November: Release and Surrender
By the time November rolls around, at least here in Virginia where I live, the glorious fall folliage which captivated our hearts and held us in awe of its beauty has begun to crunch under our feet and either deteriate into mulch or accumulate at the edge of the streets awaiting the big truck which drives by periodically and vaccuums them up. Those brilliant oranges and yellows and reds have now transitioned into various shades of brown, which attract less attention and often becomes a distraction as we feel compelled to rake them up into bags or in some way discard them as we often do things which are not as beautiful or vibrant.
Nature teaches us that all of life and death is a cycle. What falls from the trees in the fall and winter disintegrate into the earth and fertilize the soil, while the roots of the trees must dig deeper into the ground to find the nutrients which will create new leaves again in the spring.
While we humans often grieve the loss of our vitality, of those we have loved and lost, of even places and things and experiences which have come and gone in and out of our lives, this is a normal and often repeated cycle that is part of the circle of life and death and rebirth.
November is one of those months where endings and surrender are key components to our earth experience.
In numerology, November is a "9" month. It's the 11th month of the year, and 2023 being a "7" year (2+0+2+3=7), and 11 plus 7 is 18, and 1 plus 8 is 9. Nine is the last number before we start over again with 1. Nine is not only a number of completion, and endings, and surrender, but hopefully, by the time we reach this stage of the game, we realize that life is not just about us. It is about being of service to others. Hopefully by the time we run through all the numbers, when we reach the number nine, we begin to look around us and see that our life's purpose is calling us, not only to do things that benefit ourselves or our own little circle of influence, but that the world is out there, calling us to something bigger than ourselves.
Nine is not necessarily an easy number. Nine magnifies and accentuates all the other numbers. Nine is a very powerful spiritual number. It is the number of a higher vibration. But it is not always easy when living an Earth life. Nine can be hard on our hearts. It is the number of letting go. While living life in the Earth realm, we become attached to people, to possessions, to pets, to jobs, to a sense of security, to homes, and even to our sense of self, or our identity.
This lesson was gifted to me when I recently took a spiritual adventure to Greece. My luggage missed the plane from London to Mykonos, and it was two days later before we were reunited. I was forced to live on whatever I had packed in my carry-on luggage.
This lesson was not lost on me! I am one of those folks who believe that everything happens for a reason. There was no reason to get upset or yell and scream at the people in charge. It was what it was. I had a feeling my trip to Greece was a lesson in shedding those things that I carry around that I think I need but I really don't.
And now we all collectively have an opportunity to look at our lives and decide what is important to hold onto and what we can really live without.
Some of these things can be tangible, such as relationships, or jobs, or homes, or even money. But more importantly, when we surrender to the Source all those things we can't control, but perhaps wish we could, we really become free.
In Greece, I had no control over when my luggage would find me. I really had no control over what would occur day to day. I had no set agenda. I arrived in Greece completely surrendered to Spirit and lived completely in the moment. To my great surprise, I found that this is a way of life to the Greeks! They are extremely averse to living life on a schedule. If the bus schedule says the bus will arrive at 1 pm, it may be there at 1:10 or maybe 1:15. The only thing that is assured is that the bus will definitely NOT be there at 1 pm. If a particular store says it will open at 10 am, it may or may not be open by noon. And maybe not at all. And no one questions this policy.
This is the theme of November. Don't expect things to happen the way you want them to. If you really, really want something to occur, it probably won't. And if it does, it probably won't happen exactly the way you want it to occur. Surrender. Surrender the when, where, what and how. Surrender to your highest good and the highest good of everyone concerned.
The Tarot cards associated with the numbers 18 and 9 are the Moon and the Hermit.
The Moon predicts that there are situations that are perhaps as yet unknown to you. There may be some increased emotions. There may be some loud barking between opposing viewpoints (hmm hmm... there is an election this month in the US.) No amount of barking will stop the moon from shining or not shining. You may question someone's mental health. People may behave in strange ways. This is because when we are faced with surrendering control of some aspect of our lives or the collective experience of life, emotions can run high. People will try really hard to hold onto the illusion of control.
The Hermit says maybe it is a good idea to carve out some time to yourself. Don't get caught up in all the drama, unless you can send the energy of Divine Love, Joy and Peace to the energy of unrest. Be a beacon of hope and peace and calm to those caught up in extreme emotions.
The other cards of the Tarot associated with the number 9 are as follows: Nine of Swords, Nine of Pentacles, Nine of Wands, and Nine of Cups.
We have a mixed bag here. One of my favorite cards of the Tarot is the Nine of Pentacles. This card depicts a woman who is very self-assured, abundant, and content. Sometimes to an extreme. There is always a danger when we become this well-off that we become oblivious to those who are struggling, but that is not shown in this particular card. This card is about a woman who is content with life and knows how to enjoy herself. If you are a woman and either own your own business or have the opportunity to be wealthy, this is you this month. Money may come easily to you. Of course, whether or not this is you is dependent on a lot of factors, so don't go expecting to win the lottery or receive an inheritance from some unknown benefactor, but it is possible! If you are a woman, live in gratitude for life's blessings, but don't acquire money and power in inauthentic ways. Eventually it will come back to you.
The sort-of counterpart to the Nine of Pentacles is the Nine of Cups. This one is a man who is in a similar situation. Everything he dreams of is in his experience. This is the card of wishes come true. It can be a card of feeling smug or a bit narcissistic, and I always wonder what he is hiding under that tablecloth. The cups behind him represent people who have his back. People who are loyal and will do anything to keep him in power or in this state of bliss. This can be a benevolent card or it can warn of someone who is a bit over-confident. However, his success is pretty much guaranteed, unless those people behind him begin to turn on him. Once again, that is not depicted in this card.
The Nine of Swords is a card of worry and stress, and perhaps sleepless nights. This person is feeling despondent. I would say this would be the flip side of the coin to the previous two cards. In any kind of question about winners and losers, the previous two cards would be the winners, male or female, and this card would be either the loser or someone who is affected negatively by the antics of the previous two individuals. Perhaps this guy is feeling guilty, sad, or worried about something. (Read my previous blog post about guilt.)
The last card is the Nine of Wands. This guy has endured a lot of struggles. He has worked hard. He has survived a lot of tragedies, losses, and calamities. He has a choice to make. He can either fall victim to his hardships, and own it as his story, or he can turn those losses into character-building strengths. He can fall under the stress of the challenges or pick himself up, wipe the blood and sweat off of his brow and move forward.
I know I did not describe these cards in order. You can pick them out based on my description of the picture. The question is, which one of these people is you this month? You can decide!
Yes, November is a month of surrender and release. Things may happen this month out of your control. But you get to decide whether to buckle under the pressure or whether to move forward and make this a month to remember. You can decide to conquer those things you can control. You can decide to assist others in need if you are in a place to be of assistance. Even if you don't have wealth or means, you can send the energy of Divine Love, Joy and Peace to those places on the Earth where there is devastation, war, or calamity. See Peace reigning supreme. See people holding hands and laying down their differences.
Try to carve out some alone time to seek wisdom from within. Dont' get caught up in too much drama.
If your luggage ends up somewhere other than where you are, maybe think about things you don't really need anyway. Clean out some closets and give away things you don't use anymore. Release difficult emotions, limiting beliefs, or worry about things you can't change. Change the things you can.
We can create a better world by releasing our judgements against people and situations that have wounded us. Remember that you may not know the whole story, and even if you do, you are not in their shoes. (Read my blog post about judgements here!)
Next month will be a whole new vibration, and what changes next month hinges upon what happens this month. Take some time to think about surrender, release, and letting go of whatever is holding you back from living your best life.
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