Speaking Up, Speaking Out

             There are large portions of this country where dishonesty is encouraged.  Not only is it entirely confusing (and infuriating to law enforcement), but it’s also just plain wrong.

            Allowing an entire culture to smother their voice is beyond sad.  There is no growth in that.  No evolution, no power at all.

             The message I woke up with today is direct and pointed.  Aiming dead-on, in to the face of that deceptive and hurtful mind-set.

Say it,

ask it.

            When we speak the truth and ask the honest questions, we open up a dialogue.  We free our voices and our minds and our souls.  To do otherwise is to stifle our progress and to dangerously stop our journey in its tracks.

             Call it in.  Report it.  Inquire why.  Never let the dishonestly gain any ground at all.  Do not accept a lie.

            On our card altar right now, we have another aspect to consider.  But with no less integrity or truth.

“Balance  ~  36  ~  Divine Teachers

Support, Codependency, Manipulation, Generosity

You are in the delicate process of learning how to properly balance the flow of give-and-take in your personal relationships, and it’s time to evaluate how you’re doing.

Are you giving too much, leaving you resentful and angry?  Or are you withholding when you could give more, leaving you feeling guilty?

 Your Divine Teachers can help you learn how to better align your relationships so that you neither give nor take too much as a means of controlling others.  They counsel you to be honest about your motivations when dealing with others; you know in your heart of hearts what drives your interest in them.

Do you give with a secret agenda of ‘you owe me?’  Do you create dependency in and control over others with your kindness?  Or do you withhold for fear that you might be taken advantage of, keeping people guessing about your motives and your intentions?  

Your Divine Teachers are on hand to help you answer these questions.  They lovingly assure you that relationships are the most difficult of all spiritual classrooms, and the lessons of proper give-and-take are the most difficult of skills to learn.

Have compassion for yourself as you seek balance with others.   Ask your Divine Teachers to help you become more aware of how you give and receive in all relationships, not just the romantic kind.  Their message to you:

There’s no difference between giving and receiving love.”

Today’s Deck:

Ask Your Guides Oracle Cards by Sonia Choquette

Today’s Personal Update:

is to report that I’ll be having a grand-dog sleep-over next week.  Hanna & Co are on their way here.  She and Keith will be taking a pet-free vacation.  Prepare yourselves for photos like THIS (only not quite as technically proficient but much more current).

Road Report: el numero dos

             I’m pretty sure, as a kid, and all of my growing up years, my family never took a vacation.  I know that as an adult, I certainly never have.  Road-trip traveled, packed like the potato famine immigrants we came from, in an unsafe vehicle to see family?  Oh, hell  yeah.

             Probably the closest we’ve ever come, us Pentacle People, was when we’d take the witchlings to the coast, or those few camping trips we made with family and friends.  But still, a true vacation, like I’ve read and heard about?  Nope.

             This journey is a funny combination, a kind of hybrid.  Still not quite a vacation, though it is similar to our wedding travels/honeymoon trip.  And, interestingly enough, our anniversary is today.

             Ooops, I guess a Special Occasion Draw would have been appropriate.   Oh well, after 32 years married (34 years together), we’re used to just being ourselves and taking what comes along.

             Here’s what I was directed to flip over for right now.  It’s a nicely authentic message, no matter where we apply it.

“Seal  ~

‘Hard work and inspiration are the foundation of true creativity.’

Seal inhabits the watery depths from which spring imagination, intuition, the power of dreams, and the infinity of creation.  That Seal gives birth on land shows that these landscapes of your mind may be made material.

Do your dreams show desires not yet acknowledged?  Then the time is ripe to make them your own.

True creation and inspiration are also yours, but will remain discarnate without the hard work which alone can give them form.  Seal’s wisdom is arduous, but its rewards are immense.”

Today’s Deck:

Animal Messages – Seek Intuition From Your Spirit Guides by Susie Green

Travel Notes:

will really be the Foreign License Plate Report.  Beginning with this view from before we actually left town.

Ohio

             And moving on to Florida (2 of ’em), a super illegal Colorado, more than one Wisconsin, a new New mexico, an Indiana trailer and truck, a very interesting Missouri moving company trailer, and one lone Pennsylvania (who really just wanted to be in our way).

