So back in December 2023 I signed up to do a Vision Board Workshop for 2024 with That Witch Karena who is asolutely fabulous!!!! This was one of the longest workshops I've done but it was well-worth doing it and it really has inspired me to think about what I want to achieve in 2024.
What do I need to leave behind from 2023 as I move into 2024?
I had SIX cards jump out at me all together from the Wild Unknown Animal Spirit oracle deck that wanted to be used for this. All six cards had a common feature and that is that they are all associated within this deck with the element of Water, which is all about emotions and flow. It seems that the biggest things I have to leave behind are emotional, and I'm more than happy to do the work necessary to do this.
First, there was Swan. With this card, I feel like I was being told to stop judging myself based on how others view me. If I am happy and content with my life, then that is all that matters and if anyone else has an issue with my life, then that's their problem. I am showing the world exactly who I am and nothing that I am not.
Next there was Oyster. With this card, I feel like I need to sort out what is no longer needed in my life and either remove it or decorate it in such a way that it does fit without feeling uncomfortable to me. It takes time to make a pearl so I also have to be patient to surround myself with the beauty that I wish to have around me. I want to make the inside of my home as pretty as possible just to please myself. Oysters don't create pearls for any reason other than to decorate things that enter their home/shell and take away some of that comfort - they do it for themselves!
Third there was Turtle. With this card, I feel like I need to follow my own tides and instincts. I need to go where I feel is right rather than following the light without thinking and getting into challenging situations I didn't need to get into. I also feel like this card was also highlighting that I need to stop trying to see signs everywhere because they will happen naturally - a turtle's shell has 13 lunar months and 28 days on it which represents a 364 day year (plus an extra day to rest and feast). This is a natural occurrence so I need to release my desire to control and focus my life.
Fourth there was Frog. This card spoke to me of emotions in the form of the raindrops and how I need to release my emotions, allowing them to roll of my back without being absorbed and kept hold of. A frog doesn't just live in the water as it also lives on land so I need to be adaptable, willing and able to change with the situations I face. I also need to remember to cleanse myself and my space more often so that I am better equipped to be adaptable, but also so that I can truly practice self-care.
Fifth there was Otter. This creature is synonymous to me with play and having fun. They always seem to be enjoying themselves no matter what they are doing, so perhaps the message from this card is that I need to release the idea that I constantly need to be sensible and thinking seriously all the time. I do need to enjoy myselfmore and rediscover the passion I have for my varios projects.
And finally, there was Shark. Most of us know the "horror" stories of people being mauled by sharks but at the same time, I feel like the Shark is misunderstood. While there are a lot of Sharks that have sharp, pointy teeth, there are also breeds which don't and they have a different diet. It's also about depth because they live near the surface but they also
Taking Numerology into account, 2023 was the year of the Chariot tarot card. The Chariot card is all about growth and movement towards the next phase, typically very fast movement that propelled us collectively forward. But I didn't realise just how quickly the year passed or how little was left of 2023 until there was a single lunar cycle left. This left me feeling like I needed to adjust quickly, needed to be adaptable, and, to be quite honest, I did need just that.
Still using Numerology, Strength is the tarot card for 2024 and it shows us how to create sustainability, that there should be a lack of trauma responses now, grounded forward movement, choosing peace but not just being a lamb and following innocently, speaking when I need to even if I have to roar at times, and being assertive. But this card also evokes doubts of whether I can choose peace and/or new beginnings? Personally, traditional Rider-Waite-Smith decks and imagery doesn't resonate with me but of the many tarot decks that I do love, I immediately thought of the Strength card with the Triple Goddess deck which has a theme of mothering and nurturing, which is a different kind of strength. This alongside teaching and learning, there's an opportunity to see abundance from everything that happened in my life within 2023, something that will allow me to grow from resilience. But perhaps I don't need to learn from resilience because Mother Earth is holding me and wants to help me to carry my burdens.
After this, Karena led a meditation journey but this still feels really personal to me so I won't be sharing that part here but there were more cards I pulled after the meditation in answer to some questions/prompts Karena provided.
What was a gift of 2023?
The Cobra came to show me that transformation was a massive part of 2023 and while I couldn't see it at the time, I do see it and am now grateful for the transformation and changes that have taken place in my life and home.
The Mouse also came to highlight the big, wide, wonderful world around me. Whenever I look outside, or even when my feline familiars do something random, I marvel at the world and how it is always full of possibility and potential.
The Raccoon came to show me that there is still fun to be had within life. However the Raccoon is also about owning my sense of self. I don't like to not have fun as I tend to become bored rather quickly if I'm not enjoying myself.
What felt abundant as fuck this 2023?
The Lamb appeared and was filled with possibilities and potential. The Lamb also has a lot of energy, possibly because it has so much potential that it doesn't quite know what to do with, and 2023 seemed to have quite a lot of energy within it - even if it didn't show up in the ways I expected.
