The Readings by SunChariot Newsletter

September 2014 Edition

Volume 6, Edition 9

 

 

Welcome back to the Readings by SunChariot newsletter!

 

And if you're in a part of the world that celebrates Labour Day this Monday (Sept 1st), I wish you a happy and very relaxing one.

 

As to what's been happening over here,  the Weight Watchers thing is still going well for me. After a month and a half I am now down 17 lbs. I am a big fan of the programme by now. It was just what I wanted, just when I needed it. It works, it's fun and for me, easy to stick too. And very health-oriented, which I was very much looking for at this time in my life. The meetings are super encouraging. The topic this week was all about positive self-talk, which is a favourite topic of mine anyway. :-

 

Lots of life lessons here this month as usual. And change.  But it  has been strengthening.  And I am grateful for that of course. Always. And I really have been learning a lot and I just love learning.  And that is a feel-good thing for me.

 

In fact, this September 2014 edition is very much about that. It's about finding and connecting to the things that feel good to you, and about being good to yourself. Those topics just came up a lot this month. And September feels like a good time for that to me with all its beauty. And nice temperatures to go outside and play.

 

I wish you joy, fun and  warmth this month. And be extra good to yourself this month, no one deserves it more. 

 

 

 

 

 

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  let me know and I'll get that out to you)

Quote of the Month

People deal too much with the negative, with what is wrong. Why not try and see positive things, to just touch those things and make them bloom?

--Nhat Hanh

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-- Just had to add this in this month, as it's something that feels important to me and that I am always working on. :-)

September 2014 Contest

This month's contest will be for a 3 card Tarot reading.  Just because it feels right and because Tarot feels like such an amazing thing to me. :-)

To enter the contest this month, just click here.

In the Comments section, just write "September 2014 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, September 21, 2014  and will be announced in the October 2014 edition of this newsletter.

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Last month's winner

The winner of the August 2014 contest is once again Nancy H. from the USA. The prize was a 3 card Tarot reading.

Congratulations Nancy! Will be talking to you about the reading soon. Looking forward to is as always:-)

Warmly,

Babs 

Tarot Demystified

 


(this beautiful image taken from Ciro Marchetti's beautiful web site, here: 
http://www.ciromarchetti.com/free.html  
As you can see their is a game associated with this puzzle currently) 

Sharing our hopes and dreams (and sometimes what lies beneath them)


This is one of my favourite topics so, here I go into it again. LOL

Tarot has infinite uses. It's a tool that can answer anything and every question we could think of. If we think of unusual ways to use it, or think outside the box, what it can do can really be quite amazing, magical, enriching and joyous. Anything at all from the consequences of a choice you are considering making, to the way someone treated you as they did in the past, to the meanings of life, to how to see something positive in a hard situation.........

Looking at Tarot as it relates to our hopes and dreams felt like a good topic to me this month. So here goes:  

I suppose you can say that most, maybe all, readings affect us in this way. ...touch our hopes and dreams. The questions most often asked are about the future, people are really wanting to know if what they hope will happen with come true. Or how to bring about their dreams in the best way.

You have probably heard me say here before that to me readings on what WILL happen in the future are not as useful, imo, as ones on how to create what you want in the future. While Tarot can and does admirably predict the future, the predicted future is generally not set in stone. We can change it, rewrite it as we go along. And that is something wonderfully good and positive about life that Tarot shows us.  

We all sense what we want, what we dream of, and believe will make us happy. Tarot can show us how to create that. Just by simply asking how to create it. Or another way is by showing us the future consequences of different options we may choose. That allows us to choose the best one easily and more effectively.

How many times do we stall/procrastinate on working on our dreams or have trouble making a decision because we are afraid of what the consequences might be? Tarot can tell us, so that we are not facing the unknown.   

BTW, you can also do readings on WHY you procrastinate and how to learn not to do it, so you can advance your dreams more quickly.  Or how to eliminate anything really that is holding you back from living your best life. 

Tarot can tell us all this, and that knowledge is power. And with that power we can make better, clearer, and more confident decisions.  

