1/29/13—Entering the Hidden Realms

Today's Draw: The Ten of Water in the What Is Hidden position from the Book of Shadows Tarot: As Above and the Deck of 1000 Spreads. Have you been getting signs lately that someone in this world or another is trying to connect with you? Are you just ignoring it and hoping it will go away? What do you think they might be trying to tell you?

Something kind of odd is happening as I use my Deck of 1000 Spreads to give context to these daily draws. On the one hand, it's doing exactly what it's supposed to do...put the chosen tarot card in context. But on more than one occasion, the spread position and the card have meant essentially the same thing. For example, last week we had the position of What to Leave Behind, and the card chosen in that position was a person burning the baggage of their past. That answered the question, yes. But the card showed a "leaving behind" in the position of What to Leave Behind. 

Today is another example of that. We get the spread position of What is Hidden and a card that shows a seeking in the dark for what is hidden. I bring this up as odd, because I don't notice this happening so much in regular readings. But it's happened here a couple of times in a week and it's freaky. So if you ever wonder if tarot readers sometimes get freaked out by what cards say or do, yes, we do. Not often, but even after 25 years I'm still amazed at how this whole process can work. 

OK. So on to the reading. In most decks, the Ten of Water (or Cups) would show a happy family scene, full of love and abundance. But this is a non-traditional deck, so that's not the reading you get today. Sorry.  :D

This card depicts Hecate as a triple goddess. She's in charge of the spaces between realms...reality and illusion, life and death...the places where seekers often lose their way. So the Ten of Water brings us to that place of uncertainty and fuzziness that she rules—the crossroads between here and "there", wherever "there" is. She is, in essence the Goddess of what is hidden. 

And What is Hidden in this case is some sort of connection. There are people you need to find, but don't know how. Or there are spirits—either deceased loved ones or spirit guides—that you need to connect with. Or perhaps a power animal or other guide has something to share with you. Whichever of those options sounds most right to you, you can no longer allow the distance between you and this being to grow. It's time to make the connection. 

If you're like me, you can think of a number of options. I could use to connect with and strengthen relationships with my spirit guides. I would like to have contact with loved ones who have passed over. For me, I don't know that there's anyone in this realm that would qualify. But if you're estranged from someone who's alive and don't know how to find your way back to them, then that's a situation that would apply here, too. 

The interesting thing is that I've had some odd happenings lately in my house...sounds. Sounds that sound like someone is in this house, when they're not. All kinds of stuff could be responsible for that, but I've lived here for 13 years, so I know what's what. Some of these sounds are borderline curious and some are just plain freaky. 

Like the knocking at the window. It's usually just three raps and sounds just like someone's knocking at the window. It often wakes me in the morning. I've got a woodpecker that hangs out in the trees around my house, so I blame it on him. But, honestly, it sounds like knuckles on window. The other morning it happened and I know I wasn't the only one who heard it because all the dogs popped up their heads. But none of them barked or seemed to pay attention to it once it had happened. And it wasn't just one set of three raps, it was three sets of three raps coming from a window that is out of reach for humans. 

So that makes me think. Is someone trying to get my attention. And if so, what can I do? What can any of us do when we're not familiar with the foggy meeting places between worlds? 

We can start by getting very quiet in a place with no distractions. We can imagine a white light of protection around us. We can ask who is there for us. And we can listen for an answer. The answer (or images) will likely come to us in our head, instead of being audible to our ears or visible to our eyes. So we have to trust that what pops into our head is real. 

Another thing you can do is invite the spirit into your dreamtime (invite "only the highest and best" spirits) and affirm that you will remember your dreams upon waking. Or you can go to a medium. It's possible that the person or spirit you'll hear from is not the one you expect to hear from, so keep your mind open. 

The position this card is in—What is Hidden—could suggest that whoever this is, they could hold some key information for you. Which is why they're trying to connect with you. And if the prospect of that isn't too scary, now is the time to answer the call. 

