how do we prepare for 2025?

hello, friends. i hope this finds you somewhere cozy, somewhere safe, somewhere restful. i'm having a quiet day at home, thinking about all that next year will bring — about the changes and challenges we'll be collectively facing, and how we can prepare now for what's ahead. about creativity, and magic, and the ways that we fortify and resource ourselves on a regular basis.

after exploring the suit of wands during 2024, we'll examine the suit of pentacles next in 2025, which i hope will be grounding, empowering, and comforting in the months to come. but in this moment, as we sit in these strange, lovely, liminal days before the new year begins, i thought i'd share a few meandering thoughts on preparation. tilling the soil, if you will.

a reminder that if you'd like gentle tarot-inspired support while moving into 2025, if you'd like to identify archetypes that can serve as collective and personal companions for your year, if you'd like a structured series that doesn't pressure you to set lofty goals or unrealistic resolutions, my next journaling resource begins on january 4th.

at the moment, my social media feeds and inboxes are packed with guidance, which unfortunately can feel contradictory at times. i've seen calls for social media data strikes right alongside reminders to not become complacent or turn our eyes away from the violence around the world. i've seen frantic calls for rapid action next to stern reminders for slow healing. i've seen mutual aid funds in need and volunteering opportunities that include fervent reminders that grief is human and big feelings must be processed with generosity and compassion.

i'm in the united states, which deeply colors my own experience and access to information. and from what i've observed, so many of us are terrified, angry, struggling to find any semblance of hope as we consider what the incoming trump/musk administration will accomplish — is it any wonder that it feels like we're all getting and giving mixed messages about what to do in this moment?

if you feel panicked, furious, heartbroken, or numb, i get it. if you're feeling hurt and angry about loved ones and neighbors who voted for trump, i get it. even if you're desperately hoping that the democrats come through with some kind of eleventh hour hail mary, i get it.

the vibe right now is the hanged one and the tower, simultaneously: the knowledge that change is coming, the uncertainty about what the future may hold.

so what do we do? how do we prepare?

we must first acknowledge and process our own emotions. it might feel small or silly, but if you're too trapped in grief to do anything else, that's the place to start. and once the sharp edge of grief has dulled, i think it's essential to consider what is actually possible, realistic, for you to do in the new year: creatively, spiritually, personally, and collectively. not as a way to make you feel bad about what is out of reach — but as a way to feel empowered, focused, around what you can commit to.

in some ways, unfortunately, we cannot truly prepare for the next administration yet. the systems that we rely on are crumbling, and there is only so much we can do individually as it happens. trump and musk and the architects of project 2025 are going to be in the news every day telling us about the new horrible things they want to do, which intentionally wreaks havoc on nervous systems. but trying too hard to anticipate all that the incoming administration will change, scrambling to protect ourselves against everything that hasn't happened yet, can quickly turn into obeying in advance: surrendering to something rather than fighting it, handing over our power before it's been fully threatened, giving up our best tools willingly instead than using them.

none of this means that there's nothing we can do in this threshold of a moment. on the contrary, there are some very real practical moves we can make, especially if you're queer or trans: like me, you may be getting married before the inauguration to secure legal protections for your relationship (here's a spreadsheet of folks and resources for putting together a quick elopement). perhaps you're getting updated paperwork with your correct gender markers (this website can walk you through whatever you need to update your ID, passport, and federal documents). and with bodily autonomy, right to privacy, and no fault divorce already under fire in many states, this is a good time to file divorce paperwork, look into supporting abortion resources in your area, and have tough conversations (or, when necessary, end relationships) with people who do not prioritize your safety or autonomy.

on a more internal, reflective note: we can and should think about what this past year has taught us, and recognize the resources that we have at our disposal. we can and should connect with others and contribute our skills, strengthening our communities and showing up as consistently as possible. we can and should identify what we believe in, what we value, and consider how those qualities impact our daily choices. we can and should reflect on what worked, what didn't, and where we want to direct our energy and passion in the new year.

the people in power have a vested interest in us believing their bullshit, but hear me: we are not helpless. you are not helpless.