On the other hand, sometimes what we think we want or dream about is something that would not actually make us happy if we had it, for whatever reason. The cards can shine the light on that, so we can take a closer look at it. Tarot can tell us that and save us the trouble of finding out the hard way. 

 

Tarot will often stop and tell us if we are veering off the best path for us, even if we don't ask. It is a tool to help us and it does just that when we have a reading done. In whatever form will best help us at that time. If there is something you truly need to know, the cards will at times ignore the question you asked altogether in favor of telling you that much needed information instead.  

 

 Whatever you hope for or dream of Tarot can help. It's excellent at helping us understand others and what is going on inside them, at creating that empathy and closeness that can improve relationships. And relationship questions tend to be the ones that Tarot readers get asked most. So you know they touch people deeply. 

 

The cards can also help us clarify and solidify more precisely what your hopes and dreams are. They can help narrow things down for us. For example, if you knew you wanted to be a dancer, the cards could help you narrow down which type of dance would be best for you to pursue and bring you the happiest future. 

 

They often help set us on the path towards some of our dreams, without our even seeing it. Like if we ask about which of two jobs to take, one in our city and one out of town, the cards may say that you will find more happiness in the out of town job. And so you take that one and meet someone you come to love deeply there whom you never would have met had you not gone. 

 

 I know that happened to me once. I did a reading to ask if I should quit the job I was at or not. The cards said if I quit I would be missing out on something important. Of course I thought it was job-related. I did not quit at that time and stayed to see what it was. 10 days later someone came into my life who did quickly become very important to me. I then quit soon after, but the cards were able to prevent me from leaving to soon and meeting that important person. And that felt amazing to me. 

 

The cards can help heal our fears and qualms so we are more ready, willing and able to go out there and create our dreams in a real way. They can comfort us when we feel stressed or a bit negative, give us the courage to go on, and be whatever any good friend could be...if a good friend had the wisdom to accurately be able to answer any question you could ask. I often just ask the cards what they call tell me that will make me feel good inside to hear it. :-)

 

Sometimes as a reader you may see hopes and dreams of the person you are reading for, before they are even fully aware of them yet. But when they see the answer it can hit them then. 

 

BTW, speaking of our dreams, Tarot can also be used to analyse our actual dreams, the dreams we have at night. And that can help us understand ourselves better and that can only help us advance ourselves. There are many ways to do it. I tend to take each dream symbol that felt important to me, ask the meaning of each in the dream and then the overall meaning of the dream in general.    

 

But somehow our hopes and dreams do come out in any reading we have done. Mostly the questions we choose are those important to us because they are close to our heart and hopes and dreams.  There is that sharing in a reading, between ourselves and the reader. Working together to form our dreams. It's an important bond. And a trust as well.

 

And of course, the reader has certain obligations in this role. Different readers may have somewhat different codes of ethics, but here are some things I personally find important: 

• Confidentiality. You need to trust the reader to keep your private things private. That is part of what it means to be a professional.
• Trustworthiness. You need to be able to trust your reader to truly have your best interests at heart, and to put your needs over their own. And they need to make that the top priority.. To me that is what being a reader is all about.  Imo, if you come to a reader with an issue or needing advice, that is the most important thing, and everything else is secondary. Their job is to provide what you need to the best of their ability. That is the only real concern. Although I also believe that a good reader will also refuse to read on any topic that feels morally wrong to them in any way. But once they take on a topic, it's a responsibility to help to the best of their ability. Those are my ideas on that.
•  Openness. Anything that comes up in the cards is something the querent needs to know. A reader needs to tell all that they see, so as as not to omit anything important.
• Tact. As readers we are there to help other people. There are many ways to phrase the same message, tell the same story. I believe readers need to choose how they tell the message with caring and empathy. To tell the story in the way that they would personally most like to receive it. And that it is  the reader's job always to be helpful and to keep that in mind as they deliver the message.

