If someone would have told me 7 years ago, I would write a blog in April 2019 because of the release of season 8 of Game of Thrones, I would have ‘lol-ed’, and said ‘NO WAY I am ever going to watch that horrid series where children get pushed off towers; women raped at weddings; people killed at random and money and power are the only things that matter.

I have in any case from childhood onward been unable to watch violence on television or in movies.  Even the evil queen from Disney’s ‘Snowhite’ scared the living daylights out of me.

In my teenage days I went to see The Godfather but had to leave the theatre at the scene where a guy gets nailed to a reception desk with a knife going through his hand. I went to see the first Highlander movie with my cousin. It has  a scene where the head of the evil guy pops up screen-large. I jumped up from my chair, flung my glasses from my head in the act of throwing my hands in the air; caught my glasses in that same act; thought I sat back down on my seat; but the seat was a self-folder. I ended up on the floor of the theatre, which my cousin thought was verrry funny.

So when my oldest son was re-watching Game of Thrones a good two years ago, just before season 7  was about to start; and suggested I should give it one chance; I assured him that was never going to  happen. But… my son did get me to sit down. By now I’ve seen all 7 seasons a number of times and together with an estimated, 10-million-viewers-worldwide, am eager to watch season 8.

Why? What is it about Game of Thrones people recognize?

Personally I think Game Of Thrones will go down in history as the Great Myth of the 21st Century. Where Beowulf signified the people’s struggle in early Medieval times; Game of Thrones is the perfect analogy what life is like right now.    Materialism, narcissism and material blindness are at their height. Rulers kill their own peoples and encourage the division between rich and poor. Religion rules through manipulative powers. Money; rather than the ability to be compassionate, rules the World. Blatant self interest of moneymakers has free range as well as the abuse of power; and it’s all in Game of Thrones.

On the positive; Game of Thrones is also about a small group of people who begin to see the light and understand why and where the world needs drastic change.  Game of Thrones is not Medieval; Game of Thrones is the world today. It is not fantasy; it is what is taking place right under our noses.  Winter has arrived and it’s about time we pay our debts.

“The Tower’ comes to mind in connection with Game of Thrones. Card number XVI of the third and spiritual layer of the 22 Archetype cards shows us two people falling to earth. The detachment from old systems of power; the end of an era; the betterment of a new; describing the times of change we live in right now. To read more about its meaning click the card.

Ingrid Schippers
April 15 2019

The abridged spoken version of this spoken blog, features as end note on  ‘Dutchbuzz’, the radio hour for Internationals every Tuesday  from 10 to 11 pm on ‘Den Haag FM’ and can be found in the Programme Archive of  the Dutchbuzz podcasts, dated April 16, 2019 or click the link below.

The post Game of Thrones 2019 AD appeared first on EN Energycounseling.nl.

We live in times of transformation. I hear many people around me talk about things going on in the world; things changing; things they are appalled about; things that worry them; the state of our earth; affairs going on in politics, concerns about climate change and plastic in the seas

Professional astrologists point out that our planet at this point in time and human evolution is undergoing difficulties and that we are to expect quite some transformative experiences in the weeks to come. Especially March I learned will hold some surprising moments. Halfway April apparently, the uproar will cool down somewhat.

Yet even though these are uncertain times  I can also feel the buzz of what is going on. Maybe its about time to accept that a whole lot of structures and systems humanity has developed over the last 200 years, need to be re-examined for efficiency and integrity.  In my teenage days in the seventies I remember thinking there must be something wrong with me, for nobody seemed to be bothered too much with the poverty, dictators, extortion and abuse going on in the world, even when we saw a lot of it happening on the television-news while we were sipping our after dinner coffees and eating the cookies that came with it.  People who were living prosperous lives,  did so without much shame and it was all about the money. Wellbeing was measured in money. Who you were, what you meant to the world was measured in money. For a long time it was an revered truth.

In this second decade of the 21st century it is beginning to dawn upon humanity  happiness stems from something much more valuable than economic welfare.

