This year I realized that I have been lying about my favorite season for years. The blazing glory of Northeast Pennsylvania fall foliage aside, my favorite season is not autumn. It is winter.
Hope is a commitment we make to ourselves. There is something about the darkness this season brings, something about the way it almost overpowers the light, that helps us see just how much that light means. I believe that this is why we light yule logs and Menorahs and Christmas lights.
The contrast between indoor coziness and exterior misery has something to do with this, I'm sure. But the real reason I love winter is because of the absolute clarity that this time of year brings. It is a clarity that doesn't come from books or journaling or other people. It is a clarity that comes straight from the source.
And here is an example. Standing on the edge of my snow covered lawn, I hear a crow call from the woods and a moment later another responds and even before the words come, I know something I didn't know before.
A few years ago I came in from another cold lawn and wrote that it takes determination to make a go of winter in Northeast PA. But the truth is that it takes more than determination - it takes hope. And just now, out in the wet snow, I realized something I should have figured out a long time ago.
Hope is a commitment we make to ourselves. There is something about the darkness this season brings, something about the way it almost overpowers the light, that helps us see just how much that light means. I believe that this is why we light yule logs and Menorahs and Christmas lights.
Because in the midst of darkness, we need to remember that light is hope and that hope is a promise we must keep.
This year, a relationship I used to believe in is in trouble and people I care about are trying to make their way through a very difficult holiday. Words are my gift but in this words have failed me.
So I light a candle and I remind myself that even if no one else can see it right now that's okay because there are times when they did and there will be times when they will again.
And I know that, eventually, we will all get a chance to keep that flame going and that this year it is my turn to hold the light.
For me, one synchronicity is never enough. So I always set an intention to receive three.
The last intention I set was about my book. Not the "Be Your Own Card Reader" ebook that pretty much wrote itself but the big book - the full-length nonfiction book on energetic beings and the messages they share.
Writing this book has been challenging for me. While, the the information is there, putting it into context has been surprisingly hard.
There are a lot of reasons why this is the case. One has to do with the way I receive my information. For me, communication comes spontaneously most of the time whether it comes in dreams, waking visions or inner voice communications. As a general rule, I do not do Q & A style channeling sessions.
On one hand, I like receiving these out of nowhere communications. Allowing the information to drop in spontaneously means that there is very little of me in it and to me that is validating. But operating in the manner means that I don't get an answer to every question. And there has been a question I needed answered.
It was where is this information coming from? And who are my guides exactly?
It was where is this information coming from? And who are my guides exactly?
They are real to me because the experience they share is evidential. By this I mean that it checks out. And the info they have given me on themselves checks out too. I have learned things from them about history and geography and mythology that I just plain didn't know before they told me.
I needed to know. So I asked. And three synchronicities followed.
The first synchronicity came at the last place I would have expected - the October MUFON UFO conference in Philadelphia PA. In a way it was odd that I even ended up at the convention. I don't remember how I heard about it. But somehow I knew that I had to go.
Sitting in the audience, I was surprised to hear that while many of the speakers did think of extraterrestrials in the traditional 3D way, others saw them as energetic beings trying to help the planet earth.
This struck a chord because, just a few weeks earlier I'd received a specific and completely out of the blue message about extraterrestrial beings. In that message, I was told that as highly advanced beings ETs have the ability to appear to us as energy beings and that they have been doing this since the very beginning.
On the long ride home, it occurred to me that, my message and the convention information I'd heard had created my first synchronicity.
This struck a chord because, just a few weeks earlier I'd received a specific and completely out of the blue message about extraterrestrial beings. In that message, I was told that as highly advanced beings ETs have the ability to appear to us as energy beings and that they have been doing this since the very beginning.
On the long ride home, it occurred to me that, my message and the convention information I'd heard had created my first synchronicity.
My next experience involved a very trustworthy friend who shared her own personal extraterrestrial experience, explaining that it was something she never talks about but decided to share with me after reading something I'd posted. Her experience was seemingly 3D but she experienced energetic communication as well.
I was touched by her courage and impressed by her absolute credibility. It occurred to me that of all the accounts I have heard this was completely believable to me because I knew and trusted the person involved. This, I realized, was synchronicity number two.
I was touched by her courage and impressed by her absolute credibility. It occurred to me that of all the accounts I have heard this was completely believable to me because I knew and trusted the person involved. This, I realized, was synchronicity number two.
The third synchronicity happened when my friend Tara dropped by unexpectedly to exchange tarot readings.
One of the cards that came up when she read for me was the Hermit card. As Tara looked at the card, she had a vision of a red Merkaba star and clearly saw red lines transporting the energy from one point to the next. A few moments, later she pulled a card from the Doreen Virtue Ascended Master deck that had a very similar image.
One of the cards that came up when she read for me was the Hermit card. As Tara looked at the card, she had a vision of a red Merkaba star and clearly saw red lines transporting the energy from one point to the next. A few moments, later she pulled a card from the Doreen Virtue Ascended Master deck that had a very similar image.
A Merkaba, as you may know, is considered to be an energetic vehicle capable of transporting someone to the higher dimensions by some - or an alien space craft by others. That both these concepts are represented by the Merkaba mirrored the information I'd already received.
Oddly, this is where all of this began for eight years ago. First I met my guides in the dream I call the Spirit Dream. Then I began to have experiences I could not explain. When I began to read New Age and channeled material those experiences intensified.
