It's in the moments

 

Canning tomatoes today. The garden has been abundant this year. Last weekend corn to put up for winter days. tomatoes today.  I hope to find some Zen time in the repetitive work, instead of bemoan time.  It is tedious work, but still, it makes one appreciate the bounty of Mother Earth.

Elements of Recovery ~ Beverly King

Soft magic in a moment

 

This image evokes a deep sense of tranquil and it's contrasting energy a deep sense of restlessness. I have been ensnared in a trap of my own making; the desire to find the quiet silence of my center and the driving force of my basic nature to be on the go. Thus my inability to move. I have been telling myself that I am of a certain age and it's time to release myself of the trappings of others opinions, and a tiny voice in my head says "no that's not right."  I realize now, that insecurity has been the driving force in my life, most others, even myself, would never have guessed that.  I hope to find the soft magic of the place of acceptance of myself, just me. The me of me, like the tree, greeting each day as it comes.

Elements of Recovery 

Pocket full of rocks

 

This reminds me of tossing a rock into a pond and watching the ripple wave effect across the water. Even the tiniest of actions will cause an effect.  All good things must come to an end, but so too, must all bad things.  The movement in the water that began with a toss of a rock, or a word, ripples out until the wave action is complete.

Elements of Recovery

Hook, line, and sinker

 

Makes me think of the parable that Wayne Dyer gave one time. A gal walking down the sidewalk falls into a hole. (ouch) A few days later, she is walking the same path, and again falls into the hole. A few days later out for her walk she reminds herself about the hole in the sidewalk, and walking on falls into the hole.  Next time she is walking that same path again, she sees the hole ahead and steps aside and continues on her way. 

Elements of Recovery

Hidden in plain sight

 

There are things in our life that seemingly go unnoticed. Hidden in plain sight. We look so hard and so long for what may very well be right there in front of us. Not everything in life is difficult. 

Elements of Recovery

Take time and make time

 

Yesterday I attended a funeral for a 29 year old young man, who lost his way in drug addiction. I had met him several times over the years as I know his Mother and Aunt. I spent several hours there in quiet contemplation, just being present, supportive of a Mother lost in her sorrow.  I heard her say several times who were all these people? As I watched the visitors, I noticed many never took the time to visit the casket, mostly milling around joining conversations here and there.  It felt more like a high school reunion. All these people exclaiming how long it had been since they last saw each other.  I am guessing most attendees were local as the family as I know them, mostly never traveled very far from home. Wonder why it had been so long since they last visited, since each probably lives within a few miles of one another?  Enraptured with our own dramas we forget to make time for others. A few minutes here and there. Slow down, take time and make time. 

Elements of Recovery

Learned differences

 

Raised together this pup and raccoon have not realized that they are predator and prey.  They'll be raised as siblings, being joyful, comforting companions.  With these two, there will be an instinctive urge to chase and to retreat, but being raised in a nurturing environment they will ignore those promptings as a bonded pair.   There are some situations we should run like heck and escape and then there are others that are simply learned prejudices. 

Elements of Recovery ~ Beverly King

A little difference

 

I chafe against the Emporer's rule. Those seemingly old, ineffective patterns do not apply to me, well at least not all of them. Still, I can find safety and comfort within the walls of conformity; established parameters can help to guide me. The Grand Canyon is the granddaddy of all attractions, majestic, awesome, timeless, and yet over time it changes as all things and people do. The Emporer's guidelines as well change, imperceptibly, but change they must.

Majestic Earth Tarot

Self-care

 

"When fishermen cannot go to sea, they stay home and repair their nets" a proverb that recently I read and keep handy on my desk.  

Inactivity can be a time of self-reflection and self care or we can  become irritable and annoyed. I mentioned the other day of the space of not-doing that I seeming to be stuck in. I have always been a gal on the go. But there have been many a time that that gal on the go wished for quiet, uneventful days. We are or must become the 'Steward' of our own mindset.  We choose.

Majestic Earth Tarot

Nostalgia

 

I am pretty sure if I looked up and saw a face looking back at me from the clouds, I would definitely consider it a sign.  A sign of what would depend on my thoughts and emotions at the time.  The author of cards gives us 'Memories' so maybe a remembrance of childhood friends?  At some point in our lives most of us have spent time on our backs, cloud gazing. You can see all kinds of shapes of things and people in the their drifting motions. Puffy, fluffy clouds, what will I see if I took a few minutes?

Majestic Earth Tarot

Paradigm

 

Due to the fires out West we are viewing incredible sunrises and sunsets. The sky above ablaze in hues of pink and rose.  Awe inspiring, yes, but the beauty comes at a heavy cost. What will it take for us to begin to think of ways to combat Climate Change?  This Ace of Swords challenges to think of new ways to solve issues. Warnings are all for naught, if we don't take up the sword and figure out a solution. 

