Sarah Potter’s Guide to Using Tarot to Navigate the Twelve Steps

by Sarah Potter and Ana-Maria Bonner

Beloved tarot practitioner Sarah Potter is joining us on the blog to introduce her book Sober Magic: Using the Tarot and Ritual in Your Journey Away from Drinking. These pages offer a loving and nonjudgmental twelve-step journey to sobriety reframed through the lens of the tarot. But it’s important to note that The Fool’s Sober Journey is for everyone.

Sarah says:

“The steps in Sober Magic are for anyone who wants support in understanding themselves more deeply, whether you’re in recovery, sober curious, exploring your relationship to alcohol, or simply craving a clearer, kinder path forward. I’ve always believed the 12 steps have wisdom for everyone; they offer a compassionate framework for self-reflection, accountability, and spiritual growth that can meet you exactly where you are. I reframed each step through the tarot because the cards have always been my way of translating transformation as symbolic, practical, intuitive, and deeply human. Pairing Major and Minor Arcana cards with every step helped me ground each lesson in both the big spiritual invitation and the everyday actions. My hope is that this framework helps you approach your own journey with softness, honesty, and a sense of magic that feels accessible and real.”

Ultimately, this book is not about giving up substances. It’s about reclaiming your personal power so that you can step into your true self and change your life.

Read on for an overview of the The Fool’s Sober Journey followed by an excerpt from Chapter 1: The Fool. Sober Magic is available wherever books are sold.

The Fool’s Sober Journey

THE FOOL: I choose to set out on the path of sobriety, a new beginning filled with new opportunities and endless potential.
THE MAGICIAN AND THE HIGH PRIESTESS: By embracing a belief in magic, I know that everything is connected and I am never alone.
THE EMPRESS AND THE EMPEROR: By nurturing myself, I make empowered decisions.
THE HIEROPHANT AND THE LOVERS: Through self- reflection, I gain an understanding of my true nature and uncover the parts of myself to accept and release with love.
THE CHARIOT AND STRENGTH: By committing to radical honesty with myself, I find my true fortitude and continue to move forward on my path.
THE HERMIT AND WHEEL OF FORTUNE: Self-acceptance through self-discovery supports my invocation of change.
JUSTICE AND THE HANGED MAN: Humbly asking for help offers a new perspective.
DEATH AND TEMPERANCE: I am patient with myself as I invoke my personal transformation.
THE DEVIL AND THE TOWER: Committing to making major changes by righting my wrongs, I find freedom.
THE STAR AND THE MOON: A deep commitment to self- reflection and honesty allows me to see my wrongs and promptly right them.
THE SUN AND JUDGEMENT: My higher purpose provides a guiding light on my divine path.
THE WORLD: My journey of spiritual awakening is never complete because there is always more to discover through the lessons of practicing sober magic in all my endeavors.

The Fool and Step One

Admission of Powerlessness,
Openness to New Experiences,
Taking a Leap of Faith,
Childlike Trust and Humility,
Facing the Unknown

The Fool is associated with new beginnings, innocence, spontaneity, and a sense of adventure. In relation to sobriety—particularly step one of recovery, where we acknowledge and admit our powerlessness over addiction and recognize where life has become unmanageable—the Fool card has several meaningful connections to consider. Just as the Fool embarks on a journey without knowing what lies ahead, individuals in recovery are taking a courageous step toward a new life. There is often an abundance of uncertainty, but that doesn’t need to overshadow that this is also a hopeful moment full of potential.

The Fool represents a fresh start and the ability to leave behind past burdens, and acknowledging the need for change is central to step one. When we admit we have a problem, even if in that moment we feel boxed in by our current circumstances, we are creating space for limitless potential. And if you can dance on that summit with the Fool and jump off the edge into a new way of being, life is guaranteed to be different from here on out.

In recovery, confronting the unknown of a future without substances can be daunting, but it is essential to move forward without being weighed down by the past. This relinquishing of fear can lead to empowerment and healing. Step one requires a leap of faith—while acknowledging that support will be needed along the way.

The Fool’s new beginnings, trust, and spontaneity resonate deeply with the first step of recovery. We can acknowledge our challenges—our powerlessness and our unmanageable lives—and at the same time set out on a new journey toward healing and personal transformation.

The Aces of the Minor Arcana

Step one is all about surrendering control, admitting powerlessness over addiction or destructive patterns, and opening the door to a new way of living. The Aces represent beginnings, gifts, and divine invitations, each one offering a unique facet of spiritual awakening that aligns with the essence of step one.

Ace of Wands
Inspiration, Desire, Awakening;
The Spark of Willingness
This is the spark, the first flicker of willingness. It represents the desire for change and the inner fire that ignites when we admit we can’t keep living the way we have been. The Ace of Wands is the soul’s call to action, the readiness to try something different—even if we don’t know exactly what it will look like yet. It’s hope.

Ace of Cups
Healing, Openness, Emotional Renewal;
Readiness to Feel
This card represents emotional surrender. The Ace of Cups is the willingness to feel again, to soften, to be vulnerable, and to allow love (including self-love) to start trickling back in. In step one, it’s the recognition that shutting off our emotions hasn’t protected us—it’s isolated us. This card is the first tear, the first prayer, the first moment of connection.

Ace of Swords
Truth, Clarity, Breakthrough;
Radical Honesty
This is the mental clarity that often comes after a long period of denial or distortion. It cuts through illusions and invites radical honesty—the kind that step one demands. The Ace of Swords is the breakthrough thought, the brave admission, the decision to speak the truth: “I am powerless, and my life has become unmanageable.”

Ace of Pentacles
Stability, Opportunity, Commitment;
The Beginning of a Grounded Path Forward
This is the physical commitment to doing things differently. It could be the first meeting, the first sober day, the first time we reach out for help. It reminds us that recovery isn’t just emotional or spiritual; it’s grounded in tangible choices. The Ace of Pentacles holds the promise of a new, abundant life, one small step at a time.

Together, the Aces mirror the wholeness of step one. They hold the fire of desire (Wands), the heart of surrender (Cups), the mind of honesty (Swords), and the grounded action of commitment (Pentacles). Step one isn’t just an ending; it’s the beginning of a sacred, magical rebirth.

A Tarot Spread to Embark on Your Own Fool’s Journey

Whether you are embarking on your maiden voyage with the Fool or you have traveled the path many times over, there is always something new to discover! Allow the energy of the Fool to inspire you to boldly move into the unknown.

Illustration of the Tarot Spread to Embark on Your Own Fool's Journey. Card 1 is in the center of a circle of twelve cards. Card 2 is above Card 1. The cards proceed numerically to the right and around to the left.

For Card 1, ask: What aspect of the Fool will I embody this year? What is the major lesson the Fool will teach me in this round of our journey together? Think of this as the overall theme of your year ahead in sobriety to anchor your practice.

This card provides insight on where to place your focus this year. This is something the Universe knows you are ready to face. Maybe it’s caring for your physical health and mental well-being, or maybe it’s focusing on your financial stability or diving more deeply into your romantic relationship patterns. Whatever it is, allow it to shift as the year progresses so you may embrace the lessons with flexibility. Sometimes we might expect one thing but be surprised by something else entirely. Allow these lessons to delight you rather than intimidate you!

Pull twelve more cards. Each one offers insight into the details of the energetic theme for the corresponding month in the year ahead. This is your road map of the possibilities and potential for your personal Fool’s Journey through sobriety over the coming months! I think it’s very important to balance the notion of being present through the ideal of one step at a time while also creating structure, tools, and thoughtful points to consider.