating. You may find yourself getting caught up in doubts or worries, slowing down or retreating into yourself. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to keep a few secrets, or working to make sure that any actions that you take or decisions that you make are well thought out — but if you feel like you can’t trust anyone around you, like someone is out to get you or like you can’t possibly succeed, take some time to interrogate that feeling and consider where it’s coming from. Are you hiding a particular motivation, desire, fear, not only from others, but from yourself? Are you afraid to take a bold action, make a hard decision, initiate a major conversation? Give yourself the space to be honest with yourself, and interrogate what is holding you back. How can you grab a blade with confidence, instead of hiding from your own fierceness?

Gemini

Page of wands

A bold new idea or creative vision may take you by storm this season, pushing you to begin something powerful, something original, something intoxicating. Give yourself plenty of room to explore and expand, chasing down different possibilities and allowing for experimentation, collaboration, and joy, rather than trying to control every outcome. What happens when you let yourself play, get messy, make mistakes? Which unexpected opportunities appear when you widen your gaze, open your heart? Aquarius isn’t afraid to be inventive and original, and you, dear Gemini, are someone who is rarely at a loss for ways to spend your time. Pay attention to what captures your fancy, piques your curiosity, pushes you to ask questions and explore new avenues, and don’t be afraid to get lost in all of the excitement that you can feel building within and around you. This is a time for magic, for sparks of dazzling, captivating energy — what is lighting you up?

Cancer

Four of cups

If last season found you struggling with anxiety, uncertainty, or deep and difficult fears, Aquarius season may bring a sensation of calm, protection, and stability — but it comes at a cost. Sometimes when we feel vulnerable, we close ourselves off, pushing others away and rebuffing attempts to offer support, kindness, or advice. Yet healing is rarely a solitary experience, and you may find that allowing others to see you in this tender state brings opportunities for deep recovery, awareness, and connection, beyond what you thought would be possible. Where are your boundaries a little too sharp? In working to protect your heart, where are you cutting people out? Show yourself love, grace, and compassion by allowing yourself to accept love from the people that care about you, that keep showing up. Be brave enough to ask for the help and support you may need, rather than punishing yourself for past mistakes. How do community and chosen family encourage us to grow?

Leo

The World

Think about the larger cycles you’ve been in, the bigger goals you’ve been pursuing, the broader dreams you’ve been captivated by. What have you achieved? Who are you now, that a past version of you might barely recognize? This is a season for celebration, for acknowledgement, for joy and wonder and pride. You have become someone powerful, someone brilliant, someone teeming with magic that is unique and necessary — and this is an opportunity to revel in that sensation of completion, to think about the promises that you’ve made to yourself and the ways that you’ve kept them. The World is not an archetype of everything being perfect, of every goal being achieved. But it is a call to step back from movement and prioritize rest, pleasure, satisfaction. You are allowed, encouraged even, to honor how far you have come. What have you accomplished? How have you changed? What story have you been writing, and in concluding this chapter, what might you be considering turning your attention towards next?

Virgo

Two of swords

You can be a bit of a perfectionist, Virgo, but that trait often serves you well — inspiring you to push harder, be creative in your problem solving, and pay attention to small details that others might miss in their haste to finish and move on to the next project. However, this season may find you caught up in a tricky decision, uncertain of how to move forward, or perhaps intimidated by the pressure of choosing correctly. And in situations where both options present possibilities, either good or bad, it may be tempting to dig in your heels, cover your eyes, and try to avoid making a choice altogether. But you’re better than this, dear friend, and are fully capable of moving forward on your own, of choosing the next step in your journey with confidence and courage. What resonates the most for you? What are you drawn to? Trust your instincts here, rather than getting stuck in endless loops of analysis, and give yourself the gift of decisiveness. How is it healing to have faith in yourself? Which path will bring you closer to your ultimate goal?

