oracles Archives < Arwen, Professional Joy Seeker

Where’s Your Energy Source?

Today’s card is from the brand-new Magical Times Empowerment. I got my review copy yesterday. I just about drooled when I opened that box. I’m going to do a video review but let me just say that the box these come in is really great! Love where U.S. Games went with the design.

Now for today’s card. I drew this at random. Laughed like a loon when I saw it too. It’s so apropos for me! And, I hope, you.

So often we look for energy sources. We meditate. We draw on the Universe, on God, on Goddess, on Buddha, on Mohammed. We reach out trying to connect to that primal generator.

But here we see the truth. In this slighly steampunk, slightly Celtic dragon, an internal source. It’s the dragon itself fueling the dragon. Power from within.

And that’s such a simple lesson. I’m going to leave it at just that. Power from within.

Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on!

Energy, Magical Times Empowerment Cards, U.S. Games, 2012
Used with permission. Further reproduction prohibited

Can You Really Hold On To It?

Today’s card isn’t a Tarot card. It isn’t one of my Zentangles. It’s from a rather unusual oracle deck. This deck depends on words rather than pictures. It doesn’t give me the out of letting my mind wander. I can’t trip over a meaningful interpretation the way I can on other decks. This one says, “Stop. Think. Consider.” So I will. Today I am told to hold my power.

Well, the haiku written by Rachel Marco-Havens, actually urges me to try. I like that gentleness. It’s inherently forgiving, isn’t it? Try to stay grounded. I really like the last line of this haiku.

And hold your power

What does that mean to you? What is it to hold your power?

For me, it means don’t waste my energy. I need to hold my power…use it for me…focus on that connection to the core.

It’s a good thought. One I really need right now as I am spending some time out of my own hula hoop wondering if someone else at work is doing the “right” thing.

Big quotes around right because my right isn’t their right. I am not privy to their life, their background, their ethics. What I see as “right” may not be their vision.

So I need to hold my power. I need to stop wasting so much energy wondering if they are doing as they should. I need to focus on doing as *I* should instead.

For your 180 seconds today, that three minute commitment, can you hold on to your own power? Can you commit to owning only what is yours? Can you let go of worrying about someone else?

Practice makes perfect, darlings.

And, grin, have you gotten your copy of my Fairy Tale Tarot spreads eBook yet? I hope you will.

Haiku for Thought, Rachel Marco-Havens, 2012 (a few decks from this amazing little pocket-sized gift are still available.)

Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on. Remember that I love you.

Forgiveness,Haiku & Gifts

Today’s card is from a brand-new oracle. It is a lovely little deck that can be used in so many ways. I drew a card when I opened it last night and received a very magical message.

I drew today’s card then realized I was going to be late for an appointment if I didn’t shake my tail. I got mad at myself for forgetting.

Then I looked at this message again. I don’t forgive myself for my own mistakes as much as I should. I get down on me for messing up.

And you know what? It’s not that I mess up so much as I deviate from the course I’ve set for myself.

That’s okay, y’all. Journeys weren’t meant to be straight shots. They should be meandering wanders. That’s the best way to learn and grow–as far as I see it.

Of course there are people in my life that I have to forgive. Those that I’ve had to let go for whatever reason. Those that I still hold on to by thinking about them, revisiting old hurts…and why?

To be completely free, I must give myself the gift of forgiveness–for them, for myself, for all of it.

I forgive me for not being able to forgive them.

I love you. Remember that as you go through your day. Even if we’ve never talked/written/had a chance to share a smile, I love you.

Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on.

Haiku for Thought, Rachel Marco-Havens, (and these are priced very reasonably!)

I’m going to use this deck to help me work on my workbook+planner! 😀 Yes, you can still get it. Yes, you can still ask to join the to work on it with us. Can’t wait to have you!

Shells, Moments & Now

Maybe you were floating on a raft on a lazy Louisiana bayou. Maybe you were hiking through a piney woods on a September afternoon. Maybe you were watching your child run track at her school field day.

Today’s card is from an unusual oracle I heard about from another Tarot reader. Each card shows a seashell. On the back of the card is the name of the seashell and what it means in a reading. I haven’t read with it yet, but I was intrigued when I drew this card.

The back states, “Miller’s Nutmeg trigonostoma milleri MEANING: Living in the now; detachment from past negative experiences and future expectations.”

The thing that jumped at me was the idea of detachment. Not from past experiences but from future expectations. What a simple way to live.

And how incredibly hard is that?

From birth we are always looking at the future. When will we learn to talk? To walk? When we will become a teenager? An adult? What will we hear when we go into work today? What about when we come home from work? Will traffic be a snarling mass of horns and temper on the way to the beach this weekend?

And on and on and on.

Ever stop and forget to start?

Intentionally?

I mean not think about your next meal, the next page, the next word? Remember a time when you were in the moment without thought to the past or the future.

Hold on to that memory. Work to recreate it. As you read this, let go of what your day or night is supposed to look like. Accept that some of it will be good and some of it will be less good. Accept that this moment right now is for you. You don’t have to do anything else in this one space of time.

