.:|:. Dove Love’s .:. Points and Passions .:|:.

By Dove, www.TarotwithLove.com  I “play” with a regular deck of cards here at work through the day, using it like the Tarot. I find it so interesting that I’ve now manifested two consecutive jobs with enough “down time” to do this at my desk — both in private for the most part, and with my employers’ consent, as long as my job gets done in the interim :)

Anyway, yesterday I was amazed at all the Jacks I was drawing. At one point, and I don’t think I’ve ever done this before, I did a 3-card spread (past, present, future) and all three were Jacks. Some see the Jacks like Knights in the Tarot, but I see them more like the Pages. The Pages can be about new beginnings, but I was reading last night that they are also about CHANGE. And this aligns with the other messages I’ve been getting. I’m at work and a guy just walked in with an “11″ on the back of his tee shirt.  I take that as a confirmation of that last statement, which I had just typed. The 11/2 is my Life Path number…

I’m still pulling Jacks today, it kinda freaks me out — anticipating change. I can see certain changes are in the works, good changes. Very good. I’m eager for many areas of my life to improve/change, and they are, have been, slowly but surely.  I have to admit, it’s kinda scary…but I’m still so eager for certain things to change…so eager.  The fear aspect of it brings to mind another card I’ve been drawing out the wazoo for what seems like months now, the King of Cups.  That card often represents repeating old patterns, and I’m thinking that he “pops up” around those times when good change is “threatening” to happen, heh  “He” seems to want to keep not-so-good things the way they are… 

Hmm, someone just called and said the word, “Scorpion.”  That’s a totem I’ve gotten many times right before significant change has happened in my life.  More fearful feelings cropping up with that.  The Scorpion may well be one of my main totems.  I’ve even been stung by one — right before my whole life changed in a big way, but it was good change…er, ultimately.  Note, ya’ don’t want to be stung by a scorpion, very painful!  (I like to tell people that I have scorpion blood now, heh-heh)  And it was just a baby one — AND it stung my “baby” (little) finger.  The “Fool” (baby) Tarot card comes to mind with that … it happened right before I became a “baby” in the metaphysical world :)  

Here’s an excerpt from the first Scorpion totem interpretation I came upon in googling just now…(Very on-point.)

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The Fierce Scorpion Totem possesses the following virtues: Metamorphosis, openness to change, mystery, independence, self-protection, endurance, ferocity, self-possession, fearlessness, power of passion, masterful presence, magnetic personality, determination, personal intensity, willpower, tenacity, forcefulness, tranquility and dignity.

http://www.manizone.co.uk/scorpion-animal-totem-a-34.html

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Ah, the Jeep.  Yesterday, late afternoon, after having pulled all those Jacks, there was a red Jeep parked outside and on the back of it, there was the coolest-looking wheel cover on the spare.  As soon as I saw it, it grabbed me — it was totally a giant “Death” card.  I know that’s an in-style theme nowadays, and that’s something I would have had a strong aversion to in the past.  But having used the Tarot for so long, I am now much more comfortable with it, and any other “death” symbol, which atually represents ANY kind of transformation (big change) in one’s life — not just a physical death, which is rarely the meaning.  Some newer Tarot decks opt for calling it “Transformation” instead of “Death.”

This life-sized ”Transformation” card on the back of the Jeep, it was really a very attractive image of a skeleton, lol   I loved it, it looked great with the red Jeep.  And then I noticed the skeleton had red hair, which is the color of my hair :)  Talk about a mucho blatant message…”You’re in for some mega-change, girlie.”  But not only did the image not spur fear in me, I actually loved it — that speaks of good change.  Even so, seeing a giant “Death” card … that’s wild.  And this after pulling all the Jacks — at one point, I even pulled a Jack in response to “What are all the Jacks about?” lol ;) 

I’m also considering that this has something to do with my anger, which calls itself “Jack.” :)  I see Jack as my “fire,” and I’ve created some amazing things strongly fueled by “him,” including one of my favorite MS Paint pics, “Fire in the Belly.”  But like I’ve said in other posts, like fire, we have to be very careful in using that kind of power (see Scorpion excerpt above, “power of passion”).  But also like fire, there’s nothing else like it, and it is a gift to be honored/respected and appreciated — not hated, denied and pushed down.  It will harm and destroy ONLY when we treat it in that disrespectful way…like fire.

Okay, well, I went off on a lot of winding roads there, but perhaps it all ties together.  It seems certain that big change is on its way in my life — and perhaps for those who are reading this :)  And for sure our world is in store for some major change.  I’m holding to the belief that it will all be for the better.