That’s why the atrocities of our lifestyle are now out in the open; exposed for what they are.  Scandals are being unveiled; sneaky politics are made visible, criminals in so called successful places are exposed. In that sense I like these times of change and uncertainty and actually feel it was high for this to happen.  Things need to change. The abnormality and utter decadency of human behavior on earth needs to be acknowledged.

We need to go through the tunnel  however to see the light at the other end. In that process  people are divided; one group wanting to go through the tunnel. one group wanting to stay where they are.  One party convincing the other of seeing things wrong. A war it seems  of all against all dividing nations, communities, families and relationships into parties thinking the opposite of what the other party thinks. Humanity is angry with each other for thinking differently.   Yet thinking differently is just what is needed in times of change.

So not only is it about Transformation; it is also about Acknowledgement; confirming we need to do something to save our planet for ourselves and posterity, while detaching from the old ways of thinking.

In the west however most people still see transformation as the death of something that used to be. Add to this the materialistic view, there is no such thing as life after death and you end up with the fear ‘to loose it all'; which is why more conservative people find it hard to accept change.

The two cards that go with this subject the ‘Death-card, number XIII and ‘The Tower’ which signifies detachment and letting go of the old.

Looked upon from a transformational point of view; death is about the transformation rather than the end of life.  To see it that way however one needs top embrace death. I find it interesting to see there seems to be a whole movement coming alive (pardon the pun) that seems to be doing just that. People begin to see the importance of ‘death’ and how it can bring them enriching experiences.

The Tower is about letting go of old beliefs and convictions; about knowing change is a necessary component of growth. To move on, one needs to let go of the old.  Without we’d still be hunting deer with a spear. Try doing that with a Rolex on your wrist.

The card of Detachment  is often feared. People prefer to stick to the same old same old, as that is what they know. Is knowing ‘what you’re at’ however  a guarantee for happiness?

Ingrid Schippers

12-03-2019

The abridged spoken version of this spoken blog, features as end note on  ‘Dutchbuzz’, the radio hour for Internationals every Tuesday  from 10 to 11 pm on ‘Den Haag FM’ and can be found in the Programme Archive of  the Dutchbuzz podcasts, dated March 12, 2019 or click the link below.

A 3 minute listen

The post Humanity is Angry with Each Other appeared first on EN Energycounseling.nl.

The cards summon up and support,
what you already know deep down inside.

Even though the cards of the Nan Yar – Who Am I method are read by the brain, they stand in direct communication with the subconscious. This is how things work with everything in daily life.
Should we only be guided by what is perceived by the brain; we would be computers without any form of empathy.

It can even be stated our subconscious plays the major part in the way we ultimately perceive and experience life.  This can be compared to an iceberg, of which 2/9 is above surface while the remaining 7/9 is out of our immediate view and perception, even though it can confront you big time, which in turn is what determines the way you ultimately feel.

Needless to say we, in the West, live in our heads a lot; in other words spend a relatively big amount of time living in only 2/9 above water.
The discomfort of that, is that our feelings of well being, happiness, curiosity or drive, do not reside in this ‘ 2/9 direct recipient of information’ , but…as the word indicates…in our feelings, the ‘invisible’, ‘non-proven’ 7/9 of who we are.

Without this subconscious, we would be robots without feelings. This is exactly the reason why government institutions and  courts of law, often  feel totally cold, harsh and unjust, as they totally only work with 2/9 of the perceivable humane truth, while the other 7/9 of the truth resides in the unknown.

We may not always be aware,  but the biggest part of our life is shaped after and initiated by that which we cannot directly perceive.  The Nan Yar – Who Am I cards, serve as a mirror to accelerate what otherwise would be kept hidden a while longer.

Everything within our perception, the top of the iceberg, has the function to summon up what lies underneath the water, in the subconscious. We associate that which we see,hear, touch, (sensory perception) with something that also lives within our inner world, and where the brain at some point knows limitations, the possibilities in the subconscious may well be as infinite as the Universe; with the experiences we thus gather in the subconscious reflecting back to the sensory system in the ‘top’ conscious.

Basically, everything operates in cycles. Just as insects and fruits serve as food for birds, who in turn serve to spread seeds, who in turn sprout and serve as food, literally everything that takes place in life stands connected, one way or the other, with all the other occurrences in life.

