Halloween v Beltane: my social dilemma...

I need to get something out... Today is the 31st of October, and Halloween in the  Northern Hemisphere. All day, and perhaps for most of the month, I have been hearing all this stuff about Halloween. Are you dressing up? Are you trick or treating? Buy this pumpkin and that fake spider and this ghost thing that witches hat (and this is another gripe of mine, but beyond the scope of what I am can currently dealing with)!! It is all very commercial, but this is not where my issue lies.

My real issue is that we are celebrating it at the wrong time of year! It is currently Beltane in the Southern Hemisphere! We should be celebrating this with a massive bonfire (perhaps controlled as we are currently in a high fire danger period) and a dance around the May Pole and sharing the love (not necessarily sexual either) and partying late into the night cause it's day light savings!!!! We should be honouring the return to power of the sun, not trick or treating and giving our lollies... 

Don't get me wrong, I celebrate Halloween myself, and would love to see trick or treaters at my house! I'd give em all a full packet of Redskins... At the right time of year...

Why do we have to do it the same way as America and the Northern Hemisphere? I single out America only because it is the infusion of American culture into Australia that has caused this sudden rise in popularity of the holiday, nothing more... There is absolutely nothing stopping us adapting this holidays an doing it 'our way' based on our seasons... Nothing at all!! 

Again, this goes against the initial reason for this post, and that was to work out why I am having so much trouble with the idea, so I'll rein it in a bit... It might be as simple as knowing the general public do not understand the reason for the holiday and we appear to be 'bandwagoners', which is something I loathe deeply. It may be that something that is held sacred by many is yet another casualty to captialism and consumerism which I also loathe... The Christians have had to deal with this for decades now, so perhaps I should ask them how they deal with it... 

Advice from fellow pagans and other such wise people is to just let it go and enjoy it for what it is... 'Give me the courage to accept that which I cannot change' and all that...  Perhaps I should take this advice and hope that next year I will find a way to cope better. Maybe getting out and actively involving myself in local Beltane rituals will also help... 

I'll do both and see how it goes. I can't help but wonder how other people cope... Is this a problem for you too? I can't be the only one going through it now or ever... So, if you have ever felt this way, please let me know how you got through it? I'd love to hear your advice!!  

Beltane Blessings!! xx 

Tarot vs Oracle Cards - What's best for me?

This week is T for the Pagan Blog Project and I thought I'd write about the Tarot. However, since I have been asked on several occasions what the difference between Tarot and Oracle cards is, I thought I'd address it here, just for a little twist.

Ok, so the first step is to explain how they work. Basically, each card has a meaning that is interpreted based on a) it's position in a spread (if you use one), b) my own intuition and c) the question asked. I don't always need a question, but sometimes it helps me to clarify the message or guidance being given. I also use my intuition a lot as it helps to provide a deeper, more specific message for the client. I use this same process for both sets of cards, but I don't always use a specific spread unless I am drawn to it or the client has a specific question that a certain spread can help to answer.

Sounds easy right? Well, it is in a sense, but there are differences between Oracle and Tarot cards that make it a little less so. The main difference between Oracle and Tarot cards are the meanings. Tarot cards, while most decks do include specific meanings, usually have universal meanings to draw from. For example, the Hierophant will mean the same in the Rider-Waite deck, the Nefertari deck or the Celtic Tarot deck etc etc. This means you can give a general reading using any deck, even playing cards! (Considering that playing cards are modeled on the original tarot, this is just as well!!) Oracle cards will come with deck specific meanings for each card, usually because they have very different themes and reasons for being created. Each deck will serve a specific purpose for which individual card meanings are necessary. this is not a bad thing, it just means there is often less study involved! Further to this, I have found that Oracle decks (other than the simple past, present, future layout) don't come with a wide variety of spreads to work from. True, Tarot spreads can and are used when reading from Oracle cards, but for some reason the authors don't see this variety as a necessary component of readings.

These are some of the cards from the Doreen Virtue, Angel Therapy cards I use. I have been drawn to them for a long time and absolutely love them!!