Peace,
Dove

By Dove, www.TarotwithLove.com  That seems to be the theme of the day, Peace  :) 

Things are going well at work and, although there is a bit of a “Tower” thing in my personal life  (my computer recently died of old age, and this is at least part of what the vultures and 411 spoke of), things are still going pretty well otherwise.  This all reminds me of my “Peace Eagle” blog…so many messages all tying together.  The “Tower” energy destroys the old, and then the “the peace eagle” (vulture) represents clearing it all away for a fresh new beginning.

Relative to the peace theme, I recently wrote the following in a comment on my blog, “Talking Trees.” 

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Um, I’m still doing that unfortunately, but I’m not giving up on finding the “cure.”  :)   The thing is, I know the cure, the problem is breaking through the blocks, the subconscious fear, I have about that unfamiliar thing.

I caught myself, (er, actually the Tarot caught me, heh) this morning reaching back to those old patterns — a big bunch of negative thinking.  Letting it override my awareness of the perils in doing such a thing.  So I asked the Tarot about the issue my mind was trying to stir up.  Sometimes the Tarot will totally ignore the question and simply show us what’s really important.  The card I first drew was the 4 of Swords — my mind said, “Peace.”  It’s a card about resting, withdawing after troubles to find healing and peace.  I drew a “clarity” card, the Hermit card.  It’s about withdrawing, getting quiet…  I drew yet another card, Two of Swords.  With that one, very much a “peace” card — especially beside those others, it was apparent that the Universe was advising me to clear out all that negative thinking, and find peace.  So grateful for my Tarot…

If that wasn’t a strong enough message, while getting ready for work and putting my make-up on, a memory of an item I loved as a kid popped into my mind.  A choker that I wore in junior high (the 70’s).  It was a simple suede band, gorgeous deep burgundy color, a cool teardrop-shaped gold peace sign dangled from the center.  I loved it, and as I was wondering why the memory of it came to mind — something I hadn’t thought about in lotsa years, I realized it was yet another message of “Peace.” :)  The Universe really has a lovely way of driving a point home, lol ;)

Then I started thinking about how it was a “choker.”  Hmmm.  Seems kinda contradictory to peace.  Something that chokes — and it “chokes” my throat, 5th chakra — expression.  This seems to be an area in which I’ve long had a problem.  Holding back, choking it back, “swallowing” it all…  No outlet for so many years for a lot of creativity. Having done pretty much nothing in the area of creativity for most of my life, I now wanna do it all … writing, painting, sculpting, web design, photography, filmmaking … 

Years ago, the only time I’ve ever tried this thing called “scrying” — a type of divination — I saw some wild, but very interesting, visions.  Ya’ look into a mirror until ya’ “see” something.  Among the things I saw was an arm that reached out to choke me.  It brought tears when I realized it was my arm.  Oh shit, I’m here at work, in public, and the memory of that is bringing tears.  Okay-okay, doing the eye-fanning thing now, lol ;)

But I’ve made a lot of progress since then, lotsa learning, lotsa growing, and finally starting to express all that held-back stuff, and doing that all-important creating — in those fleeting moments when I can wrestle my resistance to the ground, heh  It’s really just beginning though — I still feel like there’s a volcano of creativity inside me, so much to express, release, create :)  I know that creating thing is so very important for our health and PEACE of mind.  We are meant to create — we are “creators.”  (Little “gods” if you will.)  It is essential for our healing, and consequently for the healing of the world, crucial so as to find true peace, “Heaven on Earth” :)

Peace,
Dove

By Dove, www.TarotwithLove.com  I know it’s not a particularly attractive bird, but the Vulture is, oddly enough, called “the peace eagle.”  I just learned that yesterday.  This totem came to me in a big way yesterday. 

We were having this event at work, a few hundred people were congregated outside.  I was sitting at my desk, but I’m right at the front and can see everything outside (glass walls).  The event was about to conclude, and all of a sudden this massive number of vultures appeared over the crowd.  I tried to count them, but they were swirling around and it was just too many to count.  I’d guess maybe 10 or 15 vultures. 

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Vulture Totem Interpretations…

Death and Rebirth
New Vision

The Vulture is the symbol of death and rebirth,
the mother symbol,
and represents purification.
For those with this totem,
you will be noticed more for what you do than
how you appear.

Vulture or Condor
teaches us how to soar above our limitations.
It is linked to the Griffin.
This Totem is a permanent totem; once it enters your life
it will be with you always, through your numerous lifetimes.

You may start to see auras and colors around people;
Vulture can help teach you how to accomplish this through patience and vision.

Vultures teach you how to soar without using much energy,
how to ride the thermal winds instead of flapping.
Go with the flow.
Use your own energy powerfully and efficiently.

Vulture is associated with the sense of smell and aromatherapy is a good tool
to use to connect with this Totem.

