Stories About Dad, Death, and Surrender

I have never really been good at giving messages to myself. Evidently this is a common problem for those who receive messages from Spirit. My very first mentor while I was still hearing messages while in the church was married four times before I met her and she told me once that she never got any warnings from (the Holy)Spirit about any of her choices. I read the same thing in one of Sylvia Brown's books.

In my early days of honing my gift of receiving messages, I heard this saying, "he who prophesies over himself prophesies to a fool." That makes sense. I always get more accurate messages for strangers than people close to me.

There is one exception. The tarot.

When I learned the tarot I was rather excited because I could finally get a message for myself. The cards don't lie.

I don't do readings for myself that often but for a couple of months I had been feeling like there was a huge change on the horizon. The cards agreed with my hunch when I got this card. Yes, you guessed it. The death card.

Now don't worry. As far as I know I am not going to die. Most of the time the death card represents a shift of some sort. It indicates that one's old way of thinking or doing things is about to change. A chapter is ending in order for another one to begin.

According to numerology, we all go through huge shifts at the age of around 28 and then again around the age of 52. As I am about to turn 52, I knew my energy was about to change. So receiving the death card was no huge surprise.

With yesterday's solstice and dark moon indicating an ending to a season in nature, I took some time to connect with Spirit and consciously release any ideas of how I thought my life should play out. For several years now I had a plan. I had been working my plan, and it was all going pretty well.

Then Spirit shook things up a bit. My plans have gotten shifted a bit, and I received a message on how my original plan was completely wiped out and how things were going to change over the next couple of months. At first I was a little disappointed. I liked my original plan. But one thing Spirit told me years ago is that we have to be willing to let go of how we think our lives are going to work out and be open to Spirit changing things. Surrender. Not easy. But if we are to be used by Spirit for the highest and best plan, then we have to be willing to surrender our plans to the plans of Spirit.

I had not felt the need to share until today. I received an email from one of my clients who has become a friend. She found a dead hawk in her barn and wondered if it was significant.

HUGE.

Hawks represent higher thinking and connecting with Spirit in a higher way. They are always present when connecting with Spirit in a higher way is indicated. The fact that it was dead symbolized my original message that it is time to allow our ideas of how our lives and our purpose are going to unfold to die so that Spirit can bring about the highest and best.

As I meditated today Spirit reminded me of a story that I meant to share but never did about something that occurred when my dad passed back in August.

I was sitting by his bedside. He drifted in and out of consciousness for about two weeks or so before he crossed. He couldn't talk and the doctors were not sure if he even knew who we were. I sat faithfully by his bedside, retelling him some of his favorite stories. He loved to talk, and frequently told stories, some of them over and over.

One of the stories he loved to tell was how God had given him my mother as his bride. He said that when he went to God and asked for a wife, God had spoken to him and said to him that he was not to come to Him with any particular person in mind, but instead, he was to come to God empty, and God would fill his desire with the best choice. As I retold the story to my dad, I received the message that we were not to come to God asking for God to heal my dad, for that was coming to Him with a particular outcome in mind. So I had told Dad that I was coming to God empty, and asking for whatever was best for Dad to bring that to pass.

Today the story was brought back to my mind as I meditated and Spirit (God, Goddess whatever your name for the Highest Power will do fine here) reminded me of this story. We have to be willing to let die whatever plans we have in mind for our lives. We have to be willing to lay down the gifts of Spirit and agree to only use them if they are required. We have to be willing to lay down and surrender any ideas of a particular outcome. We have to come to Spirit empty and allow our emptiness to be filled with whatever is for the highest good of everyone concerned.

Have you had a dream or a goal which has yet to manifest? Have you been traveling in a particular direction and for some reason, encountered a detour? Perhaps Spirit is telling you that it is time to surrender your plans to the plans of Spirit. Be okay with whatever the answer is.

Today is a perfect day to surrender your plans to Spirit. Light a candle, say a prayer, whatever has meaning for you. This time of year the story of the Christ Child comes to mind. The soul that was Jesus had to lay down whatever he was doing up in the Other World and come to earth for a higher purpose. Even if you thought that what you  were doing was for a Higher plan, be willing to lay it all down. Be willing to surrender your plans to the plans of Spirit.

Know that everything is going to be all right in the end. If it is not all right, it is not the end. ( I stole that from someone I don't know who.)

Blessings to you as you celebrate this sacred season of death and rebirth. Remember that death of one chapter usually occurs before a new chapter can begin.

This journey through life is filled with detours and changes of direction. We have to be open to releasing our ideas and plans and allowing life to unfold the way it is meant to unfold. 

It is okay to grieve the loss or death for a season, but realize that Spirit always has our best interests at heart. Eventually we will see the higher plan.

If you are at a cross roads and need a message from Spirit, I am always at your service. You can contact me at www.WhispersofJoy.net. There are many options available for you to connect with me.

Blessings to you as you navigate this path called life. Don't worry. All who wander are not lost. Maybe the path is just taking you in a different direction than you originally anticipated.

Reversing the Effects of Karma

Today I was giving a reading to a client and Spirit gave me this message about karma. I thought that we could all benefit from this suggestion from Spirit so I am sharing it here.

Most of us are aware that there is a balancing of the scales in the spirit world. We know it as "what goes around comes around" or in Biblical terms, the law of sowing and reaping, or in scientific terms, the law of reciprocity. I think it was Einstein who said, " every action is met with an equal and opposite reaction" or something like that. This is known as karma. Anything we do, think, say or feel is a message that we send out into the Universe that at some point comes back to us.

If only those who are looking for justice on behalf of murdered or violated loved ones understood this!

My husband loves to watch those shows that describe how murderers and other violent criminals are brought to judgement, or in some cases, not. The family members and loved ones sometimes spend years and millions of dollars bringing criminals to justice. The law of karma states that this is an inevitable fact: every one will eventually have the payback they deserve. We may not see it happen, but it will occur.

Some people spend a large time of their lives trying to escape justice. Others always feel like they are a victim of circumstances, that justice is never on their side. There is also the field of thought that according to the law of attraction, our beliefs and thoughts bring to us what we think about most.

So what should you do if you seem to always be getting a "raw deal?" Do you sometimes feel like the scales of justice never tilt in  your favor, that as soon as one tragedy is dealt with, there is another one coming right along behind?

Today Spirit suggested to my client that she start a "karma" savings account. She should mark down every time she did something kind for someone else, gave to a charity, or blessed someone or something else in any way. This would be a "deposit" into her karma savings account. Every time she received something from someone else, or was the recipient of charity, she was to make a mark in the "withdrawal" section.

We all know people who are addicted to charity. They cannot function without it, and even come to expect it, and get angry when it is denied to them. What if each time someone was offered charity, they had to do something nice in return? It did not have to cost them money, but perhaps a little of their time, or require some effort on their part? It could be as simple as picking up litter, or helping someone across the street.

If we find ourselves always in the predicament of experiencing lack in some form, Spirit suggests that we open up a "karma" savings account and begin to make regular deposits. This does not have to cost you money! It could be something simple, like letting someone in front of you at the grocery store, or allowing someone to get in front of you in traffic. It could be sending out a prayer of blessing to someone you don't really like. It could be putting extra money in the parking meter, or giving that dollar to the charity of the day at the local grocery store.

Spirit says the amount of the deposit or withdrawal is not a factor, only the amount of entries. If you find yourself a regular recipient of the charity of others or the charity of the state, then you are running on a depleted "karma" account. It is time to balance the scales!

Just for today, do something nice for someone you don't know. It is really good if no one notices what you have done. When you get noticed or congratulated on your acts of charity, they don't count!

Be creative!

Spirit says that as you build up your entries into your karma savings account, Spirit will regularly "pay you back!" It is much better to be paid back by Spirit than whatever it cost you to perform the act of charity in the first place. I believe the Bible states that God pays back a hundredfold!

