Tarot Shadow Work- Inferiority

The third position in the star of discover is inferiority. This is where I lack most confidence in my abilities and plays a key role in my adult life as it is now. The card that I drew for this position was The Moon, among it's shadow attributes are times of doubt and confusion about my feelings...my indecision and passivity...my avoidance of intense feelings and the constant feeling of everything being clouded or vague.

The question that I find myself pondering is "What event or situation from my past has helped this shadow grow...did my parents play a role?" My answer would have to be a resounding "Yes." As a child I was never really aware of how the adults and events in my life might shape my future but now, as an adult it is clear that by my mother's avoidance and codependency about my father's alcoholism as well as his suicide, all set the stage for me to see myself as inferior. In my childhood, I watched my parents' examples and heard their critical language and worked out in my childish mind that my needs and my wants were not as important as the irrational need to maintain some semblance of peace in a volatile, alcoholic home.

When my father made the choice to commit suicide, it was again reinforced in my nine year old brain that if I had been important to my father, he would have stuck around to watch me grow up. I still feel that odd twinge of resentment now and then that his selfishness over rode the fact that I saw him as a hero...someone who could do anything and had an air of super human talent.

In my adulthood now, I am able to confront these issues that I did not understand then and I realize my father's suicide and my mother's complacency did not have anything to do with me at all. The very nature of addiction can make perfectly rational and sane people act just as crazy if not more so that the person with the addiction. I had never even linked my inferiority issues back to my chilhood and how it might have made me who I am today but through examination of my shadow I can let all that misinformation and incorrect conclusions go. I can choose not to let that shadow control me anymore and that indeed is a very liberating feeling!

Could You Repeat That....Please?!

I've suffered from debilitating migraines for what seems like before dirt ( actually since puberty... to be exact) and like my mother, grandmother and her mother before her, it is a hereditary issue. I usually know when they're coming on because a few days before one hits, I become sluggish, clumsy and say the oddest words...you know, the ones that really don't fit the topic you're trying to speak about.... and when I can see the bewildered look on others' faces, I know I've said something really silly. So embarrassing by the way!

I've been taking a medication for a few years now called Relpax but for some reason it just doesn't seem to be doing it's job so I've been consulting with my Dr. about what we can do to lessen or prevent my migraines altogether. Yesterday, his assistant called me with a couple options the Dr. is kicking around...one is to try different migraine medicines until we find one thatseems to work better and the other choice is something called...now... are you ready for this? I definitely was not... anyway, it's called Prophylactic Medicine. I think my jaw must have hit the floor because you probably don't have to work too hard at guessing the visions dancing in my head as she was speaking!

It took me a few minutes to catch up to what she was talking about but in general it is a medication that is taken on a daily basis in order to prevent said migraines. It didn't have anything to do with ribbed latex products at all...much to my relief! I looked up what these medications were and among them was Depakote, typically a mood stabilizer for manic depression and other mental health issues but it has the side effect of heading off migraines at the pass so to speak. I'm not sure if I really qualify as moody per se but it would be incredibly nice not to worry about when a migraine might occur.

Tarot Tuesday

This week I'm very excited to introduce an oracle deck by Jessica Galbreth called "The Enchanted Oracle." You may recognize her name associated with her writing contibutions in the Faeries Oracle by Brian Froud but she too, is a highly talented artist. I simply love the gorgeous way her drawings seem to spring to life on this oracle deck, lending a mysteriously magical appeal to it's reading interpretations.

One card, Gothique talks about our shadows... what scares us. The message is that of recognizing our fears and facing them so that we can release them and move on. The extra that is presented with this card is “Fear Itself” – a journaling exercise to help the Seeker identify their fears and work them out.

The book begins with a short section on how to use the Enchanted Oracle, including the basics for using a pendulum and reading with the cards. The steps for performing a reading are given as:

1. Decide your question, and write it down.
2. Select the spread you are going to use.
3. Shuffle the cards.
4. Lay out the cards according to the spread that you selected.
5. Interpret the cards.
6. Write

I should be getting this deck today or tomorrow, I'm so excited I can harldy wait to feel these cards in my hand. Hopefully between today's blog and next week I can work with them and post a one card interpretation for next Tuesday.

