This year's Samhain is summing up to be quite an intense and powerful one, but also one which offers great hope for change if we are willing to put the effort in ... and it is effort. It is a bit of a hard slog that is needed...

Samhain (All Hallow's Eve) is the time of year where we celebrate the end of the Harvest and give thank for all we have. It's a time when we get together and take stock of all we have accomplished this year and then plan how to move forward (which is very much the message in the cards below). It is also a time to lick our wounds. We get ready to retreat for the dark of winter and it is a time when everything naturally slows down, and if we are in tune with the seasons, we may well feel like slowing down, too. Hibernating in some way or another. Feelings of tiredness and an intolerance to rushing may be prominent leading up to Winter Solstice. Take note of this and honour it. Try and listen to your body's needs, for it is recalibrating with the natural cycles of the earth (which involves readying for Winter here in the northern hemisphere).

Samhain also marks the beginning of the New Year in Celtic tradition as death always marks a coming rebirth. We are now at the beginning phase of a brand new cycle.

Patience and observation are very much keywords for the coming week. You might be yearning to reach the "end goal", but circumstances aren't quite right yet. This is clearly depicted by both the middle and last card: the Seven of Pentacles is about analysing your harvest and having to decide whether to reap now, or wait a bit longer for a better yield. Patience might be your saviour - it's about timing everything right.

Likewise, the Three of Wands is about taking stock of your current project or venture; observing the terrain and making plans for where you want to go next and how you're going to get there. So, without a doubt there is a sense of having to wait next week.

The King of Cups advises us to be wise next week, and use our well-gained knowledge over our lived years in compassionate ways, to help the current situation rather than hinder it. The King of Cups in this deck is represented by Erasmus of Rotterdam, a dutch philosopher born 28th October, 1466 (timely for this Reading!). He was a well-travelled man and a Catholic priest who was openly critical of the abuses of the church. Nevertheless, he chose to stay within the church, determined to reform it from within, and used many Humanistic techniques, evidenced in his many writings, to do this. He is regarded to have been hugely influential in paving the way for greater religious tolerance within his field.

This is a beautiful example of how one person can create ripples with his/her truth, that effect not just the current situation, but centuries into the future, and is suggestive of having to stay within the challenge in order to transform it. It takes patience, observation, bravery, and foresight, all with compassion so we can move forward in the most humane way possible.

This is the energy of the week to come.

Also note, the New Moon in Scorpio on the 4th November. Yes - a challenging situation indeed! Either in your life, or in the outer world globally. (Scorpio moons are never the easiest.) But sit with it, as more is yet to come to light - it's about waiting for the right time to harvest your yield.

Work with Pyrite: looking for the truth - the gold - within the illusion. Looking for the heart within the hate. Looking for the right within the wrong. (And so on.)

What a week! It's been a week of strong mothers - warrior parents - family bonds, revaluing strength from within. Nothing is insurmountable with care, nurture, and support from those who understand.

​Here is next week's reading....

"Family" also features in the coming week: questions of value and where you find your abundance. What keeps you together? What holds you at the seams? What inspires you to thrive and grow? A lot of people have spent the past two years discovering their foundations are not what they thought.

Further realisations of family value , self-value, and character come into play next week as you/we prepare for our future. For those of you who have put in hard work and made changes to realign with your values, opportunities may well present themselves. New doors open where old ones have closed, so take care to keep an open mind to how things unravel and understand that there may be hidden gifts in something that seems an unfair challenge. (This is something I discovered myself last week. I turned a card which told me there was a hidden blessing in something hard I had to do, and sure enough that blessing - directly connected to the challenge - presented itself in the most unexpected way!)

For those of you only going through those realisations of value now, the hard work is ahead of you. It may be a more "foreboding" door that opens for you, but know that it is the apprehension and shadow feelings you carry that make it seem foreboding. The opportunities are still there - it's just that you have to go through the transformation process first.

Try not to judge yourself or others too harshly as you come to realisations about your life and the way forward, but use your wisdom and discernment to make the decisions and choices you need to. You may feel like you are stumbling in the dark next week with regards to making decisions - perhaps you can't see the outcome clearly, or you are unsure of the consequences. If this is the case, it is time to close your eyes, take a deep breath, and go within to find trust in yourself and faith in the design of life, and make your choices based on those fundamental qualities.

In all cases, keep calm next week. You've got this.

Black Obsidian, Shungite, Obsidian Snowflake, and Smoky Quartz can all help you travel through the above energies.

This past week I have been reminded how painful moments and hard challenges make us stronger; how we always learn something from them (if we want to) and shed our skin in the process, moving on as a new person (in part, anyway). There are no truly bad lessons, just the opportunity to learn, even in the most terrible circumstances (which, of course, does not justify any terrible thing).

Next week, we move into quite an intense energy...

The predominant energy next week is passion. The strength of your beliefs and conviction. Your bond to someone or something. It has the potential to stir a cauldron of fire inside you that you feel compelled to release into the world. You will want to forge your way ahead on this fiery energy, strong in who you are.

