Friday, October 25, 2013

The Readings by SunChariot Newsletter
November 2013 Edition
Volume 5, Edition 11
 
 
Welcome back to the Readings by SunChariot newsletter!
 
While I am here, of course, I want to wish you a wonderful month of November. I hope it brings you what you hope for, plus many happy surprises.
 
I am expecting a wonderful month of November myself over here. As you probably know if you've been here with me over the past few months, my boyfriend and I have been looking for a country house to go to on weekends and holidays,,,,, And well, we've been looking for months now every weekend and any time we had off.
 

Well, we finally found the perfect one for us. And very happily on both our parts, we met with the notary just today, got the keys to the house and it is now ours. Couldn't be happier, just a bit over an hour drive from our city house, near a lake with a  view of the lake from the back yard. And now I get to decorate which is always great fun. And we have lots to look forward too.
 
Other things in my life this month, I've been reading up on and studying a lot about how we create what happens to us in our lives, and call it to us. And how to choose what we really most want in our lives, to come our way. I've been reading up a lot on it. And true to form whenever I try to learn anything, my life has been sending me life experiences to practise on. Little things that I can learn to improve by practising what I am learning in real situations. :-)
 
Mostly, I have been learning through rereading a book I first read years ago. I finally bought it on Kindle and am now rereading. For me, it is one of my favourite books of all time, although it may not be everyone's cup of tea. Still I personally have learnt SO much from it. It's actually 3 books, but I got them all in a set for Kindle. And it's the "Conversations with God" books by Neale Donald Walsch.
 
I thought I would mention it here, just in case it inspires you to take a look at that book., I feel like if my mentioning it here lets just one more person feel as touched by the three books as I have been, well that is more than enough reason to bring it up. And so I have. :-)
 
So this is a great month over here. And I truly wish you one as well.
 
Babs
 
 
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(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






































Beware the barrenness of a busy life.

--Socrates



I particularly liked this quote this month. First because I had never heard a quote before by Socrates and I was always curious. :-) And then because it seems to me that it still holds true after so long. I do believe that the real truths in life are constants and never seem to change.

Of course there are times in life where we have deadlines and have to be busy. But it seems to me too that to choose that too often or to choose live a "busy" life, to me, it leads to a sense of emptiness.  And not enough time to think about life.  Just repeating the same patterns and not being able to see the forest for the trees. Keeping things in balance is important too, as are making time to slow down and even do nothing, meditation, and slow days with friends and loved ones. Without all that, I can see where a sense of barrenness would come in. 

So this made sense to me this month and I decided to share it with you here,
    
November 2013 Contest




















This November the contest is for a 4 card Tarot reading. Whatever topic interests you or whatever info you feel it would help you to know, just let me know and we'll see what the cards have to say for you. :-)
 
To enter the contest, just click here.
 
In the Comments section, just write "November 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 Saturday November 23, 2013  and will be announced in the December 2013 edition of this newsletter.
 
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The winner of last month's contest was Nancy H. in the USA, Nancy won a 3 card Tarot/Angel reading. Congratulations Nancy, we'll talk again very soon and get that out to you. Looking forward to it!
 
 
 All the best to you, now and always,
 
Warmly,
 
 
Babs
 
Tarot Demystified




















 
Tarot as in interactive tool


Many people I've met, mainly those who have never had an actual Tarot reading, think that Tarot is a simple thing. That all there is to it is that you ask a question and the reader gives you the answer and that is where things end. A short two step process. 
 
While of course it's up the to the querent (person for whom the reading is done) what they do with the information that they are given, Tarot can be so SO much more that than. Amazing, life-altering, profound, stunningly beautiful and deeply wise at times. And that is why I am writing on this topic this month, to try to show more of the depth behind things.
 
Before I go on, I wanted to stop and tell you how much I loved this photo when I found it. I find it just beautiful. And I adore the beauty and dignity of the child here. But more than that, the photo reminds me a lot of Tarot readings, and that is why I included it here.
 