For me, however, there was too much about the New Age approach that felt a lot like imagination. I didn't want imagination. I wanted the truth and for me the truth has high standards. Now I can see that I wasn't wrong to have standards. I was just wrong to feel like I couldn't deal with so-called New Age concepts in my own way.
So here I am. Having come full circle, right back to the place that I started from in 2008, thinking about Pleiadians and Sirians and ancient aliens and angelic beings and energetic communication and DNA activation and all of that crazy stuff. Except that it isn't crazy. It's real.
And I guess it's taken that long for me to get to a place where I have the courage to believe, and write about, something that a lot of people don't understand or might even make fun of. Good for me.
* To read more about the Hermit please see the following post on my favorite tarot card: Happy World Tarot Day: Please Pick a Card!
Oddly, this is where all of this began for eight years ago. First I met my guides in the dream I call the Spirit Dream. Then I began to have experiences I could not explain. When I began to read New Age and channeled material those experiences intensified.
For me, however, there was too much about the New Age approach that felt a lot like imagination. I didn't want imagination. I wanted the truth and for me the truth has high standards. Now I can see that I wasn't wrong to have standards. I was just wrong to feel like I couldn't deal with so-called New Age concepts in my own way.
So here I am. Having come full circle, right back to the place that I started from in 2008, thinking about Pleiadians and Sirians and ancient aliens and angelic beings and energetic communication and DNA activation and all of that crazy stuff. Except that it isn't crazy. It's real.
And I guess it's taken that long for me to get to a place where I have the courage to believe, and write about, something that a lot of people don't understand or might even make fun of. Good for me.
* To read more about the Hermit please see the following post on my favorite tarot card: Happy World Tarot Day: Please Pick a Card!
I was asleep in my room when I heard (through sleep) a loud knocking or pounding. I was counting the knocks evidently half asleep and not really aware I was counting because I heard myself say, that's 13. And as soon as I said it, my entire body was flooded with fear.
It was the fear which woke me up completely. I'm not sure if I opened my eyes or if I had had them open all along in the dark but I see that the room has somehow filled up with light. Seeing the light reassures me. The fear evaporates.
The illumination in the room is white-out bright and the light itself is dense and diffuse at the same time like a spotlight in the dark - much brighter of course but of that same hazy quality. The light is so white and so bright that it obscures the contents of the room though not quite completely. Underneath the brilliance, I make out the form of my bedroom - the blaze of the mirror, the shape of the furniture, walls, windows, drapes.
The illumination in the room is white-out bright and the light itself is dense and diffuse at the same time like a spotlight in the dark - much brighter of course but of that same hazy quality. The light is so white and so bright that it obscures the contents of the room though not quite completely. Underneath the brilliance, I make out the form of my bedroom - the blaze of the mirror, the shape of the furniture, walls, windows, drapes.
I watch the light for some time, feeling no need to analyze or understand it. Finally I drift off to sleep.
Rebecca was the last "witch" to be hung as a result of the infamous trials in Salem Village (now Danvers, Massachusetts). She was 71 years old, in ill-health and so hard of hearing that she could not respond correctly to the questions she was asked.
The evidence against her came in the form of "spectral evidence" or psychic "apparitions" perceivable only to her accusers. Such evidence was allowable under English law in the trial of accused witches only. Other special legal conditions granted in English witch trials included the testimony of children, statements of sworn enemies, and evidence presented by those who owed money to the accused.
After readings my great aunt's testimony and Shirley Jackson's wonderful book, The Witchcraft of Salem Village, I feel certain that Rebecca did not have malicious bone in her body and was absolutely innocent of the "spectral torture" of the young girls who testified against her. Instead, she was a gentle warm-hearted woman, loved by her family and community, less vulnerable to slander than many of the accused but a victim nonetheless.
She was not, of course, the only only one to suffer.
She was not, of course, the only only one to suffer.
Of the 200+ people (most of whom were women) accused at Salem, twenty were put to death. Nineteen of these twenty, including Rebecca and her sister Sarah, maintained their innocence right up to the time that they were hung. A single victim, Giles Corey, refused to speak throughout his trial (because a plea would lead to forfeiture his land) and was, for that crime, sentenced to be crushed to death by heavy stones.
Rebecca was remembered for her courage on the gallows. I like to think that, as a Christian, she held a strong conviction that she was going to a better place - and that this was a place her accusers were unlikely to see. Even so, the months of hardship and dread in a primitive prison and the ultimate terror of Gallows Hill must have been almost impossible to bear.
Seeing Rebecca's home and the beautiful farm she and her family carved from the wilderness was a moving experience. Just that morning we had been in Salem proper walking with the crowds, smiling at the costumes, and enjoying the many witch-themed shops. The night before, I had stood with an large, boisterous group of people, in the center of town, taking photos of the Samantha Stevens statue - enjoying the high spirits and outright celebration of all things witchy.
Walking the same path Rebecca walked so long ago, however, made me see all of that in a different, and unexpected, light.
The most conservative of estimates tell us that an estimated 100,000 people, and most likely more, were put to death as a result of the witch hunts that spread across Europe and the colonies in an approximate three hundred year period (1450 to 1750). While some of these people did practice some version of the Craft, all were innocent, in my opinion, of the curses and murders of which they were accused.
