Without sorrow, we cannot truly understand what it might feel like to be happy. Without pain, our concept of joy may not be as deep, as comprehensive and full.
On this journey, it is very much part of our job, our lesson, our chore, to experience all the ups and all the downs. It’s why we signed on for this ride.
Is it fun, is it easy? No, absolutely not. At times it’s so horrible we can’t imagine how we’ll get through the next minute. Sixty seconds feels like sixty thousand years.
This precarious mental state we all try to keep steady is what the Universe is asking us to focus on right now.
It’s the balance.
Another way to look at this topic is to observe weather. Without summer, we don’t have enough light to grow food. Without the rain, we don’t have enough moisture to water our crops. Without snow, our rivers would run dry.
As much as I thought I wanted to fight against change, it turns out, battling is not the best way to get anywhere. We must flow with the tides and the winds. Because, we as animals here amongst the plants, we are part of the movement.
Nothing stays the same. It can’t, we are a constant storm in motion. Our task is to feel all the emotions. We learn by living the experiences. Not by avoiding them.
It is not comfortable. It can seem endless. And yet, as we come out the other side (and we do, we will, we always have), we are cleansed and we are better. We are improved, and we are in a more receptive space for all of the positives awaiting us.
To advance and evolve, to keep our souls going forward, we must cry for sad, laugh for happy, and immerse ourselves in all which lies in between.
We can find the good in practically anything, if we search long enough (same for bad). This is merely a truth of our world.
Since November I’ve removed myself from a great deal, in regards to the news. Some aspects of social media I was never a part of, except for business purposes. But other sites, I truly enjoyed.
In limiting my exposure of triggering or upsetting topics, turns out, I have actually broadened my awareness of places and scenes which make me incredibly happy.
For all of the negativity we’re witnessing, there is also a vast amount of wonderfully uplifting content. We simply need to find it.
And that’s what the Universe would like us to focus on . . . . .
seeking treasure.
As you all know (oh, so well), I’m an over-sharer. This doesn’t change when I happen to be garbed in a corporate uniform standing behind my day-job front desk. I recently made a very surly business traveler laugh when I told him of my self-exile from all topics non-fun.
If you look at my Instagram feed, you see that it’s full of Victorian houses, dolphins (including sharks, sea horses, and whales), international miniaturist, plus-sized fashions, snakes in hats, comedic women, and family members.
This man found joy as I described the accounts I followed, the photographs which cheered me quickly and thoroughly. This was not what he expected upon check-in. He needed a laugh, seemed natural that I supply it.
We can all use a bit of humour in our day, something to lift our sad and weary hearts. It can be a tiny thing. All we need to do is look for it.
Those treasures are waiting for us to find them.
In validation, we have a draw right now which I’m hoping everyone will gain benefit from. If the wording is not suitable, please (as always) feel free to substitute terms more comforting for your belief system. On a soul level, the labels we select here are not at all important. But the message truly is.
“Grace ~ 39 ~ Holy Spirit
Harmony, Beauty, Prosperity, Elegance
The Holy Spirit is filing your life with grace and ease. You are aligning with your purpose, your discipline and focus are paying of.
Everything you touch seems to transform into prosperity and beauty. This is more than luck, it’s the reflection of the Holy Spirit flowing through you.
The more you surrender to this Divine Energy, the more you will be gifted with synchronicity and flow.
Trust your immediate impulses and act upon them without hesitation. The Holy Spirit is helping you make the right choices at the right time.
Your greatest challenge is to hold on to this joyous and natural healthy self-esteem and not allow others throw you into self-doubt.
Believe in your dreams, your spirit, and yourself. Pray for the strength to keep your focus clear and your heart open.
The Holy Spirit’s message to you is:
walk with grace, all is well.”
Today’s Deck:
Ask Your Guides Oracle Cards by Sonia Choquette
Today’s Sharing:
is THIS NEW BOOK !!! (Be sure to click through to her purchase page, no need to buy anything but you don’t want to miss the details.)
My Empress received a copy for Freyja. We read it the other night. It rhymes! And it’s so fabulous! Every baby should have it!