Everything in the world exists for a reason.
Everything has its own life cycle and as such is connected to everything else in life.
This connectivity in all its diversity of the 3 layers, the physical, psychological and spiritual realities, (see also module 3: the 3 Realities and their Gatekeepers) is mirrored in the last card XXI  The World as depicted at the top of this module

The World has good reason to be the last all-encompassing card.
Similar to how everything in life is connected , all 78 cards of the Nan Yar-Who Am I method are also inter-connected.
The presence of one card in the pack creates the prerequisites for all other cards to exist, in numerous different combinations, interpretable in an infinite number of ways.
As such, the Nan Yar – Who Am I cards, mirror as many situations as are present in the real world and are connected to all other sources of  wisdom at the disposal of humanity.
Tools such as the Tarot, on which the Nan Yar Who Am I method is based, are also part of life for a reason and also part of a life cycle. It are media that end up in the world to serve as steppin’ stones to a next phase in the development of the human collective, starting with a few people, to gradually be adopted into a culture.

In the past 5000 years, from about 3000 BC to the end of the 19th century,- the so called Kaliyuga era-, much as changed in the fields of human thought, feelings and spiritual awareness.
Money was introduced, originally as a means to a goal, but soon became the goal. Humanity materialized placing a priority on appearances rather than a connection to the natural world, an image more real today than ever before.
And where before Kaliyuga there was an individual connection with spirituality from within;
this was now taken over by external institutions, churches, ruling their followers ‘from above’ .

Because of this, the capacity to source from ones own inner knowing, was overruled by cultural rules and regulations generated by the outside world (not to be confused with card XXI The World , which consists of an outer ánd an inner world.) thus moving esoteric knowledge to secret societies that only few were privileged to know about.

On the one hand this turned the individual person more into a member of the community, while on the other hand it in fact isolated the ‘ordinary’ individual from The World with the natural connection to the inner world and the insights that belong to it being severed and out of reach of that community.

These changes however are certainly not just negative; they are also part of a development. Learning curves for (wo)mankind, inspiring  awareness, enabling people to learn and distinguish night from day, darkness from enlightenment. (as depicted in the Nan Yar – Who Am I card 2 of Challenges: Dilemma.)

When Greek philosophers appear on the world stage, a new growing awareness is introduced in the way people think, with the individual becoming aware of having  an I-consciousness; initiating a quest to (re) discover the relationship between humanity and The World , the inner world and the outer world. This as opposed to earlier peoples who were guided by their Faraos and other leaders and regarded their leader as their god.

It is in the narratives of Homer that the first individual life stories, biographies and character descriptions are being displayed and it is a Greek diary in which someone refers to himself as ‘I’ for the first time in written history.

This historic phase in human development can be compared on the individual scale of a life time with a child around the age of 3, when it refers to itself  as ‘I’ for the first time and recognizes its own individuality.  It is basically then, it starts to create its own life story and becomes its own Storyteller

The esoteric sources from which the Marseille Tarot originates and from which Wisdom is handed down to humanity so it can further develop itself, were still kept hidden in Greek-Roman times. They were only accessible for initiates, priests and mystics.
At the sacrifice of ones life, it was forbidden to divulge any secret knowledge, as the awakening I-consciousness of ordinary people was still at the age of a toddler.

In the Middle Ages, the church ruled, – and moreover controlled- , the I-consciousness. While the Church was very much aware of this inner knowledge available to humanity it tried everything to keep these sources away from their flocks. The last thing religious institutions especially in those days wanted, was to have an independent parishioner with a mind of its own. (also see module 1: Earth,Breath, Presence)
To have ones personal spiritual connection was strictly forbidden. In the 7 prerequisites to live on earth (also see module 3: The 3 Realities and their Gatekeepers) inner spiritual life is therefore shown in disguise as V: The Pope, number 5, the number of the human being and the quintessence of life, the core.  (also see: module 5: People and Numbers)

Only as predecessor of the period of Enlightenment that would follow the Middle Ages did the Tarot appear in the world. As with other esoteric knowledge it took some time to be recognized as a Tool to explore ones inner world with.  To begin with it was used as a regular card game. Only later was it used to predict the future with, mostly with a (clairvoyant) third person interpreting the cards, rather than in dialogue with oneself.