Contrary to what I was taught in church, I don't believe that God curses you if you don't give a specific amount of money to "Him" or his earthly representatives. I do believe that if your karma account begins to show a deficiency, you will begin to experience challenges in your life. This explains why some people seem to have all the bad luck! Their karma account is operating in the negative! You can reverse this trend!

Okay, it is time to go make a deposit into your karma account!

If you need direction from Spirit, I am always available to help! Check out my website, www.WhispersofJoy.net for information on the various ways I can connect to Spirit for you, or find the dates and times where you can meet with me in person!

Blessings to you as you navigate your path through this lifetime!

Message from the Moon

Last evening I was so blessed to view the beautiful, almost still full moon (it still appears to be full, but the actual full moon was on the 7th this month).  I was driving home from a wedding rehearsal, a two hour drive. When I first saw the moon, it was just beginning to rise over the horizon. It's light seemed almost orange and glowed brightly through the autumn trees far off to my right.

(no, this is not what I saw, but close. I was driving and didn't have my good camera with me. This photo I found here.)

It used to be my custom to sit with the moon at every phase, and the moon would impart to me wisdom and messages from the Spirit world. Lately life has gotten busy, with weddings, readings, events, grandchildren, and, oh, yes, I still work at the Post Office.

But I was blessed with a two hour drive home last evening, and even though it is not recommended to connect with Spirit while you are driving, I am pretty good at it. I will admit that sometimes I miss my turns, but my GPS brings me back to reality when I am busy receiving messages.

I sent a beam of love to the moon, and thanked it for accompanying me on my ride home. I began to contemplate the moon and ask her if there were any messages from the Spirit world for me.

The first word I heard was, "don't be afraid to shine."

Sometimes we humans, especially those of us in the service to Spirit, feel a bit uncomfortable with shining. The moon encouraged me that she was not afraid to shine. She reminded me that her glow was not something that emanated from within herself, but was only a reflection of the light of the sun. She reminded me that any glow that might emanate from me was the same. It was only as I reflected the light of the true source of light, Spirit, that my glow would be genuine and I would appear to shine.

I want to encourage you to shine! 

Anytime we try to shine on our own, without the light of Spirit shining upon us, our efforts will be dim in comparison to the light that comes from within us when Spirit shines through our pores from our time spent in the presence of the Divine.

I am not suggesting to you the way in which you connect with your understanding of the Divine.  It is only through your own personal relationship with that Divine Presence that gives you joy and gives your life spark and meaning that will eventually shine through you to light the world. I am not a proponent of suggesting that there is only one way to connect with that Divine Presence. I have spent the past fifteen to twenty years studying and learning to connect with that Divine Presence in many different ways and with many different faces that reflect that Divine Presence.  I am suggesting that you just simply spend time with the Divine. Your way. Your understanding. 

During those two hours last evening I spent driving, the moon imparted much wisdom to me.  I realized that my own human efforts were pale in the shadow of the light of Spirit. I realized that my job was to spend time in the presence of the Divine. In doing that I would shine without really much effort on my part. Sometimes we get so busy trying to shine we forget that the shining comes from within us. As we are really only a reflection of the light of Spirit, spending time with the Light is the real way to shine.

Just for today, take some time out to connect with Spirit however you enjoy doing that.  You can do that while you are doing laundry, washing dishes, or showering. All you have to do is connect with your heart, and send love to yourself and your understanding of the Divine. Simple. Yet profound.

As you do this, expect miracles!

Shine!

Dark Moon and Solar Eclipse.. Thoughts on the Shift

Tomorrow we have a dark moon with a partial solar eclipse to boot! The energies this month have been intense, for those of you sensitive to those things!

Those cultures and belief systems that are close to the earth and believe that everything has consciousness and everything has a message or a lesson for us, such as shamanism, believe that every time an event such as this occurs, we as humans have the opportunity to use the energies that are present during these events to facilitate change in our own lives. Even if you don't believe in the changes in the energy field of the earth during events like this, you can use the symbolism of the event to focus on changing your world and your life!

Dark moons happen when the earth casts a shadow on the moon in such a way that it is not visible in the sky. It is still there but not visible to our human eyesight. From the time of the full moon until now, the moon has been steadily becoming smaller and smaller, until tomorrow, we will not see it at all. This symbolizes that there are things in our lives that it is time to release.

This week I took a little holiday from my job at the Post Office. I did not have a trip in mind. I have been busily cleaning out closets. I have been sorting through last season's clothes and getting out the clothes that I put away for the summer. I have a small pile for charity, a pile of shoes for a good friend who wears my size, and a tote or two to be put away until spring. My focus has been releasing what is no longer useful for me at this time. That doesn't mean I throw away everything that I no longer need. That would mean that come spring I would not have any clothes to wear! Sometimes the message is not to throw away everything that you no longer need, but to put it away  until the season shifts again! Know this: spring will come again! That wheel is always turning, and at some point it will turn again!

When there is a solar eclipse, the sun becomes blocked by the shadow of the moon. The sun represents manifesting, change, growth, warmth, and life. The moon represents things that are hidden, our shadow self, feminine energies, intuition. While this eclipse is happening, and a day or two before and after, think about what hidden things are casting a shadow on your ability to manifest your dreams! Sometimes the message is that you need to spend some time going within! Access that inner life, that connection with your soul. Focus on what things are hidden from the light of day.

Soon the moon will be visible again. The sun will quickly pass through the shadow and become bright once again. Sometimes the clouds block our vision of any of this activity anyway! Have the clouds or the rain in your life blocked you from accessing your intuition or seeing the light of the sun?

No worries! Just because the clouds may block your view, this doesn't mean that the moon and the sun aren't having their little dance anyway! Sometimes we have to have faith that despite the clouds that appear in our lives, the sun continues to shine! The moon continues her trek across the sky.

Here is a suggested ritual to make the most of the energies of the next day or two!

Since the moon will be in Scorpio tomorrow, use the element of water in your ritual. You may want to fill a bowl or a cup with water, think about what you would like to release or have transformed, send out a prayer or an intention to God, Goddess, the Universe or the Divine for help in releasing or transforming your request, Send out this intention into the bowl of water, and then pour out the water onto the earth, asking the Earth Mother to receive your request and aid in its transformation.

Believe that your requests and intentions have been heard, and go about your day as if your request has been granted!

Be grateful for the transformation!

As always, I look forward to any comments on my blog! You are welcome to contact me HERE if you would like a personal session or if you just want to check out my future events or services offered. Remember that we are all in this together!

Here is a link to which I attribute photo: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/news/totaleclipse-
20121113.html

Here is a great link to explore more about the dark moon and solar eclipse: http://www.cafeastrology.com/thisweekinastrology.html.

Blessings to you as you journey this path called life!

Dreams of Turtles

Last night I dreamed that I found a small turtle. At first I thought it was dead so I tried to wash it down the sink (I know, we all do crazy things in our dreams that we wouldn't necessarily do in real life.. it's a dream, and everything is symbolic!) As I turned on the water to wash it down the sink, I saw it move and realized that it was indeed alive! So I fished it out of the sink drain and held it in my hand to make sure it was all right! Telepathically the turtle sent me love and thanked me for saving it! Then it scurried (scurried for a turtle) off my hand and went to play with my two cats ( in real life I don't have any cats.)

I thought I would share the dream because we all have dreams, and we all wonder what they mean. In sharing this dream maybe if you have dreams with similar images, you can begin to interpret what your soul might be trying to share with you!

First of all, we all have dreams. We may or may not remember them. Also, if your sleep is interrupted frequently, or you don't sleep long enough, you may not enter into the portion of your sleep time when dreams occur. This is not healthy!

Back to dreams of turtles, cats, and washing things down the sink drain!

Turtles represent slowing down, protection ( as in the shell), living life as an introvert, patience, and it can also represent intuition.

Cats represent intuition, psychic ability, the sacred female, self assurance, and wisdom.

Washing things down the drain represent releasing things out of your life, letting go of those things which you no longer have need of. Water represents spirit or emotion.