Today’s Gratitude:
Fully functional air conditioning in house and in vehicle.
It’s true that we want a gentle, and yet fulfilling, life. Some excitement, but not sorrow. Much support, and more love.
The trick is gaining our balance. Finding our equilibrium. Today’s message arrived in a flash, it was strong and clear.
It speaks to that need for harmony, for symmetry.
Peace
seeking/finding
Because of the reality of our existence, the limits of these bodies, we know that we can’t be serene every minute of every day. We also know that we’d still like our experiences to be more good than bad.
Are we looking for ways to be at ease, to rest and rejuvenate? Or are we promoting the suffering by feeding in to that energy of dissatisfaction? Do we try to find the lovingkindness in our day-to-day?
It’s there. That grace. Are we seeking it out? We can’t find what we don’t look for, that’s simply a fact.
To begin each project, event, adventure with a true and peaceful heart is to know that we are giving it our best. We are striving for that serenity which our soul craves.
We must be conscious of it. Aware. In touch with what makes us joyful. If we aren’t seeking our peacefulness, we won’t be finding our peacefulness.
On our card altar right now we have one of those disconcerting images, the ones that often startle, instead of soothe. What we must remember though, as we read the description, is that it’s like going in search of our serenity. There’s more to the journey than that first glance. There’s always more.
So let’s not toss out the importance of what’s being said merely because our gaze sees a view that possibly differs from what others might be perceiving.
“Goddess of Sacred Power ~
‘You are being encouraged to take a leading role in your current situation.’
You are being asked by Goddess/God and the Universe to take a leading role with regards to a project or family issue you are currently involved in. The current situation is in need of leadership and direction.
Sometimes, being too democratic simply doesn’t work. If you look at life honestly you will realise that everyone has their own opinion on how they think things should be done. It is not so much a matter of who is right or wrong.
What is important right now is that someone takes control. It is better to steer a ship somewhere, rather than have it drift aimlessly wherever the wind may blow.
Have the courage to take control. Ask the Universe to guide you. Lead lovingly yet with strength and follow the sacred power of your intuition.”
Today’s Deck:
Angels, Gods, and Goddesses Oracle Cards by Toni Carmine Salerno
Today’s Accompanying Affirmation:
I will be strong as I lead with love and angelic divine guidance, so that this situation is resolved peacefully, quickly, positively, and for the highest good of all.
In my reading this week I came across a phrase I haven’t seen in a while, but one that I understand and connect with, and sort of missed since it’d been so long. It’s occasionally titled other things, but where I saw the mention, it was referred to as: karmic debt.
It was being used in reference to our relationships, and how we bump up against certain people in our lives (more than once, even), then move on without them. We may have something from our past that needs to be reconciled with these folks, and they with us. It’s a concept that many religions and belief systems adhere to, but call different names.
This was all on my mind as I heard our message this morning, and it made sense that it’s what we would discuss today.
Not every BAD begins or ends with TERRIBLE.
Since we recently touched on the topic of Forgiveness, it can be said that this is another side of that same focus. We often carry guilt or shame which is completely not ours to tote around.
Getting past that attitude involves forgiving ourselves, acknowledging that these are all lessons, and understanding where the once perceived as not-good actions and situations come from. Our starting point is always something we’ve charted, and need to learn.
So many times we can look back, later (much later, in a few cases) and see where the originating emotions come from. And from that vantage point of time we are better able to see that there is no reason for labeling anything “good” or “bad” – great or horrible, it’s all perception.
Standing in front of our card altar earlier, I was directed to leave the regular rotation so that we could experience this message. Because, whatever direction the emotion is headed, as long as we feel it wholeheartedly, well then, our journey is sound and sure.
“Passion ~
Archangel Haniel:
‘Trust and follow your renewed passion in your love life and career.
Playing it safe can lead to staleness and depression. You have asked for more happiness and definite direction. I’ve lit the flame of passion in your heart to lead and guide you.
It’s safe for you to take risks and follow your heart’s desire. Ask me to be your partner along your path of passion, to guide and nurture you.
When you feel a strong knowingness, alongside a burning passion, pay attention, as this is my way of giving you information about your next step.’
