Blackbird Singing in the Dead of Night; Card of the Week, 27th April 2015

card 4.27.2015

Holy cow! How much do I love this week’s card? Not only is it another bird (birds are a theme in a personal project I’ve been trying to work on)   it’s one of my faves – and it reminds me of one of my very favourite songs** by the Beatles,

Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise    – Paul McCartney

In the picture we see a magical twilight scene where stars and moon are on the rise and blackbird sits in a tree, singing.  In the background a cave of secrets and knowledge.

Blackbird speaks of a jumping off point, a new momentum, and something you’ve been waiting for (or working towards on unseen levels) your whole life.  He calls us to focus on our life path and purpose. This is the beginning, the starting point.  This could have been a revelation that came in the last weeks, or simply one of life’s many turning points. Just as with last week’s “phoenix” symbol, a new chapter is underway and you’re about to arise on a special voyage that’s special and right for just you.  It’s not about what everyone else has or wants. It’s about your own path.   This could be the journey of a lifetime underway.  (I notice this theme reflected in news and celebrity happenings in the last week or so too!)

Symbolically, this bird stands at the gate between two worlds and invites healing on spiritual and emotional levels. Maybe in the last few weeks you’ve been seeking for meaning and direction more than usual.  Perhaps you’ve been waiting for messages and signs about where to go next.  Greater self awareness and greater spiritual awareness are what this card is all about.  Remember though, this is awareness about your path that you give to yourself.  Your own spiritual path is unique and it’s not always something another person, religion, philosophy or formula can always give you.  It’s something residing in your heart and soul already.  It’s like the faint sound of a birdsong at night…. will you hear it?      Sometimes it’s really tough to hear that song when we’re freaked out about bills or worried about a dilemma at home, wondering about what will come, when and how we should get to it (so we don’t miss out!)  —   don’t be afraid to go into that metaphorical cave, to dwell in your own inner connection to sort it out.

It’s important because this week and lately the energy has had us chomping at the bit a little more than usual! There’s more desire and burning quest to CONTROL things and figure everything out so we can do the maximum job at getting it all done exactly the way we want it.  The problem is, sometimes all that surface scratching and looking at what we SEE doesn’t give us much info.  Those are JUST The times when we need to listen to our own “birdsong”  a little bit more! Blackbird says, come into the twilight, listen to the information welling within you.    Yes, we have to be practical and live regular life, but checking in with our core is important sometimes and this week we’re getting valuable information that helps us know what to do in the real world real life scenarios where we must make choices.

In the right corner of the picture we see an F-shaped  marking carved into the stone: I think it’s supposed to be the Celtic ogham for the Rowan tree.   The Rowan tree also represents looking deeper into things than what we physically see with our eyes and our usual limited perspective.  (it also happens to the the kind of tree, with pretty red berries, that our blackbird is sitting in!)         Look beneath the surface, know there’s more going on than meets the eye!

Stillness is important when it’s time to connect to those liminal “world between worlds” areas of ourselves. Give yourself some time and space this week to not think, to not try to figure everything out, to be receptive to being SHOWN from within.   (That also means maybe you’re taking some time out where you’re not constantly coming and going with friends and activities, or maybe you’ve had to rest for some physical reason)     You may even find yourself re-focusing on your own special path or purpose whether that’s to do with your career or not and nudges and pokes from within your heart will abound.  If you’ve had difficulty in this area (“I’m not getting nudges!”) this is a week to turn that around!

Happy midnight singing, everyone!

 ** the Beatles song was already one of my favourites when I heard an interview a few years ago  that the guitar line was inspired by a Bach piece I loved to play on the piano when I was young (Bouree in E minor)  – that made it more special!  🙂

About this deck:   The Druid Animal Oracle is an interesting 33 card deck   by Stephanie Carr-Gomm, Philip Carr-Gomm and illustrated by the talented Will Worthington. Perfect for meditation or inspiration,  It’s published by Connections.

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toon 24th April 2015

soul puppy 4.24

 

 

 

Poor Puppy….    so busy guarding that bone and scared someone or something  will take it from her,  she can’t relax.   Whether it’s a person, relationship, job or experience, – being afraid of loss  and imagining all the different ways what you care about can go away, be lost, be stolen or disappear puts a damper on our ability to enjoy what we really have in the moment.   Sure it’s possible that you could lose the bone, but a far better thing to do with your time is to enjoy the heck out of it while you have it.

The Phoenix Rises; Card of the Week 20th April 2015

 

card 4.20.2015

 

The Phoenix is a wonderful bird.  She can bust into flames and emerge from the ashes of destruction and change with her plumage even more sparkling, more bright, more colourful.  And while not all of us have crashed and burned, most of us HAVE been undergoing a lot of change and the radical (sometimes ashy)  undoing of previous patterns.   For you, maybe it’s that the era of being single might be ending, or jobs might be changing, or relationships undergoing total metamorphosis.  Homes may be selling, or old paths abandoned.   This week, we’re starting to experience the essence of  the Phoenix, not the burning part, the REGENERATING part:

Author Toney Brooks says,  “This archetype is about lessons learned, order restored and the dawn of a new day…. She indicates high energies of inspirational consciousness stirring in your life. She heralds a time of resolution and restoration…”   Things have been crazy, some of your old feathers might have burned away (if not some entire part of you) and you’re now seeing the restoration, the lessons learned from the past 6 months and you’re to move towards the emotions, thoughts and actions that guide you back to shaking all your full tail feathers and letting them glow!

Restoration and resolution indicates that the awareness you’re receiving (or maybe did during the “seeing” theme of last week?)  are helping you to gain a foothold on what comes NEXT instead of staying in the fires and ashes any longer.

In the myth of the Phoenix, only one Phoenix can exist at one time.  When, after 1000 years or so, it feels like “death” is coming, it is consumed by fire… and out of the ashes, a new Phoenix, a new version of itself — brilliant and new, emerges.   In this same way,  we’re often occupied by one great theme or happening at a time, one version of ourselves makes way for a new one.  And now the new bird, our new selves is coming out into the sun!

What creative ways can you allow this restoration to happen this week? In what ways can you encourage resolution of the old ashes and embrace the new glitz of your new feathers?   It’s always a good idea to look at what we’ve learned, to allow ourselves to move FORWARD.. and there’s never been a better time than the present.  All that inspiration and energy buzzing (perhaps uncomfortably) in your veins is at an all time high… what will you DO with all that energy?  Sticking your beak back down in the nest and trying to pretend that you’re still on fire, or that you’re an ash-lump probably won’t work.   This week is all about regeneration choices!

 

Have an amazing week drinking in the rising and restoration!  And speaking of Phoenix rising from the ashes, fittingly, my FB page  is being recreated after a looong absence in a new form to feature more articles, art and daily features:   https://www.facebook.com/willowbrillianceart

 

about this deck:  About this deck:  This week’s card is from the beautifully painted Chrysalis Tarot illustrated by Holly Sierra and written by Toney Brooks. Published by US Games (and available by Fools Dog on Android and Apple).  I was attracted to this deck based on the really unique and whimsical representation of traditional tarot themes and the magnificent artwork.  It’s a very special and unique deck!