Finding Your Spirit Stone

Steve Seinberg from Arrow In Flight created a very interesting spread designed to help the reader identify his or her “spirit stone.” The idea is that people often talk about their spirit animal, but there are many things in the natural world that can hold a similar influence in our lives and for our spiritual journeys.

The spread is designed thus:

And the positional meanings are the following:

Spread by Steve Seinberg

This morning I sat down to do this reading for myself (though I accidentally switched positions 3 and 4 in the layout, which ended up giving me some additional insights as I’ll describe below!). Because color schemes are important to this reading, I wanted to use a deck that featured as many elements of the color wheel as possible. But I also wanted a deck in which each card featured only one or two predominant colors, rather than one where each card displayed multiple bright colors (such as the Tarot of Holy Light or Navigators Tarot of the Mystic SEA). In the end I chose the Fountain Tarot.

Before I began I recognized that I was slightly hoping that the cards would hint at black tourmaline (probably my favorite stone of all time), but I was intrigued to find that the cards did not point in that direction. Instead, they told a beautiful story that highlighted a very interesting and lovely stone that hadn’t even crossed my mind.

Fountain Tarot; Jason Gruhl and Jonathan Saiz

Card 2, Color: 2 of Swords

I am starting with the “color card” because this was the first concrete clue as to what stone I might be dealing with. This was my first clue that it probably wasn’t going to be black tourmaline! The 2 of Swords in the Fountain Tarot shows a woman standing by the sea, blindfolded. She looks upward toward the cloudy sky and bears an upright blade in each hand. The predominant color in this card is a deep, sedate blue. After some contemplation two stones came to mind: iolite and blue kyanite, but after integrating the rest of the cards in the reading, iolite was the stronger contender.

Card 1, Essence: Devil

Iolite is said to help one resist the influence of intoxication, and to be a strong supportive stone for helping to release addictive patterns, codependency, and self-defeating behaviors, so the Devil fits quite well as representative of its essence.  Interestingly I have always felt like I had some sort of “inner rubber” when it comes to things that are typically thought to be addictive, like chips, alcohol, shopping, soda, tobacco…… I do indulge in sweet treats, no doubt, though not (usually) in excess. Perhaps there is some connection here.

Card 3, Ailments: Fool

The Book of Stones, by Robert Simmons and Naisha Ahsian, says:
“Iolite offers to take one on the inner path to the deep self. It is an excellent stone to use in shamanic journeying…It helps one let go of the belief that one needs to control inner experiences, and it dissolves the fear of the unknown…”

Card 4, Gifts: Sun

Iolite is said to be a stone of joy and happiness; by encouraging self-possession and inner strength it helps lead to increased power, success, and satisfaction. In addition, iolite was used to help locate the direction of the sun in ancient times (I discuss this a bit more below), so in that sense the gift may be one of help in finding the way forward, like a natural lighthouse.

Card 5, Connection: King of Coins

The Crystal Vaults website says that iolite, “is an excellent source of energy when used for the elimination of debt and the responsible management of money.” This connects with the Devil (learning how to manage material resources), which also connects to Capricorn (my sun sign).

Card 6, Changes: 6 of Wands

This card suggests that by working with iolite and incorporating it into my life I will learn to recognize, value, and honor my own unique offerings, and that by doing so I will find a path to achieving my goals (there is a connection with the Sun here as well).

Iolite crystal

Iolite is called the Viking Compass because in ages past thin slices of iolite were used as polarizing filters to determine the location of the sun on cloudy days. I couldn’t help but notice the position of the 2 of Swords next to the Sun in my reading. The woman stands on the edge of the ocean on an overcast day, appearing to look blindly upward as if attempting to take a measurement…and there lies the Sun to her right. Perhaps she is peering through iolite, estimating the direction she must take next.

I enjoyed this exercise and look forward to working more with iolite, a stone that I haven’t spent very much time with, to date. If you choose to seek your own spirit stone, please let me know what you find, and consider commenting to Steve via Instagram as well!

From One Moment to the Next

I haven't posted in a little while because life has been whirring by at a rather extraordinary pace. But today is Tuesday of Spring Break week, I'm at home with a hot cup of coffee and a gray, rainy late afternoon sky peering in at me through the kitchen window, and I do believe it's time to do a little writing.

I'm nearing my four-month "anniversary" as the director of an international department in a higher education setting, and so far I can say that I am enjoying it. It certainly has its stressful moments, but that's part of the thrill of the ride, and one of the things I like most about this position is that there is constant fluctuation and change: each day brings something new.

