Blood Moon Eclipse

Tonight there will be a very special lunar occurrence. It will be a super moon that's also a blood moon and a lunar eclipse. The next one won't be until the year 2033! Christiane of Cosmic Faery Tarot created a really cool and very simple spread to be done for a lunar eclipse. You may want to go to her website and get her lunar terrible journal for the unbelievably Great price of only £5, which would roughly be about $7/8 US. http://www.cosmictarot.co.uk/

1. What is hidden and needs to be revealed – Daughter of Knives- move this card in this Tech is the traditional page, she always has felt like more knight energy. She's telling me I need to actively and explore more freethinking, to confidently trust my own intellect. Also to be more direct and to the point in my communication. Something told me to consult the guidebook and holy crap did he give me an amazing explanation from the artist. He says that the knife she's holding "was used in one final and deadly attack and that was to separate herself from self-criticism"! And I mean really, look at her. She is clearly a woman who could give two shits what anyone else thinks, that includes the voice of negative self talk in her own mind. 

2. Affect my feelings and emotions? – This will greatly improve my self-confidence. It will be so freeing and empowering. It will help me to trust my feelings and make me more open and receptive to receiving emotional guidance from within. 

3. How can I gain more clarity –

Temperance – for me this is the Archangel Raphael, so working with him to assist me to bring healing in order to gain the clarity through balance and not over indulging in the extremes of any kind, particularly have an emotional nature since this is a lunar spread.

Mabon - Sept 23

This is the angelic Mabon spread that Lisa from Angelorum.com created and posted on her blog and Facebook page. I've used The very lovely and carefully thought out Linstrider.com Tarot. A lot of thought and care was put into the illustrations as well as the book that accompanies. More and more I'm really enjoying supporting independently published decks. 

Cards 1-3 were pulled from just using the major arcana and they're kind of past, present, future. 

1. The past 6 to 8 weeks - The Chariot - i've truly felt so divided. Having had to leave my home, both my apartment as well as the city of New Orleans that is my home, with only about 24 hours notice I am definitely feeling very split about that decision. My heart is still there however my ass is currently in Pittsburgh. One of the major themes of the past two months is learning to be present in the here and now. It's interesting that this card also has so much to do with travel and transportation. I went back home for a week at the end of June and will be going back for a couple of weeks around Halloween. Which is interesting considering the third card of the spread represents closer to that time. The Chariot has to do with the solar plexus chakra, and this is definitely a test of my will and personal power. 

2. Mabon(ish) - The Magician- what a most auspicious card! This is such an interesting version of the magician, clearly and nod to Darwin having the chimpanzee here. During this time I need to be very conscious of my thoughts, as thoughts become things. The figure is looking up, and this makes me think of the recent pull I've had to learning more about the angelic realm's and the course I'm currently taking the Lisa is offering. I'm not sure which archangel will be associated with this card, possibly Raphael? This also serves as a warning to me to be ultra conscious of not just my own personal thoughts but how I communicate them since Mercury rules this card and is currently driving everyone fucking crazy being retrograde! I've already had several episodes of bullshit as a result. I must be mindful and conscious of what I'm creating. As Abraham Hicks so often says, thoughts in and of themselves are manifestations. 

3. Future- The Hierophant- most often I tend to have less than positive take on this card. However it's speaking to me in a different manner right now. It's association with Tarus is speaking to me about working on a root chakra issues = being grounded creating a sense of stability and security which equates your safety, taking care of my physical body as well. The card is also showing that I will be in a time of not just learning but becoming a woman with strong leadership skills that is worthy of respect it's interesting that the Pope is on tour in the states right now, actually in Philadelphia tonight. I do like this pontiff! Perhaps reading the National Geographic I purchased in the airport on the way up here will give me a deeper understanding of not only who he is as a man and as a world leader, but how that relates to the message of discard in this position.