Libra

Three of swords

After last season’s dazzling progress and joyful collaboration, Aquarius may startle you with an unexpected heartbreak. And for someone like you who is so good at finding balance, building harmony, and hearing every perspective on a situation, it may be tempting for you to make excuses for someone’s bad behavior, to try and justify their actions even when those actions cause harm. But you are allowed to make space for hurt feelings, dear Libra, and it may be that the path to healing begins by acknowledging what is really bothering you. Whether this betrayal was intentional or not, whether it was done to you or you are the one that caused this pain, be brave and confront the situation head on. Clarity and honesty are the only way through his particular challenge, so resist the urge to pretend everything is fine and instead be intentional about actually repairing the damage. How can you show yourself compassion by being truthful about your struggles?

Scorpio

Ten of cups

Sweet Scorpio, you spend so much of your time in the dark, the underworld, the hidden secrets and deepest shadows. Yet this season wants you to step into the sunshine and celebrate the powerful community, essential chosen family, and beautiful partnerships that you have established. Who have you been investing in, and how has your vulnerability paid off? When have you allowed yourself to be fully, truly seen? This is a card of sweet, daily joys, of the gentle but powerful ways that we build strong, ongoing connections — and as you move into Aquarius season, consider who you see as part of your future. What are your most foundational friendships, relationships, partnerships? Who matches your energy, lifts your spirits, challenges your doubts? Take time to celebrate the people that mean the most to you, that hold your heart in capable hands. What does it mean to love fiercely, and to have that love returned tenfold?

Sagittarius

Knight of pentacles

Last season made a lot of space for reflection, interrogation, and awareness — and now that you know more about who you are, what you want, and where you want to go, Aquarius wants you to begin working towards those goals with purpose, determination, and focus. What is driving you, and how are you investing in your biggest and most personal ambitions? Which resources are you comfortable tapping into, and where might you have more opportunities for guidance, support, and encouragement than you realize? There’s a fine line between strength and stubbornness, so if you find yourself digging in your heels or turning down help over and over, take a step back and consider why that is. Where is discipline helping, and where might it be causing more harm than good? Is the path that you’re on somewhere you actually have to go alone? Would a little bit of comfort, of rest, of perspective, really be that bad?

Capricorn

Six of pentacles

Your season may have brought a sense of chaos, confusion, or lack of control, which has perhaps brought up some feelings of frustration or a deep desire to find your power again. And as you move into Aquarius season, you’ll settle into some new patterns of stability and growth, beginning to find solid ground once again. In considering all that has happened over the last few seasons, in tracing your own cycles of growth and release, pay attention to the ways that you engage with community through resources, energy, time, space, knowledge, and inspiration. What kinds of support have you received lately? How much are you giving, and how much are you taking? This is not to shame you or push you to part with more of your resources than you are capable of — rather, it’s an opportunity to be more intentional about input and output, to engage with the people around you in ways that are true, powerful, helpful. Where can you be generous? What are you lacking that someone else can provide? When is reciprocity supportive, even sacred?

Aquarius

The Devil

Happy birthday, Aquarius! As you soar into your own season, eager to analyze and reimagine systems, work as a collective, and generate powerful new ideas, pay careful attention to your relationship with control, power, and repetitive behaviors. What makes you feel free, and what creates a sensation of restriction? Where are you willing to indulge, and what makes you feel like you’re going too far, taking too much? The road to hell is paved with good intentions, as they say, and while this can be a rather stuffy proverb, it has some merit — what is driving your choices, really? What hidden motivations might you be reluctant to analyze? Where might you be lying to yourself, unwilling to admit where you’re in over your head? There’s no shame in asking for help, changing course, or taking a beat to reconsider a choice, and you may find that being honest about where you are with those that you trust can help you get back on a path towards joy and growth rather than getting lost in old destructive patterns. What have you been obsessing over?

Pisces

Wheel of Fortune

It may feel like this season is impossibly expansive for you, with possibilities shimmering around every corner, hope lighting a fire within you, major dreams on the verge of coming true. This archetype is so often associated with luck and change, and for you, dear Pisces, Aquarius season may bring some important revelations and some powerful opportunities for growth. What has been building, that you’re ready to take a chance on? Be aware of the sensation of things falling into place, of ideas of inevitability, of transformative shifts that open new doorways and inspire new ideas — where are you in control, and where does it make more sense to surrender to gravity? The choices that you’ve been making, that the people around you have been making, so often have consequences that we don’t always recognize at the time, so work to be conscious of your place in the cosmos this season. What are you putting your faith in?

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