January 2013 Friendship Reading

I've finally decided to use the famous (some say infamous) Thoth Tarot for you here in my newsletter. it was created by Aleister Crowley, artwork by Frieda Harris. It's a deck that works well for me, and brings a lot of wisdom with it, and of course is considered of of the true Tarot classics.

The question I asked for you this month was:

What do you most need to know to make the most of what you have and what you will be given this month of January 2013?

And here is your useful and positive answer:


Card 1: Fortune

The first card for you here is called Fortune. It's a card from the Major Arcana and the Majors are about important life lessons that our lives are working to tell us related to the question asked. So there is an important life lesson that you are meant to learn by learning to make the most of what you are given to work with this month. These lessons are always in our best interests and enrich us in many ways.

The Fortune card says that something will happen in your life this month that is quite unexpected. It's the kind of card which says that you may have been expecting or planning for one thing, and then something totally different comes instead. It will come as a bit of a surprise. This is not at all to say it will be anything negative, but it will be unexpected and throw your plans up in the air somewhat.

The card image says to me that ultimately it is something that will benefit you and be healing to some ares of your life. Purple is the colour of healing for me. The 6 lightening bolts say that it will come into your life from a place of loving energy. It will ultimately be en-"lightening".  It will cause some wheels to turn and lead to certain events in your future.

Examples of this type of situation are when you are expecting to get a certain job or to buy a house you want and then it is no longer available and you have to get a new one instead. THEN at the new place you meet someone you were destined to meet, your soul mate or someone who becomes a dear friend.  Since you obviously cannot plan on meeting someone you do not know exists,  and you have no idea this person who you don't know could be important to you, ....AND the best place for you to meet them is there, then Fortune takes a hand and changes your plans to get in the right place at the right time.

But all the stars at the top of the image, and the Swords held by the beings at the top and bottom of the image tell you that the best thing you can do is to think hopeful thoughts, expect the very best and have faith, and those will truly be rewarded, more than you expect.

Change, especially when it comes unexpected, can throw us a bit at first. We have to stop and rethink.  But this card is telling you this change is truly meant to come to you to heal something in your life and it will be in your best interest. It just involves a little adjustment and hope and faith. All is working out in the best way, trust in that.

Card 2: Flipped 9 of Swords, reversed (Cruelty)

No this card is not saying anything negative is coming. Trust me on that. :-)

This card, and the next two, were flipped cards. And that means that the cards are asking you to stop and think about their message as there is something deep in it that you will understand on a deeper level after having thought it over a bit.

This is the 9 of Swords, reversed. And that is a good thing. Swords are about your thoughts, and they way you are viewing things. Your thoughts and beliefs on the topic

It is saying that your first reaction, when your plans are suddenly or unexpectedly changed might be to think that life is not on your side, that suddenly it is against you or treating you cruelly. Your first reaction might be to think that someone in your life is treating you cruelly.   But this card is telling you to look beyond that. And that if you look beyond that you will see the underlying truth.

This is a revered 9. Reversed 9s for me are about warmth, joy, happiness, healing, contentment, fulfillment, that feeling that all is right with the world, feeling full of positive energy. This IS the underlying truth that you can see if you look deeper. There is a pattern to what will happen, it is not random. It is meant to wash away anything that is harming you and leave only the best of what you need in your life to be at your positive loving joyful best.

This is meant as a cleansing experience in your life and it is meant to and will truly improve your life. Just trust that it is for the best, it is.  If it's a person in your life who starts acting different and in a way that feels cruel,this card says that  you're misunderstanding. Look deeper and you will find the truth. The true base of the situation is loving, positive energy.

Card 3: flipped The Chariot, reversed

This is both a flipped card AND a card from the Major Arcana. It is telling you about an important life lesson that your life is working to teach you this month, and saying that if you stop and think this over, there is something to be gained by so doing.

The Chariot says that yes you will be facing something unexpected., and that will make you stop and question and rethink certain things. it may feel a bit hard as you had things all planned in your mind and now you have to stop and re-plan.  But that is not really the gist of the card.

The real meaning of The Chariot is not so much facing some type of challenge. Instead, the real meaning says that IF you face it, face it with integrity, and do not give up, then you are guaranteed a huge success. There is a promise to this card that is at the very heart of it.

It tells you, promises you, that if you face what you have to and do not give up,  you are going to go on to succeed in ways that are deeper and stronger than you expected to. And that is WHY this change in plans came to you now, For that very reason, to give you the chance for this increased success in your life. Keep your hopes and faith up and don't give up and it is practically guaranteed.

 As for the image here, the suit of armour in reality says that you are safe. You are protected and nothing "bad:" is going to happen to you from this change. It also says that having a sense of humour about it will help a lot. :-) Looking for and seeing the humour in the situation will bring our your inner child in a  good way and be healthy for you here.

The image says don't get too mesmerized by the thought that things changed. Just think the kind of thoughts that are authentically you and come from the heart of that unique person you are and you can't go wrong.

Card 4: flipped 8 of Disks, reversed (Prudence)

This is the 8 of Disks reversed. Disks (also known as Coins or Pentacles) are about our goals, the goals we want to set to get to where we want to be, and the work needed to turn those goals into reality.  A reversed 8 for me is about romance. So we are talking about your goals now related to your romantic life. what you want to happen in that area of your life, why you want that, and once you are clear on all that....how to best achieve it.

This card is called Prudence, so it is telling you that this month is not the month to rush into anything on that front, in your romantic life.   It says that before you take any steps to set your plans in action, stop first and think things over. Stop and be sure if the goals you are setting are really what you want, might they have any unwanted side effects, are they really best for all concerned, think of other alternatives....And then once you are really sure those goals are what you want, then by all means go ahead, but still tale things slowly and carefully this month on that front, when creating changes.

The image is one of growth, it is in fact a tree with springtime flowers on it. And that is saying that in each area of our lives there is a time when ti is best to push forward and a time when it is best to slow down. This month is has the latter kind of energy to it in this area of your life.  its just part of the natural cycle of all things. All things sometimes need a resting period, a breather. And sometimes the kindest, most nurturing thing we can do it is give things the time they need.

When I first say the Fortune card, saying that you would be facing something unexpected this month, I pulled one more card for you to ask how to make the best of this unexpected thing. And I got the card below:

 Art

This is also a card from the Major Arcana, so once again there is an important life lesson for you here  Art to me is about making a work of Art of your life, of what you are facing in your life. A work of art represents who you are to the world, shows your inner self, touches other people with it.

For one thing, this says to be authentically you. Show your true inner self to the world and act and react from that place.

Art is also a creative act, and this tells you that when you are faced with this unexpected thing, be creative. Expand your horizons, try to think in new ways, brainstorm, talk to others who think differently from you and learn from their ways of thinking. Turn of your thoughts and meditate or even draw or sketch or paint your ideas to get your creative juices flowing. or write a short story about it.

Finding new ways to find the answers can lead to new kinds of solutions.  Try to think outside the box.  the image shows that there are two sides to you, opposites like fire and water. One side is your rational problem solving side, and the other is your intuitive creative side. You are being told by this card that you will come to the best solution here this month by working with your creative side.  That is the side which will let you best sense the web of connectivity between what is best for you and why things changed. And that is an important part of the puzzle.