This may be a passion you have for something or someone, or for an important decision you have recently made. If it is a "couple" situation, you will ideally want to make sure you are on the same page with regards to your (near) future or "the next step" you are taking. There needs to be some kind of agreement even if you go separate ways on something. Because you can see your path ahead clearly - very clearly. And you need to go and pave it.

Next week, everything will be about standing your ground and creating something new from that stand. There is the potential for a huge birth inside you - a new "you" almost - forged in fire and steel. It's beautiful.

However, there is a challenge (of course). The challenge could come in the form of a dominant person or an authoritative body, and you may find yourself having to stand strong in the face of harsh disagreement from some area of your life. If you can be analytical, logical, and reasonable, using the law (for example) in your favour as you wield that fire, all the better.

These cards suggest things lie in your favour. But you must be strong and firm - not caving in - heroic, even; and be willing to be birthed anew in some way or another. Stand strong, stand in your heart, and walk on, unburnt, by the conviction you wield.

Ooo, I'm not sure. I'm seeing something mystical and from storybooks, just like that crystal the wyvern is forging with its fire; something holding the deep orange of sunsets and sunrises. Maybe a very deeply yellow/orange Citrine. Whatever crystal this might be, let it call to the hero inside you.

With such a strong emphasis after the New Moon on 6th October (and Pluto going direct once more), about going forth into the "new" and into "new beginnings", we look at where to start and what might be occupying your focus from being able to make that step into a new phase...

The energy of next week may well involve nostalgic memories of the past, or a "blast from the past", and it may not be overly comfortable. There is a sense of either past deception or betrayal (that could even come from yourself as well as any outside source) that now needs healing; or something that made you feel, and still makes you feel vulnerable. Or perhaps it is new information that you learn about your past that leaves you feeling a little vulnerable or out-of-sorts.

I'm sensing (rather than seeing in the cards specifically) a group of people next week, or a very "people" energy, so perhaps there is a reunion afoot - a gathering of sorts tied to home, family, or old friendships, that you feel you might have to prepare for, or armour yourself for.

This feels like a challenge, but a small one in some respects, and one you are fully capable of. There is a sense that those in the group may not know about the hurt of the past (or whatever your vulnerability might be), so you need to tread carefully. And maybe - just maybe - it's time to let the cat out the bag and finally express that hurt; talk about it; make it known.

There is also the sense that you will have to battle with whether you want to tell the truth or be a bit deceptive yourself. (Probably in order to protect yourself.) There may be a child involved as the Prince of Staves can represent a friendly, open, honest, fiery child. This could either be a child from the nostalgic past mentioned above, or a child in your present circumstance.

The key for next week is to take a deep breath and plan things out. Prepare yourself and know how you will proceed, how much of yourself you're going to give away, and how much you will not. It's important you have mastery over your reactions and any feelings of vulnerability - know your plan. Do you want to be secretive about certain things? Or do you want to be truthful and lay things out in the open? There is no "wrong or right" here. It's about your choice. But bear in mind that the energy of new beginnings and evolvement (and not avoiding the things right in front of us) from the New Moon is certainly with us next week, so there is a chance to pave new beginnings in a manner fitting for how you wish to go on.

Work with Shungite for cleansing/protection, Moldavite for out-of-this-world guidance, and any stone that helps you feel connected to your guardian angels for that needed sense of protection and faith in yourself.

It appears the RSS feed did not sent to my Newsletter subscribers yesterday - I'm sorry about that. I'm hoping that this post triggers the bot into sending the feed.

The Weekly Reading can be viewed at https://www.kiaoralounge.co.uk/weeklyguidance/weekly-energy-reading-beginning-monday-4th-october-2021

The video below is an expansion of the above Reading and includes a Focus Card for further insight and support.
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In the near future, these expansion videos will be private to my Exclusively Tarot Tier members on Ko-fi. You can view membership options at ko-fi.com/wbw/tiers

00:00 - Introduction
01:50 - The Reading

Enjoy!

​Dianna xxx

The coming week heralds a particularly successful week in ventures which are independent, or which encourage you to find your own independence. Striving to think for yourself, be self-sufficient, and / or advising others in how to do the same is well-aspected. The less you need to rely on, the better. Stand on your own two feet.

Self-employment, or a position in life where you can be your own boss (this does not have to be career-related, but can pertain to relationships, family, health, etc) are encouraged, so you can get the best out of the energy the week has to offer. If you have been in a stifling or dictatorial relationship, contract, or obligation, you are asked to seriously consider how you want to move forward. Make sure you are listened to and that your knowledge is respected at the very least. You have ideas that are worth hearing.

Branching out on your own is never bad.

Lastly, be wise with your savings and investments. Look at everything you have built and / or earnt over the years and choose your next steps carefully with regards to what to do with that money, or with those skills you have mastered.

Opportunities are highlighted and can come your way this week, so be ready for them, and make sure you retain your freedom and "self" - and even your rights (as the Ace of Swords can sometimes relate to matters of law, legal contracts, and justice) - as you take the next step on your journey.

Working with Tourmalated Quartz can really help you focus, bringing your mind to one important point instead of feeling scattered in different directions. As it is a quartz crystal, it can also be programmed with your intent.