Until this very day, the Tarot is used in a wide variety of interpretations, mostly by third parties interpreting the dialogue created through the cards.
The structure and composition of the Tarot however, with her archetypes, suits and number characteristics (also see module 4: The 4 colors: Challenges,Insights, Gifts & Tools)  define the cards as a perfect medium to distill your own insights in dialogue with yourself, while staying close to who you really are, with the Nil-card, The Storyteller from the Nan Yar – Who Am I method, serving as your personal guide.

In daily life you can apply the Nan Yar Who Am I personal Development method to draw a card every now and again and  interpret it with your own associative thinking, a natural gift rendered to every developing human being, safe-guarded in your subconscious); combined with what you know about the meaning of Numbers,Colors en Archetypes as discussed in the 7 modules of this course.

More extensive card readings, such as the drawing of 3 cards:  recent past- present-near future, or the so called ‘Celtic Cross’ displaying 10 cards enconpassing the present situation and its possible outcomes (for you to interpret!), are further explained in the Nan Yar Who Am I group training and individual sessions and in the Life Make Over Journey Book.

Since ‘walking’ and ‘thinking’ draw from the same source of lifeforce”,  the group training, individual sessions and Life Make Over Journey Book, also offers breath- and bodywork exercises from ‘The Body language of Energy’ to support the energies of personal development.

The ‘Nan Yar all cards’ page is one of the pages on the energy counseling website which offers the opportunity to draw your cards on line and source information on the meaning and background of all 78 cards.
Scrolling down on the same page you’ll find a small shop to buy the Nan Yar – Who Am I personal development cards with an explanatory booklet, or one of these products separately,  or the download of the booklet that comes with the cards.

You are invited to respond to this 7 module course  with questions and comments through the comment form at the bottom of the blog page. Your reaction will be read and shared underneath the blog you responded to.

Should you prefer a one-to-one exchange, send me an e-mail through  the contactform or mail me at: info@energycounseling.nl

I regularly give lectures discussing the content of the 7 modules, either on locations chosen by me or at invitation of  companies and events.

30-08-2015,

Ingrid Schippers

The post ‘Who Am I’ in daily life. appeared first on EN Energycounseling.nl.

“The Trick is to EnjoY It”

  In communicating with its inner world , The Storyteller is always heading the conversation, as it depends on how the cards are interpreted, what outcome and influence they will have.
Thus the Nil-card, travels The World in its very own way and takes on the identity of the other cards without prejudice, pride or judgment and builds its own existence while it is being lived.   It is of importance to remember in this context, the cards are only  ‘good’ or ‘bad’  when they are interpreted as such.
A Storyteller with strong material attachments, probably won’t welcome a card such as The Tower, which symbolizes detachment from anything that could stand in the way of spiritual development.
On the other side of the spectrum, the Storyteller who is in fact in search of an inner path, may well  choose to use that exact same card as a steppin’ stone to the card that follows, The Star; therewith catching a first glimpse of enlightenment and share those findings with The World.

As such, every card represents two sides of every query, with everything that exists in between. Each card has a certain meaning, mirroring a certain facet of life, including a counter-characteristic held by that same facet, else it would not exist at all. Day can only be seen when one knows about night; warmth can only be felt when one knows about cold; truth and lies can only be distinguished from each other because  of each other. It are in fact the anti forces that offer a chance to also see the good of things.  Living in a perfect world , in which everything is taken care of , offers no incentive for personal development. This is why it is important to respond in the moment, rather than postponing till later or having it solved by others, or even more so, to blame others and do nothing about it oneself! Memento Mori trump card number XIII says, a reminder of mortality and to start ones bucketlist NOW.

In communicating with its inner world, The Storyteller takes responsibility over the way this communication takes place and the choices that are made as a result. This is represented by  card number X: Wheel of Fortune; translated in the Nan Yar  – Who Am I game as Freedom of Choice.

