Storyteller Within

"Mouse. Mouse! It is not safe to go near Owl! It is dangerous!"
Mouse heard the chattered warning from the other woodland creatures as they crawled, slunk or flew away. Yet Mouse was not afraid.
Owl was the woodland storyteller, the ancient one who remembered the Whens and the In-the-beginnings. Mouse wanted to hear those stories again. Mouse wanted to become a storyteller herself. So she scampered up the stump carefully and quietly so as not to disturb the sleeping Owl and waited for the Storyteller to awaken.

There is a place deep within each of us where we ourselves become the teller of the tale of our being. Mouse awaits the awakening of the Storyteller to hear once again Owl's stories of the woods. What are Mouse's stories? What can awaken the Teller within her?

What do you think will happen when Owl awakens? What of your own internal storyteller? Is yours awake? What are the stories you tell?

Llama Stability

Animal Wisdom Tarot

Elements: Air and Earth

Qualities: Steady, Patient, Practical, Receptive, Balanced

Llama's messages:
Center your body, free your mind. Stand firmly and securely on Mother Earth. Climb slowly and carefully. Do not rush. Persevere when the going is difficult. Accomplishing dreams takes effort and hard work. Be aware of subtle changes in the atmosphere. You can adapt to any situation and manage any loads you are carrying. Focus on yourself. Priortize your personal growth and connection to spirit. Follow your heart rather than your ego.





As I shuffled and drew the card, my question was: What quality or qualities will I need in the coming week or two? I wanted to know what would serve me best and what I could count on to strengthen how I walked in the world.

For me, Fall is a time of new beginnings and renewed energies. The playful warmth of Summer draws to a close and the preparation for Winter propels a new kind of movement. In this busy environment, it's good to be reminded to slow down and focus on what's truly important, on what arises from my heart. Even though I have lived with the reality of my ability to adapt and to persevere, I often forget in the midst of activity.

I appreciate the stability of Llama showing up in my life. That no matter the rocky slope or the thin atmosphere, she is steady and sure-footed. She brings me back to the remembrance that at the core of my own stable being is the Divine undergirding my world, catching me as I slip and slide in my spiritual practice. I am grateful for the reminders.

How do you approach Fall? What is your sense of the season? How do you deal with the rocky slopes of life? What undergirds your sense of stability?

Time to be Grateful

At work the other day, I asked one of my co-workers about his toddler. He responded that he was worried about the child. As the conversation progressed, he described worries of the general kind: the current respiratory illness going around, the possibility of falls toddling around, ways to keep the child safe.

He said, "I must sound like a real goof with all my worries."
I chuckled and said, "Not at all. You sound like a normal parent. And this is just the beginning."
He responded, "I know! If I knew what I was signing up for, I don't know that I would have been so anxious to have a kid!"
We both laughed.

Another co-worker overheard part of the conversation and said, "We are living in the greatest times ever! We don't have to worry about being raped and pillaged on a regular basis."
I responded, "Maybe not you. Women still have to worry about rape."
Both co-workers agreed.

Later, as I thought about the conversation, I realized the second co-worker was correct with the first part of his statement at least: we do live in generally safe times. A book I recently read was describing the influenza epidemic of a century ago. Although I'd read about it in the past, it put the deaths of millions of people into a different perspective. Men who were apparently healthy left the house in the morning for work and dropped dead, or nearly so, on the street before they could return home that night. People were instructed to wear surgical masks when they went out. Many forgot. Public events were canceled. Then, when they thought the worst was over, the next wave came through. Imagine being a parent during those two or so years!

I'm grateful for the times in which we live. The truly negative side is the news putting too much focus on the negative and the deadly without adding perspective to it. Yet overall, our times are so much better and safer than the past that it's easy to forget to be thankful. I'd prefer not to forget.

How do you feel about our times? How do you deal with the discrepancies between those in different socio-economic standings? What is your biggest worry today?

Spider Teaching

After shopping, I returned home to find that a spider had made a web across my front door. I wouldn't have noticed it but for the movement of the spider itself in the center of the web. Wow! It was preparing for a big catch!

It's funny when Spider shows up in my life. I'm usually alone and often feeling stretched or stressed. It's as though Spider comes to tell me that I'm stronger than I think, that I'm creative and, strangely, that I am enough to take on anything!

Spider speaks to me clearly about creativity ~ in a way different from any other. My creativity comes from deep within me. It flows out of me when I need it. Sometimes it seems invisible to others. Sometimes I want it that way.

