Day 12 - Sacred Days - 31 Dec 2009

Day 12 ......... 31 December

12. New Year's Eve, Hogmanay - Dec 31st

This card shows us how to release the old and let in the new. This relates to both our external lives and our inner being

Fantastical Creatures Tarot ........ Three of Cups

And last but by no means least we come to the last card. And what a one to have. Woo hoo! How appropriate yet again. New Year's Eve and it's party central :D The three of cups is often a card of partying, of connecting to friends and loved ones ......... of having a few drinks, playtime, fun and laughter. And all these things apply. My friends are my family and support system. We drink together, have fun together, chat together, eat together, cry together and love one another.

But there is also another side to this card. The 3 is an aspect of the Empress, the archetypal mother of the deck. And being of water, denotes a very emotional mother. This obviously can denote a mother on the physical plane, but here I'm looking at it as the Inner Mother. She who knows best, who wants to protect and support but who, on her bad days, can also hinder and become the smother mother :D While she is in balance all is well and good ............. but learning that is the key. So perhaps some old behaviour patterns still needing to be released before more fun can be had. I'm rather looking forward to finding that out :D

Day 11 - Sacred Days - 30 Dec 2009

Day 11 ......... 30 December

11. Day of Rest: - Dec 30th

This card shows us how to walk our path in a relaxed and confident way....with the ability to deal with stressful situations in a philosophical, detached way.

Fantastical Creatures Tarot ........ Queen of Swords

Aha, and here she is ...... the High Priestess having fun :) ......... so I'm thinking with the imagery I need to get out into nature and for a dip at a spa or something LOL. This is the most wonderful card yet again for the positioning in the spread. Detached, philosophical ....... why these very words could have been conjured for a Queen of the mental realm :) The Queen is in command of her emotions and thoughts ....... indeed some may say she's a wee bit too logical ........ but unlike the King who is more action-based, the Queen is also of (and in pretty deep in this image) the water showing how in touch with her emotions she is, merging them with her thoughts. Logical yes, but intuitively so!

So how to apply this to the reality of my life? Take time out, rest physically and mentally. Find out where rejuvenates you, that's away from other people. Have your protective shield around you ........... cleanse often, with water will be beneficial. Meditate, commune with spirit, be in touch with nature and perhaps most importantly ......... allow your energy to flow freely, and use it to commicate from the heart.

What I find very interesting is one thing mentioned in the LWB *Use when you need a card to represent a formidable, strong-willed woman who has learned to cope with deep emotional loss*. The Queen of Swords very often gets a bad rap for coldness yet I've always associated her with someone who has either needed or undergone a lot of healing and who has a very soft heart ....... which one can find out only if one is worthy enough to get past her defences ;) And even though I would naturally be a Queen of Wands ........ I have always chosen the Swords Queen as my significator.

Affirmation for the Week

I've been wondering about fear lately. We all have had it, probably have some of it lurking right now as we go about our daily business ...... and I'm pretty sure we're all going to have some of it in the future! So in that case ........ I doubt it's really that possible to eliminate it completely ....... in which case it can be used to learn some of our biggest lessons!

Affirmation of the Week
(beginning Monday 8th February 2010)

"I EMBRACE COURAGE"

Fears can be of varying sizes ....... from little everyday fears and worries such as forgetting to buy a certain item that we really need, to the biggies like losing someone we love. We might get scared of heights .......... nope, you're not likely to see a base-jumping or sky-diving mouse any time soon that's for sure! ....... of water ....... there are so many things in this world that people are scared of ........ the little would be's are endless ....... so do we allow these fears and/or worries to intimidate us? Probably yes! So what makes the difference between them inhibiting or paralysing us completely so as not to do things (like the base-jumping, no chance) ....... to actually getting off our backsides and doing them (like learning to windsurf, that was soooo scary!).

For me, at the moment (aren't these things always an evolving learning experience which can change with hindsight) ....... it's Courage.

