Saturday, November 24, 2012

A review - catch up

 Time for some review.  As I have become more healthier (thanks to my Jusuru) my workload has become more. Not so much the readings and clearings, that in fact seems to have dropped off a little, but catching up, getting filing done and teaching more evenings.  Besides my Wednesday drop in Meditation/Discussion group, my Tarot for Successful Living, which as a couple more weeks to go before it is completed I also have added another evening once a month for a three hour workshop, the first one was held this week.
I ended up being quite tired yesterday (Friday) after three nights teaching, but rested and today so far have rested some more and feel almost back to where I was at the beginning of the week.
This balance I need to maintain between doing and being is really on the edge. If I overdo, then I pay, but if I don't do, and just be, then things don't get done. For instance, Christmas is coming. Several people asked me about the Christmas Pot Luck and Christmas Tea Party (which I used to do annually). Therefore dates are now in place for them. Dec 9th for the Pot Luck Dec 23 for the Tea Party.
I'm now beginning to plan ahead to next Spring. I want to go to Toronto, Edmonton, Calgary and perhaps to Regina again. I have Aeroplan (Air Canada) points which need to be used up. So in looking at dates, ensuring I'm still not overdoing it etc, it makes things interesting. But isn't that the fun part of life? Making plans for the future, it brings about excitement (or dread depending on what it is and where it is going to take you).  I'm for the excitement.
I'm off in the a couple of weeks to visit my family in Vancouver. Compliments of my daughter, its her birthday and we will also make it a family Christmas get together. I always enjoy seeing everyone when I can.
Today the sun is shining, and very soon I will be out in it, enjoying the brisk, cool air with the sun shining down, but it has not been like that. Its been cool, damp, rain pouring down and with a cold, cold wind. It may say its 6 degrees, but the wind has been more like zero. So my friend Jeanne and I bundle up when we go for our walks.
As mentioned before I have been seeing a Feldenchrist therapist. That has been beneficial as old traumas have been released from my body. Lots of birthing stuff caught in my shoulder, which my massage therapist has been helping me with. If you are not on facebook, you wouldn't know she has taken a photo of my back because of the changes to my skin and the 'moles' I have on my back falling off or disappearing. Shes impressed (again because of the Jusuru). I am feeling so much more alive and willing to engage life than I have felt for years. I feel more, I'm more in touch with what is happening to me in the present moments and when I listen to me, it is working well.  I still have moments when my mind wants to take over, oh boy, that doesn't work out too well. But in my reviewing the decisions etc of my life, I see that is what my mind has done, my intuition (body/heart) has told me this, and then my mind has convinced me of another way, which in the long run did not work out the best. Interesting!
I have been receiving a lot of emails about the changes going on energetically in the vibration of the earth. And I'm seeing it in my consultations as well. People are having to, and I mean having to, let go of their old ideas, beliefs, judgments and look at new paradigms. It is like you don't have a choice. I have also heard of how other 'spiritual/mataphysical' teachers have been 'struck down' like I was with something similar or different. Something which laid them up for several months. This was our way of recalibrating ourselves to the new energy. Wish I had been listening more, or at least paying attention to what I knew instead of thinking 'it could wait till later'.  There is no later, there is only now.
Highlights for me these days besides my work, my movie going is back in full swing with our new beautiful theatre, so my movie review blog is up and running again, I can knit again. I can also spend more time on the computer. Perhaps not as much as I would like, but enough to get more things done. Plus, this excitement I feel inside is great, its aliveness, and we need to feel it. I love it, it is what I look for when I'm working with people's souls. When I want them to bring forth that excitement and aliveness of life. Who knows where this will lead, but I feel like I'm back in the saddle. Life will now appear and I will embrace.
Trust your lives are working well right now and you are embracing everything life brings you and celebrating it. It means we are alive!
Lots of love
Norma.

Norma Cowie 250 490 0654 Email: norma@normacowie.com
www.normacowie.com; www.moviereviewswithnormacowie.blogspot.com

