Three Cards for the New Year
“Fast away the old year passes – Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la.” Here comes the New Year already! I love spending time reflecting at the end of each year and looking toward the next one. I have journals that go back many years, and one of my rituals for the days leading up to New Year’s Eve is to browse through previous years. I’m also at a stage in life where I now prefer to celebrate New Year’s Eve in pajamas and slippers and while I don’t always manage to stay up until the ball drops in Times Square, I do love the energy of New Year celebrations.
Traditions such as making resolutions, counting down the final moments of the year, and celebrating with fireworks echo older rituals of reflection, purification, and hope. While the forms have changed, the purpose remains the same: to mark the passage of time, release the past, and welcome renewal and possibility in the year ahead.
In ancient Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq and Syria) the New Year was celebrated with the Akitu festival, one of the earliest known New Year rituals, dating back more than 4,000 years. During this time, the king was ritually humbled before the chief deity, symbolizing the restoration of cosmic order and reinforcing the belief that human society and the divine realm were closely intertwined at the turning of the year.
In ancient Egypt, the New Year was in summer and linked to the annual flooding of the Nile, an event essential for agriculture and survival. The rising of the star Sirius signaled this renewal and marked a time of rebirth and gratitude. Amulets and rituals were used to protect against misfortune in the coming year, reflecting a desire to align with favorable cosmic forces.
Classical Roman New Year celebrations moved the celebration to January 1 with the calendar reforms of Julius Ceasar. January was named for Janus, the two-faced god of beginnings and transitions. Romans exchanged gifts such as figs, honey, and coins as tokens of good fortune. The idea of looking both backward and forward at the year’s turning—symbolized by Janus—helped establish themes of reflection and intention that persist in modern New Year customs.
In East Asia, the Lunar New Year has long been celebrated as a time of cleansing, reunion, and renewal. It is on the second new moon after the winter solstice. Households were thoroughly cleaned to sweep away bad luck, and red decorations displayed to attract prosperity and ward off evil spirits. Families gathered for large meals, honored ancestors, and used firecrackers and lion dances to drive away negativity. These rituals emphasized harmony within the family and balance between human life and the natural rhythms of the lunar calendar.
A READING FOR THE NEW YEAR
Ethereal Visions Tarot
Whatever rituals you like to follow for the New Year, release and renewal are energies from which we can always benefit. If you practice tarot, the cards are a wonderful way to focus as the energy shifts from 2025 to 2026. I did a classic three card spread of past, present, and future to ask the question, “What we need to know as we move forward into 2026?”
Card One – Past – The Sun
Card Two – Present - Judgement
Card Three – Future – Wheel of Fortune
The first thing I noticed is that in a three-card reading of a randomly shuffled 78-card deck, I drew three majors. That’s tarot-speak for “Pay attention, this is important!” I always tell my tarot students that it’s a lot like putting your font in BOLD. Also, the overall positive energy of the cards was surprising given the past year that we’ve had. So, what do we need to know as we move into the next year?
The card for the past is the Sun. My first thought was that it does not reflect the experience of this past year at all, with all of its chaos and uncertainty. The Sun card is optimistic and denotes success and for many of us, that is not the way things have felt at all. But the Sun also shines the light into dark places and allows us to see what was previously hidden, and that is also what is happening. We have been laying the groundwork for dealing with things as they really are rather than we would like them to be.
That leads to the current moment. Card Two reflects that right now we are experiencing a moment of Judgement. Now that we know what we know, we have the power to transcend current conditions and evolve to a higher state of being. The ‘dead bodies’ of the past are being called from their tombs to rise into a newer, more profound experience of life. Who will answer the call?
Card Three for the Future takes us for a spin on the Wheel of Fortune. This is a fantastic card for the New Year! It signifies a change of luck and/or circumstances. For better or for worse, 2026 will be about transformation. I think the message here is to be ready for change and especially mindful of any opportunities that may arise. Lady Luck will not do all of the work for us, but she may send us a boat to get us to shore. It’s going to be up to us to paddle and steer. Overall, I think it’s a rather positive reading.
However you celebrate your New Year, I send many blessing and much love to you and yours for 2026.
