Beyond the Shuffle: Tarot, Life & Everything In Between

Birthday Reading

• Adrienne Amari • Season 1 • Episode 29

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When you celebrate a birthday or the new year starts, do you like to do a year ahead reading?

Year ahead readings were all the rage for a while. Heck, maybe they still are. And while I used to be more into them, I've backed away a bit. I'll share why, and the reading I did for myself instead for my birthday.

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When you celebrate a birthday or when the new year hits, do you do a year-ahead reading? If so, do you find them useful? And if not, what deters you from doing so? Hi there, and welcome to Beyond the Shuffle, a podcast where we explore this wild ride of the human experience through the lens of tarot. I'm Adrienne Amari, your host, guide, and someone who just celebrated their solar return. So settle in, open your mind, and let's go beyond the shuffle. On this week's episode, I wanted to do something a little bit different. It was my birthday this past Saturday, June 13th, and for some reason I was drawn to pull cards. I don't always pull cards for the year ahead. I have in the past every now and then on New Year's because mostly I thought it was a thing that you did. But something drew me to doing so this year. And I am going to talk about that reading in a little bit, but I did want to talk about year-ahead readings. So whether you do it in the new year or on your solar return, which is just a fun astrological way to say your birthday, because it's when the sun comes back around into where it was when you were born. Now, over the years I have done a good number of year-ahead readings. Some better than others. And it's funny because it is a service I don't mind doing. If someone comes for a reading and that's what they want to focus on, that is totally okay. But I find the longer I do this, the less I'm actually drawn to offer it as a thing. And when I say year-ahead readings, I really am talking about the type of reading that takes a look at every single month. This is not what I did for myself the other day. And I think it's because after years of doing this, I've started to feel like I don't know how helpful it really is. And this is not to judge or deter anyone who loves them or loves doing them from doing it. You do you. But I've been thinking about it a lot lately because it was my birthday. But I also think it really depends on the lens at which you look at these readings through. And this is not by any means the only way to do this type of reading, but a very stereotypical way, I suppose, is to pull a theme for the year and then also pull a card for every month of the year. And this can give you the general ideas, shifts, themes that are going on for that month. And we can kind of look at the overall picture to see how things ebb and flow. It can give you an idea of what you might need to prepare for. But then it also has me wondering: if we feel like we know what's coming, are we creating that reality ourselves because the cards implanted that idea into our brain? I know that might sound kind of intense, but it is true. If we have that idea and we think that's where we're going to go, are we ignoring other possibilities and collapsing that path into the possibility that we actually live out in our reality? And you know what? Maybe I am totally overthinking this, but it really is interesting food for thought. I have done a good number of year-ahead readings in the past, and a lot of people come around New Year's for this kind of reading, but your birthday's a great time too. And there's a couple that really still stick out in my mind. One of them was showing a lot of possibilities, and the client was really into this person that they wanted to be with, so anything that came up in a relationship aspect, they assumed would be with this person. And I think just pulling one card for each month, you don't necessarily get enough context to know for sure, and people are going to fill it in which in whichever way they want to see it. But within a couple months, that relationship was totally in the toilet and for really good reasons. Another one had a client kind of worry about what was to come. And that made me really think, too, if we're sitting in the state of worry of what's to come, is that reading overly helpful? And we did, I think, pull cards on like how do we deal with this, or you know, how do we move through this? So I feel like that added an extra layer of what could be helpful. But overall, I wonder sometimes if it was as helpful as it could have been had we focused on something other than this is the theme or this is the energy for this month or that month. And it was really interesting because we pulled a difficult card for one of the months, and then they told me that yeah, that month was 100% that card, and it had been a difficult month for them. And then I always think, well, what if that was a self-fulfilling prophecy? What if because that idea was planted, that's what came to fruition? Not even consciously, just subconsciously in the back of the mind, do we make choices that drive us in that direction because we believe that's where we're heading, anyways. But because of some of these experiences, I thought, you know what? I don't want to do a year-ahead reading for myself. I don't want to look at every month because I don't like the structure of that. This isn't to say I would never do one again for a client, but for myself personally, I don't think it would be overly helpful. I would get hyperfixated. And I don't want that in my life. I want things to ebb and flow naturally. I want to be surprised. I want to know what energy to embody and what's potentially coming to fruition this year, but I don't need a really detailed breakdown. And there is nothing wrong if you're someone who's like, no, I love the detailed breakdown. That is 100% okay. But then the question also becomes, why do we feel like we need that? Does it give us stability or security? If we see something we don't love, does it prepare us or does it make us nervous? I don't think that there's correct answers for any of these questions, but I do think it's all worth considering. I also think that because of the way I look at tarot and its ability, or the inability in general to predict the future, I question how accurate a year-ahead reading really is. I mean, so much can change in a year. And I do believe that the cards can account for that to some point, but I think it's generally understood that the tarot cards read the energy and the inclinations as we are now. So if we shift and we change and we grow and