Courage is actually listed as one of the personal moral qualities over at the BACP website (which I had to learn on a course). It states courage as "the capacity to act in spite of known fears, risks and uncertainty". Yep, that definitely encompassed the windsurfing! There was the known fear of feet not touching the bottom ...... the risk of drowning (ok probably not that high a risk, but still ....... feet not touching bottom & water & bad swimmer = danger danger danger!) and uncertainty (of being rescued ..... low risk, probably higher of getting a sea urchin sting!). Oops, going off tangent and into my own world there for a moment ............ but I found the thought of it scary as hell. Let alone standing on board, trying to pull the bloody sail up, scraped knees, in pain and wanting to cry when I couldn't get it right, and repeatedly landing in the water on painful pebbles, stones and avoiding the poxy sea urchins! Definitely a learning experience.

Sorry ... back on track ..... capacity to act .......... or as I like to phrase it, the title of Susan Jeffers' book ....... Feel the fear and do it anyway! So why have courage? Why try and embrace it? Well don't you think life would be much less interesting if we didn't challenge ourselves? We could miss out on so much ........ seeing things, doing things, travelling to places, trying new things, meeting new people ........ again, the list is endless. And of course, there is a train or school of thought that our lives here on Earth are those of being in school. We are here, now, to learn. Our souls/spirit are ever-evolving. To *grow* and be *more* ....... well, you're not gonna get that doing the same thing day in, day out, year in year out, are you?

Courage doesn't always roar.
Sometimes courage is the quiet voice
at the end of the day, saying,
"I will try again tomorrow."
~~ Mary Anne Radmacher ~~

And like this quote infers, just because we try something new, doesn't mean we're always going to get it right. Very often we won't. But each time we try we will learn a little bit more. After spending so many hours trying to windsurf, there was growth and change. The very first moment of getting just the board in the water and trying to stand on it, keeping my balance on it ....... to how it felt at the end of my time on holiday, these were very different to each other. If I go back to trying to learn it again, I will expect to start at the beginning, but the difference the next time will be my fears will have been diminished. Practice makes perfect is also a saying ......... very often we have to make lots of mistakes, and fail lots of times until we *get it* ....... whatever that *it* may be for an individual. So like Mary Anne Radmacher says ........ it's the getting up and doing it again and again and again. Trying, attempting ...... and hopefully the fears lessen. Taking baby steps, as I like to phrase it :)

Courage is required not only in people’s occasional crucial decision for their own freedom, but in the little hour-to-hour decisions which place the bricks in the structure of their building of themselves into people who act with freedom and responsibility.
~~ Rollo May ~~

Questions for this week's affirmation are:

How would you describe your *courage*?
What limitations do you think you have with courage?
What one thing could you choose to do to embrace more courage?
How would this change your courage?
What overall effect could you see this as having on your current life?

Wishing you a courage-filled week ahead :)
x Mouse

Weekend mornings ......... do not disturb!

Card of the day - Saturday 6 February 2010

PIPI - Pearl Oyster (Hawaiian Oracle)

After drawing this on Friday night and giving it a cursory glimpse, recognising that the one time I have used this deck before, I had drawn this, I thought there would be some tests ahead. I didn't realise they'd start so early though.

As in early in the morning. Before 8.00 a.m. On a Saturday. You know .......... one of the very few days that I don't have to get up early for work, that I can have a bit of a lie-in ........ that, if I have a late night I don't have to worry about how knackered I'm going to be. Which I now am.

This pearl is open ...... the shell or rather the home is open to the elements ....... one of which is noise. Now I like music, I especially like chill-out music .......... what I don't like is when I hear it through my walls and it actually wakes me up because a neighbour has it playing in their bedroom! One of the downsides of living in a terrace is the walls aren't soundproof. Like I say, I don't normally mind but not at that time in the morning. So, not thinking straight .......... just being completely irritated the door got slammed because I knew that would be heard. Silence :) ............. and then within a couple of minutes the music started again. *Growl*. Cue swearing ............. music still playing ............ cue getting up and thumping downstairs ......... still music .......... more doors banging, more swearing .......... nope, didn't make a blind bit of difference.