Both have their individual benefits. For the Tarot, once you know the universal meanings you can read any deck effectively. They also come with a variety of spreads to cater to any question that will lend greater depth to the reading. There are also Tarot specific symbolism, i.e. colours, images etc, that you can draw on for even deeper meaning, but these are not exclusive to the Tarot. Once you have this knowledge you can apply it anywhere, even Oracle cards. On the other hand, Oracle cards help to strengthen your intuition, in my experience more so than Tarot cards. The main reason is that you can read them based entirely on what image or colour you are drawn to and use general symbolism as interpretation for the messages. These cards usually have a sentence or two on the bottom of each card as a general interpretation, which helps as well. There is far less study involved as well, which can help for people who are (for some reason or another) put off by this. For both decks, reading the book is optional (though recommended) and I know a few who have never read a book and rely solely on their intuition, but for me a Tarot reading without the knowledge is much less deep and meaningful than one with it. But that's just me...

This is an example of the simple three card spread: past, present, future. 

Oracle cards were a good starting point for me, allowing me to strengthen my intuition and connection to spirit and I sometimes revert back to them if I feel I am relying too much on knowledge rather than intuition. Oracle cards gave me confidence to read more and the foundation I needed to move up to the Tarot (for which I always had an interest). Neither one is more effective than the other, in fact having a working knowledge of both serves to deepen the readings I do now. Despite this, I do prefer the Tarot because of the general meanings, but like to employ general symbolism and my own intuition as well when reading for someone.

Sacred Signs

This week's letter for the Pagan Blog Project was easy to write about. In fact, I am writing this well in advance in case I forget... and with my memory it is almost certain I will...

I was first 'introduced' to sacred signs a few years ago by my first 'official' spiritual teacher. The idea is that you ask the universe for a sign, assign specific images or words to mean certain things and watch and wait. It is similar to omens in that the universe is sending you information, but the interpretation is less subjective. Assigning specific signs, images and words also helps the universe to direct its efforts to something that you will definitely understand. Dreams are also a good source of communication, but these are too easily open to subjective interpretations and I find that the less room for 'error' there is in the interpretation, the better! You can't argue against something you have asked for!! I like to ask to receive it 3 times, just to be sure I am not putting it there or reading too much into everyday life. Some consider this arrogant or demanding, but if the universe is going to all the trouble of sending me a sign, I would rather get it right!!

One of the early sacred signs I asked for was concerning whether to accept an opportunity to take over a psychic development class. I in no way felt ready to lead such a class and needed some guidance as to whether I should or not. I asked for a rainbow for yes and a black hoodie for no. That night, I rediscovered Wicca books I had bought when I was a teenager and had not read since. So, I decided to start reading it. It was as if the book called to me from the study where it lived. A few chapters later and it was late and I decided I needed to sleep, but the book had other ideas. It said 'no just one more chapter'. Well, the next one was about 'fear' and in it the writer explains fear as a shrouded, dark feature with a hooded cloak... I was shocked! I had never expected to get my sign so quickly, nor in this manner. I was still not convinced, and for some reason I needed further validation. The next morning I was walking to my friend's house, the very friend who had offered me the opportunity in the first place, and as I was walking up the hill I found myself staring at a person walking towards me. I literally could not take my eyes off of the person! I thought it might have been my friend coming towards me, but soon realised it couldn't be her as the person did not appear to be waddling as a pregnant woman would. I brushed it off and continued walking. I turned the corner and was about 100m up the road before I realised the person had been wearing a black hooded jumper!!  Further validation received, I felt confident in declining the opportunity as I knew the universe had other things in store for me.

Another particularly memorable experience working with sacred signs was when I had the opportunity to work at my first psychic fair. I had been reading tarot for friends and family for a while and was ready to take it 'public', but was not sure where (or if I was meant to). So I asked the universe for a sign. To make things easy, I used the old yes = rainbow and no =  black hoody signs. the very next day, as I drove to work, the very same way I always had, I turned the same roundabout I had for months and looked at the same shop window but only now realised that the seven circles at the top of the logo were in fact the colours of the rainbow! I laughed out loud and continued to work. Later that afternoon, as I was driving down to Newcastle to visit my father, I looked at the sky and thought 'wow, it looks like a rainbow!' and again, I giggled at how the universe chooses to get its point across. The sun was setting and leaving purple, blue, yellow, orange and red sections across the horizon, it was quite beautiful really.  This time I had asked specifically for three signs, as I wanted to be totally sure. I had my two at this point, and was excited to see how the third would arrive! Further down the highway, there on one of the traffic announcement boards that litter the highways and freeways these days, were the words 'Rainbow Flats'!! Now, I didn't even know Australia had a Rainbow Flats let alone where it is exactly. I laughed so hard I could barely see where I was driving!!!! I still can't remember what exactly happened in Rainbow Flats that day, probably an accident of some sort, but I am grateful it did! (and hopeful no one was hurt...)

