Cards for the Eclipse – Day 763

Dreamtime – Mystic Art Medicine Orace Cards by Cher Lyn

Cards for the Eclipse

Tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. ET a total solar eclipse will occur. This celestial event will kick off an almost relentless series of profoundly challenging aspects over the weeks ahead. Indeed, as we embark upon the next six weeks or so of our lives, we’re going to need to do everything in our power to keep our wits about us. Thus, it feels important to choose a few cards for the eclipse: something to bear in mind, hold onto, or just plain repeat as centering reminders as the week unfolds.

The top card I chose was Dreamtime – exactly the same one I chose on the eve of Halloween this year, on the eve of the blue full moon (the second full moon occurring in the month of October). Check out what I wrote but six short weeks ago, the upshot being: we must hold fast to the dream we have for the future. We are creating the reality we live in; it is up to us to dream a new dream.

Miracles – Mystic Art Medicine Oracle Cards by Cher Lyn

Underneath: Miracles

The card that lay at the foundation of these ‘choices’ that I made for us was the Miracles card. My heart skipped when I saw it; it does appear quite bleak, reflecting my sense of what may unfold before us in the near future.

The author, Cher Lyn, described the card as follows:

“In the painting, ‘Vision of Mary,’ it is you who stands at the frozen river’s edge, an icy wind bites to the bone. The trees are barren. All is as if lifeless. Yet you are composed. You have faith and in this knowingness a fire emanates from within. A vision soon appears of the Divine compassionate Mother. She hovers above your frozen sea. The light of the snowy moon glows once again reminding you, “You are not alone. You’ve called on me, I am here, I am always with you my dear.”

Beliefs come from feelings. From somewhere inside, you hear a call. The hearing becomes a feeling connecting you to your truth and this is when Miracles appear. Although you may not be able to say why you feel something is so, your belief is true for you and that truth is your foundation for Miracles. (…)

Miracles happen, not in opposition to nature, but in opposition to what we are conditioned to believe. The universe cannot help unless you hold strong intention and focus. Love is the key and truly the only thing that really heals. Let go of what you think. Trust, and know who you are. (…) Remind yourself you are supported, that you are not doing it alone on this Earth.

This card speaks of a Miracle on its way to you. Disharmony creates disease, and harmony creates beauty with ease. Imagine a Miracle and remain open to a surprise.”

My Take

Events and actions we thought we’d only ever see in movies or read about in books are very likely to occur in the not-too-distant future. No matter how balanced we are or strive to keep ourselves, achieving and maintaining our equanimity is going to be a challenge.

It feels like we’re being encouraged to envision our highest aspirations for ourselves, our country, and our world. Hold on to those dreams and not only ask for, but work toward manifesting them – and then believe in miracles.

(T-348

Creation – Day 734

Mystic Art Medicine Oracle by Cher Lyn – “Creation”

Creation

As I wrote in last night’s post, when I chose some cards on our behalf from the Mystic Art Medicine Oracle deck, I was intrigued by the appearance (yet again) of the Transformation card. The concept of this card has been riding with us for at least five months or so. Only this time Transformation was the top or ‘main’ card – indicating, I surmise, that we are in the thick of it. We’re no longer calling in the transformation of our perception, of our world, of our reality. We’re living it. Or rather, as the ‘foundational’ card of this pick, Creation, would indicate, we’re creating it.

I deliberately chose to share ‘the rest of the story,’ as it were, with you tonight for a couple of reasons. For one, the post would’ve been too long had I included what I want to write this evening. For another thing, with the power of the new moon that just occurred minutes ago (as I write this) to both fully release the old and serve as fecund opportunity to plant something new, I thought we might benefit from focusing our attention full-on to the power of Creation tonight.

Given all that we’re experiencing in the United States right now, especially with respect to the election results (and what was created as a result of the exercise of our sacred right and responsibility to vote), I got chills reading the words of Cher Lyn for this card:

Creation ~ “Medicine Baby”

The boy king’s heart gives love a chance.

Innocence is the wind in the butterfly’s dance

Bridging rainbow colors to bless and align

With Intent…an anticipatory design

Pause for a moment…imagine

Our New Creation…Divine.

