More Than Managing

             Our grandbaby tells us now she’s not a baby.  She’s a “big kid” (as if we need a reminder, from her).  She turned 2 at the end of January.  (TWO!)  Yesterday she walked importantly out into the backyard with a pair of floral snips to harvest a handful of sweet-smelling plants.

             Lilacs are truly the only part of this season that I like, and look forward to.  She brought me some, as a gift.

             As we seem to be in full Spring mode now, I am figuring out how to handle the current amount of heat, while knowing that it will get worse.  Much like the ups and downs of our emotions and mental health (as well as SO many other aspects in life), when we have the proper tools, the job goes more smoothly.

             What I’m hearing right now is how we’re

coping.

             When we receive bad news, when we hear a terrible tale, when we see a disturbing image, our reaction is the key.  In my case, I cannot always control what happens, physically as well as where my feelings take me.

             It’s where we go from there which is what the Universe wants us to focus on.  We are in charge of how we allow negativity from the outside to influence us.  Or not.

             It is up to us to manage.  Or not.  When we are depleted (no rest, inadequate food, dehydration, mental exhaustion, general stress), we are more susceptible, we are more at risk.

             I harp on and on about SelfCare, but I do it for a reason.  We simply do not take good enough care of ourselves on a regular basis.  It is something this broken culture has gotten entirely wrong.

             When we nap, when we pray, meditate, or simply sit quietly, when we care for ourselves in a loving and nurturing way, we have proven our value, we have told ourselves and the world that we are worth the time/energy/money/effort.  And when we are well taken care of , we are strong.  We can cope, we can heal, we can thrive.

             It’s time to use our tools, it’s time to take care of ourselves.  It’s time for us to bloom.

 

 

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Dawning Bright and Shiny.

             Today I felt as though I had a low-hanging, miserably dark, storm cloud over my head.  And every time I went to do something, whoosh, it let loose.  On my bike ride the rain really did, but I was prepared by then.  Earlier it was still a shock, each time it happened.  Everything that could go wrong did.  I’m holding my breath for Empress to arrive safely in a few hours.

             On top of that, I can’t concentrate on a single damn thing.  Focus is illusive.  From many of the comments in yesterday’s post, you guys are feeling the same way.  It’s not Mercury (that next phase is now up with dates and times, in the standard spot), but it could be the moon, or another planetary influence.  Whatever it is, our message today says that it IS on the way out.  Thankgawd.  Because, holy shit,  if it had lasted any longer I think Dan would have needed to take me around to the back and put us both out of our misery.

             Let’s just get to the daily draw now so we can ALL breathe more calmly and easily.

“A New Dawn  ~

The worst is now behind you, and positive new experiences are on the horizon.

You have endured storms over rough seas, but now the way is clear and smooth.  From hereon in, you can expect the best.  Wash away the negativity from  your consciousness and past memories, and keep only the positive lessons and love.  Do not hang on to anything that could weigh you down, such as resentment or bitterness.  Let it go!

If you have gone through patterns of negativity in the past, this is the time to affirm: ‘I now release the need to experience this life lesson.  I extract whatever teachings I need to discover and I move on to a life of harmonious and peaceful actions.’

By pulling this card, you have turned a corner in your life, wherein your prayers and positive thoughts are delivering new rays of Divine light to illuminate your present and future.”

            Okay, wow.  This is the first chance I’ve had to read that definition.  How timely it is, not to mention, MOST fucking welcome!  I was going to talk about some passages I found (that screamed their need to share) from our Exceptional Life book, and then we get this in addition. 

             Thank you, Universe, for this blessing of synchronicity and themes we can distinctly see and follow.

             What Cheryl and Louise are talking about in this section is how so many of us have basically been trained to go toward the negative, it’s an unconscious method of thinking that we don’t even realize we’re doing most of the time.  And it takes some practice to move past it.  (Once it’s finally been acknowledged in the first place.)

           An example is when folks try to out “complain” each other.   Did any of you ever hear the Monty Python skit about growing up poor?  One guy says they lived in such a horrible shack, and the next guy says that one was lucky, his family would have killed for a building of ANY kind, and the next guy chimes in with how he would have felt SO fortunate to have a cardboard box.  It goes on, as Eric Idle and the gang do, and it’s hysterical, my brother and I still recite parts of it when we get together.  The point is though, so many of us DO this in real life, not as a joke, but really trying to top the next person in how tragic and very very bad OUR life is, compared to theirs.

“Immersing yourself in this fearful, depressing energy perpetuates negativity. . . . we develop pattens of thought and behaviour that direct our radio transmitter to search for and emit negative signals that only create more negativity and difficult experiences in our lives.”

            I won’t be giving any disclaimers here, so don’t jump on me about how this can mean that when bad things, or disease, happens to people we are saying it’s their fault.  That is NOT the message.  Take this for what it is, a way of recognizing how we are more than capable of making ourselves miserable by playing the “oh we WISHED we had a tattered hunk of cardboard to keep us all warm in the winter!” game.

             I’m going to copy down that affirmation, and carry it around with me, the better to help me release this negativity that I’ve been toting along as a fashionably coordinating handbag.  I’m as guilty of this as anyone, and I am MORE than ready to let it go.

