99I can't take it no moreOh, 99Oh we were so sure Oh, 99 I love you~ Toto, 99
Well, dear ones, we made it through a very intense eclipse season! That last full moon in late August ended the cycle and it seems that it’s easier to breath now. I don’t know about you all, but I feel like I have been through the eye of a needle! Congratulations, we made it out to the other side.And how wonderful now to be entering the 9th month, September, and heading into autumn here in Santa Barbara. The skylight at certain times in this season in Santa Barbara is incredibly beautiful. I heard recently that the artist Maxfield Parrishspent some of his childhood here in Santa Barbara, and I am convinced much of that time was in the fall; his use of golden light in the sky and earthly reflections and use of rich ethereal colors are evocative of the afternoon evening skies and earthly reflections in Santa Barbara at this time of the year. And then there are the beautiful warm summerish days followed by cool nights, it’s really my most favorite time here.In this 9th month, we are moving towards the autumnal equinox, September 22, the first official day of autumn as well as the balancing act of day and night; when day and night have equal shares of time. After that point nights get longer and days shorter over the next few months as we head towards winter and the solstice.Fall is a magical and transformational time and so I don't think it's a coincidence that September is the 9th month. The number 9 is considered a number of transformation; it is a magic number. When you add 9 to any number and then look at the number numerologically, the 9 disappears. Examples:
- 9+1=10, 1+0=1
- 9+2=11, 1+1=2
- 9+3=12, 1+2= 3
- …
And so on, it just continues.Then when you multiply 9 to any number, its product numerologically becomes a 9. Examples:
- 9x1=9
- 9x2=18, 1+8=9
- 9x3=27, 2+7=9
- 4x9=36, 3+6=9
And so on and so forth. This is the only number where both these things happen absolutely consistently, every single time. I have always had a love and a fascination with the magic of number nine. And why do cats have 9 lives instead of 7 or 10 or 13? Because it's a magic number that explains the seemingly magic way that cats are able to almost defy death over and over again.
The last of the cardinal numbers, the 9 is the most worldly and sophisticated of all numbers. The 9 has some similarities with the 6. However, whereas the 6 as a symbol of motherly (or fatherly) love, giving its love and care to friends, family and the immediate community, the 9 offers it to the world at large; the 9, more than any other number, has global consciousness. Looking at the shape of the symbol is, as always, quite telling. The 9 is like the 6 upside down, a symbol of her offering sympathy and compassion to everyone; a reservoir of giving with a generous downward spout...
~ https://www.numerology.com/numerology-numbers/9
In looking at the tarot and the number 9, I am fascinated by the resemblances shared by the 2 major arcana cards which represent the number nine, that I had not realized before. And how they relate to the magic of the number 9.
The hermit, (LINKED to my previous article), the 9th card of the major arcana, speaks of going into our cave to find our light, to reconnect with our intrinsic light, with our inner connection to our higher power, God, Creator, whatever your particular expression for that part of ourselves that is essential to go within in order to reconnect and replenish and nourish ourselves with the light of our innate connection to Source. Once we refill our light we are then able to move out of our cave with confidence, holding the light for ourselves and others. This reminds me of the addition aspect of 9, no matter how much we add to ourselves while hermiting in the cave, we still remain intrinsically and even more so ourself as we exit the cave and hold up the light for others to find themselves.
On the other hand, the moon (LINKED to my previous article), number 18 (1+8=9) in the major arcana, represents the deep unconscious, the part of us that we don’t really look at but has a major influence on our lives. Somewhat like the moon’s influence on the waters of the earth, you wouldn’t think its possible until you notice how the ocean tides synch with the full and new moons; how could something outside of earth have so much influence? I’ve heard it said recently that our conscious mind only makes about 3% of our decisions, and it is our unconscious that is running the show. The moon itself, as body of ever changing light in our night (and occasional daytime) sky does not emit light from its own body, it is actually reflecting the light of the sun. Its changes from new to half to full are due to its position relative to the sun, no matter how we multiply it, it always comes back to the sun.In the dance of inner and outer light, of the as above so below, as within so without, the moon and the hermit each represent a certain perspective; the hermit is connecting with our light from within and the moon is reflecting and becoming more conscious of the light from without. As a spiritual being having a human experience, my journey on this earth has been one of learning to connect deeply with my inner light and sourcing that intrinsic worth, in order to move forward in my life with grace and love. The more I have been able to do that, to really source my light, love and worth from within, the more I am then able to reflect the beauty and love and light of all of us. I become more conscious of and move with the external light, letting it flow in my life, honoring the cycles and the tides rather than fighting them.
