Happy Solstice!

A wonderful and magical solstice to you and yours!  I decided this morning to go ahead and pull a few cards.  Not for me this time but for any and all that happen to stumble on the blog during the day.  This is information for all of you.  Normally I would do a video of something like this but since I don’t have a working video camera right now this is the next best thing!

The focus for the reading is this Winter Solstice and what we need to know and learn from it.

I drew three cards from the Faeries Oracle.

Though this reading appears to be a bit dire at first it actually is not at all.  The Fey, indeed, have something to remind and tell all of us today.

Read on!

1. Gawtcha! — Gawtcha talks about surprises, usually unpleasant ones, that wake us up and make us pay attention to something we haven’t been doing a good job of paying attention towards.  Now, Gawtcha is not always unpleasant.  However, he always comes up when there is a breakdown/breakthrough of old ways which need to be discarded to make room for new ways.  Sound familiar to anyone?  It’s the ah-hah moment of “Oh, the world is NOT going to end.  Now what?”  It’s also the energy of “It’s not going to end but it is, most definitely, going to CHANGE.  Didn’t see that one coming did you?”

Old ways will be breaking down and the more individuals as well as groups continue to try and operate within the old structures and habits of doing things, the more difficulty they will have as time moves forward.

2. Laiste, Moon’s Daughter — Laiste is the keeper of spiritual riddles.  There is a reason she looks like a sphinx and this is it!  Her language is the meaning behind symbols of dreams and visions.  She pops here to remind us that this time is a high time of psychic abilities, hunches and seemingly synchronistic events.  It is a time to listen to that deeper language of psychic symbols, to see how it is playing itself out at the end of this cycle.  One of the things I heard while looking over this reading and Laiste in particular was, “There are larger things occurring right now which are transpiring out of the realm of normal day-to-day human perception.  The way to get in touch with those things is not the language of Man.  It is through the language of the Soul and the Heart.”

3. Death — Well, there you go.  I mean, come on, does it need to get any clearer?  I think I’ll just transcribe out of the book.  The words there say it all anyway.  “Something has reached a natural ending, and there is substantial and irevocable change in the works…  It may be timely and natural but there is much resistance to it.”  See what I mean?  I and others have said for some time that this Solstice is the end of a very large and long cycle.  It is not happening overnight.  It simply begins now.

We are moving, today, into another way of being, some would say a better way of being and others would simply say a different way of being.  The bottom line is there is a shift occuring and, for some, it might really feel like the end of the world and a death.  It is happening and will be happening all around us.

The question you have to decide for yourself is what language you will be choosing to listen to over the coming months and years?  It’s quite possible the changes will be small and quiet much like they have been for the past year or so.  I believe the right answer, the right language, is that of the soul and the heart.  It will show us the way.  Personally, I think that twenty years from now we will look back on this day and  nod knowingly.

Just remember, it all began here.  Right here.  Right now.  Today.

Peace and blessings to all of you on this most magical and happy Winter Solstice Day

 

Winter Reflections

It’s been a little over a month since my last post.  My absence was not on purpose.  As I’ve stated before, the last quarter of this year has been nothing but dealing with the miraculous manifestations of approximately ten years of work.  It makes for a VERY busy time!

As we look at the last few days before the supposed end of the world, I wanted to get on here and post some of my thoughts before it was too late.   You see, I don’t really believe we are headed for the ending of the world.  Far from it actually.  No, I believe we are headed for the exact opposite.  This coming Friday on the 21st I’m pretty sure we will, instead, be looking at the Beginning of the world, not it’s end.

Some of this was confirmed during the New Moon of December which took place on the 13th.  I enjoy watching and interacting with the moon phases and it dawned on me a few days before the 13th that this would be the LAST new moon before the end of the Mayan Calender.  It was the last time to plant seeds before the old cycle came to a close.  A time to plant things in the spiritual ground to be warmed by the FIRST full moon of the new cycle which, if you’ll notice, takes place on the 28th, exactly one week from the ending of the Mayan calender, the 21st.  (Those Mayans, they’re clever!)

I spent some time in meditation on all of this and watching for a sign.  During one meditation I was struck with the feeling that all the ways of doing things which had become the norm over the past 3000 years would be coming to an end.  Those focusing on the ego, on themselves, would slowly find themselves with less and less power.  There would be numerous shake-ups over this but slowly progress would inch forward.