The Majestic Earth Tarot

Restriction

 

Recently I read a passage in a book that challenges us to ask, If I did not have this condition, this restriction, what would I be doing? What could I do? In asking, we just may discover why we have the curtailing ailment. 

Majestic Earth Tarot

No rhyme, no reason

 

I had one of the weirdest dreams I think I have ever had last night. No way have I ever experienced anything remotely like that, so I wonder how did my subconscious mind fabricate that? Within the dream there was a part of me that knew I was dreaming, and yet I could not shake myself awake. I finally shook myself out of it when I encountered a group of maybe fifty big hairy yetis. Vicious and destructive, I hid amongst a big pile of debris as they ran off into the distance, and yet I think two remained aware that I was hiding and were waiting to ambush me. At that point I told myself to wake up because I did not want to experience whatever they might do to me. I sat up for the longest time asking my higher-self what was that about? What message was I supposed to get? And how the heck did my mind come up with a murderous chase ending with a bigfoot encounter? Was it a 'Whisper of Fortune" Sometimes there is no rhyme or reason to what our mind frames and we just have to shake it off. Sometimes there is no answer.

Majestic Earth Tarot

Water

 

Water, essential. We are approximately Seventy percent water, so is our planet, Earth. Microcosm-Macrocosm.  The element of Water infuses life with hope. intimacy and healing.

I am emotionally enriched and healing does occur for me when I spend time at Ocean. This morning I have spent several hours there, at least in my heart and mind. Currently I have a disc playing with sounds of ocean waves. We are mostly a mix of Hydrogen and Oxygen. Ride the wave!

Majestic Earth Tarot

Another Winter's Day

 

The Ten of Swords, the most intimidating card in the Tarot, at least for me.  I drew multiple times, more than ten, in the months before a major trauma event. No matter the image depicted in any decks I envision myself laying out with the swords stuck long my back. An image I still cannot totally let go of.  And yet that is what I must. Those emotions, some buried some swirling continuously, old regrets intimidating me, shadowing my days.

Majestic Earth Tarot

Expansive sorrow

 

No doubt about it, things often go awry.  Out of control worry can make the most challenging situation even worse. 

Makes me think of my Father berating my sibs and me when we were children, upset and crying, "If you want something to cry about, I will give you something to cry about." 

Wishing or ignoring a thing away, does not make it better.

Majestic Earth Tarot

Compose

I have been over thinking this card.  Creature of Clouds in traditional tarot is represented as the Queen of Swords. First I became side-tracked by the sigil in left bottom of card, which the author gives us as  "Compose" which I searched for on the web with no luck. The rooks were really interesting in the artwork of "The Rooks Have Returned" - rooks usually return to their nesting and mating areas after the retreat of Winter. I remembered something about Rooks and the Tower of London, and oft I went in research of that recall.  The image on the card definitely opened doors for thought, which I suppose the Tarot is meant to do. My next thought is have I become entrenched in my remembered meanings about the cards? I hope not. I still recall  someone once saying to me, forget what the books tell you and go with the image.  My first thought with this card is "Winter is Coming" but this is clearly more about the retreat of Winter. Winter is all about hardships for me, I do not tolerate the cold very well and the bleak starkness of winter hinders my sight of the loveliness that also exists. The Queen of Swords has learned hardships through her life and remembers and uses that knowledge to keep her warm and safe in those days of lack, discomfort, and pain.

Majestic Earth Tarot
 

Continuum

 

"Omni fine initium novum" ~ In every ending there is a new beginning.  

The skull at the bottom of card, left after the receding flood, reminds me that though things may end, we still carry memories along with us. Our Soul, Our Spirit, is imprinted with all that has gone before. A tree that has fallen in the forest decays and feeds a sprouting seedling.  So to with us. I am part and parcel of my parents, and their parents. 

The Majestic Earth Tarot

Implausible? Maybe

 

Unlikely associations can challenge us to embark on a previously unconsidered actions. Go forth, do something, is all well and good until we find ourselves so far astray we wonder what the heck, what were we thinking, and where on earth am I at?  

Leo is a fixed fire sign with all kinds of  interesting, innovative ideas, starts to new adventures, but Leo likes to stay put and let others come to him for direction. Jupiter the planet of expansion helps us put some of those Leo ideas into action.  If someone comes to me with a wacky thought or proposal today, maybe I might just give it some consideration.

Majestic Earth Tarot

No easy answer

 

Some choices are just not as easy as we would hope they would be.  Advice from others won't necessarily be helpful, because they come from a place of their own personal platforms. I recently did a reading for myself, and swords and pentacles were predominant within the spread. The final card was the Two of Swords. Thought over Reality. We can get so caught up in what we think about that we forget the day-to-day things of life. 