Tarot and our hopes and dreams are intricately connected. It's a tool to help us, in whatever form we choose. We all have those hopes and dreams for our lives, when things run smoothly in our lives we advance more quickly and easily towards them. Tarot is the tool that helps things run more smoothly in our lives, in whichever area or way we choose.

 

Coming next month:  Looking inside

Asking about Life


Lately I've been thinking about the expression "being your own best friend". I've heard it a lot over the years but never really stopped to think about it in much detail.  I thought it would be interesting to ask the cards this month what it means to actually be your own best friend, and how to accomplish that. So that is just what I did here. 

I used The Gendron Tarot for you here, by Melanie Gordon. The Gendron was one of the first decks I got and still very well loved. Just a beautiful deck all around that works beautifully.

I asked: 

Question 1: What does it really mean to be your own best friend?

Card 1: Prince of Pentacles

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The answer here starts with a Pentacles card. Pents for me are about the goals we set and the best ways to work on achieving them. Princes, the way I read, are about empathy. They're about really trying to understand what it's like to be another person, to walk in their shoes, to have had the life experiences they had in their past, to look for the similarities between you and not the differences. All that is what the Princes mean to me.

 

And I think that's a nice way to start this reading. This card is saying that being your own best friend means that you make it a goal and a priority in your life to be understanding towards yourself and show yourself some real warmth. To look at yourself and all you do kindly and with understanding. To not be judgmental but to see the big picture. And to understand it. What naturally leads to what and how it all fits together. To see how where you've been in the past is affecting you today.  And to accept it all just as it is. We all have pasts, we all have things that affect us. it's all just part of what it means to be human. Accepting the time things need to take and allowing things the time they need.  

The message here is about showing yourself patience.  And about treating yourself as well as you could wish for anyone else to treat you. To try to bring yourself joy, not pain whenever you can. Just as you would prefer others in your life to do so. 

 

This card is saying a lot about respecting the natural balance of things. And of all that is going on inside you. Keeping things in balance is important. It's also talking about seeing things clearly and not confusing your ideas that you have inside about something with that actual things. Sometimes they aer not the same. The message is about not being afraid to forge new roads, find new ways to put difficulties behind you. This card is saying that may mean turning your back on some of the ideas you may have been taught in the past, and finding what feels true and real to you personally

 

And just plain splashing around in life and in nature and really being in the moment and feeling the joy.  

Card 2: 7 of Pentacles (reversed)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is another Pentacles card for you, about your goals. And this one is a reversed 7, which is really all about feeling faith and hope. 

 

This card is saying that making it a goal to have faith in yourself and to be optimistic in what you can achieve are also ways you can be your own best friend. This is part of what it means too. 

 

Which makes a lot of sense actually. If you can imagine two very different people. One who really believed in you no matter what and consistently saw the best in you. And a second who always expected the worst from you, expected you to fail, and/or had very little faith in you. If you had the choice, which of these people would you prefer to be friends with? 

 

The good news is that you do have that choice. Be the person you would choose to be with, even with yourself. And that is what it's all about. Even if you're not in the habit of it, things can change and habits can be broken.

 

This image is saying to me, corny as it sounds, ...we reap what we sew.  The way we think about and talk about ourselves does affect our lives and who we are and become.  If we know who we hope to be , how we want to feel and what we want to become, it makes sense to treat ourselves in the ways that will encourage us to get there.  

Someone said something to me tonight that stuck in my mind. That if you are not being your own best friend or not talking to yourself as nicely as you deserve to be spoken to (and we all deserve that) then they asked what are you hoping to achieve when you do that. And is how you are talking to yourself actually working and helping you achieve it. If not, maybe it makes no sense anymore to keep doing it.

 

 

Card 3: flipped Temperance (reversed)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This card is the most important one in Question 1. It is both a Major Arcana card AND a reversed card. That says that there is a very important life lesson tied in with the meaning of the card here. It is also a flipped card which says that there is a depth to the message here. And that if you stop and think about it you may well see deeper levels to it. 

Temperance is about keeping things in balance. Moving slowly and taking care. It's planning and thinking things out before you create change. And just balance, not too much of one thing not to much of the other.