As I walked to work on the New Moon I journeyed down my usual downtown path.  I was thinking about all of this when, out of nowhere, a red-tailed hawk flew directly over me, coming no more than ten feet away.  He landed on a nearby limb, stopped to look at me for several long minutes and then spread his wings and flew directly over me again, zipping off between trees and buildings.  Hawks being the messenger of spiritual information, I considered it a very serious confirmation.

This morning I did a Wildwood card reading, a small three card reading whose focus was on the last few days of this week as we head towards the 21st.  What I drew follows.  (Notice all the cards are Major Arcana.)

1. The Hooded Man – (The Hermit)
2. The Archer – (The Chariot)
3. The Wheel – (Wheel of Fortune)

(I’ll hopefully get some card images up this evening.)

I took the Hooded Man to mean reflection and retreat in the last few days before the 21st.  Solitude, meditation and spiritual rest.  It was a time to reflect on what has passed and, in the quiet dark period of deep winter, really grasp what I need to be working towards, what we all need to be working towards.

The Archer is the Chariot in disguise.  In particular, it speaks of focus and intent.  Aim your arrows carefully and with great skill.  I also had the thought that one of the blessings of an Archer is to fire his weapon amidst great chaos.  He/she has to have the ability to gauge all the different factors like wind, distance, terrain,movement of target all while either a.) other hunters move around him or b.) the chaos of a battlefield.  You have to pick your targets very carefully and aim with great skill.  This applies to the coming times.  What is it that I (or even you) want to focus on?

The Wheel tells us everything we already know.  I consider it a simple confirmation.  The Wheel is in fact turning and transition/change WILL be happening.  What do we want to do about it?  How do we want to deal with it?  Well, you have to see the previous two cards for the answers.  This card just gives us notice that, quite possibly, the 21st will be the largest New Year’s ever.  Change is coming.  I believe that change is for the better.

As long as we all don’t disappear in a puff of smoke or have to deal with some sort of apocalypse it is MY intent and focus to begin posting here much more often and with regularity.  You’ll start seeming some subtle changes here on the blog and, if I can get a working camera, you’ll see some more vids on the Youtube channel.  I have a lot to write about and to share so it’s my job to figure out how to make room for it all!

In the final days of the end of a 3,000 year old calendar I wish you all the very best.  I also wish you clarity of focus and peaceful meditation as the Wheel turns.

First Introductions

I finally got a chance to take a long walk down into the valley behind our house.  It’s private land which only a handful of people have access to and I was looking forward to see what it would look like down there with minimum human impact.  Once down at creek level I was not surprised to see the trail I was following turn into a narrow game trail.  What I was surprised to see was how quickly the trail disintegrated  became choked and, at times, a narrow tunnel through high brambles.  It was obvious no one had been on these trails in at least a year, possibly longer.  Fortunately, I knew how to recognize even faint game trails so I did what I could to stick to them.  Several times I had to crawl through on hands and knees gathering thorn scratches along the way.  Every time I came out the other side, it was worth it.  Several small meadows, groves of sycamore trees or a new, delightful bend in the creek greeted me every time I stood back up to take in my surroundings.

I equate the energetic and spiritual health of an environment by it’s wildlife.  Flocks of chickadee, titmice, robins and cardinals were everywhere.  Tracks of deer, raccoon, and other game animals dominated the muddy creekside areas.  As another note, the songbirds had no fear of me.  Several flew within only a few feet of me and landed, inspecting me and then either hanging around or flying off.  I even thought one was going to land on my staff as he flew right up to me, hovered and then banked away.

The land opened up a bit as I moved down the valley. giving me easier walking and turned into what must have been an old road from the 30′s, 40′s or earlier.   It was a expanse perhaps 30 feet wide or so, flat.  A long narrow meadow dominated with grasses, a few late blooming wildflowers and tall weeds reaching for the blue sky.  I finally stopped when I came across an old treefall which literally blocked my path across the old road.  I felt an energetic barrier there and something which said, “You’ve come far enough for now.”

I stopped and gave my respect to the directions, gave my gratitude for being allowed into this place and getting the chance for it become part of my life.  As I paid my respect to the directions the still air began to move and my favorite sign, a telltale fast breeze, quickly played over the area.  I settled myself and grounded.  Settling into place in nature is something I explain as “settling into the water.”  For me, it feels like slowly settling into warm water with a grounding weight on your feet and with none of that pesky drowning stimulus.  It’s a decent explanation of the feeling of sinking into the natural energy of a place.  I can feel the energy ripples, once unsettled by my arrival and presence, slowly settle back to normal around me and eventually up and over me.  If I sit perfectly still, I’m forgotten about and Nature goes back to her business.  I did this at the treefall and information began to come in.