The Vulture promises us that no matter how difficult things are at the moment,
rescue and change are imminent.

Soar above the drudgeries of every day life through spirit.
And Vulture/Condor is there to protect you in this journey.

Source: http://www.linsdomain.com/totems/pages/vulture.htm

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More Vulture totem intepretations:

http://www.wildspeak.com/vilturj/totems/wvulture.html

http://westmanpreacher.blogspot.com/2007/09/vulture-as-totem.html

http://www.sayahda.com/cyc5.html

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It freaked me out, because that’s the Universe speaking to me in a big way.  I’ve gotten the vulture totem in the past, but it was usually just one or two of them.  Geez, it makes me wonder what’s about to happen.  The date I’d been getting on “Magic Monday” is rapidly approaching and I’m wondering if this totem is pointing to this day.  It also reminds me of the message I’d gotten earlier this year about “pain, resurrection and then peace,” as well as the recent dream with the camels and the fox.

I’m not thrilled about the need for more pain in my healing journey, but I got another message last night that may have been pointing to that “pain,” and it’s aligned with what I figured this previous message spoke of.  I’ve had this one book for years and have been trying to get myself to read it recently.  It’s about healing one’s eyesight naturally, it’s called “Take Off Your Glasses and See” by Jacob Liberman.  (Note: In no way did the mention of “new vision” in the above Vulture totem interpretation spur me to this book on healing one’s eyesight — in fact, I just noticed that synchronicity in posting it here today.)

Last night I finally picked it up.  I did as I often do with books, before opening, I asked to be shown the most important part in the book for me at this time.  When I opened it, there was an emphasis on the importance of both pages.  Here’s a potent excerpt from those pages, the first thing I read on the left page…

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 …”we spend years resisting exactly what we need in order to cure our ‘nonexistent incurable disorders.’ 

Since we spend many years avoiding those difficult feelings, it can be quite a challenge at first to acknowledge them.  However when we begin to feel them fully, painful, self-defeating emotional patterns actually do begin to shift.  Emotional healing seems to take place as we allow ourselves to feel our deepest pain.  You could say that this process is like allowing a fever to run its course rather than suppressing it with aspirin.”

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It seems apparent to me that this is the pain that was referenced in that earlier message.  I feel like I have scratched the surface of feeling this pain, but there’s so much from my past… It’s overwhelming.  And my anger seems to be what I’m most able to bring up … I don’t think I’ve ever allowed myelf to feel grief and related emotions …  That’s probably because I feel strong when I feel my anger, and like most people, I very much don’t like feeling vulnerable and weak, as those other emotions seem to represent.  Ya’ know, “strong” people just “shake off” those types of things, like an idiot told me in the past, heh  { Update:  In re-reading this, I’d very much like to delete that last statement per the “idiot” thing, but I prefer to be honest, to allow myself to have that honest expression, and to give less of a damn what people think of me for it.  To those who would judge me for being so “imperfect,” bite me, I’m human…oh, and have a nice day, lol ;) }

A little synchronicity with the aspirin.  A guy yesterday during the above-mentioned event came up to me, said he had a headache, and asked me if I had an aspirin…  I had a great day yesterday, but kept seeing the number 5 a lot.  I turned back to see the title of the chapter where I’d opened the eyesight book.  It is Chapter 5, “Seeing Through the Fear”  I had a terrible anxiety attack last night, lasting a few hours, as usual.  As enjoyable as the event was yesterday, I never realize that such things, the number of people, the energy of it all, are overwhelming me… 

More from the two pages…

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“Think of the last time you felt really uncomfortable.  Recall that feeling as vividly as you can.  Re-experience it as completely as possible.  What happened to trigger that feeling? What was your automatic response?”

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Geez, I could think of several of these moments yesterday.  About the only time I don’t feel them is when I’m alone.  When I first arrived at work, a girl that relieves me for breaks was at my desk and the guys were around the desk chatting with her.  I felt threatened.  Why the hell was she at my desk at this time of day? (I do like her and there was a good reason that she was there.)  …  But I didn’t show my insecure feelings, quite the contrary.  I exuded confidence, chimed right in with the conversation, was joking around, and immediately got everyone to laughing.  Even so, that was likely the first “straw” on the camel’s back of my anxiety attack last night.  Then my boss seemed like he was angry with me (of course, I always think that, lol), and I often think this just because he walks passed my desk without speaking (several times per day, he’s busy for gawd’s sake!).  Geez.  And when guys, especially strangers – or just people — get close to me.  And when this one guy from the event yesterday was “hitting” on me, trying to get me to go out with him, very uncomfortable.  I never know what to say when I totally don’t want to go out with someone, a very unnerving situation for me…  Lordy, everything makes me UNCOMFORTABLE.  An intuitive in my past told me that I’m pretty much always in “fight or flight” mode…  I’ve just learned to live with it.  So where do ya’ start with all those uncomfortable situations?  Overwhelming.  I think that’s why I don’t.