Raphael's share – how i can best harvest conflict resolution/Swords- two cards jumped out, 5 and 6. This  combo really seems to scream question do you want to be right or do you want to be happy? If I had to some of the five of swords in one word it would be "dick". Like, who's being a complete dick. This is really making me think of a very serious situation with one of my most trusted, loyal and beloved friends I adore. But she is behaving like a dick, and unfortunately those of us who care about her are starting to mirror that. I don't like that these two cards seem to indicate moving away from that because it's a no-win situation.

The other thing I get from this combination is that Rafael is reiterating the fact that I need to accept the fact that I have actually moved to Pittsburgh. Just getting those words out of my mouth just now was extremely difficult. HOW? I can reap this harvest by seeing  this as an opportunity to learn how to not be so resistant to change. This card also says that the angel course as well as the other courses I've been looking at taking will be a very good idea. This is such a beautiful version of this card! She looks almost like a burlesque dancer. Will be interesting to see how that plays in the future since the burlesque community is in New Orleans.

Michael's share – my harvest with creativity and career/Wands - Ace of W, what a wonderful card! I love that she has a fox on this card. So many possibilities for creative expansion and new opportunities that will encourage me! HOW? Dare to dream dammit! By boldly going after the things that speak to my heart and not thinking of them as unrealistic or fantasies! 

Gabrielle share – my harvest with intimate relationships and friendships/cups – 4 of cups says to me how important consistent meditation will be to keeping me emotionally balanced and not pulled in by the undertow of apathy and depression. And also acts as a warning to be mindful of friendships and relationships that activate this within me. Unfortunately this all echoes The cards that came up from Archangel Raphael's message. HOW? Wow, an air card in the quadrant that deals with emotions. I'm going to have to be what I would normally consider as being cold. I can't let negative emotions cloud my judgment. Meditation and yoga will assist me to having clarity and confidence so that I may exercise good judgment. Again I must be honest in saying that I do not like what my gut instincts and this King are telling me to do. 

Uriel's share - my harvest with regard to health and finances –9 of pentacles. Hot damn, with an excellent card! A true sense of accomplishment and confidence. It's about the ability to stand on your own as a person who is extremely comfortable in their own skin The hock makes me think of the Norse goddess Freya. Perhaps I need to connect with her again. HOW? QofP, my signifiers a Capricorn! I need to be patient with myself and give myself every ounce of credit that I so richly deserve!

SLS- September 22 - Revelation

I can't believe it's already the 22nd of the month. I really wanted to make a post every day. But I've not done that. So I decided to ask my White Rabbit Oracle where I am in the process of learning to cultivate more self-love even though I have not done the methodical, daily work that the Four Queens instructed and  I wanted to do? 

This card makes all the sense in the world to me. Though I haven't done the work for self-love September in the manner in which I wanted to do it, that in no way voids out the work that I have done none the less. The card shows a woman peacefully sitting in lush green grass,tucked away in an alcove with a canopy of white flowers of her head. She wears a garment that looks almost white, but is actually an ever so pale shade of soft pink as her hands are raised to remove an eye mask made of the same fabric. As the card title suggests, what revelation will be made apparent to her when she does? She has chosen to take time to withdraw both physically and mentally to uncover what her inner self wants to reveal to her conscious mind.

I too have taken time out to withdraw in healthy ways. I've been very disciplined about meditating every day. Even if it's only a three minute meditation. And in so doing The means by which to access more clarity calm and focus is definitely becoming more apparent.

Today I exhibited itself love by:

1. Of the past few days I've had to have a few come to Jesus meetings with myself. New Orleans my home. I'm very, very displeased at the fact that I have to be up here in Pittsburgh. But I've had to realize that the more I fight it The more I am wasting energy that could be better directed toward accomplishing the things I need to do so that I can leave Pittsburgh and go back home to New Orleans. So I finally decided to use a present that my cousin gave me but I wanted to wait until I got back to New Orleans to use. It's the most adorable little lamp! It's shaped like a freaking tube of lipstick with the silver case and it totally girly pink lip color! How perfect! And it gives my room the loveliest pink glow. I can feel my heart chakra balancing every time I turn it on. 

