222

It's been about a week or so these numbers keep showing up for me.

I see it on the clock. On the odometer of my car. House numbers when I am driving or out running.

These numbers have come to me in the past to let me know that my family members are okay and it is okay to release worry about them. Good to know.

We all have numbers that come up for us frequently. Sometimes it is a single number, but more often it is a sequence of numbers or the same number repeating itself often.

The number two is all about nurturing. It is the number of couples, obviously, and in the study of feng shui it is the number of items in your home you place together when you are trying to attract love. In the case of three twos together, if you add them together, you get six, which is the number of family and relationships.

People who have two in their personal numbers often are people who love to nurture others, but often find themselves in the position of not feeling nurtured or often giving of themselves too much and not being nurturing enough of themselves.

Today while I was out running, lost in my own little world, it seemed that I would just happen to jolt back to reality long enough to notice a house number 222. No other house number jumped into my awareness. Back to my run. Back to my connection with Spirit. About a half mile later or so, I jolted back to reality again. Another house that was numbered 222. Deja vu? Didn't I just pass this house?

Okay, Spirit, what are you trying to say?

I think my family members are okay. There is always something going on, but nothing that I have been losing sleep over. What are you trying to tell me?

"What about your relationship with yourself? Are you nurturing  yourself?"

How many of us find ourselves in the position of feeling the calling to save the world or at least our little part of it but do not take the time to nurture ourselves? Whether it is a night out at the movies, or perhaps a bubble bath or a good book, perhaps the message for today is that it is okay to take a day off from saving the world and do something good for yourself!

Treat yourself to something fun, or something that you normally deprive yourself of. Send  yourself a silly love note! Eat a piece of chocolate!

No one needs to be Wonder Woman or Superman all the time. Take off that superhero suit once in awhile and be good to yourself! Lay down the worry and know that everything is going to be all right!

Just for today, lay down your Superman suit. Give up to your Source anything you are worried about. Know that everything is just as it is supposed to be.

Give thanks for all the good in your life, both the things that have come to pass already and those which are to come.

Today, I am thankful for two legs that still can run, a heart and lungs that come alive when outdoors, even if they protest a bit at first. I don't notice my heart beating or my lungs breathing when I am dormant inside sitting in front of the television. It is only when I challenge them, when the breeze blows against me as I make my way through the neighborhood, that I feel most exhilarated!

I am thankful for my connection to Spirit, who continually nudges me to be my best, to do my best, but also to enjoy my life.

What are you thankful for today?

If you are not nurturing yourself, take today and do something for yourself. Look in the mirror and tell yourself that you love yourself!

Of all the things you can be thankful for, be thankful for yourself. Of all the relationships you may enjoy in your lifetime, the relationship with yourself is the most important one! Other relationships may come and go, but the one you have with yourself truly is forever!

Grace?

Many of you  know that I have been absent from blogging as of late due to an almost obsession with writing my second book. This book is an attempt to describe my journey so far, from a child raised in mainstream Christianity, fully embracing this belief system for my first thirty five years, and then finding myself in the very uncomfortable position of a complete crisis of faith. Over the next several years I explored many different belief systems and have evolved into what I now affectionately call my "cosmic soup."

The past couple of days I decided to take a hiatus from my writing frenzy and do some soul searching and end of year rituals.

Last year one of the most rewarding rituals was the one where I asked Spirit for a theme for the year, something that would be my "guiding light" for the year.

Spirit gave me the theme "embrace your power."

At first I was uncomfortable with this theme. I was uncomfortable with the connotation of "power." Power seemed to me to be the opposite of humility, a quality which I very much aspired to. I have always asked Spirit for the privilege of being of service, and Spirit has always given me many opportunities. However, I was always under the impression that if I was embracing my power, then I was walking in ego.

This is very much not the case.

What I have learned this past year is that when I am comfortable with who I am, then I am embracing my power. When I am confident in my contribution to the world, then I am embracing my power. If I am not confident in my ability to be of service, then my contribution suffers.

My desire to be of service is dependent upon my deep inner knowing that I indeed have something to contribute, and that what I have to offer has value. So indeed, I have learned to  embrace my power.

As this year is concluding, I have contemplated on my theme and asked myself if I truly embraced my power. And I can say that yes, I have and am still learning to do so. I am much more confident in my contribution to the world and I believe that is so key to really being comfortable in our own skin.

So in the past couple of days, I have been connecting with Spirit and asking for my theme for the coming year.

I will admit, that I consulted my cards. Using the tarot and also using simple playing cards, there is a system for mapping out your theme for the year knowing only your birth date. I have done this for clients as well as myself for some time. But, aside from what the cards were telling me, I wanted a personal, straight from Spirit theme for the year.

I got a one word theme this year and the word was grace.

Not your ballerina arabesque kind of grace, not your swan gliding across a lake kind of grace, mind you. Spirit would not take on that kind of a challenge..

I have not run into this word since my church going days.

When I was going to church, grace was a word that was used to describe how God favored us despite our inability to earn his favor. That "you are a sinner but I love you anyway" kind of thing.

To quote Wikipedia:

In Christian theology, grace has been defined as "the love and mercy given to us by God because God desires us to have it, not because of anything we have done to earn it",^[1] "the condescension or benevolence shown by God toward the human race".^[2] It is understood by Christians to be a spontaneous gift from God to man - "generous, free and totally unexpected and undeserved"^[3] - that takes the form of divine favor, love and clemency.

So at first I was not too happy with this theme either.  It seems like a good theme, except for this.

I don't believe I am a sinner in need of God's favor. I spent too many years recovering from the shame of needing pardoning from God for sins I did not necessarily even commit. In Christianity, all I had to do was be born in order to fall short of perfection.

I now believe that I am a spark of the Divine, born perfect, having only learned imperfection by the dubious nature of life on earth and all it entails.

Grace is also something I think I need if things are difficult and I need the inner strength to overcome them. Hmmm. Well, my tarot card that is my theme for this coming year is the Chariot, and that description kind of fits. The chariot card is all about overcoming obstacles.  Moving ahead despite difficulties.

So what is grace?

Grace, upon reflection, is the ability to handle anything life throws at you with inner strength and fortitude. It is the Divine Spark which lives within my own soul, that inner power which this past year I learned to embrace, giving me the ability to glide through any storm.

Does this mean Spirit is telling me that this coming year I am going to have some storms to face and overcome? Possibly.

We all come to the place where we have challenges to face. That is a part of life. Facing and overcoming them is what makes us strong. Grace gives us the ability to face them with an inner strength which only comes from our connection to whatever we choose to call our Source, or the Divine.

I guess we all could use a good dose of grace.

So what does all this mean for you?

I recommend sometime before the new year that you take a little time and go within. Look back on this past year and see if the year met up with the expectations you put upon it at the beginning of last year. If it did, be grateful. If it did not, be willing to release whatever parts of it did not make your soul sing. Accept the past year for what it was, and release it with gratitude for the joys and the lessons it contained.

I also encourage you to take some time in the coming days to go within and contemplate your theme for this year. And you can't take what you get and send it back and ask for something else.. no send backs. Take what Spirit gives you with gratitude .. and grace.

Give thanks for all the things that  you have experienced in this past year that has given you strength within and get ready for a coming year that will be the best you have ever had!!

Remember that expectation is everything! Expect wonderful for this coming year. Take your theme for the year and thank your Source for the grace to take whatever comes with joy.

And get ready for wonderful!!

Today's Winter Solstice

Many of you know that today is what is known as the winter solstice. Today is the shortest day of the year and starting today, we begin the progression to more and more daylight hours.

Symbolically, today is an excellent day for going within. It is a day of darkness, symbolizing taking time for inner reflection. Winter itself speaks of taking time for letting go of the need for outside stimulation and allowing our roots to grow deep. In the winter the trees shed their leaves, the flowers are dormant, many animals are hibernating. And yet we humans very often don't take the time for rest and reflection. This is a need that is so essential in our busy busy lives.

