The height of this moonth’s cycle comes with the full moon arriving on Friday, the 6th (exact at 6:08 pm ET, time zone converter), and offers a revelation about how the lunar energies initiated on the December 23rd new moon are developing. The new moon, guided by its association with The Devil, Two of Pentacles, and Queen of Pentacles, invited us to have the strength to make magic. On the full moon we invite a revelation about how this energy is developing. As we integrate the revelation in the last weeks of the lunar cycle, we are issued an invitation to return a gift to the world.

The exact moment of the moon’s fullness comes in the sign of Cancer associated with the Tarot’s Chariot archetype.  When the Devil meets up with Chariot, a challenge is presented to align disparate—possibly conflicting, perhaps bedeviling—parts of ourselves. Once aligned, we can be propelled forward from where we’ve been stuck and enter new territory.

Key to the Chariot delivering you to the place of your soul’s calling is aligning with your deepest/highest values. What are the values you want to be guided by this moonth? Or as this full moon arrives so near to the new year you may want to create some space for reflecting on values you want to live by and uphold throughout 2023. Then these values can guide any planning you do for the year.

In the Minoan Tarot’s Chariot I find an invitation to keep Love at the center of our lives.

This is a favorite Chariot image of mine and I return to it as a touchstone each year during the January eRetreat, Tending the Returning Light. Deck creator Ellen Lorenzi-Prince describes the image:

On a painted stone sarcophagus from the New Palace Period, the Goddess drives a chariot drawn by griffins. With the body of a lion and head and wings of an eagle, the sovereign of beasts and the sovereign of birds together, griffins are especially powerful and majestic creatures, as they harness the powers of both Earth and Heaven. Yet the Goddess does not strain to hold the reins on the magical beasts. Her control is effortless.

In the overview booklet for Tending the Returning Light I reflect on the image and its meaning:

The rein we see the Goddess holding represents Her—and is a mirror of our— desires, longing, conscious control; this helps to set a direction for the Chariot.

But where is the second rein? We do not see one.

There is, however, another connection suggested. The Goddess extends her chest toward Her creatures. The heart lives in the chest. I believe Her heart is the second rein. This heart rein does not control so much as align. Her heart rein is curious about where the griffins might want to go. The heart rein is open to the journey as it unfolds. A heart rein invites new revelations.

Both reins are needed for us to move forward meaningfully through the challenges and delights of our lives.

The heart is the symbol of Love that is calling to us here at the start of the year.

When you engage Love, you may find its seeming opposites arise.

Your love for another, could also raise in you great frustration for how they do not take care or even abuse themselves. As you allow that frustration to flow you may find it is just another facet of love.

Your love for the earth could turn to fear for its future, our human future, the future of so many species. As you allow that fear to flow you may find it is just another facet of love.

Your love for the dead could raise another wave of grief within you. As you allow that grief to flow you may find it is just another facet of love.

Your love for people you do not know but that you see are suffering because of the injustice of our systems may raise in you a rage. As you allow that rage to flow you may find it is just another facet of love.

Weaving these elements together instead of setting them apart increases the power of the energy you have for moving forward in your life, toward your goals, into this new year.

To encourage a revelation on these themes as we journey through this moonthly cycle, you are invited to one, some, or all of these practices:

~ Moon bathe by sitting or lying under a window or outside on the ground. Let go of your thoughts and soak in the light.

~ Take out any reading or your reflections from the new moon and look at them in a new light. How does your understanding of the cards shift now that time has passed and light has shifted? (If you haven’t done a reading yet, no problem, just do it now under the light of the full moon. You can try the one from the new moon.)

~ Bring out your Devil and Chariot cards from your Tarot deck and connect them to your new moon reading / reflections. You could place/imagine these cards on either side of your reading or above and below, and then look at how they add meaning into the story your original cards offered you.

~ Reflect on questions such as: What is my heart’s desire? How can I be focused and directed in seeking my heart’s desire? How can I just go with the flow to seek my heart’s desire? Where can my love lead me? When I tap into my love what other emotions arise? How can I harness all that arises to move forward in my life? You could, of course, pull cards as responses to any of these questions. You may want to engage in Visio Divina to find the layers of wisdom within the cards.

When you are done, remember to offer gratitude for what you have received. Consider what gift you now want to return to the world. Pulling a card for guidance on the gift is always a fine thing to do. In the coming weeks and before the moon returns to dark around January 18th. offer your gift to the world.