Friday, June 14, 2013

6/15/13-6/16/13—Enjoying Your Weekend

Weekend Reading: Time for Play, Reward and Make a Wish from Tierney's FABULOUS Oracle. Well, that's a pretty clear message, isn't it? You can't get a better weekend reading than that. Enjoy!

Thursday, June 13, 2013

6/14/13—Reaching a Resolution

Today's Draw: Pay attention to Your Dreams, Look Inward and Transform and/or Adapt from Tierney's FABULOUS Homemade Oracle in the Resolution position from Tierney's FABULOUS Deck of 1000 Spreads. Have a situation that needs resolving? What have you tried so far? Are you waiting for someone or something other than yourself to resolve it?

I'm not sure if I could have come up with three more appropriate suggestions on my own for how to resolve issues than the three I chose from my oracle today. Each has its own nuance and/or hidden wisdom to share. So if there's a situation you're hoping to resolve, whether it requires a decision, an action or a new idea, try at least one of the following three. 

Pay Attention to Your Dreams. And not just your nighttime dreams, but your daydreams, too. Day or night, there's nothing silly about dreams, nothing to dismiss. If you write your dreams down, then substitute symbolic meanings for the symbols in your dreams, it often makes a very cohesive and revealing statement about what's going on in your subconscious. You can find dream dictionaries online, in books or even in apps. I went looking for my favorite, but it doesn't seem to be in print anymore. You'd be surprised at how a silly dream about being chased by gophers can reveal insights into your current issues. As for daydreams, they're not just things you wish would happen, but never do. They're doable. And they also often reveal the direction the soul is trying to point you into. So don't poo poo them anymore, They could be the resolution you're looking for. 

Look Inward. Personally I believe that we have all the answers we'll ever need inside us. So a few moments of silence and asking within can often provide a viable resolution. Sometimes the answer doesn't come right away, but spend the time anyway. Then just don't think about it for a while. You may find the answer pops into your head when it's the last thing on your mind. I know I get a LOT of good stuff when I'm in the shower. Or when I'm driving somewhere. Ideas will just come to me spontaneously. That little bit of taking me out of my normal thing sparks ideas. But there's also a deeper thing here. Our actions, whether it be a single action or a compilation of actions over the years, generally get us into the situation we're in. We may not want to see it that way, but it's how it is. So ask yourself why you brought yourself to this place/situation. What is this situation trying to tell you about yourself and what needs to change? Even if, say, you've got a mean husband and are trying to figure out how to leave him...what is it inside you that accepted that at one time and married this man in the first place. Often the way to resolve the problem is in fixing that part of you. The husband is only there to help you shine a light on it. 

Transform/Adapt. This is a really good one. Personally I can say I'm guilty of "either this situation changes or I'm out of here" thinking. Someone once approached me about an issue they were having in their relationship. They wanted to know whether they should leave. So I threw down some cards and the cards didn't say "leave" or "stay". Instead, they said "you will make a decision that leads to greater stability and happiness." So my advice to them was to make a decision. Either you leave and be done with it. Or you stay and change the way you see it. Either path is the road to greater happiness. What I'm getting at is that the answer is not always cut and dried. And there's not just one way to happiness. We often forget that, whether our partner changes or not, we can create change in the relationship simply by changing the way we respond to it or the way we see it. We get all caught up in wanting to be right and wanting the other person to change that we forget that the only variable we have control over is ourselves. So either we find a mindset that allows us to stay. Or we leave. Those are the only two paths to happiness you have control over. But keeping things the way they are will only keep things the way they are. 

I can't say for certain, but I think one of those three things, if not all three combined, can help you resolve any situation. They're certainly a lot better than avoidance and hiding. :) Of course they do require you to take responsibility for the situation and do something about it. But if you keep waiting for it to resolve itself, you could be waiting a long time. 

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

6/13/13—Getting Good News Today








Tuesday, June 11, 2013

6/12/13—Making a Solid Plan









In what area of your life might you be avoiding doing "the work" or otherwise not making progress? And what kind of damage might it be your health, relationships, spirit or otherwise? What, if anything, stands between you and a solid plan? 

Monday, June 10, 2013

6/11/13—Making Love Your Crowning Influence

Today's Draw: King of Cups in the Crowning Influences position from the Art of Life Tarot and the Deck of 1000 Spreads. Do you find yourself choosing things over love? Could you be making more choices that lead to love than you're making now? What is the crowning influence in your life?

After about 1000 Daily Draw posts, I consider myself an expert on the one-card draw. And the Art of Life is my absolutely favorite one-card draw deck. I think part of it is because it's a non-traditional deck, part of it is the quotes (I'm a word person, after all) and part of it is the very interesting way it has of making me think. 