4/20/12—Glimpsing Into the Great Mystery

Today's Draw: Red-Breasted Birds from Nature. Do you think a deceased family member has ever come to you as an animal? Have you ever had (or thought you had) a visitation of some other sort from spirit? What's your story?

A couple of weeks ago I did an entry on how some animals will show themselves to us to bring a message. Each animal has a different energy associated with it, so when I see a deer, for example, I'll be reminded to be more gentle with myself. And the animal is usually making its presence known in an obvious way. You could drive yourself crazy thinking every time you see a squirrel it has some special meaning. Anyway, you can find these associations online or in books or you can determine them for yourself simply by asking yourself what you know and think about the animal. Like we know deer are gentle, for example.

There are other times you'll see a particular animal and sense it's more of a visitation from beyond rather than making you aware of the specific qualities of their breed. Lately my sisters have been seeing red-breasted birds—cardinals and robins. One sister sees cardinals when times are bad and they're her reassurance that things are going to turn out OK. The other sister has just recently had a robin make itself known to her by causing a ruckus around her house. The bird has calmed down now, but is still standing guard by her window. 

If you haven't read all my posts this week, one of them was about how my brother is nearing the end of his life. He has cancer. And birds are significant in our family, as they are in his life in a way. My grandmother on my mother's side was a huge bird enthusiast and kept them as pets. My mom enjoyed birds a great deal, too. My sister remembers her particularly liking "robin red-breasts". Her first home in this country was St. Louis and that's where she met my dad. And my brother was always a loyal St. Louis Cardinals fan. Plus Virginia was our home for so long and cardinals are the state bird. So, in particular, red-breasted birds have some meaning in our family. 

I haven't had significant interaction with a red-breasted bird lately, but one of the phenomena I think everyone in our family has experienced is the smell of cigar smoke coming from nowhere. My dad smoked cigars. And when you're in your smoke-free home, just you and your dogs, and a strong waft of cigar smoke comes through, you can't help but think of him. I also share an ice-cube dropping issue with one of my brothers. Every time we get ice from the freezer, one cube drops out and I attach meaning to that, though I'm sure exactly what.

Now, I'll admit I'm someone who finds meaning in many daily occurrences. And I try to keep some healthy skepticism because I know my tendencies. But I've had words spoken in my ear from invisible sources in the room. I've had ideas enter into my head out of nowhere. I've had things drop from cabinets at the very moment I'm thinking of someone who's passed. I've seen my dad's extremely rare MGB GT from the late 60s parked on a street in my neighborhood many days in a row, only to never see it again. I even spoke to the driver. His parents live around the corner from me and he lives in the next neighborhood over, so you'd think I'd see it more consistently, but I never saw that man or that car again after I talked to him. 

Our deceased people can show themselves to us in many ways...they might come in a dream, you may smell their perfume, you might hear an odd phrase they used to say, you could see something that reminds you of them, you could have a significant animal sighting you associate with them, weird things might disappear or move around your house, you might swear you see them driving down the road or you might see them stand right in front of you as they did when alive. The degree to which you think you're imagining it is up to you. My feeling is if you wonder if it could be a visitation, it probably is.

Most of the time they just want you to know they're ok, they're still around and they still think of you. It would make sense that we'd be having experiences right now because it's a hard time for all of us. I think our parents want us to know they'll be there to greet him when he passes over and they'll be there to comfort us once he's gone.

I suppose spirits get used to us denying their signs and ignoring their visits. They were probably guilty of the same doubt in their earthly incarnations. But wouldn't it be awful to think someone we loved and miss terribly was there all along and we never acknowledged them? That the very thing we prayed for came to pass and we were too stubborn or doubtful to accept it? 

I've had enough experiences in my life, both of my own and through mediums, to doubt anymore. There are great mysteries out there, the knowledge of which we may only discover after death. The way I see it, if I die and find out I'm wrong, it probably won't matter. But, for me, being alive is more magical and meaningful if I'm able to glimpse into a mystery much bigger than the pretty cool miracle of life itself. So my mother still visits my sisters, my father watches over us and my brother is going to land in their arms when he slips away from life. For me, life would be pretty lonely if I chose to believe anything less.