As I sense ahead into your 2023 themes, the words that come to mind are timelessness, presence, and zooming out. I'm not seeing week by week and day by day, all those to-dos in your planner and meeting in your calendar and quantitative goals with monthly timelines and tasks. Instead, the picture zooms out. The whole year is visible, each day simply one tiny increment of all that 2023 will encompass.
I've personally been entangled in some winter energies. Slowing down, focusing on what is essential for my health and happiness. Recognizing what I'm doing out of obligation and habit instead of passion and will. It does not feel like a time for growing or harvest, but for hunkering down and evaluating that which I truly want to grow.
And that examination can so easily get bogged down with shoulds from myself and others, from the pressure to keep up with my novel or my blog post or social media, with weekly planning and monthly goals and daily tasks. There are so many ways we can fill up our days. But why are we filling them up at all? Where is the space for our unique selves amidst all our action items? Where is the room for connection and love?
If we zoom out past all of the minutiae of daily life, we can more easily see what we truly value. And in seeing it, we can create space for it. And in creating space, we can thrive.
To help you zoom out to narrow in, I've drawn a tarot card for each zodiac sign. Think of this as an overarching 2023 theme, as interpreted through the lens of the Wild Unknown Tarot. I'd recommend reading both your Rising sign and your Sun sign tarot cards to get more context. How do the two themes complement or conflict? Which one resonates more? Why is that? Feel free to add your thoughts and reflections in the comments!
Your 2023 Themes
Aries: The World
Few cards speak to the energy of "zooming out" better than The World. This card is the last of the 22 Major Arcana that make up the Fool's journey. The year feels like a completion for you. You're zooming out because you've reached the end of the road and are now able to reflect back. You've gained wisdom and perspective, each step an accumulation of experience, each obstacle a lesson in resilience, each milestone another chance to commit yourself to the journey ahead. Enjoy the final legs of this quest, Aries. Take your time. There is no rush. Perhaps patience is the final lesson.
Taurus: The Chariot, Reversed
If you've been feeling like you've been encountering many obstacles to moving forward in life, The Chariot Reversed is here to show you the way. You've likely been in triage mode for some time (perhaps that was your survival mechanism for 2022). But again, 2023 is asking you to zoom out. If you want to move forward, you'll need to be able to see the bigger picture. Stop putting bandaids on problems and take the time to find and develop a more sustainable system. If many external obstacles have been presenting themselves, what within you may be calling these in? Are these a sign or a lesson? Take stock of your skills and resources. Get clear about what matters to you and determine if you're still moving in the right direction.
Gemini: Son of Swords, Reversed
Has anger been simmering within you for some time? Have you been ignoring it or letting it leak out in small ways like a constant miasma of resentment clouding your life? The Son of Swords asks you to zoom out so you can get to the bottom of this emotion. Because until you do, it will continue to cloud your judgement. Over the past year, your anger may have been your driving force, energizing you to get shit done when the task seemed impossible. It may have given you the courage to stand up to bullies, to speak your mind, to focus when you might normally get bored. But it feels like expiration on your anger's usefulness is coming to an end. Take time to understand and transform it into something new in 2023.
Cancer: Two of Wands, Reversed
The Two of Wands Reversed wants you to zoom out and focus on the missing pieces that partnership might fill. I get a sense of loneliness from this card, a longing for union and connection. Perhaps you've been independent for so long you don't know how to ask for what you want. Or perhaps your life has changed so much in the past three years that you have left your friends behind and are in need of a fresh start. Whatever the case, this year will have you embracing connection in many forms. But to get the most out of it, you'll have to step back and understand where you're in need of partnership the most.
Leo: Six of Swords
Your mind has been in an tangle of thoughts and plans for some time. But the end is near, there is light at the end of the proverbial tunnel! But to sort through all the anxiety within you, you'll have to zoom out and figure out which of these swords you even need to carry anymore. Sometimes we collect ideas about ourselves and others as a way to make sense of the world and our place within it. We need a framework that makes sense. A paradigm we can navigate safely. But with the world changing so rapidly and your place in it always shifting, it may be time to lay down some of your swords, or simply exchange them for new ones. Embrace adaptability as a rainbow of choice and chance!