Moving from instructor to director has brought a lot of changes along with it, a new path to tread. Fluctuations aside, my one constant over these past months has been the desire to always be and do better as I learn what it means to lead others. This morning I pulled a card from the Wildwood Tarot asking "Where can I continue to grow as a manager?" I pulled the 6 of Arrows:

Wildwood Tarot; John Matthews, Mark Ryan, W. Worthington

As I sat with this card several thoughts and feelings about "transition" (this card's keyword) spilled forth.....

Transition....

1) of relationship based in position. It is more challenging to be friends with former colleagues for whom I now give annual reviews. Connections stay positive, but friendship slowly shifts into guidance, mentorship, support, and amiability.  Something, some taste or quality, transforms. It is not better or worse than what it was, only vaguely different.

2) of time - allowing for the process of change to unfold rather than worrying that the transition from one position to another should have been immediate.

3) of perspective. Mind over matter - the ability and requirement to be objective, and to make decisions based on logic rather than emotion...almost literally transitioning my entire team from a hazy, uncertain past into what I deeply hope becomes a warm, bright and affirming future.

Leading is not for the faint of heart, but by taking each day as it comes, and giving myself the space to grow and evolve, the transition - no matter its ups and downs - may be a rewarding journey.

Note: The URL for this blog has changed to http://firstearthtarot.blogspot.com

Page of Staves: Spring Descends

Note: The URL for this blog has changed to http://firstearthtarot.blogspot.com

Spring descends upon central Florida.

It might sound strange to anyone unfamiliar with the true climate here, but there are indeed seasons. Our winter is much like a most pristine northern autumn, complete with frosted roofs and fallen leaves. Spring brings warmer temperatures (read: we finally head into the 80s during the day, and stay there) and increased humidity. New sorts of flowers begin to bloom, and cypress trees consider releasing their greens. I swear that the moment March started I felt the air change, become charged with the newness of an unfolding springtime.

Ship of Fools Tarot; Brian Williams

Both the Buckland Romani app and the Ship of Fools gave me the Page of Staves this morning: the excitement of new opportunity, the thrill of developing new creative ideas. This Page from the Ship of Fools breathes "spring." It is utterly imbued with the essence of exploration and discovery, and I am fully in that mode.

My husband and I are planning a mini vacation that nearly coincides with our ten-year anniversary. New Orleans? Savannah? Some other place? I'm not sure. But just considering the options has me raring to go

The Power of Play

A couple of months ago I signed up for a "personal growth" presentation at my place of work. The title was "The Power of Positive Thinking," and I'm all about that, so I thought it would be interesting to hear what the presenters had to say. When I finally attended the session about a week ago I did find that most of the content described my life, in general. In particular there was one part where attendees were asked to recall the last time that they laughed at something that didn't appear to be obviously funny (ahem. This is a nearly everyday occurrence for me!!!). But there was another topic that did get me thinking... when asked how often we engage in play, I had to pause for a moment. While I do have a very healthy sense of humor, and often entertain my kids with silly antics, I wasn't able to say that I really played very often. Playing, of course, can be any activity that is fun, and I honestly can't say that I engage in truly fun activities on any sort of regular basis. Hm.

Then, a few days ago I was suddenly moved to start the #tarotselflove challenge by Ethony on Instagram, even though they were already 20-some days into the thing, and I was already participating in another. One of the first prompts asks you to pull cards to represent what your inner child thinks of you, and what you can do to nurture your inner child. The message was clearly conveyed in my draw: play. Perhaps that same afternoon I had seen a note from a friend which mentioned that she was very excited to be going out dancing for the first time in ages. On my way to work I started to think about how I used to go out dancing in my early 20s, and how much fun it was to let loose on the dance floor to some really good music. Just thinking about that sparked in me the desire to do something fun, though I had no idea what that might be. I'm not really interested in going out dancing these days, so what would "fun" even look like? Still, I was entirely oblivious to the threaded theme that was unfurling throughout all of these experiences.

Gabriel being coached during his first game.

My son is just shy of five years old, and has a lot of energy, so we decided to find a sport for him to register for. Incidentally baseball season was just starting when we sat down to browse our options, and so we set him up with a local tee ball team. His first practice was a couple of weeks ago, and since then he has participated in another practice, a fielding clinic, and then yesterday had his first game. He loves it. Every day he asks me, "Is it Tuesday?" (Tuesdays are practice days). When we bought him a Star Wars bat he was thrilled and wanted to sleep with it (which he did). And I found myself falling under the enchantment of the thrill of athletics. When I was a kid I played all kinds of sports: I did karate, tennis, rode and jumped horses, ran track, played basketball, and was the only girl on a Parks and Rec baseball team (I was number 8). The last time I participated in a sport was when I was 13 years old (which, interestingly, was about the time I started becoming more interested in divination, though there is no causal relationship there).