Life is what happens while you’re making’ plans , John Lennon is told to have said. What we notice, feel and act upon NOW, determines what will be next and has an effect on what happened in the past. The Storyteller as the conductor of the orchestra called Life, owns the freedom of choice to create the manner in which the music is made, while it is being made by the Archetypes, numbers and colors.  In this comparison, the conductor is the way The Storyteller thinks, while the subconscious is the orchestra.The musicians of the subconscious characterize their music a certain way, yet it is up to the conductor  how it is performed.

“If that is so, then how can it be…” I once called out in frustration to my mentor, psychiatrist and anthroposophist  Cees van der Kroef, “…how can it be that it seems the conductor lives outside of me and that it are forces I have no hold over and seem to determine my life. And how come that 9 out of every 10 times  I draw a card it is telling just that which I was thinking about? It’s as if the card knows more than I do!”

“Because” Cees answered, by now somewhat impatient as this question persistently featured my FAQ list and I never quite completely understood the answers I was given,  “….because YOU are the one asking the question and thinking about the subject.”

What I eventually learned to see, is that each and every Tarot card holds all elements of life, just like all elements of life one way or the other, are part of everything else in the world. Ultimately, everything, including being human, is made ‘of the same stuff stars are made of’.

I have learned to see how all cards already live in my subconscious rather than in some mystical setting outside of me and that it is my I-consciousness,  which is responsible for what eventually evolves from the composition of their different elements.

A small anecdote that set me thinking, illustrates this as follows:
One day I was shopping at a big warehouse with someone dear to me, when totally unexpected a man turned up out of nowhere . He had rather prominent features, a big mouth and big teeth and he was laughing out loud because of something that was happening nearby. The obvious pleasure he got out of it was infectious and made me laugh as well.  That man is the personification of  enjoyment , I thought and just as I was thinking that, the person I was with softly said to me:  “What an ugly man that is”! Two people, very familiar with each other, one moment, two interpretations. two different outcomes. That is exactly how it works with Tarot cards.  When you think about it, the most precious gift of the Tarot (and when you think even further, perhaps the most precious gift of life) is that we all, through freedom of choice, have a right to choose and interpret what is mirrored to us.

It doesn’t mean we can prevent certain things from happening.  It is devastating when a loved one passes away or when an illness overrules all other aspects of life. Getting fired, divorce, bankruptcy, infidelity, disappointment, having to watch loved ones suffer, feelings of powerlessness are all elements that turn life into a unconditional challenge.

What stays however, under all circumstances life has to offer, is that the way The Storyteller interprets these happenings at the very moment they take place, determines the way they manifest.

It might well have been the years of imprisonment that shaped Nelson Mandela into the charismatic leader that he was; and see how he has changed the world.  Same goes for Ghandi, Fransiscus of Assisi and other big names within human history.  It are exactly the lives of these people that are taunted by a life story and ‘fate’ outsiders readily back away from, and yet it are exactly these role-models of human history, who have lived their life to the fullest.
Eventually is depends all upon oneself , on who one truly is, how one looks back on life.

Next week: Module 7: Who Am I in daily life. 

The post Communicating with your Inner World appeared first on EN Energycounseling.nl.

The phenomenon of ‘color’ is an integrated part of existence to such an extend, that we could hardly imagine a world without it. Its presence is seen as so normal – similar to the normalcy of being able to breath automatically,- that we are partial to overlooking the deeper meaning of it.

Color however is much more than a trend or a technique to enable us to distinguish one item from another. Color is also a reflection of certain characteristics.   We speak for example of ‘green energy’ where it is regarded as more environmentally friendly, reflecting its essence rather than its actual color.

We also know exactly what is meant by ‘something working like a red flag’ or when someone feels ‘blue’. We can give a ‘full color’ version of something, including each and every detail or a ‘colored’ version meaning we tell something in such a way that we change the actual essence of it.

Artists use color to reflect the character of something. Should Count Dracula be portrayed wearing a baby-yellow cape, he would hardly be threatening.  It is the black version of him that reflects the emotions he summons up.

In the outside world we need color to be able to distinguish one thing from the other. If everything would be in the same shade it would lack visual perspective and all look the same, like air. As soon as something materializes it gains a certain essence and with that a certain color.
People who can see aura’s describe an ever changing ballet of colors displaying itself,  revealing whole life stories.

