"What Is...?" Wednesday

The Symbolism of the Butterfly

A quick-list of Butterfly symbolism:

~ Resurrection
~ Transition
~ Celebration
~ Lightness
~ Time
~ Soul

In Greek myth, Psyche (which literally translates to mean "soul") is represented

Tarot Tuesday

The Luman Dreaming In Color deck is not a "traditional" tarot or oracle deck but extremely beautiful and surprisingly accurate. Luman is a combination of the words "light" (lumen) and "angel" (angelus) and uses special visual stimulation with color being it's key to unlock the subconscious mind. This deck is designed to aid in ones intuitive capabilities as well as help release negative thought patterns through meditation

* From the Dreaming in color LWB

The card that I had my good friend choose is called "Sacrifice," at first glance the connotations of this word can be pretty negative but after looking closer at it one is able to see a deeper, richer meaning. The message of Sacrifice is a message that is delivered straight from the Universe... it tells us of giving, with no expectations of reward or acknowledgement of that giving. In order to accomplish this we must have empathy, for without it, we cannot feel the pain and need of others.

It has always been my firm belief and practice that giving is something that is simply "the right thing to do" and has benefits that far out weigh any material rewards I may or may not glean from this experience. If I have resources that can make circumstances a little less dark for someone I will not hesitate to help. We are all connected in this world and when one suffers, we all suffer. Empathy is the feeling of joy that comes from within when you give to those in need ( time, resources, a good ear to listen with or maybe just a simple hug or kiss to say I care) and see the burden lift from their shoulders...it brings relief, compassion and most importantly...hope.

Let us all put ourselves in someone else's shoes and feel that empathy, share a little bit of ourselves with others and thank the Universe for the great gift of humanity.

Anxiety Show Thy Face

Last week, I started working with the Star of Discovery in "Tarot Shadow Work, using the dark symbols to heal" and the first position was the Tower. This week I will move on to the second position called Anxiety which questions "When do I get nervous, anxious, touchy or sensitive with others?" The card I drew for this point of the star is The World.

The shadow keywords for this card are missing the joy of the moment; looking for happiness outside yourself; wishful thinking; not taking charge of your life and it's choices and hanging on to the past. looking back on my childhood, I can see how these shadows developed but had never addressed them and let them follow me and become larger. I now must fill in the blanks about how fear has caused me to feel anxious.

My anxiety is an issue that I've struggled with for far too long and upon examining that fear I have come to realize that it likes to rear it's head when my routines or habits are interrupted or threatened. I absolutely hate change, probably because as a child there was so much of it and I was never really sure when or how it might occur. As an adult I must accept the fact that life is constantly changing and evolving and often is for my benefit whether I want it or not.

I must realize that when I feel anxious or sensitive around others it's time to step back and think to myself why I might be reacting this way...is it an issue of change that I am trying to resist?.....are there repressed feelings that I'm trying to avoid? I do carry a great deal of sadness but have always thought that the old adage "Time heals all wounds..." applied and sooner or later I would be able to look back on the once painful memories and eventually they would not hurt so much.

I think this card and it's position might take me a couple weeks so I will probably mull these things over and blog next week on anything new I may discover about myself.