Interpretation?

In my early years I was very shy (in my shell). I spent much time alone, where I found much more time to connect with Spirit, and hone my skills that I now use today. I had no social life to speak of, and so I devoured books on spiritual subjects, spent much time in prayer or meditation, and although too much of this is just as unhealthy as not enough, I developed my spiritual side basically because I had no social life.

Now things are much more busy. I am sometimes a bit impatient. Aside from my job at the Post Office, I am a wedding officiant, a psychic medium, a Shamanic healer, and a teacher of spiritual principles. I would say that I am sometimes too busy. Maybe subconsciously I have thought that the introverted side of myself was dead.

I think Spirit, or my own soul, was trying to tell me that it is okay to slow down, go back into my shell a bit, and spend some time with myself. I don't always have to be racing full speed ahead! The turtle jumping off my hand to go play with the cats represent that my psychic gifts can easily get along with this forgotten part of myself.

Why am I sharing? One, I think that we sometimes think that we always have to be busy moving forward... doing doing doing! Spirit says that this is not only not necessary, but not healthy! Sometimes we just need to sit still and go within our shell and listen!

Manifesting what we want to occur in our lives will come naturally to us when we align our vibration with whatever it is that we want to manifest! Yes, we have to put legs on our prayers. We have to put action to our dreams. But just as important, if not more important, we have to align ourselves with our Highest Version of Ourselves and make sure that those things we want to manifest are the same as what our Soul desires for us!

If you are having dreams that you don't understand, remember that they are messages from your Soul! Your soul desires to communicate with you, and sometimes the best way is through dreams. Sometimes in our waking life, we don't take time to sit with our Soul and receive guidance. And sometimes we are too close to our own lives to make sense of the symbolism.

If you desire to receive guidance, I am always at your service. You can reach me HERE. You will find different ways that I offer to tune in and provide you with the guidance your soul seeks. I am also offering a variety of classes and get togethers for your particular needs. Please feel free to contact me and we will work on a plan that fits your needs!

Now excuse me while I go slow down and enjoy my day! There will be sitting still and doing nothing today! (if I can fit it into my schedule.. lol.. no just kidding..)

It Is Time To Break OUT of Your Shell!

Did you ever feel like this chick?

It's getting uncomfortable in here. It's dark. You feel like you are all alone. In reality, you don't really know that you are in the dark because you have never seen the light. Then one day you have a compulsion to start pecking at the wall that has been surrounding you for all of your known life.

You begin to peck, peck, peck, a little at first. Soon it becomes a compulsion. Furiously, you begin to peck some more. At first it seems that the task is daunting, and you don't even really understand why you have this obsession with breaking out of this shell. This shell has kept you safe. It has kept you warm. It has been your security all of your life. But it's dark in here! You know, deep down in your soul, that there is something really great on the other side of this shell! So you peck.

"Why doesn't someone come help me? I am stuck inside this insidious shell and no one will help me to get out!"

So you continue to peck. For an eternity, it seems.

One day, you see a small hole begin to form where you have been pecking. An then a crack! You frantically begin to peck a little harder  now, with more passion and intent! You are making progress!

And then, OH MY GODDESS!! (ha that got you thinking, huh?) (not trying to step on any toes, just getting you to think outside of your shell a little)

There is light on the other side of this darkness! What is it? It is SO very BRIGHT!

(this photo came from this awesome site: http://incubatorwarehouse.com/incubating-eggs/getting-started-egg-incubating )

This photo shows how you might look while you have been furiously pecking at your shell! A little harried, a little worn out.

Have you been pecking at a shell that has seemed to surround you? It may not have been there forever, as is the case for this newly emancipated chick. It may be a shell you constructed yourself to keep yourself safe, or it may be one that has been there since birth, and you just now discovered you have been trapped inside. Up until now it has kept you safe and warm. But one day you just woke up and found that you had outgrown it. It had become cumbersome and stifling.

Are you beginning to break out of a shell? This shell might represent many things. It might represent some deep set belief that you have embraced since you don't remember when. One that you possibly inherited from your parents. One that they may still embrace. It could be a religious belief, like mine was. (you can read about it HERE.) Or it may be many other things. It could be a job or career that you once loved but now abhor. It could be a marriage or relationship. It could be a location. It could be, as I believe was the case in the client who I originally got this message for, a societal tendency. My client has been pecking away at a common misconception by society at large for a long time, and I told her that I saw a crack in the shell and that new beginnings were just around the corner.

Here is the clincher. If a person or some outside force comes along and breaks the shell for the little baby chick and lets them out, guess what. The baby chick dies! It needs that activity of pecking away at the shell to make them strong and able to face whatever lies on the outside of that shell!

My message for you today is to keep on pecking away at that shell! A crack has formed and there is light on the other side! You may not see any light at this moment. You may see just a tiny little sliver of light where you have been pecking. Or you may see a crack in the shell! Keep up the good work! There is light and life on the other side!

As I mentioned, I originally got this message for a client who I was privileged to read for at the recent Paramericon in Manassas Virginia. If you are in need of a message from Spirit, please do not hesitate to contact me HERE. I offer many different options for receiving your own personal message from Spirit. I believe that October is set to be a month of new beginnings for many of us! We are collectively breaking out of the shells that have incubated us for not only days, months, and years, but centuries. It is time for us to collectively break out of those shells and begin to experience life in a new way!

Keep pecking away!

All We Need is Love..

Ever have one of those days, or weeks, or months, where nothing you planned turned out the way you wanted it to? It seemed like it was hard to get up in the morning, you drug through your day, forced yourself to do those things that were necessary? Everything you tried to accomplish seemed just beyond your reach?

I can't really say every day this month has been this way, but let's just say that there have been a few difficult days. Getting up at 5 a.m. just has seemed to be harder than usual. I force myself outside to run. Sometimes getting things accomplished has been like pulling teeth.

This morning I got up and it just seemed like I could not wake up. I drug myself into the bathroom to get ready for work, and my mind was just REALLY complaining. My warm bed kept calling me to come back come back!!

I am one of those proponents for what you think in your heart, that is what you create in your life. At first my mind was too groggy to start this early creating anything, but my spirit was wide awake, and began to call my mind to come into line!

Okay, Joy, I began to quietly talk to myself, it is only your mind who doesn't like getting up this early. You begin to think and believe that you enjoy getting up, that you are happy to do it! That you LOVE getting up to go to work.

Immediately my mind came into line!

I created in my mind the intention that I enjoyed getting up to go to work! I began to feel better!

When I set my intention that I loved to get up and that it was not a hard thing to do, but I really LOVED it, my attitude immediately changed!

It was then that Spirit prompted me that my assignment today was to send love to anything and everything that came to my mind or that came across my path. I sent love to my warm bed and that sweet man that lay sleeping in it. That was easy.

Then I sent love to my soul. Then to my toothbrush. Throughout the day, I would remember and once again send love... to the mail I was weighing, to the computer, even to the trash can. To the floor under my feet. To the air I was breathing. To all the people who touch my life, whether on purpose or by default.

I have often said that every thought you think is a prayer. My question for you today is, what are you praying for?

When we spend our time sending love to all those who come across our path, whether they be loved ones or challenging ones, whether they be human or plant or animal or even non-breathing, then love cannot help but come back to us multiplied! 

Do not send love with the intention of getting something in return! Just send love with the intention of sending love for love's sake! Go throughout your day, enjoying each moment, whether you are doing something that is easy to love or whether you are choosing to love what you are doing, your mind does not know the difference! 

You will be amazed at how differently your day unfolds!

Just for today, send love! Send love intentionally, and send it arbitrarily. Remember also to send love to yourself! If you want love, then BE LOVE.

And love is all there is anyway.

Cleaning out the Closet, and Thoughts About the Dark Moon

Yes, the new moon is upon us. If you have read my previous posts on the new moon, you know I like the term dark moon better, because it describes the actual state of the moon. In my way of thinking, the moon is not "new" until you see that first little sliver of moon after the dark moon. The energies are completely different.

