Avenue of Arrangement

             The wonderful and exquisitely complicated patterns of our lives will never stop enchanting me.  It’s entirely true, the statement about how, never in our wildest dreams could we imagine the purpose nor the outcome of this adventure.

             In the past few weeks I’ve witnessed a series of events which were choreographed on the highest level, arranged and ordered to a fine degree.  One situation’s outcome determined another, and then . . . something else had to happen in order for the next element to drop in to place.  All of this so the end result could finish in a seemingly random but spectacular way.

             Christians refer to this as “god never gives us more than we can handle” while others says, everything IS in divine order.  No matter how we phrase it, the truth is, there’s reason and order in a chaotic world.

             The vastness of this universe is beyond our tiny human comprehension, but when we see, when we are privileged enough to witness its glory, we need only be grateful.  And

be assured

             One of my mom’s favorite things to say, but rarely do, is to remind us all not to worry.  Instead, she recommends we pray.  (Or, your spiritual equivalent, she is all inclusive, you do you, she has not problem with that.)

              Her reasoning has merit, when we put something in place of the fear, we are practicing mindfulness.  That way we are better able to visualize how the dots are all being connected, how the Grand Design is efficiently and wondrously playing out.

             We drew up the blueprint, all of us.  So, when we continue to work with our Team, we can see that yes, we are on the correct path.  And if it feels as though we aren’t?  Change it!

             Believe this though, whichever road we travel, we do it with support, and there IS a plan.

             In returning to these phenomenal cards, we’re being validated.  This particular representation and lore was a favorite of my maternal grandmother.  I can’t help but feel, she brought her to us, right now, on purpose.

“Our Lady Of Guadalupe

The Empress Of Protection

‘I am safe and divinely protected

I am held in love at all time.’

Our Lady of Guadalupe is the emblazoned emblem of the uniquely powerful protection of a mother’s love.  

What is outside of us is also within us.  Even if we have never experienced a mother’s love, the true force of that loving protection exists within us.  We are able to give it to ourselves.

The energy of a mother’s love can travel to meet you anywhere – whether within the world or within your own heart. The message is that she is here.  You are mothered.  But the  message is also to ask for what you need.

We are ennobled with free will.  The divine needs our request for assistance in order to enter to our lives.  All we have to do is  assume the simplicity, the heart, and the humility of a child, and to ask for a sign that she is here.

We will be met with more love than we could ever imagine.   And love is always the greatest and most powerful energy of protection.

Soul-Voice Meditation:

Do I experience the love of a divine mother within me?

Intention:

I am safe and divinely protected.

I am held in love at all times.”

Today’s Deck:

The Divine Feminine Oracle by Meggan Watterson and Lisbeth Cheever Gessaman

             Remember to watch for patterns, to be aware of miracles.  Remain safe.  Help where you can.  When you can’t?  Take care of yourself.

 

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Opportunities of Independence

             I’ve been so conscious lately of how we can stay well, healthy (on all levels), and not get pulled down to the depths of current idiocy.  I’m sharing what I’ve been directed to, for us to focus on:

“ Every generation or so, modern society is rocked by upheavals, whether by assassinations, war, political turmoil, or powerful economic and environmental challenges. In uncertain times the political climate can worsen these fears. “

             This came from Jack Kornfield, here.  He is a resource I turn to often because of his calm nature.  (Also, I love the sound of his voice, it’s so soothing.)  I’ve heard this sentiment in several places.  It makes sense, and it is helpful.

             The reason we need to understand the cycles of our planet is so that we don’t panic and carry fear/negativity/ugliness into our day-to-day.  And so that we don’t give too much credit nor importance to those ignorant individuals who are falsely believed to be “in charge” of anything.  They are not, it’s an illusion.

             On a more practical plane, what we can keep in our hearts, in order to uplift us on those “bad” news days, is that every bit of what’s happening is a process.  None of it will stay the same, all of it has the potential to evolve.  Just as we do.