as i wrote about for silver and gold subscribers a few weeks ago, december is a two month numerologically. and while there are many ways to understand two within the context of tarot, i like to think about the core two archetype of the high priestess as a big inhale before making an important choice: the gathering of breath and power, the harnessing of focus, the dawning clarity for our next steps. awareness, observation, checking in with the self, honoring capacity. preparing ourselves internally for all that will come next.

if you can do nothing else for yourself in this particularly charged and heavy moment, remember to breathe.

i've seen an increasing number of folks that i'm in community with asking for suggestions on how to self-regulate after periods of service, stress, or intense emotion. and it makes sense! there's an understandable increase in community work and mutual aid, and taking action can help to bolster hope in significant and powerful ways — but the other side of that is that when we slow down or stop, we find ourselves feeling activated, overstimulated, exhausted, or even disappointed.

i'm never going to tell you not to help your neighbor, or volunteer, or do what you can to support people in need who are in your orbit. it's literally one of the most impactful things that you can do.

but i will also gently continue to remind you: balance is essential. rest is essential. creativity is essential. knowing our own patterns and limits is essential. i'd argue that these skills, these qualities, are some of the most important things we can be pursuing right now, as we try our best to prepare for 2025.

and what that means is that reflection, a practice that's already so deeply associated with this time of year, might truly be the best thing you can do for yourself right now.

what would it do to let yourself grieve fully instead of trying to circumvent or ignore the pain you're feeling? what would it feel like to let yourself recognize your capacity as well as your limits, the ways that your own high expectations of yourself might be keeping you from even attempting something if it could mean failure? what would happen if you acknowledged that you cannot do all of the things all of the time for all of the people?

what would it mean to let yourself rely on other people? to believe in magic and also actively practice it? to build gentle rituals that support you instead of stressing you out? to invest in creativity and spirituality and community and transformational processes with purpose and intention?

what do those ideas mean to you, personally, without judgement? how might it change your goals, your dreams, your ambitions, if your actual limits were part of the conversation?

let me be so clear: i'm not trying to make you feel small, or helpless, or foolish for believing that change is possible. i'm not trying to say that your actions don't matter, or that individuals can't do incredible things. i'm not telling you to do less. i am instead trying to remind you, begging you to recognize that you cannot save the world by yourself. no one person can fix all of the systemic disasters that we are facing simultaneously.

that is a terrible truth, and is also an immense relief. the weight of the world, the future of the world, the possibility of the world, does not rest solely on your shoulders. it will take all of us, working together in various ways, offering our skills and our talents and our magic and our perspective, to change this world we live in.

so what do you have to contribute? what do you need in order to keep showing up? what do you know about yourself now, that you learned over this past year? where are you willing to push yourself, and where do you know your limits? how can you carry those lessons forward into 2025, so that they can support you every day?

these are absolutely questions that you can reflect on by yourself, or with a friend, or through spirit conversations, or whatever else you like. but if you're in a space for it, the tarot can help you consider what is worth thinking about, what is worth holding onto, and what you might be ready to release. i've written a ton of tarot spreads already on roles and resources, strengths and unique magic — but i also wouldn't be myself if i didn't have another one for you.

a new, deceptively simple three-card tarot spread for this particular moment:

card one: inhale. what are you taking in, receiving, gathering to yourself? what are you eager for, grateful for, holding on to?

card two: pause. what does reflection mean in this moment? how does your stillness feel? what are you considering, contemplating, examining? what choice might you be in the process of making?

card three: exhale. what are you releasing, letting go of, forgiving yourself for? what are you allowing to escape or dissapate?

here in the final days of 2024, in these liminal moments before new years' day, i encourage you to give yourself the gift of time, space, quiet. i know these kinds of internal resources can be hard to find, precious in their rarity. using them with wisdom, and balancing necessary rest with honest reflection truly can help you feel more empowered and inspired as we prepare for this new year.

wishing you and yours a safe, honest, hopeful holiday season. and remember that if you'd like to use tarot archetypes to explore all of these ideas in more depth, my gentle tarot journaling series find your lantern begins next week.