According to my calendar, the moon will be dark on the early morning hours (2:14 a.m. specifically) of September 24th. This is why you may see some discrepancy as to the date of the dark moon. Depending on where in the world you are, you may experience the dark moon late in the evening on the 23rd.

We all experience the moons in different ways. Up until the dark moon, the energy has been about releasing what is no longer helpful, healing, and in your best interests. This may be relationships, jobs, or, in my case, all the crap that has been accumulating in my closets. Yesterday, I decided it was time to release all of the no longer useful things that have been taking up space in my closets. I am really trying to get it done before the new moon early Wednesday morning.

Here is what I like to do. Whenever I am impressed to take on a project, I like to think about what it may represent in my life symbolically. To me, closets represent things that are hidden from view. I am one of those people who stuffs things in closets and drawers when I know company is coming. I may or may not immediately go back to those closets and drag out those things that I have hidden there right away after the company has left. This results in losing a lot of stuff!

So while I am busy cleaning out my closets and drawers, symbolically I am releasing those things in my life that are not necessarily open to public view. Maybe even things that I hide even from myself.

We all like everyone to think that we have it all together, all the time. Cleaning out closets represent to me the part of myself that I have stuffed away out of view.

What I have discovered from my project of cleaning out my closets is that a lot of little things end up cluttering up your closets! Things that I don't necessarily need or want, but I just can't seem to part with.

We are all familiar with the term: coming out of the closet. Long before it represented "coming out" about a person's sexual identity, it represented revealing a secret of some kind.

Today, while my husband was cleaning out his portion of the linen closet, he found a dainty necklace with a heart on it. He asked me if I had forgotten about it. I admitted I had never seen it before. There it was, for at least the eleven years since we have lived in our home, hanging in the back of the linen closet, forgotten. It must have belonged to the previous owners.

What treasures do you have hanging in the back of your heart? Forgotten amidst the clutter, waiting to be discovered? Sometimes in order to find the treasure, you have to clean out the shit!

Do you have forgotten treasures that are waiting for the clutter to be removed so that they can be revealed?

 What is it that you are ready to release? Anger? Resentment? A relationship that has outlived its time? Get ready, I am thinking now might be a good time to do that!! September is a "nine" month in Numerology. Nines are about releasing things, completing unfinished projects, endings, and surrender. In the tarot the nine card is the hermit. Go within yourself and find the wisdom you need. Take some time apart. I am finding personally that the "nine" energy has been particularly strong this month. And Spirit has indicated that October is set to be a month of new beginnings, and major changes. October is a "ten" month. The card in the tarot which is a "ten" is the card of the wheel of fortune. Things are going to change. It is also a month of new beginnings. Sometimes change is at first difficult if it is to bring new things into our lives. When a baby is born first there has to be that painful birthing process.

Let us spend some time releasing those things which no longer serve us so that we can be ready for the upcoming changes sure to occur in October. Remember, you can't pour water into a cup that is already full! It is time to empty your cup of all those things that are no longer useful to you so that your cup can be filled with new things!

Just for today, I encourage you to spend a little time thinking about what is no longer serving you and what is in your life that you no longer love? Release those things so you can be ready for what's coming up!

As always, I am at your service! Please do not hesitate to contact me for a personal session. You can contact me HERE. Happy Dark Moon!

The Fool...

I'll be honest. I almost never draw this card.

This is the card of embarking upon a new adventure. The person in the picture is happy go lucky, excited at the possibility of a new day, a new life! He (or she) has his traveling bag containing all that he will need for his journey. Not a care in the world. He has no idea he is in danger of walking right off a cliff!

Luckily, when we draw this card, Spirit is taking the role of the small dog in the picture, warning us to watch where we are going, lest we fall!

This card is telling us that adventure awaits us! We have the world at our beck and call! The sun is shining. There is not a cloud in the sky. Everything we need to take the next step in our journey is at our disposal. The only warning is that we need to open our eyes so that we can see where we are going.

Many of us who embrace our spirituality don't like to face the fact that we do, in fact, live in a physical world. We have a mortgage, or rent. We have bills. We find it necessary to work for a living. We would rather meditate all the time and our bills just mysteriously get paid. Well, that may work on occasion, but I am here to tell you that you can sit and meditate all you want, and when you open your eyes, there is still a physical existence we have to be aware of! If we don't eat, we will die. Oh, I know there are monks who can meditate for months and stay alive, I know this is possible. It doesn't happen to the everyday Joe, however.

Even Jesus made his living as a carpenter, at least for a portion of his life. Many of us who do spiritual work find it necessary to have "day jobs." This card, to me, is saying, "yes, there is value in having a spiritual outlook on life. But keep your eyes open. Don't fall off the cliff while you are creating the life of your dreams."

Am I saying that you should not go after your dreams? Absolutely not!! Go for it! But keep your eyes open. Do the necessary work. Put feet to your prayers.

In this picture you will notice that there is no one in the picture intentionally trying to sabotage the "fool." He is the only one in the picture. It is his own absentmindedness that is causing him to be in danger of disaster.

Yes Yes Yes.... go for your dreams!! Be led by Spirit. But don't live in a dream world. Realize that you are living a physical existence in a physical world. Yes you are spirit. But you are also flesh and bone. Keep your eyes open. Watch where you are going. Spirit is there like the little dog to warn us when we are about to fall. Heed the warning.

If you would like a reading or consultation, I am here for you! Contact me HERE and we will set up a session that works best for you!

Messages from the Tarot... the Death Card

In my last post I hinted at the suggestion that I read the tarot a bit differently from the suggested, traditional meanings of the cards, although sometimes the traditional meanings are quite spot on.

I draw a card almost every day. The card I draw always has some sort of message for me. Sometimes I can't quite understand what it is trying to tell me right away, but usually by the end of the day I have gotten the message. Let me give you an example from this week.

Yup. You guessed it. This week I drew the death card.

I will admit, when I drew it, I was a little anxious at first. I know that normally the death card does not have to mean that someone is going to die, but sometimes it does. When I was in Florida last month at my father's bedside as he transitioned, I never once drew the death card, but my sister did, maybe a day or two before he passed. Obviously, the apparent meaning of this card is that some sort of death is going to occur. But what does that mean? Well, it could mean a physical death, but usually it means that some part of your life is ending and something new is ready to be born. Now that I am writing this blog about the death card, I keep noticing the priest praying and the sun behind him that is either coming up or setting. The other day when I drew this card I will have to say I never noticed the priest.

My biggest tip on reading the cards is this:

Notice what you notice!!

The other day when I drew the card what drew my attention was what to me looks like a woman lying on her back on the ground. This to me represents surrender. Spirit told me that day that it was time to surrender all my plans, my intentions, and my goals to the Universe. Be open to change. Don't be attached to an intended outcome. I had to be willing to put to death anything that I want and surrender my will to Divine Will. Not always easy.

We all have goals, dreams, aspirations. We all come into this world with a creative mind, heart, and imagination. It is our right and our duty to dream, and then to put feet on our dreams and work towards bringing them to pass. But there is that fine line between manifesting our dreams and being willing to surrender our plans to the will of Spirit.

I had done a reading for a client this week and part of the message was that if you find yourself beating and beating a door and it won't open, maybe it is time to look for another door. In other words, if you are trying and trying to manifest something and it just continues to allude you, maybe it is time to surrender your goal or dream to Spirit and be willing to change your plans and even do something different. Maybe the cards were telling me the other day that it was time to surrender my plans. Be open to a different outcome. Don't be too attached to what I want to occur.

Why would they put a priest praying on the death card? Is that sun coming up or going down? It could be either one. What do you think?

When my dad was on his death bed, a minister came to pray. Well, actually  more than one minister came. Probably the priest showed up on this card because he had come to deliver "last rites."  Why did I not notice it until today? Must mean something.

