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

April 20, 2015April 20, 2015Leave a comment

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!

The Mime; Card of the Week 12th January 2014

January 12, 2015January 12, 20151 Comment

I just love this week’s card! For the past few weeks I’ve been seeing a lot of themes with friends and clients that reflect on putting our past selves into a new perspective in a brand new relationship or place, and making new choices. Also, a lot of themes of old energies, people, places, times, eras and chapters making a surprising reappearance in some form or another. For some of folks, it’s a person from the past literally stepping out of the fog and into their lives, in others it’s a sense of “de-ja vu” – where something that happened before a long time ago seems to be happening yet again. Only make no mistake about it– this time IS different. Things may seem to be repeating in that spiral (either mentally, emotionally, or otherwise) but you, and the people around you are vastly different. This is happening so often, in fact, and with so many people… I feel it’s a tremendous energetic opportunity in general energy.

From the Little White Book, — it says the Mime is on our journey to soothe our psyche…

“Like a ram, she batters loose the memories of past experiences and returns them to mindfulness. The Mime then provides support to reconcile these memories through compassionate listening and sound advice. The mime is a wonderful card to have.”

Recalling all these memories, and even putting the past into perspective is what this card is all about. The past is over, only the new part of your life remains. Memories are there to instruct and teach us and mindfulness can keep us from repeating the same territory. I also notice that in the picture the mime is hanging out with her buddy the bighorn sheep… who loves to climb mountains and ascend to new territories. This isn’t any stay-in-a-cave, hide-from-the-world ruminant… this sheep’s going up, up and up! This is a card that says we are heading to new places and new vistas. That bird in the left hand corner, and the butterfly in the right twinkling in their rainbow coats say the same thing, “new metamorphosis, new perspectives, new places” — a continuous call to not forget the new for whatever the past is trying to teach us. Listen with compassion to what we felt before and listen to the new signals around us.

This also means that we’re not really being asked to join up with the past or go down any of our “same old roads” (emotional habits) as we did before. Maybe someone familiar from the old world is near you, maybe you are reflecting on de-ja-vu, or embracing a new relationship that somehow reminds you of what came before… this card is here to remind you that you are still heading off into your own adventures, your own new direction. Nothing (and nobody) should be standing in the way of that. Using your heart wisdom instead of irrational thoughts, over-thinking, or need-based hopes will keep you grounded. It’s not time to fly off the rails or jump to conclusions (positive or negative), be crazy, rash, or leap without looking. We have a lot of wonderful energy helping us to listen, look, and be aware this week. Gently picking our way up, up, up.

This is also a wonderful week to follow instincts. I was drawn to use this same deck again but part of me thought, “Well I should use a different deck every week.” — why? Sometimes it’s good to listen to our instincts and not over-think them.

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!

Tale of Fox and Moon; Card of the Week 5th January 2015

January 5, 2015January 5, 2015Leave a comment

Never fear, in spite of the title of this card, our Foxy friend is not here to say we’re necessarily going to feel bad or be rejected this week. Instead, she speaks about the obvious or hidden feelings and thoughts that accompany letting go and jumping into a new positive phase. (The good kind of letting go, that we need or even want!) The call to let go, relax and open up often wears the disguise of fear of rejection. For example: being rejected is often a fear that accompanies the act of letting go and letting someone in. Fights can surround a misplaced sense of “rejection” when in reality another person is simply trying to express themselves. We can even feel rejected when someone around us is not taking responsibility for their lives, something that has nothing to do with us.

Sometimes emotions are like a fox in the woods… elusive, difficult to track, difficult to understand or pin down. We might not know what they mean in the moment we’re having them. or they might just present themselves silently when everything seems fine. Sometimes we wonder if we can trust ourselves. Doubts dart in and out of our mental landscape like the fox. This is the perfect week to think about our feelings, stories and beliefs about “rejection” — are these stories keeping our power to choose and make decisions hidden? Are these beliefs hiding an awesome way to progress forward?

What are you afraid of? Here’s the thing – rejection isn’t something you need to fear. Most of the time it’s an idea in our heads, a fear in our hearts, not something real. Sometimes rejection is just an act when we don’t know how to talk about what is REALLY in our hearts. And in those rare times that something doesn’t pan out or work out (we get a denial letter from a publisher or a Dear Jane) – it’s still not rejection! It’s simply that whatever it was wasn’t in the right groove with where we’re headed right now. (A protection, not a rejection)

Maybe if we worried about rejection a little less this week we could make better decisions and not cloud our judgement with thoughts about how to keep another person (or thing) from hurting us when we could be seeing the truth or making intelligent decisions instead. We’d be our wonderful, shiny, foxy selves more often. We’d rush into things (or out of things) a little less blindly because we’re not just trying to escape rejection.

The second card that popped out alongside our fox, is the moon. – The author says, “The moon calls you to creative reflection. Her mysteries will be revealed in due course, and when you least expect them. If you feel stranded and bewildered, energize your goals and aspirations with positive thoughts. Listen to your inner voice, dreams and intuition. They have amazing power to alter your future. The Moon is about the joyful celebration of your success.”

Imagine our little fox darting in and out of the trees in a deep woods. The moon hangs in the winter sky, the snow crunches beneath her little paws. She’s on the case, she’s going somewhere amazing and astoundingly beautiful. She knows where she’s going – it might not always be obvious but she’s being guided with her creativity and heart more than any doubts or fears and so are you! We all have fears, illusions, and dreams hiding the clear path, but this week those dreams can be harnessed for powers of good!

Have a wonderful week and happy 2015!