✨8 Tarot cards and the freedom of getting it wrong
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You're receiving this because you signed up for Tarot Underground, my newsletter for curious Tarot readers who want to go beyond memorizing card meanings and actually use the cards. No Tarot Police. Just more ways to explore the cards. You can’t steer a parked carThat’s been one of my favorite sayings for years. In 2026 I discovered in my bones what that saying actually means. Oh, I understood it intellectually. But actually putting the car in motion? That was another story. For a long time, I was so afraid of making the wrong decision that I’d get stuck trying to figure out the right one. And then, of course, I’d judge myself for whatever I decided. (Hello, Inner Critic, I SEE you👀) Exhausting. But something shifted this year. I started experimenting. Trying things before I knew whether they’d work. And, perhaps more importantly, giving myself permission to change my mind when they didn’t. I discovered that a decision isn’t necessarily right or wrong. Sometimes it’s just another pivot point. So, as 2026 winds down, I thought I’d share eight tarot cards that capture what this year has taught me about discovering the person I’m becoming. January - 5 of PentaclesJanuary opens with me moving into a new rental home, and a few days later being frozen to the core by a hellacious arctic blast.
Here in San Antonio we don’t get a lot of cold weather as a general rule. But for the past 5 years we’ve been getting these arctic blasts that plunge temps below freezing for several consecutive days. It’s at this point I discover that while my 100 year old historic, rental home has been remodeled, someone forgot insulation. Doh! This sent me into a tailspin. I made the wrong decision, I thought. I’m so stupid. At that point, I was still struggling with anxiety and it kicked into high gear. The 5 of pentacles taught me that suffering is optional. Circumstances can suck, but I don’t need to worry myself into oblivion. March - Knight of WandsMarch was a fire infusion!
February was the Saturn Neptune conjunction at 0° Aries, followed by an Aries pile up of planets in March. I caught that wave. It started warming up and I defrosted from the cold house. Lots of action - without really knowing where it was all going. The Knight of Wands taught me that action trumps preparation. Sometimes, anyway. June & July - 7 of cupsFighting my way out of a paper bag.
A long, temperate spring was followed by the typical Texas heat. Hmmm…the insulation issue again. I tried pet sitting in people’s homes and discovered I absolutely HATED IT. I love dogs, but I didn’t like having to pack up and relocate for a period of time. I tried a co-working space downtown. Nice and cool in there! But getting to and from required me to be out walking several blocks in the heat of the day so I didn’t escape it. So I just settled in to the less than comfortable house, but I found ways to make it work. Basically, a fan blowing on me full blast at all times. The 7 of cups taught me to just go ahead and pick an option. And if I don’t like it, pick again. August - Knight of Wands againAnother fire infusion for Leo Season which included an eclipse on my natal Sun at 25° Leo.
The Knight of Wands inspired a trip to the Snippy Conference in Colorado with my mom. I met Freddy Silva of Knights Templar, Megalithic architecture, and crop circle fame. We also stopped by Taos, NM, which is always an inspiration for me. I also held a 3 card workshop and started a reader development program - more initiation before I necessarily felt ready. September - Justice and Queen of SwordsSeptember is Libra season, so Justice is an appropriate card.
It was crazy hot all month, so that was NOT equilibrium. Justice holds the scales - nobody said they need to be even. On a more personal note, I had a big disagreement with my brother and he didn’t talk to me for about 6 weeks. After sitting with the idea of staying in this rental home for about a month, I decided to stay. Justice and the Queen of Swords taught me that that I’m allowed to change my mind. I can try something, discover I absolutely hate it, and stop doing it. I can issue a judgement one way, and then issue it another way. I can set a boundary, and if someone doesn’t like it, it’s not my issue. No lengthy explanations. No beating myself up. No turning the whole experience into evidence that I’m terrible at making decisions. Just, “Nope. Not for me. What’s next?” It sounds ridiculously simple. But for someone who spent years worrying about making the wrong decision, this was kind of revolutionary. October - 6 of pentacles and TemperanceOctober was a very brisk month for Tarot parties and the cash has been flowing both in and out. Love that!
On the downside, so many parties and there’s only one of me! The 6 of pentacles taught me in real time the concept of diminishing returns. It’s good to accelerate up to a point. Temperance has been teaching me to find the right combination that works for me long term. The year isn’t over…What would YOUR year look like if you told its story through Tarot cards? You could pull a card for each month, look back at the cards you’ve drawn throughout the year, or choose a handful that capture the big turning points. What patterns might you discover that you couldn’t see while you were in the thick of it? And here’s the fun part. Tarot works in both directions. We can look backward to discover what we’ve learned. Or we can look forward to explore what’s possible. In January, I’ll be hosting a card pull for 2027, where we’ll turn that lantern toward the year ahead. Because whether we’re looking backward or forward, the point isn’t to figure everything out before we move. After all, you can’t steer a parked car. 🚗 And I’ll help you put the Inner Critic in the trunk.😉 -Cassandra the Card Reader |