The first time my dad's minister came to pray for him I left the room, but from outside the door I seemed to be hearing him compelling dad to wake up. I understand. Jesus commanded Lazarus and he rose up. This minister loved my dad. He believed that dad could be healed.

Not that I don't believe that dad could be healed. I used to believe that I could command things to happen in the Spirit world and they would happen. And sometimes they did.

Now I take a bit of a different view. 

I still believe in miracles. But I am more inclined to surrender my will to Divine Will. So I suggested to the minister that we just pray for whatever was best for dad's soul at this point in his journey. I figured if he wanted to pass I didn't want anyone's prayers getting in the way. After all, I do believe in the power of prayer. Sometimes I believe it is possible to pray and for things to happen that are not necessarily in our best interests. I was not sure if dad wanted to stay or go at this point. I just wanted what dad wanted. And what was best for him.

Have you been praying or setting intentions or saying positive affirmations for something that just has seemed like it was not happening?

Maybe today's message is that it is time to surrender your will to Divine Will. Be open to change. Be willing to change your plans or reset your intentions in a different direction. Ask for Divine Guidance.

You know, it is said that when Lazarus died, his sister had called for Jesus four days before and Jesus didn't come. Jesus apparently waited until Lazarus died before he came. Why? Would it not have been easier to heal a living Lazarus than to raise a dead one?

We don't always know what is best.

If something in your life is not working, maybe something greater is being born. Sometimes you have to let something die in order to birth something else.

It is okay to grieve over what is dying.

At some point, though, you just have to get up and go on living.

Whatever in your life is not working, I encourage you today to let it die a good death. Grieve, if you must. But after you have grieved for awhile, look yourself in the mirror and say, "okay, it is time to get up now and go on living." Allow whatever is ready to be born to come.

Remember that nothing really dies anyway. It just changes form.

Are you ready to give birth to something new in your life? I am available for consultations, by phone, skype, email and in person. Click HERE to set up your appointment today!

9-9 Thoughts from the Tarot- the Hermit

Today is September 9th. The energy of the full moon is still upon us, and I woke this morning, as I do every morning, at 5 am to prepare to go to work at my part time job at the Post Office. I was thinking about the nines, which in numerology represent endings, completions, and being of service to others. In the tarot the nine card is the hermit, which represents withdrawal and going within to find wisdom.

One of my rituals which I began years ago when I first began studying the tarot, is to draw a card every morning and think about it, look for signs of its meaning in my day, or perhaps see it in someone who I happen to come across in my journey through my day. This morning, I drew this card, the four of cups:

Now some interpret this card to mean withdrawal, being closed off, since the man is sitting with his arms crossed and seemingly ignoring a gift from the Universe. Not me. Every time I get this card, the Universe is telling me that He/She has a gift for me, if only I will take some time to sit and meditate. I like to think that this card and the Hermit card are closely related, because in both cards the underlying message is that there is wisdom to be found from going within oneself and opening up to the wisdom that comes only from quiet contemplation. Cups specifically have to do with relationship, and to me, the relationship to Spirit is the most important one we can have. Sometimes it is so easy to get busy with all the things that life throws our way, or our own agendas and schedules and "to do" lists that we don't take time to connect with Spirit and see what wisdom might come from just sitting quietly and allowing inspiration to come.

The four of cups remind me of the story of the Buddha, who sat underneath a tree until enlightenment came to him. Sometimes the sitting is the hardest part! I tend to fall asleep, or think of everything I need to do, or I am reminded that the fish have not been fed, the laundry has not been done, or some other really important detail that up until now had not entered my mind.

So today I sat. I released each thought as it came to my mind. There will be time to do the laundry. There will be time to write this blog, send out that email, go for a run, and write that wedding ceremony. Right now I am sitting.

The gift the Universe gave me was the knowledge that good things come to those that wait. The day to begin something new is not today. Today is a day to quietly contemplate. To surrender all my plans and ideas to the Universe and be okay with whatever occurs.

Just for today, I encourage you to spend some time in quiet contemplation. Allow the good to manifest in your life before you pick up and try to "make" things happen. Flowers do not bloom before their time. There is a time and a season for everything. If you have tried and tried to manifest something and the answer seems to be just ahead of you, just out of your reach, may I encourage you to take a break. Stop and sit underneath your tree, whatever that means for you, and wait. The Universe is always on time; never early, never late.

If you would like to schedule a phone, Skype, email, or in person reading, or are interested in my classes and events, I invite you to check out my website HERE. Sometimes we all just need a little encouragement from our Source. I look forward to connecting with you!

I'm Back!! And Thoughts About the Full Moon

My last blog was almost a month ago. I wrote about my trip to Florida and my dad, who had taken a fall and was in the hospital. At the time we were not sure if he would stay here or go on to his next adventure.

I was in Florida for the biggest part of the month, sitting by his bedside until he took his last breath.

It was interesting how the Universe works things out. There was relatively little scheduling conflicts. A few little lost emails and I seemed to have very few hiccups to work out.

Dad sent me a song on the radio to let me know that "everything is going to be all right."

There were tears. I am not a person who cries much, really, so the tears were a little hard for me to take. But grief is a natural function of our humanness, so I allowed it to flow freely, for awhile. And then I picked myself up by the shoestrings, so to speak, and rose up and said to myself, "okay, it's time to go back to living now."

So I thought that this full moon was the perfect time to jump back in with a message from Spirit.

The message is... sometimes we think that the world is just going to stop. It won't. The moon will continue to wax and wane. The rain will fall. The sun will shine. The flowers will bloom and then they will fade. Life goes on whether we are ready or not.

Our lives are made up of moments. I think back on the moments that reflect my relationship to dad. Most of them are fond memories. Some more than others. Watching him struggle to take his last breaths are not the moments that I like to think of fondly, but those moments too are part of the whole of my experience with my dad. We have to take the good with the not so good.

I think it is all about acceptance. Sure there are some experiences in life that I choose to reflect on over and over with fondness. And there are others that are not so fond. But the sun and the moon continue their trek across the sky. I breathe in. I breathe out. And life goes on.

Full moons are all about manifesting. And celebrating what we have already manifested into our lives. When the new moon came in August I was preparing to leave Florida and come back home. It was a perfect symbol of leaving the past behind and starting anew. Sometimes the moon is there to whisper its song to us, " it is time to start again. It is time to rise again."

And then eventually it shines in all its glory. And then, once again, it begins to wane again.

Life is all about cycles. I am in the place now where I seem to know that time is not linear. It doesn't start at one point and go in a straight line into some point in the future. Many thought a couple of years ago that the Mayan calendar was indicating an end, like a point in time when everything stopped. But we got up the next day, we went to work, and life went on. However, I can say that on some level, it could have been the end of a cycle.

In the course of our lives, we will experience many such cycles. Something will end, and something else will be born in its place. Life will go on, in some form.

Just for today, let us celebrate all that has been born into our lives. Yes, sometimes something has to go away in order for something new to come. It is okay to grieve over what is going away, but don't let your grief last too long. Something new is waiting to be born.

The Man Who Prayed Away Hurricanes

Many of you know that my eighty five year old dad recently took a bad fall. Off I went to Florida from my home in Virginia to be with dad and my sister.

On the way down I connected with my dad' s soul. My sister told me that he was in and out of awareness. I felt that dad was spending some time going back and forth between this side and the other side, and was having to choose between staying and going.

I tried to think of anything that might make dad think he had any unfinished business. I told him that the house was taken care of. I told him that Darlene and I would take up the mantle of praying away hurricanes (yes he was quite gifted in that).

I told him that whatever he decided was fine with us.

Dad always prayed blessings on us each time we talked and he usually said the same exact words:

You are crowned with God's glory and honor and every earthly blessing. You are surrounded with goodness and mercy. You are blessed in every way.

I said the blessing over him and gave him a kiss.