 

What this card is saying here is that being your own best friend means taking things slowly. And being patient with yourself. Not expecting too much of yourself too quickly, but respecting the process and the natural timing that things are meant to take.

This card is saying that being your own best friend means taking the time to really see and understand what is going on inside you (as you can see in the image, the woman is transparent). It's about allowing yourself to feel your connections, accepting them not rejecting them in any way. Looking for and appreciating what is really good inside you and your talents. Encouraging new thoughts and letting your mind expand. Growth and expansion and learning to become more and more of what you are meant to be in this world. Whatever that is that is the best you can be, encouraging that inside yourself no matter what.

 

Gradually spreading your wings more and more and more. And opening being your own true self.  

Question 2: What are the best ways to be your own best friend?  

 Card 1: 10 of Swords

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This first card to Question to is a Swords card, about your thoughts. And about the way you think. The 10's represent, for me, the most of something it is humanly possible to have. So the 10 of Swords is about really putting a lot of thought into something. Thinking of what it really means to you, what it would mean to you in your life. It's also about making an effort to pay attention as much and as often as you can, at least at first. So you see what's going on and how it's been working for you.

 

So, according to these cards, the first step in "becoming your own best friend" is to watch your current thoughts about yourself as much as you can and to watch where you are now in your life, related to this. And then to really think If where you are is where you want to be, why or why not, what do you want to be in regards to this issue and how can you best get there...

 

This image says to me that the first step is to be open and honest with yourself about where you are now. Look to see the hidden ways you think that you may not have been aware of and see how they affect you. This image says that really, it's about seeing yourself as the graceful, seamless and beautiful being that you are. It's about seeing yourself as a true part of nature and of this world. And knowing that the sun always shines warmly on us, even when it's hiding behind the clouds. On all of us equally. That is the way of the world. Why treat ourselves less than warmly?

 

 

Card 2: 2 of Pentacles (reversed)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is another Pentacles card. And it's a reversed 2. Pentacles are really all about our goals. About what we hope to accomplish and how we are going about the act of accomplishing it. A reversed 2 is all about acceptance. It's about total and complete acceptance of the things that we cannot change. And also at times the card can be about seeing things in new ways, through new eyes.

 

So what we have,.in the second card here, is really a message about self-acceptance. This card is telling you that one thing that is necessary to being your own best friend is to really accept yourself just exactly as you are now. That doesn't mean that if there is something that you would like to be different about yourself that you just give up and don't try. Of course nothing and no one is perfect but positive change is almost always possible. 

 

The message here is more that although growth and improvement may be part of the human experience and part of your life plan (life is change after all, nothing stands still) that It you are fine with yourself at each stage all along the continuum.  And that if you can do that, accept yourself fully at each stage in your life, you will go far towards being your own best friend. If that involves a change in the way you currently see yourself, then that is also part of the message here.  

The image shows a number of masks in it. The woman here is wearing them and there are two more near the bottom of the image. This says that this involves taking off any "masks" that you may have been wearing or carrying around since childhood (meaning anything that hides who you really are from yourself or makes you appear differently than who you actually are. And all the dripping icicles in the background say that to be your own best friend you need to leave any coldness in your feelings for yourself behind you and step away from that as much as you can. Just leave it behind.  Find your inner strength (we all  have it), embrace and love it.

 

 

Card 3: Princess of Wands (reversed)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And this last card, is the Princess of Wands. Wands are about creating, about what we are capable of creating and what we do create. This is a reversed Princess and that is a very important message. I just truly love the message of this card right here.

 

It is telling you that when it comes to what YOU can create of yourself and of your life, the choices are almost endless. It is telling you that to be your own best friend means knowing and believing this. It's about embracing optimism about your future, choosing to tell yourself and believe positive things (not negative). expecting good things and good luck to come your way, and believing in happily ever after and that you have what it takes to create that happy life for yourself.  

 

This makes a lot of sense actually. When we have a friend who is concerned about something in their life, we don't tell them things are hopeless or to expect the worst to come. We try to encourage and show them how to be the best they can be. Of course being your own best friend would also follow that plan.

