Tuesday, July 30, 2013

The Readings by SunChariot Newsletter
August 2013 Edition
Volume 5, Edition 8
 
 












Welcome back to the Readings by SunChariot newsletter!
 
Sorry this is a bit later that usual this month, life got busy! LOL
 
To start off this edition. I'd like say that things are wonderful this month over here. As I write this we (the bf and I) are on the verge of buying a country house to go to on weekends, vacations and holidays. Pretty little house off in the country on a lake. Needless to say we are very excited. The home inspection for it is in two days and as long as it passes the inspection it's ours. So very very exciting over here! :-)

Just starting a serious diet here too. So that is good news too. Not as serious diet as in being extra STRICT, but just one that I am serious about,. And a healthier one, that I can keep for life. It's been going pretty well so far...have lost 7 lbs since starting a couple of weeks ago, Yay!

Other than all that, I have been thinking a lot lately about life and the messages it sends us. That IS my belief. That we do get messages from life when we need to, to tell us what we need to know and to comfort us and help keep us on track.
 
It's on my mind because one of my friends started seeing a series of repeating numbers. which in my understanding are messages from the angels. That got me thinking back to all the times I was worried about something and suddenly found a white feather on my path....another sign to me that I was not alone and was being helped along the way.
 
So that kind of thing is on my mind  a lot now. All the significant  "coincidences" that happen in our lives that give us the answers we need to know. Like the times when a song comes up on the radio and the lyrics give you the exact solution to an issue in your life....
 
I have been thinking about the idea of coincidences and my belief is that there are none. And they are generally all messages for us. Thinking back over all the times that I learnt valuable things by listening to life, and how it talked to me even before I knew how to listen. I can look back and now that even before I knew life talked to me, I had received warning signs to stay away from things I should have avoided. For me, over time, the more I learnt how to listen the more beautiful life became. 
 

So all this has been on my mind and the theme of it seems to echo through this newsletter this month.
 
  
 
I wish you a wonderful, relaxing, joy of nature kind of month this August,
 
All the very best,
 
 
Babs
 
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%  
 
(This Blog version of my newsletter is available to be viewed by anyone at anytime at this site. It will come out once a month, near the last Saturday of every month. But, if you'd like an e-mail reminder each month to let you know when the new edition has come up, just click here and I'll get that out to you) 
   
Quote of the Month



You never lose by loving. You always lose by holding back.


--Barbara de Angelis


 Somehow, it felt important to say that this month. :-)

August 2013 Contest



































I have done a lot of Tarot readings and Angel readings here for the contests lately. So I thought this month I would do a Oracle reading for a change. :-) Oracle decks are similar to Tarot decks but a bit freer as they have no set format. I will make it a 3 card Oracle reading. And the winner is free to ask me about anything they want to know more about and we will see what the cards have to say.

To enter the contest, just click here.

In the Comments section, just write "August 2013 contest" along with the country you are in (feel free to just put the first initial of your last name if you want).

The drawing will take place on Sunday, August 24, 2013  and will be announced in the September 2013 edition of this newsletter.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Last month's winner

The winner of last month's contest was Nancy H. from the USA..The prize last month was a 3 card Tarot reading using my Tarot of Transformation. Looking forward to the reading Nancy and to doing what I can for you.

We'll be in touch again soon, :-)

All the best till then, and always,



Warmly,

Babs

 
Tarot Demystified





































Connecting to spirits

This is always one of my favourite topics to write about. As, well...., one of my main purposes of writing this column was to help clarify what Tarot is and what it is not, and to help eliminate some of the MANY superstitions and popular misconceptions on the topic. So much of what is commonly believed about Tarot is untrue. And there are SO many of those superstitions and misconceptions related to the topic of a reader accidentally contacting some negative force of spirit.

I have seen this superstition come up in all kinds of ways.  When I started to learn to read Tarot, I had a friend tell me (quite seriously) that I should not get involved in Tarot as it was "Voodoo".   She was really quite scared for me. While I can't say that I honestly know anything about Voodoo, I know that there is nothing scary or negative about reading cards. In my experience, it has always been a beautiful, caring, connection, awe-filled, loving. That is the only kind of energy I have ever seen from my cards. Whether or not you "could" in theory use Tarot in Voodoo, couldn't tell you as I have no knowledge on the topic. But it certainly isn't going to happen accidentally.

I have also seen many people afraid to learn how to read Tarot or to even have a reading done for them, as if by having or doing a reading they might open the door to some kind of negative energy. As if they can just accidentally tap into that somehow by just picking up the cards and asking for answers. Again, I do not at all believe that is possible.