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| Bewitched |
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| The Nurse Homestead |
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| Grounds |
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| Folding Rope Bed - Note 14 Inch Floor Board from Virgin Forest |
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| Candle Making. Something still done in our family :) |
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| Kitchen Garden |
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| Rebecca's Memorial |
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| Rebecca's Likely Headstone |
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| Outside Author and Witch Christian Day's Salem Shop |
On Sunday I stopped at a convenience store so my son could use the ATM. After he got his cash he stood looking down at something on the sidewalk while the other shoppers rushed around him, some obviously annoyed.
When the coast was clear he came back to the car and said that there was a butterfly on the ground that seemed unable to fly.
Thinking that the butterfly was probably injured and that a convenience store sidewalk was a really awful place to die, I got out of the car to see what I could do.
The butterfly was big and beautiful and very yellow. He didn't seem to be injured or at least if he was we couldn't see how. But he there was no doubt that he was not about to fly. I watched him crawl around in circles for a moment, while the Sunday shoppers streamed back and forth, and then I put down my hand and let him crawl onto my palm. His little feet were gentle and soft.
Walking around to the side of the store we were surprised to see that someone had made a small landscaped garden in the area between the shop and the lot. So I put the butterfly down on a bush, even though he seemed as if he wanted to stay right there on my hand.
We drove the next few blocks to the 6th Street Flea Market wondering if the butterfly might have not been injured at all but simply new to life as a butterfly and not quite ready to take flight. I told my son about a cocoon I had kept as a child and how the moth emerged and sat for a long time on the edge of the open jar as if he didn't quite know what to do.
I had thought the moth was sick so I gave him bits of broken leaves to eat and a soda cap of water and laid down on the grass and waited. After what seemed like forever, he finally spread his wings and flew away, small and brown and sturdy against the bright blue summer sky.
Now, almost half a century later, my son and I couldn't help wondering if the big yellow butterfly might just have needed a bit of time to get his bearings. It was a breezy day and probably not the best time for a first attempt at flying. Or maybe he had been flying and got tossed about in the storm the night before.
Either way, we speculated, he might have remembered his old safe caterpillar life and decided to take a time out on the ground.
We arrived at our destination and got out of the car. At that very moment, a bright yellow butterfly came dipping and weaving across the windy parking lot. As he passed almost directly in front of us, I had the distinct impression that he was saying, "Look at me, I've got it."
My son and I exchanged a look. "I'd like to think that's our butterfly," he said.
"So would I," I said feeling surprisingly certain that it was. And I felt happy for the butterfly and happy for us.
Every year since I've began this blog on August 22nd 2010 I write a Happy Birthday Blog post.
Because the blog and I happen to share the same birthday this has always felt right.
For me, birthdays are meaningful occasions. They are a time to take stock, a time to think about where we are in life and where we have come from.
It makes sense to include the blog in this because, in many ways, the blog marks the true beginning of my spiritual journey. Not because I wasn't interested in spiritual things before but because there was nothing to keep me on track, pre-blog, nothing to keep me from drifting away and forgetting who I was and what I wanted to do.
So every birthday I think about how far I've come and then I think about what comes next. And it's occurred to me that what's next this year isn't really a new thing, just a better approach to the old things.
I'm especially interested, at this turn of the solar wheel, with hands on creativity and healing - though writing is still very much part of the mix.
The best example of this is my renewed commitment to my online shop. This is people centered because two of my boys are interested in participating - and even if they aren't as committed as I am, I can still do art and talk to people at the same time. It is people friendly because I can take my items to my tarot reading events and possibly do other events and interact with even more people.
The best example of this is my renewed commitment to my online shop. This is people centered because two of my boys are interested in participating - and even if they aren't as committed as I am, I can still do art and talk to people at the same time. It is people friendly because I can take my items to my tarot reading events and possibly do other events and interact with even more people.
I'm planning to make soaps, candles and clearing items and have been learning about aromatherapy and healing in hopes of adding that into the mix, I'd also like to do more jewelry and get back to sculpting.
And here is the big thing - I think that I can finally ignore my inner critic long enough to be productive!
And here is the big thing - I think that I can finally ignore my inner critic long enough to be productive!
Doing that with my writing is a little harder but I did post some of my work the week of the Wilkes Writer's Conference - which was a very big step for me. And I'm going to be posting a few excerpts here as well.
I'm zeroing in on what I want to write about which is another very important step because the critical me tends to shoot down ideas before they have a chance to mature - or even crawl.
And I owe a lot of this to the blog which really means that I owe it to the people who read it. Because without you it would have only been a matter of time until I forgot that there is more to life than what floats on the surface.
Thank you, for being there <3
I like science and don't spend nearly enough time thinking about it. It surprises me that so much of it is metaphysical in the popular sense of the word. Here are a few very basic facts on the frequency of color:
- Frequency refers to the number of times light passes a given point which can be thought of as vibration. Colors with long wavelengths have a low frequency. Colors with short wavelengths have a higher frequency.
- Red has the longest wavelength and lowest frequency of any color in the visible human spectrum. It has a low vibration or frequency and less energy than other light. Red represents earth and courage and the life-force. It is associated with the root chakra.
- Redder than red refers to a red whose wavelength is too long for us to see. Infrared light exists beyond the color we perceive as red.
- Violet has the shortest wavelength which translates into a very high frequency. This color contains the shortest waves we can see. It also contains the most energy. Ultra-violet is a very high vibration violet not visible to the naked eye.