 

 The image here says that you CAN believe in yourself as someone who has all the magic you need inside yourself to create more than you can being to imagine. The body of the woman here is just glowing with that magic. (which refers right back to the message from the intro to last month's newsletter here, the message being about if you believe in the extraordinary. And the answer here is that you should, because YOU yourself are someone extraordinary.  

And also that you live in an amazing extraordinary world where the unexpected and even the miraculous can occur at times, and we just never know when it might. Helps to remember that at times.  :-)

 

Lastly, the beaver in the image to me is about cutting down obstacles and building yourself a place where you feel a home. Beavers cut down trees and makes homes of them. So when it comes to creating a place in your life where you feel really at home and accept yourself as your own best friend, the start to creating it is to knock down any barriers in your way to getting there in whatever form they come. 

September 2014 Friendship Reading

Today I used my Simply Deep Tarot. It's the second deck by Chanel Bayless and James Battersby (the first being the A Kings' Journey Tarot which is one of my favourite all time decks). So yes I am a fan of this deck. :-)

This month I asked the cards for us what we need to know to create the best with our lives that we can this month of September 2014


Card 1: The Sun (reversed)

We're starting off this reading with an important card here. It's both a card from the Major Arcana and also a reversed card. Which in essence says that there is a very important life lesson we can learn by paying attention to the message of this particular card.

This first card is the Sun card. It's a very positive card and place to start the reading. And I am seeing here that it's telling you to get outside this month and really enjoy the sunny days. Get out there when you see some nice weather and just be there in the moment. Feel the warmth of the sunshine on your skin, feel the joy of the breezes going past. Get out there, slow down and really enjoy it. It's yours to enjoy, go for it. :-)

Sun is also about good health, so doing some form of exercise outdoors in the sunshine this month would also be a good thing, if anything of that nature calls to you, go for it. Now is the time. 

Sun is about warmth, and caring and joy and just plain feeling good. Do those things that make you feel that way this month. Make a list if you want of what makes you feel good and joyful and do as many of those things as you can this month, repeat as needed. It's also about the caring and sharing of good things with others. This month is a good time for that was well.

All this will help you create a really good month for yourself. And when you feel good inside, it can't help but radiate out to others around you. And bring them joy as well. It sets ripples of well-being out into the world. It can start with you. :-)


Card 2: 3 of Wands (reversed)

This card is from the suit of Wands and is about the art of creating what you want in your life. It's a reversed 3, which is about change. This card is telling you that in order to create what is best for you this month you may have to let go of things you are holding onto that have been holding you back. You are being told that when we let go of what is holding us back, logically we can then move forwards again.

This card is saying asking you here to stop and take a lot at what it is that you want to create in and of your life. How are things moving and flowing in those areas? Is there something holding you back that you can eliminate? Are you carrying some baggage with you wherever you go that is unnecessarily slowing you down or stalling things? How can you put it back down and leave it there? Are you holding onto some dreams when in reality the ship has already sailed in those areas and it is time to let them go and come up with some new ones?  

 This card this month is asking you to take a bit of time and lovingly and caringly ask yourself some of those question, talking to yourself warmly and lovingly as you would to a dear dear friend. And it also reminds you not to feel alone. In reality you never are, and others are there for you more than you may yet know.


Card 3: flipped Moon

This and all the remaining cards in the reading are flipped cards (cards that flipped out of the deck in some way during shuffling). Flipped cards tend to talk about things that are a bit deep and that we may understand better after taking a bit if time to think the over.

This is an interesting card here. It is also a Major Arcana card, so we are talking about something that has an important life lesson to teach us here. The Moon for me is all about the mysteries of life, and the deep beauty behind them. The magic of this life and world that we live in, and of what it means to be a human being living in this world. 

The message of this card  here is really saying that there are some things about yourself that you are not clearly seeing or understanding. Some things about yourself that you are still in the dark about, where you are not seeing the magic of life working right there behind you. Or the full effect that your actions can have.