I had been told that spirits of older settlers still wandered this valley.  I reached out and felt that, indeed, this is the case. They were quite few but I could sense them, like faded small blips on a radar screen.  What became more apparent was that this valley was incredibly active on a spiritual level.  Elementals seemed everywhere and they also appeared to care very little about my presence.  I asked if I could dowse their exact locations or there center areas and was told a gently but firm, “No.  Not now.  Too early.”  They made it quite clear that although welcome I was still a new visitor.  Exploration was fine.  Prodding about the place too directly was not.  For example, if upon being invited into a neighbor’s house would you suddenly go prodding about their bedrooms and closets?

I was quite content to simply sit there and soak it all in.  I’m not sure how long I was there but when I was done, I was done.  I just knew it was time to go back home.  I walked and crawled back up the valley, pulling burs out of my clothes and thorns out of my muddy hands.  Once up the steep ridge-side and cursing my lack of endurance training, I walked into my back yard and towards my back porch.  I was tired but I was happy, deeply happy.  I had one final surprise waiting as I climbed up the stairs to the back of the house.

A male wren landed next to me, hopped once and flew away.

When I try to explain what magic is to me, I have to explain moments like this one.  They are not simply one off events or miracles.  I could have started this whole post with, “I saw a male wren today,” but it would not have the same effect.  It is a slow accumulation of information and data which can stretch out over years.  An accumulation which is suddenly punctuated by an event that marks the whole arc like an exclamation point.

It is a communication and a connection to something larger to you, to something that does not speak in words and phrases but in a more subtle and deep language.  It speaks in the appearance of a bird or a cloud or a leaf or a bug.   One simple thing happens and it feels like a pat on a back, a handshake or simply being pointed towards a guidepost along your path.

For me, the wren was an assurance, an answer and an embrace all rolled into one.

 

 

Arrival and Acceptance

I guess the previous post made a few weeks ago was a bit premature!

As I mentioned we’ve been going through a move and unsettling and resettling and all that goes with it.  Things are finally beginning to slow down for us as October moves into the past and November gets underway.  It’s funny as I look back but it appears we somehow managed to pack a year’s worth of manifesting into about 45 days.

Time does funny things when you are in the middle of such an event.  I would swear to you that it was more like 3 to 5 months of non-stop activity.  So, finally, things are settling down and we are able to start really enjoying where we have come to land.

And where is that?  Well, it’s hard for me to express how happy I am about it.  It was one of those magical moments of synchronicity which became a tipping point for the past time frame I mentioned above.  We were thinking about moving over the summer but nothing was working out.  One place in particular had us so confused.  It seemed perfect but the cards I pulled for it said, “NO! NO! NO!”  So, I listened but was still so tied up over it I checked in with my mentor for a quick reading without telling her my results.  She confirmed my reading and told me, “Your moving soon but hang on.  When you are supposed to move you will KNOW it.”  She couldn’t have been more correct.  It is exactly what happened.

Down by the creek

To sum up, we’re in the country and we live right next to a huge acreage of woods.  The previous tenants (and landlord) did some amazing energy work out here.  I’ve never lived anywhere more peaceful.  The woods are full of protective energies and spirits.  (I know because they came up to say hello during Samhain this week!)  They’ve not been intrusive at all but instead seem to be the more mellow, gentle kind that are quite content to stay in the woods and NOT come traipsing through your house.  It’s been so nice and so peaceful here.  I’ve not had the time to do any real energy work around the land but I haven’t HAD to which has been a very nice change.

I started this post because I wanted to share with you what happened to me this morning.

One of the things I knew I was going to miss about moving was the local house wren who would come visit me on my back patio.  Being a bird of such important omen I had really come to like the little guy and his visits.  A little over a year ago, on the day I finally decided I would step forward into the public eye with my readings,  he appeared on my patio.  Not only did he do that but the porch door was open and he flew in and landed on the chair directly across from me.  I was so startled I barely had time to recognize what was happening before he hopped once to another chair and then flew back out the way he had come.  Over the year he would also help himself to some of the bread offerings I would leave outside on important days and events.  Even though I knew the move was the right one, I was sad I would have to say goodbye to him.

