Ever have a time in your life where you feel you are the protector of those around you? I am not talking about if you have a child or a younger sibling. By nature, most feel the need to protect their kin and those younger, or those who are fragile like grandparents. But when it comes to friends, peers, parents that are not elderly, coworkers, associates, when does that protector feeling ebb?
For me, when I was young, I felt often times that I did not have a protector outside my home. My parents and even my sister (though we have a strained relationship), would always be there to stand up for me but when say, I went to school, those protections disappear and I was left to fend for myself. For years, I spent much of my childhood through my young adult life being a door mat. I generally did not stand up for others because I was either too busy trying to protect myself by being invisible and what not, or I had an ill state of mind that if I wasn't being protected why should I protect others. It was very rare and in extreme cases that I got out of my box to protect others. Generally when physical violence was going or did occur did I step in. That was always what crossed the line for me.
As a grown woman with a child of my own and a family, I have grown much stronger and also in time, learned to stand up for myself. Somehow in that time I had learned to stand up for others I felt couldn't stand up for themselves. Or even if they could, I supported them actively so they knew they could fall back on me if need be.
I am not very much what people call a mother bear towards people I care about and for those who I feel can't do it for themselves. They have the right to experience what I wasn't able to when I grew up. Sometimes having that one person at your back can make a difference in one's self esteem and confidence.
Too many people today do what I saw and did when I was younger, and ignored those who need help and go along with their day. Hell, there have even been news stories where they had people pretending to be physically or sexually assaulted and majority of people would just walk away. It really is a sad state of affairs in our country.
So why am I rambling on about this and protecting others and yourself? This can or may not be a spiritual aspect of your life but can certainly pertain to it. We in the community discuss ways of protecting ourselves magically with crystals, wards, and energy workings but when it comes down to the mundane area, that conversation tends to fall short. I am certainly a person who pushes for mudane resolutions first and then fall back on magic, but do what you have to do. Again, it also seems it is self preservation rather then protecting others that are the focus.
So, I lay a task out for you this week people who read this. Make it a point to get outside your spiritual and individualized box and stand up for a stranger or someone you have not stood up for before that you know needs it. You may feel the person you know you may have issues with but put that aside if you feel they are being done wrong. You would be surprised at how good it feels to put yourself out there and how something as simple as that can change a relationship dynamic as well.
Monday, October 24, 2016
Monday, October 17, 2016
Gifting or Buying Your First Deck
This is a debate for tarot readers that when someone wants to start using tarot that they should be gifted their first. Like it is a tradition. However, many see no problem in purchasing their first deck. The following is my experiences and the pros and cons of doing either.
I purchased my own because I had no one in my life that would have gifted me one. I bought a deck I thought I would enjoy learning it from. The Egyptian Tarot, that was actually kind of complicated with little complex imagery to learn intuitive reading easily, which I now know I am an intuitive reader. I bought it and played for it for a while then years went by where I didn't touch it. I then saw a tarot review of the Steampunk Tarot and purchased that based off my attraction to the imagery. It was the perfect starter deck for me. I was able to learn how to use it on my own terms and it really helped expand my understanding of intuitive readings.
I had no clue there was a tradition of gifting for your first deck by the way.
Buying your own deck...
Pros:
You can purchase what YOU are attracted to
You can feel the energies from the deck prior to purchasing it.
It can be special to buy your first as well.
Cons:
You miss out on the tradition associated with starting your tarot experience.
You, like myself, find a deck you are initially attracted to but find out you don't resonate with it in action.
Being gifted your first deck...
Pros:
You are honoring the tradition.
Getting gifts are awesome!
The person gifting it to you clearly wants to support your new adventure in the divination realm and is hoping their purchase or their own used deck has some power that can be transferred to one receiving.
Cons:
You may get a deck you don't resonate with or like at all.
The giver may have expectations they put on you for the deck like how to use it because they used it in that way, when you do not resonate with it or want to constraints.
You may feel guilty if they purchased a super expensive deck, that you are taking a clearly loved deck from theirs, or receiving an unfinished deck because unknowingly there are cards missing.
There are more pros and cons to both but those are the main ones that come to mind. My final opinion is it depends on what you are wanting. Do you want tradition over individual experience? Or do you want to make sure a deck resonates with you rather then a grateful but unwanted deck?
Ask these questions to yourself if you are beginning your journey or thinking of gifting a deck to someone.
I purchased my own because I had no one in my life that would have gifted me one. I bought a deck I thought I would enjoy learning it from. The Egyptian Tarot, that was actually kind of complicated with little complex imagery to learn intuitive reading easily, which I now know I am an intuitive reader. I bought it and played for it for a while then years went by where I didn't touch it. I then saw a tarot review of the Steampunk Tarot and purchased that based off my attraction to the imagery. It was the perfect starter deck for me. I was able to learn how to use it on my own terms and it really helped expand my understanding of intuitive readings.
I had no clue there was a tradition of gifting for your first deck by the way.
Buying your own deck...
Pros:
You can purchase what YOU are attracted to
You can feel the energies from the deck prior to purchasing it.
It can be special to buy your first as well.
Cons:
You miss out on the tradition associated with starting your tarot experience.
You, like myself, find a deck you are initially attracted to but find out you don't resonate with it in action.
Being gifted your first deck...
Pros:
You are honoring the tradition.
Getting gifts are awesome!
The person gifting it to you clearly wants to support your new adventure in the divination realm and is hoping their purchase or their own used deck has some power that can be transferred to one receiving.
Cons:
You may get a deck you don't resonate with or like at all.
The giver may have expectations they put on you for the deck like how to use it because they used it in that way, when you do not resonate with it or want to constraints.
