Wednesday, August 26, 2015

The Page of Wands


The Labyrinth Tarot ~ Jack/Page of Wands
As I sat in the sultry air of my house this evening, I decided to draw three tarot cards. I felt a call to change up the overwhelm of the still, hot air. Each card had its own message ~ all three running together:
First, the Emperor representing the ability to take formless matter and give it shape, organization and structure.
Second was the Page of Wands: Beginning of a new journey, transformation, learning new ideas spiritually, finding the creative side within, responding to a new challenge and finding a new side of oneself.
The final card was the World which indicates completing a journey or a trial and being on the threshhold of another journey. It's about seeing the big picture and recognizing that one is a part of it, on the correct path.
The cards appeared to be an auspicious flow!

I was fascinated by the center card, the Page of Wands. It felt like the hinge, keeping the other two sections joined together, yet movable.

Generally, the Page of Wands indicates that things begun in the past, perhaps quite a while ago, are blossoming now. More than that, there continue to be new things (adventures, approaches to life, ideas) filled with creativity and inspiration. All imbued with positive energy. Something new is brewing ~ an experiment? an exciting new project? Or perhaps simply awe at the beauty and wonder of life all around.

The draw of this particular card was that it echoed something that's been playing at the edges of my vision for some time now: It's a time of change; a time of newness; a time of adventure. I love when a divination tool, such as the Tarot, speaks directly to the immediacy of my personal moment in time. This one brings with it clarity and a smile!

Do you ever use cards as a means of divination? How do you feel when the meaning of the card matches what's happening in your life? What do you do to stay positive in the midst of changes? How do you express your own creativity?

Sunday, August 23, 2015

Creative Spark Igniting



The Enchanted Map oracle cards by Colette Baron Reid



From the guide book:

You are a clear channel for Divine creativity.

There is a spark of creativity in you, and you have every reason to move forward with optimism and hope. Open yourself to inspiration and allow life to show you its beauty and your part in co-crating it. This is the perfect time to give birth to an idea, start a new relationship or job, or begin any endeavour. Attraction is high as you connect with others who can co-create joyous experiences and join with you in expressing the finer aspects of life. Watching a spark turn to a flame and stoking that fire is a gratifying activity.






In my journeys of the past two weeks, as I drew from this deck of 54 cards daily, this particular card showed up three times. I shuffled each time. My traveling companion also shuffled and drew cards. Still, on three different days, twice as a single draw and once as part of a patterned layout, Spark turned up. It was the only card that showed up 3x.

Significant? Certainly, to me. "There is a spark of creativity in you." The voice inside my head responded, "No duh." I write: in blogs, as a freelancer, in book reviews. I do crafts that I give as presents, use as exchanges for other work, or sell outright. I compose and tell stories online and in videos. All of these take creative energy.

Yet this card arrived in my hand three times. Why?

Maybe because even though I know these things, even though there is actual evidence that the creative spark glows within me, I deny it. Or I find ways to diminish or discount it.
"Anyone could do this."
"But her story is so much better!"
"There's nothing original about my work."
No need to go on ~ my creativity abounds in my denials!

As I return to work ~ and to the routines that bind me to that work, I plan to maintain the essence and the memory of that card: Spark. At times, it may feel overwhelming to remember ~ and I may forget for a while ~ the joy of creativity. I promise myself: I will remember!

How do you diminish your own creative spark? What is one joyous way you can help yourself remember it? If something shows up in your life 3x in fairly rapid succession, what do you think? how do you choose to respond to it? What is your next step on your creative path?

Saturday, August 1, 2015

Emotional Flow


Oracle of the Dragonfae by Lucy Cavendish




From the guide book:

"... From time to time, I have found my own sadness overflow, and it is at those times that I need to return to water, to commune with that element's wisdom until I am calmed, soothed, and refreshed. ... Know that simply by going to a body of water, this can be your bath, a lake, river, pond, puddle or even oceanic majesty, you will be soothed. ... Your life swirls and flows like water...keep moving too, to avoid stagnation in sadness. Sensitivity is yours for this lifetime, ...allow your sensitivity to flow,..."





After a healing session with a friend, I drew this card from the Oracle of the Dragonfae deck. The commentary, from Andelle's point of view, aligned well with the healing session. Sometimes I am, if not precisely sad, certainly out of kilter with my most centered, calm and productive self. At these times, I find myself drawn to bodies of water ~ from hot tubs and soaks in claw-footed bathtubs to Lakes Michigan, Trillium and Union to the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Sometimes even a walk in the rain is calming. Having always been sensitive, even to the point of empathetic, I have learned to use the water to assist in allowing for, as the card suggests, emotional flow.

Since recently returning from a trip to the Ocean, I feel more in that flow than before I left. I feel more awake to my own emotions, more aware of the subtlety of actions and reactions in others, more alive.

Much of what I do in my life involves supporting and listening to others. Setting personal boundaries and protecting myself from being emotionally hijacked by their lives, actions and stories, is vital to my own health and well-being. I am grateful for healing sessions with friends as well as for the diversity of divination decks that remind me of the importance of balance and flow.

What do you do to keep your emotional flow balanced? How do you recognize when you need to readjust yourself? How often do you need to realign? Is it a constant timeline (for example, every other month or daily) or is it fluid, triggered by specific or particular events? What assistance reminds you to be grateful?