As the last few hours of 2012 come to a close (by Western reckoning, in any case), the time comes to examine the fabric of our fates, or wyrd. The weft is made up of threads of Earth, Water, Air, Fire, and Spirit, and the manner of their weaving is left largely up to the individual. The warp is the wyrd background against which we all create our patterns. Unlike a loom’s warp, wyrd isn’t quite fixed, as it changes in response to the choices and actions present in the weft; but it is largely beyond our conscious control when compared to the threads of the elements and nwyvre.
One way to try to read the influences of wyrd, of fate, can be through divination. Tarot, runes, ogham (the bane of my existence!), astrology, scrying, are all viable tools for sussing out the flows of the Weird Sisters’ Well. Seeing possibilities in the pattern can help to guide one’s choices, but we must remember that we are all ultimately masters and mistresses of our own fates. To believe unerringly in any reading is to doom oneself to being a victim of whatever the seer proposes.
In preparation for the oracular work of this night, I like to take this day to clean house, both literally and metaphorically. With the end of the gifting season, there will be many things in our homes which are no longer needed. Drop items in local clothing or book boxes, or find families in your neighborhood who might appreciate hand-me-downs. Go through your ritual tool kit. What do you use regularly? What can you give away? Tidy your shrines and altars—house wights like nothing better than this, and it will solidify your relationship to them for the coming year. Take out the trash and recyclables.
Then when your home is in order, consult your preferred method of divination for the coming year. I find a monthly pull to be most useful, though there are many spreads available which can provide various levels of detailed information. Write down the results, stick them on your refrigerator or calendar. Then, once a month refer to this reading. Use it as a guide for aspects of your life on which to focus, or as warning of areas that may be troublesome in the coming month.
And if you don’t like what you see, for gods’ sakes, CHANGE IT.
Warmth under a shining sky,
A.V.
The Druid's Well 
Very interesting! We always find this period of the year, around midwinter, to be a particularly interesting time for divination. Also a time for reflecting upon what we want to take with us into the new year, and what we want to rid ourselves of, both in a physical and in a psychological sense.
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Glad you found it interesting! I agree, midwinter is a time where divination flows quite easily (the other two times of year that work well for me are Halloween and May Day). Yule does seem to be a good time for cleaning house, too, or at least take inspiration from the good Frau about tidying up. 🙂
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