The nine of swords represents self cruelty, the thoughts that flow through our minds that are the product of unconscious integration from the critical and unconscious words and actions (heard in our childhoods and likely anchored in our ancestral dna) that we took personally and now those thoughts roll around in our heads and keep us from actualizing our brilliance. It takes a good deal of work to delve into our emotional world and realize where these self defeating and harmful thoughts come from but as we consciously work with these thoughts and take ownership of our self talk, our life changes. Once we realize that we are in charge of what may enter into the harbor of our mind, that we can actually let some thoughts pass by and refuse to entertain them, our life changes. We take responsibility for the thoughts we do engage with and leave the others to whence they came. We realize that while we don’t have control over much in this reality, we do have control over what we choose to consciously entertain in our minds. As we entertain higher vibration thoughts our vibration rises and we attract even higher vibrations.
The nine of wands represents our strength and capacity to stand for ourselves and for the world around us. The figure on the card is standing in Mountain pose, in front of nine wands in a line in the ground behind him and behind those wands is the starry sky, the light of our ancestors and the spirit world, backing us up. He is grounded strength, he has got this. Wands are spirit, fire and action; this is a transformation of the situation, the capacity to stand one’s ground and meet whatever is coming, whatever is present with love and grace and positivity. Some say this card also represents the presence of a strong and protective and positive masculine figure in our lives.
The nine of pentacles represents the net harvest. After we have done the hard work of the gross harvest, we then have the opportunity to sift through all we have accomplished in order to pick out the cream of the crop, the best of the best. With this harvest in our hands we are ready to offer that best of the best to the world. The young man sits on the wall, waiting patiently to give his flowers. He has done his work and has reaped the benefits of that work and now is ready to share those benefits with another. Sunflowers clear toxins from the soil and are always facing the light and we are ready to share our light our growth and our work with the world. And likely someone else is ready to share theirs with us!
And finally we arrive at the delightful nine of cups. The reminder to follow our bliss, trust our hearts, jump forward in joy and happiness! This card is all about trusting our heart and knowing that if feels good, we need to move towards it. This kind of feeling good is the confirmation of our heart and our spirit that we are on the right track, on the right path for ourselves. As we raise our vibration we are able to discern the difference between the pleasurable things we engage in to distract ourselves from life and the lift in our hearts that tell us we are on the right track. Although sometimes these are one in the same, at other times we may be asked to choose. And our heart always knows the right way to go, we can rely upon our hearts to lead us true.So in this 9th month, let’s celebrate our intrinsic worth and receive the external validation of source. Let’s pay attention to our dreams, to what our unconscious wants us to know and work with and take our thoughts and reactions in hand to raise our vibrations and move our lives forward as consciously in love as we can. We place our wands in a line in the ground and stand for the light in ourselves and in our world with the ancestors and spirits behind us 100%. We share our harvest with the world and increase the light for everyone as we follow our hearts, our bliss, forward into the world we can create together with love and peace and liberty for all.Yeah, it’s like that.Come by and see me on the 4th Saturday, September 22, which also happens to be the autumnal equinox, and let’s visit the nines in your cards.So much love and even more gratitude, Kristine Marie.
I took my troubles down to Madame RuthYou know that gypsy with the gold-capped toothShe's got a pad down on Thirty-Fourth and VineSelling little bottles of love potion number nine
~ The Searchers, Love Potion Number 9