- Color exists which has a higher frequency than violet. It is invisible to humans and known as bluer than blue. It interests me that blue corresponds to wisdom, spirituality and communication. Blue is significant to me personally, as is red so that made the outside the human spectrum stuff interesting to me. For more on my personal dream experience with color symbolism please see the following entry: The Spirit Dream
- There are many other wavelengths in the electromagnetic spectrum that which aren't visible to humans. The chart above illustrates this fact as well as all others mentioned.
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Chart created by Carl Fredrick. Creative Commons License.
Don't get me wrong, I do a lot of outside work. We've erected fences and a metal and canvass gazebo and raised beds on our modest small town lot. We have even planted apple trees and blueberry bushes and laid out a medicine wheel herb garden. But a true sacred space is lacking.
Maybe it's the traffic that whizzes back and forth on our very busy street or the many things I have to do both inside and out - but I don't spend much time in my own outdoor space. The space that I've been given. And this is something I can fix.
So in the spirit of doing I made a list of things that most of us can do to create sacred outdoor space. Some of them are things I'm already doing. Others are things I'm going to plan for. Most can be done on a small city lot, on a balcony or even in a window box or public park.
- Provide Food and Water for Our Wild Friends.Something like providing water might not seem like a big thing - until you're thirsty! Over the last few days, with temps in NE PA in the mid 90s or higher, we've seen a record number of birds and bees at our little birdbath, including 2 Cardinals and a group of 4 Sparrows (at one time). We share our medicine wheel herb garden with a family of bunnies and I like thinking that the little ones were raised on lemon balm and parsley. We also have birdbath and are planning on getting a bird feeder.
- Create a Meditation Space and / or Go Outside and Ground. A few weeks ago I went to an estate sale and the property I saw made a big impression on me. Walking out to check out the patio furniture, I saw that someone had turned a the space between the garage and the back fence of a small yard into something special. There was a small flagstone path flanked by greenery and flowers. At the end were more flagstones and a vine covered arbor and a spot, a neighbor told me, where a fountain had once stood It occurred to me that almost anyone could do this All it takes is a few plants or even seeds and the commitment to create a sacred space for meditation, reflection or clearing. And if all that hard work is too much, just take off your shoes and stan barefoot upon the Earth Doing this will help you ground and clear toxicity or blockages.
- Create a Sanctuary for Plants and Wildlife. Plant a few heirloom or endangered plants, a bee or butterfly plant or any of the many flowers, plants and trees attractive to wildlife. These include (but aren't limited to) sunflower, honeysuckle, yarrow, lilac, daisies, lemon balm, rosemary, thyme, purple cone flower, heliotrope. pansies, hawthorn, peonies, holly, apple, fern, or thyme.
- Make a Space for Sacred Gatherings Set aside a space can be used as a ritual space (our women's circle met in my yard on the Solstice and gathered around the chimnea), a group meditation space, a labyrinth (made from a simple stone pathway) or a gathering space for family. Last year we discovered a discarded metal and canvas gazebo on the street and set it up this summer. It's the perfect place for family to gather and while I haven't gotten everyone together for an outdoor game night yet I know that when I do, the laughter and comrade of that kind get-together is truly sacred space. This can work on a balcony or porch or if you don't have your own space, find a spot in state or community park that calls to you.
- Grow and Gather Healing Herbs. This was the point of my medicine wheel garden before I deeded it to the bunnies and I am still working on creating my own medicinal garden but it something I know I will do eventually. Try common remedies like lemon balm for anxiety or parsley for fluid retention or get a book on herbal and learn by doing. Herbs are very easy to grow and can even be kept in a window box or indoors in any sunny location. For reference consider Your Backyard Herb Garden or Rosemary Gladstar's Medicinal Herbs to start.
- Make a Direct (Not Book) Connection with the Elements. This is an activity open to anyone who can get outside and is really just an exercise in awareness. Go outside and enjoy the element - in your own yard, on a walk or in any public space. Take a journal if you'd like and write about the warmth of summer fire or the clarity of the winter wind. You may even want to carry a sketch book and draw your own version of Earth, Fire, Air or Water Fairies!
- Practice Sustainability. This something that many of us can do in big ways or small. Ideas include having a garden or patio plants or hanging tomatoes or strawberries, planting a garden or making a rain barrel to water outside plants but there are many many more things being done. This a wonderful way to honor the Earth, save money, secure your future and reducing the heavy heavy load our species has placed upon the planet. For more ideas check out one of my favorite books on this topic: The Backyard Homestead.
- Make a Place to Observe the Stars and Moon. Any window or balcony will do! Attune to the cycles of the heavens by becoming aware of and observing astronomical events - like Moon phases, eclipses and the special appearances of planets and stars. I use Llewellyn's Astrological Calendar to keep track!
I have been seeing angels everywhere - in rock, and paint and plastic - and last weekend I saw such an angel in jumble of holiday decorations on a flea market table, holding a tin horn and looking like he didn't belong.
"It's Gabriel," I said as if I had run into an old friend unexpectedly and I suppose that the truth is, I had.
Only a few minutes before, I had told my family that I was looking for an angel, for my online shop or for myself. That Gabriel would be that angel was a happy surprise. I knew he was a keeper.
Gabriel was the first angel who caught my interest. The messenger who came to Mary and to Zacharias. The warrior of Daniel.
Among my books, I have an orthodox Jewish prayer book. Toward the end of the bedtime prayer, the text asks God to protect and guard our souls through His holy watchers, the angels, who walk through the night. It goes on to call "Michael to my right side, Gabriel to my left, Uriel before me, and Raphael to my back."
