Father's Day

A few years after my father died, my mom met and eventually married the most wonderful man. He was always loving and kind to me as I was growing, even through those tumultous teenage years when I treated him without the respect that he deserved. He had four other children that came to visit on occasion so I had the brother's and sisters I always dreamed of having.

My mother and I had a falling out several years ago and I stayed away and did not keep in contact with my stepdad as I should have....I remember fondly now.... the time he invested in me...taking me fishing; going to the father/daughter dinner dance in highschool and the timeless advice often needed during the rough times.

So I write this in tribute of my step father Tom...I never told you often enough how much I thought of you and valued your presence in my life...You were the greatest blessing in my life and I want to let you know how much I love you.

Happy Father's Day!

Litha

Summer Solstice (or Litha as it is also called) occurs on or about the 21st of June when the Sun enters zero degrees Cancer. It marks Midsummer for many cultures even though in most of the US summer has barely started and the kids are just now getting out of school. It is the longest day of the year and the shortest night; when the sun reaches his apex in the sky, and the days will now grow shorter as the light begins to wane.

Many legends explain this phenomena as the darkness triumphing over the light. The darker brother kills the lighter brother in these legends, and the brother who dies resides in the underworld until it is time for him to return and slay his brother again, to rule for the next 6 months. The stories of Lugh and Goronwy, and the Oak King and the Holly King are but two of these legends.

Litha celebrates the verdant Earth in summers, abundance, fertility, and all of the beauty and abundance of Nature in full bloom. This is a time of strong magic and empowerment and this time is used a lot for Handfasting ceremonies. It is also used for communication with the spirits of Nature especially the faery folk. This is a time known as the first harvest; Litha represents the pregnant Goddess and honoring the Sun God.

Herbs For Litha and their magical associations:

Basil: Love, Exorcism, Wealth, Protection

Chamomile: Relaxing, Sleep, attracting money, love, purification

Cinquefoil (five finger grass): money, protection, prophetic dreams, sleep

Fennel: Protection, healing, purification

Lavender: Relaxing, sleep, love, purification, happiness, peace

Lemon Balm: Purification and Love

Mullein: Courage, protection, health, love, divination, exorcism

Nettle: Exorcism, protection, healing, lust

Rose Petals: love, healing, divination, luck, protection

Out Of Control

In any recovery process, we learn about ourselves and how to come to terms with addictions, abuse and neglect issues. Sometimes we are not able to even recognize that there might be damaged areas within ourselves that need this healing process. Most often this part of our self is called "the inner child," Carl Jung referred to it as our "divine child" but whatever we choose to refer to it as, until we start this healing process we will struggle with unresolved issues and conflicts.

In her book "Tarot Shadow Work, using the dark symbols to heal," Christine Jette discusses ways to discover this inner child or shadow as it is called in her book, by using the major arcana to bring to our conscious mind those shadows that have followed us since childhood. By using six cards from the Major Arcana in the layout of a star, she encourages us to examine areas in need of healing.

I did this activity myself recently and I will share the first positional card I layed down, The Tower. This cards shadow meanings include avoidance of change, being conventional to the point of being rigid, seeking permanence in impermanent things and destroying the possibility of new growth by rigidly holding on to ideas or attitudes. The positional question is "Denial, what negatives or positives do people point out to me that I have trouble accepting?" Whew! Now that's a huge can o' worms there buddy!

When meditating on this card and the question, it suddenly came to me that I have always hung on to my outdated ideas or beliefs instead of taking the time to examine why I was even holding on so tightly...which leads me to the "fear of change" shadow meaning. I consider myself to be a survivor after living through a tumultuous childhood but never really caught on that sometimes change is good and the false sense of security I created by keeping these ideas, always led to the Tower effect...imaginary securities came crashing down around my ears and I was left not knowing why.

The problems or conditions that I avoid (like the plague, I might add) are those that force me to change...almost as if I might have some sort of control over these changes that are for the better just because I had no control as a child. I must realize that as an adult, the Universal Mind knows exactly what I need and if I would just let go of that false sense of control, I might find my life richer and more fulfilling.