This card feels like it's saying that 2023 was a kind of Spring for me, or at least a time of renewal since the Lamb is synonymous with Imbolc and Ostara within the Pagan Wheel of the Year.
The Lamb looks so peaceful within this card and apart from a couple of very rare occurrences, 2023 was predominantly full of peace. I have come to value my own personal peace and to be surrounded by things and people that bring that same feeling to my life.
Where does that abundance show up in the body?
The Bee came and gave me a feeling around my heart, almost like it was saying that I needed to find my passion, my purpose, so that I can work hard towards achieving it.
The Earthworm made me think about my head, where all my ideas start to grow and can become mature. While reflecting on this card, it appers tome as if the Earthworm is in the shape of a brain.
What routines helped you feel this abundance?
With the Fox came the recognition of learning, and staying connected to those I care about. The Fox is all about family and learns where is safe to go and find refuge so that's what I took from this card.
With the Snake came associations with Hekate, cycles, and transformation. The Snake sheds its skin as it grows so it's all about transformative cycles, ways of discovering the Self. I associate this particular image of a Snake with Hekate because She is associated with the ouroboros and they look similar here.
When you think of those routines and that person that emerged into them, what vision begins to take form as you embrace 2024?
The Bear is associated with hibernation, is cute and cuddly to look at but not so much when riled up or attacked. I am very protective of my space, I love my sleep and live like a Hermit. I've also been told that I have a particular kind of resting face that seems to keep people at bay. So I suppose I could say that I do resonate with the energy of the Bear generally.
The Hawk has an amazing hunting ability, and is objective while going after what it desires. This is new energy to me and something that I had to learn in 2023. I'm trying to work towards this still and embracing the energy of the Hawk as well as any bird of prey (especially those that live near my home).
Where does that show up as a shadow or a joy in your body?
The Beaver came to me and I felt it land in my stomach, where hunger and fullness is felt. So I feel both shadow and joy with the Beaver.
The Whale came and I felt it within my forehead, specifically my Third Eye area because I associated the Whale with intuition, and within-ness. This was neither a joyous feeling or one filled with shadow so possibly something to explore another time.
The Buffalo came and I felt it shroud me in a cloak, making me think of protection and needing shielding. This was more of a shadow feeling, almost like I was being warned to protect myself, or that I had spent too long doing so already and now was the time for me to step out of the shadow into the joyous light.
What are some experiences and/or results you want to see in 2024?
Black Egg
When I initially saw this card, I felt like it was showing a Spring-like energy. Something similar to incubation of ideas, showing that inner growth is just as important as outer growth is. I did wonder at the significance of the colour black so I read the guidebook entry for this card. It's all about truth, knowing how it feels and sits within me, and how it feels to speak it,
There was an interesting association with this card to the Fifth or Throat Chakra which is all about being able to express my inner truth.
I also felt like there was something to do with inner transformation about this card, because eggs grow things but from the outside, we can't see the actual growth.
Take a look at just one experience or result and give it a feeling, smell, taste, sound and sight
Strangely, when I attended this workshop, I was unable to think of a single experience but now I have reviewed this particular experience, I may just use this one. I wanted to pull cards for this but that didn't feel right so I looked at which sense is associated with which element. Then I realised that each card is associated with a particular element anyway so I could just focus on the spread of elements within this reading. Having counted through, I noticed a predominance of Water and Earth animal cards (8 of each) while Fire comes in with 3, and Air and Spirit with 2 each. This seems to be representative of even my birth chart as there are equal numbers of planets in Water and Earth signs, while the Fire and Air numbers are reversed in their number. To me, this indicates that this is/was an experience that could help me to learn more about my own self, or at least that 2024 is the year when my self-knowledge and self-understanding are deepened.
What word or intention are you bringing into 2024?
At this point, I chose to use the cards that appeared for me as inspiration for a word each to then create a sigil I could incorporate into my vision board. I like to use runes to create sigils and so this was really interesting to do, using my cards to inform me of which runes I would use.
From the Scorpion, the word that came to mind was Protection which is typically represented by Algiz.
From the Tarantula, the word that came to me was Creative. Because creativity is seens as a fire that sparks and then can burn fiercely, it is associated with Kenaz.
From the Cosmic Egg, I got the word: Potential. Eggs hold so much potential within them, regardless of what kind of egg we consider (bird, fish or mammal). Uruz is the rune associated with potential.
After all this, I spent a little while putting together the start of a vision board but it wasn't until January 2024 that I was able to complete it. I feel like I maybe wasn't ready to make my vision board until the day I just decided to sit down and do it. This in itself was me using my own intuition to tell myself when I was ready to put it together which feels really important to do - listening to what your own body says.
This was a really powerful experience for me and I look forward to doing it again in the future. I hope this inspires you to work with That Witch Karena because she really is amazing!
Peace and love to all!!!!
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