Admittedly no one knows for sure where the answers come from in Tarot or how Tarot works, even though it DOES work. But I don't believe you can connect to anything accidentally, and the answers will literally come where you look for them. If you ask that your answers come to you from a place of light and love, then that is all you will get. I asked for that early on and that is all I have ever seen from my cards. I have never seen any kind of negative energy at all from my cards.


If a reader uses their cards to seek the beauty and connection and love in life, that is what they will find. Tarot is a tool that can be just what you want it to be, to help you in the way that will benefit you most. Some prefer predictive readings, some like to use it to understand themselves and their world better, some to create the life they want. It's a tool that CAN answer ANY question. And with that knowledge comes power, power to be what we most want to be, power to take charge of our lives, and the power understand.
 
 
 
Coming next month: Different uses for Tarot

 
Asking about Life

This time round, I thought I'd send some magical faerie energy your way, so  I chose The Heart of Faerie Oracle by Brian Froud. I have always been a huge fan of Brian's since I first got my The Faeries' Oracle by him. So it felt like time to use one of his decks here. And it felt like a while since I used an Oracle deck for you here.

This August, inspired by the events going on in my life, I thought I would ask about how our lives talk to us and why. So I did, and here is what came up: :-)


Question 1: Why does life talk to us?

Card 1: Heartless Love 



































I had to smile when I saw this card. It is just the kind of thing my cards tell me so often and that I find so lovely. :-)

In short, life talks to us so we will know that it can and that we are not alone, that we don't have to face everything alone and that help is available. This card, The Heartless Love, is all about abandonment, heartbreak, and false expectations. So really the answer here is that life sends us those little signs and messages so that we will know that we are not alone, that we are never abandoned by life, no matter how things seem an any point in our lives. They come as a reminder, when we need them, to let us know all this.

In difficult times, or times of heartbreak or when we feel blue (as shown in the card image) .....When we need a reminder that life cares about us and is still working to send us what we need, just as it has in the past....that is when life sends us those little meaningful "coincidences" and signs (those things that pop up against all likelihood and offer wisdom if we pay attention).

Or when we look to the past and feel blue or wonder why we used to be lucky and now our luck has all turned bad...that is when life talks to us to remind us that this is not so, that nothing has changed. and that things ARE moving behind the scenes and being fixed. In short, life talks to us to remind us we are not alone and we are cared for and loved.


Card 2: flipped The Queen of Hearth and Home




































This card came up as a flipped card in this reading, partially flipped out of the deck during shuffling. That makes it an important part of the answer. When a flipped card comes up, it says that it would be useful to stop and think over the part of the answer given by this card, as there is something in it that you might not fully see in all its depth the first time.

This card is about a sense of graciousness and welcoming. And in essence it is saying that life itself is kind and wants to help us. We are offered help because life wants to help us. It is not something that comes to us at some times of our lives and not at others,. We are never abandoned. The image of the Queen holding the crystal ball here says that we always have that power to see under the surface level of things and perceive the messages our lives send us. But her mask says that at times in our lives we may try to tell ourselves that we don't. And when we do that we put on a mask and are pretending to be something we are not.

The ability to see things and understand them on a deep level is something we always hold in the palm of our hands. It is ours and if we take of the mask and see and accept that part of ourselves, it is then that life can most fully communicate with us. It does tend to be harder to communicate with someone for whatever reason doesn't want to listen of believes that such communication is not possible. But, this card says that yes it is, and if we pay attention to the so called coincidences of our lives instead of pushing them away, over time we can see a pattern forming and a sense to them. And then understanding grows.



Question 2: How does life talk to us?

Card 1: The Queen of Passage 







































This card is all about transitions, trust and surrendering to what is in front of you. It says that life talks to you in the spirit of trust and  respect. This card says that life is change. Some things change faster than others, but all things eventually change and grow. Life tells us what we need to know to have wisdom to face what is coming.

The Queen in the image (who represents us) is facing right, towards the future. And as she does she is surrounded by living things that can guide and nourish her as she moves forward: the birds, the trees, the very apple she holds out in front of her. The diamond shaped stone over her chest says that her connection to this help is eternal (diamond shape, diamonds are forever). And it's forged in love and trust. Life talks to us through that voice: the voice of love and trust.  It will lead our spirits forward to a place that frees them, if we let it.

And if we open to the communication. It allows us to grow in positive ways and to see the world differently. And seeks to shield us form unnecessary pain. It can be like a light in the darkness.



Question 3: How does it affect our lives if we listen?

Card 1: The Queen of Laughter 





































This is another card that made me smile when I saw it. It's pretty clear what this card is all about and saying here. That if we trust in life to guide us and have our back, once we do that it frees us to be more carefree in our lives and to let go of worry. Why worry if we trust we will be guided as needed. And then we can enjoy life more fully. Gotta love that card here. :-)


And there is the Queen of laughter: totally open, joyous, fun-filled, not overly serious and will to show off her own uniqueness and unique self to the world without thinking twice about it. She's totally open and herself as she has not reason not to be. She trusts she will be told what she needs to when the time is right so she really can afford to let go of the rest. And really LIVE and enjoy her life.