Color is used in meditation, visualization, healing and to cleanse. Color actually is in everything, within us, outside of us and in the same manner we are born under a unique zodiac sign, we are also born with a unique ‘base’ color.

Our use of language also displays color. Expressions such as  ‘revealing one’s true colors';  ‘to color life differently’ or ‘to defend one’s colors’, all contribute a certain value to something, originating from a certain way of thinking, feeling or willing

In the Nan Yar – Who Am I Tarot for personal development color is used to reflect the essence of the 4 different suits, existing next to the 22 Trump cards (the Major Arcana).
The Minor Arcana consists of the 56 remaining cards, divided over 4 groups of 14 cards, numbered 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 plus the court cards page, knight, queen & king.

The 4 suits are directly derived from the ordinary card game:

• Spades                     Clubs              Hearts              Diamonds
  

The Marseille Tarot depicts these same suits as:

• Swords                    Wands            Cups                 Coins (Pentacles)
  

From the personal development perspective of the Nan Yar – Who Am I  card kaartspel, these same groups are typified as:

• Challenges             Insights          Gifts                  Tools

The choice of colors for each suit is motivated as follows:

 Challenges. Color: Orange.  The cards of the Challenges suit of the Nan Yar -Who Am I Tarot represent the development of the I-consciousness, the spiritual component of each human being that co-exists and travels along through all phases of life.  In essence this involves the Karma each human being generates by the way he or she thinks, feels and acts upon; the Karma that is transported from one life to the other.  I have chosen for orange to represent this suit, as it is also regarded as the main color of  the second chakra. which harbors the creative consciousness to create ones own life and reflects the manner in which someone relates to the outside world.

Challenges are governed by the element Fire* fueling the expansion of the I-consciousness in the Michael-culture humanity develops in at present, with the sword as its symbol..

(* In this , the Nan Yar Who Am I interpretation differs from the Tarot of Marseille which assigns the element ‘air’ to the suit of swords.

 Insights. Color:Blue.

The color of Insights is derived from the elemant Air , connected this group of cards, in turn connected to the 5th Chakra, the throat chakra, which in the old yoga traditions has been assigned the color blue.  Insights represent the personal development in life,- this being a different aspect than the development of the I-consciousness which reflects the spiritual development. Personal development originates from the experiences body and soul witness while on their earthly journey and is established through the circumstances The Storyteller encounters in the outside world. The archetypes, number- and court cards involved again reflect the essence of a group of possibilities. Their ‘values’ depend on how a human being views the world and are not ‘absolute’. One person’s blue is not necessarily the blue of someone else.

Gifts . Color:Green. The Gifts are connected to Cups and therewith the element Water  and therewith emotion. In Yoga philosophy, green is seen as the color of the heart Chakra.  When regarding love as the true ‘fuel’ on which life is based and which we evolve on, it seems to hold a certain synchronicity that  green is also the color through which esoteric energies best express themselves.  Cups represent the essence of the Holy Grail, a quest in which each Storyteller can apply its very own talents.  These Gifts are not summoned up from the brain but is something that comes naturally from the heart and in this context is heartfelt.

 Tools Color:Red. Also with Tools I followed the Yoga interpretation, this time the color of the Mulahdhara Chakra,  the root chakra which in its direct connection with earth, serves as a base for the other 6 main chakras to rise up the spine. The Marseille Tarot also assigns the element earth to the coins, that correspond with ‘Tools’.
From a personal development perspective ‘Tools’, are the earthly skills and ‘apps’ through which we function.

In the examples above, the number and court cards are used intertwined. They have merely been selected to represent their color. In module 2, ‘The Storyteller as Guide of the Imaginative Force’ the essence of  Court Cards is further explained. The next module, 5: Humanity and Its Numbers. will dig deeper into the interpretation of Numbers in the Nan Yar – Who Am I personal development Tarot. 

The post De 4 colors:Challenges,Insights,Gifts & Tools. appeared first on EN Energycounseling.nl.

The Tarot is derived from the ancient regular card game, Spades, Clubs,Hearts, Diamonds,Joker (Swords,Wands,Cups, Coins,’Fool’ ) with 21 added Trumpcards numbered from 1-21 (I-XXI) .