Instead of finding time for inner reflection, many of us will be hitting the malls, on that last minute shopping frenzy to find that "perfect" gift. What about taking some time and give a gift to yourself? I don't have time!! you might protest. Yes you do!!

I often hear this protest from my daughter, a single mother of two who works nights as a security guard. Everyone has at least a moment or two to breathe in and breathe out, thank the Universe for the blessings you have enjoyed, focus on your heart, and send love to yourself and others. One day last week I was blessed to be in the position of taking all three of my young grandchildren to the grocery store. At one point I was standing in line and two of the three were grabbing everything in sight. After losing it for a moment, I said out loud, "breathe in breathe out breathe in breathe out." and it was all better.

I like to take my ten minute drive to work to send love to every person I will interact with that day, to all my family members and to all that each of them will interact with that day. I send love to my heart and to my unseen Helpers.

Each of us must at some point go to the bathroom or take a shower. These are perfect opportunities to send love to your heart!

If you have more than a couple of moments today, you might create a ritual to thank your soul, your higher powers, and the energies at work in our lives for the past year. Give thanks for the blessings, the hard times, the challenges, and then release it all to the Universe so that you can be ready to take on the new year!

Invite into your heart all the unseen Help that is available and ask that your heart be aligned with its highest purpose and the highest energy available. Imagine that your physical body is lining up with your soul body. Imagine light and love being poured into every cell in your body. Even if you don't believe that there is power in visualization or that the energy of our souls is amazing and powerful, this meditation will make you feel good!! That in itself is the best reason to do this!

You might want to find a soothing picture to look at, or gaze into the flame of a candle. Meditate on your favorite deity, or even a houseplant! I can get to my happy place gazing at a pen! There is god force energy inherent in every object that graces our lives! All we have to do is expect to see the god in it!

Just for today, take a moment for yourself. Give yourself the gift of inner reflection. Find something to be thankful for. Release the old, and welcome in the new!

Remember that everything in our lives is a gift if we can just find the blessing in it!

Thoughts About the Holidays, Snow, and What's Ahead

You may or may not know that I am in the process of writing my second book so I have not been posting blogs as often while I am in this book writing frenzy. I have completely lost focus on everything else as I attempt to tell the story of my journey from mainstream Christianity to the path I now follow. As I have journeyed through my life so far, I have noticed that the same issues I have been through are a common thread throughout the lives of many others.

That being said, I have taken some time to connect with Spirit along the way, and I am noticing a theme.

It seems that there is a huge shift in our Universal Consciousness on the way.

We can choose to go along with our lives with the attitude of "business as usual" or we can choose to take a ride on this new energetic shift and get ready for the ride of our lives!!

Many of us have experienced many challenges in 2013 and I feel that it is really important as we approach the coming year to take some time to go within and find the gift in each of those challenges.

It seems, at least in our part of the country, that the weather is offering us the opportunity to take advantage of some time of inner contemplation.


Winter in itself is symbolic of going within. Snow, in particular, puts our lives on a bit of a hold pattern, as we are forced to either stay home or go out into the elements and shovel our way out.
Either way, whether you decide to hibernate or go out and face the weather, you are offered some time to contemplate. This morning as I began the process of shoveling the little bit of snow that had already accumulated, in a preemptive measure to keep on top of things, I felt such a wonderful connection to the elements and to the quietness of the snowfall. It seems when snow falls, there is almost an element of awe and reverence in the atmosphere that I can feel falling from the heavens.




In the news I am seeing that snow is falling in areas of the earth that has not seen snow in over a hundred years. This to me is significant. The Universe is calling upon us to take some time to contemplate, go within, and find the beauty in our lives.

Just like snow is beautiful to behold but sometimes can be a challenge, so it is with life. Our lives are filled with events and possibilities that offer us a life of awe and beauty, but also one of challenges to overcome. One seems to come only hand in hand with the other sometimes.

This season of Christmas is when people come together to have communion, possibly exchange gifts, and think about the story of new beginnings. In the quiet of a manger, a child was born which changed the direction of the world. Some of the change was good, and some not so good, as I am sure the intention of Jesus was to offer the opportunity for acceptance, forgiveness, and love, but we humans took some of the ideas to extremes and used him as a means of separation and judgement.

We can choose to look at the gift of the Christ Child as a blessing or a curse. Many died over the centuries as supposed followers of Christ killed those who did not adhere to the beliefs they were propagating, but I am sure that was not Christ's intention.

It is all about what we choose to focus on. Should we focus on the atrocities that have been displayed over the centuries or the hope that  there was the offering of a new beginning from the old ways that Christ attempted to uproot? Should we focus on the challenges related to how snowfall keeps us from going on about our business or should we use the opportunity to go within and appreciate the beauty and awe that snowfall affords us?

Should we look back on the past year with regrets, bitterness, or grief, or should we thank our challenges for the gifts of strength and fortitude which only a challenge offers us?

It is all about intention.

May I offer you the challenge to look back on this year with gratitude for the gifts it offered us. Let go of any hurts, griefs, or setbacks, so that your soul can be ready for a new beginning in 2014!!!

Just for today, thank every event in the past year that offered you the opportunity for growth. Let go of anything that you may be holding on to that may hinder you from moving forward!! Look forward to time with family and friends, and look at gift giving, not as an obligation, but an opportunity to bless others!! Many in our past have given us gifts that have brought us to the place where we find ourselves today. Thank them!!

Now excuse me while I go connect with the elements and become one with the snow!!

Tuesday's New Moon

If you have been reading my blog for any length of time, you will recognize that I do not subscribe to any particular belief system. Yesterday's blog was based upon a sermon I read on the website of a popular television evangelist. I frequently post blogs based upon the cards of the tarot. I am a shamanic practitioner, but I like to label myself as a student of all religions, but a subscriber to none.

I love to base my rituals on the phases of the moon and I frequently read blogs based on the principles of astrology. No, I am not an expert in astrology and the only education I have is the blogs that I read and the one book I own on the subject. But I have studied enough to know that full moons are symbolic of manifesting and new moons are a good time to release whatever is no longer serving you. That being said, we are about to experience a new moon on Tuesday. I wanted to share a blog by Sue Kearney on her insights about the new moon and some possible ways to connect with Spirit and do ritual to release aspects of yourself or your life you are ready to let go of.

The past week or so I began my journey into my past as I am writing a book about my adventures through Christianity and eventually expanding to include other ways of thinking and believing. I am so grateful for all of the experiences as they have made me who I am. In doing this, I have revived a lot of forgotten memories, and I have been able to see how Spirit was in charge all along, and how the rituals I partook of in Christianity are not completely unlike the rituals that I enjoy today. I completely love and applaud all seekers of spirituality, no matter with which group you associate yourself, and I find that we are all alike, and all different.

This is my suggestion. One day this week, take a moment and examine a belief system that is unlike your own, and instead of finding fault or heralding your own beliefs as superior to that of another, embrace your similarities and forgive your differences. We are all on a spiritual quest. We all want world peace and inner peace. We are all in the business of healing the planet and ourselves. Our techniques and rituals may be different, but our goal is the same. Let us put down our swords and instead embrace one another.

My new moon ritual is going to be an adventure into releasing our collective prejudices toward one another. However they may manifest, we have all experienced religious prejudice either toward us or from us to another, and possibly both. My goal is to pull down those walls that separate us and instead build a bridge to join us together in achieving a common goal.

I would love for you to join me in my quest to rid myself and my world of religious prejudice. In whatever ways that it manifests, whether it is an expensive license to regulate Spiritual activity, or prayers directed at another religious belief or practice, or just a simple belief that my God is better than your God. I ask you to look within yourself and see if you have any beliefs against another faith that you need to release.

Whatever Spirit is leading you to release, Tuesday would be a good day to do it! Find a ritual that speaks to you, get into your spiritual happy place, however you find to do that, and let it go! Let us all let go of what no longer serves us, so that we may move forward in our quest for enlightenment.

Command Your Blessings!!

I have to admit this is not an original, straight from Source, message. But it is an important one and one that has been rolling over and over in my brain for a day or two now.