Naturally enough. I don't think we can ever see every little nuance of how what we do affects others and the world around us. But this card says that you can trust that it does. That what we say, think and do has much more far-reaching consequences than we realize at that time. And that is something to think about when we reach out and touch something or someone, or when we may hesitate to do so. One little smile or act of reaching out may well have much greater effects that we imagine. And this card is saying that keeping that in mind this month, can help you to create something much more positive, powerful and far-reaching with this month. 


Card 4: flipped Princess of Wands

This card is also from the suit of Wands, about what you can create this month. And it's the Princess of Wands. The princesses are about facing new things, facing something unlike anything you have before.

This card is saying that this September would be a good month to branch out and try some new things.  Try something new, or do something you often do in a new way. Have fun with it. Stir things up and get out of the ordinary, out of the mundane and find some joy. 
 

This month would also be a good time to get started on creating something new in your life.  You are being advised to see it as an adventure, a learning experience where there is no right or wrong....only learning.  And you will learn as you move one and get better and better at it. Especially if you hold onto that attitude. Don't forget to give yourself that praise for sticking to it. You will and do deserve it.  
 

First step, a little preliminary planning to be sure of what you want to create/accomplish and the best way to get there. Once that stage is done, and you know what you want, you can put that behind you and follow your heart and moral compass. Plans can change, and the best way to accomplish something may need adjustment along the way. But your heart and moral compass will always be reliable. Trust them, follow them, and honour yourself and the process.  

Card 5: flipped Judgment (reversed)

This is another powerful card. And I think an important concept. It is another reversed Major Arcana card. So there is a very important life lesson to be learnt here too.
 

And it's about learning from your past. The last card talked about paying attention to how things are going in the present moment and adjusting our plans if necessary accordingly. This card is about stopping, and looking back and our pasts and see what we can learn from it.
 

This card is suggesting looking back and seeing what has worked for you in the past and what has not. And thinking that all over and deciding what to do.  No problem with the things that have gone well. But if you see something where you repeatedly do the same thing or react in the same way and it has never worked well for you, then there is something to work on. Then it may well be time to change the way you do that thing or just let it go and stop doing it at all if that is the solution.
 

That reminds me of two phases that I may have to paraphrase here as I don't at the moment remember the exact wording. LOL But both are related to the meaning of this card here and to what it is trying to say.  
 

The first is about how if you keep doing what you have always done, then you will always get what you have always gotten. So logically if you don't want that outcome, then you need to do something differently.  Oh, and I just found the second one online. :-)  It was the one by Albert Einstein about how the definition of insanity is: "doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results".
 

In essence this card is asking you to stop and think about if anything you have been working on has not been working for you in your life. And if so to stop and think about what you have been doing. And if you find you have been repeatedly acting and reacting in the same way and it has not lead to the results you wanted, time to try a new method.  Just accept and surrender to idea that you were not going about it in the best way and think up a new better way. And do it in a kind and loving way, it's a gift you are giving yourself that you well deserve.

 

Card 6: flipped Ace of Coins (reversed)

This last card here has a message that I have to say that I like here. Coins are about our goals and about how we work on them. A reversed Ace is about being fair and just. The gist of this card is a suggestion to you this month to set yourself a goal to think more and learn more about fairness. What does it mean to you? How can you form fair solutions when people with very divergent interests involved? Does fairness even mean the same thing to each of us? 
 

This card suggests making fairness a goal this month. Both to try to be as fair as you can to all concerned as you work on your already established goals. Take the time to think what would be fair to the others involved before proceeding. And also to make it a goal to learn about what fairness means to you personally, and what others think it means.  
 

You are being told here, by this card, that if you do this and make this a goal this month things won't just stop there. It will be the start of something very healthy that grows from this effort that you put in. It will bear fruit in the future, if you think about and work on it now. And once you have though out what feels fair to you, act on it a few times this month. Go out and do something you might not have done before to practice what you have learnt. Even if it's just talking to others about it. It will plant a seed that will grow.