Pond Ponderings

I was able to finish the water feature in my herb garden yesterday, and I might add that I'm rather pleased with my efforts. I scrounged up some rather lovely pond rocks and put a small bubbling fountain in the center that sends gentle ripples through the water. Now all I need a few water plants and some little fishies in it. Teasdale enjoys the newly revamped herb garden with water feature...Ooo, fresh water, just lean over the rocks!

I'm a bit worn out after planting digging and carrying rocks so today's blog will be a tad short. Tune in tomorrow for Tarot Tuesday.

Bright Blessings!

Serenity Sunday

What a wonderful Fourth of July I had! The kids spent the weekend with their father at the beach...they sent some great photos to me of how much fun they had...got to go plant shopping with the neighbor and help him plan and build his own pond and waterfall ....had BBQ beer brats with fresh blueberries and melon and a green salad with fresh organic tomatoes and then retired to the deck to enjoy all the fireworks brightly exploding in the night sky...ahhh, this is heaven!

My List:

1.) My kids

2.) My cats

3.) Good friends

4.)Planting flowers in fresh black soil

5.) Waterfalls

6.) Lowes garden center

7.) The smell of the BBQ

8.) Fresh blueberries and melon

9.) Crisp green lettuce with garden tomatoes...Mmmmm!

10> Ooooing and Ahhhing over the fireworks displays

Freedom: Another Word For Responsibility

Preamble

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common , promote the general welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our posterity do and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

This is the Preamble to our United States Constitution, within the Constitution itself, there are 27 Amendments starting with The Freedom of Religion; Press and Expression and ending with limiting Congressional Pay Increases. How often do we reflect on our rights handed down from our founding fathers but hesitate to recognize the responsibilities that go with it. If freedom of religion is a right then this freedom is our responsibility to ensure that it encompasses all religions. We are all just a small part of a grander Universal Mind and each has been given the flame of spirituality within us.

We must acknowledge that freedom of speech means all speech...even the words we may find offensive or vulgar for if we put restrictions on types of speech and kinds of words then we must realize that we may run the risk of our very own speech becoming censored. Our responsibility in recognizing freedom of speech is to allow others to speak their mind and write freely without hindrance. It is also our responsibility to ensure that we speak and write within reason and without malice...freedom of speech is not license to slander or malign others with differing opinions.

So, this Independence Day, let us be thankful for not only our rights but the responsibilities that go with them. Our founding Fathers bore a great burden on their shoulders but they bore it with pride and great vision for all of us today... Happy Independence Day!

Bright Blessings!

Those Dog Days Of Summer

Dog Days

1 : the period between early July and early September when the hot sultry weather of summer usually occurs in the northern hemisphere
2 : a period of stagnation or inactivity

Why do we call the hot, sultry days of summer “dog days?” Well, I had some fun looking this up and got a mini astronomy lesson to boot! Dog Days is the name for the most sultry period of summer, from about July 3 to Aug. 11. Named in early times by observers in countries bordering the Mediterranean the period was reckoned as extending from 20 days before to 20 days after the conjunction of Sirius (the dog star) and the sun.

Sirius is the alpha star in the constellation Canis Major. Canis Major is called the Big Dog, which gives Sirius its nickname of "the Dog Star". The name Sirius means "scorching," which may relate to its brightness as a star and its relationship to summer. It was because Sirius "disappeared," or joined the sun during the summer, that the saying came about. Ancient Romans believed that Sirius added its warmth to that of the sun's as they neared one another and that this was what produced the hottest days of summer.

The ancient Egyptians attached special importance to Sirius. An event called the heliacal rising of Sirius occurred when the star became visible in the east just before sunrise in the summer. The star’s dawn appearance signaled the flooding of the Nile which brought fresh soil and nutrients to the crop lands along the river, leading to fertility and good harvests. The heliacal temples were constructed so that the light of Sirius reached the inner chambers on this date.

