January is Taking Stock

A Monthly Magical Download for January 2025

Inventory starts at the bookstore today. We always choose this time of year for inventory, as stock is at its lowest after the holiday rush. Over the next few days, we’ll count the books we have, take note of what we need to put on sale and what we need to order more of, clean the parts of the store that have gone untended over the holidays, set personal and company-wide goals for the new year, and take a moment to breathe after the chaos of December.

Okay, but what does the local bookstore’s inventory have to do with magic and mysticism? Perhaps not much on the surface, but when I look at the energy of January, I see this practice reflected back at us. Not that you need to go count all your books (though, maybe, if you’re an incurable book hoarder like me). Rather, now is a time to slow down, reflect, get rid of what’s not working, pick up more of what you need, tend to the areas of life that have gone un-tended, and take a deep breath to recover from the holidays. In a word (or two), January is taking stock.

January’s Theme: Nine of Cups

At the top of our reading for January 2025, we have the Nine of Cups. This card features a figure in white robes and a red hat, sitting with their arms crossed in front of a shelf adorned with nine gleaming golden cups. The background of the card is yellow, a symbol of sunny skies, hope, and clarity in the Tarot.

To truly understand the meaning of the nine of cups, we must first look at the cards that come before and after, the Eight of Cups and Ten of Cups. The Eight of Cups is the card of walking away from that which no longer fulfills us to seek that which our heart is longing for, while the Ten of Cups is the epitome of the happy ever after.

If the Ten of Cups is the card of utopia (it features a literal rainbow after all), and Eight of Cups the card of seeking that which will bring us joy, then the Nine of Cups is the moment that comes between. It’s the satisfaction of a wish come true and the courage to ask for more. It’s taking stock of what you have while asking yourself, your spirits, and your gods for the fulfillment of your wildest dreams.

One of my favorite books on the tarot, Red Tarot by Christopher Marmolejo, says this of the nine of cups:

If tarot is a map of our inner world, then mustn’t it include the utopia, the place where all our dreams come true, the heaven where God is? The Nine of Cups is the revelation of longing. The deepest dreams and desires residing in the reader’s consciousness swell come a central empty openness that composes the card. This center is the readiness to receive.

Personally, I cannot imagine a better card to embody the energy of January. From an individual perspective, this is the season of hibernation—a time when we are invited to turn in, reflect, and consider what we want to plant when spring comes again. It’s a time for dreaming… literally! Dream magic is potent this time of year. But also of dreaming what we want our future to hold. Collectively, as we start the month of with an inauguration many of us are less than thrilled about, we’re being called to imagine what utopia could look like. Another potent line from the Red Tarot’s Nine of Cups chapter reads, “…if God asked you, in particular, to help humanity, what miracle could you imagine?”

Whether your dreaming up a personal utopia for the year ahead or a better future for our world in the days to come, January is the time to slow down (note: the figure is seated), reflect on what you’ve left during the Eight of Cups period of your life, and consider where you want to go as you work towards your personal Ten of Cups dreams.

What to Lean Towards: Seven of Wands, Reversed

I was intrigued when I realized both the lean towards and lean away from cards for January are cards that appeared elsewhere in our December 2024 reading. We love when the tarot offers a bit of synchronicity!

In December, the Seven of Wands was upright in the position of “underlying factors”. At the time, it spoke of the conflict facing our globe and encouraged us to keep sight of why we fight, even when the battle feels lost. Now, reversed and in the position of “what to lean towards”, a new message emerges.