  • Cher Lyn

 

“The image shown here from “Medicine Baby” is symbolic of the male spark in Creation. The innocence of the male is needed for recognizing the feminine in her wisdom, co-creating balance and healing. This unity brings peace back to Creation on Earth. He is decorated with crown jewels that ordain him as the chosen one who sends golden heart energy into the center of Creation. He is of royal indigenous bloodline and uses ancient alchemy to co-create with the goddesses of the Four Directions and Elements to heal the hearts on Earth. His butterfly wings are the colors of the rainbow and emanate from his chakras. The butterfly is a powerful symbol of change, moving from land, to cocoon, into finally a beautiful winged butterfly, the ultimate transformation.

Everything has an order of being within the infinite cycle of life. Indigenous cultures knew the ways of nature and Earth wisdom to sustain their lives in a good way. They knew how to heal naturally using the ways of the Land. They had seers and dreamers who could predict the future and warn them to safety.

It seems the further you wander from your innate unified connection with the Earth and God, the emptier you feel. You then strive to fill this emptiness with ‘material things,’ which only buries you into deeper feelings of disconnection. When electronics and entertainment distract with the illusion that they make life more interesting, it’s a warning that you have given your power away. Keeping you from what otherwise could be an extraordinary life. Nature is powerful beyond your imagination. When humans and nature come together working co-creatively, gifts far beyond your wildest dreams will unveil.

Creation medicine card has come to help you heal your relationship with yourself, the Earth and all of Creation. Essentially in asking, your inner-wisdom will offer you a way to live in a less complex and distracting world. Let go of any diversions that are draining your life force. Create more powerfully with the infinite world within you.” (emphasis added)

It’s Time

While I am the first to caution that we exercise care and vigilance as we move forward following the outcome of this election, there is also a sense of emergence in the air. It’s time for us to move forward, and it behooves us to do so with all due speed and deliberation.

The cacophony of discord may persist for a while, and I doubt it will ever recede completely, but the tide has turned. Our perceptions have shifted and transformed. We are continuing to evolve. We are ready, willing, and actually able now to create the vision of a country and world where we work together for the good of all, including – indeed, of paramount importance – our Mother Earth.

Hold the vision of the Butterfly as we bring in this new, passionate energy. I wonder what we will discover has come to fruition when we reflect upon the full moon in Scorpio, which will occur six months from now?

(T-377)

Watchwords – Day 710

Mystic Art Medicine Oracle Cards by Cher Lyn – “Perseverance”

Watchwords

You may have noticed that I’ve been trying to keep my recent posts light and, while not totally ignoring the mayhem and insanity all around us, at least making an effort to think and write about generally more upbeat, or at least benign, topics. But what we’re enduring politically and existentially in the United States at the moment is the elephant in the room. Every once in a while, therefore, I’m compelled to address it. Tonight being one of those nights, I was inspired to choose watchwords for us specifically to hold on to over the next three days or so.

I’m not sure why, but the sense I got was that this pick of cards from the Mystic Art Medicine Oracle Cards by Cher Lyn was valid ‘for the next couple of days.’ I may be told to choose additional cards as events unfold – or not. My sense is that the next two weeks will almost feel as though we’re reliving the last four years, only this time experiencing them crammed into 14 (or fewer) days.

This deck has been a reliable resource over the past several months, weighing in every once in a while with watchwords or concepts that have been remarkably appropriate to our circumstances. It feels important to emphasize that this oracle deck contains 64 different cards representing vastly different concepts. I suppose it feels necessary to state this because the main card I chose (the top card) in answer to my specific request for guidance for all of us over the next few days almost seems set up. But it wasn’t.

Perseverance

Yes. I chose the Perseverance card. And while that single, simple word may be all we really need to hold close as circumstances grow increasingly precarious, I just have to quote Cher Lyn’s words. Even the title of her painting (the card’s image) and her introductory poem are eerie in their appropriateness:

Perseverance – “Still I Rise”

Twas the hardest thing to do,

Be myself under that rule.

Burning rage red-hot fire,

I am not a slave nor I aspire.

Bury the cross and my loved ones lost.

I persevere through white man’s fear.