we make big life decisions that take us down a different path than what was originally intended when we did the reading, does it make it inaccurate? And maybe it's kind of funny that even though I'm a professional tarot reader, I'm sitting here questioning this. But I want tarot to be a tool that really can transform and help and change and fortify our lives. And does thinking that we know what's going to happen four, five, six, ten months from now help do that? I think that really is the crux of my question. So, food for thought, if anything. Again, I'm not saying we shouldn't do year-ahead readings or that they're bad or that they're invalid, but I do think it's worth thinking about. So, because I was going down this rabbit hole of thoughts, I decided this year I was just going to pull a few cards. It was nothing big and extravagant, and I think it can be really fun and interesting to look at what's coming up, but for me, I really prefer it without a time frame. And that actually made me really excited to pull cards. So let me share with you what I did because I definitely think that if someone were coming to me for this kind of reading, I would definitely go more in-depth than I did on my birthday, partially because I was like, let's just experiment, pull some cards, and have fun. So the first card I pulled was just a card for the day. Not a really specific focus, but I just wanted to see what energy to embody and to really relish in for the day. And I got the Page of Swords, which I absolutely love because the Page of Swords is one of my favorite cards in the tarot. I so identify with her. It's a card of curiosity, of sharing ideas, listening to ideas, going down the rabbit hole, doing research, really being open-minded, getting all the different viewpoints and perspectives on things. And I love that regardless. So for it to be like, yes, on your birthday, this is what we're doing. I was like, I am in. Love that. I also went to trivia on my birthday. I'm on a trivia team, and I felt like that page of swords energy was also a call-out to that, which just made me laugh. I thought that was great. Now, next I pulled three more cards for what do I need to know about this upcoming year? And I know that might seem very general and not very helpful, but I was gonna pull the cards and see how I felt from there, and I really liked the cards that were pulled. I feel like they were very much in alignment with where I'm heading, and it gave me some really good motivation. And don't you want that on your birthday? I pulled the Page of Cups, the Ace of Wands, and the Eight of Wands. Now, the Page of Cups, that just 100% made me smile. I decided at the beginning of 2026 to choose a word for the year, and my word was whimsy, and one of the words I always associate with the page of cups is whimsy. So for me, that was very much just that validation of yes, keep with the whimsy, keep experiencing that and enjoying that. And with that whimsy comes imagination and a little bit of silliness as well. And you know what? We all need more of that and more play in our lives. More and more I am bringing this to the surface: the idea of creativity and play and enjoying for the joy of doing. The page of cups is also great for new connections coming into your life, and I can see this for myself on so many different fronts. New friendships that are budding and developing, hopefully, new people to work with and coming into the tarot lab. And maybe with any luck, a little bit of new romance as well. And the page of cups leads into that ace of wands where it's really taking action on all of those ideas. Because the page of cups has that creative element, as does the ace of wands, and the page of cups has that emotional joy fulfillment element to it. The Ace of Wands really stands out to me as taking action and putting those ideas that I've been wanting to put out into the world, into the darn world. And what I love about this is that weekend, after I had pulled these cards, I sat down and I started to record the brand new course that I'll be releasing soon. So it's actually a mini course called So You Just Got Your First Tarot Deck. And it's for anyone who's just starting out in tarot or who has been dabbling for a while but feels like they don't have a foundation to get a really solid foundation with the cards. This has been an idea that has been stewing in the back of my mind. And with the Ace of Wands, it's like, look, the potential, the drive, the passion, the desire, the idea is there. So let's take that wand and get a freaking move on. So I did. And I think this card coming up in the spread for you know what to kind of keep in mind over the course of this coming year is more of that. Stop sitting on ideas, stop waiting for the right time, stop being afraid to put something out there, and let's get a move on. Especially when it's something that brings you joy that we see in the page of cups, that allows your creativity to thrive that we see in both the page and the ace of wands. And what I really like about the page of cups and ace of wands together is that it's like that spark with the ace of wands is only further pushed or driven or inflamed through community, through heart-led work, through play, through fun, and through vulnerability. Now it's interesting because both are beginning energies, and that stands out to me too because I am someone who starts a million things and never sees them through to the finish line. So I like that the eight came in at the end, and I think it's calling me out to be like, yes, you can start it all, but let's actually see it through. Let's actually lead with our heart, our intuition, our passion, our drive to that level of completion. The eight of wands is keeping up the motivation, knowing that things might happen quickly, that changes are coming. It's that reminder that when opportunities come your way and it feels right, don't overthink it. And I am the worst for this. I weigh all the pros and cons. I sit on the fence, I hem and haw, I talk to everyone about it. And the eight of wands is that reminder that it's like trust that instinct. When you know it feels right, go for it. And I think in the same vein, this isn't talked about very much in relationship with the eight of wands. It's usually like strike while the iron's hot and say yes. I think also, though, the eight of wands can be the reminder to let the opportunities that aren't right for you sail on by. But you have to trust yourself to know which is which. I always feel a little bit melancholy around my birthday as well. Apparently, it's a Gemini thing that I didn't know was a thing, because I keep seeing it online, but who knows? And I feel like