September Tarot Reading with Amanda Brough
One of my favourite ways to read Tarot is to pick the card from the top of the deck, which represents what's above us, our conscious thoughts, that which is known and understood; and the card from the bottom of the deck, symbolic of what lies beneath, our subconscious mind, that which is yet to become known.
September's reading features two cards from the Major Arcana which represent turning points, life changes and the karmic lessons our souls need on their journey to wholeness. What this means is that this is a pivotal time for us on an individual and collective level, the cards act as signposts to steer us in the right direction if we've blown off course, and show us what needs to be addressed.
On the top of the deck for September is The Hierophant, card 5 in the Major Arcana, sometimes referred to as The Pope or The High Priest. He represents the masculine principle, a teacher, mentor or guide, deeply rooted in tradition, doctrine and long held religious or spiritual beliefs. He sits between two pillars that represent a gateway to the sacred knowledge he possesses, in his right hand he bestows blessings upon the students at his feet and in his right hand he holds the Papal Cross, a triple sceptre that signifies his exalted religious and social status. When The Hierophant appears in a reading he's asking us to look at our belief systems and trusted sources of information - he wants us to question whether we blindly follow the crowd and hold onto beliefs inherited from society or family that aren't actually our own and to take the time to learn, grow and develop our own rules and moral codes. Most importantly, his message is to trust your inner teacher above all others, to throw away the rule books we've been given and write our own. As this card is in the 'above' position you may already be experiencing a sense of confidence in yourself, a quiet knowing that you're on the right path, or are being called to deepen your knowledge, it's the start of a new academic year after all, what do you need to learn to move forwards in trust? As it turns out, our second card, this time from the bottom of the deck and representing our subconscious thoughts is the answer.
Card 12 from the Major Arcana is The Hanged Man. It shows a man hanging upside down from a structure that appears to be a tree with shoots and leaves, symbolising new growth is imminent. Despite what appears to be a precarious position, the man doesn't appear perturbed and instead has a halo around his head and an impartial expression on his face. Whereas the Hierophant is all about the established order and what we think we know, the Hanged Man wants us to scratch beneath the surface, flip things on their head, and see them from a different perspective - like when you do an inversion in a Yoga class and suddenly see the world from a different point of view! The Hanged Man wants to shake things up and innovate, but he's not in a rush, he's quite happy to pause and hang around for the answers to come - the halo representing the moment inspiration strikes and what we think we know becomes what we know we know.
Back in the real world we're about to be gifted two opportunities to do just that. On 6th September we entered the first shadow phase of Mercury Retrograde which comes into full effect on 27th September. Retrogrades are when the planets appear to move backwards and spiritually they're a time to hang fire, re-evaluate, re-assess, re-visit, re-dress, re-frame. Granted we've had 18 months of pause already, but we also have the imminent arrival of the Autumn Equinox on 22nd September which is all about integration and reaping what we've sowed - it's not time for action just yet. Can you embrace the qualities of The Hanged Man and sacrifice doing for being for just a little longer and see what deep inner wisdom, truth and knowledge makes itself known to you?
I'd love to hear if the reading resonates with you and also your experience of the energies of the coming few days - please do drop me a line and let me know how're getting on!
With love,
Amanda Brough
bhuti Centre Manager
