Month: January 2020

Hawk’s Message Today – Day 435

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Hawk Stink Eye – Photo: L. Weikel

Hawk’s Message Today

I chose Hawk reversed on my day today – with Dog underneath.

As you may be aware, the so-called* Weikel Way of choosing Medicine Cards** interprets that as Dog adding color or somehow guiding or laying a foundation for interpreting the meaning of the primary card, in this case, Hawk reversed.

Hawk is a messenger, and of course, choosing Hawk could indicate that either I was going to act as a messenger in some way today, or I would receive a message. At least, those would be the two scenarios I would expect to arise as primary interpretation possibilities.

Perhaps at least partially due to my post last night on Silence, I’ve had a rather extraordinarily quiet day today.

Didn’t Really See It

I read out loud the text of both upright and reversed Hawk this morning, as recommended by the authors, Jamie Sams and David Carson, in the instructions. (When a card is chosen upright, however, it’s customary to read only the upright narrative.) As we not all that infrequently have happen, Karl and I both chose the same card, in this case, Hawk reversed as our primary today – so we listened and contemplated Hawk’s message twice. (Karl had Elk underneath.)

A few salient lines are as follows:

“If you have drawn Hawk reversed, it may be because you have shut down your powers of observation on some level.  If something in your life has become too painful to feel, too unbelievable to hear, or too dark to see, it is time to examine the point at which you chose to let yourself become emotionally involved, and to no longer be the observer.”

I’ll admit, there have been a couple of recent instances in my world in which each of these descriptions of circumstances could reasonably have applied. While I’ve done my best to exercise vigilance and remain the observer, that detachment is not always easy to maintain.

Nevertheless, I didn’t really see it. What was I being told to look at and, possibly, remediate?

Another clue might have been these lines:

“Freedom of flight is a privilege, and being a messenger is an honor. The responsibility for delivery of the message is up to you. Take your flight and forget about interpreting the omen your own way. Let the receiver decide what the message means. After all, unless it was sent specifically for you, you would be tampering.”

I could see how this might apply to some of the more difficult challenges I’ve encountered recently, but I still couldn’t really see it. Maybe…but it was a stretch.

So I let it go and hoped the meaning and its application to my life might reveal itself to me as the day wore on.

Regarding Dog underneath (at least in my case), I couldn’t help but imagine I was being asked to examine whether I was being loyal to either my role as a messenger or loyal to a message I was receiving (and perhaps not taking in).

Wondering Aloud

As a result of wondering aloud about these questions, I received answers, I think – in both respects – from some unexpected sources.

I’ll fill you in tomorrow, since time is running away with me and I want to deliver the message accurately. (Wink.)

*so-called by me and me alone

** affiliate link

(T-676)

Silence Abounds – Day 434

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Wolf Blanket – Photo: L. Weikel

Silence Abounds

It’s time to step back; it’s time to withdraw into the place where silence monopolizes all conversation, where silence abounds.

Sometimes silence imparts more wisdom and nuance than any number of words could possibly convey, no matter how artfully cobbled together or intricately woven.

Silence is not to be feared. I say that, and I write that; and I know it to be true. Yet no matter how much we may crave it, no matter how earnestly we may seek it out, when it arrives, we sometimes aren’t quite sure what to make of it. Or do with it.

For my part, I intend to revel in it.

Horrors or Riches

I intend to dive into the deep end of the pool of silence I’ve recently found myself encountering.

There very well may be unspeakable horrors waiting just underneath the surface. My toes, as they tread the silence, may graze the skin of these monsters, sensing ever so fleetingly the stubbled, clammy surface of half dead lies, that thing that wants only to consume voraciously, without discrimination, refusing all limits.

And there just as easily – and likely – may be untold riches waiting to be discovered in the silence. The trick is not allowing the monsters to distract or dissuade.

The trick is also never assuming you’ll always recognize the monsters. Or the riches either, for that matter.