this just really perked me up. It reminded me that there's still so much potential out there for me. There's so much to explore, that I do need to find that balance between the joy and the creation, and that I should be opening my eyes to the opportunities that are available around me so I can say yes when the time is right. So that was a message that I felt really good about. But I also wanted to see what is more of my purpose? How can I be more of service going forward in this year? How can I help more or do more? And I don't mean do more as in be more productive, but do more in terms of helping others. And I'm actually really happy that I asked this question because I think adding in some idea of purpose of, you know, what path are we traversing down towards, what would be in our best interest for our highest good? I think that's a really nice thing to do on a birthday or at the start of the new year to kind of recat recalibrate. So, anyways, I pulled cards and I got the seven of swords, the magician, and death. Now I know a lot of people see the seven of swords and immediately go to lies and deceit and something underhanded. Sometimes it can mean that, but in the context of the other cards in the question, that doesn't really make any sense. So the way I'm looking at the seven of swords is being resourceful, of being mentally flexible, of being strategic in my approach to things, not in a slimy way, but in a smart way. It's also the reminder that to help others, I also have to look out for me. And I always say in readings, we are the hardest person a lot of the time for us to actually look out for. And I don't take it in any kind of bad omen way, but it is that reminder that it's okay to take the shortcut. Work smarter, not harder. This is not a meaning of the card I would generally use, but as I'm sitting here looking at the card, I can see her carrying five swords and leaving two behind, which is very normal in Rider Waite Smith symbolism. But it strikes me right now also as the reminder that I don't have to do all the parts. I'm the kind of person who often thinks that I always have to do or add more. Like what I already have isn't enough. What I'm already giving isn't enough. And that kind of thing I usually relate more to the pentacles, like our self-worth. But for me, this isn't so much about self-worth. It's about what I'm putting out into the world where I always think I have to go deeper, go bigger, go more, go heavier. And it's saying no, you don't. You don't have to put it all out there. Not that you can't, but don't feel like you need to, especially to get going. Let people pick up the swords and the pieces that they need from you, but realize that they're not all going to need all of it, and that's okay. With the magician, we get creating our own reality, and I have been super into manifestation lately, so I feel like it's sharing more about that. I love the neuroscience behind manifestation, so bringing that to the surface a little bit more is what comes out to me for The Magician, and showing people that they have the tools, the talents, the resources, they have everything they need exactly as they are to really step into a place of confidence and power. I'm also working on setting up a new coaching offer that talks so much about that, that really focuses on your identity and your beliefs and how to step into the person that you really want to be. It's something I'm still working on. I think it's something that we continue to do. I don't know if we ever are like, yes, I have mastered this, but it is so rewarding and it can completely change your life. And I want to share that with other people who want that for themselves, who want to enjoy who they are and enjoy the life they're leading. And that doesn't mean we live a perfect life because that's not something that's possible, even if we think we're aspiring to that. In relation to the question as well, it's the reminder that yes, I'm here to serve and help people through this, but I'm also needing to do it by living by that example. Because I'm not special. Anything I can do, you can also do. That's also why I teach tarot, because I know how much it's helped me, and if it's helped me, it can help someone else too. So that felt really good. And then, of course, we have death, and I feel like this just aligns so well with what I was talking about too. But death is transformation, it is endings that lead to new beginnings, allowing old, outdated parts of yourself to fade away. And I really am looking forward to stepping more into identity work, and that's exactly what death is. It's not saying to forget who you were or where you came from, but it's the reminder that we are not the same person day to day. And if we are carrying outdated versions of ourselves, and if we are acting from those beliefs and from those memories, the ones that don't really fit with who we are and who we want to be, we need to let them go. And I'm not saying it's easy or it's comfortable, but that's something that I would love to help more people through. Death is another one of my favorite cards in the tarot. So the fact that this also came up, it sounds so ridiculous, but it warmed my heart. But that was my reading. That's all I pulled for myself, but it did feel really good, very much in alignment of where I'm wanting to go, and the validation feels amazing. And to me, that was much more meaningful than pulling a card for every month. So if this is something that you wanted to try for yourself, I would say go for it. And it doesn't have to be your birthday or the start of a new year. You can start a new year any day you want. But again, what I asked was just what do I need to know for the upcoming year? And how can I be more of service going forward? And you can always add other elements. If you wanted to focus on career specifically or love life specifically, you 100% could and get a little bit more granular than I did. But if you give it a try, I'd love to know how it goes. This was definitely a different style of episode, but I hope you enjoyed hearing about the reading and that it gave you different ideas of how to view the cards and how to do a reading of this kind. If you want more tarot from me, make sure you join me at Adrian Amari Tarot on Instagram. Check out my website and services at AdrianAmaritarot.com. And if you want to experiment with the cards and really hone your tarot skills, you can join us in the tarot lab at the tarot lab.com. If you liked this style of episode, let me know. And if there's ever anything you want to hear on Beyond the Shuffle, my mailbox is open. Thank you so much for being here, and I'll catch you next week on Beyond the Shuffle.