Among my books, I have an orthodox Jewish prayer book. Toward the end of the bedtime prayer, the text asks God to protect and guard our souls through His holy watchers, the angels, who walk through the night. It goes on to call "Michael to my right side, Gabriel to my left, Uriel before me, and Raphael to my back."
Of these four, it is Gabriel who appears most often in the Hebrew bible and biblical commentary. He
is first mentioned by name in the Book of Daniel. After Daniel experiences a vision, Gabriel comes to him and tells him what it means (8:16). A year later, Gabriel appears again telling Daniel that He has "been at war, and going to fight those who remain" (9:27). No further details of this war are given and Gabriel's name is not mentioned again in the Hebrew bible. But he is referenced repeatedly in the rabbinical literature as a warrior and a holy protector.
In the Book of Enoch, Gabriel is an avenging angel, sent to provoke sinners to war. In the Talmud, God sends him to smite the Assyrians, and Gabriel answers God by saying that him sword "has been sharpened since the six days of Creation." Which is to say that he was born to fight.
Consistent with this declaration, most traditional Jewish sources describe Gabriel as the emissary of God's power. And the Hebrew name Gavriel, or Gavar El, means "God's might." He is represented by the element of fire in some Talmudic references and in others by water. In all instances, he is among the strongest of the seven archangels and a force to be reckoned with.
Be that as it may, it important to remember that when we first meet Gabriel in the book of Daniel he appears as a messenger and a translator of visions. And this is fitting. Communication being the divine purpose of angels.
When I first met Gabriel in Scripture, he served in this capacity. I was lonely and discouraged and the idea that angels existed filled me with hope. And, in some ways, that feeling has never entirely left me.
Even so, I've been feeling lonely these last few weeks and in the midst of this sense of separation from others, I am seeing angels of almost every description. Some are innocent children and others are beautiful women but few resembled the angels of Scripture.
This weekend's flea market angel was different. His wings were battered and his garments were faded but his face was beautiful and strong and really, surprisingly, just as I imagined it. I count his unexpected appearance a message and a reminder: Angels are emissaries and we are never really alone.
This weekend's flea market angel was different. His wings were battered and his garments were faded but his face was beautiful and strong and really, surprisingly, just as I imagined it. I count his unexpected appearance a message and a reminder: Angels are emissaries and we are never really alone.
My son Josh has done a lot of work on our family tree. He's found out all kinds of interesting people. Kings, queens, saints, women hung for witchcraft, Ray Bradbury and more.
This interests me, especially as I become more and more convinced that the tree in the Spirit Dream is our family tree. Though I am still unsure just what it means.
I got my Ancestry DNA done recently, as well. A lot of stuff washes out (like Swedish and French). Other comes through—like Scottish, Native American and Irish, which was told was there but didn't know about for sure.
I'm happy about this because I have an interest in Native and Celtic culture. I understand, of course, that culture is something handed down and I know that the genetic part doesn't really matter, but I still like the idea that there is a connection.
I also find it interesting that some of the historical figures that have interested me the most over the years, have popped in my family tree (and the family trees of millions of other people, I'm sure).
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| Love the soft colors in this image. |
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| The Annunciation by Leonardo Da Vinci |
And I heard a man’s voice between the banks of the U′lai, and it called, “Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.” So he came near where I stood; and when he came, I was frightened and fell upon my face. But he said to me, “Understand, O son of man, that the vision is for the time of the end.” - Daniel 8:16-17 RSV-CE
Today September 29 is the feast day of St. Gabriel the archangel.
The Hebrew word for angel "mal'akh" (מַלְאָךְ) means messenger as does the the Greek word "ángelos" (άγγελος). So it makes sense that the Church has made St. Gabriel the patron of messengers, telecommunication workers and postal workers.
St. Gabriel first appears in the Hebrew bible as a translator of visions
(Daniel 8:16-17 above). If the dream was a message, Gabriel's clarifies that message by interpreting the dream.
In the book of Enoch (which is not cannon but was read by many of the Church fathers and at least two of the disciples), Gabriel is an avenger - a role he plays in Daniel as well. In the Talmud, it is Gabriel who delivers a message to Queen Vashti urging her to disobey her King - thereby paving the way for Esther and the preservation of the Jews.
Nowhere, however, is St. Gabriel's role as a messenger more important than when he addresses the Blessed mother in Luke 1:26-38:
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end.”...And Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.-Luke 1:26-33, 38 - Revised Standard Version - Catholic Edition
While I am not a messenger or a telecommunications worker, I do think that blogging and a digital downloads shop falls somewhat under that heading, so I am planning to pray to St. Gabriel and ask him to intercede for me in both of these ventures!
As part of a recent discussion in our local Tarot Circle we talked about the Fool and then he came up again in an online study group and each time I learned something new about the card.
In Tarot Circle we offered a single word that summed up the meaning of the card for us. My word was faith. But today I came up with a new word.
Not that I've discarded the idea of faith altogether. To me, that crazy idealist setting off on an obviously perilous journey has to have faith because if he doesn't nothing in the card really makes sense.
To me, the Fool tells a story of optimism and idealism and the courage to face the unknown. And while we can, and sometimes should, do all of things when we lack faith (or are frightened or in any way unsure) - the man poised on the edge of the cliff doesn't look like he's experiencing any kind of conflict to me.
Instead he looks open and trusting and completely unaware of the danger that may or may not lie ahead. And this seems to be where many people tend to divide on their interpretation of the card.