Its about cultivation the art of joy. Focusing on what is fun for you. And it's about then spreading that sense of joy out into the world around you, which someone who is truly joyous cannot fail to do. And that can do SO much good to the world around us.



Overall

Card 1: The Hero 








































I just pulled this card at the end, to pull it altogether and ask who we would be if we truly believed life talked to us and accepted the connection and have true faith in it. And., as you can seek, this card says we would be as heroes., We would feel courageous to face whatever comes. We would feel strong inside and connected to life and to all around us and feel unconditional love for life and for the world around us.

We would see that if our life talks to us, so must the lives of everyone around us. IF that is the nature of life, then it is  a universal thing. It would give us a different perspective. This card says that love is heroic, We requires us to face certain things we may fear at times. And yet with a love of life and the feeling of connection, we face them gladly/ As with those in hand, the beauty and in all things is evident. 

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

PS Soon after doing this reading something interesting happened. It started to rain, hard. Tomorrow morning is the home inspection on the country house we want. So I pulled out my cell phone and checked the weather. I said thunderstorms during the time that the home inspection is taking place!  I was like "Oh no, why NOW?"  We are bringing out company to see it and the lake and who wants to go check out a lake in a thunderstorm?

Since I had just done this reading not long before, my mind thought "What if this is a sign that this is not the right house for me?" I thought to go do a reading but didn't. Instead I opened up a book I just started reading, called The Magic Knot, by Helen Scott Taylor (Kindle edition). I had just started the book not long before and had no real idea what it was about

I opened it to where I had left off and right where I started reading the woman in the book (Rose) heard her Tarot cards call to her (literally in this case but it is a fantasy book) The Magic Knot in this book refers to a Tarot deck.,  And it was literally calling to her to be read. I mean what are the chances of me picking up that book in that place just when I had contemplated doing a reading but had not done it.  

SO I was like, "OK. I can take a hint! LOL" and the cards told me I was wrong and there was no cause for concern. More precisely it told me to have hopeful feelings about the house, that I should keep things in balance and to not give into negative thoughts for no good reason. LOL
 
But for me that is how life works. I had a false assumption and life wanted to correct me,. so it gave me that message to check with my deck which told me what the truth actually was. I honestly get this kind of thing a lot, but there is one more example of it. )

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

PPS In fact the cell phone weather report was wrong and the weather was beautiful during the time of the inspection. But we the house was not in good enough condition, so we did not take it and are still currently looking as I write this. :-)
 
August 2013 Friendship Reading

This month I pulled out one of my most special decks for you: The Transparent Tarot by Emily Carding. It's a very unique deck in that all the cards are ...well.............transparent. And they can be layered together to give new meanings. A lot of fun to play with as a deck, and a great deck overall. What I tend to do is to layer them in groups of 3 cards, as to me that gives the right complexity to the image to read with.

I asked for you what it would most help/benefit you to know about your life this month of August 2013. And here is what the cards had to say about that for you:


Card Combo 1

Card 1: 6 of Pentacles































Here is the image of the 6 of Pentacles alone. It's basic meaning for me is about setting loving goals, choosing love-based goals and/or working on your goals in loving ways.  So that is the beginning of your answer from the first 3 cards.  And you can see in the image how it's all about sharing and caring. Take those into consideration as you choose and work on your goals this month.



Card 2: 8 of Pentacles































Here is the second card of this card combo. it's the 8 of Pentacles, so it is once again about your goals. It is taking about choosing strong goals and using what inner strength that you have inside you to bring your goals into reality.


Card 3: The Devil



































And the last card of the first card combo for you here is The Dcvil and no, the meaning has NOTHING at all to do with anything related to "the devil".  This is a Major Arcana card, the one of the 3. And that   says that you will be sent an important life lesson this month in relation to the meaning of this card. The meaning of this card is simply being tempted to do something not totally in your best interest. It doesn't mean that you will actually do it, just that the pull to do it will be there and have to be dealt with.


Together

































 As for the 3 cards taken together, their basic meaning is that if you set your goals from a loving place, set goals that will take you to a place that you will love being in the end. then that will help you stay strong as you work on completing those goals and to resist any temptations that may come up. That means to focus on the positive, on how much you will love being where you want to be in the end, and that will carry you through.  (I don't know about you, but I KNOW what this refers to me in my life! LOL I am just starting a diet, so it makes perfect sense to me this month!!!)  

