a spread for reflections & strengths (and a bonus spread for all)

hello, dear friends. at the top of the month, i shared some thoughts on this year of strength, and the importance of making time for reflection. with so much heaviness and chaos in our world, it may feel frivolous to make time to look inward, feel our feelings, or reflect on where we've been and where we're going. it's a busy time of year anyway, and things feel particularly painful, chaotic, terrifying, rage-inducing right now.

with so much going on, there may be a judgmental voice inside of you, one who never stops whispering that you have more important things to do, that your energy needs to always be directed outward, that you're already not doing enough, that inner work doesn't count as work. one that wants you to keep working, to prioritize productivity, to put everyone else first.

but please remember that we all deserve, and require, rest. and on this winter solstice, i hope you're able to find a few moments for yourself, whatever that may look like.

today i want to offer you a few new tarot spreads to support quiet magic and gentle contemplation, to help you slow down, breathe deep, and remember what matters. grab your cards, get cozy, and let's dig in.

is there snow where you are? it's rare to have snow at all in nyc, even rarer for it to actually stick. but i woke up early this morning to gently falling flakes, snow piling up on branches, the quiet magic that comes with a rare snowfall. it felt like a gentle blessing, a reminder that there's beauty and magic still and always in this strange, difficult world.

card one / a warm comfort: what is wrapping you up in love today? where are you finding strength, relief, care?
card two / a crisp truth: what is asking for your focus, changing your perspective, adjusting your viewpoint? what is true, and how might that truth transform you?
card three / a gift from the quiet: what is being extended to you, that you can choose to receive? what magic might you find in stillness?

snow, and this time of year in the northern hemisphere, often get associated with stillness, quiet, hibernation. all things that most of us don't get nearly enough of.

i cannot find it now, but somewhere recently (reddit? instagram? bluesky? tiktok? why are there so many places to find clever things?) i saw a post talking about how it's fucked up that humans don't sleep as much as we need to, and how the endless pressures of late stage capitalism have robbed us of our natural sleep and rest rhythms. how we so often say "hey, we're not robots" in defense of needing rest — but even robots constantly require maintenance and cleaning, and cannot run 24/7 without breaking or overheating. (if you've seen the thing i'm talking about, please share it in the comments so i can give credit!)

rest is not the enemy, nor is it something that only has value because it allows us to immediately return to productivity. rest is good, and important, and necessary, simply on its own merits.

and reflection, in many ways, is an important form of rest: because it allows us to observe our quiet selves, to look inward and marvel at what we find. it helps us build or repair our mental boundaries, to honor our natural limits, to show ourselves respect and dignity. rituals of reflection encourage us to slow down and listen, to pay attention to what our bodies and hearts do when we are pushing them to keep going all the time. reflection can be intellectual rest, emotional rest. and those are just as important as physical rest.

think about it: when's the last time you forced yourself to take a day off from work, but still ended up in an anxiety spiral about how much work you need to do? when's the last time you told yourself to stop worrying about something, but found yourself constantly worrying about it anyway? when's the last time you told yourself you didn't have time for introspection, only to find yourself mentally returning again and again to the same internal struggles?

i turned in copyedits on my second book yesterday, after over a week of debilitating physical pain and several weeks of restless grief — and in spite of that big accomplishment, all i can think about as i write this newsletter is how much more i need to do before the end of the year. how behind i am, all the things i haven't finished. that restless feeling can easily become a cycle that never ends — which is why we owe it to ourselves to build in time for reflection and rest, rather than hoping things will somehow naturally slow down enough for us to rest.

listen, we all get in our own way sometimes. but our brains need time to catch up and breathe, to settle, to sort things out—especially when we're always moving, always creating, always striving, trying to watch the news and build community and keep ourselves fed and pay our bills. if we don't build those rituals and routines in one way or another, we can burn out, our bodies and minds making the decisions on timing for us. and i don't want you to burn out. i want you to be here for the long haul, to stay brave, to keep going.

fortunately, tarot really can help us slow down and take intentional pauses, even if it's just for a few moments: to check in with ourselves, listen carefully, and find a little clarity. to remember who we are, how we're strong, what we're committed to.

and this month's tarot spread, if you're so inclined, can help you do just that.