Top Five Tarot Cards: Planning Your Year Ahead
I love planning! I have Virgo on my IC, perhaps this is what gives me the planning gene? The turn of the year is a very popular time to plan, and I am as inspired and motivated as the next goal setting enthusiast for this happy season. Today, I thought it would be fun to write about my Top Five Tarot Cards for Planning Your Year Ahead.
Here’s my copy of The Willow Path Planner 2025 that I had printed out.
But before I do that. Newsflash! As a person who likes to plan, there’s nothing I love more than a yearly planner. Total planner nerd, self-identified and proud. I actually create my very own planner: The Willow Path Planner 2025. And it is ready to go! You can order a digital copy right here.
This is the 3rd year I have made my own planner, and every year it turns out a bit different as I hone in on the perfect planning system for me. I think this system will work for you too, if you are into planning your year ahead with the tarot and the phases of the moon. I’ve made a walk-through video of the planner here in case you are intrigued and want to explore it further. The video is also embedded at the end of this post.
But now, without further ado. Here are my Top Five Tarot Cards for Planning the Year Ahead:
1. Ace of Swords
Image of the Ace of Swords tarot card from the Rider Waite Smith deck.
The Ace of Swords is the perfect card for coming up with fresh goals and objectives. This is the energy you want to draw on when you’re just getting started with your year ahead planning. The Ace of Swords indicates a need or desire to brainstorm. It’s time to gather inspiration. This could be done with a vision board, a mind map, a spitballing session with a friend or coworker, getting together with your master mind to dream big, etc.
The Ace of Swords brings Air energy to the planning process. This is great for thinking things through, finding ideas out of thin air, and being up in your head. Your mind is sharp and moments of clarity can come when you have some real break-through moments. You’re able to think creatively and look at things with fresh perspective. Get ready to say, “Aha!”
There are always new opportunities when it comes to the Ace of Swords, so do some original thinking to see how you can tackle your goals for the year ahead. Especially if your goals are a continuation of ones you had last year, or a recommitment to ones that got away from you last year, try to think of new ways to take action and make progress in the next twelve months. It could be as simple as rephrasing how you define the goals. Different words, can make a big difference in your perspective. You may also find that you’re ready to head off in a totally new direction. Plan on!
2. II of Wands
Image of the II of Wands tarot card from the Wild Unknown tarot deck.
The II of Wands has enthusiasm and excitement about planning out goals and can make quick (but good!) decisions about which ones to chase and which ones to put on the backburner for now. The II of Wands can take the ideas and inspirations from the Ace of Swords and make an actual path forward. This is a card of future visions and making progress. You can take your ideas and envision how they will come to life over the course of the year.
There is a sense of discovery with the II of Wands, so be open to finding out new information or uncovering new sources of inspiration as you start to flesh out your goals. This is the time of the goal setting process when you research and gather information. You may have a bright idea with the Ace of Swords but no idea what you would need to do to make it happen. Well, the II of Wands has you motivated to figure out just that!
Making plans involves a lot of decisions, and the II of Wands gives you that advantage of perspective. You may need to decide whether your long-range goals include continuing projects you have already been working on, or whether those projects no longer resonate with you and it is time to start entirely new ones. It’s likely that your planning at the beginning of 2025 will involve a little bit of both. The II of Wands can help you prioritize and make plans that will further the endeavors you are already engaged with while incorporating fresh new goals.
3. III of Pentacles
Image of the III of Pentacles tarot card from the Rider Waite Smith tarot deck.
The III of Pentacles shows the roles and contributions of other people in the planning process. There are very few things in this life that we can do alone. No doubt, you will need the support and assistance of other people to make your plans achievable. With the III of Pentacles, you start to incorporate the variables that are outside your control, like other people, and see what you can do to help make your dreams happen in collaboration. Teamwork can be so rewarding, especially if you plan out everyone’s role to their satisfaction.