“…Life can be hard with many painful lessons. Sometimes it feels as though it will never end. For a time there is nothing more you can do than to breathe and know ‘this too shall pass.’ In the dark tunnel of suffering acknowledge others who have carried on through unimaginable torment. Brave ones rise from the ashes like the phoenix to find that the gift of Perseverance is freedom. Physical, emotional, or spiritual, it is freedom you come to know through Perseverance. Know that with every thought, word, feeling, and action you are either adding to your suffering or nurturing with a healing touch. Carry on in the monitoring of your thoughts and focus your attention moment by moment. Change is coming.

Your prayers, intentions, surrender, and trust in the Divine Will of Creator does matter. Take steps to transform what needs adjustment, clear your plate of that which does not serve you. Receive help, forgive and embrace all of you.

The medicine of this card is asking you to know this suffering will pass and never give up. Thin of an oak tree growing out of a rock with little or no soil. So determined to live. This is Perseverance, this is the power of life. This is God, the sun, and the love light giving life. This is you shining through despite circumstances.”

Mystic Art Medicine Oracle Cards by Cher Lyn – “Transformation”

The Foundation – Underneath: Transformation

Transformation – “Egyptian Magic”

“ (…) All things form and transform within the mysterious cycles of birth, life, and death. Instead of fearing the darkness you can bless it, learn from it, and embrace it. It is both your humanness and your light. The shadow you fear is powerless without the interpretation of your beliefs, thoughts, and desires. The power of Transformation lies in your ability to find the light within the shadow and make the connection, infusing focus on its light quality instead of the darkness.

Everything you think, feel, and do creates your lessons in the world you live in. Inside you great intelligence, wisdom, and love are ever present. It is the beliefs you have been taught that are the hindering factor here. Let the fire in your heart inspire you for Transformation. Perfecting your character and at the same time helping you let go while allowing any pain, sorrow, or difficulty to just be there. Allow the alchemical change to unfold and evolve you in its own time as you journey through your world with the power of intentions.

The Transformation card suggests that you be in touch with both your shadow side and your spiritual side. True Transformation can only happen in connection with your heart. Setting in motion authentic spiritual alchemy you will see a change in you, like base metal into gold. Essentially shifting your whole perspective.” (emphasis added)

My ‘Take’

Once again, I dare say words added by me are pretty much superfluous. When I ask Spirit for a message for us, something for us to contemplate and hold on to through the coming turbulence, Spirit delivers.

Almost every time I decide to choose cards for us in this way, I feel a little hitch in my chest. It always feels like at least somewhat of a risk – in spite of the fact that I’ve never been abandoned by Spirit. Will we receive some dire message? Will a card present itself that leaves me completely unable to see or perceive a connection to what we’re experiencing?

In a word: no. We’re always supported. Always guided.

Hang on and hang in there.

(T-401)

Big Week Ahead – Day 686

“Guardians” – Mystic Art Medicine Oracle Cards by Cher Lyn

Big Week Ahead

Although I haven’t mentioned it a lot this year, 2020 has so far unfolded pretty much as expected by those who follow the movements of the planets, sun, and moon. We have some configurations in the sky that haven’t occurred in hundreds of years, and when they last did, major disruptions in societies and humanity as a whole often resulted. There are a lot of aspects occurring over the next several days that portend a very big week ahead.

Maybe I’ll get into some specifics later in the week, but suffice it to say, on Tuesday the planet Saturn stations and goes ‘direct’ once again. It’s been retrograde (with Jupiter and Pluto also retrograde) in the sign of Capricorn since late April/early May. Jupiter ‘went direct’ about 8 days ago, I believe, and Pluto will go direct next Sunday.

Suffice it to say, this week is teeing up to be a blockbuster of a ballbuster. Sorry. But it’s the truth. It was interesting to me that Saturn is going direct on the day of the first presidential debate of this election season even before the news broke this evening that the New York Times has finally obtained copies of DT’s tax returns for the past two decades or so.

I can only imagine – actually, no, I can’t – the reaction this is engendering in the White House tonight. And surely it will have an impact on the debate, making it more, dare I say it, incendiary than it was sure to be anyway?

With all this in mind, and being tired from the emotional toll of the past few days in my own life, I thought it would be instructive to ask for some guidance on what might be best for all of us to focus upon this week. So I broke out my Mystic Medicine Art Oracle Cards by Cher Lyn and started shuffling. I asked: What should we strive to keep in mind as events unfold in the world this week?

