—Deborah Netburn, Los Angeles Times (TNS)
Years ago, when they were feeling lost and directionless and leaning too heavily on their vices, Edgar Fabián Frías cast a spell on themself. As part of the process, the Los Angeles-based artist, therapist, and magical practitioner decided they would pull a tarot card and get whatever they selected tattooed on their arm.
As luck (or the universe) would have it, Frías pulled the Strength card. Since then, they've had a line drawing of a feminine figure leaning comfortably against a large orangutan on their left bicep. "Fuerza" (Spanish for strength) is written in blue ink beneath the image. (The traditional Strength card usually depicts a lion rather than an orangutan, but in tarot, everything is open to interpretation.)
"It helped me on my healing journey, and I find the card often connects with people who are trying to recover or find themselves," Frías said. "It's like an angel or a guide that comes at just the right moment."
If you too feel like you could use some Strength energy in your life, you're in luck. Tarot practitioners say the Strength card is 2024's card of the year. That's because 2+0+2+4=8, and Strength is the eighth card in most modern English-language tarot decks. Just like honoring the seasonal rhythms of the year or the phases of the moon, working with the card of the year can be a way to frame and contextualize a specific period of time.
"When we talk about the card of the year, we can think about what energies are associated with it that can help guide or support us or potentially give us some clues into the theme of the year," said author and artist Sarah Faith Gottesdiener, who also leads tarot workshops.
For example, in 2023 — a Chariot card year — Eliza Swann, founder of the Golden Dome School, a mystery school for artists with branches in New York and LA, moved houses four times. (The Chariot card is traditionally associated with movement and momentum).