Message for the Day from the Tarot - King of Wands

I guess I am not really surprised I drew this card today.

It is Sunday and my hubby love has had an obsession today with clearing the house of clutter and getting organized. (this is a good thing but not what I had in mind for today.)

This card depicts masculine energy at its finest: sitting on the throne, looking out upon an unknown scenery: his wand (which represents ideas, inspiration, creativity,) is budding and is firmly in his hand and resting on the ground in front of him. He is one who is truly in control. He has ideas in front of him.

There are a couple of interesting tidbits I notice here. One is the lizard on the ground in front of him, seemingly looking in the same direction as the king. What are they looking at?

Lizards, surprisingly enough, are symbolic of psychic awareness. They are small, but quick and hard to catch. I think the lizard is representing that sometimes the king might get so caught up in his grand ideas that he may have a tendency to alienate those around him. But he has a keen sense of what is really going on behind the scenes that other people may miss. His ideas come and go quickly and it is sometimes hard to keep up with him.

Do you know anyone like this? Is someone in your life coming up with a lot of great ideas and getting annoyed that you are not exactly on the same page as he is all the time? The king of wands may show up for you if you know someone like this, or if perhaps you are someone like this.

Just for today, think about the other people who may reside at your "castle". They may have ideas also and they may not exactly line up with yours. Be gentle with the other people in your life and present your ideas with tact and don't get annoyed when everything doesn't flow always like clockwork.

If the king of wands is someone else in your life, do what I do. I try to lay aside my agendas for a bit and help him with his. Eventually everything calms down and you can get back to what you were doing. Compromise is sometimes the name of the game. One day you may need him to get on board with your agenda and hopefully he will return the favor.

That being said, ridding the house of clutter is a good idea, and so now I think it is time to get on board with hubby love and get the energy in the house moving!

Message from the Tarot - Ten of Pentacles

In anticipation for a three part series of classes on the cards of the tarot, I thought I would post a few messages based on the cards prior to the class.

The cards of the tarot have been used for divination for thousands of years. There are well established and time proven symbolism in the cards, and then there is always personal symbolism that Spirit uses to give messages on an individual basis using the same cards.

When I first was led by Spirit to study the cards, I was taught the intuitive way, which to me is much easier. The goddess Isis came to me while in meditation and told me that she was going to teach me to read the cards. I didn't know who Isis was at the time, and I didn't know if she even knew anything about the cards. She has been with me ever since, giving me guidance and direction when I am using the cards.

When I choose a card, I like to look at the picture first and see what jumps out at me.

Today I have chosen the Ten of Pentacles.

In this picture there are pentacles, or coins, seemingly floating in the air around the scene of what appears to be a family. There is an elderly man, two dogs, a man, a woman and a child. Around there seems to be prosperity.  The older man seems to me to be wearing ornate robes, signifying wealth or prominence. He is petting his adoring dogs, and looking on at what I see as the next couple of generations engaged in conversation.

What jumps out at me at first glance are the pentacles, or coins, hanging out in the air around the picture. This signifies to me that there is money, wealth, or prosperity of some kind in the very air that these people are breathing. This does not necessarily mean that these people are rich, but it could be the case. To me this means that this family or grouping of individuals is full of prosperity. Prosperity could mean wealth, or it could mean that these people are rich with love, rich with knowledge, with happiness, or even spiritual wisdom. The man seems to be passing on to the next generation the wisdom and wealth he has accumulated.

Of course the personal meaning of this card is dependent on the person drawing the card and the particular question that person has in mind when connecting with this card, but this is a wonderful card. It signifies that someone has reached the point in their life where they have achieved a sort of status or satisfaction in their life to the point where they are ready to hand the baton to the next generation. The older man is sitting in satisfaction of all he has accumulated, and is ready to pass his knowledge and his wealth over to his family or the next of kin.

Are you the person who has reached the point in your life where you are ready to give back? Are you grateful to the Universe for all you have received, and are eager to pass the baton on the next generation? This card may be for  you.

Perhaps you are the man or the woman or even the child in the picture. This card could signify an inheritance coming your way, or perhaps a generous relative or benefactor coming to pass on to you wealth of some kind. It may not be money. It may be knowledge. It may be that you will get a job from someone who is retiring or moving on.

Depending on the intention of your heart and your question posed of the cards, this card could have various meanings, but this is a good card. Either you are in a position to pass on your knowledge or wealth or some valuable commodity to the next generation, or you are about to be the recipient of such a benefactor. Look around you.

I read this the other day and it resonates with this card.

What you are ready for will come.

 

Are you ready?

If you are in the Leesburg, Virginia area and would like to attend my three part course on the cards of the tarot, click here to get more information on times, dates and to prepay by pay pal for the classes.