Male House Wren

About ten days ago, I was watching some of the local chickadees, titmice and a nuthatch feed from the feeder the previous residents had left behind.  I got to thinking about the wren and a thought entered my mind.  It just popped in.

“You will know you’ve finally arrived and are accepted here when you see your first wren.”

A few days after that I heard a wren off in the woods.

This morning, exactly at sunrise, I was out re-filling that same feeder.   I suddenly heard a tell-tale trilling and a small female wren zipped past me.  She landed on the remains of an old woodpile, pecked for something and then flew off again.  It seemed appropriate, given the energies here, that it would be a female.

It would appear, then, I have arrived.

More posts to come about this land I’ve found myself on and it’s energies as I have the time to do it.  There is a lot here we need to fix-up and put a bit of spit polish on.  There are errant piles of old belongings and things that need cleaning. It’s our hope, that in the time we are allowed to be here, that we can bring the land back to a more welcoming and sheltering place.  The foundation is there and incredibly strong.  It just needs spruced up a bit.

Also, more readings coming soon.  As time opens up a bit more I’ll be posting them here and do hope to get back onto the daily draw schedule.  We’ll see how it goes.

Thanks for hanging in there with me!  More to come soon!

 

 

Quick Status Note

Just a quick note —  We’re in the middle of our big move and I’ve been without internet for a few days.  That will hopefully be taken care of by the end of the week.  Until then I’ve found that waiting to take care of internet business at wireless hotspots is actually quite a bit more relaxing then having that same hub-bub at home.  I’ll have to think on it a bit more.  I could always write posts, have them prepared and then simply wait till I get to a hotspot to get them posted.

Regardless, things are going along nicely buy we are in a bit of a whirlwind.  The new place is very conducive to the things I talk about on this blog so I can’t wait to show you in the near future.  Good things are happening!

Hopefully be up and running by mid-week or so!

 

Daily Draw, October 9th 2012

Having to move fast this morning!  Yesterday’s draw was VERY weird and did not come to pass at all.  Yesterday’s was Coffin + Heart + Book.  Heart was the central event flanked by Coffin and Book.  Heart stands for romance, love, passion and relationships.  The cards on either side of it would indicate an ending to that passion via a communication or through knowledge learned.  Although the Heart was definitely present throughout the day yesterday, the other two cards made NO sense whatsoever.  If anyone has any other ideas, I’d love to learn from them!

Here is today’s draw…

House + Man + Heart

House + Man + Heart — Central theme or event is Man.  Could mean myself or a man that is involved with either the new house or the old.  There is a love or fondness there due to the heart.  That’s all I’ve got right now but I’ll meditate on it through the day and see what happens!

Onward!

Update — This one was all about me.  The day that did not involve work completely revolved around my home and my heart.  The cards would indicate it was a great day but I’m not sure I can agree in the classical “great day” sense.  The day was long, hard and frustrating but it revolved around important matters and the love I feel for them.  So, in that regard, the cards held true and gave me an important reminder when I needed it.

 

Daily Draw, October 7th 2012

Today, after the draw for yesterday, I’m asking for something more specific.  Instead of the word aspect I am using the word event.  What important event or situation should I know about today?

Cross + Bear + House

Cross + Bear + House —  Well, to me this is VERY straight forward.   Bear is the central card and indicates benificial power and protection.  Cross is about burden, possibly something unexpected or disastrous.  House is, well, house and home. I would like to think that this is talking about the sheer burden of packing, carrying and moving my house today which is, along with everything that goes with it, happening today (and the next few weekends.)  Hopefully, that is all it is and not something worse!  Since Bear is the central card for the day meaning a day of power, my gut is telling me that the Cross is not that bad.  One thing that stuck out to me is that the Bear is facing the cross and the path of the arrow suggests to me that the Bear’s power will take in whatever the Cross is related to and standing between it and the House.

Time to see how it all goes…

Onward!

Update — I really have to say I think I got this one with my definition of “the sheer burden of packing…”  No unexpected horrid news came my way on this day.  Instead, really, it was a VERY powerful day as we dealt with all the burdens in order to get ready for this move.  So many… boxes….  Maybe the Box card should be added to the Lenormand instead of the gloomy Cross.  It could mean, “carrying other people’s burdens.”  Just kidding, most of those boxes were filled with my stuff!