Last Day

Well, today is the end of the school year and there are four very ecstatic kids in my house. Rest assured there will be boredom afoot in just a week (we're taking bets to see just how long.) I remember those days...I could hardly wait until summer vacation and the by the middle of summer there was positively, absolutely nothing to be done...or so I thought. Looking back I find myself thinking..."If only..."

Summer fun idea: Tie dye T-shirts

Items Needed

Tie dye ( I like to use RIT brand, it seems to hold color a bit better)

* T-shirts... or anything that might be of interest dying

* Large metal pot because the dye does stain wood and plastic

* Water

*Spoon

*Tongs

* Rubber bands

What To Do :

1. Take the clothing to be tie dyed and twist it up and tightly wrap the rubber band around it.

2. Do this in numerous spots all over the article so that circles will turn up everywhere you want.

3. Boil some water in a large pot and when boiling tip dye in . Add article and stir for around 30 minutes on high.

4. When finished... remove with with tongs and run under cold water to make sure all extra dye runs out.

5. Dry and take off rubber bands... iron and your piece is ready to use.

Tarot Tuesday

The Fool (numbered zero in most decks) is a card that somewhat resembles the court jester in medieval times because of his qualities of spontaneity and even a little folly. I look at this card as a beginning, starting out fresh with exuberance in the journey or adventure ahead and slightly naive (which is not always a bad thing but we must always be aware of that which is around us in order to avoid possible disasters headed our way.)

The image of the Fool can vary from deck to deck but is typically seen as a traveler carrying a small pack on a stick starting on his way to the new beginning that awaits him in his future. With no clear idea of where exactly he is headed or why, he is unaware of the fact that there is a cliff directly ahead of him. With him on his journey is also a small dog at his heels and often appears to be barking or trying to get the Fool's attention. One might surmise the dog is attempting to warn the Fool of danger ahead.

When interpreting the Fool, look at the surrounding cards that might give a clue as to whether the Fool in the reading is a warning or omen of good things to come. One of the cards that indicate there may be a warning to be heeded is the Hierophant...meaning you may be restrained by routine and convention...which may find you bored, unfulfilled and unhappy. A more positive card like the Judgement card can indicate new starts and rebirth that can lead you to expect a more positive adventure and beginning that may fill you with a sense of giddy expectation.

The Lo Scarabeo Tarot

Breakthrough

Little by little, over the past few weeks, I have discovered a few rather frightening realizations about myself. While it is true that I carry a lot of baggage, much of it I had always figured that I dealt with it...faced my fears, put them in the light... and examined them under a microscope and came to the conclusion that upon completing this aforementioned process...I was done with them and was ready to move on.

The goddess has a strange way of reaching out and gently (or not so gently, depending on my attention factor) reminding me that although I may have reasoned out that I had made progress, I really had just rationalized this baggage and shoved it neatly back into the file of "Things Yet To Be Dealt With."

Sometimes we are not ready to handle certain issues at that present time until later when we reach a breakthrough point... an "ah ha!" moment so to speak. I've been having an "ah ha!" moment for a few weeks but now as I examine these fears... these little inner demons, it suddenly becomes clear that now is the time that they are ready and willing to be worked through. Patterns that I have been hanging onto out of the fear of change no longer serve me and maybe change is not nearly as scary or insurmountable as I had previously thought.

I have discovered that it is okay to make mistakes... to show that I am human... and that sometimes risking the rejection of another is something I must do in order to live up to my higher purpose and greater good. It may be rocky...as life is seldom smooth sailing but I am now ready to stand up and say "I am ok...This is my skin and I kind of like how it fits." Today, I take my first few wobbly steps into healing old wounds and choosing to become the person the universe intended me to be.

Serenity Sunday

Hope

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune--without the words,
And never stops at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.

I've heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.

Emily Dickenson

I love this little poem, it cheers me up just reading it. What things give you hope...what little inspiration burns within you that causes you to hold it dear to your heart? Let's not just practice our gratitude but our hopes too....how can you celebrate your hope today?

My List:

1.) My kids

2.) My cats

3.) Good friends

4.) Hope

5.) Fabric softener

6.) Cheese

7.) Cat litter scoop

8.) Fresh soil

9.) Balloon animals

10.) Benadryl cream

Only My Shadow Knows...