Who knows. Maybe he is not yet ready to give up the mantle of praying away hurricanes. He is a man who has fought death and won many times over.

What is your legacy?

When you come to the end of your life, what will people say about you? You may not pray away hurricanes. Maybe you are a really great mom. Maybe you are an amazing cook.

When we come to the time in our life when death comes calling, it will not matter how many likes your Facebook page had or who you knew or how much was in your bank account. What will matter is how many people you touched with love.

I Am

As many of you know, I am about to publish my second book. Although I am really excited, on another, possibly subconscious level, I am a a bit apprehensive.

Why? You ask?

Originally the idea for this book was not mine. Here is an excerpt from the book that tells the story:

Running is my passion. Or at least one of them.

I often find that in the exertion of exercise comes clarity and a connection with Spirit that cannot be matched by sitting cross legged inside on a cushion staring at the backs of my eyeballs.

This morning in particular I was greeted by the "caw caw" of the neighborhood crows. With their greeting usually comes a visitation by Spirit, in some form or another.

It didn't take me long to realize that this time it was Jesus who ran beside me.

Despite our years of estrangement, Jesus and I have a somewhat cordial, sometimes still a tumultuous relationship.

"I want you to tell your story," Jesus was pretty straightforward with His request.

I was not immediately on board.

"Oh no", I protested. " I am not about to dig up those old wounds."
"You don't put a bandaid on a bullet hole," Jesus retorted.
"It is time to dig out that bullet and heal the wound. There are others out there who can relate to your story and it will help them heal as well," He continued.

Writing this book was indeed healing for me, but it is also a raw, sometimes fearful thing, to put everything in your soul out there for all to read. Some don't know this Joy that I have become.

There came a time in the process of finishing up the process that I had to decide exactly who I think I am. How can I title a book and put out there this Joy that I am writing about if I am not completely okay with the Joy the book portrays?

I will ask you the same thing: Who are you?

When you begin to see yourself as the person you aspire to be, the person who lives inside that shell of your body, the person who looks back at you when you gaze into a mirror, then life takes on a different hue.

Who do you think you are, and who do you want to be, and is that the same person?

When you realize that before you can be abundant, you have to realize that you ARE abundance incarnated, that is when abundance shows up.

When you realize that you ARE an overcomer, a giant, an amazing soul, an infinite diamond with sparkling facets of light and color, life just shows up. Abundance just shows up. Love just shows up. Our idea of what those things look like and feel like may change. Abundance may no longer mean lots of money. It may mean an abundance of joy, or peace, or love.

Just for today, look in the mirror and say, "I am.." Really there is no need to finish that sentence, but you can if you want. You can say, "I am infinite. I am amazing. I am love. I am abundance."

Maybe then you won't look on the outside of yourself to get some sort of validation. That validation will come from inside.

My website says that I am a Spiritual Life Coach. I am a wedding officiant. I am a psychic medium. I am a shamanic practitioner. Is that who I really am? Deep inside, I am a soul. Living in a body.

Who are you?

If you need some direction, if you need to get some guidance from Spirit relating to who you are in this world at this particular time, please contact me for a personal session. I can do readings or consultations in person, by phone, skype, or email.

Click here to contact me and we will decide exactly what type of session you need.

Blessings to you as you journey this path called life. I hope our paths cross soon!

It's Okay to Break the Rules Sometimes.. Lessons Learned from Officiating Weddings

This blog breaks a little from my normal tradition of writing blogs based upon messages that I receive from time to time from the Spirit world. If you have visited my website or followed me on Social Network sites, you know that I also don the hat of wedding officiant, in addition to my gift of delivering messages from Spirit and teaching spiritual classes.

I like to think that for every hat that I wear, whether it be Post Office clerk, wedding officiant, or messenger for Spirit, that I always allow Spirit to be there in charge, lighting my way and guiding my words and actions, but sometimes I will admit that for weddings in particular, I am always very attentive to making sure I am doing every little thing right, and saying the script word for word. When I teach classes, I normally don't even look at my notes, but not so for weddings.

Recently, however, Spirit urged me to lighten up a bit. I always try to make sure every little detail is covered and that the ceremony goes off like clockwork, but, if you have ever attended a wedding, this sometimes does not happen.

Take, for example, a recent outdoor wedding where a neighborhood cat decided to come up and begin to sharpen its claws on the trellis while the couple were saying their vows.

The cat offered some laughter of which I was glad, because I was stressing about another detail of which I did not know how to remedy. The bride and groom were standing on tiles placed on the ground so that everyone would know where to stand and also so that the bride and bridesmaids in their high heel shoes would be more comfortable than having their heels stuck in the ground. It seemed to me that someone placed the tiles for the bride and groom too far apart, and both of them seemed afraid to step off of their tiles, and I did not want to interrupt the ceremony to ask them to get a little closer. Looking back, I wished I had spoken up. After the ceremony I went home and beat myself up over and over again about how I wished I had noticed the tiles sooner and moved them closer together. Or I wished I had encouraged the bride and groom to move off of their tiles and get a little closer.

Sometimes I get messages from Spirit while doing the most mundane tasks, and it seems that even preparing for a wedding is no exception. One afternoon I was dressing for a wedding and I had in my mind decided what I was going to wear, right down to which pair of shoes I would don. At the last minute, after putting on the shoes I had already chosen, I decided that they were not comfortable that day and decided on another pair. I heard Spirit say to me in my heart that sometimes it is okay to change our minds, even if we have already put the wheels in motion for certain decisions. This was a personal message for me, and the message from Spirit had nothing to do with which shoes I had chosen to wear. This was a message of surrender, that my plans can change, and even if I feel I have been led by Spirit to go down a certain path, that I have to be willing to surrender my plans and allow things to change, even if I have already put certain things in motion.

It seems that Spirit knows when I am going to need the messages that come to me. The next day, a wedding did not go at all as planned and I was forced to ad lib a bit of the ceremony! What!! AD LIB?  Me, a Capricorn, a stickler for staying within the lines, doing everything completely according to plan? AD LIB? Because I had decided to lighten up and go with the flow, I did not flip out or beat myself up over and over afterward as I did the day before about the tiles that were too far apart.

I am thinking to myself that most people are better at going with the flow than others and may be laughing at the silly things I stress out about.

I have a really good one. One day last fall I had booked two weddings on the same day. I had not allowed any time to eat, so I was driving to the first wedding eating some peanut butter to take the edge off. Unbeknownst to me, I had dropped a dollop of peanut butter right smack in the middle of my dress, and I didn't notice it until after the wedding was over. Now, if you didn't know that peanut butter was peanut butter, can you think of something else it might resemble?  I was horrified. I am sure all in the wedding party had a good laugh at my expense.

 I used to use my Kindle to read the wedding ceremonies. I liked it because I did not have to flip pages. Once my Kindle froze up right smack in the middle of the ceremony. Needless to say I no longer use  my Kindle for wedding ceremonies. And I no longer eat peanut butter on the way to a wedding.

Whether you are planning your wedding or just a vacation to Disney World, it is really helpful to allow for things not going as planned. If you have given your life over to serve Spirit, the same is true. Sometimes classes are not attended. Sometimes people cancel at the last minute. Sometimes people don't like you!! What???

I guess, with it being the day before the dark moon, this blog can have this for a theme: SURRENDER. The dark moon is all about releasing what is no longer working. Or releasing whatever. For me, it is releasing the need to have everything go perfectly ever single time.

Make your plans. Do your work. Be prepared. But, in the end, surrender all  that to Spirit. Sometimes the things you have planned will go like clock work. And then sometimes they won't. If there are tiles placed on the ground, so to speak, and you are expected to stand on them, and in your heart you know that they are too far apart, don't be afraid to step off the tile.

Dark Moon and New Moon Rituals

Until recently I thought that the dark moon and the new moon were the same thing. It was confusing to me.. which moon do I manifest and which moon do I release? I understood that after the full moon and while it was waning was the time to release but the things I had found on the subject were sometimes contradictory. It is easy to see the in between.. you are manifesting while it is waxing and releasing while it is waning, but on the actual days that the moon is dark or the moon is full, what should you be doing?