Guardians

The top card I chose was Guardians. If you can zoom in on the intricacies of this card, you’ll see some fascinating glyphs and symbols in the details. I’m going to share with you the text Cher Lyn provided with this card so you can consider what feels appropriate to you:

Guardians – “Cosmic Connections”

A dance to heal it all…repair the fall

Cosmic connections…mirror reflections

Copper metal crease, spin the void…Release

Taken to the stars and out beyond,

To the Guardians

Ancient Symbols speak it seems…

We awaken from the dream.

—-Cher Lyn

“The Beings in the painting of “Cosmic Connections” are Apache dancers in ceremonial spirit. Glowing symbols are floating and spinning, emerging out of the vortex and off the dancers’ bodies themselves. They are the embodiment of our star brothers who watch over us. The blue flowers are from a dreamtime journey into another dimension on another planet, the star brother holds them as a gift he brings from home. The others hold curative tools of power from other worlds, gifts to channel and aid.

There is more to sight than just physical seeing. Human sight creates its own obstacles. We stop seeing where the general consensus says we should. There is much more to this dimension than meets the eye. We are often if not always being watched by Beings that we ourselves cannot see with our naked eye.

The Guardians are here to support you in a number of ways, to include bringing you power to connect to multidimensional realities, ’comprehended.’ You are Ancient, Wise, and Awake. Take notice of your imagination expanding and maturing. The Guardians are opening your vision to help you remember why you’ve embarked upon your journey here on Earth. Communication of thoughts and feelings in your heart give fresh insights. Your higher knowledge becomes easily accessible as you let go of any fear or preconceived ideas of how limited you thought you were. Surrender into your highest good and relax into the vastness of Creation.

There seems to be something secret about everything and everybody, a mystery to behold within your perception. What you see in everyday life is not the natural world deceiving you, but nature encoding reality in ways you can come to terms with. The natural world looks the way it looks because of the way you have been taught.

If you’ve chosen Guardians, study the Ancient Symbols of the Star glyphs, the images of the crop circles. Place your attention upon the stars at night, and spend quality time in medication exploring the universal void inside your own soul. The guardians are ready to telepathically assist you.”

Quick Reflection

I’m in awe at how this card reinforces my posts of a few days ago, when I sensed “Watchers” keeping an eye on us as events seem to swirl more and more out of control. I love that this card suggests we consider expanding our vision to See more of what’s right before our eyes that perhaps we’ve been trained not to see.

And I find it particularly important to heed the advice that we ask for assistance and guidance from these Guardians who are watching us.

“Perception” – Mystic Art Medicine Oracle Cards by Cher Lyn

Card Underneath – the Foundation

So of course, Spirit loves to tantalize us with continuing examples of YCMTSU (you can’t make this ‘stuff’ up) by reinforcing the guidance we were given at the beginning of this month. Of course, the card at the foundation of this question was Perception.

Check out this post from earlier this month, where I quoted the text for this card, which absolutely bears further reflection. Only this time, it’s important to keep in mind that it is providing the underpinning for the top card: Guardians. One possible interpretation might be for us to pay particular, conscious, attention to our powers of perception. Perhaps those Watchers I’ve been sensing are answering our calls for guidance – but we need to shift our perceptions ever so slightly (sort of like how we used to turn the dial on a radio just a teeny tiny bit to hit the sweet spot/frequency that would get a station to come in clearly) in order to perceive them.

Good stuff to keep in mind as we embark on a week like no other.

(T-425)

Yet Again – Day 659

Ace of Swords Tarot of the Crone – Photo: L. Weikel

Yet Again

I found the appearance of the Perception card* in last night’s post thought provoking. The encouragement it gave us to pay attention to how and why our perceptions influence what we see and hear and are influenced by what we experience or believe was powerful. I found myself circling these ideas all day. It seems Spirit felt the need to reinforce these ponderings, though, because I received the message yet again – but from an entirely different source.

I love it when this happens! It’s harder to deny the existence of interconnecting and unifying threads within our lives when these types of experiences occur.

Another Walk

Karl and I were taking a walk early this evening, luckily managing to get two miles in before raindrops started splattering around us as we approached the house. Not only had we managed to get all the way around our shorter loop, but we’d also managed to pick cards from another one of my favorite decks, Ellen Lorenzi-Prince’s Tarot of the Crone.

