Using Tarot to Guide Self-Love & Desire in 2020

 Love is On the Cards

At the beginning of the year, we often feel pressured to connect with our biggest dreams, and change into fitter, happier, more productive beings. While this is a welcome reminder of the power we have to shape our own lives, it can feel overwhelming, task-focused and at worst – like giving ourselves more work to do.

But satisfying our desires doesn’t arise from ticking tasks off an endless to-do list. It might not even be all about completion. It’s about being present with where you are, and the possibilities you can just about imagine. To follow Danielle LaPorte’ s 

. Taking this self-connected approach helps us to adapt throughout the year, whilst staying connected to the agency that ‘new year, new me’ expresses.

Going within reminds us to stay true to ourselves, and this can be especially helpful when meeting others in relationship and fortifying our own self-love. Using tarot can provide insights into your deepest motivations and desires, and spark ideas for how to move towards them. Here are some inspiring spreads for using tarot to guide desire in 2020.

Many readers keep their cards in a bag or a cloth to protect their energy and maintain a connection with them. I always use a reading cloth to protect my cards and keep them looking nice, but a pretty scarf will also do! Before you pick your cards, shuffle them! You can use the shuffling time to think about phrasing your question, or clear your mind. Shuffle for as long as you like – between 3 and 8 times is recommended.

Then, lay out the cards face-down in two rows, & select a card for each position in your spread. Don’t take too long over it! Lay the cards & leave the rest of your deck face-down. You can pull additional cards for clarification as you go on.

If you are reading for someone else, at the end of the reading, remember to ask them to tap the deck to take their energy out of it, before you use the cards for anyone else!

Make the reading as fancy or simple as you like, with a cup of tea in the morning or indulging in a longer reading alongside candles and a journal during a new or full moon.

FOR EACH NEW MOON, OR TO CULTIVATE SELF-LOVE

This spread offers a glimpse into the lunar month that’s just gone, and the new energy coming in. Use it to develop and sustain a nurturing relationship with yourself. Card 1 shows your current energy, where you’re at right now. Card 2 represents what you’ve been through this month, what you’ve learned and explored, and what has come to a close.

Our third card clues you in to which desires may be emerging at this time – the base of the spread because it’s what we want found our actions on! Card 4 advises how the New Moon contributes to our situation, or the Strength/ Gift we can draw on at this time to help cultivate deeper compassion for ourselves. The final central card fuses all these elements to light the way forward: it gives us the

BEST PRACTICED AT THE FULL MOON, WITH A PARTNER

Every Full Moon is always in exact opposition to the Sun in the tropical zodiac and is often a time when relationships & external engagements are highlighted. We tend to feel wilder and more uninhibited at this time, so it’s a perfect moment to explore new territory with a lover! Based on shapes from shibari ties, practise this spread alone or together for spicy suggestions to deepen your connection. Feel free to add partner cards as needed.

We start with a card representing each individual’s desires in this relationship, sexual or emotional. The third card of the triangle shows the alchemy possible when your energies mix. Striking the Match shows how to ignite the flame that will get your fires burning, and Binding Ties suggests where to be sensitive to one another boundaries, and agreements you can make to ensure safety, consent and happy times. Event Horizon gives you a taste of where you might end up if you follow your desires – nothing ventured, nothing gained!

DECK RECS: For positive & diverse representation of sex workers and queer femme desire, look no further than 

 tarot, which delivers no-bullshit reads that are great for self-care. For help interpreting your cards, try Michelle Tea’s 

, for contemporary takes of every card in the deck, plus little magical rituals for working with their medicine.