What concerns me though is by not doing so, I fuel the likelihood of repeating painful patterns.  More from the pages…

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“Like vision problems, our most uncomfortable feelings are chronic.  They keep coming back until we realize that the problem isn’t outside ourselves, in the other person or the external events.  The outside events simply create a resonance, a self-recognition, in our vibrational field.  …

“Now think back to that painful experience or any other difficult experience with a strong emotional charge.  Have those feelings come up again since then?  How long did it take before you had those feelings again?  Then, no matter what changes you decided to make after the first experience, did you eventually get into another situation that felt similar? 

Usually before you know it, you become involved in another experience with the same feeling.  This cycle can continue indefinitely.  How can we learn to shift out of those blocked places?  Sometimes it seems that the harder we try, the more stuck we feel.  But there is a remedy:  awareness. 

…  Awareness is simply a matter of experiencing every moment of life as fully as possible.  Greater awareness does not happen when we try to pay close attention — that effort actually requires a narrowing of one’s focus.  True awareness is an expansive, effortless process. 

Humans have developed a variety of wonderful tricks to avoid being “in the moment.”  Eastern gurus say that the majority of our mental and physical activities arise from the urge to distract ourselves from our awareness rather than out of any truly purposeful need.  I’ve found that the desire to avoid seeing life fully (and therefore feeling life fully) is also the fundamental origin of vision problems.  Most people become bored, anxious, or uncomfortable when they have to sit quietly for even a few minutes … those disconcerting feelings are why we continually seek distractions, and why the Eastern spiritual traditions place so much emphasis on meditation.”

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Hmmm, this reminds me of a guy I know who can’t sit still for 5 minutes.  I’m sadly so much like that guy, and that being the case, I’ve got a lot of healing to do, lol ;)  This morning I was looking at a “coffee table” book I’m going to give to a friend at work next week.  I kept looking for this one beautiful picture that I like so much.  I couldn’t find it, it was annoying, I fanned through the book several times looking for it to no avail.  Finally, I stopped my wild searching and with a nano-second’s worth of energy, asked to be directed to the pic that I sought.  I closed the book and, as always, I poked a fingernail into the book’s pages randomly.  I opened it to a lovely picture of purple flowers.  I said, “No, I like this picture, but it’s not the one.”  I turned the page (one page) and there it was, the beautiful picture I had been seeking :) 

Hmmm, the answers are so close, we just need to settle down from all our fearing and wild seeking, and just ask, and trust that our healing, the beauty, is just a page away ;)

Peace,
Dove

By Dove, www.TarotwithLove.com  I was just reading this older post on the Frog totem and realized I had forgotten about this great article and site that I wanted to re-visit, “The Six Faces of Healing,” …  The “third face” aligns with the frog totem, and very worthy of re-posting here, and a good reminder for me to get to that re-visiting thing ;)

Peace,
Dove

{Actually I’m just now posting this, it’s been sitting in the draft file for…maybe a few weeks?  I dunno, maybe this is an indicator of my resistance to the re-visiting thing :) … *sigh* It’s a journey.  I love the part elaborating on “why do we cry?” …  }

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The Third Face of Healing:  Cleansing

After anger is released the tears can flow freely. Why do we cry? What is the pain we feel? The pain comes from a realization that we may or may not have been living in accordance with our soul’s truth. We cry for the past, mourning those times when we weren’t true to ourselves, or when others insisted we give up our truth. We cry for the present, grieving for all those attitudes, beliefs, even dis-eases, relationships, and life situations that we are giving up. We mourn the death of an old identity, and in its place, a new life springs forth. We cry because we are tired from hanging on to emotions, beliefs, and dis-ease that would leave us trapped in a life we don’t love.

We cry because we long for those who would love us as we are, not as they would wish us to be. We cry in terror, worrying if we can truly find this love and make our lives work if we walk through our fears, remove the masks, and show the world the true face of our soul. The tears release us from our bondage to the past and create the emptiness inside that is required for soul to find rest in our human hearts.

This mask is used to help us remember that there is beauty even in the pain of our grieving and sadness. Frog is a Native American symbol for cleansing. When you are at a pivotal point in life, clean your closets, check into your beliefs and sort through them, evaluate your relationships and your careers. What is your truth? Cleanse your life of all that is not you. Absolve yourself from guilt. Feel the pains of your sadness and your fears, and then let them go. Let the tears flow, and then let them go.

