A long time ago, longer now than it seems (in a place, perhaps, that you’ve seen in your dreams), a friend of mine posted on his blog about eschewing New Year’s resolutions in favour of what he called ‘the One Word.’ It is a tradition that I have adopted, and it has served me well.
Last year, my word was Learn, and boy, did I learn a lot! Almost nothing on my list, lol. I had such ambitions about getting better at Spanish and making peace with pie dough and playing Magic the Gathering, but none of that happened. Well, between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the pie dough thing might have happened.
Those of you following along might remember that in February, I got engaged to one of my best friends. It happened very quickly, we hadn’t really dated in the traditional way, but we’d been friends for 15 years, so we already knew all the things about each other that the dating phase is meant to find out. And once our families got over the shock and the laughing fits, they admitted that we’ve been going that way for a while. We just never noticed.
So that’s been a lot to process. I always thought I’d never get married. I’ve always been a fiercely independent feminist who just generally mistrusts men, and who has perhaps unwittingly romanticised my spinsterhood. Which, weirdly fell into place alongside Benjamin’s bachelorhood. So that’s nice. But it did mean that the biggest lesson I learned was who I am and who I am going to be; which also involved UN-learning a lot of things.
Then I started a new job at a kids’ centre, which is learning, and indirectly teaching, as well. And since the majority of my job is designing crafts, I have had hundreds of crafts to learn! Plus, I’m still at Lush, and that is always a learning experience. All in all, a success, I think.
This year, I’m trying something different. I have often described certain seasons of my life in relation to tarot cards: when I turned 30, I entered my Queen of Cups era; when I was grieving Breanna and Cassie, I was in my Tower era. Lately, I have felt things shift again.
I think I’m feeling more of a Chariot energy, these days. I have a clear goal and path, clearer than I’ve had in easily a decade. I have energy and motivation, and the wind is behind me. There are challenges, little micro-adjustments, forks in the road, etc, and that fits the metaphor.
Recently, I was talking to my friend, the originator of the tradition, and he was struggling with his One Word, too. So I told him I was considering take the Chariot as a totem, more than choosing a word, and he got into the idea. Then, on the winter solstice, I did a Year Ahead tarot reading and what should appear just around the time I expect a sudden burst of speed? The Chariot. That felt to me like confirmation.
So, what does The Chariot actually mean, to those who don’t read the cards?
The imagery is of a person standing in a two-person chariot (not the Royal carriage of Bavaria, like in my cover photo), holding a staff in one hand. In the other hand, they hold the reins of two horses, one black and the other white. Some decks, of course, divert from these basics, if they want to, and they explain why.
The symbolism is fairly obvious: mastery, control, progress, fame and glory, success. Reversed, it can imply faltering willpower, loss of control, weakness, and failure. Luckily, I did not draw it reversed in my reading, but one must consider both sides, to get a full impression.
The teaching is therefore straightforward (as it were): stay focused, stay in control, keep a reasonable pace. Don’t get distracted, don’t get discouraged by bumps in the road.
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So, that is my focus for the year. Do you have resolutions? Or have you chosen One Word or One Card?
Avon Van Hassel 