Tonight I decided to give myself a tarot reading using the September Equinox Around the World spread by @hermit.and.hierophant on Instagram:
SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM TO SEE WHAT EACH CARD REPRESENTS AND WHY.
Lets take a look at my personal reading:
I decided to use my trimmed version of the Tarot of the Divine deck by @YoshiYoshitani on instagram.
1). How can I give thanks and honor which has provided for and sustained me?
6 OF SWORDS - This card represents moving forward onto new things. I can give thanks by not letting anything hold me back. Instead I can take the lessons I've learned to move forward and grow from them. It's only by moving on from the past towards a bright future that you show your appreciation for what the Universe has given.
2). What emotions am I carrying with me that I must now work through and let go of?
THE DEVIL - This card represent the hurt and struggles I've gone through in my past. It's the manipulation, the addictions, the feeling of being powerless over myself. By releasing myself and forgiving the past, I can move onto bigger and better things.
3). How can i honor my community, and all who have helped me become who I am?
7 OF SWORDS - This is an interesting card to receive for this question. While typically this card may come across as negative, in this situation it is quite powerful. I can honor my community by FIGHTING for my community. The Queer community in particular has so many struggles and with what is going on today, it feels like we are taking steps back as a country. Instead of quietly accepting this, I must do all I can do to fight for my community no matter what.
4). How can I honor and commune with my inner child?
DEATH - This brings me back to the Devil card in a way. I can honor my inner child by forgiving the past and allowing myself to grow from it. I can essentially kill off any of the bad and remember all the good times as a child. I can allow my creativity to take me back to a simple time where all I wanted to do was create things. Death is an opportunity for growth. Death is an opportunity to begin again. Only by forgiving and accepting this new beginning can I give myself a new opportunity to remember my childhood as I would have liked it.
5). What can I learn from my past to prepare me for my future?
2 OF CUPS - A card of love, happiness, and coming together towards a common goal. There are a couple things I can learn from this card. a). It's ok to open yourself up emotionally and let other people in. I've always been very closed off emotionally and have always found it difficult to make connections. b). It's ok to ask for help. It's ok to reach out to others when I am struggling. It's ok to partner with people who have a common goal.
6). What will be my sign and catalyst for growth?
THE MOON - I am always very drown to the energy of the moon. The moon is something that gives me the positive vibes I need. the catalyst for growth for me will be facing my shadow side and examining the fears, anxiety, stress, etc. that holds me back. By acknowledging these things, I can begin to work through them, ultimately allowing my self to grow.
7). What Transformation must I prepare to undergo this season?
10 OF SWORDS - Learning to accept the endings no matter how painful. Understanding that the pain is temporary and becomes a lesson as you begin again. This season brings the understanding that endings are ok. That sometimes events, people, thoughts, etc. are only here for a season and it's ok to let them go if they no longer lead you down the path you want to be on.
8). How can I stand strong in times of change and transition?
QUEEN OF CUPS - I have to realize that I am 100% in control of my emotions. I have the power within me to decide how I react to change. I also have the power to control how I decide to move forward. My intuition will be my guide through these changes and I need to remember to always trust it.
9). How can i make space for and honor my divine feminine?
10 OF COINS - Remind myself I am worth all the happiness, abundance, and accomplishments I could ever want. Remember that there is so much good, even in times of struggle. Remember that all the hard work we've put into our selves, our work, our projects, it is not for nothing. Accept all the positivity into your life and don't focus solely on the negative.
10). What do I need to give up and Sacrifice in order to encourage inner peace?
10 OF CUPS - I must give up the fairytale ending. The happily ever after. We are in this life to experience the good and the bad. We are here to learn some hard lessons. If I am always fantasizing about the perfect life, perfect family, perfect happiness, I end up taking the negative so much harder. Whereas if I understand that there will be good times and there will be bad times, I am able to prepare myself and embrace the lessons learned.
11). How can I facilitate my rebirth and renewal?