Sometimes they’re nested within each other, making the whole process intricately more complicated and fascinating.

Silence abounds. All bets are off. I wonder what I’ll discover.

Cletus knows – Photo: L. Weikel

(T-677)

Wintry Mix – Day 433

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Icicles Near the Tohickon – Photo: L. Weikel

Wintry Mix

Finally, some evidence of winter’s presence arrived in our lives today. Some good old-fashioned wintry mix and freezing temperatures served as a delightful reminder that we are, in fact, just past the middle of January.

Given my druthers, I’d welcome with even more enthusiasm a good dump of the white stuff, maybe 18” or so. You know – enough to easily justify hunkering down with a warm beverage, a captivating book, and oh, who knows? Maybe some guac, salsa, and chips?

Frozen Moment

Earlier this afternoon, I was on my way home, just about an hour or two after the snowflakes started flying. Of course, I was compelled to stop by the Tohickon to say hello and pay my respects.

It feels as though I’ve barely had a moment to savor the delights of my favorite place ‘to be’ in the world. Certainly not since the start of the year; and quite frankly, more accurately, not since the beginning of the fall. There’s been a lot of ‘busy, busy, busy,’ and not nearly enough ‘stop, take a breath, reflect, and allow’ taking place.

Cabin Run – Photo: L. Weikel

More Tomorrow?

Not necessarily more snow, freezing rain, ice, or even slush tomorrow. No. I mean that gift that we either indulged in receiving and relishing today or we didn’t. The gift of finding it wiser to stay home and hunker down rather than run around making busy work for ourselves.

Speaking of more tomorrow, I took the initiative and made a stew today. Spiced just right with lots of Cholula Sauce* and topped with mouth-watering cheese-infused biscuits, not only was this the perfect warm meal for a wintry mix day, but there’s also plenty to spare for tomorrow.

Perhaps leaving a little more time for that yearned-for stopping, breathing, reflection, and allowing?

Here’s hoping you, too, take some time to embrace the gifts January’s wintry mixes afford us. My sense is that we are wise to feed our bodies and souls now, for the wild ride is only just getting started.

Wintry Mix Stew – Photo: L. Weikel

*affiliate link

(T-678)

Everything’s Relative – Day 432

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Photo: L.Weikel

Everything’s Relative

The winds that arrived last night with great bluster and clattering of wind chimes brought with them a remarkable change in temperature. Suddenly, today, it felt like January – in Pennsylvania. Not January in southern Florida, like it’s felt for a couple of weeks.

Every time I walked outside today, I caught my breath. I braced myself. My jaw clenched against the chill. The wind might not have been as insistent as it was last night, but it still had a point to make: It’s winter.

Funny thing is, the temperatures today weren’t even that raw. Not for January in Pennsylvania, anyway. They were seasonal. They were normal. They were even still a scootch or two above average, truth be told.

But the way we bundled ourselves up to take a walk earlier this evening, you’d think we were stepping onto the tundra.

What We’re Used To

I’m noticing this same ‘relative’ response to what’s being exposed at all levels of our government at the moment, but especially the federal level. If you read the more in-depth articles or look even slightly beyond the day-to-day headlines (which are bad enough), it’s hard not to feel waterlogged by the tsunami of corruption, lies, and outright greed and self-dealing that’s taking place right in front of all of us.

But the weirdest thing is how – quite literally – almost every day some new corruption is discovered. And it’s almost always something that, had this same action or relationship been revealed ten years ago, it would’ve consumed our discourse. We would’ve been so outraged that people we’d elected to represent us would behave in such a manner that, almost assuredly, those involved would’ve been called to account and whisked out of town.

Knowing What Is

I’m not going to harp on this; it’s late and I’m tired. I’m not even quite sure why I’m writing about this tonight. Perhaps it’s the cold slap of wind across my face when I let Sheila and Spartacus out to tinkle before bed.

