
With 2023 just hours away, youโre probably scrambling to pen your New Yearโs resolutions or youโve given up on the idea entirely. Instead of another list of resolutions to feel bad about at the end of 2023 because you didnโt get to finish them (lots of pressure, I know), why not 2023 tarot spreads to help you find your New Year manifestations?
You donโt have to believe in tarot to make tarot work for you. Think of it as a fancy way of doing your 2023 New Yearโs resolution. By pulling the cards and understanding what they mean for you in the specific context of your life, youโll be able to use them to set your intentions and expectations for the year ahead.
2023 Is the Year of the Chariot

Many tarot enthusiasts make use of astrology and numerology in combination with the tarot as they find that, for them, it gives them a more structured and accurate view of their readings. According to numerologists, 2023 will be the year of the Chariot because 2+0+2+3 = 7. The Chariot is the 7th card of the major arcana and it generally symbolizes forward motion and victory, typically in the material realm. Think career advancement. At the same time, itโs also a card of control and mastery of the self.
The Chariot is the card linked to the astrological sign of Cancer. Forget weepy, emotionally tumultuous perceptions of Cancer for now. In the Chariot, we find the direction of powerful emotions towards tangible goals. Overt action is directed by deeply internal motivations.

So what does that mean for you? If youโre a Cancer, you can claim 2023 as your year, but even if youโre not, you can take it as a positive cue to jump into action and take charge of your life the way that the Charioteer holds on to his reins. Itโs an invitation to get behind the wheel of your life and really drive that thing to where you want it to go. As scary as that sounds, the Chariot is a card of victory so donโt be afraid to commit to a little risk.
With that in mind, letโs move on to doing personal readings. Weโve included three different spreads as well as some tips on how to interpret them in a way that works for you.
A 13 Card, 12 Month Tarot Spread for Each Month of the Year

A simple way to do your 2023 tarot reading is by using a tarot spread that lays out a card for every month of the year. You pull one card for each month that will serve as the general โthemeโ of that month and a card that serves as an overall theme of the year. This leaves you with 13 cards in total.
As usual, you start by shuffling your cards. This is a good time to meditate on what youโd like to accomplish this year in the spirit of the Chariot. Think of the goals you want to direct yourself towards, whether they be career related or more personal. Do you want to be more emotionally present for your loved ones or clinch that promotion youโve had your eye on for a long time?
Just thinking of goals doesnโt bring them to fruition but all goals start in the mind. As you shuffle, prime yourself to identify those goals and let the path toward them fall into place throughout your year.
Your Card of the Year
Your first card will be the card of your year, not to be confused with the card of the year. Your card of the year may not be predictive but it could be a clue from you to you about what you need to pay attention to this 2023.

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For example, pulling a III of Cups may not be a magical sign from the universe that youโll have some great victory to celebrate this 2023, but if you dig deep, you can shift your perspective and see it as a sign that you need to celebrate the positive aspects of your life more and start strengthening your friendships.
12 Cards for Each Month

Start drawing cards for every month of the year. The first card is January, the twelfth card is December. You get the idea. You can organize your cards linearly or in a clockwise position with your card of the year in the center of the circle.
Apply the same logic you used for your card of the year but also, try to pay attention to the symbolism of the cards. What images come to mind when you first look at them? What do they remind you of? Let your intuition guide you toward what feels like the first answer.
Looking Back or Looking Forward?
If you feel like youโre being rushed through the years by time, youโre not alone. Everyone feels like every new year gets faster. The faster perception of time that you have now is just an effect of aging. That said, it doesnโt make it easier to process time and its events. To help yourself with this, you can try doing an annual spread that looks backward in time to the year before. Right now, you could do a reading that tries to process 2022 before you do a prospective reading for 2023.
A Celtic Cross for a General Reading or Area of Your Life

If the previous tarot spread feels a little too open-ended, you can try a Celtic cross for a structured general reading or a closer look at one specific area of your life. Like with the previous spread, you start by shuffling and really focusing your mind on what you want to think about in the next few minutes as you create your spread.
A Celtic cross is a traditional 10-card spread that covers the central issue of your area of concern/situation as it is now (1), your key challenge/obstacle (2), the past (3), the future (4), what you are currently paying attention to/aware of (5), what you need to know/pay attention to (6), your personal influence over the situation (7), external influences on the situation (8), your hopes and fears (9), and the possible outcome (10).
The goal with a Celtic cross is to help yourself work through a situation by directing your attention to areas you may not have previously considered, under-considered, overthought, or need to re-evaluate.
A 12 Houses Zodiac Spread

Since there are 12 Zodiac houses for every month of the year, doing a reading that combines both lines them all up nicely. Like with the 12 month tarot spread, you can pull a 13th theme of the year card for this.
The twelve astrological houses deal with different areas of life which you can use as a way to frame your 2023 tarot reading.
- First House: Aries is the house of identity, will, and self-perception. Your first house card can tell you about what public persona you project towards people that shape their perception of you.
- Second House: Taurus deals in material comforts and security. Your second house card can help you think about what really makes you feel materially secure in day-to-day life.
- Third House: Gemini is an intellectual house thatโs all about probing into ideas and communicating them. The curiosity embodied by Gemini can also mean travel so think about what needs communicating in your life and your travel plans for this card.
- Fourth House: Cancer is about domestic life. Consider your family relationships, whether theyโre blood or found family, and how you can improve or change them.
- Fifth House: Leo is a house with a lot of energy, characterized by passion and strength. If youโre looking for a new hobby this 2023, this card can give you a clue.
- Sixth House: Virgo is concerned with physical health, lifestyle habits, and work. Focus on what this card tells you about your physical well-being.
- Seventh House: Libra is everything related to intimate relationships be they romantic, familial, or platonic. Observe your closest relationships with this card.
- Eighth House: Scorpio may feel ominous with its meanings related to loss and death but if youโve been using your tarot card manuals, you may have already realized that not all deaths are bad. Just as winter precedes spring, the card of the Eighth House may be pointing you toward what needs renewal in your life.
- Ninth House: Sagittarius is the house of philosophy and higher intellectual pursuits. You may find your life perspective shaping beliefs reflected in this card.
- Tenth House: Capricorn corresponds to the 10th house which is all about the public self, or, specifically, about one’s career. This can speak about your career opportunities and aspirations.
- Eleventh House: Aquarius is the house of community in both friendships and towards humanity as a whole. Here, you may find new avenues (and challenges) to connecting with large groups of people.
- Twelfth House: Pisces is the house of unconscious impulses and thoughts. You can reflect on this card for a warning on what in your psyche requires your attention and care.
Or Just Make Your Own

There are multiple ways to interpret the same card and just as many ways to read them. If you feel like none of these 2023 tarot spreads have given you the clarity youโre looking for, you can cook up your own spread with your own meanings. You can either modify existing spreads to suit your needs or make one from scratch thatโs completely unique to you. The important thing is that you can tell yourself a story with the cards based on the meanings assigned to their positions.
If youโre especially comfortable with your tarot cards, you can try a โNo Spreadโ spread where you pull as many cards as you feel like pulling and intuitively assign meanings to the individual cards, their positions, and overall meaning as you go.
I saw that there’s a missing Capricorn house which is definitely the tenth
Thanks for pointing it out! Aquarius should be 11th, Capricorn 10th.