LOVERS - Open myself up emotionally and accept love. But also, remembering that some decisions in life are hard and the options often feel like they are impossible to choose. Sometimes opposites really do attract and the things you thought were scary and bad are actually amazing and good.
__________________________________________________________________________________
September Equinox Around The World Spread - by @hermit.and.hierophant on Instagram. Be sure to check out his instagram page! He has some amazing Tarot spreads that he's created
"I've always thought that there was a little bit of magic in understanding ancient cultures and their traditions. As though by looking through the eyes of our ancestors, and our past lives, we can discover a newfound appreciation for our world."
"Though beliefs and traditions have changed with time, nature, and its cycles have not. Twice a year, during a time called the equinox, the day and the night are at equal length. Ancient people all around the world, throughout all of history would come to know this phenomenon by many different names, and each had a different way of honoring, venerating, and celebrating it."
"Each card in this spread draws focus to a different culture and how they observed this liminal time of the year. The eleventh card focuses on our modern traditions and how they're celebrated in the northern and southern hemispheres as they come upon the autumnal and vernal equinox, respectively. As we prepare mind, body, and soul, whether it be for autumn or spring, by understanding our collective history we will gain wisdom and insight into our future."
CARD 1). Nowatequa - Cherokee Tribe, North America
One of the original North American Thanksgiving traditions, Nowatequa was a New Year Festival celebrated during Duninudi, the October Harvest Moon. The Cherokee people would give thanks to all living things who provided for them, for the ancestors that watched over and guided them, and for the Great Spirit from which all was created. Members of the tribe would purify themselves in preparation for the next cycle of seasons by submerging themselves in the river seven times, and resting their bodies.
Thanksgiving - How can I give thanks and honor that which has provided for, and sustained me?
CARD 2). Oschophoria - Athens, Greece
Oschophoria was a celebration of Dionysus as well as the harvest of wine and olive oil. Two young men from noble Attic families were selected for the great honor of being dressed as women, and made to carry bundles of olive branches and grape vines from the temple of Dionysus in Athens to the shrine of Athena in Skiras. After offerings were made at the shrine the community would come together to collectively weep both in mourning and in celebration. Afterwards a great feast was held in honor of mothers and young men.
Catharsis - What emotions am I carrying with me that I must now work through and let go?
CARD 3). Dożynki - Slavic Paganism, Poland
Dozynki was a harvest celebration organized by landowners to reward farmers for their work in reaping the year's harvest. Sacrifices would be made to honor the deities of plants, trees, and agriculture. Traditionally, the last handful of uncut grain would remain in the field until the end of the celebration, upon which the finest female reaper would harvest the grain, and weave it into wreath along with rowan berries, flowers, and figurines of chickens and ducks. It would then be blessed at the church and hung in the community's barn until the next sowing of plants as a blessing of fertility and prosperity
Community - How can I honor my community, and all who have helped me become who I am?
CARD 4). Tėt Trung Thu - Vietnam
Though celebrated all throughout Asia, Vietnam's version of this harvest festival differs in that it specifically honors children, and youthfulness, as it was believed their innocence and purity could attract animal spirits and certain deities. Parents would dote on their children during this time, making mooncakes and other treats for them, as well as helping them craft a lantern for the annual lantern festival. Lanterns in the shape of fish, birds, and butterflies among many other animals were released into moonlit sky as onlookers rattled noisemakers and drums in celebration.
Youth - How can I honor and commune with my inner child?
CARD 5). Ohigan - Buddhism, Japan
Based on the Buddhist teachings of life, death, and reincarnation, Ohigan literally translates to "the other shore". Celebrated at both the vernal and autumnal equinox, during this time, it was believed the veil between life and death was at its thinnest. Observers would celebrate and divine with the harvest moon, as well as visit the graves of their ancestors to thank them for their wisdom and guidance. People were encouraged to contemplate their existence, and their adherence to the path of the Buddha.
Reflection - What can I learn from my past in order to prepare me for my future?
