September 2013 Friendship Reading
I used one of my very favourite decks this month for you here. And that
is The Haindl Tarot, by Hermann Haindl. I may have said it here
before, but I will always adore this deck for being my first deck I ever
used. It was the deck I learn to read Tarot on, and the only one I used
for the first 6 to 8 months or so of being a reader. And it will
always be very special to me for that. Also it is somewhat unique in
that it is quite complete, including I-Ching symbols, Runes, and Hebrew
letters to add additional meaning. And contains some of the beautiful
mythology of 4 separate cultures.
All that
being said, this month I asked this deck what you most need to know this
month of September to live your life in the way that will bring you the
most personal fulfillment. And here are the cards that came up for you
and what they said:
Card 1: 4 of Cups (Yearning)
This card is about how to "complete" the feelings inside you that will
lead to your feeling the greatest sense of personal fulfillment. How to
work on successfully turning any feelings that are not making you feel
that fulfillment into a place where you feel that inside.
When it comes to this particular deck, after the deck was printed the
deck creator wanted to revise some of the keywords. The book I have for
the deck gives the revised keywords as well. So whenever there is a
discrepancy, I use the revised keywords instead. So in short, please
ignore where it says "Mixed Happiness" as it should read "Yearning"
instead.
That being said, this card is saying that this month, there will be a
sense of yearning in you, a sense of longing for something (maybe more
than one thing) that is not yet fully a part of your life. Or a sense of
wishing certain things in your life were different.
Given the question I asked this month, quite possibly you feel that your
feeling of fulfillment in your life hinges somewhat on that which you
yearn for, that you would feel more fulfilled inside if you had that
thing (or person or whatever it is). The image says that you may not
feel sure which way things are going, whether things are up or if they
are down.
The I-Ching symbol at the top of this card is called "Difficulty at the
Beginning". And what this is saying to me here is that at the beginning
of this month a sense of yearning for something you do not yet have
completely in your life may be interfering somewhat with your true sense
of personal fulfillment in your life. But if you can stop and realize
this, you can work to let it go and to find your happiness and beauty
already there in the present moment and to love and accept all just as
it is in each moment.
It's about living in the present moment and focusing on and seeing the
beauty and goodness that is already there. Maybe your fulfillment lies
not in getting that which don't have but in finding ways to feel
satisfied, content and happy with where you are and with the things that
you have in the here and now.
Card 2: Mother of Stones in the West (reversed) (Spider Woman)
The Mothers in this deck, are the equivalent of the Queens in other
decks, as you can see. Stones in this deck are the same as Pentacles or
Disks. So the most basic meaning for me for this card would be about
talking about your goals with others, getting some good advice and help
from those whose wisdom you admire with deciding what the best goals for
you are. And even about getting help from others to work on and achieve
your goals. This card is telling you that you don't have to do it all
yourself this month. Others in your life have the ability and the desire
to help you achieve your fondest wishes, Those whom you most trust and
who most care about you want to help you, let them.
The image shows a maze, so part of your answer from this card is about
finding your way through a bit of a maze or thoughts and feelings to
arrive at what truly will lead to real personal fulfilment for you this
month. This card says the topic of personal fulfilment can be a complex
one. We can sometimes get a bit lost looking for it, or take some wrong
turns. It may not always be found just where we think at first that it
might.
This card is about "Spider Woman" a concept from the Hopi Indian tale of
creation, and which appears in other cultures as well. The web itself
and the strands of it, can symbolize all the things that you could
potentially create/call into being this month, starting from the center
point (where you are in the hear and now and working outwards).
But this card is asking you to stop and really think about which
direction you want to take and who (if anyone) is creating stuck energy
in your life.
Card 3: 7 of Wands (Courage)
Wands can be about either creating something or about the passion inside
you which guides you and inspires you on what to create. Both apply
here. 7's. for me, are really encouraging cards. They should something
stuck, a sort of difficultly, BUT the much much more importantly, the
real meaning is that you can and will have arrive at that point and have
that.
