By now you are probably worn out from the holidays, and not particularly interested in thinking about the challenges of the New Year. But a personal perspective on the New Year is important for you, and you need to consider it in reference to your own “road map” for the year.

Christmas (Yule)

and the New Year

It is not by chance alone that we recognize the start of a new calendar year and celebrate the re-birth of the solar year on nearly the same day. Death (at least the appearance of it) and Re-birth are core symbolisms deeply reflecting the reality of life and our experience of it. And the important message is that life does continue onward in a new cycle built upon the past.

In some cultures, the New Year celebration included the forgiveness of debts. That, of course, is not possible in the modern economic world, but it is possible to forgive one’s enemies for their “trespasses” — the emotional hurts we experience. And we have a tradition of honoring our friends and relatives with gifts at the holiday season. We send “greetings” of friendship and remembrance, often including our personal stories of the past year and expressing good hopes for the coming year.

Forgiveness and honor of past and present, and the hope and promise of the new beginnings: here we have a message that resonates across all boundaries.

A Roadmap for the Future

President Bush made the word “roadmap” famous in the proposed solution to the Palestinian Crisis. We all need a roadmap and a plan for the year ahead. But a plan starts with an understanding of our current situation and what we want to accomplish, as much as where we want to go. We must know about our starting point, as well as the intended goal, in order to determine our route and the resources that we need to employ to accomplish the mission.

And the analysis of our current starting point includes a new understanding of the political, economic and societal realities that surround our personal choices. Our self-understanding must include and be interpreted in relation to our “world-understanding.”

The problem of inadequate planning and of shifting goals is always a source of disappointment and even failure. A responsible person must be informed about worldly affairs, and must interpret and apply that information and new understanding to their own viewpoint in order to make the best choices in personal (and family, work and community) matters.

We can’t do that for you — although through books and media there are rich resources at your disposal. But we can help you with your personal roadmap. Two powerful technologies are available to you: Astrology and the Tarot. Each operates in a different way. Astrology provides an analysis of the energies operating in your life and throughout the coming year, while the Tarot provides an analysis of the emotional and archetypal factors that are equally important. Each offers the foundations for intelligent goal-setting and decision-making — the keys to your personal roadmap for the year(s) ahead.

Mapping Your Future

Our products are tools for you. You can read about a particular tool, Mapping Your Future, and the other tools in the mapping (Astrology Made Easy) series. And for those who want a still easier tool, we provide accurate astrological services for the transits of the coming year. These are available in the insert section of this issue, or by calling 1-800-THE-MOON.

My goal is to encourage you to give yourself a plan, a roadmap. Our goal at Llewellyn is to help you make the very best of your life. This “New Age” is all about personal empowerment. It is not — and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise — anti-religion or anti-science, nor is there any agenda other than to provide you with the opportunities and resources for a better life.

Love and Romance

And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the core importance of love and romance also highlighted at this time of the year. Emotional relationships make life rich and rewarding, and give meaning to everything else. We have the need to unite with others, to have families and to protect and provide for these others.

Our roadmaps need to reflect our emotional lives, and the Tarot is the tool of choice in understanding our emotional needs, the human and spiritual factors involved in our current situation and the choices we can make.

Read about all of the tools Llewellyn Worldwide has to offer elsewhere in this issue. My goal is once again to suggest the importance of using them in developing your personal plan and roadmap for the coming year.

Love and blessings, and best wishes,

— Carl Llewellyn Weschcke, Publisher