I am always engaged in multiple projects. Right now it seems that the Universe has cleared my schedule so I can focus my attention in other areas. In January I will be teaching a class on the second level of Reiki, so I have been preparing for that class. In addition, I recently got my writing muse back and have started writing my second book, chronicling my journey through life thus far. In doing this I have had to go into my spiritual basement, so to speak, and relive some things from my past. I had a dream the other night that the walking dead were in my basement, and yes, although I know it may have been a result of watching the show, I also realized that I was delving into the deep recesses of my past to bring back to life some things that I have attempted to let die but which were crying out for resolution.

But this is not the subject of this blog. In doing a bit of research for my book, I went onto the website of a popular television evangelist to see if his message was the same now as it was when I was first exposed to his teachings at the ripe age of seventeen. I am now fifty and I have to say that he and his wife still look the same and are still preaching the same message.

I believe that messages from Spirit transcend time and space, and belief systems. I have the utmost respect for this man, and I clicked on a link to a particular message on his site. The message was about our commanded blessings.

What are commanded blessings? They are blessings we bring into our lives by commanding them in.

It is a universal principle that the thoughts we think and the words we speak have power in our lives. Louise Hay, the transformational genius that is the author of many books on self empowerment and has the largest new age publishing house that I am aware of, taught me the principle that what you focus on grows.

While taking a short break from my writing, I happened upon this blog from my favorite astrologist talking about how this weekend is apparently a really big opportunity for us to ask for what we want from our highest Source.

So, when I get a nudging from two or three different sources or one that keeps me awake at night and won't go away, I tend to take notice. This is that message.

What do you need? Do you need a new job, a new car, a new relationship? If you could ask God, or your Highest Source, whatever you call Him or Her for anything, what would it be? Maybe it is more enlightenment, or something that there is no pricetag on. Maybe it is inner peace. (we bring world peace by first finding peace within ourselves.) This weekend is the weekend to ask for what you want. And don't just ask.. command! No it is not arrogant to command your blessings! Some think that we should humble ourselves and never presume to command our higher powers anything. Hogwash!

If a particular desire is in line with your soul's purpose for this lifetime, it is completely within your rights to command it!! Our words have power and create that which comes out of them!!

What do you think happens when you say, "I quit!" All of the Angels and Higher Powers stop what they were doing to bring you your blessings and say, "hold it, legions of Angels. She just quit. Let's go back to heaven until she decides what she wants and sticks to her guns!"

The world of spirit is listening while you decide what you are going to command. If you say, "bad things always happen to me." you are commanding bad things to happen to you. Why not change that around and say, "wonderful things always happen to me!!" Do you see the emotion that rises up within you when you change your words?

Just for today, command those blessings! Get up and dance a jig because you are so excited that those things you have need of are approved and on their way!! Get excited! You have an audience with the Higher Realms this weekend. I am not saying that this is only going to work this weekend, but why not take advantage of the configuration of the stars and declare what you want to manifest?

I don't believe that the commanded blessings are only for a select group of people, which differentiates me from the television evangelist. We don't have to be born again to reap the blessing. We just have to believe that the blessings are ours for the taking!!

So how should you go about commanding your blessings? Find a ritual that speaks to you! It could be as simple as shouting it out to the Universe! "I command my new job to present itself!" (or whatever). You could light a candle and write your blessing on a piece of paper and burn the piece of paper, setting your intention that your request is being sent up to the Universe via the elements of fire, smoke and air. You could write your intention down and put on some funky music and dance around it! (I used to do this with my checkbook. I would place my checkbook on the floor and dance around it, commanding money to appear in my account!)

Connect with Spirit in whatever way is your custom and place your request. Believe that your request has been heard and the answer is on its way to you! In this way you are commanding your blessings!

Salt

Sometimes I like to think of common occurrences from a different perspective.  We all get so used to seeing things the way we are used to seeing them. For example, I wanted to post a Thanksgiving blog. I read some of my blogs from previous years, just so I would not repeat myself, as well as reading some other lovely blogs to get ideas.
 Giving thanks is something we all know we should do. But here are some various blogs on various "holiday" themes: (and some not so "holidayish" but inspiring nonetheless:

A great Thanksgiving post by Sue Kearney here.

 Here is a blog by  on how to avoid getting the holiday emotional flu bug.

Check this blog out by McKella Sawyer  as well to let you know it is okay to change up a few things as we get ready for the change in seasons!

This blog by Cynthia Lindeman let me know it is okay to burn out and do absolutely nothing. (good to know after my October and early November filled with a week long mediumship training class, (with the assignment of practicing on clients(for free), teaching six classes on various spiritual subjects, joining nine wonderful couples in marriage, oh, and I work at the Post Office..)

This blog by Shan Watts shows how sometimes we just have to do things our own way, no matter how much they differ from everyone around us!

Anyway, back to my Thanksgiving blog. I decided that I would look at Thanksgiving from the perspective of the salt.

Salt, if you look at it, is a tiny white, granular substance. Without the container that it is kept in, you would not know what it is. It looks like many other granular, white substances. Some people say we get too much of it, so you may not find people shaking it into their foods as much as years past, however, without it, our turkeys are not quite as tasty, (unless seasoned with some kind of other seasonings or salt substitutes), our potatoes are a bit bland, and, if you check out the ingredients in many of our ready made foods, it is found in almost everything.

I guess my message for today is that sometimes the ingredient that makes our lives the tastiest is the one that is small and seemingly inconspicuous. It is the small things that make our lives ones that we look back on with fondness. And the ingredient that one person finds distasteful is the same one that another person can't live without. We are all individuals and we all come into this life experience with different perspectives. None of us is right and none of us is wrong. A person who has high blood pressure or heart issues looks at salt very differently than someone who has a salt deficiency. And what would we do without salt to put on our driveways when it snows?

We are the salt for one another, as well. Jesus said, "you are the salt of the earth." (apparently he didn't know it wasn't good for you.) I think he meant that we season each other's lives. We make each other more palatable. We make each other less boring and bland. And maybe that it is the little things that are the most important.

This year, when you are sitting around the table, and you hear someone say, "will you please pass the salt?" remember that each one of us is a grain of salt. We each have something that makes our lives a little more tasty, a little more easy to chew.

With that said, I hope you will check out my fellow bloggers perspectives and the "salt" that they are offering this week, and think of something you can do this week that will add some "salt" into someone else's life.

This week, be salt.

Five of Swords

This morning in my daily tarot card draw, I drew this card:

This is normally a card which represents some sort of conflict. As you can see on the card, one man is gathering the swords that the other men have laid down. The sky looks ominous. The man holding the swords has a smug look on his face. The other two men have their backs turned to the main character and are walking away.

As you can well imagine, when I drew this card, I was a bit apprehensive, thinking that there was a possibility of some sort of conflict ahead. I drew the card this morning before I went to work, and then again when I was driving home the card was poking its head out of my purse as if to say, "remember me! remember me!"

This card is a warning against the attitude of "I'm right, I know I'm right, and I don't care who that affects." We really have to be careful that we are not right at the expense of being kind. We may lose relationships when we stand our ground no matter what the cost.

I don't always post my daily tarot draw on my blog, as you know, but today I felt that this card was not just particularly for me. I don't really have any conflict going on right now (at least not that I am aware of), so when I drew this card it puzzled me. And then when it made itself aware to me a second time, then I knew that something was up.

Maybe those of us who are in the habit of sending out prayers, positive energy, love and light, or whatever you want to call your petitions to the Universe, might want to send out some good energy to any conflict that is brewing in the world today. You never know but maybe Spirit wants us to avert another disaster, and we can do it with our prayers.

 Maybe this was a call to us to stop being so insistent on being right all the time and instead look for ways to bless others, even those who in our estimation don't deserve it.

Whatever the reason for Spirit giving me this card, I just think it wouldn't hurt for those who read this blog to send love and light out into the world, and request that there be peace. Thanks to you for joining me.

Sending Love

Many of you know that my "other" job is that of a Post Office employee. I have worked at the Post Office for 25 years. This year I was blessed to enter "semi-retirement" when I accepted a part time position to give me more time to perform weddings, teach classes, and do my healing work.