Say It True

             This isn’t the first (and it won’t be the last) time that I’m quoting Jenny Lawson when I say: depression lies.  Because it’s fact and it’s universal.

             When we face challenges, they often become so overwhelming that we can’t see past them.  And that can lead to an imbalance.  A discordance of our view, as well as in our attitude.  The lesson can become all encompassing.

             I was awoken by an extremely sad and soul-draining vision.  A scene which had a vital message for us all.

Untruth negates living genuinely.

             As was mentioned yesterday, wearing honest eyes and acknowledging  both the great and not-so-great about ourselves/our actions, we are reminded to live in a genuine way.  Leaving guilt and hyperbole behind.

             Moving forward into Joy is our best next step.  Are we utilizing the tools that we have on hand to do this?  Happiness Journals, Affirmations, beautiful music, easy neighborhood wanders, lists of Positives?

             Because we can change our mood, our intentions, and our entire life this way.  They will bring us up and in, to where the truth resides.

             Stepping out of our regular rotation around the card altar this afternoon, we have been handed a wonderful way to put in play exactly what we need to get our forward momentum going.

“Angel of Communication  ~

Communicate clearly;

don’t be afraid to tell it like it is.

One of your major lessons in this lifetime is to learn to communicate what you want clearly.  You assume that those around you know what you want and how you feel.  Yet the truth is that they do not.

Because of your failure to communicate honestly and clearly, those around you often end up confused or, at best, having to guess what it is that you want, feel, or expect.

Do not be afraid to say it like it is.  You cannot lose anything by simply stating the truth.  You do not need to blame or accuse others in order to speak your truth, just state your case clearly.

Underlying this whole issue is a fear of not being accepted or not gaining the approval of others, and therefore you are often afraid to speak up.  Know that it is an act of love unto yourself and others to communicate clearly, lovingly, and honestly.

The Angel of Communication is here to help you work through this issue.  Through this process you will honour and empower yourself and gain much respect and love from others.”

Today’s Deck:

Angels, Gods, and Goddesses Oracle Cards by Toni Carmine Salerno, illustration by Jennifer Hewiston

Today’s Sharing:

is what happens when you raise your children with the motto of “if you aren’t outraged, you aren’t paying attention!”  Go HERE and see what’s being said.  By someone I gave birth to.

Truly Who (and Where) We Are.

             We developed a theme today.  And it ran.  All day.  It was about how things actually DO happen when they are supposed to.  And how delays, detours, and down-right blockade diversions are precisely what we need when they step into our direct paths.

             Of course, during the collapsing time, we are convinced that this is a disaster and we’ll never make it out alive.  The other side just seems impossible to reach.  But then, we survived.   And we are strong.  And often, we have a really good story to tell.  Or, in the case of our beautiful (and massively talented) friend Amanda, a song to sing.

             What I woke up with today did not really give me a clue as to how very insightful it, eventually, turned out to be.

Joy.

Pleasure.

Entertainment.

Endurance.

             Then, our daily draw pops up with a big ol’ huge heaping helping of validation.  Nice one, Universe, nice one.  (Please note, the photo is horrible, and I have no idea why.  Pretend it’s all sparkly/pretty, like THESE images.)

“Amethyst  ~

spirituality, positive transformation, meditation

You are being urged to embrace your shadow side.  Take an inventory of all those aspects of yourself that  you are afraid to show the world because you perceive them to be bad or inadequate.

Meditate on these qualities.  Acknowledge them, see how they serve both you and others, then love them, and bring them into your heart.

When you realise that every aspect of you serves a purpose, there will be no need to deny half of who you are.  Just be yourself and understand that there is nothing in your life to fix.  There are simply aspects of yourself yearning to be embraced and loved.

This is a profound change – a time of positive transformation which will have a lasting impact on every area of your life, and to some degree, on those around you.”

             We ARE who we need to be and we ARE doing what we arrived here to do. The best way to understand all of it is to listen.  Sit quietly, go within, hear the stories that our soul tells.  And most importantly, live in a genuinely loving way.

             Because, bottom line?  We’re doin’ great, and this journey is an absolutely terrific one.