My take on this card for today is that even the air that we breathe is dripping with treasure! We only have to notice it, and accept the riches that lie within it.  If we realize that the treasure really lies within our souls, then it will begin to dawn on us that anything we desire is completely within our reach. It is as close as the air around us and it truly dwells within us.

Just for today, notice the treasure that lies around you: in your family, the wisdom of your elders, your children, and the legacy that has been passed down throughout the generations. If your heritage seems less than bountiful, take heart! We all have benefactors, possibly not blood relatives, but mentors and teachers that have been and are available if we only notice them! The treasure truly lies within us and all around us! We are so blessed!

Remember to check my website for times and dates for classes or to contact me for other services.

http://www.whispersofjoy.net/

Blessings to you as you navigate your path through this adventure we call life!

Goodbye to the Old, Hello to the New!

Yes, I am going to add my thoughts to the thousands of others out there encouraging you to let go of 2013 and all the things that did not serve you as you welcome in this New Year.

However, I also think it is a good time to be thankful for all of those memorable events of the past year. Whether you look back at 2013 as a wonderful year or a challenging one, I am sure it is safe to say that you, like me, had a mix of both!

At the beginning of the year, Spirit told me that this was to be my year to embrace my power. This did not mean that I was going to lord it over others or flex my spiritual superhero muscles or even save the world. I learned over the course of the year that this meant that this was the year to start having faith in myself, and confidence in my purpose and calling.

I experienced a wonderful few days at my first "event" in New York where I gave mini ten minute readings back to back all day.

I expanded my monthly classes to include a second location in the neighboring town of Leesburg.

I welcomed new healers into the world in my first Reiki I class after becoming a Reiki Master.

I had the privilege of joining a record number of couples into wedded bliss!

When a part time position became available at the Post Office, I bravely bid on and was awarded the position to give me more time to do my weddings and spiritual work. This was a huge step for me, to surrender a portion of my income that is set and always there to jump into the unknown of at least partial self employment!

I began writing my second book, which I have been avoiding for at least two years now, due to fear of how it would be received by people who have known me in my past and even in my present. There are things in this book I have never told anyone!

I was so privileged to attend a week long mediumship training class with amazing mediums John Holland and Janet Nohovac. I learned so much in this intensive week that really honed in my gift and boosted my confidence in this area of my giftings.

I am so thankful for each of these experiences and hope to carry them into the next year as I invite Spirit to be an even more present force in my day to day walk of service. My only request of Spirit is that I be allowed to be of service to others while also making sure that I don't overextend myself to the point of not enjoying my life.

If you are in a place of desiring to be of service to Spirit or in any way compelled to make your part of the world a better place, you may notice that you sometimes put yourself last on the list. For me there is always a blog to write, a class to prepare for, a chapter in my book to tweak, a soul to help. This is good. But sometimes I look back and realize that I am not having any fun! Oh yes, serving Spirit is fun in itself. But sometimes I need to put on my joy hat and just go out for a run or take a hike outdoors or maybe even go shopping!

If you are even reading my blogs then I bet you are someone who has a desire to be of service to Spirit in some way, or you are curious at least about your spiritual side.

Let me encourage you to have balance in your quest for enlightenment. We are here to make the world a better place, but sometimes we take ourselves too seriously! Serving Spirit should mean  doing those things that make your heart sing and your inner self dance a jig! If it doesn't give you joy, then maybe it is time to rethink something! Take a break!

One of my intentions for the coming year is to laugh more. To spend more time in nature. To soak in life here in this planet. To love more.

Sometimes the best resolutions are ones that are easy to keep. Sure I would like to give up some of those things that are not good for me, but for now, I just want to do what makes me happy. I encourage you to do the same.

Yes, I still want to be of service. Some of my most incredible joy comes when I give a message from Spirit to someone that delights them, heals them, or in some way makes them feel better than before.
When I attune someone to Reiki it is such an incredible surge of joy that it is indescribable.

So yes, seek Spirit. Explore your spiritual side. But if your spiritual practice is not giving you joy, then maybe you should try something else. Take lots of breaks. Laugh a lot. Go out with your friends and family and treasure the experiences that make you laugh.

This is my sincerest wish that you may find 2014 the year when you discovered a new depth of joy that you never knew was possible. When you healed from your past hurts. When you forgave those who in some way challenged or offended you. When you learned to accept others who do not see life or God or the world in the same way that you do. When you stopped being afraid.

Remember that you can't be full of love and full of fear at the same time. You can't be full of joy and depressed at the same time. Go for the joy. Go for the love. Let go of everything else.

And so it is.

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!!