As for the image when the 3 cards are taken together, it's a pretty good message. :-)

You do have that circle in the center that is the focal point. It has 5 chains. And 5s for me are all about acting in the ways you were taught to growing up. Usually without thinking, just acting almost reflexively out or habit or instinct. Being a bit on auto-pilot. Its when we do that and don't stop to think out if the ideas and values we were taught are the ones that are best for us (some may be and some not) that we can be tempted by what is not good for us. So this month could be a good time to stop and see what "enchains" you that you had not paid attention to before

In the center of the circle, there is someone (you) with a large star in front of her, adding little stars to it. Stars are all about hope. So the more you understand this month about what holds you back from being all you can and want to be, the more hope you have of being those things. There are some important lessons you can learn from that this month that can truly help you in your life.

And the two sharing figures at the top of the card, in the right hand side which represents the future, shows you passing on hope and joy to others around you in the future. The whole message together says that the more you can understand and get a handle on what holds you back, and can build enough hope and positive thought to break out of that,. the more you can inspire others to do the same. And pass that hope on to others as they can see it CAN be done. Passing it forward, as it were.\



Card Combo 2

Card 1:The Star


































I thought I would add in a second group of 3 card for you here. And this was a really nice one. :-)

This card is the most important of the 3. It is a Major Arcana card once again, and that does mean that there is a very important life lesson, related to the meaning of this card, that your life is working to teach you this month of August 2013.

And, interestingly enough, it is a message that has already been mentioned in this reading. The Star card is all about having hope and faith: hope and faith in life AND hope and faith in yourself. As long as you believe you can complete your goal and hold onto that....well then you can. So holding onto the hope and faith are important to your goals and completing them.


Card 2: 8 of Swords







































This card is the 9 of Swords and is about the way you think about your goals you want to work on, and about the thoughts you have about them. And this is again an 8, as was the second card in the last card combo as well. The 8 coming up again here is not a coincidence. it is part of the message and shows how important strength is to completing our goals.

This card says again to be positive. To believe in yourself and to think positive encouraging thoughts about the outcome of what you are working on. Logically, we do get to choose the kinds of thoughts we want to embrace. And expecting the best and success is going to make it a lot easier to succeed than thinking of negative things. So choosing thoughts that tell you are CAN and WILL succeed is the way to go. Even if what you set out to do is hard, others have succeeded and if you hold on you can too. Just trust and have that hope.


Card 3: 2 of Cups

































And the 2 of Cups is all about the love. It is one of the love cards of the deck.  The image shows caring and sharing and equality. To me, here, it says to just be your own best friend. Talk to yourself in loving ways. Be encouraging to yourself as you work on your goals. Focus on the positive and don't make the focus on anything else. Nothing is ever actually perfect in life but that does not mean we can't have huge successes anyway.

Talk to yourself as you would talk to someone you love deeply, as you work on your goals, be kind and understanding and well....just plain loving.


Together


































I find these 3 very pretty when seen together. And of course the Star is central to the image, it's focal point once again saying to you to keep that hope and faith that you CAN achieve your goals at the center of it all, at the center of your being. Because yes you very much CAN!

To the left and right of the Star (representing that hope and faith in yourself here) are two beings holding hands. one represents you in the past and one represents you in your future. And they are holding hands

This is a very important point, it seems to me. It says that right now, or up until now, you have been connecting your concept to what you can do and accomplish and BE in the future to what you have accomplished in the past. Meaning that if you have found something easy enough to do in the past you feel sure you can do it again. But more importantly if something felt hard for you to accomplish in the past, this part of the image says that you are holding onto part of those feelings now and expecting more difficulties in the future or maybe even to fail./

In short, this card combo is saying: don't do that. The past is done and over. You are not the identical person you were then in the past. We all learn and grow continuously. And there is always cause for how that we can succeed in an unprecedented way on our lives at any moment. The potential is there in you, Let go of what is past. It is over and gone now. And know that it is now possible if you work from faith and love.

And on top of the image is a being (you) with swords all around them. it says that you CAN rise about what you thought you could or couldn't do. Whether those thoughts came from what others told you about yourself or from past experiences. Those are of the past and have not relevance now in the present. And certainly not in the future.

You can choose the thoughts that help you rise about all that, And then be more than you have yet been. All this is what the message of this month is all about. 




 
Well here we are again, coming to the end of this edition. Thank you for dropping by and letting me share with you. :-)

Please feel free to come visit me on my web site:


for an in-depth, personalized reading delivered right to your Inbox, whenever you'd like my help with any issues in your life. I'm always here for you and I'd be more than happy to work with you to help you find your answers or just to feel better about things.

May this be a month of really bonding with and fully feeling the joy of nature for you.


All my very best wishes for this month for you,


Babs