I have also changed the signs depending on what I wanted. I recently used the word 'twist' as a sign as the Oliver Twist scenario fit what I needed guidance about. I got it, more than three times over the last week or so, so I guess it is true!

I love working with sacred signs as it is an easy way to get information with very little margin for error through misinterpretation. Besides, it is interesting and fun to see how the universe gets the information to you!! All you have to do is ask the question and set the symbols and wait. The universe really will do the rest!!

This little light of mine, I'm (someday) gonna let it shine......

Inspired by Ms Moonlilly - http://wiccanwonderland.wordpress.com/2014/04/11/h-is-for-holding-it-in/

This blog entry is inspired by Ms Moonlilly's H is for Holding it in discovered most 'coincidentally' through the PBP... again... Read this one first, then come back to me!! xx

I have been a part of something wonderful this past week. Someone who I love very much has finally accepted all of herself and is allowing her true self to be seen by the world! She has accepted that she is a spiritual being and that she just might be able to do the things we have hitherto only 'played' at doing. It was a wonderful thing to see the light bulb moment, be with her the moment she stopped fighting it and embraced it all, and for that I thank her and the universe for putting me in the room with her!

It is not surprising that I myself have been going through this same thing for much of my life. I always knew I was destined for something 'more' or 'greater' than the mundane, but my teenage mind decided that was fame and fortune. My adult brain now realises that this may perhaps be the embracing of my own spiritual self and allowing this part of me to shine to the world. Accepting that I have a gift or talent for helping people is hard. As Ms Williamson says 'our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure' and I can definitely relate to this.

Who am I to be so 'gifted'? Anyway, I am not really, it's only tarot I read and it's not even information from me, its from my guides and my client's guides. I don't really do anything but sit there and listen, what's so special in that??

This makes me laugh now though, because I know there are so many people out there who don't listen, who don't know what I/we know. They just live their lives based on YOLO or some other gimmick and hope for the best! In some cases they use YOLO as an excuse to be an arsehole, a fact I have made very clear to any teenager I can (and I am a High School Teacher by trade!) that it is not... There are no excuses for being an arsehole... ever... Especially when you are aware you are being such...

Anyway, as usual I digress (hoping said teenagers will read this blog eventually... :))...

I think this fear has extended to my ritual observance. For a while now I have been drawn to being more active in my spiritual life, for myself not for others. I have been getting 'flashes' of an offering bowl on my altar, me sitting in front of it meditating and connecting to the God and Goddess, perhaps doing a pathworking to find my God (I have found my Goddess, and she does need a named counterpart!! Well, not really, but it would make me feel better!). But something is stopping me... It is fear. Well, DER right? But not so much fear that nothing at all will happen, cause there is always that, but fear of what other's will say if they find out I pray and meditate to a Hindu Goddess and which ever God I am to work with now? I am an Australian living in Mine Country (not Wine Country... lol). You don't sit at home and pray to Indian Gods!! Gee, I don't think many people in this area even think about the concept of God in any form, let alone pray to one!! What would they think if they found out??

I think for me the truth is that most people who know me (students especially!) already know me as 'weird', so it would only be another notch in that belt anyway... I also have to realise that I should not fear them finding out, I should embrace the idea. What I could share with them should they but ask?!

There is another quote that fits nicely here - those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.

Perhaps I should use this as a mantra for a few days and see if it helps any??