            In fact, here’s another one, just to use as some nice metaphysically positive insurance.

“To Be Said Throughout Our Day:

I love my life.

I love this day.

Life loves me.

I love it when the sun shines.”

(May be substituted for any weather that your region needs.  Because I said so, and because not everyone wants sun shining in their faces.)

“It is wonderful to feel the love in my heart.

Everything I do brings me joy.

Changing my thoughts is easy and comfortable.

It is a joy to speak to myself in kind and loving ways.

This is a glorious day, and every experience is a joyous adventure.”

             That shot above was part of our day’s adventure earlier.  We met J.D. in the back parking lot of his historic building.  He is in search of a tray.  He recently acquired a cut glass decanter for his adult beverages, and now would like to use the set in a much more pretentious snobby civilized urbane and classy manner, presenting drinks on a serving tray.  His texts in the past hour, as I’ve been sitting here typing, and before that getting his father out the door, are proving that he needs our affirmations as much as the rest of us.

            Hit PRINT, JulieLanders, print those suckers off and recite them loudly, repetitively, until this New Dawn appears, for us all.

Today’s Deck:

Magical Mermaids and Dolphins Oracle Cards by Doreen Virtue

 

Direct once more.

            We have all survived another retrograding.  In the next week The Shadow Effect will be diminishing and from then on if our computers or communications get messed up, we can’t blame Mercury.  We do need to keep an eye on Mother Moon though, she goes Dark on Sunday night.  Often this will feel similar to a Full phase, and those can be wild.

            My erranding today was brief, and delayed slightly by the continual construction I keep finding my wee self elf in the middle of.

           Not my fault.  It’s still freaking every damn where I go.  Well, not on my trudging route.  That’s just the neighborhood, and so far they’ve left me alone there.  In fact, I have some updates from my walk this afternoon.  The Hello Kitty toy was NOT under the hedge, so that was good.  And that broken chair back/seat was also gone.  Whew.

            Remember that one single yellow iris I spotted?  Well the entire patch of them has bloomed beautifully now.  The house they belong to is a duplex, and has had a For Rent sign in the window of this side since I started my weekly wanderings.  As of today, the sign is gone.  I guess I have new neighbors now.

           How cute is this little guy?!  Okay, he might be a she, I didn’t pick him/her up to check underneath and inspect his/her business.  But I did enjoy seeing him/her looking up at me and posing so nicely for my camera.

            I lost track of the feather count again.  (It happens!)  But I know the number was more than five, or maybe seven.  Either way, the big black ones seemed to get larger the more I saw.  (One was just huge!)  Two small puffy gray ones.  THAT I’m sure of.

             I didn’t realize how new the tops of my tennies looked until I had put up that last picture of my shod hooves.  So I figured, in Full Disclosure mode here, I should show you what the bottoms look like.  Definitely several years worth of marching done on these suckers.

             We’ve come back around to the The Crystal Oracle Deck on our card altar this afternoon.  And it goes REALLY well with the last few we’ve been getting.  (Theme!)

“Gold with Quartz  ~  physically grounding, abstract ideas and inspirations.

Several wonderful ideas and inspirations are filtering through into your physical reality.  These ideas and inspirations, which stem from your soul, will help you manifest many of the things your heart has, for so long, desired.

Over the coming days your intuition will be strong and you will have a greater sense of the universal spirit that flows through all things.  Through this, a new found sense of joy and wonder emerges – one which transforms your life.  Give thanks for this blessing and allow it to inspire and illuminate your heart and mind.  Your ideas and inspirations are divinely guided, so trust them.”

           I do love me some validation!  And I continue to love how these cards are done.  This is very encouraging.  Especially the uber positive bit about feeling a sense of joy.  We can always use some of that!

         (Although I would question the part about inspirations coming ONLY from our souls.  But, that’s just me.)

          Speaking of inspirations!   I got more on my Marian messages last night.  (Yes, I know [now!] that I spelled that wrong before, but if I go back and fix it now the RSS feeds [or whatever the hell that’s called] will reflect that I posted today’s yesterday.  I know, it confuses me too.  So I don’t go back and re-read or edit anything after I’ve had Daniel go over them and I hit Post.  My flaws are just up here for all the world to see.)

            What I received was that some of this information is about me being a mother, and being able to take care of, help, and assist my kids, as well as other kids, and other people in general, by continuing to do what I do.  Basically, I’m on the right path, and doing what I’m supposed to be doing.  So, that was pretty cool.

            Not sure how helpful I was for my Seattle girl today, but I did get some nice phone photos from her.  The move is progressing very well.

           Look, it’s Adam!  And did you notice how she is her mother’s daughter?  Move the important things first Hanna.  Like books!

          This one was accompanied by the text: makeshift dining area.  How adorable is that?  They will be renting a big truck in the next few days and getting everything into the new place.  I can’t wait to go see it.  And thanks to Adam’s parents (and their generous left-overs) there will be a futon in the living room.  Suitable for guests sleeping on, in addition to being quite lovely as a sofa.