Being a witness to my son's excitement about baseball brought all of those feelings back to me. Tee ball is totally non-competitive, which is partly why it's so great - there is no pressure involved. The kids are very young, and they are just out there to have fun, to learn the game basics, and to improve individually over time. They all receive equal playing time, and I have to say that they are extremely adorable to watch in action. So I've been sort of bit by the "bug." After the game yesterday we were thinking about what to do for the rest of the day, and the only main thing on my agenda was to go out and find Gabriel some new cleats, because the old ones he was using were starting to peel. We ended up finding two pairs (Nike and Under Armour, respectively) in great condition for a combined total of $8.50 (let me take a moment to plug second-hand stores which are wonderful places to look for sports equipment for kids, seeing as they outgrow things rather quickly!).

Later that evening I was getting ready for tea and scones and relaxation when Doreen Virtue's Archangel Oracle cards grabbed my attention. Now I have to be honest and say that I am decidedly not much of a Virtue fan (perhaps because she seems to spread herself thin across a billion oracle and tarot decks; perhaps because she features an overabundance of unicorns, fairies and angels which are not so much my cup of tea. Not sure.) however I picked this deck up at, yes, a second-hand store for .99 - a deal too good to pass up, regardless. I never use these cards, but for some reason I was drawn to pull a card from the deck, and so I did. I didn't ask a question, per se, rather I focused my thoughts and feelings on the cards as I shuffled, opening myself to whatever message might come up. It was:

I had to blink for a moment. Then I laughed out loud, and was overcome by a new warmth and admiration for this deck of cards.

"Archangel Gabriel: As you nurture a child, you nurture your own inner child. Both activities are important for you right now."

Here I am, playing, nurturing my son's excitement for his new sport, finding my own profound sense of fun in accompanying and supporting him on his athletic journey, all the while reviving exhilarating memories of my own sports days. The significance of the archangel's name was not lost on me.

Clearly I have been experiencing a notable lack of play in my life, and by nurturing my son, I am simultaneously receiving much-needed sustenance of my own.

Divinity Within Each Moment

There is divinity within each moment. Sometimes it calls to us like light from a vivid setting sun, vibrating through and over and around us. Other times it is subtle, elusive, hidden within the folds and bends of everyday life. We often overlook its presence; we swim like salmon against the current into the embrace of deeper meaning, even if our awareness there is fleeting.

Dark Goddess Tarot; Ellen Lorenzi-Prince

Ritual is a helpful tool for bringing our consciousness into divine awareness, and ritual can be found in everything, most especially the seemingly mundane facets of quotidian life.

There is a certain stability and sanctuary (literally, "holy place") that the present moment affords, and tea brewing is one way I seek to inhabit it more mindfully; a method to show appreciation for what is; brewing/drinking as a ritual of embracing the immediacy of the moment:

Now I am watching the steam curl upward. Now I am pouring water over leaves. Now I am seeing them unfold, release their essence, color their surroundings. Now I am waiting. Now I am sipping. Now it is scalding to the lips. Now it heats a path to my center. Now I release and sigh. Now it becomes warm, and now it becomes cool. Now I am here; not earlier, not soon, not tomorrow. Just here, just in this space, in this moment.

Tea time pauses everything. It keeps the pressures at bay. It reminds us that there is a holy light in each moment if we choose to find it.

Like Sunlight Through Stone

Interpersonal relationships can be challenging when expectations aren't met, and this can be further exacerbated when communication channels becomes muddied. Attempting to match up the puzzle pieces of disparate experiences, to get on the same page or find common ground, can prove at times to be quite difficult; sometimes the pieces just don't fit. But there is often room for a little ambiguity; space for many truths to sit together at once. An open heart and still mind may embrace the wholeness of that union (or dichotomy, you might also call it).

The Queen of Swords is a natural expert at this: balancing clarity with caring, seeking to understand while also maintaining gentle-but-firm boundaries; searching for truth amidst emotional turmoil, but never discounting another's perceptions.