You may feel guilty if they purchased a super expensive deck, that you are taking a clearly loved deck from theirs, or receiving an unfinished deck because unknowingly there are cards missing.
There are more pros and cons to both but those are the main ones that come to mind. My final opinion is it depends on what you are wanting. Do you want tradition over individual experience? Or do you want to make sure a deck resonates with you rather then a grateful but unwanted deck?
Ask these questions to yourself if you are beginning your journey or thinking of gifting a deck to someone.
Sunday, October 9, 2016
Making Your Own Year and a Day?
I have been juggling with myself on wanting to do something such as a year and a day, but so many are based on specific religions such as Wicca. Though I am aware of witch specific year and a days that are less popular, that some have followed, I am coming to the conclusion I will have to create my own to satisfy all of my spiritual needs.
What am I doing to prepare in making one? Well first, I am looking at the books that though aren't witch specific, are related to my craft such as the Wicca based ones to get an idea of how the general year and a day is set up and some topics that may be of interest to me to expand on in my own year an a day.
Second, I am taking notes on the areas I have little to no knowledge on but want to expand on in my spiritual path. For example, I am into astrology but I really have little to only the basic info on it and want to learn more.
Thirdly, my plan on scheduling topics will be either a certain area will be covered during a full week in different ways or depending on the topic like astrology which is huge, do a whole month dedicated to it. I don't want to rush through topics just to get through it, but I want to really learn about them. For example, using astrology again, one week would be dedicated to sun signs, another week would be on houses, and so on.
Fourthly, I would also set up tests quizzes at the end of the "circuit" of topics to make sure I am retaining the information. I feel just reading over and not really practicing what you have learned generally goes the way of when we did homework in school. Into the mental garbage.
I am not rushing to create this and research is a big part on creating this but I want to make sure I am covering all the areas I want to and thoroughly. When the year and a day is done, I want to make sure i have had significant growth but also not use this time as like an elective class in high school where I just exist during it, I want to enjoy and grow from it.
Have you ever done a year and a day? Would you create your own? Thoughts on my idea?
What am I doing to prepare in making one? Well first, I am looking at the books that though aren't witch specific, are related to my craft such as the Wicca based ones to get an idea of how the general year and a day is set up and some topics that may be of interest to me to expand on in my own year an a day.
Second, I am taking notes on the areas I have little to no knowledge on but want to expand on in my spiritual path. For example, I am into astrology but I really have little to only the basic info on it and want to learn more.
Thirdly, my plan on scheduling topics will be either a certain area will be covered during a full week in different ways or depending on the topic like astrology which is huge, do a whole month dedicated to it. I don't want to rush through topics just to get through it, but I want to really learn about them. For example, using astrology again, one week would be dedicated to sun signs, another week would be on houses, and so on.
Fourthly, I would also set up tests quizzes at the end of the "circuit" of topics to make sure I am retaining the information. I feel just reading over and not really practicing what you have learned generally goes the way of when we did homework in school. Into the mental garbage.
I am not rushing to create this and research is a big part on creating this but I want to make sure I am covering all the areas I want to and thoroughly. When the year and a day is done, I want to make sure i have had significant growth but also not use this time as like an elective class in high school where I just exist during it, I want to enjoy and grow from it.
Have you ever done a year and a day? Would you create your own? Thoughts on my idea?
Sunday, October 2, 2016
Final Thoughts on Self Love September and Plans on future
It was an enjoyable and thought provoking September. I had not participated in this until this year and I thank Kelly Ann for getting this program going a few years ago and continuously running it since! ♥
My thoughts on my progress during this past month are mixed. Nothing I have shared is anything that is a surprise to me and nothing I wasn't self aware of already. I think my overall struggle with the whole process is finding how to push past the borders I have hit with the self growth in self love. DO I love myself? Not really.
Do I self care? Pretty well on the basic level and mostly out of self preservation. Do I think I am strong? I am only starting to see that I have grown in this area and accepting that I have achieved things by persevering through them. Do I put how I feel about myself on other peoples thoughts on me? Definitely. I do care significantly on what and how people think of me and that is something i really need to work on still. Though I have gotten better over time. I know my faults intimately. Do I generally know my strengths, not so much. I need to learn to be more emotionally antonymous. Independent.
Overall though, this past month did give me some useful insight and really narrowed down what I need to do on working on myself.
Plans from here on out with the blog? Well, I do plan on at least blogging once a week. Maybe more. It may be trivial, or how I am feeling that day, or plans for my channel which is where I put most of my energy. I do plan to keep this active.
Thank you for everyone who has kept up on my progress this past month and have been supportive. ☺
My thoughts on my progress during this past month are mixed. Nothing I have shared is anything that is a surprise to me and nothing I wasn't self aware of already. I think my overall struggle with the whole process is finding how to push past the borders I have hit with the self growth in self love. DO I love myself? Not really.
Do I self care? Pretty well on the basic level and mostly out of self preservation. Do I think I am strong? I am only starting to see that I have grown in this area and accepting that I have achieved things by persevering through them. Do I put how I feel about myself on other peoples thoughts on me? Definitely. I do care significantly on what and how people think of me and that is something i really need to work on still. Though I have gotten better over time. I know my faults intimately. Do I generally know my strengths, not so much. I need to learn to be more emotionally antonymous. Independent.
Overall though, this past month did give me some useful insight and really narrowed down what I need to do on working on myself.
Plans from here on out with the blog? Well, I do plan on at least blogging once a week. Maybe more. It may be trivial, or how I am feeling that day, or plans for my channel which is where I put most of my energy. I do plan to keep this active.
Thank you for everyone who has kept up on my progress this past month and have been supportive. ☺
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