As the mask shows, the teardrops wash us from the inside out and then provide a fertile ground for new ideas to grow. The “water” falling from the ears tells us that we need to sort through all we have heard and been told about who we are and cleanse our minds of all that is not so. Who told you that you weren’t lovable? Who told you that you weren’t good enough? Who told you that life had to be difficult? Cleanse yourself of the lies that you’ve heard, and create a new truth.

From the tangled undergrowth of our confused thoughts, beauty arises. You feel empty inside, cleansed of all that is not you, and ready to grow into all that is truly you. You begin to bloom. Give yourself time to grieve when you are healing or in transition. This is a natural process of living. Tears are beautiful — melted diamonds that represent the essence of our soul.

Source: http://www.visionsofheaven.com/articles_docs/ARmasks.html

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By Dove, www.TarotwithLove.com   I just synchronously came upon this wonderful article on anger.  I had, only moments before, written similar statements (see my comment under the article). 

I love the article, very empowering information, but I would never reference my anger as, um, “little” anymore than I’d reference fire as our “little friend.”  Both anger and fire are mighty powerful, they can destroy us or save us…  We so very much need to learn to honor, respect, tend to our precious human-ness called “anger.”  Here’s an excerpt from the article.

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“Anger is the most misunderstood and repressed emotions. When you can understand the nature of anger, and are willing to feel it, you can begin to harness a lost power that is key to creating permanent and positive changes in your life. The power of your will, or commonly known as willpower.”

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Peace,
Dove

Update: I had the following in a comment but I like it better here as an “update.” :)

Okay, I’d love to delete the part above where I said I’d “never” reference my anger as “little,” because it seems I have, lol ;) I haven’t read my own articles/blogs in a while, heh :) I was actually taught by a therapist to call them my “little ones” (my emotions) in the process of learning how very real they are. But I dunno, when it comes to my anger in particular, how explosive I have experienced it, it definitely seems inappropriate to call it “little.”

I have to admit I don’t like referencing them in that way, and again, was doing so in previous writings drawing from what I had been taught to call them. But to me, “little” implies insignificant, and I have learned they are very significant. I now prefer calling them something like “my precious ones” :) Very precious — and very powerful. I have seen clearly what can manifest from both the positive and negative expressions of my anger.

Regardless of how we reference it, we should without hesitation embrace our anger, respect it, honor it, endeavor to understand and console it. Because it is a part of us, a very powerful part of us. We can’t just love bits and pieces of ourselves, we must unconditionally love it all, love all that we are. Not to do so, is a sure road to self-destruction.

Peace,
Dove

By Dove, www.TarotwithLove.com   The Rattlesnake totem came to me the other day — the mention of it in a conversation in front of my desk here at work, and a few days before that a co-worker said my “hollow cake” (MS Paint pic I recently did) looked like a rattlesnake’s tail.  Then I very unusually remembered a dream last night (it’s rare that I remember my dreams these days).  It was about a rattlesnake.  And if all that wasn’t enough, when I first clicked onto WordPress this morning, on the homepage under “hawt posts,” was a blog title that included “Rattler’s Tale.”  Geez, that’s a lot of synchronicity, don’t ya’ think? :) 

I don’t remember all of the dream…  But there was a rattlesnake in a glass box/cage and apparently it was mine, I had brought it to this place.  Then I think I did something to anger the snake and it started to climb out of its box.  It got out.  I was horrified that it was out and was thinking of nothing but getting it back into its box.  I knew I was responsible for it, so I chased it — I was so worried others would be hurt by it.  

The rattlesnake went to the back of the house.  (I realized here that this house was my greatgrandmother’s house, where I lived for quite a while as a kid…because my mother had been institutionalized for a time for a nervous breakdown, after my father divorced her.)  The snake hurried toward the back door.  I was so frightened it would get out there and we’d never find it — and then someone would surely go back there and be harmed by it.  Without thinking of anything but that, I grabbed its tail and pulled it back in (it had just darted out the door and half its body was outside).  Its head wildly flew around right up toward my face, as I expected, and I grabbed and pulled it back before it could strike me.  I was obviously horribly frightened, but I remember thinking I’d get someone to cut/kill it while I held it.  I woke up at that point, heart pounding. 

I was reading this morning how the “rattler” can represent healing.  I’ve been getting a lot of totems lately that seem to be pointing to my healing…creativity, and the transformation that the healing will bring.  It’s interesting that the snake went to the back of the house, the back door… the past.  Supposedly that’s where I’ll find healing.  It just overwhelms me, the thought of “going back.”  I don’t know where to start — so much, um, “stuff” back there.  Maybe I think … I “would surely go back there and be harmed by it.”  I don’t know, but I know I’ve made progress in my healing recently, and that began most significantly when I began to see the patterns spurred from the past, realizing the anger I feel now in relationships is tied to something, so much, in the past …  

The message I received in January about “pain, resurrection, peace” comes to mind.  It seems perhaps that I need to feel the pain of the past so as to “resurrect.”  Resurrection is among the snake totem interpretations.  Hmmm, and this brings to mind the Jesus energy that has been around me recently as well.