Karl’s choices were clear entreaties for him to continue exploring and honoring his creative process. My choices, on the other hand, were such obvious affirmations of the message I received and shared last night that we both just shook our heads and said, “Wow.”

The foundational card I chose (i.e., the ‘bottom’ card) was the Ace of Swords. I offer you the author’s words, verbatim, because YCMTSU**:

Ace of Swords~Thought

In my Sight

In my Mind

Is the Power to Perceive

The One or the Many

Worlds of Creation

 

“A great blue eye shines with stars within and reaches out to a piercing point. The Ace of Swords, the root power of the Mind is Thought. See now with fresh eyes. Hear with new ears. Perception is a power not to inhibit or to take lightly. Strive now for lucidity. Foresee what may be and speak your truth. Settle for nothing less than original thought. What is your vision? It is time to share what you see, what you know. Let the world not be diminished by the lack of your voice.”

Perception. Its power. Seeing with fresh eyes and hearing with new ears. The power inherent in the words we choose.

78 Cards

It occurs to me that it might be worth remembering that traditional tarot decks contain 78 cards. While certainly the suit of Swords in any deck is associated with the element of air and the powers of the mind and thought, it cannot be said that every person ‘reading’ the Ace of Swords would necessarily utilize the word ‘perception’ in this way or urge us to refresh and renew the lenses through which we perceive the world.

Seriously. What are the chances that perception would be the prominent, foundational message of the cards today?

Quite honestly, it makes me a little uneasy. The power of our perception is being emphasized so profoundly that I worry that I’m not quite ‘getting it.’ It feels like Spirit is saying, “Yeah, you get that this is a powerful concept. And you understand – to a point – the power all of you hold to shape and create your individual and shared worlds. But do you really get how big a deal this is at this particular moment? Do you really comprehend the point at which all of you find yourselves, collectively, at this moment?”

Goosebumps

Which leads me to share the top card I chose as we walked today. Unlike the Ace of Swords, which is only one of 56 cards that comprise the four ‘suits’ of the Minor Arcana, the main card I chose was a ‘Major.’ The 22 ‘Majors” in a tarot deck are the archetypal representatives of the story of our spiritual evolution.

The card I chose on top was the World – the final card of all the Major Arcana – the culmination of our evolution.

World – Tarot of the Crone; Photo: L. Weikel

XXI ~World

I am all you have been

And all you will become

I am the exercise

Of your power

And the key

To your future

“(…) The entry to a new world and your ability to create it, is in giving all that you are a place, Devil and Empress and Fool. Forget none of their lessons. Give up none of your power. Within your World, all of them come together and create a whole more than the sum of any amount of parts. More than a balance, more than integration like some locking together of pieces, when you are all, you are on another scale entirely.”

We are such complex, creative creatures. Our realities are like tapestries woven by the warp and weft of what we perceive and what we create as a result of those perceptions.

This feels big. We have a huge responsibility right now – to ourselves and to each other.

* Mystic Art Medicine Oracle Cards
** YCMTSU = You Can’t Make This Stuff Up

(T-452)

Perception – Day 658

Karl’s Magic Ball – Photo: L. Weikel

Perception

After one of my posts last week, a number of people suggested that I take a ‘news fast’ or otherwise not pay attention to what’s going on in the world, and in particular our country, at the moment. There are a number of rabbit holes I could go down in response. But for now, I want to focus on choosing a card for all of us to contemplate as we enter the first week ‘post-convention.’ Knowing things will only escalate exponentially (why would things change now?) as we start the final countdown to the election, I asked for a guiding concept for us to focus upon this week. The card I chose: Perception.

I’ve chosen and posted cards from this deck before. It’s the Mystic Art Medicine Oracle Cards/Tools for Transformation deck by Cher Lyn.

The imagery on this card feels particularly appropriate for the times we’re experiencing, especially the inclusion of the White Buffalo, which has been a fundamental aspect of prophecy for native North Americans for millennia. I hope you’ll take a moment to really zoom in on the details of Cher Lyn’s artwork and allow it to speak to you.

Here are the words she shared with this card:

Perception – “Blue Star Pe’Tanka”

The Star people watch, a new cycle birth

White Buffalo appears …good ways return to Earth.

Anticipate this Creation, it’s shifting,

All illusions, the veil is thinning and lifting.    