What does it say about us and our country that our new normal is a daily serving of corruption du jour? How has our new normal become complacency over blatant lies spewing out of the highest and most respected office in our land?

What does it say about us that we now become excited when one single member of a political party that used to claim to be the standard bearer of moral integrity and rule of law stands up to this liar and says the obvious. You know, something like, “Gee, maybe it would be helpful to hear witnesses in a trial – witnesses who were expressly prohibited from testifying at an earlier proceeding by the person accused of abusing his power in the first place.”

It’s just weird when a position so obvious, so logical, so utterly essential and inherent to a fair and just proceeding would now seem outrageously risky and bold.

I, for one, abhor this new normal. And I only hope with all my heart that this new relativism is swept away by the winds of change.

(T-679)

Sheila Speaks For Me – Day 431

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Sheila Reacting to the State of the World – Photo: L. Weikel

Sheila Speaks For Me

The wind is howling outside, banging and clattering our wind chimes, making our window panes rattle back and forth and our front door occasionally burst open, not unlike Kramer making an entrance on Seinfeld.

Both the melodic clanging and the <<kloop kloop>> of our bamboo chimes outside sound so wild and undisciplined, I wish I could just stand on the edge of my porch and allow all the garbage of the world to whisk itself into the ethers.

If only it were so easy to clear away the old away.

Cleaning Out

Beginning during the days between Christmas and New Year’s, I’ve been sporadically binge-cleaning. I’ve donated a lot to charity, given away a fair share to family, sent some off to recycling, and thrown a bunch of stuff away entirely because it’s old, out of date, practically in tatters, or just astonishingly dumb to allow it to keep circulating in my inventory.

When I listen to that roaring wind blowing down the 611 corridor and into my living room, I’m hoping it will serve to further clean me up, clear me out, and coalesce The Tower’s presence and utterly necessary process in my life.

Everything is Changing

Beyond my personal needs and experience, today, with the official opening of the Senate Trial and the concurrent revelation and exposure of new evidence of – and rulings on – the impropriety (if not outright illegality) of certain behaviors of DT, it feels like these whipping winds are arriving just in time.

They’re stirring up, clearing out, sweeping away the lies upon lies we’ve been told for years now – the denials and demands that we not believe our own eyes and ears – by a myriad of actors, a tragic number of whom have taken oaths to act on behalf of the good of our country. And I wonder, if you look around in your own life: are there people or situations about which you’ve been told lies or, perhaps worse, have been lying about to yourself?

Have the north winds arrived with sudden, sweeping gusts, blowing away the unnaturally warm air of obfuscations to bring the cold clarity of truth?

It can be chilling on many levels to realize trust has been broken. That our faith in what we believed was true was, in fact, misplaced.

If any of these thoughts or feelings, worries or suspicions ring true for you during these tumultuous times, then perhaps you, too, feel like Sheila speaks for us all.

(T-680)

An Observation – Day 430

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The Tower – XVI (The Naked Heart Tarot) – Photo: L. Weikel

An Observation

I’m finding myself coming up dry lately. I’m feeling such a tug toward silence and keeping my thoughts to myself, that I’m finding it difficult to speak (or rather, write) about the matters recently taking up residence in and occupying my mind.

We managed to take a walkabout early this evening (the four miler), which nevertheless failed to manifest even one worthy photo-op that might have provided me with fodder for a post.

But we did choose cards again from The Naked Heart Tarot,* the deck I wrote about just the other day. And didn’t The Tower show up for me yet again today?

It was underneath – again – which pretty much leads me to understand that there continues to be major fallout from the “Sudden and Unexpected Shift in Energy” of last week. And that lightning bolt of truth and insight I experienced does indeed sit at the foundation of much of what I’ve been contemplating and experiencing since then.

The primary card I chose was the Mother of Cups.** Interestingly, this card is also known as the ‘Shaman’ of emotional wounds.