Virgo: Seven of Cups, Reversed
Your life feels all topsy turvy, Virgo. It feels like you aren't clear on what you want anymore. There are so many great choices you can make. And that is part of the problem: you're paralyzed by it. It's become easier to choose the easy thing, to numb out or hunker down. Temptation feels strong right now. If you want to overcome your paralysis, you'll have to zoom out and get clear on what really matters. What essential details of your life do you want to focus on in 2023? What people do you want around you? Making a choice may feel final, but it is not. There is always room to grow and change. Instead of panicking over making the "right" decision, make any decision and see how it feels. The risk is low. The danger here only lives within you.
Libra: Son of Pentacles
2023 asks you what you're willing to fight for. This is a year of manifestation. You're bringing something to fruition. But you're only able to do that if you get intentional about how you spend your days. This calls for you to zoom out and take stock of how you're currently filling them. Where have things gotten off balance out of a sense of guilt or obligation? There is not room for that this year. You'll have to get ruthless as you prioritize what people, activities, and projects you'll have time for. And if you get stressed and overwhelmed and ever feel like there is too much going on...it's a sign you've gotten off track of your ONE MAJOR GOAL. You can't be everything to everyone this year. But you can do everything thing in your power to make this one thing a reality.
Scorpio: Nine of Wands, Reversed
2023 asks you to understand the resistance within you. You have an incredible ability to channel your intensity into the world around you. Over the past year, that intensity seems to have gotten more and more diffuse, spread more and more thin. The number of steps you're having to take to reach each new milestone seems harder and harder to climb, the finish line never getting any closer no matter how much energy you spend. It's time to reevaluate. Are you even climbing the right staircase? Are you even in the right building? You'll have to zoom out to get the answers. Don't be surprised if the answers to your resistance have the potential to change your life in profound ways.
Sagittarius: Nine of Cups
You have so much to be grateful for in 2023. Your zoom out theme is a simple one, but powerful nonetheless. Pay attention to the people around you. You have so much to celebrate, and so many people to help you do it (or remind you when you're down). If you feel like you don't actually have that many friends, go ahead and make a list of all the people you could reach out to if you needed help with something (or vice versa, who might reach out to you and you'd be more than willing to help). If you were looking for a new job, who would you check in with? If you wanted to go out to dinner, who would go with you? If you needed advice on what to wear to a wedding, who do you text? If you're need to bounce an idea off of somebody at work, who do you ping? There are so many levels of friendship and companionship. Zoom out and see your full network this year!
Capricorn: Ace of Cups
2023 asks you to zoom out to take stock of who or what you'd give a big ole' YES to in your life. The Ace of Cups is a card of sacred union, and is often referred to as the marriage card. What are you fully committed to in your life? Capricorn is an expert at commitment, especially when it comes to material goals. But that commitment doesn't equal prioritization. So of the things or people you are committed to, are you prioritizing them? If yes, keep going! If no, why not? This card in general has incredible vibes, so as you take stock of your own commitments, pay it forward by spreading the love. It pays to be generous and optimistic this year.
Aquarius: Ace of Wands
The Ace of Wands asks you to center your passion and fire this year. Zoom out and take a look at where in your life things are feeling dull or dim. Do you need to shine some light in those cobwebbed spaces? Or is it time to say goodbye to a part of your life or person within it that is no longer serving you? You can think of the Ace of Wands as a torch in the darkness, helping you navigate the coming year. If it doesn't light you up, avoid it if at all possible. And zooming out now to get a sense of the map of 2023 will help you better chart a course forward as you go.
Pisces: Eight of Swords, Reversed
You have the sense that there is danger all around you in 2023. You've been getting really fixated on each individual barb, challenge, and anxious thought. Your mind is a swirl of panicked butterflies. But all of these things have something in common. Step back, find some objectivity, and get to the bottom of this perpetual stress. You won't be able to be precious with yourself on this journey. It might not be fun, but as the swords dissipate and black-and-white thinking transforms into technicolor, you'll be stronger and more resilient for the struggle.