November - An Island of Inquiry & The Healing Angel of Time
We’re super stoked to welcome the writings of Terry Lynn of Salt + Sky Wellness: tarot maven, Reiki master, student of holistic nutrition, Doula and lyrical writer of deep thoughts - you will see for yourself. Having spent some time with her and the cards we can tell you she is a gifted soul. We hope you enjoy this offering and come back for more (!) Love love love.
Orginally posted November 2019
November is an island. A pregnant pause amidst an ocean of time in which to be still, solitary and no longer seduced by old thought patterns. It is an island not of isolation but of divine protection on which we may heal what losses we incurred in the recent past. November carves out a space in our emotional and spiritual realm where we may reflect on what was cleared- suddenly or otherwise- from our lives in order to make space for new ways of thinking, being, living and dying. And it probably won't seem like it until the month has passed, but November brings a serious upgrade to our level of resilience, and a much needed refinement of our ego.
This island, in the soft shape of November, is home to the Hermit; the Old Wise One, our inner Crone. This is the card that showed up (by flying clear out of the deck as I was shuffling if I may add) for the overarching theme of November. It offers us sanctuary after a tumultuous and trying October, and the Old Wise One is the voice we may tune into by changing the radio dial from our overworked and ego-led minds, to the collective womb portal. Here we can listen to the calming ocean waves that surround our island, the birds that circle above, the sound of whales surfacing and the night winds rustling through the palms. Here we can match the pace of the Hermit: The One Who Moves Without Haste, consulting the feedback of her soul's deeper knowing with every step. Her walking stick connects her higher self to her soul-self, keeping them in communication; conceiving their conversation in her womb and letting it gestate at an un-rushed & natural pace.
When I was sitting in silence with this card (on the Scorpio new moon), going inward to my own womb-space and asking for guidance, I saw a clear vision of the Hermit standing in our collective heart space, shining her lantern down into our old home place: the all knowing and wise womb. With November being the 11th month, we have the High Priestess (1+1+2), showing up for us as well, even though She didn't physically come up in the this month's reading. In my opinion, the High Priestess rules over and protects the womb space for reasons I won't get into here (because of years of diving into this, and not wanting to get too sidetracked). I mention her because I connect the Hermit and the High Priestess in a very sacred and esoteric way. I would like to one day write about this and share it with you. I will say though, that together they inform our deepest and most revered feminine self (The Moon being the actual environment in which that self dwells), and this month they are working together in the form of the Temperance card, traditionally known as the 'Healing Angel of Time'. Temperance has appeared in this month's spread, in the "future" position, more specifically as the energy bridging us out of November and into December. This positioning is especially potent because Temperance actually represents Sagittarius season (Nov 22-Dec 21). How's that for divine timing? But, I am getting ahead of myself, so now on to the second card of the reading, the Tower.
The Tower showed up in the position of the recent past (end of Aug-end of Oct). This major arcana is ruled by Virgo and Mercury. With Mercury being in retrograde for basically the entirety of November, I see this as a message to slow down to a snail's pace, and then slow down some more. I emphasize this because the Hermit is a leisurely energy to begin with, and the medicine of mercury rx is to seriously wind-er-down in order to sink deeper into what lies beneath our communication with ourselves and others. We are being asked to sit quietly and patiently with something that came up/was triggered in us between Virgo season and the end of October, or something heavy that happened between Virgo season (Aug 23-Sept 22) and the end of October that we either stuffed down, didn't have time to unpack, or simply weren't yet ready to examine for whatever reason.
In the Tower, whatever was taken from us is done so for reasons much bigger than us. And I want to be sensitive here and be clear that this is not nonchalant "everything happens for a reason" type of BS. I know some of you lost dear friends & family recently and there are simply no words, nor should there be to "explain" these losses or try and make sense of them. I myself lost a dear friend to a car accident, and we also lost our kitty. All I can speak about with a shred of confidence is the meanings behind the archetypes of the cards and in the case of the Tower, great souls and great things are taken from this world as part of a natural cycle that is ages and universes beyond what our ego can comprehend. The Tower also clears ground and gifts us a swift revision of ego, which we may choose to honour once the dust settles and we can see clearly once again. It's important to remember that each and every loss is significant in it's own right and that it is our birthright to mourn our losses in whichever way we see fit.