Many years ago when I found myself working nights and spending eight hours a night doing nothing but sorting mail, I went through a time when I wondered what good I was doing in the world. I worked nights, I slept during the day. When I awoke, I had a child to tend to, housework, my church activities, and other family obligations. There was a time when I considered those eight hours I spent sorting mail at the bottom of my list of life enhancing activities. I have always known that I had some purpose in life, that I didn't just choose to be born to sort mail, clean house, and mow grass. It was during that time when I thought of this activity.

I would consciously send love into the letters and packages that touched my hands. I would (and still do) send love to every person who would handle the letter or package. I would send love to every letter or package that touched the piece of mail I was holding. I would send love to the sender and to the receiver of the piece of mail.

Recently I have taken up the practice of sending love along with the marriage licenses that I mail to the courthouses to whom they need to be mailed back to. I remembered my previous practice of also including love rubbing off on every other letter that my letter touched.

Recently when emailing a wedding client it occurred to me that just like the letter containing the marriage license rubbed off on many letters while traveling to its destination, so in the same way, when a couple marries, their love also has the potential of "rubbing off" on every one with whom they come into contact. Their excitement and enthusiasm is contagious!!

Remember that the emotions that you "put out" are also contagious! Are you sending out contagious emotions of love, excitement, enthusiasm, or something entirely different?  If you do a self inventory and find yourself lacking, it is an easy fix!! Just change the "germs" you are emitting!!  If you are sending out bitterness, anger, fear, remorse, guilt, or anger, STOP!!

Saying a mantra is something that always helps me. If I am afraid, and I recognize the emotion, (we are so conditioned to feel negative emotions we don't always remember that we are feeling them. They are so programmed into our psyche that they seem normal.) then I just change my mind. I say, out loud or to myself, "I am perfectly safe." A good mantra is one that is the opposite of the negative emotion you are feeling but contains no negative connotations. In other words, I don't say, "I am not afraid." The "not" is still a negative. Instead, "I am safe" contains only positive emotions.

Also remember that you can have an affect on your world no matter what your job in life. If you clean toilets for a living, you can say, " I am ridding the world of what is no longer necessary in life." If you dig ditches you can say, "I am the creator of new territories."  Realize that every job has value and contributes to the betterment of society, if you choose to allow it to.

Always think and believe that wonderful things are about to happen and they will!! Rub off on your world, and do it well!

What are you rubbing off on those around you?

Stories From the Tarot

Sometimes the traditional meaning of a particular card of the tarot is not at all the message Spirit sends when giving a particular card for a message.

At some point I have realized that the Guide, who I believe is the Goddess Isis, who gives me messages through my cards, has a sense of humor.

I have the habit of carrying my cards around with me. I carry them in my purse, and sometimes the cards are not contained in any kind of pouch, but are free to connect with the energy of my other belongings. I feel that this gives the cards a chance to really connect with my energy. This being said, if the cards want to give me a message, one of the cards would invariably fall out of my purse or someway make itself known to me.

One day I was at my husband's store, decorating for fall. I was standing up on a stool, putting some decorations on top of a refrigerator, when an old friend came up behind me and we talked for a bit. Later, I went into the room where my purse was, an one of my cards had fallen out of my purse. This is the card that fell out.

I just had to chuckle and say.. "ha ha... very funny."

A couple of days ago we had a water leak in our house and were forced to shut our water off until we could get it fixed. My husband discovered the leak when he had gotten up in the middle of the night and heard water running inside the walls of our bathroom. That morning when I was getting ready for work, I drew a card, as is my custom, and this is the card I drew...

Once again, I said.. "very funny..." However, the meaning of this card is that everything is going to be okay, but not today. It is a card of hope for the future. The plumber could not come fix our plumbing that day, but the next. So my first thought when I drew the card was that our water would not be fixed that day, but when it did get fixed, it would not be a serious problem. This turned out to be the case. We had envisioned a very costly and time consuming ordeal, but the problem was easily fixed, without tearing holes in the walls or costly repairs. We did, however, have to live without running water for two days. So the card was accurate, but also funny. The card shows a person pouring water out of a container, and it is the middle of the night. We discovered our water leak in the middle of the night, and were forced to use water out of jugs for two days. The water problem did not get fixed that day, but it turned out okay.

I wanted to share these two stories with those of you who are intrigued by the cards and perhaps think that they always give spiritual insight and maybe miss the practical aspects of the cards. Sometimes they just tell you simple things that you already know. In the first example, yes, I knew I was standing on a stool talking to a friend. It was just fun when that card fell out of my purse. In the second example, I knew my husband had discovered a leak in the middle of the night. The card, however told me, not to fret, that it would not get fixed today, but it would be all right when it did finally get fixed.

I encourage you if you are learning the tarot, to establish a relationship with your cards. Draw a card often. Carry them around with you so that your cards are filled with your energy. Take the messages lightly. Laugh.

Messages from Spirit come in all forms. You do not have to use the tarot to get messages from Spirit. But the cards are a fun and time established way of getting guidance from Spirit. No they are not evil. ( I really don't understand how people can think this. I imagine it is just an old fear based upon the fear based religions who control people through making them afraid of things they do not understand.)

The tarot is just symbolism. Just for today, ask Spirit for a sign. It does not have to be based upon the tarot. Ask a question and then look around you for the answer. You will be surprised how Spirit answers.

Inspiration from the Tarot/Eight of Wands

On Sunday I am teaching a class on the tarot, and I usually like to spend the week before the class posting some messages from the tarot on my blog.

This morning I connected with Spirit and asked for a card to post for a message for today, and this is the card I drew:

For someone just learning the cards, this might appear to be a difficult card to decipher. When I teach my classes, I tell my students that before they consult the dictionary of card meanings, that they look at the card first and ask the card what message it has for them. It may reflect the traditional meaning, and it may not. Spirit knows the message it wants to portray, and Spirit loves talking to us in symbols.

So the first thing I notice when I look at this card is that there are no people in it. This is relatively rare for the tarot. The next thing that really jumps out at me is the exceptionally blue sky. The landscape in the picture is small, and seemingly far away, and there are eight budding branches, or "wands" appearing to be just hanging in the air in front of the viewer of the card.

In the tarot, wands represent ideas, inspiration, and creativity. The fact that they are just hanging out in midair in front of the viewer before a beautiful blue sky would indicate to me that there are endless possibilities. Eight is the number of prosperity, success, abundance, and harvest, so the card seems to indicate that the possibilities are endless, there is success in the air, and it is up to the viewer to go after their dreams.

Is there something in your life that you have been dreaming of? Is there a goal you have been working hard to accomplish? Today's message is that now is the time to go for it! The path has been laid out before you! You are the creator of your life, it is time for you to create something beautiful. There is not a cloud in the sky. There are seemingly no obstacles for you to conquer at this time!

This is a wonderful card to post on your refrigerator or your mirror and remind yourself that your destiny lays before you and it is up to you to act!

Sometimes we forget that we are the masters of our own destiny. We tend to like to let ourselves off the hook and say something like, "oh, I could be successful if it wasn't for.........." or, " I don't have the money, the education, or the smarts to be successful." Or, "if (so and so) would not have done (this) to me, my life would be wonderful."

Stop giving your power away! You are the captain of your own ship! You are the creator of the wonderful work of art called your life! It is time to go for it!

Now I am not saying that tomorrow you go quit your job and start your own business, or maybe I am. You have to be practical. Make a plan. Follow the leading of your heart.

Just for today, embrace your own power.  You probably already know what this is about. It may be a job. It may be a new relationship. It may be a new direction for your life. Look for some changes up ahead, and they are to be good!

Blogs I Love This Week!

Here is week two of blogs I love this week!!
It has been a really busy week and I haven't had much time to catch up on many blogs, but these caught my attention and I thought they might speak to you as well!!I just want to add that there are so many wonderful bloggers out there and I would like to share everyone's on my blog. I will try to keep it fresh and put different ones here every week.