2. I didn't energizing morning yoga routine. I found a wonderful new yoga channel on YouTube by the most precious Yogi named Steffie. Her channel is called Tonic Yoga. She's got a fantastic Scottish brogue and a joyous and down-to-earth personality.

3. I made a pot of homemade chicken soup from scratch tonight. Though I chose to make it because my cousin is sick, it was very enjoyable and healing for me to express my creativity and love in this way. I called upon Archangel Raphael to infuse it with his healing energy. 

SLS - Sept 15- 7 of swords

Well. So much for making a post every day LOL. Good grief I'm ridiculous. The task of going through my mothers house is truly a Herculean one. Words truly cannot capture the magnitude of going through the four-story house of someone who had become a hoarder.  But that's another post. 

The day after the last post I made, I accidentally got a job. I wrote about this wonderful blog post and just as I went to add the final picture, I hadn't saved the post. So it all went away. And I was mad as fuck lol. Yes I accidentally got a job. I walked in to get my nails done, walked out with a job.

 Now I swore I would never ever go back to doing nails. I've been licensed to do nail since 1993 and it worked in some posh salon and was even an educator for a product line in Florida. But when I left that career to start my career as a flight attendant I really never want to go back to it again. When will I learn that as soon as you say the word never, the universe laughs in your face and you just sealed your fate that never becomes what you will most definitely end up doing. That's a picture of the first bowls that I've done in about 10 years. Sometimes self-love means toughlove, like a mama who has to kick you out of the nest. I had to really very quickly shut down the voice of doubt and fear, just hard-core ignore it and just jump into the deep end and do the damn thing! As opposed to critiquing what's wrong with them, (I do have to say however that the darkness around her cuticles is hyperpigmentation and not me having butchered them LOL )I'm going to highlight the positive which is equally is true, and that's the fact that they're pretty damn good for someone he's been out of the game for 10 years! So this means I'll only get better!

I could sit here and discuss how pissed off I am that I have not kept up with making a post today or done the self-love September activities that I was so gung ho about. But that brings me to the card for the night. The 7 of swords. This for me is usually the sneaky bastard card and usually refers to a person's actions with regard to another individual. But tonight it really speaks to the swords elemental association of air, thought and communication. More specifically the negative chatter in ones mind and negative self talk. And boy is that part of the brain a sneaky bastard! 

I decided to put one card from the 

White Rabbit Oracle and the one that jumped out is Splendor. What an absolutely magnificent contrast to the 7 of Sw!

They both are surrounded by darkness, one is behaving like a scavenger well the other like a goddess. As Abraham Hicks says, beliefs are just thought to keep thinking. This so clearly depicts how powerful my mind is and how important it is to be aware of negative self talk. Thoughts of doubt or lack or in anyway counteract my quest for self-love can be quieted by thoughts, words or visualizations of myself as a magnificent creature who radiates a sense of splendor the way this woman does. Her proud posture and her graceful hand placement exceed poise and grace. Her lavish crimson evening gown makes a bold statement with regard to her self-confidence and defiant nature. Defining any odds stacked against her or any words or actions meant to undermine her fulfillment of her desires. The beautiful butterfly on her head is like a crown. It makes me think of how many beautiful butterflies Oshun since to me every time I go sit outside! The parrot really stands out in reference to these two cards. It's as though he's flying away from that negative self talk toward the woman who looks on at him very cautiously. As he displays his oh so colorful plumage, what message is he bringing? Because she's looking at him like he do wise to not come at her with some bullshit lest he end up taxidermied as a new headpiece for her next performance LOL! This also feels like more encouragement from the universe for me to pursue my interest with the burlesque community. Both by the fact that I'm brushing up on my manicure skills to adorn the dancers graceful fingertips with rhinestones glitter and pretty polishes, but also for me to fight through The negative self talk and doubt that keeps me from gracing the stage as a dancer myself.

Here are the things I did to practice self left today:

1. I meditated today, twice! I have to remember it's not about doing a 20 minute session in frequently so much as it is about doing a three minute session daily!

