Month: September 2019

Take It Slow

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Today’s meditation was ten minutes long and focused on going with the flow and learning from what comes.

The story along with this guided meditation was about a man that lived in a hut with no door, and that one day while he was trying to meditate, a cat wandered in and laid down in his lap. He got up and picked the cat up and tossed it back outside, then returned to meditating, but the cat came back again. This went on for some time before he finally gives in and allows the cat to stay. The cat settles in his lap for a whole thirty seconds, and then wanders out on its own.

Sometimes? You just have to go with the flow. A lesson that this man learned from the random appearance of a cat.

Today’s draw is a double without a jumper, which is the Ace of Brine and the King of Oak.

What I see today when I look at these cards is when your heart speaks, sometimes it is a good idea to center yourself before you act and take your time with where it leads.

New ideas, new projects, creative inspirations, and budding feelings often cause us to run towards whatever has struck our interest rather than walk. The snail and the octopus in the Ace of Brine speak of a slower, more dexterous approach. Overlaying that is the King of Oak. He is regal and serene, grounded and steady. He speaks of an earthy abundance that, to me, represents an energy of strength and restraint. Not restraint as in saying “no”, but rather restraint as in taking your time and practicing moderation.

And again we come to moderation. Today’s cards are yet another perspective on moderation, which is an ongoing theme of late. This is not surprising, as it is something that I need to work on.

The traditional meanings for these cards include…

The Ace of Brine (which is the Ace of Cups) is a representation of beginnings, new starts, potential, and opportunities in the area of the emotions, relationships, creativity, and intuition.

The King of Oak (which is the King of Pentacles) is a representation of a projective alpha energy, personality, or person in the area of resources, finances, manifestation, and the physical world. This leads to themes that include authority, stability, wealth, and abundance.

Deck Used: Stolen Child Tarot

 

You Have What You Need

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Today’s meditation was twenty minutes long, and was not a guided meditation.   Instead, I settled in to focus solely on my breathing and a full body scan that started at the top of my head and worked its way down through my body, one part at a time, to the tips of my toes.  I then expanded that awareness back up through my entire body, and outward into my environment.

Today’s draw is the 17th card in the Major Arcana, the Star card. This card is a representation of hope and/or despair, faith and/or loss of faith, renewal, spirituality, and disconnection and/or interconnectedness.  Often, when I see this card, I read it as that interconnectedness and faith, especially in a one-card draw where there is no other cards to turn the meaning in a different direction.

The imagery for the star card in this deck has an otter with its belly exposed, eyes filled with alert interest while comfortable within his environment.   His environment supports him, all that he needs surrounding him and providing for him. What I see is a deep connection to environment and nature, while allowing openness and vulnerability.

This is an important message about trusting that life will provide for you.  Trusting your connection with what fills you with comfort.  It’s a message about not just trusting yourself, but in life itself and your environment, that it will assist you and support you.

Sometimes I feel like I have to do everything myself, and I push myself hard to make sure things are secure and I am provided for.   This card’s appearance is a reminder that I AM provided for.  I don’t have to be that towering push for strength all the time, nor do I always need to fight for every little thing I have.

It’s okay to let go and wallow in what you have, now and then, rather than always pushing for more.

Deck Used: Stolen Child Tarot

#SpeakingUpForMyBeliefs (non) VR to Shadow Harvest

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Although this hashtag was created by Shadow Harvest back in August, I originally saw Amethyst Ascension’s reply that she did the other day.   I found both of their thoughts on the matter very interesting.  I think that this topic is one that most people are a bit awkward with, whether they are under the pagan umbrella, or just of a different religion to whatever is being worshiped in the moment.

Essentially, the question is what do you do in situations where you are stuck with people worshiping where there is an expectation of the “accepted norm” of following along, or risk standing out due to lack of conformity.

church

The example given was being a pagan at a Christian wedding where they request everyone to bow their heads to pray during the ceremony.  This included mention of certain scripture or vows that you do not agree with personally, or have an issue with.

For me?  This also fits into when I visit other people’s homes.  J’s parents like to hold hands and say Grace before they eat.   Out east, some of my family also say Grace (without the hand holding, because my family is NOT a touchy feely type of family).

So…. what do I do?

First, I accept that I can’t control what other people do, I can only control my own actions and behavior.

Second, it depends on the situation.    Do I wear my pagan jewelry when visiting a church?  Absolutely.    I do not see it as a disrespect to the church, but rather feel I am presenting myself as… myself, and showing that I have come FOR a reason.   I’m essentially saying “although this is not my faith, I’m here for you”.

This follows as well with prayer.  No, I do not participate in the bowing of my head and entreaty to their god.  But I am there for it.  I’m standing tall and projecting my own well wishes, my own hopes for their future, my own entreaties to my own entities and energies.   I don’t know their religion.  I don’t know their beliefs.  It would, in my opinion, be disrespectful to pretend to be doing something I don’t know anything about or does not follow MY beliefs.  It would be, essentially, being deceptive within a sacred space.   And for me?  That’s not okay.

hands

As for Grace…  In J’s parents home as well as other people’s homes when they want to say Grace?  I will hold hands if it is a part of their tradition, because I believe this creates a circle of energy that goes beyond prayer and into intention.   But, I do not bow my head and pray their prayer.  Instead, I again put out my own entreaties to my own energies and entities.  Entreaties that will align with the spirit of saying Grace, and will add to that circle of energy created in that moment.