This is a good one on what it does and does not mean to be happy! Love it!
http://ohhappylife.com/the-everlasting-myth-of-happiness/

Here is one I really need about how it is okay to take care of yourself and sometimes say no to others:
 http://eatbeautiful.com.au/2013/11/04/5-reasons-self-care-is-not-selfish/

Here is a good one!! The top five reasons for holiday stress!
http://crystalclaritycopywriting.com/top-five-holiday-stress-sources/

I love this one about one person's journey to open up her heart again after it has been injured!
http://www.manifestationstation.com.au/21-days-to-opening-your-heart/

Temperance

This week I have been getting ready for a class I am teaching in a couple of weeks on Reiki. Most people these days are familiar with Reiki but just as a short synopsis Reiki is healing life force energy which comes through a lineage dating back to Jesus or perhaps even further. It was rediscovered by Master Mikao Usui in 1925 while he was spending twenty one days in meditation atop a sacred mountain in Japan.

I was thinking about how so many of our really amazing profound insights and discoveries come to us while we are spending time going within ourselves. Meditation is the process by which we put aside our daily worries and concerns for a period of time and get quiet. So many of us complain that our lives are a mess, we are seeking answers, or peace, or maybe a new job, and the answers elude us. We work and work, we do this and do that, we say affirmations, we may do rituals or say prayers. All of these things are completely wonderful as long as we do not forget that all the answers we need are available to us when we get quiet and listen.

This morning in my daily tarot draw this is the card I chose:

When I get this card, I know that perhaps I have gotten a bit out of balance and it is time to get back on track. In the picture, the Angel is pouring water from one vessel into another. One foot is in the water and one on land. The sun is rising. Obviously this is an Angel, which indicates that there is help from the Higher Realms in achieving this goal.

In symbology, water represents Spirit and the earth represents our physical lives. This card is indicating that it takes both spiritual practice and human effort to achieve our goals. One without the other will not work.

It is so easy to focus on one thing to the exclusion of everything else.

I was talking to a coworker today and he was talking about how when he gets a focus on something, he notices that other things in his life suffer because of the intense tendency he has to throw all of his energy into that one project. We all can say that we know what he is talking about, and I think that it is an easy habit to fall into.

We imagine a goal. We may want to manifest a new relationship, a new job, or any number of goals that are commendable. However, we throw everything we have into this one basket. We may forget that we have other obligations. We may try to manifest our dreams without taking the time to go within and seek higher guidance.

Master Usui was a healer before he went atop the mountain. He had studied chiqong  and other eastern healing modalites. However he was frustrated. He was not achieving the results he desired. He went to the mountain to seek higher guidance. It didn't come on the first day. Nor did it come the second. This speaks to me of our tendency to want a quick fix. We are so used to the McDonald's mentality. We want what we want and we want it right now. Master Usui was willing to put aside some time to go within and seek higher guidance. The answers didn't come until his time on the mountain was almost done.

Other spiritual masters have done the same thing. The Buddha obtained enlightenment by spending time under a tree. Jesus went into the wilderness for forty days.

Sometimes the answers we seek to our most innermost desires and questions can only be found by spending time alone with Spirit. But, as the tarot card for today indicates, there needs to be a balance. We have to eventually come down off the mountain and do something!

Once we spend our time with Spirit,it seems like doors open without any effort on our part! The right doors. The right person just happens to come across our path. Or the right job. We have an inner knowing of what to put effort into and what to let go.

There is a mantra that I love that says: "What I focus on grows."

Sometimes it is good to focus on our goals. It is good to visualize achieving our goals. But if those goals seem to elude us, perhaps it is time to surrender. Let go of our intended outcomes and allow the Universe to unfold just as it should. If we think that our lives have to unfold in a certain way, then we still have spiritual work to do. One of the steps to enlightenment is the ability to detach ourselves from our desired goals and know that all is well, no matter what.

Just for today, why not spend a little time going within for that needed guidance? But don't stay there forever, expecting your dream job or your dream lover or your dream car to come up the mountain to you. I guess it is possible to find a large bag of money sitting at your doorstep, but more than likely you are going to have to put some effort into achieving your goal. But your time going within will give you the needed guidance to know just which path to seek, and which one to let go.

New Moon and Solar Eclipse Sunday!

I don't usually post on weekends. Statistics say that readers are offline on weekends, and I say.. yay you! Everyone needs time to enjoy their lives. Go outside, if weather permits. Take a walk. Spend time with family and friends. Read a book.

However, today is the new moon and also another solar eclipse. Apparently we have been having a lot of activity in the skies lately.. eclipses, solar flares, not to mention the Mercury Retrograde,  all of which are contributing to our personal state of affairs.

I am not at all educated in the reading of the stars. I get my information from my many experts in the fields. All I know is that I have been feeling the effects of all of the solar activity. Aches and pains. Tiredness. A need for sleep.

I believe in symbolism. Spirit uses symbols to communicate with us and give us encouragement and hints about our lives. I am always open to symbols and hidden messages, so when I think of the new moon, I think about a time when the moon is not visible in the sky. That doesn't mean it isn't there. The moon is symbolic of all those things in our lives that are not readily visible, our shadow self, some call it. It is also symbolic of the Sacred Feminine. When there is a new moon, it has been waning for some time. This is symbolic of things that are passing out of our lives. What is it in your life that you want to get rid of? Anxiety? Anger? Troubled relationships? Perceived offenses? Maybe financial difficulties or sickness?Why don't you see those things passing out of your life right now? Why don't you go within to find your true light, the light that shines out from within you?

A solar eclipse is also symbolic of something being hidden behind something else. In the case of the new moon, we cannot see the moon because the dark side of the moon is the side that is facing the earth. In a solar eclipse, the light is hidden behind the shadow of the moon. So symbolically, shadows are hiding the light. Shadows are really nothing. They are just what is cast when the sun is shining on the other side of something.  So really, what may come up for you today is that the light is shining, but you can't see it. The shadow of something hidden from view is blocking your light.

Don't allow yourself to be offended today. It is just a shadow. It has no power over you. Let go of grudges and offenses. Be kind. Whatever does come up for you today, know that it will pass. On the east coast of the US, the solar eclipse was only visible for about two minutes. This is symbolic of the shadows of the events in our lives being very transitory.

Allow what is passing out of your life to pass. Thank it for its valuable lessons. Be ready for the light of the sun and the moon to come back. After the darkness has past, new things can begin to birth in your life. New and better things. There is a saying that nothing can be born without there first being a death of sorts. There has to be some sort of release before new things can come into our experience.

Welcome all the things that come and go in and out of your life. Know that it is all good. Learn from your mistakes and grievances. Forgive others and yourself.

I close with a quote from Rev. Irma Kaye Sawyer..

Happy New Moon and Solar Eclipse friends! May what is no longer serving your highest and best be gently eclipsed out of your life, to reveal the shining, crystal clarity within. May healing magic be in your every step.

Blogs I Love This Week!!

You may have noticed that the past couple of months I have been somewhat absent from the blogging scene. Oh I have posted a few here and there, but for the most part, I was out there, performing weddings, teaching classes, and seeing clients. All good things!! However, I realized that my devoted readers were missing out.

I have decided that maybe once a week, or whenever I feel inspired, that I will share some of the blogs that inspire me. Because, guess what: sometimes I do not just wake up this wonderful, blissful, completely connected and totally inspired goddess that gets these wonderful messages from Spirit. Yes, that is right!! Sometimes I am busy writing weddings, babysitting, working at my "other" job, the Post Office, cleaning (hubby says HA HA to this one lately), or any number of other every day activities. I have to get inspired myself, sometimes! I have to shake myself and say, "Joy, get with it!!"

This week I was inspired by a number of blogs. Check these wonderful babes out!! I have shared a few of these on facebook, but I wanted to put links to them in one place for all of us to have them to refer back to now and again. Because, guess what!! Sometimes we forget and need to be reminded!!

Here they are! I am sure you will love these beautiful goddesses just like I do!!