2. I made a beautiful hair mask from a YouTube video I found using avocado, honey, and Castor oil. I sat outside allow the sun's want to really have the mask penetrate my scalp and hair. My hair feels so much softer! And I had the treat of seeing numerous butterflies and the most precious black and yellow hummingbird! Interesting because the last time I'm in Bird came up to me was last September while I was in Cornwall! I'll include the picture, but of course capturing a hummingbird with an iPhone was kind of futile. 

3. I watched several videos from this chick Jo Anna DeVoe. She can be kind of obnoxious to be honest, but it's well worth it to get over that because the content of what she has to say is so valuable. And you got a love the fact that this chick is just doing her and not given two shits about what anybody else thinks! She's loving life and completely comfortable in her own skin so fuck with me or anybody else thinks about her somewhat overzealous and goofy nature. Like I am not either and/or both of those at any given moment LOL!? Her YouTube channel is the Kick Ass Witch. (Dammit I wish my phone would do hyperlinks!) I really strongly suggest checking out her videos as well as her blog! When you sign up for her newsletter you get access to her e-book which is in keeping with her very down-to-earth style and loaded with wisdom and ways to take action to creating a better life. 

4. I sent off my money order and renewal form to bring my nail tech license for the Commonwealth of PA up-to-date.

5. Instead of eating spaghetti and meatballs for dinner, I choose to eat half of a ham and cheese sandwich with spinach instead of lettuce and a side of white seedless grapes.

6. I thought through laziness and not having a laptop and made this post. Because even though it's a pain in the ass, the end result is something that I enjoy and feel proud of. 

Self-love September – Day 3 - Fortune

I just spent an hour making a post.

I did not save it.

I am very displeased at this time. 

Here's the card. I will deal with redoing it tomorrow. 

S LS – Day 2 - Renewal

I decided to make a post each day of self-love September in order to have a record of the action I took for this project.  Today I drew the card entitled Renewal using the gorgeous White Rabbit Oracle. I decided it would be a really good idea to get back to basics in terms of how I learned a new deck. Or I have a deeper understanding and go back to learn and old deck for that matter. So I decided to do Pathwork exercise with this card. The short version of how to do that is basically quieting the mind, focusing on studying the card, and then closing your eyes and either going into that card as if it were a real place or becoming the character on the card. It was a really powerful experience and made me realize how much I need to do that more often. By meditating on the card this way I got several messages. Many of them with regard needing  to really focus on my ancestors altar. That I need to remember that the spirit guides with whom I have the closest connection is my ancestors. Having an altar and working with them gives light in progress to both me and them. I love the woman's posture in this card. She stand so tall and proud. As though she were drawing fresh air or prana deep into her lungs in order to feel renewed and revitalized. Gentle beams of sunlight slice through the shadows as a gust of wind causes her ivory skirt to billow behind her. I'm reminded of something Eric told me a couple of weeks ago. It was one of most beautiful things he has ever said to me and I've known the man my entire life. He said "you shine a lot of light into some very dark places". Yet here she stands and beautiful and powerful solitude. Yet another reminder of how important it is to feed my own spirit first. 

Here are the things I did to practice self-love today:

1. Though I began doing this several months ago, I'm proud that I've kept up with it and it still counts lol. Before I go to bed at night I fill up a large cup with water. They say that there are a multitude of health benefits to drinking a large glass of water as soon as you wake up, from helping all of your organs to work efficiently as well as your nervous system to lubricating your joints. By doing it this way it's right by my bedside so I can't forget when I wake up. I tried to drink four of these per day. 

2. I did a bit of journaling. I got past the fact that I don't have a journal specifically dedicated for S LS yet. I used to know someone that used to tell me all the time "baby, do something, even if it's wrong." There's a lot of validity to that statement. 