When I have taught ritual I have always taught that the full moon is all about harvest, or manifesting, and the new moon about releasing.. ah but I was almost right, but not quite.

I have been spending some time just sitting with the moon and getting my answers directly from Her instead of relying on the things I read or was taught.

And then it came to me. The new moon and the dark moon are not the same.

The dark moon is that period of time when there is no visible moon. That is when a ceremony releasing what is no longer helpful to you is most powerful. Write down a list of things you want to release from your life and do ceremony to let them go. You might light a fire and burn the paper upon which your list is written. You might tear up the paper and release it into the wind. You might let the paper go into a body of water. You might even bury the paper in the ground, thus releasing your intentions into the Earth Mother. Which ritual to choose? This is personal to you. You might correspond  your ritual with your astrological sign. What is the element associated with your sign? You might find out what sign is associated with the current phase of the moon. Here is a link to the sight where I found that information. It changes every couple of days, so make sure you find the sign for the day you are doing ritual. I have found it is very powerful if you do your ritual three times, so I am posting this blog a couple of days before the actual dark moon on Wednesday. Intention is everything, so make your ritual personal to you. Call in the Higher Powers that speak to you.

Ah, so if the dark moon is Wednesday, when there is no visible moon, then when do you think the new moon occurs? Yes, you are right! The new moon is that first sign of a new moon! That little crescent moon that comes a day or two after the dark moon! That is when  you can begin to think about what things you want to draw into your life! What do you want to grow? What do you want to manifest? This is the time for planting seeds that you want to blossom and bloom in your life!

If you plan on doing a new moon ritual three times, then the first time will be that first little crescent moon you see in the sky. That would be Thursday or even Friday. You are planting seeds that are going to grow. Write down the things you want to manifest. Do ritual to invite in the Higher Powers to aid you in your prayers and intentions. In this case, you do not want to burn them, bury them, or in any way destroy the paper they are written on. I like the idea of planting them. Take the paper and plant it somewhere. In the bottom of a flower pot or even outside in the earth. Water it frequently.

You can use a proxy instead of writing your intentions on paper. Have a piece of fruit or even a piece of chocolate and send the intentions into the proxy and either gift the piece of fruit to the Earth Mother or eat it.

Here is a ritual I like. Fill a sacred bowl with water. Hold the bowl in your hands and send your intentions into the bowl. Then drink the water. You can do this alone or in a group. If you do this in a group then the intentions of everyone in the group become planted in the bowl and each of you become a partner in one another's intentions. You can do a similar ritual with fire. Light a candle or some sort of fire and send your intentions into the fire. Ask that the fire and the smoke receive your intentions and send them out into the Universe to be manifest in the highest and best way that is good for everyone concerned.

I always like to add that rider at the end. We only want to manifest or release things that are in the highest and best interests of everyone involved. We never cross free will.

Moon rituals don't have to be complicated. Use your imagination and do things that are meaningful to you. Drum, rattle, put music on and dance, light a fire, ring bells, sing, do whatever makes you joyful. Remember that the emotions you put into your intentions are like gasoline on a fire! Make sure your emotions are happy and full of love!

Use this week to connect with the energy of the Moon and its wonderful powerful energies!

If you are interested in contacting me for a private session, or finding out more about personal sessions or classes, you can contact me via my website, www.WhispersofJoy.net. Now get out there and enjoy yourself!

On Meditations and Moon Rituals

Feeling a little out of sorts today? Yes, today is a full moon. Not just any full moon, mind you. Today's full moon is in the sign of Scorpio, a very powerful sign to say the least. Scorpio is all about intensity. Death, secrets, and intensity. Today might be a day when every emotion you have been stuffing under the surface comes out to bare its head. It might be the day when those little irritations that normally are just annoyances really grab your attention. It might be the day when things that you have been hiding come out into the realm of reality to be examined and embraced, for good or for bad.

It's not all bad. Full moons are perfect times to really put some intensity into your intentions. Today is a perfect day to reexamine your goals, your path, your career, your relationships, your life. Yes, I know. A full moon comes around monthly. Do we have to reinvent ourselves every month? No, each moon brings with it its own theme. This one just happens to be very intense.

We all know that the moon carries with it an air of mystery. We usually only see the moon at night, and a full moon is the one that shines the most light into the dark places. The full moon has long been associated with bringing in a harvest, manifesting a dream, celebrating victories! The moon is shining its brightest into our dark places and with it comes the power to manifest our deepest desires!

Remember that the light we receive from the moon is really just a reflection of the light of the sun. The sun represents Spirit, it is the Source of our life and the ability for us to exist in the earth realm. The moon, then, represents what we should be, in our life on the earth. Each of us should reflect the light of our Source, and be a light to all those living in darkness. Most of us can attest to the fact that we are not always "full" of light. Sometimes our lights are shining more brightly than other times. The moon's message,then, is that it is okay to not always be "full". We have times when we are shining brightly, and times when we are not so bright. But even the smallest light is light for someone in darkness. Tonight's full moon encourages us to see ourselves in the fullness of the light we are reflecting. What is it that we need to shine the light on?

 What things have been hiding out in the dark, waiting to be revealed?

We all have dreams, aspirations, goals, intentions, and wishes. Sometimes the fantasies within our heart never come out of the closet. Tonight is a perfect night to dust off those dreams and bring them out into the open!! The difference between a person who daydreams and a person who puts feet on their dreams and goes after them is just movement!

Here are a few suggestions for making the best use of the power of the full moon.

1. Fill a bowl with water. Send your intentions through the power of thought into the bowl of water. Then drink the water! As you drink the water, say, "I now receive within myself the power to bring my intentions to pass." You can always request the help of a Higher Power, of course.

2. Write a goal or a dream onto a piece of paper. Put on some happy tunes and dance around, carrying the piece of paper with you as you dance! If you really want to intensify your intention, dance around in a circle clockwise nine times! Nine in Numerology is the number of completion, and is the sum of three times three. Three is the number of manifestation. (Don't be embarrassed!! You have a right to celebrate in any way that makes you happy and feeds your soul!)

3. Do you need more money? Do the aforementioned ritual, only take your wallet or your checkbook and dance around it! Do you need a soul mate? Draw a heart on a piece of paper, or find something that is symbolic to you of love, and dance around it, calling love into your life. Whatever it is that you would like to bring into your life, find something that is symbolic of that, put it in the middle of the floor, or the ground, wherever you are, and dance around it! Say out loud or shout or sing.." I  now welcome...... into my life! It is complete!"

4. Take a symbol of what you would like to manifest, or take the piece of paper with your intention, and plant it in a pot of dirt with a flower or plant of some kind. Every time you water the plant, say, I now send love and Spirit  into my intention and as the plant grows, so grows my dream. Make sure you do not forget to water the plant and make sure it is getting plenty of light. And thank the plant for assisting you in manifesting an intention. If you are familiar with the ancient art of feng shui, put the plant in the section of your home or property which represents the area of your life you want to grow!

There are many ways to ask for the power of Spirit and the full moon to aid you in manifesting your dreams! If you are happy with your life and really can't think of anything you would like more of, then you are truly blessed! Use the time of the full moon to be grateful for all your blessings! (those of us who are still manifesting dreams would do well to do this as well!) Remember that gratitude is the water that nourishes our dreams as they grow! Being grateful for all the blessings in our lives is one of the ways we raise our own personal energy field so that our souls are receptive to even more blessings! What we focus on grows!

Remember to send love and gratitude to everyone and everything that touches your life! Even the challenges come with blessings in their pockets! Look for the reasons to celebrate and you will find more and more of them hiding in your closet, waiting to come out to the fullness of your life!

Happy May!

At the beginning of this year, when I was contemplating my theme for the year and looking at my tarot card for the year, I knew this was going to be a crazy ride. And so far, my expectations have come true.

