I think we’re all pretty much on the same page: 2016 was a drag. So many good things happened in my personal life, but each one was drowned out by some chaotic event playing out on the global stage and it was really hard to make significant progress on anything. It really felt like I had to claw my way through the mud for every little step forward, only to have a landslide knock me back down again. The good news, though, is that all this struggle helped me get crystal clear about what I really want and what I just won’t stand for anymore. Basically, 2017 is going to be the year of making sh*t happen.

I have a lot of big goals for the coming year – write an eBook, increase my posting frequency, sell some physical witchy goods in my Etsy… The list goes on! I decided to put together a tarot spread for helping you manifest your goals this year (or any time, really.) I hope it helps you kick some serious ass, whether you want something big or small! The spread is above, and below is an example reading I did for myself with it. Let’s bring our dreams to life in 2017!!

The decks I used are the Linestrider Tarot (first edition, but the second is available on Amazon) by Siolo Thompson and the Sacred Creators Oracle by Chris-Anne.

Okay, so this spread is a little different because card #1 is one we’re choosing intentionally. I used an oracle card from the Sacred Creators oracle for this, but you can use a tarot card if you want! Basically we’re looking for a card that sums up our goal. For example, if you want financial or career success you might go with the Ten or King of Pentacles; a new creative opportunity might be represented by the Ace of Wands; a solid relationship could be the Lovers, the Two of Cups, or the Ten of Cups. The card I chose was about balance, because I really feel like a lack of balance was what mainly held me back this year. I was always completely sacrificing one thing for another instead of finding a way to live in harmony with everything.

Once you’ve chosen your goal, sit with it for a moment before you begin the rest of the reading. How will you know when you’ve reached it? What are some concrete examples of success that you can use to measure it by? For me, balance looks like consistently working on my blog while still having time to exercise every day (or however much I want to), have time each day for reading and other hobbies, and still being able to do chores or run errands, all while being financially stable. It’s a balance of work and life that affords me the ability to live comfortably all around. Basically, you want to make sure that your goal is tangible, otherwise you’ll never know when you get there! (I wrote a little more about setting good goals around this time last year, if you wanna check it out.)

Okay cool, so now you have your goal. Time to dive into the rest of the reading! I used the Linestrider Tarot and drew the following cards:

2. Where I am now: King of Pentacles. I am stable in many ways, but that stability comes at the cost of my passions. I’m financially secure for the moment but unable to pursue a lot of my hobbies due to the demands and time constraints of my day job. My energy is finite.

3. A potential obstacle: Four of Cups. Yeah, I feel this hard. It’s easy to get bored and discouraged when it comes to building anything, be it a blog or a hobby or a side hustle. When the reward isn’t immediate, there’s a risk of giving up or not trying as hard. I’m guilty of this ALL the time – like I’d rather use my energy on something temporarily satisfying than put in the work for the long game. And who doesn’t have days when they’d rather scroll through Tumblr than work??

4. How to overcome it: Strength. Basically, patience and perseverance. I’ve been through enough of the lows to know that they always pass. If I can stick it out and do what I can when times get tough, it’ll be that much better once things turn around! And I know I always end up regretting those nights I binge watch anime instead of working on my blog.

5. Wisdom for the journey: The Hierophant. To me, this says that structure is key. It’s hard to consistently practice anything when there’s no rhyme or reason to how you’re doing it. I need to build a system for getting stuff done and stick to it, even when I don’t want to. (Maybe even especially then!)

And that’s about it! If you use this spread, let me know – I’d love to hear how it works out for you! Also, tell me in the comments: what are your big goals for 2017? ♥