Continuing her series, Emma Sunerton-Burl looks into the cards of The Sacred Circle Tarot, by Anna Franklin and Paul Mason, published by Llewellyn:

I notice the rhododendrons in the foreground, the leafless tree in the background – it seems like a winter day, but somehow bright despite the cloudy sky.

I walk into the card.

As I walk in I notice the strong breeze. It is not all that cold but there is a nip in the air. I look to the rhododendrons and ask them of their message.

“We are just determined – we keep growing and flowering whatever is done to us – we can make the most of any situation and find our nourishment in the hardest of situations. We love it hot but will survive in many situations. We bring beauty to the earth.”

“What is your message in this card?” I ask.

“We represent the ability to stick at one thing – to be able to keep on with determined force whatever obstacles present themselves – we are the force of bringing yourself to every situation and staying yourself as you do so – not put off or affected by difficulties, there is always away to achieve your goal.”

“Thank you – I see you have great strength.”

So I turn to the Knight and ask him for a message for me and his meaning in this card.

“I am the driving force in life. I will make things happen through mental effort and by cutting away that which is not necessary – I prune the things in life to make them grow more. I use my sword of discernment to understand and penetrate the meaning of any situation that is put before me in a rational way. Come to me when you want to know why something has happened for I can show you the reason behind all action. I am active, though I make the action happen in my head through thought before taking any physical action. I am about planning and forethought, about learning from past situations so that the present and future can be different. I do bring change in this way – but only through logical and careful thought, based on my goals and aspirations. I represent someone who has these qualities. They are very able to make things move forward by removing the emotional aspects from the situation and just planning and doing what is to be done to get to the goal required. Do you have a question for me at this time?”

“Can you show me why there was a need for a hold up in the contract recently?”

“Yes. Though actually the essence here is holding to your belief that the right contract would come to you regardless of difficulties and you see the obstacles as holding you from a goal – the goal is not your goal. It is not that the contract that was important – but what it would bring, and this is the essence of the situation. Focus on the higher perspective, make these higher goals your rudder and it will mean you will achieve them. Focusing on the way they can be achieved is the block to understanding what I am about, the way may be different to what you expect – it is the highest goal that you can achieve and you need to allow the methods to be shown to you. Your contract situation was concerning this lesson.”

“Thank you.” I say.

I decide I want to talk to the tree. “Oh tree do you have a message for me?” I ask.

“Yes oh traveller, I represent the need to allow things to be in their right season – sometimes it is right for it to be winter, with little movement and growth, knowing that spring is round the corner. So often people berate themselves for the position they are in. ‘If I could truly manifest what I wanted I wouldn’t be experiencing this right now.’ But actually this berating is only serving to hold the situation statically, for there is always change and cycles are needed in the physical world. Allow them to be and have the complete faith that all is well always. Sometimes you need to see the bare bones of a situation, stripped of its leaves, in order to know how to make the leaves grow in spring; the phase of being stripped bare is as important as the harvest. I represent cycles and phases through all goals, the planning and knowing of their existence, accepting them rather than fighting them, this way the goals come to you – sometimes in a more beautiful way than you could have predicted.”
I turn to the Knight. “I notice you are protected with your chain mail there, but it seems not to hamper you – what does it mean in this context?”

“It means I can cut away with ease, trusting I am protected from all. I can also move and bring about the changes necessary in a free and easy way. It is not hard for me to change. Sometimes things need to be cut down and torn away. To prepare and make room for growth in spring – do not fear letting go of people, attitudes and things – for always the void they leave is space for the new to grow. Know you are protected as you let go – and prune your life.”

“Thank you Knight I appreciate your words here.”

“What do I need to prune in my life right now?” I continue.

“You need to be looking at what you really need to make you happy – and then when you have this focus you can remove the rest. Things that you do, have and keep, that do not bring you joy – let them go. Make space for yourself, your growth and the new that is coming. Allow yourself to change with ease daily. I love these rhododendrons – but need to keep them in check that they do not clutter the world with their enthusiastic growth. I need to watch for their over energetic spreading to keep things in balance you too need to watch this in you; for you have goals you set and reach easily, but sometimes you need to prune your activities and allow space to breathe and be. You will know by your joy and energy levels what things need to be left and what needs to be embraced. Know too that in spring you will be able to reawaken things that you have cut back in winter, that nothing dies when you leave it – merely goes dormant until the time is right for awakening again.”

“Thank you Knight, this makes a lot of sense to me and is very helpful.”

He continues: “It is about getting your thoughts clear, as you do so then they increase your power to create. Prune your thoughts too and make each opinion one that is worth having and furthers your development in your life – regular thoughts of this will serve you well.”

“I will do – thank you again.”

I turn to leave the card – I found it a little harder to grasp this card at first, but understand more fully now – I see I have some work to do.

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Emma welcomes any comments on this article or the visualisations you do following this method. Email her on emma@tarot-training.co.uk.

Emma works as an intuitive psychic tarot reader and runs one to one online training courses on reading with the Thoth tarot deck using a unique blend of intuition and psychological techniques. This has now been extended to working intuitively with RWS style decks too. She also mentors other professional and non-professional tarot readers. She offers visualisation MP3 downloads for intuition development, tarot readings F2F, telephone or distance, and healing – see her website for details: http://seeds-of-light.co.uk/

Emma has a Bsc in Psychology and is a trained counsellor, counselling supervisor and trainer. She integrates this experience in her Tarot work, and in her self-written training courses for personal development, Tarot, and Tarot mentoring.