It's been a hard and mad week. The Autumn Equinox was intense and things are always moving here at Kia Ora ... we move with the flow, but welcome change when change is needed. Two pet fish passed away last week; many wild animals have found their way into the house courtesy of the cats (not all of them survived); and I appear to have quite a communication going with my lovely spirit guides at present. Last night's winds blew some cobwebs away - much needed.

Look at the first and last cards - 5 (of Clouds) and 15 (Major Arcana). The last card tells a story of a lion who was brought up by sheep, so always believed he was a sheep until the day came when he met other lions and realised what he truly was. (There is more to the story, but I won't write it here - it is an old Zen story; I'm sure you can find it online.)

Comparing yourself to others - or to your flock - might truly not be the best way to discover who you are, for you are an individual conditioned into a personality by society's wants and needs. As an individual, you are perfect the way you are. You are unique and special and there is no one else like you in the world. Isn't that something? Isn't that a miracle?

The time is coming when you may have to be "different". When you will have to stand out and be true to who you are, and perhaps this could be painful because you've always thought of yourself to be one way, and then discovered, in fact, you are another way. It can really rock your world - it is the carpet pulled from under your feet.

But you are who you are, and that is both a gift and a god-given right. Whether you are the oak or the bamboo in the first card, you're strength lies - and only lies - in growing into what you are meant to be.

The 7 of Rainbows (in the middle) tells us that all good things take time. There is a design to what is happening in your life (and the world at large), so while you are striving to be true to yourself, be patient with yourself also ... and with others. Growth and un-conditioning is a delicate process that is akin to a birth of a whole new being. There are labour pains. There is also pure joy. But we must not rush the process. Instead, trust in the process; in the seed that is growing.

I planted my tomato plant late this year because I hurt my back. I wasn't sure it would make it. It seemed futile, and most people would not have bothered to seed a tomato plant two months late. But I remembered thinking, What will be, will be. But I'm not going to not try. So, I planted the seed anyway and the plant grew. Now, at the end of September, I have tomatoes just about to turn red, because the weather has allowed for it. I will probably have tomatoes when no one else will have tomatoes. Trust in life. Trust in you. And have faith.

The world is about to change. But it will happen with care, and when the time is right. The same is true for your life and your own personal circumstances.

This week, do not compare yourself to others. Do not just follow the crowd, but stand strong in what is right for you. But ... also have patience. Nurture yourself and this new growth you can feel in you. You will be all right. You will be all right.

Working with a quartz cluster can help you with nurturing new growth. See each little wand growing out of the cluster as an individual striving to discover who he/she is. Contemplate this consciously every day as you spend a bit of time with the cluster.

To experience life is to commune with life. It is to become one with it - to feel it, touch it, see and hear it; talk to it and listen to what it has to say. And this week, you cannot escape your communion with life. It will demand you feel something deeply and personally.

You are likely to find yourself in a position where you are either alone and physically unsupported by others, or you are emotionally alone and feel unsupported. This does not mean you are truly alone (no one ever is) - always reach out for help if you need to. But, also, try to not see this phase of aloneness as a punishment, but as an opportunity to feel whatever you need to feel so you can transform it. No one is ever truly alone when they integrate with themselves and come to themselves, even when they feel like they are - what we tend to feel is loneliness, which is separation from the life experience, from others, and from ourselves.

This phase suggests that it is necessary for you to feel your pain - of something that the life experience has brought you. Perhaps it is a grieving process that you've been avoiding. To feel pain (of any kind) is to make you aware of your boundaries, wants, and needs. Awareness brings you closer to who you are. We would be aware of nothing if we did not feel pain. We would have nothing to test us and challenge us to grow into the best versions of ourselves (or worst - we always get to decide which version we will aim for).

So, this is a week where you may feel very sensitive, very isolated, and very lonely. Take very good care of yourself - reach out for help if you need to - but also, go deep within and feel your pain - do not avoid it. Nurture your hurting heart. Feel what part of you needs recognition and to be allowed to step forth; allowed its voice.

​This phase will pass as all things do, so make the most of its lesson before it disappears.

Use smoky quartz, snowflake obsidian, black obsidian, and rose quartz to navigate the above - either separately, or in combination.

I've had a pretty "otherworldy" week of odd things happening as described in the FB post below:

This has been - among many other things and interesting dream I had last night - a sharp reminder that my path is currently strewn with distractions and I need to refocus on my purpose. So, for me anyway, next week is going to be about refocusing my attention and intention and making sure I'm living impeccably. 

Here's the Reading for the coming week....

The coming week brings with it a restlessness, and a strong need to assert your independence. You will take centre stage - your work, your wants, your needs, and desires - and ignore anyone who thinks this is selfish. It is time to think about these things because there is an authoritative force in your life that could be a person or an institution, and he/she/it has been there a while, sometimes in the background, but next week, you'll feed this "energy" in a more direct way. And it's time to think about how you feel about that. There is a very strong call to consider everything you have worked for and created for yourself over the years - everything you have manifested - and consider if you want to give it away to another force, or whether you want to become your own authority instead. Independence and self-sufficiency will be key words next week.

Beware of becoming, or staying, stuck in a rut. Watch our for cycles repeating because of your inaction. There will be an opportunity to break a long-held pattern in your life this coming week, but it may not reach a completion this week. At the very least, though, it is time to put things in place and get the ball rolling. Start the process of needed change.

There is also a hint to look at your finances and what can materially provide for you for the rest of the year, and put reserves in place if you need to.

Working with Smoky Quartz can help you see yourself and all your fears and challenges more clearly, and encourage you not to be in denial about any of them (this bravery to see the truth about yourself will be needed to make changes). Additionally, New Jade with its soothing green, can help you make decisions to leap into the new and unknown.

You can buy The Spiral Tarot in our shop.

I've been walking in many different realities / worlds, the past few days - it's enough to knock you sideways unless you have a very strong sense of who you are: where you begin, where you end, and where you are never-ending. Learn to know yourself well if you do this kind of work between worlds, or you will be just as susceptible as anyone else to getting lost without knowing you are lost. You will think the world you are walking in is you, when it is not you, and you are, in fact, the world. These are the lessons of shamans and spiritual masters...

The Reading for this coming week...

Your work situation may throw up some gritty challenges this coming week, and you may be faced with people who are severely lacking in intuition, empathy, and foresight. You will have to hold your ground to remain true to yourself - not giving up your knowing and your own empathy, no matter the aggravation this might cause. Others' aggravation are a result of their inability to align with their integrity, remember that - and their aggravation is really towards themselves. You may find it hard to hold your ground and stand up for yourself and your truths - particularly if you are sensitive and lean towards emotional reactions like crying and anger (nothing wrong with emotion at all, by the way), so you are called to do your best to prepare and find a calm within; to be the calm amid the storm. It could be that by the end of the week, you may have to make a very difficult decision if the challenging situation cannot be resolved.

If work is not a factor for you with regards to the above, then the aggravation will likely take place in another area of life, but will require the need to work together with the people involved (partner, friends, family, etc) as a team. Listening and empathy need to take place between all. If it isn't taking place, consider where you want to be - do you still want to be involved with these people? Are you building the right future with these people? You may have to make a tough decision to really stay true to yourself going forward.

Work with a favourite clear quartz point that ideally has great clarity, to help you reach the right decisions and maintain a clear heart and mind.