Crowning Influences are influences we're usually aware of that come to bear on whatever situation we're reading about. They're usually pretty major influences. And obvious ones, too. But sometimes the thing that is most obvious is the thing we tend to discount. 

This painting is a self portrait of Paul Gauguin. I did a quick Wikipedia read on him to find that, just before cutting his ear off, Van Gogh came at Gauguin with a razor blade. That's kind of interesting. He attacked Gauguin and then ran off to a brothel and cut his ear. 

Gauguin's art was not respected in his day, but he became quite famous after his death (a lifestyle blend of syphilis, alcohol and morphine did him in at 54). He ultimately inspired an entire generation of artists, including Van Gogh, Matisse and Picasso, and styles including cubism and even the American Arts and Crafts movement. 

All of that is beside the point, however. I just thought it was interesting. :D The real point, the crowing point, is that it is better to be loved than rich or powerful. One thing that I think surprised many people when my brother died, was how many people cared about him. His funeral was standing room only. Hundreds of people showed up to pay their respects. There were teams of boys he coached, their families, the people he worked with, neighbors...I don't think anyone ever knows how many lives they touch. I don't think my brother knew. He wasn't rich. He wasn't always strong. But like the King of Cups, he was loved. 

Think of yourself and those around you. Do you live your days to give and receive love? Or do live it to keep the hamster wheel moving forward? You can do both, I suppose. Being self employed, I'm in a good position to stop in the middle of the day and check in on my dogs. Have one of my Kizzie snuggles. He gives the best snuggles. 

Though, while I'm getting better at it in my later years, I have to say I focus on the money and "standing" to the detriment of self love and love of others. We think we'll always have time to get around to love, but "this project" has a deadline of now. So "this project" is what gets the attention. And so on. And we never get around to love. What is probably God's highest priority for us is the priority we place after all others. How screwed up is that? And how well is that working for our happiness?

Like my brother, I don't think any of us realize how many people out there count on/hope for/cherish our love and acceptance. If you feel like you don't receive nearly as much love as you might like, consider everyone else feels the same way. The best way I know to receive love is to give it. It's usually so appreciated that it's returned. Sure, there are some incapable of receiving and returning. But give it anyway. It may not come back from them, but it will come back. 

Money, power, fame...all of that feels good in the moment, but the feeling fades. However, the memory of being loved is one of those things that pops up while you're sitting in traffic, while you're grabbing a never leaves your side. It lives beyond the moment and, as I've observed with my brother's family, lives on long after you die. So keep that in mind next time you have a choice between work and family...prestige and pets. We all have to earn a living. But that's not why we're here. Love should always be the crowning influence in our lives.

Sunday, June 9, 2013

6/10/13—Creating Responsibility For Your Life

Today's Draw: Magician from the Dream Raven Tarot in the What to Take From The Past position from the Deck of 1000 Spreads. If you created your life, why do you suppose you made the choices you've made? Do you see them as choice or as the whims of a chaotic universe? Are you ready to take responsibility for who and what you are?

The Dream Raven is a deck I had been anticipating for quite some time and it doesn't disappoint. The colors are just gorgeous and the quality is typical Schiffer, which is darned good. I know Beth wasn't thinking of my Deck of 1000 Spreads when she drew this deck, but the colors work together quite well. 

Anyway, the Magician is all about creation and manifestation...the part of life you create. And by "part of life you create", I mean all of your life. Are there aspects of your life highly influenced by others? Yes. And no-ish. Because we choose how to respond and what to absorb. There are things that happen in childhood that can scar us. But each day we have the option of whether or not to heal those scars. 

I'm going to guess that most of the people reading this blog are established adults, aged 30 or over. So we're all grown up enough to decide who we are and who we want to be. We're mature enough to understand that if someone hurts our feelings that we're choosing to hurt over choosing to understand their words are about a pain inside of them and have nothing to do with us. In this way, we create every response, attitude, point of view, belief, etc. in our lives.

Further, we choose who enters our lives and who doesn't. We choose them by the attitudes, beliefs, points of view, etc, we choose to have in our lives. These people mirror things back to us that we've chosen, good and bad. If we choose to be easily hurt, we'll choose people who will hurt us. If we choose to live with loose boundaries, we'll attract people who will overstep them. And if we choose to heal our egos, we'll meet respectful people. Because disrespectful people won't even be an option to us.

Some believe we choose the human we're going to inhabit before we even come to this earth. So if you believe that, then you also have to believe that you chose the circumstances that would come along throughout your life, including your body, your family and all those childhood scars. 

In every second of every day, we're making choices that impact what we will create. And not just the bad things, either. You created the good, too. So think of a situation or circumstance in your life today. If it's something you're unhappy with, see how you chose it and figure out why. And if it's something you're happy about, give yourself credit for all the choices you made to manifest that in your life.