             The Universe wants us to remember that

Forward

             is the direction we all go.  It is the motion of improvement.  It is the action of leaving garbage behind us.  It is the walking away from what no longer serves and those who do not have our best interests at heart.

             Here’s the rest of our message, in the form of this most validating guide.

“Mira Bai

The Saint Of True Freedom

‘Love is what sets me free.

I am married to my own soul.’

Who She Is:

Mira Bai embodies a love which lets us do what is right for our own lives no matter what others might think.  Mira Bai, or Meera, is a bhakti poet and mystic from Rajasthan, India.  She was born in the late 15th century and unwillingly married off to a crown prince of Mewar.  She always considered Krishna her true husband.

Legends say that her husband’s family tried to kill her several times for defying the social customs and expectations of a wife.  But in each of the stories her love for Krishna would miraculously save her.

When Your Soul Selects Her Card:

Often, without even realizing it, we make choices based on external expectations, on how we think other people will perceive our actions.  Mira Bai is about doing what’s right for ourselves, and no one else.

Ultimately only we can know what needs to be done or said.  She is about standing up for what we know is right for us even if others will judge us for it.

Love isn’t bound by the law of any idea of what’s socially acceptable.  Love is what what sets us free from the expectations which bind us.  Love, in whatever way it finds us, ask us to stay loyal to our own soul.

Soul-Voice Meditation:

What holds me back from expressing my truth?

Intention:

Love is what sets me free.

I am married to my own soul.”

Today’s Deck:

Divine Feminine Oracle by Meggan Watterson and Lisbeth Cheever-Gessaman

Today’s Gratitude:

is for our public library system.  I’ve gone on and on here over the years about how wonderful my own local branch is (award-winning!).  But I’ve been away from it lately, due to …. life.  We went tonight, and it was such a joy.  Simply an enormous pleasure, in a challenging world.

 

 

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Selection Strength

             We haven’t spoke in a while about our soul blueprints, our spirit charts.  This was brought to my attention a few days ago.

                          The reason we come here is to learn, we have set out on this adventure with lessons in mind.  As we prepare ourselves to embody, to put on our school clothes of this physical form, we are working towards soul evolution.

             In this process, we assign ourselves pretty challenging tasks.  (We basically sign up for all Advanced classes.)  But here’s the thing about this entire situation.  WE are responsible.

             So, if at any point during our lifetime here, we feel it is necessary to alter that contract, we can.  This is our message, this is our reminder from the Universe:

Free Will

             All of the movement, all of the action/non-action, all of the decisions are up to us.  Of course there is the Free Will of others, and the parts we have no control over.  Which is exactly why we’ve built in our Exit Points and our Contract Modifications.

             We wrote it.  We can change it.  We can make our story different.

             Here is our validation, and our guide to finding out more.  By following her example, we are better able to see where changes need to be made, or what may be left as is, for further exploration.

“St Teresa of Avila

Our Lady Of The Interior

‘I trust the answers I find within me.

I know that the presence of love is real.’

Who She Is:

With passion and conviction, Teresa of Avila connects us to the love and truth available to us whenever we turn inward.  Saint Teresa was born in Avila, Spain in 1515.  As an adolescent she experienced many illnesses and was confined to bed, which allowed her to begin to explore her own thoughts.  She read every books she could find on spiritual exploration and contemplative prayer.  By the time she was a young adult she knew she wanted to dedicate her life to the interior world.

She entered a Carmelite convent in Avila in 1535.  She went on to increase the emphasis on contemplative prayer and eventually reformed the order, which was later joined by Saint Joan of the Cross.  Over the course of her life, she founded 17 convents throughout Spain.

… she wrote many books, including The Interior Castle, which charts the ascent of the soul.