Update: Hey, here’s yet another mention of “resurrection,” the “444″ that I’d been getting … I’d forgotten about this one, it was back in February.  I only noticed ’cause so many people were reading it — ain’t synchronicity amazin’ (heh)  :)

I know this was a powerful dream.   The snake is a powerful totem.  I’ve had dreams of snakes in the past (and they were often touching me or I was touching them), even some interesting snake encounters in this reality – and they invariably were followed by major changes in my life… 

Here are some excerpts from some sites I just came upon about the snake and rattlesnake totem.

Peace,
Dove

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Snake Totem

“Although the snake is feared and loathed throughout every culture around the planet where reptiles appear, it is among the most universally respected and sought-after of all animal totems. In ancient Egypt, the snake was regarded as a symbol of both immortality and death, and the pharaoh wore a snake emblem on his head-dress as a mark of royalty and divinity. Apep was the Egyptian and Greek name for the Great Serpent of the Underworld. Ouroboros was the Greek name for the gigantic serpent coiled in the earth’s womb.

Apollo, the Greek god of healing and medicine, was originally invoked and worshipped as a snake. In later times, Aesculapius, and other deity associated with medicine, is said to have assumed serpentine form. His crest remains today as a symbol of the medical profession.

…

To the ancient people of Asia Minor, Ophion was the father of all humankind, the divine, serpent who lived in the Tree of Life in the primal garden.

In ancient Mexico, Ciuacoatl, the Great Mother of men and gods, is represented as a serpent woman. Quetza-coatl, the great culture bearer, is depicted as a winged serpent. Among many African tribes, it is Aido Hwendo, the Rainbow Serpent, that supports the earth.

Father Charlevoit, an early French missionary to the eastern tribes of North America, remarked in his journals that there was no image that the Native American tribes marked upon their faces and other parts of their bodies more than that of the snake. Furthermore, according to the priest’s observations, the Shamans had the secret of charming snakes, of benumbing them, “so that they take them alive, handle them, and put them in their bosom without receiving any hurt.”

The rattlesnake was considered the chief of all serpents; and some tribes believed that in addition to delivering death via the strike of its deadly fangs, the “chief” could transmit diseases with but a glance of its beady eyes.

If a coiled rattlesnake should appear in the path of a warrior, he would freeze in his tracks, speak beseechingly to it, and offer it whatever gifts he had on his person that he hoped might propitiate the angry chief of snakes.

The Medicine Priests who walked unharmed among the rattlesnakes knew that the powerful essence of the Great Mystery moved through them. Those who had received the snake as a totem animal during the vision quest felt especially blessed. The Pueblo, Hopi, and Zuni tribes revered Horned Serpent and Horned Water Serpent as largely benevolent guardian spirits and prized snakes as totem animals and spirit helpers.

Shamans revered the snake for its great wisdom, and many believed that the serpent spoke a secret language of its own that no other animal was permitted to comprehend. According to many tribal legends, in the beginning time, humans and snakes could converse freely Therefore, if one were powerfully attuned on the spirit level, he or she could still communicate with a snake on the telepathic level. If one could achieve this mind linkup, the serpent would reveal secrets of the future and other aspects of arcane knowledge.

The skin of the rattlesnake was used by nearly all Medicine Priests in some aspect of their rituals, and their rattles were often carried in the priests’ sacred pouches.

Those born in the Year of the Snake in the Chinese zodiac are characterized as wise and intense, with a tendency to be vain about their physical beauty. The sign of the Snake in the Native American zodiac (October 23 to November 21) identifies a person who is charismatic, but difficult to comprehend.

…

When you enter the Silence with Snake as your ally, you are certain to go deep within and draw forth ancient wisdom teachings that will immediately be able to change your life for the better.”

Totem Information by Wolfhawk.

Source: www.ravenmoonlight.com

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Adder and Rattlesnake Totems

Generally, Snake represents wisdom, rebirth, initiation and resurrection. Both the Celts and Native Americans believed Snake symbolizes transmutation, the ability to alter appearance, nature, and form, particularly to higher ones.

To the Celts, Adder symbolized transmutation, life’s energy and healing. He signifies getting rid of the old for the better new, reincarnation, wisdom and cunning.

The English believed the skin had magickal properties. It could draw thorns from the body, hung on the chimney attracted luck and hung on the rafters, prevented fires. To see Adder near the front door was a death omen.