Spider speaks to me about fears. I have had a changeable fear of spiders. Sometimes I really want them somewhere other than around me; sometimes I give Spider a wide berth; sometimes I draw close enough to watch the web-builder at work. Even when my fear isn't at its strongest, it still exists as an apprehension, an avoidance. Spider provides the opportunity for me to face my fear, to re-evaluate its necessity or reasonableness. And from there, the chance to face other fears as well.

Every time I come face-to-face with Spider, I ask what Spider means to me now? Is it different in this moment? What do I need to know/learn? Why has Spider arrived now?

What enters your life repeatedly with a message? Is the message the same each time? or is it different? How do you feel about Spider? What message does Spider have for you?

Internal Noise

ML Monroe

It is a paradox that we encounter so much internal noise when we first try to sit in silence.

~ Gunilla Norris

Have you ever attempted to sit in silence? I have. More times than I can count over the years. Each time I start, the noise comes. It's as though my brain waits for me to sit in meditation before it opens the floodgates of internal dialogue. It often begins with lists of what I 'should' be doing: laundry, dishes, reading a book, writing.... it goes on and on. Sometimes it goes on to a discourse on why I should be doing ... whatever else. Then there are the conversations I begin to have with others: "Why didn't you clean out the litter box?" pops into my head with an image and the dialogue is off and running. I could go on and on and on with examples. 

I've decided to let the chatter slip into that space that becomes 'white noise' ~ it's not as loud or pressing there. I don't fight it. Sometimes, I say to the chatter, "Sit over there a while. I'll get back to you when I'm done." Occasionally, it even responds positively by doing what I ask. Then the next time I sit down, it might begin again.

The internal noise is like the bubbles rising to the surface on the water. Sometimes they're visible, they catch my attention. Sometimes I'm focused within the depths and don't notice them. Either way, I am okay with the thoughts and rumblings existing. It's all part of the journey of my life.

How do you treat the internal noise that comes when you attempt to sit in silence? How does it feel? Does it whisk your attention away? How do you feel about the noise?

The Eye of the Beholder

Colette Baron-Reid

From the guide:

Examine your perceptions. Do you see the world as perfect and beautiful? Can you retrace your steps from your past to now and see the perfection in the way reality has been created? Truly, perception is everything. The Eyes of Beauty remind you that if you move forward with conviction, all is well now and always will be. You will see true prosperity as a result. Expect to see beauty and you will attract prosperity as a result. Expect to see beauty and you will attract your highest good.

There's a commonly used phrase that "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." If that's as true as we claim, then everything is in the eye of the beholder ~ beauty, grace, joy; and, of course, their opposites. Our perception is the most significant decision-maker for us. We have choice as to how we see people or situations we encounter. 

The other day I saw a friend I hadn't seen for awhile. He was rubbing his eyes, his head down, his face looking solemn and kind of scrunched up. I said, "Tired?" He picked up his head, looked at me and said in a mock hurt tone, "Thanks. Do I look that bad?" I explained why I thought he was looking tired. His response was that it was allergies making him rub his eyes. The remainder of his appearance was part of the reaction to the allergen. 

What a lesson! What I'd intended as a comment of sympathy turned into a misconception. I realized that it was my interpretation of what I saw. That gave me the opportunity to re-evaluate how I see things, how I interpret what I see, and my choice in how I react.

What story do you have of your own misperception? How did you handle it? What did you learn from it?

Watching Like a Cat

In myth and lore, magic and mystery, Cat has nine lives, curiosity, independence, cleverness, unpredictability and healing, and is at home in the dark, often associated with fears. Cat helps people move through their fears efficiently.

The energy field of a cat rotates in a counterclockwise direction, the opposite of a human energy field, giving cats the ability to absorb and neutralize energy that affects humans in a negative way. This is part of cat's healing medicine.

I'm always fascinated by the poses my cats take. Lazing across a chair on a hot afternoon, this cat practically hangs his head over the edge of the chair, surveying his domain. He looks half asleep, but if anything moves, he's up and ready to pounce.

One of the qualities attributed to cats is patience. I've found that patience is and is not a cat trait. On the one hand, it often appears Cat can wait forever for something to move. On the other hand, if something moves elsewhere, Cat shifts focus to the new movement. Personally, this exhibits Cat's propensity for being in the Moment. "Well," Cat seems to conclude, "if there's no movement or life here, maybe the movement over there will be tasty." Yes, I also believe everything Cat does is related to its stomach.... Why else does it need to pounce?

How does that single-mindedness relate to me? I often find myself so completely focused on a thought or description or desire that nothing else matters. What I like about Cat's way is that when there is movement elsewhere, perhaps I would be better off with a refocus of my attention. Something new to practice while I laze around on a hot late summer afternoon!

What trait or traits do you see in Cat? Which draws your attention? How does that trait show up in your life? How can you practice it?