And now... here in November we are being offered an inner refuge throughout the month in which to open ourselves up to the medicine of mourning and the deeper lessons in loss. I'd like to add here that the Death card rules Scorpio season, and although it didn't show up in the reading, it- like the High Priestess- is here as a silent and symbolic container in which we may honour loss and allow our grief to unfold as it sees fit. The Death archetype in Tarot is less about the dying process itself and more about the actual clearing away. It's also appropriate and hopefully helpful to mention that Death (key 13) as an invisible and underground ally in this reading, brings extra power to Temperance (key 14), which, as previously mentioned, we are moving beautifully into come December. The natural progression from Death to Temperance is a blessing for us all. It will feel like we are flowing forward, even when we are hurting and remembering what was lost. And if it's true that time heals all wounds (or at least makes them more bearable), then Temperance couldn't be more on time and is showing up for us in a deeply, deeply healing capacity.
The next card of the reading is the Devil reversed. This is in the 'present' position, which represents our challenge throughout November, and works together with the Hermit throughout the month. Remember the 10 of Swords that was at the core of October's reading? Yeah, that was a brutal, rock bottom place to be, and although we are still softly lingering in the aftermath, it's happening in a more "calm after the storm" type of way. The Devil has taken the outdated thought patterns that were beating us down in a major way in the 10 of Swords, put them in a sack until they settled down, and has now dumped them on the table in front of us so that we can sort through them and examine them, rather than experience them as our current reality. Prepare to feel tempted to fall back into old patterns, but know that if you take time to inquire around this, rather than feeling helpless, you may very well be able to take a hermit paced step forward instead.
Basically speaking, the Devil offers liberation from dark and scary places by helping us realize that we have the power to overcome. Poor Lucifer, he has such a bad rap when really his name means "bringer of light". He brings light into the deepest, darkest recesses of our minds, and challenges us to question them. He offers the removal of bondage, more specifically, bondage to the idea that "there is something wrong with us". In the words of my teacher, Lindsay Mack, the devil is "the deepest source of inquiry we have available to us". Once we move through the medicine of this truly beautiful (yet at first terrifying) energy (through inquiring around this energy as mentioned above), we come out the other side liberated from the idea that there is something wrong with us, realizing we in deed are good enough/smart enough/capable enough. This gifts us the freedom to move past our vices, and become more comfortable taking accountability in our own lives, should we choose this path. I'd like to add a sidetone here that I always take a look at the bottom card of the deck in a reading, and in this case it was the 'Strength' card, so rest assured that this month we especially have the inner strength and courage to face the Devil's bold inquiry.
In this reading specifically, The Devil showed up reversed, meaning he's going quite easy on us...showing us a bit of mercy after surviving last month's 10 of Swords. Plus we have the Hermit- our wise inner Crone- shining her warm and all knowing lantern down into the devil's lair, offering us a slower pace- and a slower pulse- so that we may sort through our piles of thought forms and fears without being re-triggered or set back. Please keep in mind that, depending on what your individual experience around this may be, that there is no shame in the game of reaching out for professional mental health support at anytime. There is absolutely no pressure to have to face something that you may not yet be up for. Ot that you may only be comfortable facing with a strong team supporting you. These readings and the energies they bring are always invitations only and never gospel or the last word.
And so, here we are spiralling back to the last card of the reading: Temperance. Although I've pretty much woven the relevance of this healing energy throughout this letter, I think it's appropriate to reinforce the divine timing and healing potential of this beautiful card showing up for us. Temperance is a reconciliation of the conscious and unconscious. And if you remember from October's reading, the Moon arose plenty, illuminating our unconscious in a very major and overwhelming way. Temperance is now bringing balance to this energy for us, bridging our unconscious with our conscious in a way that our intellectual minds and egos simply could not. Seeing as how the Moon energy of September definitely informed the 10 of Swords energy in October, having Temperance show up to moderate all of these tough energies is quite lovely indeed. Prepare for a more gentle relationship with moon energy, and with your emotions in general from around the last week of November until Winter Solstice. Let's remember that Temperance represents Sagittarius season (Nov 22-Dec 23), which is precisely the position it showed up for. This card is also known widely as "an energy that restores what was lost in the Tower, and taken from us in Death." I invite you to sink into the sheer magnanimity of the timing and placement of this card, because this is the most potent archetype that could have shown up for us. This key is here to very clearly remind us that we are being called from our highest and very best selves to feel each and every feeling we need to feel this month as an ultimate release (honouring what we lost in the Tower, and letting it go through the Death card throughout Scorpio season), knowing that Temperance is already one step ahead, taking care of us, holding us and guiding us forward in the most powerful & gentle way.
You are being invited to trust this process. To take your very sweet time in doing so. To face your shadow in the Devil, with Strength in your heart and the Hermit- your wise inner Crone- lighting the way and setting the pace. To pass what has been grieved into the hands of Death, so that it may be regenerated. To allow the healing waters of Temperance to replenish all tears lost, and the fire of this Healing Angel of Time to both warm your heart and keep your lantern lit, so that you may always see your way forward, no matter how long it takes between each step. This is the path of non-violence and compassion. For yourself and for all beings.