The lights/candles in the background say to me that Tarot is meant to be enlightening, and to help us light up our paths ( to see more clearly and with more certainty the best path for us to take). The water he is wading through here (water usually represents the unconscious for me and parts of ourselves we don't see clearly or are unaware of), says that Tarot is a tool to make that visible to us. So that we can see what we are not seeing or understanding and work with it.
 
And maybe that's my main point this month. That, to me, Tarot is a tool to tell you what do to improve things in your life, but you still have to do the work itself or things will not magically change just because they cards say they can and that the potential is there.
 

Tarot will tell you what work you need to do to get to where you want to go, but then you have to do it,. It's a tool to help you cut down the weeds in your way. So that things can float smoothly again and you can relax and go with the flow. Its often about learning and growth, learning more about life and your own life and inner self, as children do...Not so much a tool to TELL you the answer but more a tool to SHOW you how to get to the best answer  and to create it in your life.
 

Each reader has their own code of ethics of what they feel is not right to do in a reading. One thing I personally don't believe is appropriate and never do as a reader is to ask questions on what someone "should" do. I don't believe the cards are meant to decide for someone how they should react or lead their lives. Tarot cards can help point out any unknowns in a situation or tell the querent the consequences of taking each path you are considering. But then it is up to the querent to decide. My belief is that the final decision of what we want to do with our lives has to always rest with us. And that to take that away from someone robs them of the life lessons they would learn by making the decision themselves.
 

The cards can show you the meaning of life, or of certain areas of your life, But being given a new way to see things, requires some thought. They can tell you things to soothe pain and hurt feelings, but will only work if you stop and contemplate what was said and make it part of you.  We can't just embrace a new way of thinking after hearing it once, without stopping and really thinking it over.
 

The cards can tell you the potential consequences of two or more paths your are considering taking. But after the reading that leaves you to think things over and choose which outcome you prefer. The cards can even look into the past and tell you WHY someone acted as they did then. But then it is your decision what you want to do with that and if you want to adjust your view of that person in light of the new information....
 
The querent is more in an active role than a passive one. They need to think of which information they want to know and ask about. And afterwards what they choose how to learn from what was said and how they want to work with it to try to improve their lives. 

To me that is more what Tarot is. A reading, to me, is more of a starting point than an end in and of itself. It's what you do with the information that can create true change.
 
 
 
Coming next month: The spiritual questions
 
Asking about Life



It's very much my belief that each of us has something unique and truly beautiful inside.
Something no one else quite has or can ever be. And that we are all created just as we are, perfectly so, because the world needs the unique gifts of each of us to be the best it can be.

With all that on my mind, this month I thought I would ask:

How can we best let out that unique beauty inside each of us out and share it with the world?


I used my "the World Spirit Tarot" for you here, by Lauren O'Leary. It just made sense here as the spirits of all of us that have so much to give and add to the universe are scattered all over the world.
 

So here is what the cards had to say here on that question:
 
 
Card 1: 5 of Wands (reversed)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
This is a Wands card so it's about the act of creating things. What can we create if we share that side of us with the world and how to best create it.   Mostly the latter here. And it's a reversed 5, which adds something in that I find interesting here.
 
A reversed 5 for me is all about feeling tempted to do something that is not in our best interests. And, as you can see, even the image itself shows a struggle.  This card is saying that it is not always easy to be an individual, to embrace what is unique to you (uniquely you), to take a different path than others when that is where you feel your natural inclinations go.
 
The start is to accept that people don't always embrace what is outside of what they consider the norm, at first. To bare your chest and show and be proud of your uniqueness may lead to some degree of struggle. It may feel at odds with the way you were brought up or taught to be. Or others may try to oppose you in some way, out of a fear of change, Seeing something different can make them think of change and that worries some people. This card is not saying that being your true self in the world in a kind caring way has anything to do with doing something you shouldn't. But just that at times, others may try to make you feel as though it were.
 

But in the end, the bare feet in the image say it's really about "feeling" your way on your path. And you'll know when something feels right if you pay attention. It takes some a lot of thought, and a focus on the warmth behind you that you can share with others, not on what you cannot know yet in the future.  And focusing on what feels right from  sense of warmth and connection should lead to the best outcomes for all concerned.
 
