Today, on the 30th of December at 2:26pm Pacific (UTC-8), we had a New Moon in Capricorn. Personally, it feels nice to have a new moon so close to beginning of the Gregorian calendar because it helps me get into that head space of making new goals and establishing new habits. (As much as I’d like to get away from the cult of productivity, it’s how I was raised and it’s still a hallmark of capitalism, so here we are, wheee.)
For this new moon, “Patron” was the card I drew for all of us and the immediate message that came through was “where in your life are you being supported and encouraged?” Because sometimes those are the same and sometimes they really aren’t. I feel like “support” can be perfunctory and apply to basic needs, whereas “encourage” can be more active… quite literally. Consider: “support” can be both a verb or a noun, whereas “encourage” is strictly a verb. And then there’s the etymology, where “support” is rooted in the Latin “portare” (to carry) and “encourage” is rooted in “coer“/”cor” (heart).
But “The Hermit” is our collective card for 2025. And that major arcana card carries an inherent loneliness, or at least, a sense of solitude (which need not be “lonely,” it can simply be “calm”). In most iterations of the Rider-Waite-Smith dupes, The Hermit carries a lantern to guide them on their path, because it’s not one that’s easily found. As a collective card, we’ll be tasked with going on journeys that are unfamiliar to us… perhaps unfamiliar to most people. Uncharted territories. It’s an intentional search of answers or solutions, one that will take us out of comfort zones.
So, weighing them together is something we’ll need to take our time with in the month, six months, and year ahead.
Visually, the prominent figures of the cards are looking in different directions (and I intentionally chose this version of “The Hermit” card so it’s a bit of exercise for whoever sees this), which tells me that being myopic isn’t an option. In the days ahead, we should keep our eyes and ears open to unexpected sources of support and encouragement. And we will most likely need to also turn away from the sources that are familiar if we want to grow and learn new things.
Finally, how can we be patrons to the people in our lives who are already on their hermit journey? Because if I believe in and want to create a system where we all benefit, not just the ones at the top, what role can I play to prop others up even if I have limited resources? And of course, how can I continue to “deliver” to those who have given me their patronage? What am I giving? Is it enough? How can I improve upon it? Does it still reflect what I want to be providing?
To that last paragraph, you may notice this new moon post doesn’t have tarotscopes. As I review what I’ve done in 2024 and where I want to be in 2025, I’ve decided that tarotscopes will need to be retooled. To be frank, the ROI hasn’t been there and I need to be focused on something that will yield better results. Which I guess is part of my Hermit journey, you know?
We’ll figure it out and we’ll make something better.
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