Working with Archangel Haniel:
Haniel can help you ….. by living at your highest potential. She’ll groom your hidden talents, and help you polish your skills. Then, when you apply your masterful ways to your true passions, Divine magic occurs!”
This is one of my favorite illustrations in these cards, the artist is Yvonne Gilbert (who has new work on her site since I was there last).
Today’s Deck:
Archangel Oracle Cards by Doreen Virtue
Today’s Sharing:
is this fabulous box of wonderfulness that Dan and I picked up today.
A collection of awesome.
At the last Home Show there were free samples from the Mountain Rose Herbs booth. Obviously we picked some up. One was loose herbal tea, their own Peace Blend.
Since they are merely across town, I don’t have to pay for shipping if we drop by. The front part of their facility? Holy crap, I want to live there!
Last night’s post went up late, because we got a late start on our day, and everything continued to be tardy. Today has had similar timing. Not good nor bad, simply how things are rolling.
But it relates to what I was shown this morning and what I recently read in our local paper. There was a letter to the editor last week by a person who talked about how it’s a fairly new concept to assign violent phrases for the describing of weather. Deciding, for us all, whether the meteorological happenings are good or bad.
Those are judgements. And not everyone’s opinion. Perhaps rain showers wouldn’t be the best climatic conditions for some situations. That does not make this condition bad, in and of itself.
Would I prefer to ride my bike when the sun is shining? Sure, but not if I was living under drought conditions and we needed the moisture. Subjective, all of it.
Much like when a retrograding Mercury* steps in to intentionally slow us down with valuable lessons, it’s all in how we look at the situation. It’s all in the perception.
*Which, in case you were wondering (or counting down the days), returns direct on 2-28 at 6 a.m.
We are reminded of where to assign importance. And where to simply Accept, and move on.
Don’t let the small obstacles derail your entire train.
Did you ever put pennies on railroad tracks as a kid? And then go back to get them, when they’d been flattened by the weight and power of all those wheels?
Our small coins did not cause those trains to jump tracks and crash That’s the point of this message. On our journey there will be crap in the way. We need to realize this. Road debris happens.
Some of it will be harmless (but annoying) and some will be huge and life-changing. Lots of it will be somewhere in between. On our card altar right now, we’re being directed to a way in which we can deal with this lesson in an empowered way.
“Bull ~ Tarbh (pronounced as Tarv) ~
Wealth, Potency, Beneficence
The card shows a bull roaring, with three cranes circling in the air above, and with the leaves of a willow tree in the foreground. Two Celtic monuments, carved in the first century, both show a bull with three cranes and a willow tree.
The cranes in the card remind us that, although the bull is an animal representing the earth, he is also linked with the sky and the heavens. We see the bull’s testes which remind us of the association of the bull with fertility and virility.
Early Druid shaman-rattles were shaped in the form of bull’s testes, and one is shown lying on the grass. To the left we see a Bronze-Age Druid horn, whose sound mimics the bull’s roar.
Trabh mediates the influences of Taranis, the Jupiter-like god of the Druids, whose beneficence and expansiveness can bring you the opportunity for a rich and abundant life. The Bull is a symbol of wealth and as such it is auspicious to draw this card when considering financial matters.
But remember that the ancient ones were wise enough to understand that true wealth is to be found in the heart and the soul first, and only then in the material world.
The Bull represents fertility, potency, abundance, and prosperity, but these things can sometimes take a while to achieve. If you need to work steadfastly in trying circumstances for a considerable period of time in order to achieve your goals, the bull will help you to do this without becoming drained or depressed.”
Today’s Deck:
The Druid Animal Oracle – Working With The Sacred Animals Of The Druid Tradition by Philip and Stephanie Carr-Gomm, illustrated by Bill Worthington
Today’s Sharing:
is this beautiful (and tiny) representation of our whole world. (How timely.)
Peace on Earth. (Get it?)
Made of recycled glass near Mt Shasta. It has the most wonderfully sacred feel to it. And yes, all of the continents (plus major islands) are there, correctly and proportionately.
Welcome to JulieLand 