This is how I deal with these situations.

There are plenty of times when life has required me to intentionally hide my faith.  There have been places I have traveled where personal safety made it an imperative.  Personal safety trumps everything else, including my feelings of being disrespectful by being dishonest in a sacred space.  That aside?   I do me, and I expect others to do them and LET me do me.

Sometimes Shit Falls Apart

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Today’s meditation was ten minutes long, and focused on how the benefits of a calm mind created by daily meditation assists in a better life.

This was a very apropos topic, considering the card that I pulled today (more on that below), but I do agree with the topic for the guided meditation today.   I have noticed that on the days where I do not manage to fit my meditation in during my morning routine, that the day seems harder, longer… and just overall a bit more stressful.

On a side note, something else I’ve noticed is that if I hit the snooze in the morning… I feel way crappier when I get up (and throughout the day) than I do if I just get my ass out of bed when the alarm goes off the first time.    I think I’m going to have to ban myself from hitting snooze, or rolling back over for more sleep when I wake up early on a day I don’t need to.

Today’s draw is the Tower card of the Major Arcana.  This is a card that is representative of sudden, abrupt, and unavoidable change.  I think that a lot of people look at this card and have an immediate “oh shit” moment, and honestly?  Me too.  Not because I think it is a bad card.  I don’t.   But, like many people, I hate the process of change.  The end result?  Probably great… usually great.  You adapt and you move on.   The process?  That shit sucks.

When I look at this card, I see that ‘oh shit’ moment.   I see the struggle, as the beavers prepare to fell the tree and the bird that called the tree home grabs what he can and makes a run for it.

What I see isn’t something I see.  It’s something I feel when I look at the card, but am unable to pick apart and explain HOW I get there.   And that is that evolution is inevitable and required.   Shit has to fall apart in order to make way for better shit to come forth.  Sometimes?  It feels like the end of the world, but like the depression that sometimes nips at my heels and at other times swallows me whole… there IS an end to the chaos, and things always fall back into balance again in the end.   The key is to ride it out, and strive to stay safe through the process.

Deck Used: Stolen Child Tarot

 

Rest and Recovery

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Today’s meditation…. turned into a nap.  It wasn’t intentional, but that’s how it went.  It was just a really stressful and very long day, and once I managed to stay still and quiet my mind, the sandman cracked me on the head and sent me to sleep.

Today’s draw was the Ten of Zephyrs, which is a representation of endings, restoration, and resurrection (among other more negative connotations) in the areas of intellect, the mind, logic, education, and instinct.  Some of the more negative meanings include resisting closure, painful endings, deep wounds, and betrayal.  The other side of this coin, though, is that it is also a card of recovery, healing from said wounds, and moving on.

What I saw (and see) in this card today is not a predator looking over prey, but rather that the vulture is watching over the birdboy as the boy rests and recovers from whatever has washed him out so egregiously.   It reminds me of you, and of our current situation as you watch over me and care for me while I not just recover from the drop, but work at bolstering myself for the trip coming up at the end of the month.

I know you are there.  I know you are watching.   You make me feel safe enough to let my guard down and work on myself, even with that keen gaze upon me the whole time.  For you?  Vulnerability is okay.

I love you.

Deck Used: Stolen Child Tarot

Nature Does Not Hurry

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So every day, I have tea in the morning.  This isn’t because I’m a big tea drinker.  All the teas I drink are herbal, because I can’t handle caffeine.  And honestly?  It’s taken me a long time to even find some that I’m fond of.

Nature

That said, I have managed, over trial and error, to find a few.  One of them is a Rosehips tea by Traditional Medicinals that I like to mix with either  chamomile tea or peach tea.   In the Traditional Medicinals tea, each tea bag comes with a little quote on the tab.

Today’s quote was from Lao Tzu.  “Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.”

Although I get what this is saying?  I disagree with the quote in a very literal way.  The fact is that it is true, nature does not hurry.  But, everything is -not- accomplished.   This is why plants die before all the buds can open at the end of the season, and there are often still new leaves just coming into being when fall and winter come to kill off the plants and make the leaves fall.

Everything does not get done.

Everything does not survive and thrive.

This quote, or perhaps how it is used in this instance, makes it seem like you can just take your time with things and everything will fall into place.  And it’s true, everything -will- fall into place.   But if you want things to fall in the place how YOU want them to?  It’s going to take more than that.  Otherwise, like late blooms and off-season buds, those things that are important to you will die off instead of flourishing.

This is not to say you don’t need to take time to slow down and breathe, time to step away and relax.   But sometimes?  The only way anything gets done is with a PUSH to get it there.

Just my two cents.

And, because I know you’ll be wondering, I drink tea every morning because I need a hot drink to mix my collagen peptides into. It’s healthier than hot chocolate.