 
Card 2: 5 of Cups (reversed)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
This is a Cups card, about your feelings. And yep, it's a second reversed 5. And again this says that some people may try to make you think that there is something wrong with feeling a desire to allow what is truly unique in you to shine though fully. Or to follow your inner feelings instead of just doing as everyone else does. 
 
The woman's hand in this image, hiding her face, is saying that some people feel that we should try to hide what is unique or different about us, or worse to be ashamed of it. Not to talk about it or show it. Some of us may even believe to greater or lesser degrees that that is the best way to be, and that everyone should try to be the same.  Which to me begs the questions that if we were all meant to be the same, why aren't we?  And is different necessarily wrong?  And is it better to feel you have to hide part of who you are or to feel pride in all that you and be unashamed to admit it?
 
And despite all this the cards shows a lone wolf in the corner standing tall, proudly being himself, in touch with his true nature and who he really is, looking out at all the beauty that is nature before him, and of his own true nature.
 

The woman in this image wears blue, which is a colour of communication. That is a sign that if you are unsure what you feel about this topic, it could be helpful to talk to others about it hear their views. You may hear all kinds of viewpoints. You can even feel free to discuss it here if you like. :-)
 
 
Card 3: 9 of Pentacles (reversed)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
This is a Pentacles so it's about your goals and the best way to work on them. Your goals related related to who you want to be in this world, and how much of the uniqueness and beauty you want to share with the world and how to best do so.
 
It's the 9 of Pentacles, and the 9's are about stopping and taking some alone time to think things out. Time to be alone to meditate, think, contemplate, and figure things out on an individual basis. This card is saying that while getting opinions from others can be useful, when all is said and done it's a very personal decision that only you can make by going inside and getting in contact with what you are truly feeling about it all. There is no logical answer that applies to everyone, you can only feel it inside,  As the woman is shown "inside' her house, looking out at the outside world.
 

It's about what you personally see when you look out at the outside world and what you want the world to see of you. And as you can see by the smile on the woman's face, ultimately what will bring you the most inner happiness.
 
The big rose to the right of the image represents love, love of life, universal love. And the butterfly above it represents change for the better, growth and evolution. These as the things that we need to stop and think about when before deciding what we want to share with the world of the real us.
 
 
Card 4: flipped The Hierophant (reversed)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
This is the most important card in the reading. It is a flipped card, a Major Arcana card AND a revered card. It doesn't get more important than that. :-)


This card being a flipped card, card that flipped out of the deck during shuffling, means that there is something in the meaning of the card that bears stopping to think about. Something complex that may require some though to fully see the message.


It is also a Major Arcana card and the Majors talk about important life lessons our lives are working to teach us through what we are sent to experience related to the question of the reading. This says that your life is working to teach you an important life lesson related to the  vision  of yourself that you choose to share with and  show to the world.
 
And a reversal on a Majors card for me strengthens the meaning, so we are talking about a very very important lesson here.
 
The meaning of the Hierophant is, for me, about your upbringing, what is expected of you, the norms of society, what you were taught growing up by your parents who learn it from theirs who leant it from theirs...All that you were taught about life as opposed to what you learnt on your own through personal experience.
 
The card can sometimes be suggesting that you should in fact follow all that you were told and taught all your life and that that is the right path.  OR, it can be suggesting that you break with the norm completely and forget your own new path.
 
And that is pretty much the question of the reading. Naturally if you want to let out what is unique and beautiful (and uniquely beautiful) inside you to share it with the world, that is going to involve some degree of forging a new path. 
 
For one thing, if you haven't been doing so so far, that will mean changing paths. And many times breaking with the norm.  This is not to say you should or shouldn't. Tarot is not a tool to tell you what you should or shouldn't do, just a tool to clarify issues.  It's an individual decision that takes thought, as shown in the last card.
 
But what I see in the image is that the decision has something to do with if you want to bow down to what others have told you you should be. Or if you want to reach up and point to who you really are. And light a path for others to follow, enlighten people with your gifts (shown in the torch the man holds).
 

But the headband says this  requires thought and to know who you really are inside and what you want to be in the world and to give of yourself. 
  