Native Americans also believed that snake symbolized transmutation. It is the rattlesnake that appears on the Snake card in The Medicine Cards, Jamie Sams & David Carson, (Bear & Company, 1988)

Snake totem is the power of creation and embodies immortality and psychic energy. He has fire energy which, emotionally, are charisma, power and the intellect; spiritually, connection with Spirit, wisdom, wholeness and understanding. On the physical level, they are vitality and passion.

Source:  http://paganismwicca.suite101.com/article.cfm/snake_pagan_symbol_transmutation

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By Dove, www.TarotwithLove.com  I’m very much appreciating a new blog I’ve recently come upon about indigos and our spiritual path and all — very informative and helpful.  A recent post on there speaks of not allowing others to offend us, and I agree with much of what it’s saying.  Even so, I feel some tend to take such advice and simply push down their anger in an effort to follow it.  That’s a very harmful practice.  We should never push down or deny our anger in an effort to be “saintly” or to “not be offended.” 

No matter what anyone says, anger is NOT an “evil” thing.  It is a human thing, and if it weren’t of benefit to us (at times) then it would not be such a significant part of this human experience.  And given that it is a part of us, we should not dishonor it, dishonor ourselves, by denying HOW WE TRULY FEEL.  That doesn’t mean we should attack others with it, or even necessarily let them know that they have angered us.  Our lives are, we are, ever-changing – and consequently, no strict rules should be applied.  Our freedom and peace and a joyful life depend upon our trusting our own hearts in EACH MOMENT as to what is right for us. 

Obviously there are situations where it isn’t advisable to show our anger, but we should still acknowledge it to ourselves, and express it later in a healthy way.  One of my first posts on here was about this, how a Buddhist friend was enduring colon cancer…and I feel certain this is a result of denying one’s anger for a lot of years, “not being offended” one time too many. 

I think the primary thing to remember though is that if there are others around us who are saying abusive things to us, then we should realize there is something about our own energy that is creating this.  And unless that changes within us, this person (and others) will continue to abuse us in this way.   And if we are living with (or married to) such a person, then that’s an indicator that this energy is potent within us — that is, we are not loving ourselves so much.  And healing this energy WITHIN US is of the highest priority to stop the abuse… 

We can consciously “love” ourselves, and at the same time still have unhealed energy in our subconscious that continues to draw this abusive energy to us.  But until we heal it, allowing the abuse (verbal or whatever) to continue — and pushing down our anger — is not a good thing.  Ignoring such things will not make them go away, and more often than not, doing so simply allows the problem to grow worse. 

Additionally, we are human beings, so no matter how “enlightened” we become, our energy will fluctuate (change is our nature) with higher points of self-love and lower ones.  At the those “lower” times, we will draw a bit of that abusive, “lower” energy (like attracts like). 

If we realize this, then when others are less than loving toward us in those moments, we can be aware of it being a passing thing (because it is simply a reflection of a ”momentary” thing within us — not something deep within that needs seriously healing), then it is much easier to “not be offended” and just let it go.  Even so, even with these little “barbs,” (not on-going abuse) it is still not wise to dishonor our anger.  Anger, like all emotion, will build within if not acknowledged and processed routinely.  Go ahead and allow yourself to be “offended” (angry), but “smile” at the unhealed one…then later go work it out in the gym or write about it at home or do some other anger-releasing ritual (dancing is good too).  Think about that moment of anger, then do the dance of your choice :)  Process it to whatever degree you intuit is needed.  Then you’ll be able to truly let it go, and hug the person the next day :)

Peace,
Dove

Update:  I want to put an excerpt here from the blog I mentioned above (one of my first posts on WordPress), from the emclear article…

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It’s still 1988. I’m searching. I come into contact with a teacher who seems to be presenting Eastern philosophy in a new way. I already know much about Eastern philosophy, so much that I hadn’t read any for years, but all of what I had read was the old school, if I may use that term. The old school never really recognized negative feelings - just be spiritual, it said. If you felt angry, be loving. In other words, suppress your anger. This new teacher had things to say that I had never heard. Maybe I was just never ready to hear before now, but the revolution was beginning within me.

I started having tremendous insights. I realized that a large part of how I saw the world and how I experienced my interactions with others was based on projection. In projection, I would think that someone or something else was responsible for my reaction to them. In other words, I believed that someone or something else was making me angry, lonely, afraid, hateful and so on. What I realized was that these feelings were actually coming from my suppressed emotional subconscious and just attaching to people and circumstances outside myself. Taking it a step further, I could see how I attracted difficult people and circumstances to myself that corresponded to the feelings. Why would I do this, I asked? The answer came that it was in order to bring up the suppressed feelings for clearing.