Universally we are in a year of the chariot.

(I attribute this image to wikipedia.)

When we think of chariots we think of speeding ahead, travel, and maybe some challenges to overcome. Things seem to happen quickly in a chariot year. In my case, my personal years are the same as the universal year, so I guess I get a double dose of this card.

If you follow the stars, lately there has been a lot of crazy activity in the heavens as well. Although skeptics will say that the heavens have nothing to do with our lives on the earth, I find that everything is connected. We all can attest to the fact that when the moon is full people seem to act a little crazier than normal. More babies are born on full moons than any other time of year.

In April, on the night before the full moon, I found it necessary to take my dad to the hospital. While we were waiting to be seen, there was a man sitting by his computer, (I don't know what his job really was), and he commented to me that he always knew when it was a full moon, due to the increased activity in the ER.

I believe that yes, the placement of the stars and the phase of the moon have a lot to do with our lives.

Have you noticed that April was a bit of a crazy month energetically? Were you happy, as I was, when the calendar turned over to the month of May?

I am not an astrologist, but when I connect with Spirit, I am told that indeed, things are changing. For me, I notice that time is moving faster. It may be my connection with the chariot card, but this year I am finding that I can barely keep up!

How can we sail smoothly through these fast moving days of change?

Obviously, the biggest thing we need to do is have some down time! I had to be reminded of this when I contracted a month long bout with illness that went away only when I took a holiday to Florida, making sure I did no work that week, sitting by the ocean, walking up and down the beach and renewing myself, sitting with the sun, and the moon, and myself. We have to schedule in "me" time!

The second thing we need to do to make it through these energetic changes is spend much time in quiet contemplation. Whether you call it prayer, meditation, sitting with the moon, or just relaxation, make sure you schedule a bit of time every day to do nothing! This may sound similar to the first thing I mentioned about down time, however, when you feel like you have to schedule in time to meditate, sometimes it becomes another thing to do, so I don't count meditation as down time, although it can be, if our mental attitude about it is one of anticipation and excitement and not.. oh no, another thing to put on my list of things to do!  It doesn't have to be a large amount of time. I try to take several mini breaks a day, maybe just five or ten minutes at a time, sitting in my favorite meditation pose, or even just focusing on my breath as I go about my daily routine.

Just as you have to charge up your cell phone frequently or the battery goes dead and your phone becomes useless until you plug it in, you have to allow yourself some time to recharge your battery. Plug into Source and get your power back.

I believe that everything has consciousness and that we are all connected. Plugging into Source can be as simple as going outside and breathing some fresh air once in awhile. Or, my personal favorite, find a water source. (I have a small pond in my backyard where I like to recharge). Drink some water, and pay attention to how the water feels as it travels down your throat and into your belly. Imagine the water cleaning out the "gook". Give thanks to the water as it refreshes your spirit.

The last thing I think we need to do to get through these changing times is surrender. Surrender to Spirit all your plans, your schedule, your life, your expectations, even  your money. Sometimes I have to do this frequently. I surrender and then I take it back. When I begin to worry or try to figure out how everything is going to work, then I have taken it back. When I think I know how something is going to play out, then I have taken it back. My favorite prayer, or affirmation is this: I ask that the highest good be done in this situation for everyone concerned. I don't pretend to know what that best and highest solution is.

I hope when you feel like you are a bit overwhelmed or that life is happening to you too fast, that you will come back and reread some of these suggestions. If you need someone to listen, or want to hear what Spirit has to say about your situation, you can contact me HERE. I do phone, email and skype consultations, as well as in person if you live near me.

Together we can weather all that life throws our way. Yes, life may be a chariot rushing full speed ahead, but we are allowed to take a break and recharge!

Not the End of the Story

Last weekend I had the privilege of attending the Unicorn Writers Conference in Portland, Connecticut with my good friend Hali.

 I recently finished writing my second book, (or at least I thought I was done writing it) and was looking for my step in the process. The conference was held at San Clements Castle, a magnificent estate, filled with all kinds of picturesque views and fun statues.

At one point in the day, I decided to take a break from the back to back workshops and go outside (it was relatively pleasant that day) to take a breather and connect with the energy of the castle. The message that I received was a great message and I thought that others might benefit from the words of wisdom from my guides.

Let me preface the message with a little background of my life of late.

I get up at 5am Monday through Friday and go to work at the Post Office. After work, I see clients, I write weddings, sometimes (not as much lately with the increase of clients and classes) I post a blog. As you know I have been working on my second book. I have been teaching several classes at two different locations. Oh yes. And I join couples in marriage. The weekend before this past one I went to the beach to participate in a full moon ceremony.

This past weekend it was a weekend writers conference.

So I sat down on one of the concrete walls to breathe and look around at the beauty of the castle. The air was brisk, but invigorating. The sun warmed my face as I took a deep breath and felt the energy of the castle.

"You know,Joy,"  my Guide began, "this castle was not created to be an event location. Even though it is functioning very well in its current capacity, this was not the original intention of the first owners of this land."

Well, yes, I imagine this is true.

"Sometimes, our original intentions do not turn out to be the end result."

This reminds me of one of the philosophies I learned in  my study of shamanism. Don't be attached to having your plans turn out only one way. If you think that the things you are manifesting can only be realized in one way, then you will find yourself stuck.

 Be willing to surrender your plans to Spirit and allow your vision to be manifested in the best possible way for the good of all concerned.

In my thoughts about the castle, I thought about the original owners of the castle and what visions they must have seen for it when they first decided to build it. I wonder if they realized those visions in their lifetime. Over the years, I wonder how many different things the castle might have been used for. I really didn't do my homework and so didn't know much about the history of the castle: how old it was, who were the original owners, how many times it had changed hands, what different events may have occurred here. But I felt that the Spirit of the castle was content with its present duties as an event location. Many weddings occur here. I am sure there are a multitude of various events that the walls of the castle are privy to. My feeling was that the castle was happy with its present state of affairs. (yes, you skeptics, a castle can be happy.)

Since I began writing my second book, a memoir of my spiritual path and how I got from my "previous" life as a born again Christian to my current life as an intuitive, medium, shamanic practitioner, and sometime animal communicator, the message that life does not turn out exactly the way we plan really hits home. No this was not my original intention. My thoughts or expectations of my weekend at the conference did not pan out exactly as I had envisioned.  But I  have to say that Spirit always knows best. Our best laid out plans cannot hold a candle to all the wonderful things that Spirit and perhaps even our own Highest Self envisions for us.

The other "sub" message that Spirit told me was that it was okay to take breaks. I have a tendency to "make hay while the sun is shining." In other words, work work work as long as the opportunity is there. However, at this moment, as I had ditched a workshop to sit out in the sun in this very captivating courtyard, I knew that we all need times when we just breathe.

 We all need to get away from the hustle and bustle of our lives and sit and look at a water fountain, whether any water is coming out of it or not, or perhaps just sit and gaze at a candle, watch a sunset, or sit with the moon. Spirit said to me as I recited aforementioned saying,

"What, do you think the sun is going to stop shining?"

That's very true! If we have the attitude, "make hay while the sun is shining," then subconsciously we are afraid the sun is going to stop shining. The opportunities are going to mysteriously stop coming our way, Spirit is going to go on vacation and leave us hanging, so we better have some sort of back up plan.

Just for today, think about your goals or your visions of your life. Is your life turning out exactly the way you planned or have there been some detours? Has there been some rerouting? I like another saying that goes something like this,

 "life is what happens while we are busy making other plans."

As we head into the new moon on Sunday, let us think about surrendering all of our best laid out plans to Spirit and to our Highest Self. Let us lay aside any expectations that our life or our plans have to turn out in any specific way. Let us be open to surprises. Let us be open to detours. Let us be open to the notion that the there may just be a surprise ending to our story.

Remember this.

Everything always turns out okay in the end. And if isn't okay, it isn't the end.