3. I did 10 minutes of yoga this morning. Again, getting past the fact that I I feel like I should be doing a much longer practice. I did something because I know that it is definitely an act of self-love. There's a really cool YouTube chick named Allie Kamanova that who has a great channel. She started a 30 day yoga challenge yesterday. Be advised, what Ally calls begin or may be a little different than what you may think it is LOL. I would've preferred to do a we bit of stretching before launching right into downward dog. But hey, I guess that's what self-love is all about, acknowledging what my limits are and deciding if it's best for me to respect them or to push a little beyond them.

https://youtu.be/ClB86KL4b_k

4. I  made myself but on a tiny bit of make up today. Now I'm definitely not a chick you can't leave the house without make up. But it is definitely something that I enjoy doing on a pretty regular basis and makes me feel like a person who gives a damn lol. 

5. I ate a beautiful fresh plum today. I love fruit but I deathly don't eat enough of it. I also ate much smaller portions today. And since I know I need to lose about 15 pounds this is a good thing.

6. I made a business call that I really needed to make. I didn't feel like it, but I gently encourage myself to do it because it is definitely in my best interest to do so.

7. I spent about an hour and a half sitting outside on the back deck. It overlooks a huge expanse of trees. I didn't learn anything from being in the UK last year, I damn sure learned how important it is for me to have my solitude as well as to be in or near nature on a regular basis. As I sat there I journaled about various ways to meditate using Tarot and oracle cards. So now I have that as a reference to always look back on.

Self-love September - Ace of Cups

Last year while I was in England I tripped over the website of a very interesting woman by the name of Gala Darling and movement toward deep emotional healing and happiness that she calls radical self-love. (as I making this post from my phone I can't create a link. But you definitely may want to check out her blog. She makes some very interesting posts and has several classes and workshops that she even offers a payment plan for!)  Then I saw something from one of my favorite YouTube vloggers, The Four Queens, declaring the month of September as self-love September. This year I'm ready to take action on it. Below is the introductory video that she offers for Self-love September 2015. It explains what the concept is all about as well as give some tips to assist with getting started. I was lucky enough to to find an absolutely beautiful journal at Barnes & Noble on clearance for only $2.15! I love the rich creaminess at the paper and the fact that it's not lined as well as the beautiful cover. So that will entice me to use it more. I chose to focus on the Ace of cups from the beautiful BoneFire Tarot. So often as readers we associate this card with a budding of new or the rekindling of an old romance. I think it's very important for us to look at the card from a very fundamental perspective. The Ace is the number one. So this speaks to that gift of emotion, that wellspring of love that starts with it being a gift from the divine to us, and that we continually give to ourselves. it's important for us to nurture and care for our own selves first and foremost. To see our own beauty and our validity through the eyes of the source/divine/god/goddess that exists with in us. When we are able to do this, we are able to stop seeking love or validation from any external source. I think the Ace of Cups also reminds us of the need to be compassionate and gentle with ourselves as we go through the emotive process of diving deep into our emotional being. Look at the lotus blossoms at the base of the cup. The Lotus is a very sacred symbol in buddhism. Is one of the only flowers that is constantly seeding as it is flowering. They can only grow in the most disgusting, murky, muddy water. This represents the constant flux of life and death, of regeneration and renewal that can only come from unpleasant or challenging situations. It's only through sifting through plus parts of ourselves, experiencing the dark, shitty times that were able to see just how powerful and beautiful we are. I finally decided that baking the question as to why things are set up this way is one of the most counterproductive and self-defeating things I can do. So now my work is to except the truth of it and proceed from there.

One suggestion that KerriAnne of the Four Queens made is to carry some sort of totem or item to remind yourself of participating in self-love September. Last week the universe showed me the universal symbol for love, the heart, in a couple of unexpected and unique places.

 I also found a beautiful pink glass heart that I had intended to give my mother, but didn't get a chance to before she passed away in July. I will definitely use this as one of my talismans for the month.

Last night's post completely dovetails into today's. Through embracing a deep sense of self-love I will be able to access the desires of my heart and spirit and and work toward making them a reality. 

https://youtu.be/0YQMCJvyAlg