So really, what this card is saying about the question I asked is that
this month when it comes to how to live your life in the way that will
bring you the most personal fulfilment, the trick is to work on finding
that passion for what you really want inside. And then to work on
creating that which you feel passionately will bring you that sense of
satisfaction inside.
This card tells you to have the courage to not give up. To keep on
working to figure it all out and then to create it. And the effort will
be more than rewarded in the long term. This card tells you that if you
keep at it, you will find your personal fulfillment in a big way.
It's about finding what you need from inside you. Not what others tell
you you need. But about slowing down and really listening to you true
needs and desires. To focus on that core that is from the real you and
to let the rest evaporate away.
A hint is that what makes you feel warmth inside and to feel a sense of warmth in all that is around you is a good direction.
Card 4: The Empress (reversed)
This is the most important card of the reading. It is a card from the
Major Arcana (and the Majors always talk about important life lessons
that life is working to teach us). This card also came up reversed
(upside down), and a reversal on a Major Arcana card, for me, emphasizes
the card's meaning and makes it even more important.
The Empress is a truly beautiful card. It's all about caring, sharing,
openness, empathy, oneness, connection. Really all that is most
beautiful in life and that leads to beauty in relationships. The
question I asked for you in this reading was about how you can live your
life this month in the way that will bring you the most personal
fulfillment.
So really that is the gist of the answer: to be very open and generous
and sharing and trusting with others. To put out that energy and see
what kind of energy your life sends back your way in response. Do it as
much as you can. Just as an experiment for this month. And this card
says that if you do, you'll learn some valuable life lessons in the
process. The Hebrew letter in this card (top left hand corner) means
"Door", so doing this will open new doors to you. The Rune on this card
(top right hand corner) means "Thorn" and is a Rune about the cycles of
life, the return on our actions...so really this all says the same
thing.:-)
The image says that following the advice on this card can help you grow
inside, to a place of greater personal control. You can "float" on
beautiful romantic ideas of the best life can be, past any more
difficult emotions and get past them in that way. Focusing on others
this month and how you can treat them well, will let you see the light
in some way. And teach you something very useful that will help
strengthen you.
Card 5: flipped Father of Stones in the West (Old Man)
This last card is an important one too. It was a flipped card, flipped
out of the deck during shuffling. When a card comes up as a flipped
card, it says that there is something complex in it's meaning that it
might benefit you to stop and think about . You may only see it fully
after rereading the message a few times.
This is another Court card as was the Mother of Stones. This card is the
Father of Stones (Father's are the equivalent of Kings in a more
traditional deck. Stones are about our goals and what we need to do to
achieve them
The Fathers, for me, are about inner control, self-control, inner
strength....They are individuals and work alone to achieve their goals.
It's all about the inner challenges and inner growth that comes form the
learning on your own.
This card does have a strong connection to the Mother of Stones. They
form a pair in this reading, both being from the same suit. Just as a
Father and Mother are generally married, there is a certain degree of
intermarriage between the concepts here in this reading of between the
Mother and Father of Stones. They are a couple
The question being about how to live your life in the way that will
bring you the most personal fulfilment this month of September, The
Mother says that you have many many paths you could potentially take,
that could lead in many different directions. The choice is ultimately
yours. You can get advice from others and talk about their lives and
that will help, But really it's you who is the center of your own life
and no one else can see things from the perspective that you can. You
are the only one who can fulfill your self and your needs.
The Father says that it's all about self-knowledge and he suggests
trying to follow paths that have made you feel good inside in the past
and not following ones that did not. But he says that no matter what you
do, you will learn valuable lessons. There is much to be learnt on any
path you choose.
This image shows the footprints of many different animals, suggesting
you follow the path that feels most natural to you. This card says that
you WILL be guided if you pay attention. If you believe that your life
will send you signs and if you pay attention....then you will see them.
What may seem to be coincidences for you this month, may very well
really instead be life working together with you to create what you want
and need. And to teach you what you need to know to find that
fulfillment that you seek.
One hint is that at least part of it can be found in focusing on and
feeling your connection to the world around you and all that is in it
and a part of it.