So since I was pretty sure I wasn't going to get back to sleep, I took some stuff to the skip. Might as well get something out of being up so early! Music was still playing when I got back (and slammed the door pretty damn loud).

I know the irritation is really a lesson in disguise. My neighbours are actually pleasant to speak to, and I don't generally have any hassle from them ......... I'm ignoring the incidents of their cat getting in and spraying everywhere, more than once, cos they hadn't spayed him ........... and knowing that it's a lesson should ensure I be alert to such things, and temper my reactions accordingly. As in don't door slam, don't swear ....... don't choose to be irritated, annoyed, angry and bloody damn mad.

Only ........ at that time in the morning you can't think straight ........ well I can't. I'm so not a morning person it's unreal. Happy smiley coherent people first thing in the morning are not normal to me, that's like total freaky behaviour *shudder*. And if you can't think straight, you're gonna react straight from what's been wired into your harddrive! And in my case ............ it was loud, it was vocal ....... and it wasn't pleasant.

Please the gods, the angels, the spirits and anything else out there, please let me have a peaceful lie-in tomorrow ....... and if that's not to be the case ......... please let me deal with it in a calm and graceful manner. I intend to knock calmly on their door and ask them to turn it down quietly ......... or to write a polite note asking for some consideration (probably the easy way out and probably the one I'd choose) ......... instead of banging on their door, shouting for them to turn their goddamn music down and showing some f**king consideration for others ......... which is the scene that has been playing out in my mind all day!

Weekends ....... they should have a "Do Not Disturb" sign hung on them!

Gremlin alert!

Card of the day - Thursday 4 February 2010

Clear Yourself (Angel Therapy cards)

*Ask the angels to release any toxic energies that you may have absorbed*

I'd drawn this card pretty late on Wednesday night, just flipping it over before I went to bed. Thereby completing forgetting about it. Until I got home tonight and went to type up Monday's card, and saw it lying there. Instant thought of *well that explains a lot*!!

As is usual, many dreams last night but I woke from the last one and kept snoozing the alarm, dipping in and out of it. It wasn't great and left a pretty yucky feeling of not being able to get motivated, have any energy and a bit of a *down* feeling. I then missed the train and when I eventually got to work had a mad rush on, because I was slightly late. Then the lethargy really hit. No gym at lunchtime, just about managed to get my homework journal done .......... before getting myself back down the train station.

Now I don't know if I was just absorbing energy from others around me on the way home, but by the time I got to the station, I felt absolutely awful, so much so I thought I was going to burst into tears. For the next 10 minutes I had to concentrate really hard on some shielding and then reading so as to distract from anything that was around. It worked and by the time I got home I felt much better.

This is actually something I always mean to do, and always always always forget to do. Not good, especially if I'm trying to open up my energies and vibrational level! Lesson learnt. Watch out for Gremlins!

So, having typed that up, having a quick look at the little book to see if it corresponds with my thoughts ......... * This card comes to you because the angels see that you're carrying some lower energies. Because of your high sensitivity and compassion, you may have absorbed this negativity from other people's fears. These toxic energies may have also sprung from your own past fears*.

Great, no wonder I felt so crap. Double whammy, my own stuff compounded by others. Guess what I'll be concentrating on during the journey to work Friday morning!

Eat your greens!

Card of the day - Monday 1 February 2010

Vegetarian/Vegan (Angel Therapy cards)

*Fresh organic fruits and vegetables give you a boost of high life-force energy, which elevates your spiritual frequency*

I have recently started to try (cough splutter) to reduce my sugar intake ....... not just in the form of sugar in drinks (of which I drink copious amounts), but also in chocolate bars (yorkies and wispa *snivel*) and also cakes .......... but come Sunday, I still succumbed to the last chocolate bar in the house. Yeah I know, I shouldn't buy them in the first place .......... but honestly, you should see the way they frogmarch me to the till!!!!