The first one is for all of my brides to be.. by Leonie Dawson
http://leoniedawson.com/how-to-not-freak-the-eff-out-about-weddings/?inf_contact_key=5268ac0e606eefca829d58d1a40f98f02b62474b4ed83adfe7689e2ebebc9dce

This one is wonderful!! A lot of great information in one spectacular blog! All about connecting with angels, some great meditations, etc.
http://yourlifeexpression.com/2013/10/22/how-to-step-into-your-sensual-playfulness-divine-feminine-power/

This one gives us some good remedies for the now in progress Mercury Retrograde
http://www.danielledove.com/mercury-retrograde/

This one is all about dispelling myths we tell ourselves about our creativity. love this!!
http://mckellasawyer.com/lies-that-clog-your-creative-channels/

The title of this one says it all: You Are Worth It
http://thespiritualityseeker.com/you-are-worth-it/

And this last one is an interview with author Sera Beak. I was unfamiliar with her but the book sounds wonderful. (I ordered it!!) (the title is what got me hooked!!)
http://transformationgoddess.com/a-red-hot-holy-interview-with-sera-beak/

Last but not least, this blog is not from my blogger circle, but it is one that I feel really worth adding. It gives us some energy tips for the next couple of days (Nov 1-3) on how to best navigate the energies that are coming at us!!
http://spiritlibrary.com/selacia/tips-for-november-1-3-gateway

And there it is!! My choices for blogs to check out this week! I am going to attempt to do this every week. I think it is a wonderful idea that we should all share one another's wisdom and inspiration. We all need each other and can reach wonderful new heights just by supporting one another in our spiritual quests!!

No Ordinary Moments

If you are a spiritual seeker like I am, you may find yourself at times compartmentalizing your time.

This is my spiritual time..
This is my work time
This is my (children, husband, wife, partner, family) time
This is my sleep time
This is my exercise time
etc etc

The temptation here is to deem some of your moments more important than other ones.

Example.

A few days ago I spent the day babysitting my new two month old grandchild. Being the doting grandmother that I am, I could not stand to put her down and do anything else.  Although I was loving it for the most part, that little voice inside of me kept taunting me:

You have two weddings to write.
You have a class to  prepare for
You have not meditated today.
You have not exercised today.
There is just not enough time to get all of these things done.

Here is temptation number one:

To deem the "spiritual" things we do more important than the "other" things.

What if we lived every moment completely aware that every moment was precious and extraordinary?

Yes, even those moments we spend washing the dishes. And taking out the trash. Even the ones we spend at work, or sleeping.

This is a profound statement:

There are no ordinary moments.

What if, just for today, you realized that every moment is sacred?

Instead of going to work on Monday morning, wishing it was the weekend, and essentially wishing away most of your week, why not try treasuring the time you are at work? Or washing the dishes? Or even sleeping?

I have begun each morning using my short drive to work to send love to each person I am to meet and interact with that day. Sometimes I send love to people who I will not necessarily interact with, such as the example in my previous blog about sending love to the President, or the neighbors, or anyone else who comes across my mind.

Yes I am completely aware that the moments I spend rocking my grandbaby are important. But somehow, somewhere, deep inside, there is that compulsion that I should be "doing" something. I should be more productive. I should be I should be

No I should be rocking my grandbaby.

Yes I think last year I may have posted a similar blog when taking my grandkids to the park. That old productivity demon seems to poke his head out at me frequently.


Who am I to believe that any one particular moment of my life is any less precious than any other moment? Is the moments I spend brushing my teeth less valuable than the ones I spend meditating?

Years ago I realized that every thought that went through my mind was a prayer.  Essentially, when I think a thought, no matter what it is, I am praying for something. If I am worrying about something or mad about something, I am basically praying for something that I don't necessarily want. However, I believe that our thoughts create our reality. If we change our perspective just a bit, believing that every moment is a precious gift, how differently might our lives become?

 Why not look at every moment in your life as a gift? The wonderful life changing moments, the extremely productive moments, the profound sacred connecting with Spirit moments, and the not so wonderful, perhaps mundane, every day, scrubbing the floor moments. All of them are precious. Take the time to thank each moment for the gift it offers you: one more breath of life, one more chance to experience life with all its ups and downs, challenges and triumphs, sunny days and rainy days.

Just wait. Soon you will be looking at life through different eyes. Eyes of wonder and amazement. The sky will look bluer. The grass will look greener. It will not be such a chore to wash the dishes anymore.

Just for today, stop whatever you are doing, and say: "this moment is important. It is not more or less important than any other moment when I might be doing something more or less exciting, productive, spiritual, etc. The moments I spend washing the windows, rocking grandchildren, taking out the trash, or communicating with loved ones of clients on the other side are all equally important. No one moment is more sacred than any other one moment.

So if you will excuse me, I think I hear my granddaughter fussing in the other room.

Citizens of the Earth

Most of us have been made aware in recent days of the inability of the members of Congress and the President to agree on a budget and come to any sort of amicable relationship with one another. We all have our opinions on who is right and who is wrong. There are a myriad of other global and local governmental issues with which we may be focusing our attention upon as well. If we watch any sort of television or engage in any social media, these issues evoke a tremendous emotional response from most of us.

Years ago I attended a fundamentalist Christian church. Although politics should not have been our focus, it was a well established fact that we were all expected to side with the Republicans. At the time, Bill Clinton was president and most of the members of the church with whom I was affiliated had no good emotional response to him.

 I found myself at the time aforementioned, in the precarious position of receiving a message from Spirit that did not align with the predominant emotions or position of the members or leaders of the church. Those up front who were preaching to the church attendees made no apologies for their opinion of the President and how he was governing the country or what his personal decisions and actions were at the time.

I am not, nor have I ever been, very versed in politics. I listen to the media, and what those with whom I am in contact have to say, and in the past have just voted for whichever party for whom those around me affiliated themselves. So I am in no position to post any political opinions.

However, this is what occurred years ago and today for some reason Spirit chose me to pose this challenge to those of you who are spiritually minded, in whatever belief system for whom you have chosen to affiliate yourself.

Instead of sending the President and the members of Congress the energy of your opinions on what should or should not happen, your emotions over the health care system, the budget, or the myriad of other issues with which we find ourselves engrossed in, why don't we send them the energy of love and light? Send them our thoughts or prayers, if you will, that they will make decisions that will best benefit the majority of us in the best way possible.

Imagine the response I got the last time I got this message! I was in a fundamental Christian church and my suggestion was that we cease our endless verbal attacks on Bill Clinton and instead pray for him and send him love! Oh it did not go over well.

I am hoping that we as humans have evolved a bit since then.

It is my firm belief that anytime we engage in emotionally charged conversations, that the energy  from our words go directly to whom those words are directed. Why not change the emotion of our words to that of love? No, we may not love all of the decisions our government officials make. We may not agree with the choices they make. Loving them, or anyone for that matter, does not mean that we agree with their actions. But love sends a message out into the Universe, and to those individuals, that empowers them to make better decisions.

My challenge to you is this. I can send love to the President and all the members of our government all I want, but it is the love from one individual. I am sure it has some effect, but what if multitudes of us sent this energy to them? Stop our endless word daggers that we launch every day towards them or the "opposition."

Energy has power. Words are energy.

Whether this hits home to you about the members of our government or maybe toward an ex or a boss or a neighbor, this challenge is for you! We are all guilty of sending out word and thought daggers to someone. I have mentioned this message before.

Think of someone you really don't like. Now imagine their face in your mind's eye. Imagine they are looking directly at you and you at them. Now imagine the feeling of love arising in your heart toward them. No you are not saying that you agree with all of their choices. But you are saying that love is the best solution.

I do this every morning before I go to work. I send love to my bosses and coworkers. I send love to whomever comes to my mind, be it the President, Congress, the other drivers on the road, my customers, the grocery store clerk, or the mentally challenged man who talks to his imaginary friends outside in the lobby of the Post Office. Everyone needs love.

The message from Spirit for today especially, and I don't know why it is impressed upon me that today is especially important, but sometime today, send love to the President and members of Congress. If you are reading this from somewhere besides America, it will  not hurt to send love to the American President. At times I am impressed to send love to government officials in other countries. But today I am feeling like the American government needs the energy of love. It is easy. Do the exercise I mentioned. It does not have to take an hour, or even a half hour. A couple of minutes will do. Just imagine the President and members of Congress and send them some love.