Ultimately Saint Teresa wrote in the hope of assisting sisters in the convent to also reach the innermost castle …

Her own personal spiritual experiences are at the root of her instruction.  The inner journey was so significant to her because she believed that her god didn’t care about the magnitude of anything we do – but rather the amount of love with which we do it.

Pope Paul VI named Saint Teresa a doctor of the church in 1970.  Her spiritual writings are considered integral to the Spanish Renaissance and to the history of christian mysticism.

When Your Soul Selects Her Card:

Saint Teresa is a call for the importance of the interior life.  She knew intimately about the spiritual wealth we all possess and have access to if we are willing to go inward.

She not only emphasized the need to meditate and to pray in order to reach that innermost castle where the soul waits for us, but she also instructed the sisters of her convent on how to discern the presence of the soul, or of a saint, or of a holy person which is giving us wisdom from within.

She urges us to quietly go inward and meet with the presence of the soul.  And then she asks for us to believe that it is real, that the answers we find are real.

She asks us to move that inner truth out into the world with confidence and conviction.

Soul-Voice Meditation:

What does love feel like in my body?

Intention:

I trust the answers I find within me.

I know that the presence of love is real.”

Today’s Deck:

The Divine Feminine by Meggan Watterson and Lisbeth Cheever-Gessaman

Today’s Sharing:

is just to say that, we know there are phone apps for everything right now, usually shit we don’t need, but there are also really cool metaphysical offerings, both free and otherwise.  If you haven’t poked around and looked at them lately, I encourage you to.   I don’t recommend any, just use your intuition.

 

 

 

 

 

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Drawing on Serenity

             Our focus has most certainly been on messages of Acceptance lately.  Which moves smoothly in to Release and Letting Go.

             (And by “smoothly” I obviously mean: dragged kicking and screaming.)

             Here’s the thing about Life Lessons, they are so rarely clear, so rarely apparent to see or understand.   It’s our job to filter out the background garbage and unearth the learning opportunity.

             This can be so challenging.  And yet, once we do find it, once we do catch it in our sights….. it’s FABULOUS!  We simply need to use our tools, and make the discovery.  It’s not complicated, but it’s also not always easy.

             Here’s what I’m hearing,

Amongst the Chaos, there is Tranquility.

             We have the power to find it.  We have the strength to locate it, and hold it close.  It is our healing, our respite.  It is the balm our frazzled soul requires.

             The Universe is telling us to utilize our Quiet Moments, to MAKE the time to replenish our emptiness.  (Remember, if you can’t get out of town or even be alone, step away for just a few deep breaths.  We can all do at least that much.)

             What I noticed when we took off for the falls last week was that the recharge I received kept me going.  I could truly draw on that time, that energy, when I was feeling run-down or worn-out.  (And we were really only gone for the afternoon!)

             As I sat down to make notes on this post, I was drawn to a different set of cards (even though I had thought we’d continue with more of The Divine Feminine Oracle).  Here is our validation, here is where we can gather what we need for finding our peace.

“Chrysoprase  ~

compassion, love, fertility, truth uplifting

Chrysoprase helps open the heart centre and allows you to feel the presence of divine unconditional love.

You are entering into a fertile period which will enable you to creatively express your true nature in a loving and compassionate way.  Through this you will give birth to new ideas which reflect and align with your true essence.

All you would love to create, manifest, and achieve is now possible, provided you remain true to yourself.  Listen to what your heart is saying; be guided by your intuition and you will create the success and fulfillment you so rightly deserve.

Many wondrous experiences are in store for you.” 

Today’s Deck:

Crystal Oracle by Toni Carmine Salerno

Today’s Sharing:

is this picture I took with my phone.

Florence, Oregon. Where I spent the afternoon, becoming 57.

 

 

 

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Of Significance and Substance

             It’s been tumultuous recently, personally and politically and globally, even in our weather.  I’ve heard that on a planetary level, we’re transitioning.  We are in an evolutionary phase, this time unlike any before.