So, after learning what exactly "The dog days of summer" meant, how about a few fun summer dog day activities?

Scavenger Hunt

Have a hunt with your kids or help plan one for the neighborhood gang.

You'll Need:
A list of common house hold objects that you know you have. Each team or child will receive a list and a bag for the items (make the lists before gathering the kids).
The lists can contain anything:
A dandelion, rock, Pill bug, worm, leaf, ball, roller blade...
Pre readers will need pictures. The object of the game is
to be the first team to find and retrieve all of the objects on the list. Play inside or outdoors.

Tent Time

Kids love to play in their own tent space. You can do it without the hassle of pitching a tent.
Use a plastic tarp over the clothesline with stakes at the corners. Cover the floor with a blanket or sheet.
Provide a picnic lunch, board games and other activities for the little campers. Using this instead of a real tent will prevent damaging the lawn. Kids can use it all summer long for a relief from the sun.

Rock Garden

During the morning, when the sun’s rays aren’t so hot and the morning breeze is still present, take a walk together, looking for rocks. Kids love rock hunting and with every new find will grow more excited. Tell them to keep an eye out for rocks of all shapes and sizes, watching for flat, smooth stones, as well as jagged, sharp rocks. Encourage them to use their imaginations and look for rocks that can be turned into animals, flowers, dragons or fairies once you are at home.

Anxiety Show Thy Face (part deux)

Last week I blogged about the second position in the "Star of Discover" and my card was The World. Today, I wanted to continue in my journaling about this card and maybe add a few things mainly for my benefit but if it happens to be beneficial to others as well, that's great too.

The main subject I wanted to bring up about the Shadow Qualities of The World... is fear of restriction. I struggle a great deal with this issue...it's always been my motto that "Ask and I will be more that happy to acquiesce but if you tell me what to do I will dig in my heels and maybe do the complete opposite....because I can."

After thinking about this quality I thought to myself, what a terrible philosophy to have actually... A little cooperation goes a long way and I'm quite aware of this so why would I hang on to such a belligerent attitude? I think it all boils down to the idea that if I cannot control my world completely, then I have no control at all and without control firmly in my hands the anxiety is absolutely overwhelming. Whew.... That's a scary revelation!

There are, however, some Shadow Gifts that The World offers as well....rather that seeing where I have negative issues right now, I must realize that gifts can come out of this anxiety issue as well. I can see it as one cycle in my life ending and another more positive one beginning...within myself there is solid ground...I am a whole person, maybe not perfect but complete none the less... I can realize my goals and I can wear the world as a loose garment rather than letting life happen to me while I'm making other plans.

Tarot Perfection

There's going to be a new tarot deck this next spring (2010) and I can't hardly stand it. I have never seen such artistry as is in this deck! Shadowscapes Tarot by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law will be published by Llewelyn next year and I can hardly wait...I followed each card as she has added it, put myself on her mailing list so I could get the latest updates...I believe I've even had dreams about holding this gorgeous deck in my hands...Oh my gosh, I'm a tarot stalker!

I came close to this reaction when Ciro Marchetti put out The Tarot of Dreams but it's going to be a close one. I have a list of "must have" decks...some I have already acquired since I started making my list but there are a lot more I've been drooling over, thinking to myself "someday." I remember when I saw the very first deck I simply had to have...it was The Baroque Bohemian Cat's Tarot and it seemed to snowball after that. Tarot decks, Oracle decks, whimsical decks, the Dreaming In Color Luman deck....I could go on forever....

I noticed the popular tarot stores also seem to contribute to my tarot delinquency especially Amazon...who can resist that "Buy Now!" button...well, I can tell you it surely is not me. Anyhow, I believe I digress a bit too much so check out the tarot card links...I know you won't be disappointed!

LIZZIE'S LOGIC

LIZZIE'S LOGIC

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