Friday, November 09, 2012

Tarot - Pentacles

Thursday night is Tarot night in this house. This week we looked at the journey of the Pentacles. As Pentacles relate to the element of earth, the symbols relate to the material world. The world that we can see feel and touch. It is not ideas like the wands, or feelings, as with the cups or reactions as with the swords. This is the real stuff. Some people think that Pentacles relate to money, but I see it as much more, I see it as the energy represented into the life. Oh yes, the odd time the symbol will say, this is about money, but mostly it is about how everything else is showing up in the life.
The Ace of Pentacles represents a new beginning. A definite new beginning. Something you have wanted to have, achieve or create. Its here now. Let it in. What I love about the Ace of Pentacles is the red roses of desire in the hedge and the white lilies of pure thought in the fields with the pathway leading out towards to mountains (life).  Red Roses and White Lilies is aspiration (the symbology shows up in the King of Pentacles, Magician and Hierophant. This new beginning is something you have aspired for.
The two of pentacles is like every number two, balance. Here the juggler is juggling away. When something new comes into your life you have to readjust. You might need to let something go, or rearrange schedules, or whatever it takes it fit it in.
The three of pentacles is the only symbol in the Pentacles which is not colored in. They appear in the stonework on the monastery, while the workman is working away and the monk and the architect, who has the plan is watching, or conferring with the workman. This shows the need for the new project to be worked on, but at the same time others have an investment. In this symbol it is important to identify which person you, or whom you are reading for is. The workman, the monk or the architect. 
In the four of pentacles it shows what happens when we finally get what we want. We hold on tight. Too tight. Life does no work well with tight. The more hold on (remember in the three/four/five of cups what happens) the same here. We need to be open, to allow change, to let go.
Then if we don't then the five of cups, where two people are out in the snow, and not going into the warmth of the church behind them.  How often we don't do things because society says you are not welcome, or you cannot open your mind enough to believe you could do something. This symbol represents being left out and you feel left out.
Then in the six of pentacles these two people who were out in the snow are now begging from the merchant. The six pentacles are up in the sky, and the Merchant is handing coins to one. If you look closely at the merchants hands he is holding some coins back (the farmer always keeps his seeds back for planting - or in other words you never give everything away). His hand gesture is the same as in the ten of swords and the Heierophant. The second person has the justice scales over his head and is waiting to see if he will get his reward too. In the background is the castle of dreams (goals) so the goal is close at hand.
Now as you reach the seven of pentacles, you are back working away and have been achieving, but you are tired, like you are not going to get there, so you rest on your shovel. Although the leaves of grapes (abundance) is there, there is no actual grapes, so you have not reaped your reward yet. Here you need to encourage to keep going, that you are nearly there.
Then you reach the eight of pentacles, where you are working quite happily in front of your castle (goal) and you display the works you have done.
This will lead you to the nine of pentacles, where you are in the garden of the castle, with abundance all around. I find though, this can be limiting. The two trees on either side of the garden,. the hawk the lady holds all speak of confinement, having it all, some with some reservations.
In the ten of pentacles, you have an older man on the outside of the castle wall, dressed in a robe with metaphysical designs and inside the castle are the man, woman and child. The man and woman appear to be speaking, the child has his hand on the tail of one of the dogs, while the old man has his hand on the head of the other. On the wall is the wand of will and authority (from the Chariot). In front of everything the ten pentacles are placed in the design of the tree of life. It is all there available to them. I always think they just have to go get it. I always remember that number ten is also a number one - new beginnings.
The Page of Pentacles is like all pages. Absorbed in his pentacle. Not aware of the beauty around him so needs to be more aware.
The Knight of Pentacles is another procrastination symbol (When you get King of Wands, Queen of Cups with the Knight of Pentacles - or any combination of the two, you have procrastination). His sturdy horse looks out over plowed fields needing to be planting. Sometimes on needs to wait for the right time, but as this is an attitude, one must be careful they do not make too much of a habit of waiting.
The Queen of Pentacles sits under a rose brier, which goes right over the top of her as she contemplates her pentacle. Abundance is all around especially by the rabbit close by. She is accepting of what is as she contemplates her life.
The King of Pentacles sits in the battlements of his castle and is crowned with the roses and lilies,the flowers found at the bottom of the Magician symbol. He wears a robe of grapes and grape leaves (abundance). He has his pentacle in is left hand, over his left knee, which is encased in iron (the fight of life) resting upon an armadillo (his subconscious). In his right he holds the world. He has it all understood.
By understanding the journey of the pentacles you can see how you take the new opportunities and work it into your life being flexible, because it changes.