Tarot of Vampyres; Ian Daniels

When I pulled this card yesterday morning I was immediately jarred by the raven on this Queen's shoulder because it pierced my dream memory; I was visited by such a bird in my sleep. It was large in size and I only recall being uncertain if it was a crow or raven, but based on its beak shape I'd been fairly certain that it was the latter. Perhaps it was a messenger.

As I was pondering the Queen of Swords' gifts of perception, and her ability to lock onto the most important undercurrents of a given situation, I suddenly thought of a new stone I acquired several days prior. It is called "strawberry obsidian" (if I understand correctly it is a manufactured stone, something along the lines of goldstone or blue sandstone). I picked up a piece and it felt nice in my hand - smooth, cool, bright but in a muted sort of way. And then I held it up to the store lamp and it was like a whole other world opened up before me. The light illuminated the stone's inner workings so brilliantly that it took my breath away, lightened my heart, and I knew I wanted to bring it on home.

The Queen of Sword's essence reminded me of that moment. Like sunlight though stone, situations that seem opaque when grasped closely may reveal all of their complex layers and delicate filaments when we are willing to hold them up to the light.

Perhaps it doesn't matter so much if we can't find a measure of common ground. What matters is that we don't hide from truth; that we open our hearts to understanding. Our openness and willingness is an invitation for those puzzle pieces to be brought back into alignment. And if it is still not enough, then what matters is finding peace with that incongruity.

Interestingly as I was looking deeper into the dream raven, I came across this phrase:

"Raven will show you how to go within in yourself, into the dark areas and then illuminate them, making you ‘sparkle’ and bringing out your true self. Inner conflicts should then be resolved, however long buried they are – this is the deepest healing." (Click here for the site)

And with that the circle was complete, the message filled out: the Queen, and the stone, and Raven's presence in my dream all symbolic of the search for clarity, the at times painful willingness to shine light into the dark, to understand, to express, to heal, and ultimately to release back into the universe.

Between Water and Fire

This morning I sat at the kitchen table enjoying the first cup of coffee from my new pot (thanks to my sister for a belated birthday/Christmas present!!) and I decided to pull a daily card from the Tarot of Holy Light. I shuffled a bit and selected the Ace of Swords. I've pulled this card a couple of times recently, and I have been uncovering many new and interesting facets of its character. I thought, "I wonder what its message is for me today....?"

Since taking on a leadership role at my place of work I've found myself positioned between two departments that happen to share a specific population of students. These departments have different personalities, cultures, perspectives, and approaches, and this has caused some friction over time. Now I am in a place where I often find myself mediating conflicts between the two. Over a week ago I was preparing myself for one such meeting and decided to pull a card to help guide me in how to approach these relationship misalignments. I pulled the Ace of Swords, from this same deck, the Tarot of Holy Light. At the time I wrote this:

"Demand honesty and forthrightness. If they inhabit a world hazy with clouded emotion and ambiguous intent, shine your blade a little bit in the sun. Let them see you. Remind them that you're there. Plant seeds of justice that over time will evaporate the doubts and frivolity obscuring the sharp clarity of truth."

It was very helpful advice.

So this morning I laid the Ace on the table, and then thought to look at the top and bottom cards which were the Page of Cups and the Page of Wands. I laid them to either side of the Ace and spent some time considering the line of three. Image-wise it looked quite a bit to me like mediation. And then I remembered: the first item on my morning agenda was a meeting with two members from these different teams, to discuss an ongoing problem.

On the left sits the Page of Cups, almost literally pouring his emotions out into the foreground. The eye floating above the ocean is symbolic of the way in which the perspective of this page is filtered through his/her feelings and emotional responses to the environment. On the right sits the Page of Wands, surrounded in bright, urgent flame. While the Page of Cups appears to be considering the beauty of the flowers nearby, the Page of Wands reaches out almost as if to connect with the other two cards. Water and fire, emotion and spirit. In the middle sits the Ace of Swords, an upright blade surrounded by six faces or eyes connected to a central eye that lies over the sword. All of the varying opinions, beliefs, perspectives, and feelings must be funneled through the impartial eye of the sword whose principal interest is in understanding, truth, clarity, and precise communication.

I see both parties from today's meeting in these Pages - both passionate, both motivated, both caring. But both in need of common ground, of someone to listen to them and to draw out the salient points; to help draw attention to and tease apart what is factual from what is perception. The Ace of Swords is good at that.

The meeting went well, ultimately, and I was able to use Ace of Swords energy to help achieve a level of mutual understanding. It once again brings to my mind the idea of pursuing formal mediation training, and perhaps it is time to look into that!