Based on their original symbolism the suits of the Nan Yar -Who Am I Tarot,  are translated as follows:

• Challenges  (Swords), This suit refers to the development of the I-consciousness.
• Insights (Wands), This suit emphasizes the aspects of personal development in this life.
• Gifts (Cups),refer to the talents and gifts each of us is born with; we all are unique.
• Tools (Coins) the earthly means available to all.

The Tarot was placed into the world by esoteric sources (probably the Rosicrucians), at the end of the Middle Ages as a means of personal development. As the ruling Church and State were not in favor of people developing independently , the cards were disguised as caricatures. A striking example of that is Trump card number II, the Popess.
Which official institute in the Middle Ages would ever recognize a female pope as the Sophia Archetype, the ultimate source of Wisdom ?!

The need for personal development had not yet evolved within the general awareness of the public. People of the Middle Ages were accustomed to being ruled by their King and Church. The Tarot was therefore more used as tool to predict the future with (by interpreters) rather than to serve as a medium from which to extract one’s own inspirations and possibilities.

While we still live in a world where setting boundaries and having convictions of your own can be viewed with suspicion by those who rule; we also live in a time within human evolution, where a growing awareness takes place of our own unique position in the bigger picture and what we can do for ourselves (and therewith others) within that framework.

In this context, the Nan Yar – Who Am I Tarot mirrors that which deep down inside is already known to you, both about yourself and the world you were born in.

Earth, Breath, Presence.

The Nan Yar -Who Am I card game is one of the hundreds of versions created since discovery of the Tarot of Marseille, the most profound difference being that the Nan Yar – Who Am I  version centers around personal development rather than having the future predicted by third parties. What ever it is the future has to offer, ultimately depends on how you interpret it and who better to determine and value that but you?

The term “Nan Yar’, stands for : ‘Who Am I’ or ‘He who is Present’ and comes from Tamil’, a language that came into existence before Sanskrit. It might well be the first question a human being asks when becoming aware of his or her presence on earth, wondering which reality life is made of, and which part he or she plays in being present. We may choose to have our choices in life determined by the outside world and her propaganda. Question is however, if the statements and promises made, coincide with what they ultimately are and promise. Another question is if these messages are aimed at serving your well being or the well being of the messenger. It is therefore important to create your own spot on earth, guiding your own Challenges, gathering your own Insights, applying your own Gifts using Tools that work for you.

The Body (1 of Tools) plays a crucial and guiding role in determining the path one chooses to take. This is why it is described as number 1 of Tools in the Nan Yar Personal Development game.

One can choose to numb the body or in fact wake it up. The body has a lot to say about its rightful owner and will not hesitate to do so through ailments, disrupted balance and somber inhibitions when we overstep our boundaries.

‘Visiting’ your breath a couple of times a day, observing which activity it reflects and how it ‘moves’ you, wakes you up to how you relate to life. To do three cycles of deep breathing (while taking your time and space for it) adds the bonus of expanded consciousness.,

When we look at the source of fulfillment in life, we are lead to the promise it holds; the gifts and talents we were born with and are free to choose from and develop.

Before anything else, everything consists of promise. We may choose to leave some promising features for what they are, depending on the situation we are in or what suits us better. This doesn’t alter however the promise in itself. Also here we need to watch whether it is what the outside world expects us to do, or perhaps ‘do what we do because we are used to doing it that way’. Is it the programming of your environment that is at work here or is it your own nature? It is advisable to do the occasional reality check while being present. To observe if what you think you see, coincides with what you feel you see.

Just as in the first card of the first layer of 7 numbered Trump cards of the Tarot (I-VII); the Illusionist or Magician ( the Archetype depicted at the head of this article);
the 1 of Insights is about the phenomenon to learn and see through certain things ‘people’ want us to believe.

Ask yourself how many times you do things ‘the way you are supposed to’ or because ‘that is the way you were raised’. Try and step out of your comfort zone, doing something a different way for once, surprise yourself with what else you can do.

Imagine what you would do in a certain situation if it involved nobody else but you, no outside world, no partners, no parents, no teachers, no money, no matter what. This way of looking at your world can be extremely liberating.