“…There may be a strong desire to solidify your emotions, and move on to the next stages.”

Hmm, yes. That’s a definite. Moving on is essential.

And I can’t help but see this in application to our world at large, too. The Tower continues to sit underneath so much of what we’re witnessing in the world at the moment. Let’s hope the ‘Shaman of emotional wounds’ can heal us all.

*affiliate link

** (Note: I would have included a photo of this card, but VZ Wireless is apparently walking the image from my phone to my computer. I’m sure it’ll be delivered to my inbox within the next 12 hours. A little late for inclusion in this post.)

(T-681)

Fog – Day 429

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Foggy night – Photo: L. Weikel

Fog

As within so without.

In the vicinity of my home, a couple of alerts have gone out this evening warning of the presence of heavy fog.

It’s true. It’s thick out there.

Just now, I went out on my porch and took a shot at trying to capture the fog on my phone’s camera. The result is above.

The weather has been downright weird for about a week now. And life in general has struggled to mirror it. Things feel out of balance; skewed. Shrouded in obfuscation.

Clarity

The opposite of encountering a fog bank, I’d venture to guess, is a condition of crystal clarity, when everything within eyesight is discernible in high resolution perfection.

What happens when we encounter a fog bank? We’re pressed to rely on other senses. Not so easy when one is driving a car. But easier, somewhat, if standing around or walking in the thick. Our ears prick up. Our skin tingles. We rely less on sight for clarity and more on an overall bodily sensing.

This post is a bit foggy, I’ll admit. I’m trying to locate some other senses through which I can discern some clarity, but am finding only the desire to sleep.

I was surprised, when I went outside to take in the fog, to see a bunny hop out from the dripping hosta carcasses and scamper onto my driveway. It’s not common to see rabbits this time of year. Even less common to see them well past midnight in the dead of a January fog.

Playing with fire, I’d say. That rabbit could easily become owl food if it’s not careful.

Caught him! But where’s the fog? Weird – Photo: L.Weikel

(T-682)

Intensity Abounds – Day 428

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Intensity Abounds

Quite honestly, I don’t think I remember a time when I’ve personally witnessed so much major, disruptive stuff occurring in the lives of those around me, seemingly all at once. While some people’s lives are being thrown into disarray, others are experiencing growth, transformation, and new horizons (all of which also produces its own brand of excitement and stress). Intensity abounds – and sometimes the stress of it all means we don’t know whether to laugh or cry.

For me, at least in this moment, I think the most surprising thing is that whatever is bringing in all of this radical change – be it planetary influences, lunar eclipses, or the upcoming 2020 election, it doesn’t seem to be happening to people in a tidy ‘once and done’ fashion.

Rather, some people are being rocked by incidents happening to them in waves. They’ll go a day or two feeling battered and bruised and – voila! – another challenge comes whipping around the corner headed right at them. Again.

Ordinarily I’d be share more details, but quite honestly, I keep falling asleep at my keyboard – and I swear, it’s Spirit’s way of ensuring I don’t go into any details.

In Spite of It All: Hang in There

Life can change in the blink of an eye. I’ve lived it.

And while it is almost impossible to truly and appropriately appreciate and fully, deeply, and exquisitely celebrate all of the friends and family, two legged and four, that we share our lives with on a regular basis, I’d be willing to bet we each can ‘do better.’

Just from what I’ve witnessed directly over the past couple of days, there are many huge aspects of people’s lives coming to an end; some deliberately and some not. At the same time, there may be new and unique experiences – many unexpected and potentially delightful – appearing in our lives that we only dreamed possible last week.

And then others are feeling as though their lives are being lived in snow globes. Suddenly everything is topsy turvy, but if we sit quietly enough, the things we loved the most will, if we’re patient, settle back into place.

Sunset sky ablaze – Jan 2020 – Photo: L. Weikel

Patience

While walking this evening, we once again experienced that astonishing way sunsets lead us on to greater and greater beauty.

