The year 2017 is almost upon us and I for one, am glad that 2016 is almost over. It’s been a tough year for everyone, and one of the issues I hear the most about from my clients is about how difficult the year 2016 has been for them. Not surprisingly, seeing that in numerology 2016 equals to the number 9, which often brings about the end of things as we knew them, and also difficult issues relating to forgiveness and letting go.

Back in January, I wrote about how 2016 was the Year of 9 and The Hermit, and I talked about the things we could look out for with the energies of the number 9 and The Hermit in effect. While I talked about the number 9 in relation to letting go, I didn’t focus on how it was also about endings. My beloved dog, Baby, who I’ve had since she was a puppy, passed away on New Year’s Eve at 12 years of age. The last thing I wanted to do was focus on endings. I was hopeful for the new year, and wanted to focus on hopeful things.

But it didn’t turn out that way at first. 2016 was brutal to the entertainment industry. We lost so many of our celebrity icons who had inspired us through the years; David Bowie, a music legend who inspired millions; Prince, another music legend who wrote countless amazing songs; Alan Rickman, whom many of us know better as Professor Snape; Glenn Frey, guitarist and co-founder of one of the most iconic bands – The Eagles; Muhammad Ali, a boxing legend; Christina Grimmie, a YouTube sensation and rising star who died too young at only 22; Gene Wilder, talented comedy actor known for his portrayal of Willy Wonka; and Leonard Cohen, whose beautiful music is well-loved by many.

Just yesterday, I heard news of a well-loved and respected tarot great, Yoav Ben-Dov, who’ve unexpectedly passed on. He had made such significant contributions to the tarot community, both personally and professionally, and the tarot community is naturally devastated. I didn’t know him personally myself, but I have benefited a lot from his work and am deeply saddened that I will never get a chance to meet him in person.

And of course there were other horrible events that happened as well; the Brussels attacks, the mass shooting at the Orlando night club, Brexit (the end of Britain as part of the European Union) and the presidential election in the USA (also the end of Obama’s presidency), which led to a lot of racist acts and division among people…

I kept hoping for things to get better. 

Can we get to the humanitarian part of 2016 now?

Can we get to the part where we help each other?

Can we get to the teaching, learning, and introspection part of 2016?

Can we please?

But you know what, as the year went on, I realized that we were constantly stepping up and helping each other. In the face of difficulties, ordinary people everywhere turned into heroes. After the Orlando shooting, news about amazing acts of kindness towards the victims and their families started showing up on our newsfeed; Orlando Health deciding not to bill the victims for their medical treatments, JetBlue’s flight attendants’ and passengers’ kindness towards the grandmother of one of the victims, so many of these heartwarming stories moved me to tears.

After Brexit happened, there were many reports of racist incidents, but there were also a lot of people showing their support and standing in solidarity with immigrants and victims of racial abuse. There’s a “Wall of Empathy” that was born out of the idea of collectively making America love again, after an incredibly divisive presidential election. And there are many more examples of how globally, everyone was standing up for, supporting, caring for, and helping one another.

Most recently, I have been moved by all the support shown for Standing Rock from people all over the world. It has brought me to tears to see so many people showing up, speaking up, and standing up with the protesters at Standing Rock. It brought to mind the 9 of Wands, defending your land and standing up for your beliefs and values. In this case, I was reminded more of the Shadowscapes Tarot’s depiction of the 9 of Wands; you are not alone, so many people are standing with you, ready to defend with you.

And it’s made such a difference because the Dakota Access pipeline has been denied. I was so happy to hear the news, and I believe we must continue to make a stand, together, for everything we believe in, everything that’s important to us as human beings living on the same planet.

It made me think of the introspection part of the year 2016. Is one of the lessons we’re supposed to learn this year about the balance between the “good” and the “bad”? There are only shadows when there is light. There are only rainbows when there has been rain. It’s only when it is dark that we can see the stars shine. And I know I saw a lot of shining stars this year.

There may have been a lot of not-so-good events that showed the ugly side of humanity, but there was also a lot of beautiful people performing many beautiful acts of kindness to counter the ugly. We are so powerful together, and we are discovering this power now. We are learning to shine when it’s dark.

It’s been a tough year, yes, but it’s also been a good year. We’ve grown, we’ve changed, we’re better now than we were before.

Think about the lessons you learned this year. Think about the obstacles you overcame. Think about the people you’ve let go of because their energies just don’t fit yours anymore, then think of the people who stood beside you. I’m glad that 2016 is almost over, but I’m also so grateful for the lessons I’ve learned, the opportunities I’ve had to shine, the new friendships I’ve made, and the existing friendships that have been made stronger.

I had so many blessings this year, but at the top of the list for me, are the people I’ve met and connected with and learned from. Many people shone their lights brightly this year, and if you are here and you are one of them, thank you so much for lighting the way for everyone else. You rock!

Next year, 2017, is a universal year of 1; a time for new beginnings, trying new things, being the best at what you do, and achieving your goals and dreams. After the year we’ve had and the lessons we’ve learned, what better energies than those of the number 1 to help us move forward!

I am ready to take it on!

 

 

PS. If you’d like some tarot guidance for your focus for 2017, I have also created a new tarot spread for the universal year of 1.