The III of Pentacles is also a card of practicalities and making a solid base for your plans. You go from the Ace of Swords idea phase, to the II of Wands vision and research phase, to now being in the III of Pentacles space of physical action. If you’ve done your research, you will know what action steps you need to take to make your goals into reality. The III of Pentacles represents the part of the planning process when you get those concrete steps down in a good order and commit to taking action.
It’s time for excellent project management, efficiency, and good self leadership on the way towards your plans. The best ideas very rarely come to fruition without hard work and dedication. The III of Pentacles gives you that solid, practical energy to get the work done, step by step until you reach your goal.
4. IV of Wands
Image of the IV of Wands tarot card from the Shadowscapes tarot deck.
Benchmarking is an important aspect of planning, one that I think often gets overlooked. The IV of Wands is all about reaching a milestone, seeing how far you have come, and celebrating. The best laid plans have these important milestones mapped out and even ways that they can be celebrated. Yes, you need to plan celebrations into the plan! Life is meant to be enjoyable, not just a series of plans leading toward goals. If all you do is reach goals and then move on to the next one, there isn’t going to be a lot of space in your life for joy.
So, while you’re making your plans, pick out important milestones along the way. This is especially important if you have a really big goal that might take all year, or more than a year. That way, you’re not just working, working, working and feeling like you’re never getting anywhere. If you’re making progress, then you are certainly getting somewhere and that needs to be celebrated!
Going off the collaboration involved in the III of Pentacles, remember to include your fellow teammates in your celebrations. When you reward the whole group together, this can bring everyone closer and aid in the continued dedication to a goal that is still ongoing. Even if you are doing a solo project, include the people who are supporting you in your solo venture. Having a cheerleader can be especially important for long-range goals that feel enormous. We all need support.
Remember to plan rest and relaxation in your plans for the year ahead. Schedule in breaks, days off, self-care, and vacations. Unless there is nothing else in life that you would rather do than work, it’s important to know that you have time off coming up at some point. And even if you do wanna work ALL THE TIME, still take breaks, they can inspire you and make the work flow even better.
5. The Hierophant
Image of the Hierophant tarot card from the Maya Land tarot deck.
The Hierophant loves a planner! A planner is a place where you can put goals and objectives into boxes, and boy does The Hierophant love to put things in boxes! This focused and conventional energy is good for making plans, harnessing the fortitude to follow through, and being super organized. The Hierophant loves details and this makes him a whiz at planning.
If you can channel the energy of The Hierophant while you are making your plans for 2025, you will come away with something actionable, achievable, and worth your while. When you get off the path you laid out for yourself in your planner at the beginning of the year, you can use The Hierophant to as a role model to return to your set procedure and protocol. You’ll appreciate the calm, steady, and determined focus of the Hierophant when you go to follow through or return to your best laid plans.
I picked The Hierophant because it would allow me to write MORE about the positive qualities of this card. I tried to delve into why I like The Hierophant card last week, and I think I ended up getting sidetracked by the negatives. But really, this is a great energy for making plans and writing in a planner.
I also chose the Hierophant because I was on a little counting journey in my card choices here. Did they feel like ordered steps? The Hierophant is the 5th card in the major arcana, so now we have Steps 1-5 to planning with the tarot! I actually had a hard time narrowing down my Top Five Tarot Cards for Planning because there are many other wonderful cards for planning ahead in the tarot. But this 1-5 trajectory spoke to me the most.
I want to end by noting that there are no Cups cards or Water element in the choices here, and I do regret this omission. It is very important that you make plans that speak to your heart. If I could have added one more card to this compilation it would have been the X of Cups. It represents the feeling you want your goals to evoke, one of alignment, harmony, and happiness. Your goals need to be aligned with your purpose and joy in life. So don’t forget your “why” when you’re going through the action steps of the cards above.
And remember, if you want to get a digital copy of The Willow Path 2025 Planner, it is available right here! Happy planning!