I feel that the positivity of the Fool outweighs the negative. I can see the Fool isn't paying attention but I suspect that he's going to land on his feet. Others, as I learned in Tarot Circle, have a completely different perceptive. Where I say, just leap. They say, watch out.
Obviously neither interpretation is wrong and the other cards in the spread (or reversals or dignities or whatever method applies) can help us decide how to read this card in a given place and time. Still my overall association with the Fool remains positive.
I guess, on a level, I just plain like this card. I like the sun and the yellow sky and I associate both with personal identity, making the Fool especially relevant for anyone trying to find themselves or their place in life. To me, the flowers on the Fool's tunic symbolize interpersonal or spiritual growth. And I feel that win or lose, fly or fall, there is something of meaning to be gained on the path he is about to take.
According to Benebell Wen's wonderful and very comprehensive book Holistic Tarot (which I'm studying in the online group) the idea of choice is present as well.
While I have to admit I never really thought of the Fool as a card about choice, I do see how every step and risk and new beginning IS, of course, a choice. And if the Fool standing on the edge of the cliff is making a choice - he's making a big one.
So now, if I'm asked for a single word to describe this card I don't say faith. Instead I say choice and by choice I mean a big one. The kind of choice that can transform our lives - or haunt us forever.
And this reminded me of Clarisa Pinkola Estes and the practice of making desconsos which I think has relationship to the Fool and the choice that he does - or doesn't - make.
First begun in Latin America and now seen almost everywhere, desconsos (lit. resting places) are the small roadside shrines that mark where a fatal event occurred. Described by Estes in her transformational book Women Who Run with Wolves:
Descansos are symbols that mark a death. Right there, right on that spot, someone’s journey in life halted unexpectedly.There has been a car accident, or someone was walking along the road and died of heat exhaustion, or a fight took place there. Something happened there that altered that person’s life and the lives of other persons forever.
In the process of making descansos Dr. Estes (a Jungian psychoanalyst) encourages us to make a timeline of their lives, then mark the paths not taken, the possibilities lost, the people we never got a chance to become. She advises us to:
Be gentle with yourself and make the descansos, the resting places for the aspects of yourself that were on their way to somewhere, but never arrived. Descansos mark the death sites, the dark times, but they are also love notes to your suffering. They are transformative. There is a lot to be said to pinning things to the ground so they don't follow us around. There is a lot to be said for laying them to rest.
Perhaps because I have made descansos, I believe quite strongly that it is the paths we do not take that we mourn the hardest. Mistakes are a given a life. Risk is unavoidable. But, to me, risk is also the key.
I feel that the Fool can speak to us on several different levels and that while one these can be a warning - the one I like best encourages us to make the leap. Our next step may be a mistake or a revelation or roadside cross we will come back to one day and mourn. But it is also a choice and that choice has meaning.
I have read and enjoyed Anthony Louis' previous books on tarot (Tarot Plain and Simple and Tarot Beyond the Basics) so it's no surprise to me that I liked his new book Llewellyn's Complete Book too!
Louis is an experienced tarot reader, as well as a psychiatrist and astrologer, which gives him a layered and proactive approach to the cards. And, in terms of comprehensiveness, he delivers.
The book covers the gamut including the history of tarot, different ways of using tarot (journaling, creativity, spiritual practice, adjunct to therapy), ethics, correspondences, birth cards, symbolism, astrology, kabbalah, reversals and dignities, framing a question for the tarot, timing, a range of spreads, reading with court cards, in depth associations for every card in the deck, an excellent recommended reading list, numerous very helpful case studies and more.
While all the information given is helpful. I found the associations / interpretations section especially valuable. Each card was illustrated (with images from Lewellyn's Classic Tarot -which I now want). The author also included descriptive (and memorable) title, traditional interpretations (Etteilla, Mathers, Waite, and the Golden Dawn), number symbolism, astrological associations, timing considerations, and some very helpful keywords (both positive and negative). I especially liked the authors own associations for the cards (both upright and reverse) which I found to be very resonant with my own.
I also appreciated the proactive advice Louis' associations provided. For the High Priestess (above) for example he says, "Pay attention to your dreams and intuitive hunches. In this way, you can gain access to something unrevealed or not yet known about your future plans." For the Tower the author suggests the "need to critically evaluate the structures that are...limiting your life."
It seems to me that, as a psychiatrist, Louis sees the tarot as a tool that can be used for personal transformation and growth - something that I agree with completely.
I consider Llewellyn's Complete Book a good and quite comprehensive addition to any tarot library and an appropriate resource for beginners and more advanced practitioners alike!
The Gem and Mineral Show is a great event with tons of beautiful crystals and gemstones as well as many free presentations.
There is easy access to the show from I-81 and the PA Turnpike
There are some beautiful gemstones at this event though I have to admit that my all time favorite specimens were dug straight from the ground in NE PA (near Seven Tubs).
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| Right Click "Save As" then Print to get a $1 off Admission! |
The Dream
A contractor I apparently knew had told me about a volunteer opportunity. He said that there was a woman living in a house that was in bad condition and that he, and some others, had been trying to help her. So I went to see what I could do.
The house was unpleasant. Not deplorable necessarily but ugly. I was in the kitchen and the young woman I was supposed to help was complaining. There were numerous problems with the property. I remember that there was a 1980s style drop ceiling and some of the tiles were coming down. Everything seemed flimsy and cheap.