I think the real trouble isn't what other people will think; a colleague pointed out to me once that people don't very much anyway. The real problem is accepting the real me and letting the old one go in favour of her. That is scary on a 'better the devil you know' level... I know who I am now, and she has gotten me this far in life, what will the new one do? No one can tell me, but I just have to have trust in the Gods and the universe that they know better than me and allow her to shine through right?? Easier said than done, I know, but it seems to be a running theme in client's readings of late, so perhaps this is the universe's way of telling me 'others are dealing with this same issue, how can you tell them to do something that you are unwilling to do yourself?' Which is true on many levels... a healer that can not heal themselves is no real healer at all right??

I know I have to embrace my true, spiritual self. It doesn't have to, and probably wont, happen overnight, so I guess I have time to take it slow. But I think I deserve to be the real me, to let my own light shine upon the world because 'as we light our own light shine, we unconsciously give permission for other people to do the same'. To me, that would be the ultimate gift to anyone. Not that anyone really needs permission from me to do anything, but perhaps if I lead by example, then others will start to believe it is OK and they can be who they were put here to be. That's gotta be for the greatest good of the world right??

Discovering the Inner Self through Numbers? AB501U731Y!!

Warning! Frequent brain explosions occur if you proceed... hehe

Complete Book of Numerology

I have always been fascinated with numbers. Not mathematically, or scientifically - I couldn't multiply anything to save my life! - but just in general. I have always had a knack for remembering phone numbers, ID numbers, licence plate numbers and any other sequence of numbers I needed to remember (and some I did not!). I have even been able to tell when a loved was in front of me at the traffic lights based on the numbers of their licence plate! What I did not realise was that numbers had a specific vibration, or meaning, to them. I just thought they were used to add stuff up or subtract stuff, the 'If Johnny had 8 apples' kind of thing. I now realise there is so much more to them! 

My birthday was always just another day, my favourite day where I got awesome presents, but a day nonetheless. I love birthdays in general, where you get to celebrate that you made it out of your mother's womb in tact and continue to be in a somewhat similar degree! It is the day a person just happened to be born into this world - as we all know there is no such thing as 'just happened'! 

I had also been interested in numerology for a while, from the all too brief discussions at psychic development groups and with friends who were a little more versed than me on the subject, but I had never gotten around to actually doing something about it. Until recently that is...

I used to work in a book shop (yes, it was as awesome as it sounds!) and was familiar with a variety of titles, so when David A Phillips came up on my Kindle (Blasphemy! I hear you all shout...) search I immediately bought it. Well, was I in for a surprise!! 

I am also now a teacher of high school students, partly because I love teaching History, and partly because I love to torment children and watch as their heads explode every time they have an epiphany. Well, let's just say Karma visited me and came with a vengeance! Every 'page' of this book revealed new information that did exactly that - BLEW MY MIND!!!! On a daily basis there were little bits of my brain, skull and skin littered all over the floor! Obviously not literally, as that would be completely crazy, but you get the picture! 

I was somewhat aware that our birth dates could tell us a bit about ourselves, but I was not prepared for it to EXPLAIN ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING!! It told me why I am so easily frustrated with things, why I am overly sensitive to people and situations, why I have a very hyperactive personality and why I liked numbers so much in the first place!

The best part of this book is that it is easy to follow and you can do the activities while you read through, gaining insight into your life and personality as you go along. Another awesome thing is that you can start doing the charts of other people (at least in part) before you have even finished the book! I have an equally hyperactive friend and we discovered that she too has the same numbers as I do - now we just blame it on the numbers and go about our merry day!! I found that looking at the charts of others bit by bit helped me to better understand what Phillips meant by certain things and to solidify each aspect - and there are a few! - of numerology as I progressed through the book. 

I think the truly best part (I know, let's just say it is an awesome book and leave it at that ok?) is that it will help me to tune in to my intuition and to help build the trust in it more. Once you have the basics down, you can easily look at a chart and intuitively provide information to your client about themselves by looking at the numerous links between each aspect. It is all just so very awesome! I have also found from recent conversations that doing the charts of children, their parents get a better understanding of how they work and why, and most importantly what to do about it!

I feel this book was an excellent first look at numerology; comprehensive, well written and easy to follow! If anyone was ever interested in studying numerology - and I quickly found out it is a 'study' not just a 'read' - this would be the perfect place to start!! 

Feel free to post your own insights below, or links to other awesome numerology books. I think my passion has awakened with force!!!!