When looking at the esoteric meaning of the number 1, we see all there is in potential. The first step, the first word, the first gesture, the first day are all beginnings of what is yet to come. The number 1 is indifferent to any other number. All other numbers, multiplied by 1 do not add anything nor diminish the number 1.  The 1 remains who it is, the potential is always there, always exists, surviving any storm, any hype.

On the other hand the number 1 constantly renews itself. Every beginning is a new beginning, just like every starting day will be different from the day before. Again it totally depends what you choose to do with the new beginnings. The Art is not be distracted by what happens around you and to realize you need to draw your own breath first before helping others to breath. (in this context, also see Trumpcard number VI, The Lovers that tells about ‘The Law of the Oxygen masks)

Nothing ever is a coincidence. As such also the order of ‘number 1′ cards as mentioned above is no random event.

• The Tools (all red cards) and their element earth, are connected to the physical world we live in and therewith our earthly properties (that which we use to function on earth)
• The Gifts (all green cards) bound to the element water, encompass the emotional side of life. In that they are related and in fact fueled by  ‘Insights’ yet more concern the heart of who we are, our gifts and talents from the cup of life, present from birth; while ‘Insights’ are the properties we assemble as we write our life story.
• The Insights (all blue cards) are connected to the element air and therewith our personal development; that which we build up during our lifetime(s) and becomes part of our Karma.
• The Challenges (all orange cards), connected to the element fire, refer to the ultimate essence of life, our spiritual development or expansion of the I-consciousness, the part of us we carry with us through all eternity. It are the anti-forces, in our present state of evolution, through which we evolve.

Next week: The Storyteller  in The World.

The post Earth,Breath,Presence. appeared first on EN Energycounseling.nl.

Marketing tool number 1 these days, seems to be to use a number in the heading of the subject one writes about.

A simple internet search easily provided me with:

2 Ways to Make Money From Stocks.
3 Ways to Get Clients
4 Unshakable Beliefs of Every Great Leader
5 Most Important Molecules in Your Body
6 Ways to Tie a Scarf and
7 Stages of Grief

Funny things is though that while we often know exactly what the guidelines represent; only few of us can actually name the rules,
even with numbers as intertwined in our culture as for instance the 10 commandments. We know of them but can we list them by heart? What do they represent for us personally?
It much resembles the learning of events in history class.
1066: Batttle of Hastings. But who fought it? And why? And where is Hastings?

So what is it with numbered lists of solutions? What is their appeal to our psyche? Why are they considered top of the pops marketing tools these days?

Personally I’ve have become impatient with the ‘3 foods that help me loose weight’ or ‘6 Ways to meet Mr. Right.’
Why? Because I very much believe in the individual properties of each and every one of us and am convinced that my ways to find love are as individual as my fingerprint and differ from 7 billion other people who live on our earth.
If it wasn’t, I’d have 7 billion like-minded friends.

Equipped with our very own Insights, Gifts and Tools, tailor-made to our lifestyle and what we represent, we all meet our very own Challenges in life.
These Challenges are not mass produced and in my opinion cannot be met with standardized solutions.
“Here’s your 3 choices” it seems to ordain, “this is what you have to work with”, while Freedom of Choice is the birthright and irrevocable liberty of all human beings.

In the Game of Tarot (and therewith also in the Nan Yar – Who Am I personal development game) numbers are not used to list guidelines but represent an energy of their own, hiding a wealth of interpretations, with each number governing a world of its own.

Number 1 for instance is seen as the number of all potential.
2, the number of diversity
3, the number of creation
4, the number of balance
5, the number of heart of the matter
6, the number of communication
while the number 7 represent the conditions we need to progress in our physical lives.

8, 9 and 10, as my mentor Cees van der Kroef always says are Mozart, Rembrandt and Spinoza.
8, 9 and 10 are the added values, the extra’s we can create by ourselves and for ourselves in life.

Now how about sitting yourself down and making your own list of numbers; writing down what the numbers 1-7 represent for you and how you would fill in 8, 9 and 10.

The post 7 Reasons to Create 8, 9 and 10. appeared first on EN Energycounseling.nl.