I didn't enjoy talking to the woman. She was loud and obviously immature. She was younger than me. I didn't have a strong sense of her age but she acted like an adolescent or even a pre-adolescent. I tried to be charitable but I found her very irritating. It seemed that she was renting and she was very unhappy with her landlady who was neglecting the property.
A little while later, I was at a dinner being held in the woman's honor. We were seated at a long table under an old aluminum carport next to the house. I was at the far end of the table. I had reconnected with an old friend. In real life, our friendship ended years ago but I've regretted that. In the dream, I was happy to reconnect with her and eager to catch up. She looked young and successful, just as I remembered her.
Annoyingly, the guest of honor kept demanding my attention from her end of the table. She had written several different documents and was insisting I read them aloud. Someone brought them to me. It was a hodgepodge of old newspaper clippings and pictures and handwritten papers.
I did not want to be bothered with the woman or her requests and kept saying that I didn't want to read what she had written. I was angry with her for interrupting and insisting I read. I felt that she was demanding attention she didn't deserve even though the dinner was being held in her honor.
My Take
When I woke up, I was still a little annoyed. But then it occurred to me that the immature, attention seeking woman might be that part of myself who I don't want to acknowledge - here in this blog or anywhere. My feelings toward her are so negative that blogging about the dream is unpleasant.
But there is something about all of this that is demanding my attention.
I don't think it was any coincidence that I felt so much negativity toward the woman in the dream. Other people apparently realized she needed help but, to me, she didn't deserve it. I wanted to be left alone with my successful friend instead.
Looking at the Symbolism
- The charitable contractor > charitable carpenter > Divine influence?
- Young woman > my inner self, my authentic self
- House the young woman lived in > her self, her reality, my inner reality
- Cheap, run down and flimsy state of the house > disregard for self, ignoring self, neglect
- Woman mentioned as being part owner of house > my executive functioning self
- My successful friend > what I aspire to but feel I can never be > feeling inferior, different
- The dinner in honor of the young woman > the idea that others may care
- My very irritated attitude toward the young woman > disliking and disregarding who I really am
- Wanting the young woman to leave me alone > dismissing my true self
- The material she wanted me to read > her story > my history
NOTE: I first recorded this dream in 2016 and have just decided to republish it.
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| The Necromanteion of Ephyra |
Dr. Raymond Moody's classic 1993 book, Reunions focuses on the ancient practice of mirror gazing.
Mirror gazing, is a form of scrying - a very old way of connecting with other side by way of any reflective or dark medium such as metal, water, obsidian or blood.
This method of connecting with spirit, so interested Dr. Moody that he constructed his own psychomanteum in a second floor chamber in his Anniston Alabama gristmill for the purpose of studying the experience of others.
The psychomanteum, as prepared by Moody, is a darkened chamber which
allows the sitter to gaze into a mirror angled up and away from his own image. In this dark field the forms of those who have passed may appear and meaningful communication frequently follows.
Reunions includes a survey of the practice of mirror gazing through the
ages - including biblical references, the experience of the ancient
Greeks and that of such notables as Elizabethan occultist John Dee. Moody goes on to discuss research conducted in the psychomanteum, including first hand accounts of spirit communication experienced by both visitors and Moody himself. Specific information for those interested in setting up their own home psychomanteum is provided.
As Moody explains it, the modern psychomanteum can be traced backward in time to the necromanteion of the ancient Greeks. Necromanteion means "Oracle of Death" and several active necromanteions operated throughout the ancient world. These sites were the destination of thousands of pilgrims hoping to be reunited with those they had lost. As ancient records show, many of these seekers realized their quest.
This is where Odysseus found himself after he was instructed to "make a journey of a very different kind, and find your way to the Halls of Hades." His experience at Ephyra included the sacrifice of a ram and ewe (providing the medium of blood) and visions of a multitude of spirits including his own deceased mother.
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| John Dee's Obsidian Mirror |
In Reunions, Dr. Moody relates that approximately 50% of visitors to his psychomanteum obtain a direct experience of spirit and I am curious if I'm the lucky one of two.
UPDATE 2024: In deciding which old posts to republish, I chose this post because I'm curious as to how the chamber Dr. Moody wrote about actually worked. Is it a form of sensory deprivation or is it something else?
One of the first memory wire bracelets I made. I crafted the Celtic Knot out of copper wire and used a combo of Peridot, green Swarovski's, vintage and Czech glass, and vintage faux pearls for the bracelet. This bracelet was given as a gift, but I would like to recreate it for myself.
Decoupaging is something that anyone can do. To decoupage with tarot cards you will need a printer with scanner, a few in expensive craft supplies and your favorite tarot deck.
I use an ordinary inkjet printer.
The ink is water-based which means that it can run. But I have had no significant problems with ink running using Mod Podge (a special decoupage glue).
Decoupaged boxes can be simple or complex. If this is your first decoupage project, you might want to go with simple or if you're feeling adventurous, try a more complex design like this box.
I usually get my boxes at AC Moore or Michael's or Joann's craft stores because if I go in with a coupon I can get a pretty good price but these boxes are also available on Amazon.
The supplies that you need are:
- An unfinished (or repurposed) wooden box from your local craft store (or amazon)
- Mod Podge or other glue if you choose to use something else.
- Your tarot deck or online images A printer with scanner if you want to use images from your deck.
- A decent pair of scissors.
- A brush - I use inexpensive foam scrapbooking brushes because bristle brushes can leave strands stuck to your work which is never fun!