Majestic Earth Tarot

Skylarking

 

Skylarking, I like this adjective. The author and designer of deck describes skylarking as an overlay of bravery and foolery. Lets say carolynfoolery to replace tomfoolery. The sigils at the bottom of card denote Uranus and Air, individuation of thought. Uranus prods us to release the old and embrace the new. Uranus encourages us to claim some of our glorious wildness. Did I ever have glorious wildness?  Now 'may be' the time to cast off the coat of conformity, toss it over the cliff and reach for something unpredictable.  Forget that 'may be', now is the time! Forget the "wisdom of the world" about taking life easy in these latter years. Time enough to seek and find. Enjoy and consider...

Majestic Earth Tarot (Storm and Wonder) J.D. Hildegard Hinkel ~   a lovely and interesting deck gifted by a lovely and interesting friend.

Shadowed corners

 

Sometimes we all drift off to those dark corners of our minds. No life, certainly not mine, is all sunshine and laughter. A misspoke word, a sleepless night, a sense of aloneness, any number of reasons can have us straying into the shadowed corners of our minds.  We can all succumb to a pity party; the thing is not to stay there. 

Its a rainy, stormy day today. Best to turn on all the lights, play some happy dance music, and remember, this too shall pass.

Wisdom of the Oracle ~ Colette Baron-Reid

Snappin my fingers and shuffling my feet

 

In two different instances this morning I was advised indirectly to get up and dance and now this card.  If the Universe tells you to dance, than dance is what you do.  On goes the music...

"There she was just a-walkin down the street, singin 'do wah diddy diddy dum diddy do..." Manfred Mann

Wisdom of the Oracle

No grasping

 

Sometimes you just gotta give yourself over to the moment. Fleeting whimsy. Don't over think it and just immerse yourself in the joy and laughter. Maybe you did everything right and this is your moment of celebration.  Maybe the moment is a fluke or a lucky occurrence. Whatever the form of delivery, just enjoy. 

The Wisdom of the Oracle

Tick-Tock

 

How many years since I learned to drive? The hands on this clock, placed near the 10 and 2 positions reminds me of the requirement to keep our hands in the 10-2 position on the steering wheel while driving. So many years ago. Things learned and forgotten, or tossed aside through the passage of days. Time keeps on slipping, slipping into the future.

"Time is the rate and duration of observable - and in physics, measurable action."  Such a dispassionate statement of time, which is so valuable to us. 

Last night I got really angry over a trivial point, at least in the March-of-Time, that now in the morning I realize, what the hey. I now ask myself why did I waste twenty-minutes of my peace of mind and time over basically nothing. Twenty-minutes gone in the continual tick-down of days. Time stops for nothing and no one. Tick-Tock.

The gift that keeps on giving

 

Kitty. Definitely a gift that keeps on giving.  Sometimes I think I would like to get a companion kitty for her, but no. When I adopted her, I was told she was a cat that would do best being the only animal in home. This morning at the front window she let a passing cat know in no uncertain terms that they were trespassing. Her warnings were quite vocal. I hope the kitty was just a neighbors that was out for a morning roam, and not lost in the fireworks fray. A recent reporting on the news mentioned, that many pets that were adopted during the pandemic are now being returned. So sad. People don't understand that they truly become family members, to the pet at least. 

Wisdom of the Oracle

Milk and Honey

 

Yesterday I was invited and joined a small group of others for a backyard bbq. The half of dozen people are those I have met before, mostly within a family that I have been given the opportunity to assist in several home purchases. Lately and also yesterday I keep hearing the expressing of negativity. The fear and anger that seems to be ever present in our world. To join the rant and fear mongering is easy, what is not so easy is to let that all go and enjoy the moment. Though our days are all not "Milk and Honey" they are what we make them. Fill them with the sweet or wallow in the misery, they are ours to fill and live as we choose to be.

Wisdom of the Oracle

Poised

 

It is a good day to set aside the troubles and turmoil and enjoy what you have and where you are. Get up and dance, celebrate. Celebrate yourself!  Happy Fourth of July

Wisdom of the Oracle ~ Colette Baron-Reid

On the other hand

 

Options. There are almost always options. Do this don't do that. Left - Right. On one hand...Decisions are almost never set in stone. Do something and if down the line it ends of up not being the right choice, then choose another option. Something may be learned along the way that can help you make a better choice if needed.

The Fountain Tarot

Uncomfortable

 

How completely uncomfortable. Do we really need to place ourselves in such a challenging position to achieve a better perspective?  Do we place ourselves in challenging situations to learn something new, or adjust our viewpoint?  I just had a thought!  Am I experiencing such difficulties with my legs, because of a need to change? Am I self-inflicting? I definitely see and experience life a bit differently from the hobbled, hesitant steps I take as I move through my days. Definitely something to ponder, and that it is essence of The Hanged Man.

The Fountain Tarot

Centered-self

 

Even Queens, who seemingly have "it all-together" have to work at it to make it look regal.  This Queen of Wands is the the queen of Summer. Take action and take it now. Get started. Do something. Still lots of days left in the year. To thine own-self be true.

The Fountain Tarot