– Cher Lyn

“In the painting “Blue Star Pe’Tanka,” you see the spirit of a White Buffalo in gestation readying to birth abundance into the new world. She floats in the cosmos of non-linear time and space. The white owl flies in and brushes her wing through the symbol of creation to spin the wheel round again in a forward motion. The void is the cosmic eye of the buffalo, a portal into other worlds of untapped potential and adventure.

All humans see differently. You see one thing and someone right next to you can see something completely different. Everyone sees through his or her own eyes their own personal movie. See the diamond facet of yourself that is clear vision. It is here you find the Perception of the Divine…all of us has it. Sometimes it’s just covered up with dust, or emotional misinformation, attachments, or unconscious motives.

An ordinary mirror simply reflects back what it has been shown, but the mirror to your soul has a far more transformative multifaceted viewpoint with infinite potential. As you continue to heal, forgive, accept and love yourself you gain wisdom and can release the “you, who is not you.” You break through the conditionings and the dust of your illusions.

The appearances and experiences in your world are your personal mirrors of your creation. Every simple thought you have, every moment of appreciation or angry projected expression, every breath you take or scream you make, any kindness you give, and every moment of joy alters the world in some way and creates a future scene in the movie of your life.

With the Perception medicine card comes informational codes, which provide opportunity for clear vision. In your meditation allow for the intelligence of this concept, clear Perception, to reflect onto all the facets in the diamond of your life lens, projecting conscious truth and light into your personal movie called life.”

My Take

The sense I get from this card is that it would be fruitful for us to reflect upon what might be coloring our perceptions of the events that unfold this week. How might our past experiences be shading or influencing how we process the information we’re hearing and seeing projected to us now.

Is there a way for each of us – in any given moment – to consciously rise above the emotional charge of whatever it is we’re being told or shown and See things from a higher perspective? Perhaps now more than ever we’re being called to be vigilant over the use of our creative abilities: the immense power that is inherent in our thoughts, words, and deeds.

Ultimately, we’re all living in our own unique bubbles of perception. But we are also combining our perceptions to create our shared reality. First and foremost, each of us must take responsibility for our own unique thoughts, words, actions and, perhaps even more importantly, our choices of how we want to perceive the world.

Things are gestating. Change is coming. In the midst of the chaos maybe we can “mind our perception” and each do our best to perceive within the chaos the seeds of a new world that’s just, compassionate, and based on love and mutual respect.

It behooves us to pay attention to our perception.

(T-453)

Change of Plans – Day 533

Change of Plans

I started out writing my post for this evening by opening Sacred Space and choosing from one of my favorite oracle decks, Mystic Art Medicine Oracle Cards – Tools for Transformation, created by Cher Lyn. In the process, however, I made a discovery that resulted in a change of plans.

The focus of my choice tonight was to be different than my usual, rather generic question that I usually ask, “What do we need to know right now?” (or a variation on that theme). Instead, I was prompted to inquire: “What do we need to release or shed?” and “What do we need to embrace?”

I will write more about the cards I selected tomorrow night.

Sad Discovery

I’ve loved these cards ever since discovering them several years ago. In fact, they were published in 2011, a fact that’s intrigued me, since the imagery she uses feels very connected to symbolism I’ve come to associate with my son Karl, since his death in 2011.

I don’t know what possessed me to do a search on Cher Lyn as I was writing my post, but I did. It may have been curiosity to see if she had published anything else.

As you’ve probably deduced from the heading, above, I was shocked to discover that she passed away suddenly just this past October.

The photos of Cher on her Facebook page and website reveal an unmistakably beautiful and sensitive spirit. I’m not even sure where that sense comes from other than the powerful response I had to the photographs of her, as well as her richly symbolic and haunting artwork.

Lost in Her Story

I lost myself in reading about Cher, even though I could tell there was obviously a lot more to her life’s story than what I was stumbling upon. The details of her death in a car accident shocked me.

And so, I find myself approaching my evening deadline, distracted and saddened by this sad discovery. Perhaps it’s a function of the tragic abundance of death that’s surrounding all of us right now. There are so many heartrending stories swirling about, across the entire planet.

I found I couldn’t just blithely use Cher Lyn’s oracle cards this evening once I made this discovery. I want to simply honor the loss of her life.

Mystic Art Medicine Oracle Cards (box) – Photo: L. Weikel

(T-578)