Some sunsets are model teachers of patience. Have you, like me, looked at the sky and simply had to take its photo right then and there because it couldn’t possibly become more beautiful? Only to find, actually, waiting even one more minute brings a different flavor of beauty. And the minute after that, our hearts feel so full we almost don’t know what to do with it all.

That’s how I felt this evening. That’s what I tried to capture in some of these photos.

The Tower – Again

Tonight, the ripple of worry I felt when I chose the Tower card underneath my Judgment card last week raised goosebumps at the back of my neck again. The goosebumps subsided, and the ripple dispersed – for now. But these times really and truly are intense.

We are having so much ripped away – and hopefully also being given chances to rebuild.

Take care of yourselves. And each other.

Sunset always shifting – Jan 2020 – Photo: L. Weikel

(T-683)

Letting Go – Day 427

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The Naked Heart Tarot by Jillian C. Wilde – Photo: L. Weikel

Letting Go

Last Monday, Karl and I went on our walkabout (the four miler) and picked cards from a deck I’ve been working with for just over a year: Jillian C. Wilde’s The Naked Heart Tarot*. I love this deck for many reasons, from the imagery to the turns of phrase, perspectives, and interpretations offered by the author.

My intention when shuffling the cards and putting my breath into them was to ask for additional guidance or assistance in fleshing out, if you will, the Medicine Cards I’d chosen on January 1st, which set the tone for my year, which I’ve yet to write about. (I’ll share that within the next few days.)

My pick was pretty intense: Judgment (XX) on top with The Tower (XVI) underneath.

As we walked and I was reading out loud the author’s take on these cards, I felt a prickle of wariness flutter up my spine. There was a clear, interconnected theme to these two cards, that was unmistakable. Yet I didn’t – couldn’t – see where this would play out in my life. Knowing that astrologically, last week, we were approaching the full moon and eclipse in Cancer, with additional rock-the-boat-powerful aspects arriving today (January 12, 2020), I uneasily accepted that the impact of these cards could come from any direction.

The Messages

The top card I chose was Judgment (XX).

Instead of paraphrasing, I’m just going to quote directly from the “LWB” (Little White Book) – meaning the book that accompanies the deck. (In this case, however, it is black and not as little as one might expect). I’ve discovered that authors of card decks usually received insight directly from the card archetypes as they’re creating them. And while a reader’s intuitive interpretation of cards is essential and should always be heeded, it’s often helpful to take into account the deck’s creator’s hits as well.

The Naked Heart Tarot – Photo: L. Weikel

Judgment (XX) – A New Awakening

“The butterfly broadens its wings expanding into a new level of consciousness where it has awakened with eyes wide open. The butterfly flies upwards; one step closer to spiritual attainment, releasing the ghosts of butterfly’s past behind, as it rises to new heights.

The Message: The Judgment card represents forgiveness, letting go of past mistakes, and things that haunt you. Butterfly energy encourages transformation through acknowledgment and transition. It is about having the courage and facing the demons that you bury in the shadows and recesses of your psyche. When you willingly choose to conceal the secrets of your past and shameful moments in your life, it causes metaphorical scar tissue to grown on your soul, making it harder to heal and release old wounds.

This card is asking you to bring forth these ghosts and address them so you can move forward with freedom from the past. Accepting the things you can change and legging go of what you cannot control. Forgiveness is the act of knowing things could not have been any other way.

This card represents significant transformation and rebirth of spirit. When you step outside your past and enter the present with newfound clarity, healed wounds, and a new awareness, the world takes on a new perspective. It is lighter, different, anew.

Additional Meaning: Transformation, release, letting go, rewards for past efforts, clarity, rebirth, resurrection, judgment, forgiveness, new purpose.”