Today’s Deck:

Crystal Oracle Cards by Toni Carmine Salerno

Today’s  Mileage:

was to the pool and back, 3.839 in 25 minutes 4 seconds, at a leisurely pace of 9.1 MPH.  With Dan, who could not get his smarty-pants phone to hold a signal for the mapping program.

Tonight’s Kitchen Adventure:

has yet to be taken out of the oven.  Remember that volunteer tree we found in our backyard last year?  With fruit on it?

Cherry-plums?

             This summer’s crop (seen in the above view) is massive (comparatively speaking, the last harvest yield was: 3).  So we created a mixed-fruit crisp for dessert, using these guys and the front yard blueberries.  We’ll let you know how it turns out.

LateNight Sharing:

is THIS dog walk* that “the guys” went on while I was here in my computer chair.  (I sent them out for ice cream to go with our baked treat.)

*Be sure you zoom in, because holy crap, it’s hilarious.

Instinctual.

             The healing continues.  But wow, it gets quite heavy at times, so much to struggle with/through.  I met with *K* this afternoon.  Still discussing grief eating and this whole “3 traditional meals a day” situation.  Yeah, lotsa work.

             Her office had a hand-out on their bulletin board that was pretty interesting,  so I thought we should all look at it together.  It was long, this is a condensed version, go HERE to get the full-page view, and NEDA website credit.

“Ten Steps To Positive Body Image

1. Appreciate all that your body can do.
2. Keep a top 10 list of things you like about yourself.
3. Remind yourself that ‘true beauty’ is not simply skin-deep.
4. Look at yourself as a whole person.
5. Surround yourself with positive people.
6. Shut down those voices in your head that tell you your body is not ‘right’ ….
7. Wear clothes that are comfortable and that make you feel good ….
8. Become a critical viewer of social and media messages.
9. Do something nice for yourself ….
10. Use the time and energy that you might have spent worrying about food, calories, and your weight to do something to help others.”

             It’s not like we don’t know nearly all of this already, especially those of us (ME!) with such a long history of disordered thinking when it comes to food and ourselves.  This version was just done really well.

             What did NOT go well was our channeled message.  My dreams were confusing, and not entirely super restful.  So when I woke up, I had a hard time pinning down the words we needed.  But, I got there.

Contacting with compassion,

even as open-minded as we strive to be,

there is always room for improvement.

              The image that came immediately to mind was what I (mentally) saw right before I left the bed.  Neighbors (fictional ones) were not who I thought they were/who they appeared to be, so I needed to step up the kindness level, the caring.

             The feeling was about how we really don’t know enough, on the surface, to make any judgement or decision.  Simply smiling and being nice can be the best move.

             On our card altar, back to our regular rotation, we are (again) reminded that intuition is the best form of guidance.  All of the key words here are validating, connecting theses messages charmingly together as one.

“The Swan Queen  ~  13  ~  information, intuition, patience

The Swan Queen glides your way and asks that you look at your reflection in the events of your life.  She gives you the ability to see the beauty that has transformed your life from ignorance to wisdom.  The Swan Queen lets you know that it’s time to go within and seek the answers in your intuition.

Don’t look outside yourself for answers now; the true power lies reflected in the still waters within you.  Now is the moment to meditate and ask for a vision.  The power of psychic perception is inherent in you, and the Swan Queen will help you dive deep into your query to find the answers you seek.

This is also a reminder to allow time to transform ideas into reality.  Nothing happens overnight.”

             It was so freaking hot today (pushing 96 regularly since last weekend), I’m just going to stare at her snow for a bit, and soak up the cool.

Today’s Deck:

Wisdom Of The Hidden Realm Oracle Cards by Colette Baron-Reid

Today’s Mileage:

was to the library and to my appointment.  But there was so much damn road construction and stupid traffic that I rode much farther than I usually do for the same destinations.  8.524 miles in 50 minutes 10 seconds, with a (not-bad for the circumstances) fairly zippy average of 10.1 MPH.

Today’s Sharing:

comes straight from my Hurricane.  She had the top news story on KOMO this morning.  Because she was there!

Can you spot her?

             My girl is the small (standing) silhouette on the very far left side (who is caught live tweeting in this view).  She didn’t get much sleep, but that’s become part of the job.  I worry about it constantly.  And encourage her to nap.