One of the things I love about being a tarot professional is that I am always learning. Never will there be a time when I know everything there is to know about tarot, psychism, writing, reading for others, and teaching others. To be a tarot professional is to be an eternal student.

My spiritual belief system is based on the idea that life is all about healing and learning.

Sometimes lessons come from difficulties. This year I have learned a lot, not because I took time to study, but because the strange and difficult year made it necessary for me to learn. Here, in no particular order, are some things I learned from 2020. Some are things I had known earlier, but this past year brought them into a sharper focus. Some of them were brand new realizations. The first two lessons are specific to being a tarot professional, the rest are about being human.

When looking to the future as a psychic, it is hard, or maybe impossible, to predict what one cannot imagine.

I have always known that imagination is a huge aspect of tarot reading. It has to be so, because the imagination is seated in the brow chakra (third eye) along with our psychic vision.

When I looked toward the future from the relative safety of 2019, I didn’t see a global pandemic because I couldn’t imagine such a thing. Yet, I did see a lot of things in the readings of individuals that didn’t make sense until the pandemic hit. That leads me to the second lesson.

We can piece together information about our collective future when looking at trends in individual readings.

When I did new year readings for people at the beginning of 2020, I saw a lot of cancelled trips. I saw people being able to work from home. I saw people’s kids going to school from home. In those moments, many of my clients thought I had lost my mind. “My boss would never allow us to work from home.” There is no way I am going to homeschool my child.” “We’ve been planning this trip for years”.

A few months later, those same clients reached out to thank me for the heads up on the pandemic.

The good news is that reading for many people over the past year gives me great confidence in our collective future. While I have seen the worst effects of the pandemic for some people, I know, in the end, our society will emerge from this. I know this because so many people have bright futures appear in the cards. I see weddings, new homes, new babies, and college graduations, just as I always have.

It is important to be flexible.

This past year, many of us had to pivot quickly; to change plans, formats, income streams, and family routines. The more we could be flexible in our thinking, the happier we were. The more we were inventive in our problem-solving, the more successful we were.

When we resist inevitable change, we stop growing. This is a huge life lesson which every person must learn; 2020 made it obvious.

Online communities and gatherings can be uplifting, nurturing, and fun.

Teaching and community-building is my one of my favorite parts of my work. When the pandemic had me cancel all my classes and in-person gatherings in my new community center, I was sad.

Yet, a quick pivot to Zoom and livestreaming on Facebook and YouTube turned out to be a gift. Moving our first annual tarot conference, StaarCon, to an online format avoided a disappointing cancellation. Even when we return to our regular in-person groups, classes, and meetups, I will continue to host online events, and thoroughly enjoy them.

Our ability to care for ourselves and each other is paramount.

This past year was a lesson in creative self-care for many of us. It also helped us find to ways to help others, take care of our loved ones, and stay connected with friends and family in a time of isolation.

For example, my daughter and I utilized FaceTime and YouTube to do yoga and Zumba together; a practice we plan to continue into the future. Friends from around the world scheduled regular Zoom game nights, move nights, and cocktail hours. Even when we are able to resume our normal social lives, we now have skills that will help us stay close to those we love who are at a distance.

As we begin a new year, we are hopeful for positive change, healing and restored health. Many of us will carry scars from 2020 that could last a lifetime. At the same time, we have been lucky to learn important skills and lessons that will serve us in the years ahead.

May we all be safe, well, and prosperous in 2021!