And then go on with your day.

Remember that love given always comes back to you multiplied. Especially when it is given with no expected return. You can expect that you will feel good when you do this. And you can expect that the members of our government may or may not appreciate this exercise. But they will benefit anyway. And that is all that matters.

Toy Story

Recently I was connecting with a client and suddenly got the image of one of the Toy Story movies, when Woody was about to be shipped to some museum somewhere. That cute little girl toy, I don't remember her name, was in her box. She had forgotten what it felt like to be loved by someone. She had resolved herself to the assumption that this was all that was left for her.

The message that came through was that it was not too late to remember what it feels like to be loved!!  Get out of your box and go running toward love!!

I am not saying that the love that is out there waiting for us is romantic love, although it could be. It could be the feeling of family, or community. It could be the feeling of being on the right path, fulfilling your purpose, or having that job that fulfills and maintains you.

How many of us build a box around ourselves, when circumstances change our significant relationships?

We experience hurt or betrayal in one of many forms. We feel violated. In the movie, the little girl toy had experienced rejection, through no fault of her own, simply because her owner had grown up. Tossed aside for a more age appropriate focus, the little girl toy felt lost and confused. Her purpose in life, which was to be loved by one little girl, was in question.

Along the way, she was acquired by a man who saw her value only as a museum showpiece. Safe in her box, she resolved herself to the assumption that her days of love and abandon were behind her.

Then along came Woody, who convinced her that life was still out there to be experienced and that there was still plenty of love to go around! All she had to do was get out of her box and go for it!!

Have you put yourself inside of a box? Have you been left behind by love? Has a primary relationship ended, whether it be a romantic relationship, or perhaps a friendship, or even your relationship to a career or spiritual path? Did you think that love came only in one form, and without it packaged up in this neat little box, it was unavailable to you?

It is time to open up that box you put yourself in, and jump out!! Yes, you may anger or frustrate someone who only sees you in one scenario: tightly wrapped up in this neat little package, visible only through cardboard and plastic. You may have to fight your way out, against those whose lives are affected by your escape!!

The path to freedom is seldom paved before you!! It is challenging!!

If you are experiencing thoughts related to: there is something beyond this box I have put myself in, take heart! You are not the only one who has ever contemplated escape from neat little boxes! You can do it!

Now I am a total advocate for making a plan! Sometimes you have to stay in the box long enough to plan your escape! I stayed in one of my boxes for many years until I had made a plan of escape, and even then, it was wrought with roadblocks and challenges. But eventually, I made my escape, and wondered, after it was all over, what took me so long! But life is not meant to cause regret! I thank the box for the learning experience! I thank those who assisted me in building and maintaining the box for all those years of finding out what doesn't work and what makes me sad so that I would recognize pure joy when it came along!

The first step is recognizing that you are, in fact, in a cardboard box, waiting to be shipped to a museum.

The next step is realizing that you do have alternatives. I don't know how many people I talk to that don't realize that they do have options. No one is stuck unless they allow themselves to be.

Here is a BIGGIE!! Other people's happiness is not your responsibility. If you are not happy, but someone else is, it is not your responsibility to be miserable so someone else can be happy. Each of us are responsible for our own joy. We each have to learn to find the joy within ourselves first, and then we can find joy in our relationships.

Here is another "I should have had a V8" kick in the head moment:  sometimes if you do everything in your power to make sure someone else is happy, and they are not required to do any work to find that happiness themselves, they are not going to appreciate all your self sacrifice!

Okay so here is your assignment:

Look around your energetic self: are you in a box of your own making? Are you blaming someone else for putting you there? Are you convinced you have no options or that there is no life outside of this box?

It is time to sit down and make a plan. What steps can you take to open the box and get out? What obstacles can you perceive may come along that you are going to have to face, and when they do arise, how will you face them?

Sometimes someone will come along and point out the obvious to you, like Woody did for little cowgirl in the movie. Hey, there is another option! Get out of the box and go find that love, or that job, or that alternate spiritual path, or......(you fill in the blanks!)

If there is a question in your mind, is there something out there I am missing? Is there more to life than this? the answer is YES!! Now get out of that box and go find it!!

Battle Scars

So the month of September was my month of quiet. I was not trying to post messages from Spirit on my blog.  I spent more time alone. I tried to meditate more frequently than usual. Some days I was more successful than others in my quest for spiritual contemplation.

I still drew a tarot card every day. Most of the time they were fairly good cards. I can't say that the entire month was spent receiving amazing inspiration and Angelic guidance. Most of the time the Voice that speaks to me was silent as well. I took this as a message that this was my month to reboot.

We all need that time when we reboot our internal computer. Just turn everything off and allow ourselves time to just enjoy our everyday lives. Get outside. Rescue a squirrel. Clean the pond. 

I still enjoyed teaching some classes and seeing a few clients. When the connection needed to be on, it did not let me down.

In the past week or so, however, I drew this card. More than once.

The first time I drew this card I took it as a message that it might be a difficult day. I might have to work hard to make any headway.

The second day I drew this card was only a few days later. Hmmmm.

I took this as a message that I didn't get the message the first time. (ha ha.. yes sometimes this happens.)

So I asked the card.. "what are you trying to tell me?"

I heard, " describe what you see.."

I saw the man. The wands (representing ideas, inspiration, etc.) were firmly planted behind him. He is holding one in his hand. He is looking off to the side. He is a bit wounded in the head but seems to be mostly okay. There is a bit of a scowl on his face.

"Joy, getting to where you are has not been easy. You have worked hard to learn the things you have learned, to accomplish the things you have accomplished. Along the way at times you have felt like you have been "wounded" by those who are not on the same page as you.. correct?"

"Yes, I guess you are right."

"It is time to let go of those battle scars. It is time to release and forgive any who have intentionally or unintentionally sent you energy that was less than loving or helpful."

I have been reading E-Squared, a book that gives you experiments on energy and teaches us that we are all connected, a concept which I already know and believe, but the particular chapter I had been reading had taught me that my thoughts, sent out toward another human being, are captured by their energy and known at a deep, if not unconscious level. I had always kind of wondered if the thoughts of others, directed at me at a critical or unloving level, could affect me, and this book theorizes that, yes, it does affect us. I had heard arguments both ways, some saying that negative energy directed toward us does not affect us if we are walking in love. Others say that, yes, it does affect us, just as if we love our plants and send them kind thoughts and words they grow better, a fact that can be documented by experimentation.  Or that the thoughts we send our bodies has a factor in our appearance. Or that the thoughts we send others is "heard" by their energy bodies.

We are all guilty of sending less than loving thoughts out toward others. How about that inefficient store clerk? How about that driver who cut you off in traffic? How about your spouse who points out your shortcomings but seems to be unaware of theirs? I think you get the direction I am heading.

My conversation with this tarot card seemed to be urging me to let go of my battle scars.

I thought I had done that long ago.

However, just to placate the "messenger" within the card, I decided to forgive and send loving thoughts to everyone who came to my mind who could, in my estimation, possibly have less than loving thoughts about me, or, for whom I could have less than loving thoughts about towards them.
I imagined myself giving each person who came to my mind the gift of a ball of light, symbolizing the light of love and acceptance. For if I say "forgiveness", I assume that there is something to forgive, or an offense that is in need of releasing the weight of. However, who am I to assume there has even been an offense? In "acceptance", I am saying in essence that there has been no offense, and I am completely accepting of that other person and any discrepancy in our words or thoughts. I thought it important to release any and every person who I have come into contact, either in person or by just the mere fact of having come into contact by some sort of communication (for example, by reading something that I have written or they have written). I also completely loved and accepted anyone from any previous lifetimes or even lives between lifetimes for whom there may have been any offense or assumed offense.

Is there someone or a group of someones for whom you have gained "battle scars?"

Are you holding onto those wounds, nursing them sometimes, or perhaps, wishing for some retribution?