A while ago, I bought the book "Tarot Shadow Work, using the dark symbols to heal" by Christine Jette but I hadn't had much time to delve into it with all the activities of school and work vying for my attention. School is winding down now so hopefully I can settle in and start working through the book. The following is an excerpt from this book to give you an idea of what it's all about....

~~~

The Shadow Knows

There is a shadow lurking in every person's inner life, a psychic darkness sheltering our inner conflicts and unexpressed emotions. It takes its shape from a menagerie of archetypes, each recognizable throughout time and around the world troubling characters who thrive within our persona. The shadow is the saboteur, martyr, victim, addict, sadist, masochist, or tyrant, all the dark figures that prey on the lighter qualities of the human personality.

The shadow also represents those latent talents and positive traits that were banished from us at some time along our life path: artistic, musical, athletic, or creative talents. An undeveloped ability, a dream that has gone unexpressed, a fantasy of what might have been these, too, make up the personal shadow, the lost parts of ourselves.

~~~

As I briefly mentioned in other blog posts, I came from a dysfunctional family, (Wow! that's an understatement!) Anyhow, growing up was a rocky road indeed and then at the age of nine, my father decided to take his own life and my childhood almost disappeared over night as I was rudely ushered into a very adult world... up until then I had been a carefree, somewhat sheltered, child.

I consider myself a survivor but I realize all too keenly the baggage that I have carried for decades. It hasn't always been easy recognizing these issues in order to resolve them, but the Irish determination I inherited from my father is serving me well after all these years and with a little luck, as I work through this book, I will be able to lay to rest the demons that have long shadowed me on my journey in this world.

Animal Guides

You can't choose an animal guide as your personal spirit guide....the animal chooses you and they decide to whom they will reveal themselves and make their friend. Do not fall into the trap of saying, “Gosh, I think the wolf is a smart, good looking and powerful animal, so the wolf will become my animal guide.” It does not work this way.

Each Animal has its own energy which is unique to that specific creature as gifted by the god and goddess and its spirit cannot be chosen like the color of your new car. Discovering who your animal guides are is a process of paying attention to the spirits around you and following the signs. It is a process of developing your inner knowledge and spiritual understanding.

An individual can not be assigned a spirit guide by another person, regardless of who that person maybe, no more than another person can say how or when the god or goddess manifests in your life. What happens if you want an animal spirit so bad you can taste it (not literally) and one has not come to you? We have two suggestions for this case. First... meditate about it. Second... be satisfied with whatever happens or does not happen. If you have trouble the first time, try again at a different time.

After you understand what type of animal guide has come into your life, it is necessary to educate yourself fully as to the nature of the animal. Learn about its habitat... life cycles... what it eats... physical characteristics... special skills and traits. Go to places where your animal guide can be found in real life. Study it in nature ...gaining insight into the nature of your animal guide will help you to better understand its messages. Meditate on this knowledge and discover its power and significance in your life.

After you learn various ways to work with the medicine of you animal spirit guide, the energy becomes a gateway to connecting with other spirit guides found within its domain. Your animal spirit guide (or those spirits who choose to reveal themselves in the form of an animal) will teach you how to align with other spirit guides and beings.

A spirit guide must be harmonious with the person. Communication with your spirit guide requires reverent respect and knowledge of the ways of the animal guide and you can find new ways to honor your spirit guide. The more importance you give to the spirit guide the more they respond to you. Most spirit guides do not immediately acknowledge themselves to the person as they are leery of your intention and knowledge. A spirit guide is sensitive to moods, current events, and a persons path in life. They must first trust you and learn your needs and wants. You must learn to trust them and understand their needs and wants. It takes time, patience and practice

The Wheel

I subscribe to a few tarot sites that send me regular email about various topics and today, I recieved a very interesting one from Mary K. Greer concerning a video by Rosanne Cash called "The Wheel."(1993) This music video has tarot card symbols all through it and I think I must have watched it a dozen times already. I love this video, it's very entertaining to see just how many tarot cards I can recognize as Rosanne Cash sings....

I encourage you to take a look and see just how many cards you can spot!

Rosanne Cash More CMT Music More CMT Music Videos