            Evolution and education are not fast.  They are not a quick turn-around, like drive up food.  We need to understand that so much of what we’re all going through is a process, the journey.

             To see beyond the chaos, and into a calmer future can be so difficult.  We get caught up in our fear, in our emotions.  We question the purpose and the reasoning.  We question ourselves.

             What I’ve been hearing this week has to do with our value, and our part in the bigger picture.  We worry that we aren’t enough, that we don’t have what it takes.  We become concerned that we can’t help, that we can’t make a difference.

             The Universe is reminding us that there is a plan.  That there is intention and meaning .  That there is hope.  And above all else:

we are worthy!

             We are exactly who can help.  We have feelings because we care.  Yes, it totally WILL get better.  Yes, changes are sometimes painful.

             But now, if we breathe calmly, if we stop the panic, we’ll be able to see our solution.   We’ll be able to see beyond.

             We’ll be MORE than ready to lend a hand.  We can be right where we need to be to do the most good.

             First though, we have to accept the process, and accept our part in it.  We are incredibly powerful, we simply don’t always remember that.

             Look at this story about a young woman who utilized what she had, and made a huge difference.  Listen within, it will all make sense.  It always does.

“Queen Esther

The Morning Star

‘My ego is in service to my soul.

And I trust my soul’s divine timing.’

Who She Is:

Esther represents the powerful combination of feminine intuition and divine timing.  She was a Hebrew orphan born with the name Hadassah.  Raised by her cousin Mordecai, she lived with the Jewish community in exile in Persia during the 5th century B.C.E.

Mordecai became aware of a plot against the Jewish people created by the king’s chief minister, Haman.  Using her brilliance and her intuition, Esther came up with a plan to save her cousin and her people.

Her beauty had caught the attention of the king, so the next time his current wife refused to come see him when he called for her, Esther seized the moment and the king chose her to be his next bride.

Then Esther didn’t wait for the king to call for her; she prepared a large banquet and called for him.  Later, she revealed who she was and where she was from, that she was a Jew and that Haman had plotted to kill her people.

The book of Esther in the Torah is read twice outloud, once in the morning and in the evening during the festival of Purim to celebrate the memory of Esther’s brave actions.  Her name is derived from the word meaning ‘bright star’ or ‘morning and evening star.’

This is the name she grew into when she courageously trusted her intuition and used its divine timing to save her people.

When Your Soul Selects Her Card:

The ego has a timetable that the soul couldn’t care less about.  When we are feeling stressed or threatened in some way, fear can be exceptionally loud and can inform the ego to work overtime in trying to get something accomplished or to manipulate something to happen.

The natural flow of energy that’s always at work behind the scenes, the Universe’s capacity to assist us, then gets blocked.

When we are in service of love, we are following the dictates of our soul.  And when the ego is in service of the soul, divine timing ensues.

Esther mastered this art.  Even under extreme duress, she listened wisely to her soul.  She became a queen by letting her love for her people inform her feminine intuitive powers.

This is her imperative: trust that everything is aligning in divine timing; trust your soul-voice.

Soul-Voice Meditation:

What do I intuitively know will happen in divine timing for me?

Intention:

My ego is in service of my soul.

And I trust my soul’s divine timing.”

Today’s Deck:

The Divine Feminine Oracle by Meggan Watterson and Lisbeth Cheever-Gessaman

Today’s Sharing:

We went to Salt Creek Falls for our anniversary today.

I can feel the mist on my face, the wind on my skin. I can feel the power in where I am standing.

             We’ve done the math, it’s 36 years married, nearly 38 together.  Neither one of us is quite sure what to do with those numbers.

             Instead of worrying about it, we just released it.  We took our time, relaxed, enjoyed the view, wandered, had a snack, chatted, and laughed.

             We sometimes don’t realize how much we need trips like this.  For us, it was just an easy day, an hour from the house, but it made all the difference.

 

 

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