CARD 6). Mahuru - Māori, New Zealand
The Māori Calendar was marked by the timing of the planting, growing, and harvest seasons, and was based on the lunar cycle as well as the appearance of tohu. Tohu were signs observed in nature such as the flowering of certain plants, the cries of certain animals, and the appearance of certain stars. Named after the Maori goddess of spring whose name literally means "to be soothed", Mahuru was signaled by the four note song of the Shining Cuckoo. At this time, preparations were made for the planting of the first crops such as kamokamo and kumara.
The Tohu - What will be my sign for change, and my catalyst for growth?
CARD 7). Djilba & Kambarang - Nyoongar, Australia
The transition from the season of Djilba to the season of Kambarang was a period of great transformation to the indigenous Nyoongar people of Australia. The explosive bloom of yellow, orange, and red flowers from the acacia, moodjar, and kangaroo paw plants signaled the start of the dry season -- that the summer heat was on its way. Snakes and other reptiles would start to be seen as they came out of hibernation in search of food, and the cry of magpie chicks would be heard again.
Transformation - What kind of transformation must I prepare to undergo this season?
CARD 8). The Blooming of Namaqualand- Khoisan, Southern Africa
Namaqualand is an arid desert region of what is now South Africa and Namibia. Every year this dry and sparsely vegetated land springs to life in a vibrant sea of colorful wildflowers. The Nama and Khoisan people native to this area celebrated this natural wonder with a festival honoring the endurance, and resilience of the flowers that they saw bloom for these three weeks out of the year. Their attunement to the natural cycles of this area is what allowed them to thrive in its unforgiving wilderness. Even today, people come from all over the world to see the blooming wildflowers of Namaqualand.
Perseverance - How can I stand strong in times of change and transition?
CARD 9). Coya Raymi - Inca, South America
Coya Raymi signified the coming of the tenth month in the Incan Calendar: The Moon of Planting. Festivals were held in honor of both the Coya, the Emperor's wife, and mother to the Incan People, and Mamaquilla, Mother moon, the deity of femininity. Observers would adorn themselves in silver jewelry, flowers, and crystals to make their prayers to the Mamaquilla heard. Women would often take herbal baths to purify their spirits and better connect with their divine feminine.
Femininity - How can I make space for and honor my divine feminine?
CARD 10). Makahiki - Kānaka Maoli, Hawaii:
Occurring over four months, Makahiki celebrated the god Lonoikamakahiki, who's blessings brought rain, life, peace, and fertility. During the celebration the chief would place kapu, or prohibitions on fishing, farming, and war so that everyone could rest their bodies and minds. Offerings were made at altars in temples located all around the islands, and to end the celebration, the chief would take all gathered offerings and canoe out to sea to present them to Lono. Upon his return, spears were thrown at the chief, who had to dodge and deflect them to prove his worthiness as ruler.
The Kapu - What do I need to give up and sacrifice in order to encourage inner peace?
CARD 11). Mabon - Paganism & Wicca, Northern Hemisphere
With influence from both celtic and greek mythologies, The term Mabon was coined for this neopagan celebration in the 1970's. Mabon was named after the celtic god Mabon, son of Modron, the earth mother goddess, who would go to battle with the god of darkness. It is also observed as the time of Persephone's descent into the underworld, when Demeter would mourn her daughter's absence and winter would come. Most modern practices revolve around rituals of harmony and balance, and preparing for autumn by celebrating community.
Balance - What needs to be brought to balance?
OR
CARD 11). Ostara - Paganism & Wicca, Southern Hemisphere
Named after the germanic goddess of Dawn Eostre, Ostara is a neopagan holiday with long stretching roots in christian, germanic, and proto-indo-european beliefs and traditions. The name "Ostara" was given to this sabbat in the late 1960's and shares a linguistic root with the Christian Easter. Throughout all cultures, it is celebrated as a time of renewal, rebirth, and fertility. Today Ostara is mainly celebrated by planting new seeds, cleaning one's home in preparation for spring, and decorating eggs.
Renewal - How can I facilitate my rebirth, my renewal?