More information found in Pathways of the Tarot.  In my website



Norma Cowie 250 490 0654 Email: norma@normacowie.com

Saturday, November 03, 2012

Tarot - The Swords

 This last Thursday in the class Tarot for Successful Living, we studied the journey of the Sword symbology.  The Swords relate to the element Air. The intellect. How we see things, how we respond to things . Therefore the Swords show how we respond to the problems, challenges, grief and sadness etc.
The Ace of Swords is the one in which we need to understand fully, as it shows what to do whenever we have a problem/challenge or issue arise. Whatever it may be we always have a choice.  We have a choice of either facing it, and deciding what we want to do with it, or we can choose to ignore - two of swords -.  The important part here is to know if you do not choose to deal with it directly, while whatever it is is small and present, the journey that follows awaits.
In the two of swords, it shows how we just don't want to see. The woman sits with her two swords across her heart. The river of life behind her has a couple of rocks protruding above the water and in the distance is another shore.  How often we do this will determine how often we are exercising our right to be able to choose effectively. Be open to what is occurring and not sitting and waiting for everything to go away.
In the three of swords, a heart with three swords piecing it it demonstrates the hurt, pain, disappointment and grief we will experience if we have not dealt with the original issue. All of us who have lived for a wee while have experienced this. Sadness comes, and it is part of life. It is how we handle it which is important.
Therefore, the four of swords shows how we can deal with the pain. That is to go inside and resolve it within. A knight lies down with one sword underneath him and the three on the wall above. It is the window, up in the left hand corner, a stained glass window showing a woman and child (it has a black line between them). Inner communication is important here. Go inside, be quiet within and resolve the issue.
If you do not do that, then you will be at the five of swords. More confusion and more defensive behavior. Here we once again are holding onto our pain, and choosing to last out, defend, or do whatever it needs to to resolve, rather than protect and fight.
Once again the sword symbology shows how to resolve, here in the six of swords, the man is propelling his boat across the river (seen in the two of swords). Inside the boat are six swords (not piecing the bottom of the boat) a woman and child (see in the window of the four). In the front right the water is rough, but where they are heading the river is quiet. This action is taking you away from what has been bothering you, and you will reach the other side. You just need time.
If you choose not to do this, but rather hold onto your pain, your grief, then the seven of swords takes over, wherein, you choose to hold on and feel more isolated and away from everything that could and will support you. Here a man steals away with all his swords, not holding them very comfortably (reminder of the ten of wands where the man does not hold his wands well either). 
By choosing this course of action, you will arrive at the eight of swords, where you are stuck and feeling like you will never get to where you want to be. I love this symbol because of the promise of the castle (the goal) right behind (just as in the five of cups).  The woman is tied to a stake (unseen) while three swords on left side and five swords on the right side are stuck in the ground. The woman is bound loosely, her blindfold is loose (wherein in the two of swords is quite tight). In front of her the river of life is just a few puddles. If she was to make some movement, she could easily remove herself from this stake, turn around and see what she wants is right there.
If you do not do any action, then you come of the nine of swords. Here the woman is lying on a bed, with nine swords on her black wall. She has her face in her hands (she cannot see). On her bed is a bedspread of red roses of desire and astrological symbols. Underneath her on the bottom part of the bed is a sculpture of a man being killed by another. He has been struck down with a sword. Here it is important to get up out of the bed, use the energy of desire and begin resolving the problems etc, that are on the wall. I usually recommend people begin with small things, so they build in success. So often we begin with the big things and therefore fail. We must go step by step resolving these issues until the are no more.
Because if not, then the ten of swords takes over. In the ten of swords the man is lying on the sand in front of the river of life. He has nine swords up his back and one beside his head. Behind him is the river of life, and the background is the dark moving upward while the light, is beginning to shine through.  This is the end. The man lying on the sand has his hand in a position, which is a benediction, which is also seen in the six of pentacles and the Hierophant. If you do not take care of your issues, they will take care of you, and as there are no endings, only beginnings, you will move forward. You will move into the new....
The court cards of the swords, also shows the defensive aspect of us. How we protect ourselves.
The Page of Swords is in a defensive stand. Holding his sword up in the air while his arm is across his heart. In the sky is ten birds flying in a formation of a fish (the early Christian sign).
The Knight of Swords is reactive. His horse is rushing forward over rough ground, he has his sword upraised, you can tell by the trees in the background he is going against the wind the ten birds are now scattered so only five are visible. (The Hierophant).
The Queen of Swords, looks open, as she sits on her throne, with her beautiful butterfly crown. The sylph of air is on her throne with a butterfly and crescent moons facing outward.  She holds her sword in her right hand, while her left is raised to welcome. She can be seen as defensive, holding the swords to protect, or she can be seen as a person who will do what it takes to achieve what she wants. She has one bird in the sky (Magician).
The King of Swords, I have found over the years is very logical, you must make sense. He does not relate to emotion. His Sword is at an angle, showing he is open (must logical though).   His butterfly behind him is encased within the crescent moons (his beauty - open heart is not shown).  He has two birds in the sky, (High Priestess) showing he has choice. He can choose to be stubborn, or open.
I have always enjoyed the journey of the Swords because when I first began to study the journey I realized there is lots of ways in which we can get back to having everything work out the way we want. Putting aside pride, stubbornness, rightness etc. We need to be clear in ourselves and with others. Communication both inner and outer is so important. Not to defend our hearts but to open our hearts. To be able to admit to being wrong if we are, or at least saying we made a mistake. Yes, the swords show how our live can be so much better.  When reading for yourselves, watch which sword symbols come up. Some are tremendously powerful in advising how we can resolve issues.

To learn more about the Sword symbology and the rest of the Tarot you can order Pathways of the Tarot ebook or regular book

Norma Cowie 250 490 0654 Email: norma@normacowie.com