Is there someone for whom you wish a less than loving "retribution"?

It is time to release those thoughts!! Believe it or not, your thoughts are like arrows in that person's energy field! It might be that they are small and relatively harmless, such as that "you idiot!" remark as  you slam on your brakes due to someone's driving skills. Have you ever had a sharp pain in your body that came and went relatively quickly? Who's to say that someone was not sending you a "thought dagger"?

I don't want to be the recipient of a "thought dagger" so I want to make sure I am not the perpetrator of one.

And then there are those "thought daggers" we send to ourselves.

But that is another blog for another day.



I love you all.

Thanks for reading.

Baby Squirrel

Yesterday morning hubby love and I decided to go out and take a walk on our new favorite walking path, which is actually the location of a civil war battle, but which has been turned into a beautiful five mile walking path, with tunnels of trees, a babbling brook laced with wildlife and wild flowers galore, and yes, fields of hay where probably many soldiers met their Maker.

We had walked about a mile or so I guess when we happened upon a tiny shivering baby squirrel. I may have walked on past, but hubby love noticed the tiny creature, and remarked that it was not scurrying away when the sound of our footsteps grew close, as is the custom for most squirrels.

This tiny little critter did not move when we got close enough to snap this photo.

I am not so sure we had ever been in the presence of such a tiny little squirrel, and we couldn't help but feel that it was probably cold and for some reason had been separated from his mom.

Now hubby love and I are  not in the habit of rescuing tiny creatures, so we were unsure what to do next. I put my hand out close to it, thinking of sending it some reiki, and immediately the little furball found its way onto the palm of my hand, and made no haste in crawling up my shirt sleeve!

I guess the little critter figured I was a safe substitute for its mom.

We decided to take it home, and get it warm. I called one of my friends who is known to be a wild animal rescuer, and she told us of the local wild animal rescue, the Blue Ridge Wildlife Center, where we took him/her to be rehabilitated and then released back to the wild where she belongs.

I guess the reason I share is because on the path of life, we may be tempted to walk right on by others on the path, who are in need of rescue. No it is not our job to rescue everyone on the path, only those who are less fortunate and unable to find their own way. No it was not our job to take her home and try to make her a pet, or take it upon ourselves to feed her or decide what was best for her. We took her to those who were more knowledgeable than we were.

Sometimes there are those who are in need who we may not even notice. They are sidelined, for whatever reason, and we are focused on our objectives. But it is so important to keep our eyes and our ears open to what or who may be lurking on the path, always be open to help others if we can.

We never did finish our walk that day, but we did something more important. We helped another traveler through life as she attempted to make it through a scary situation. We helped bring her warmth and comfort in this traumatic experience of being separated from her nest and family.

We are all travelers on the path of life. Sometimes we may be the squirrel, facing a scary situation. We have lost our way, and are in need of rescue. Sometimes we may be the passer by, who may or may not even notice those along the path in need of a helping hand.

May we all open our eyes and ears to those who happen across our path in need of a helping hand.

And if we are the squirrel, may we trust enough to nestle up inside the shirt of a warm helper until we are strong enough to get back out there on the path again.

Blessings to all as we each travel our own paths, and as we come across each other, each in a different stage, but each on the same path.

Two Inspirations Equal One Blog

As I have posted recently, I have been instructed by Spirit to take some time of rest and reflection. I did not decide beforehand whether or not I would be posting any blogs, and I had decided to lay aside any agendas other than the things that were already on my calendar.

My agenda was to meditate, to reflect, and maybe catch up on some reading.

I did have some already scheduled classes and private sessions on the books, which I am happily engaged in.

Here are two of my observations so far.


My two week vacation from the Post Office ended and I was back to work on Monday.  I walked in after two weeks off to a war of sorts. Management vs Union. Even my dream job that I have been happily engaged in for a few months has come into question. Ah.. the temptation to panic. To confront one or other side and try to do damage control.

My dilemma.... do I take sides? do I do whatever I need to do to make sure my job is intact?

My decision.. I think I will let the Universe take care of it. I am going to say my newly learned mantra.... OM MA NI PAD ME HUM... (loosely translated I think it means.. thank the Universe for taking care of everything in the best possible way)... and watch cartoons with my grandson.

As grandson fell asleep watching cartoons, I happened upon this article which explained some of the power struggles.... http://spiritlibrary.com/sarah-varcas/9th-september-2013-cosmic-reflections-on-power.  

As chance would have it, or Source, or Divine Comedian, it seems I have taken the proper course. My message from the Universe.. " just let things occur naturally, Joy. Don't take matters into your own hands."

Now I am not saying that no course of action is always the best course of action. I am saying to listen to your Divine Inner Guidance. In my case, I was instructed to do nothing.

Coincidentally, or not, I came upon this blog... http://www.anaelisamiranda.com/1/post/2013/09/the-day-i-refused-to-crawl-under-my-blanket-and-sulk.html

As synchronicity would have it, I also read a chapter in the book E-Squared (link for it later in blog) which gave instructions for asking for guidance on a decision that needed to be made.. ta da!! Already did that, Universe.. asked.. the answer: "do nothing."

Next observation:

Has anyone noticed all those butterflies? Everywhere I go I am seeing butterflies! I started noticing around the beginning of summer but now they are multiplying in even greater numbers!!

Butterflies represent transformation. They start out as caterpillars. They eventually build cocoons around themselves. When they emerge from their cocoons they are these beautiful magical creatures that mesmerize us all!

Recently I began noticing that butterflies seemed to be appearing in other places as well. On the cover of books I was reading. On walls. Towels. Toothpaste holders. I asked Spirit if there was a message in that for me. My message was that butterflies to me personally also represented psychic awareness. I was recently doing an experiment via  the Hay House book.... E Squared  a book about the law of attraction which included fun experiments that you do to prove to yourself that the law of attraction works. One of the experiments was that you were to ask the Universe for a butterfly. The funny part about my experience was that at the time of the reading of the experiment I was sitting outside on my patio enjoying the summer day reading my book and just before I read the page about asking the Universe for a butterfly, I had enjoyed the experience of a monarch butterfly taking a moment to say hi to me by landing on my knee. It sat there for a moment, then fluttered away. After it flew away, I returned my attention to my book and started reading the experiment to ask the Universe for a butterfly. My Divine Source said to me at that moment.. "see I know what the page is going to say even before you do.."

It also reminds me of that verse in the Bible that says something like... even before you ask, your prayers are answered.

It was a little coincidental, but not, that soon after I was catching up on reading some other lovely blogs when I came upon this one about butterflies..

 Shambalah: and the butterflies came again...:

What comes to me as I am writing this is that we each individually and collectively are in various stages of the butterfly stage. Some of us are still caterpillars, crawling along through life. We wonder why everything is so much bigger than we are and we sometimes feel helpless to change our lives. We sometimes feel that life is too big and too hard and we are ill equipped to handle it. At some point we build a cocoon around ourselves. This is our time of rest and reflection. Or denial. Or withdrawal. Some call it the dark night of the soul. This is the time when we may think that all is dark and closed in. We may feel like sleeping a lot. We may take this time for meditation or prayer.  The time we spend inside our cocoons is different for everyone so we must not judge those who are in their cocoons. Why? Because eventually we will all emerge as butterflies!! Transformation!!  Who knew we were that beautiful when we were just a caterpillar? And then there are those who would say.. "who does she think she is, that butterfly? I knew her since she was just a caterpillar! She is nothing special.." (ha ha, I think that the people in Jesus' hometown said that about him too!)

Anyway, there it is. Two observations so far in my month of personal reflection. Maybe one or the other of my experiences will resonate with you.

Another observation is that I am not the only one in a month of personal reflection. This sentiment was the subject of John Holland 's newsletter this month. It is a good thing to be on the same page with John. I am soon to be in a week long mediumship class facilitated by him in New York..  woo hoo!

Enjoy whatever stage you are in as you transform from a caterpillar to a butterfly. Don't judge where anyone else is on their path to transformation. And don't get into any power struggles. A packed blog with multiple messages. Pick the one that is right for you!