So no surprise then on the Sunday night that I drew this for Monday. A swift telling off no doubt for all that lovely sugary intake. So knowing this, I was actually really really good and .......... I know you won't believe this ........ but, no cake, no chocolate and a reduced amount of sugary drinks! I must admit I felt rather proud of myself *grin* ........... until the next day, but I don't think I'm up to admitting the cake count just yet!

So the LWB does state "Most likely you've intuitively heard this message from your guardian angels, who ask you to honour your body and spiritual path by only ingesting high-vibrating foods and beverages"

I have to say, this is quite right. I've been thinking, and intending to cut down on stuff, and most especially my love for white sugar. What I don't think is fair is when something that is soooooooooo good, isn't supposed to be good for you. After all, if a wispa bar makes you happy, that lightens your heart ........ which in turn will raise your energy vibration. Or maybe that's just my logic speaking ;)

Affirmation for the Week

Hard to believe that we're already finished with January. It usually feels like a very long month, dragging it's heels as we start a new year, eagerly waiting for longer days, more sunshine and Summer, but this year ........ this year January seems to have raced by. Mind, I wasn't saying that when it was snowy and icy and I was trudging to the train station on said ice, desperately trying not to fall over!

Affirmation of the Week
(beginning Monday 1st February 2010)

"I ENJOY SPRING CLEANING"

Today is also Imbolc, which is a time for purification and celebration of the spring that is about to come. It is a time of awakening and the stirring of the new growth that is spring and apparently gave rise to the tradition of Spring Cleaning!

I don't know about anyone else, but I for one, sure as hell don't feel especially motivated to get off my backside and start proper spring cleaning, blitzing and clearing and getting fresh air in everywhere. Nope, I would much rather be nestled under a cosy warm throw, snuggled up on a comfy sofa watching a film ....... preferably lazing while staying in my pj's over the weekend! Oh, and of course eating chocolate or cake. Basically any stodgy food is good right now :D. Because it's still very cold, it's still dark when I get home from work and I still feel like I'm in the midst of winter ....... yes I know, for those further up the Northern Hemisphere, winter truly is Winter, as opposed to the very few weeks of snow that we in the UK have had.

But, like the affirmation of "I Declutter" ...... which I've just checked back on as I type this one out ...... how amazing, that was for Monday 2nd February last year and ties in very well with this one :D .... it's good for the home, for the soul, and for energy, to blitz your way through your home and get some sparkle and light back into the place after months of darkness.

And of course, in reality, this doesn't have to just apply to the physical act of cleaning our homes and/or gardens. It can be our emotional state, our mental state, our physical or even spiritual state. It can apply to our activities, our food and our relationships. Yes we can also declutter at this time, and actually, I think when it comes to physically cleaning things, we automatically declutter a little bit because we end up examining all the stuff we have hoarded and no longer use.

And enjoy? Why would we enjoy such a task? Well I would ask in return, why not? Think of what actually getting up and doing something brings to you ....... motivation, energy, that feel-good factor of achievement ......... so what if it's only for clearing a windowsill or cupboard ..... it's still an achievement. Being pro-active, embracing change, looking how to brighten one's life and self, and seeing the positive in things ....... surely these are all good things that can bring benefit to peoples' lives. There is also the aspect of looking at one's possessions with fresh eyes ......... is it still wanted, needed, useful .......... and seeing the memories that certain things bring to mind ....... and putting the sparkle into the things you will keep, and removing the things you don't! I think that process can be rather enjoyable, especially when they bring up great memories :)

If one changes internally, one should not continue to live with the same objects. They reflect one's mind and psyche of yesterday. I throw away what has no dynamic, living use. I keep nothing to remind me of the passage of time, deterioration, loss, shriveling.
~~ Anais Nin ~~

So questions for this week are:

What area needs the most spring cleaning in your life?
What is the grime that covers it?
What has caused such grime/darkness?
What can you do to bring some sparkle/light back in?
What positive effect will such "spring cleaning" bring to you?

Wishing you all a sparkly & enjoyable week ahead :)
x Mouse