Be in the moment. Live in the now. It’s what the Buddhist student strives for. To be awake right now.

Joy. That’s joy, y’all. In this small moment of time, you have joy because you aren’t carrying worry forward or backwards. You just are. And that is enough, darling. That is more than enough.

Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on.

Miller’s Nutmeg, Ocean Oracle: What Seashells Reveal About Our True Nature,Atria Books/Beyond Words 2007

Holiday shopping yet? This would make a great gift for your beach-loving friends.

Guards, Horns & Attitude

Today’s card is from an oracle deck. It reminds me that I must stand my ground if I am to guard what is important to me. There are times when I will have to call on others for help as well. The horn in this angel’s hand isn’t in use, but there is potential.

Sentinel. The one who watches. This guardian’s job isn’t to attack. It is to stand and keep watch. And that is what I must do for my own happiness and emotional health. I have to guard my joy.

There is a type of person who looks for the good in everything and everyone. There is a type of person who looks for the worst and expects bad to happen. There is a type of person who walks a middle ground.

I’m not the last although I do try to be. I know bad shit happens. I took a pretty nasty fall yesterday that I am still suffering from today. But I’d rather focus on my good knee than on the bad if I can. Oh, I can wallow with the best of them. I just can’t allow myself to stay in the wallowing. If I do, I become unhappy. Worse, I get mean. And I don’t like mean people–myself especially.

So what I’m trying to get at is that we all have sharp, critical inner voices. When it’s a habit to be that way, it can color our world with unhappiness because nothing is ever good enough. How awful it must be to live like that. I mean, think about it. If nothing you do will ever meet standards (set by you or someone else), then what does it matter? Why keep on keeping on?

That depressed attitude…that “I just won’t keep trying” isn’t how I want to live my life. I’ll choose to be around people who see the good. People who seek joy. People who understand that unhappy things are just blips that go away. People who show me that they get what it means to chase their bliss.

Those are the sentinels I’ll gather up. Here’s to being a part of an army of joy seekers. Sentinels who will guard my back as I guard theirs. People who will remind when I’ve lost my joy and point the way to get it back.

Seek joy, y’all. It’s an urgent thing. Pass it on.

Sentinel, Graven Images Oracle, Galde Press, 2007

Queens, Doctors & Disappointments

Who is the best person to heal you? A Queen? A Doctor?

Today’s card is from a fabulously fun little oracle. It’s very different from others in that it gives you some history along with some sage advice. I love history even more than I love sage advice, don’t you?

Here we learn a lesson that others cannot heal our disappointments now matter how much we want them to have that superpower. It isn’t until we learn that who can heal us that we actually heal. I know…convoluted, right?

But the secret that the wisest woman (and man) know is this. The person with the magic wand? The fairy godmother at the kitchen door? The talking donkey who can’t sing? That person is only found in one place.

The mirror.

Yep, the looking glass, Alice. The answer was there all along. Quick. Go look. Tell me who you see.

Right. Yourself.

You are the only one who can heal your disappointments, hurts and sorrows. You can have help from your friends, from professionals, from a stranger on the internet, but the final piece to that puzzle must be you.

Learn from your disappointments, darlings. Don’t let them define you. Let them refine you. Understanding those patterns like we talked about yesterday is your secret weapon. Once you know the patterns, you can choose the ones that suit and serve you best.

so dance, my darlings, dance. But remember what Queen Carolina Matilda of Denmark said. “Don’t look to your doctor to heal your disappointments.”

Queen Carolina Matilda, Ask the Queens: Advice Card Deck, US Games, 2010

This deck or the playing card version is a great gift for the history buff in your family.

P. S. It is National Coming Out Day. In case you didn’t know it, I’m a queer femme currently partnered with a man who understands. 😀 I support the Trevor Project.

Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on!

Ego, Unicorns & Storms

Today’s card is from an oracle deck by the talented Miranda Gray. The Beasts of Albion is not a deck I’ve worked with other than looking at the cards. So when I pulled this one, I did something I rarely do.

I skimmed the book. Aside: This book is fabulous and I will be diving into it more.

The one phrase that jumped out at me from this card was “Rise above the needs of self.”

There’s been a lot of chatter in my world about ego. One of my favorite Tarot bloggers over at the Hermit’s Lamp mentioned it. Ego isn’t, as is presumed, a completely bad thing. Some ego is good. It helps you overcome shyness and public anxiety. It can get you noticed when you need to be noticed at work.

Ego is define as:

the “I” or self of any person; a person as thinking, feeling, and willing, and distinguishing itself from the selves of others and from objects of its thought.

So that’s a good thing, right? Your ego helps you avoid societal traps like gangs, group think and dog piling.

But what about when it makes you feel you are more then the rest? What about when you allow your ego to convince you that your poop doesn’t stink? That nothing you do can ever be seen as bad because YOU are doing it.

Then it becomes a problem. Because of that, you will see me reminding myself of past behaviours where I did things I’m not proud of. I will own my mistakes and learn from them. And, please Gods, not repeat them.