The card underneath, which I interpret as ‘fleshing out’ or adding context to the card on top, was:

The Naked Heart Tarot – Photo: L. Weikel

The Tower (XVI) – Sudden and Unexpected Shift in Energy

“Lightning suddenly strikes the tree, setting it ablaze. It causes burning pieces to fly off, creating a ripple effect setting the surrounding area on fire and then it is washed out by the devastation of a flood. The abundance of fire and water are out of control removing everything from their path creating a clean slate for new beautiful growth.

The Message: The Tower represents a time when all that you know and recognize now becomes unrecognizable. As fast as the lightning strikes the tree, you will be hit with an immediate awakening of truth. You may feel out of your comfort zone and are left with a raw and vulnerable sense of unknowingness. Nothing feels like it makes sense and all may feel lost. Your beliefs may be called into question, as there is a sudden shift in perspective, and energy.

The Tower may be a sign that the Universe is taking action for you towards something you have been unable, or unwilling to see or admit. You may have been hanging on to something for too long, and going against your better judgment or choosing to not see a situation or yourself through the eyes of truth. The upheaval of The Tower will provide you with the necessary growth and expansion you need to move forward aligned with your higher calling. It is an opportunity to release old familiar structures, release and heal wounds, and rebuild a tower of strength within yourself; relying firmly on a new found awareness. It may seem fearful or confusing when you are in the thick of the emotional turmoil. However, as time passes and wounds heal, you will have a better understanding of why things happened. You may even feel grateful that they did.

Additional Meaning: Sudden change, upheaval, shocking truth, breaking apart, emotional outburst, turmoil, destruction, new beliefs, new growth.”

Upshot

In astonishing and truly lightning bolt (Uranian) fashion, I believe this did, indeed, play out in my life over the past few days. To be honest, I’m still reeling. But I’m dedicated to practicing what I preach and thus intend to deeply reflect not only on the events and revelations of the past few days, but also my feelings, my understandings, and ideally, my ability to find forgiveness. It may be an intense week.

*affiliate link

(T-684)

Random Encounters – Day 426

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Random Encounters

I’m sitting here on my couch trying really hard to come up with a topic tonight and I have to admit – I’m coming up blank.

I actually had a really fun evening catching up with a family that’s been a part of my world (and I a part of theirs, I guess) for something like 23 years. And you know…it’s because one member of this family’s daughter went to the same preschool as my youngest son. A random encounter that resulted in a lasting friendship.

Deep Run Friendship

The heading I chose for this portion of my post has a double meaning that makes me smile. The preschool that our kids attended was Deep Run Presbyterian Preschool, a sweet little school run out of the lower level of – you guessed it – the Deep Run Presbyterian Church.

But of course the reason the heading makes me smile is because the friendship struck up between Janet and me is actually the epitome of a Deep Run friendship. That’s because we’ve been through a lot of thick and thin in both our lives, since that fateful day when our adorable little three year olds shared story-time and the sliding board.

We’ve each endured some of the most painful losses in life with the other reliably, lovingly, at our side. And there have been so many more sweet, celebratory moments we’ve shared, allowing our Deep Run friendship to flow not only through our lives but also the lives of our extended families.

Deep Run Family

It’s cliché to say that you can’t pick your family but you can pick your friends. The fact is, Janet and I picked each other and in many ways, over the past 23 years, our friendship has created family. And its ‘family’ that runs deep.

Tonight one of Janet’s sisters celebrated her 60thbirthday and Karl and I were invited to join in the surprise. I’d write more, but the party went long and late, and I have to admit, I’m struggling to stay awake.

But I wanted to pay tribute to the amazing ways our lives have of threading into and around the lives of others. How choosing a random preschool can result in a friendship that extends throughout a lifetime – and weaves even deeper when the friends, and their family, become our family.

Happy birthday, Carol! (Oooh! Maybe one sister Carol should receive the other sister Carol’s famous Chocolate Cake.) Here you go!

Photo: L. Weikel

(T-685)