 November 2013 Friendship Reading

I pulled out a deck for you this month that I have not used in ages. It was definitely time. It's called the Mantegna Tarot by A. Atanassov. It's a rather unique deck. Although it's called a Tarot, it's really technically more of a predecessor to a modern day Tarot deck. It has only 50 cards, no suits really. Even though a few of the cards are similar to the modern day ones.

The artwork itself was created in 1460, something which just fascinates me. And the backgrounds of the cards are silver foil although it doesn't show up in photographs. But basically the part that looks black in the card backgrounds IS actually a shiny silver.

 This month I asked this deck for you what the card can tell you this month that will help you live this month of November in the best way for you. Here is what came up:


Card 1: Aritmetricha






































The meaning of this card is to "align the forces at play".  And the woman here has her eyes closed and it wearing blue. The start of this answer is to close your eyes to what others are doing or saying and to go inside and feel and think what it really is that you want.  Stop, take some time to slow down, make some alone time and just ask yourself what you most want to achieve, what would make you most happy this month, what would give you the greatest sense of satisfaction, which part of your Self do you most want to express this month.

Now is a good time to stop and look inside and ask yourself what you truly want of the month of November. If you don't often do this, now is a great time for it. Go for it. This card suggests that the first step is to know what you want to go for.

Next the woman here is shown wearing a pink shawl with a layer or white underneath. This says to think pure thoughts if you can about what you want to create. Try to keep away from thoughts that tell you that you can't have or create what you want. Hold the thoughts that say you CAN, closest to your mind. Keep them in mind.  Keep telling yourself that if you need to. The more you believe, the easier things are to create.

The pink shawl, pink being a colour of the heart chakra and of love, suggests keeping positive thoughts in mind. Stay positive about what you want and try not to let any negativity creep in. All this will help align the life forces that you need to create what you hope to.

And then watch for what comes to you, for opportunities and stop and weigh each for the possibilities they contain to help you


Card 2: Chronico





































The meaning of this card is about acting sensitively. It says that this month it is important to pay attention to your level of sensitivity to others in the different situations of your life, and to think on how your words and actions actually do affect others. It says it would benefit you to slow down and really see and pay attention to that this November. And to stop and think about this.

The card is telling you something about your past, as the man is facing left here...towards the past. He is holding a little dragon here forming a circle by "biting its tail" (representing power and the magic of life and something coming full circle). Really this is saying that at some point in your past one of two things may have happened.

Either you saw something you said cause someone pain and became very sensitive to that and might be avoiding situations that remind you for that time  needlessly in an effort not to go there again. Or that in the past someone was hurt by your words but you did not realize it and  that it's time to talk things out and get to the root of things.

Either way it's about making time to think on this topic and to try to see things in different and unique ways. About how sensitively you react to others, in which areas, and if change is needed in any way. It's all about your sense of empathy and connectedness to the others in your life. To your faith in them and your ability to see the best in them (and there is good in all people).  And about your inner growth.


Card 3: Imperator



































And this card is about ambition, so again we are back to what you want from this month of November, what do you want to create from it, what ambitions do you have for it?

The Imperator is in fact the Emperor, And would be represented by The Emperor card in a traditional Tarot deck, even though it is Card 9 here.

He says that you have the power to create what you want, to think up and decide on the rules and plans that will take you where you want to go. His crown tells you that this month (and beyond) when it comes to creating what you want in your life, you rule!)


He is wearing pink on his torso, over his heart, and pink is the colour of love. So the card tells you here that you have the power to create what you want this month IF you do so lovingly and taking the needs and desires of any others involved into consideration. The crystal ball he holds tell you that if you try and open up your heart and caring nature you can feel and sense this from the others around you. You can only get to what you want this month if everyone's needs are in accord. But yes you can very much get there.

The blue cape wears says that you can also feel free to just ask any others involved what they want and need, them just listen and go from there.






















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:

www.ReadingsBySunChariot.com

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.

Wishing you a colorful month, one that lets and encourages you to express all the natural beauty inside you.

May your wishes be drawn to you this month,

Babs