You will want to work on a clean--pet hair and dust free surface--but the process is pretty simple. You will also want to carefully remove any hardware and lightly sand holes before you start to decoupage.
I like to work with one side of the box at a sitting (or less if the design is very involved), scanning, printing and cutting out all my images and arranging them dry until I get them just how I like them.
Then I coat the back of each image with Mod Podge and put in place. You can't move the images once they are stuck down (usually) without tearing them but one of the great things about decoupage is that, in its way, it's very forgiving because if you don't like what you have you can just go right over it with another image and the small variation in thickness isn't noticeable to most people at all.
When you have the pieces in place brush Mod Podge over the top and let the box air dry.
You can also decoupage or paint the inside of the box. If I like the backs of the decks, I'm working with I like to scan and print those and use them as a liner for the inside of the box.
There are a lot of options with this project - you can create a design with your images, for example, or just put a single favorite image on the top of your box and paint the sides. Some people like to use embellishments like glass "gemstones" or ribbon or glitter as well.
But however you design your box - please take your time.
If you do a bit at time and let the box dry in between you'll have fun - if you try to rush (like I did with my first box) you WILL get frustrated.
My method now is to work on a TV tray in the evening when I'm hanging out with my family and enjoy the process. But working with music playing in the background is very nice too.
Decoupage is a great medium and the results can be beautiful. Once you've done your tarot box, you can do a tarot tray or the cover of your own tarot workbook - or really anything you want.
Enjoy your project and please feel free to share your results or ask any questions you might have in the comment section below!
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| Photo by Content Pixie on Unsplash |
Making your own tarot and oracle card reading refuge is, first and foremost, an exercise in creating sacred space so I wanted to begin this article by talking a bit about what sacred space actually is.
To me, sacred space is both a personal and a shared location with characteristic of both the spiritual and the material dimensions. It can, and most frequently does, appear naturally in an outside location but it can also be created in an indoor space. In most instances the location will be stationary but it can be made mobile too.
Mobile Sacred Spaces
A movable space can be established by using a tray (ordinary or a breakfast in bed type table) or lightweight folding table. An inexpensive folding TV table once worked well for me.
If you find that you need to move your sacred "space" around (or put it away when not in use) I suggest using a dedicated basket or bag to hold smaller sacred items. If you space is stationary but relatively public your may choose to do this as well.
A Resonant and Personal Location
Whether mobile or fixed, our sacred card reading space is a personal area because it provides a working space for a single individual. Because of this I recommend that you focus on personal resonance over how your space may appear to others. To establish personal resonance be sure to include items that are reflective of the inner you.
You may choose to decorate your sacred reading space with beautiful crystals, candles, images or figurines that are meaningful to you. If you follow an earth based spiritual path you may wish to deliberately represent the four elements as well.
For the highest possible vibration consider carefully the colors, lighting, and residual energy of the items you choose. You may want to include plants or uncut flowers, a shell or stone from a sacred location, a likeness of a particular deity or ancestor - and at least one resonate deck of tarot or oracle cards!
Try to address all the senses through the use of color, scent and sound. You can do this by choosing a table cloth, place mat or candle in a color you find appealing, selecting an incense you enjoy and either listening to ambient music or running a small fountain nearby.
If you want to be such that your space mirrors your personal intentions (increased psychic ability for example) you may wish to consult a reference such as LLewellyn's Completed Book of Correspondences when choosing the items you will include.
Allow your space to be fluid. Don't hesitate to change colors with the season or your own chaning goals and always be sure to keep your area clean and clutter free.
Sanctifying Sacred Space
When you set up your sacred reading space, do a bit of clearing first (and repeat with each new moon if desired). To clear your space clean well and followup by smudging or censing the area with incense, ringing a small bell or sprinkling salt water around the perimeter. A dedication or re-dedication to your patron deity is never out of place.
The best time to set up sacred space is during a full or waxing moon, on a Sabbat or holiday or the beginning of the year.
The Energy of Place
Over time you'll begin to notice that the area that you've created and read in begins to take on its very own vibration. That vibration may be subtle in the beginning but one day you'll sit down in your space and experience the shift. The force that fuels that shift is due in part to the energy you've infused into your location and the respect you've according this area over days or weeks of meditation, journaling and card reading but there is more to it than that.
A Shared Sacred Location
In the beginning of this article I said that sacred space was both personal and shared.
While we do share our sacred space with other human beings, I believe that the most important energies (next to our own) that share that space are those of our avatars, ancestors and guides. By inviting these unseen visitors into our personal reading area, we create a very real intersection between the material and spiritual worlds.
Because I believe that most of us work with living spiritual energies in our readings (whether we realize it or not), I recommend taking a few moments to visualize a sacred circle or sphere surrounding your reading space each and every time you read. I also recommend that when inviting spiritual energies in, we clarify who we'd like to connect with by naming a known deity, guide or ancestor. (If you don't work with any specific spiritual beings, you can simply ask that only those energies in alignment with our highest good appear.)
Judeo-Christian readers may find that beginning a reading with a prayer to a particular angel or saint is a better fit. In addition to some of the objects mentioned above, items for a Judeo-Christian sacred space may include prayer cards, rosaries or seven day candles honoring a specific saint. Earth-based practitioners may choose a pentacle or other magical symbol.
For me, reading cards like almost everything in life, is a partnership between this world and the next. Our personal reading space can provide the perfect intersection for this partnership - a point that is both grounding and uplifting, offering insight and direction we might not otherwise receive.
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