When you see someone not taking responsibility for their actions and creating more insanity in their own lives, take a step back. There are a few things to consider.

One, there is no “respondibility” here. You don’t have to respond to their self-inflicted mental hurricane.

Two, your hula hoop is your safety zone. Try as they might, they can only hit you with flying debris if you allow it. Yes, allow it. Don’t stick your nose out and seek shelter with friends.

Three, remember that every storm eventually blows out or moves on.

Four, patterns are important. If you’ve seen it before, you will see it again.

Sometimes, it feels like we must lash out to protect ourselves from these storms. But anyone who has ever been outside in a thunder boomer knows this.

You can’t stop the wind.
You can’t stop the rain.
You can’t stop the thunder.
You can’t stop the lightning.

You can only get wet. 😀 So don’t waste time trying to calm a storm. Just turn your back to it and carry on.

Rise above the needs of self is the message of the day. Don’t allow your ego to encourage you to engage in storm management for others. They are not, I repeat NOT, in your hula hoop for a reason.

Seek joy, y’all. Avoid storms that others create. Pass it on.

Blame, Victims & Storytelling

Today’s card is from an oracle deck. It’s an intriguing card to be becasue of the open mouth of the figurine. As usual, I have not looked at the book so I don’t know what the intention of the artist is. I just know how I react to it.

I’m a storyteller. My family winces when I recount my childhood memories because I am wont to embellish upon those events. My sister often reminds me in her straightforward Capricorn way that she was there too and things did not happen the way I remembered.

Shrug. It’s always funnier or more emotionally engaging in my rendition.

This card has the keyword of expansion. I would also have to be honest and point out that as much as I embellish the funny bits to make them funnier, I have deepened the sad parts to make them sadder. I have to watch myself on that. Those are the stories I used to tell myself to make me look like I needed saving.

How many of those people do we know in our every day life? The ones who are perpetual victims of some trauma? I’m not talking about those who are truly in bad situations. I mean the ones who rant and rave that the world is against them.

If everyone were out to get someone, don’t you think they would have succeeded by now? So if you know someone who never has a good day? Who is always unveiling the latest plot against them? Who is inevitably no longer friends with someone for some trumped up reason?

Ask yourself this question. What part do they play in their own victim-hood? What energy are they putting out that calls so much bad into their world.

OMG! Is Arwen blaming the victim, y’all?

No, because I think the victim is those who have this type of person in their lives. Think of all the energy you expend to deal with the constant drama. Where is it getting you?

Tell your own stories. Embellish the good. Underplay the bad. Don’t let someone else’s stories take over your world. That’s all this post is about today.

Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on.

Storyteller, Sacred Path Cards: The Discovery of Self Through Native Teachings, HarperOne, 1990

Water, Emotions & Self

Today’s card is not a Tarot card. It’s from an oracle deck that’s now out of print. Each card features photos from Dr. Masaru Emoto. He did work with water where he tested to see if they are affected by thoughts and words.

And you know what?

They are. They changed shape and color based on what they heard/felt.

You know what else?

Humans are mostly water.

Now then. What are you doing to your beautiful crystalline self?

Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on.

Emotions, The Water Crystal Oracle, Council Oak Books, 2004

Screams, Fear & Sleep

Today’s card asks an easy question but the answers are always hard. It is from a deck I got some years ago from someone I knew in Colorado. She’d made each one by hand. It’s very simple and very direct. Today’s card asks, “What are you afraid of?”

I snorted when I saw it. You see I woke up this morning thinking I’d had a breakthrough in my phobia of cockroaches. I don’t use phobia lightly. I break out in a sweat. I cry. I run past dead ones even. I want to kill them but I’m too afraid they will crawl on me. My muscles hurt after seeing one, okay?

Yeah. Phobic.

But last night the cat and dog (the younger ones) chased a cockroach. I was on my way to bed and saw something skitter down the hallway with Vinegar Kitteh hot on its heels (all six of them–shudder.) I went into the living room shoe in hand but it FELL from the wall. I shrieked and ran.

Then I breathed. I finished a tangle. I calmed my mind. Then I went to sleep.

I. Went. To. Sleep.

Knowing there was a live cockroach in my house. I live in Texas. The chances that there are roaches in my house are huge. They seek water and I have that in my pipes. So realistically, I know…I have bugs. I just do not want to see them, thankyouverymuch.

But I woke up and knew that I’d slept–nightmare free–with a live (but on it’s way to being dead given the rapt attention of my four-leggeds) in my house. This is nothing short of a minor miracle.

So today, I’m going to face my other fears. The ones about not being good enough. The ones about no body liking me. The ones about not being smart enough. The ones about not being really anything enough.

And I’m going to set my virtual pets on those fears. I’m going to walk away from those fears while my guardians chase them down, bite them into pieces, cause them to skitter back into the deepest, darkest holes to die.

That’s what I’m going to do. What are you going to do? What are you afraid of?

Seek joy, y’all. When you fill up on joy, there’s no room for fear. Pass it on.