Source: www.emclear.com

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By Dove, www.TarotwithLove.com  This card, the Tarot’s Moon card, just arrived in my email box … and so incredibly timely.  Tears rolling down my face this morning, feeling very emotional and … well, not so good right now.  I’d just come upon a blog on my blog surfing page, speaking of soulmates and twin souls, twin flames.  Thinking about first connecting with a certain person, and how on point so much of this post is regarding he and I.   I’ve allowed this “relationship” to cause me so much pain, wasted soooo much time on it, and …  And yet I’m getting from this soulmate post that maybe somehow it has taught me good things, strengthened me?  I dunno, maybe.

But the Moon card mode is where I have primarily been through all of it.  Confused…and a lot of emotion, a lot of yanking the heart around, wondering if these feelings are mine or his…  We sensitive ones tend to pick up the emotions of others, and it can be a challenge to distinguish ours from theirs.  I’ve never been able to get clear as to what’s the truth about this connection, about what my real feelings are about it.  Moments of what definitely felt like “love,” but also undeniable hatred.  More often than not, it just seemed like a very unhealthy connection.

I’ve recently discovered how I tend to draw people into my life that give me mixed messages, and it so clearly aligns with my childhood.  Parental figures that seem to love us at times, get us stuff we need, say nice things, maybe tell us they love us…and yet in the next moment are saying and doing harmful things toward us.  I think that contradiction is what really messes with our minds more than the actual abuse…  And we grow and live with that energy of confusion, screwed emotionally (Moon card), and perhaps invariably feeling a love/hate thing in most of our relationships.

One day I was talking on the phone with “soulmate guy,” and I cringed when he said his middle name began with the letter “A.”  Even though things seemed fine between he and I in that moment, I thought, “Oh, shit …”  I just knew in that moment, the name, it was the same as my older brother’s, a brother who had hated me since birth, was jealous of me, terrorized me throughout childhood and even beyond…  Abuse that allowed me to know what it was like to be an abused spouse…I can remember seething with anger in watching, “The Burning Bed.” (A movie about spousal abuse.)  Was this connection about my needing to re-live some of that crap from the past, bring up the hatred still buried within me, from all of that?  Despite having been criminally abused by another family member, I feel the hatred that I felt for my brother has been the most potent, has almost killed me, is the key to all my health issues…it stirs me now, even in this moment.  And “ironically,” I idolized, adored, this brother as a kid, even as he hated me…  More seeds for the love/hate thing.

And yeah, I can see that this soulmate connection had a lot to do with that.  I felt the old hatred coming up when this person was cruel towards me.  Nah, his cruelty was in no way as potent as what I had experienced as a child, but it pushed those old buttons…and to the extent that I considered, well, leaving this world…

I think I held on so tightly to this thing between this guy and I mainly because there was an ocean of metaphysical “signs” and messages as to our, um, spiritual kinship.  I mean, there’s no doubt in my mind that we have this “soulmate” connection, but soulmates aren’t necessarily people we are meant to spend our lives with — we have lots of “soulmates” around us, they come and they go. 

Some of the synchronicities per this connection with this soulmate guy…  When I was living on the West Coast, over 2000 miles from here, the name of the street where I first met him came to me in a song.  A very unusual name for a street, I was stunned when I first saw it on a street sign while I was looking for an apartment here.  About a month before I met him and it continued up to that point, I was drawing the Two of Cups a lot from my Tarot cards.  That’s a strong love card, and/or points to a new, usually romantic, relationship.  About a week before I met him, I had a dream.  I was kissing Bruce Springsteen, heh  That was the dream, I remember feeling amazingly good after awakening from this dream, lovin’ that kiss :)  I thought about how he’s called “the boss.”  I didn’t have a job yet at that point, so I hoped it was symbolic of finding one soon.  Soulmate guy is an Aries (fire sign), which correlates with the Emperor in the Tarot, the Emperor is “the boss.”  This card can often represent an employer (more “boss” stuff:  I met him in a job situation, and he’s the reason I got that job – located on the street per the song).  And if that isn’t enough, shortly after we met, he jokingly (I thought) said he was “the boss.”  (No, he didn’t know about my dream at that point.)  In pulling cards on this relationship, the Tarot often showed him as the Emperor, or the King of Swords (another boss card).  Both cards represent someone who is kind of emotionless — which means, he hides his emotions or keeps them tightly under control.  When I draw the King of Swords on someone, I often ask “What’s under that?” and then I’ll see in the next card more clearly how the person really feels…

This person also has the same main animal totems (Owl, Crow…Hawk) and Life Path number as me (11/2/High Priestess).  He’s very psychic, and we had/have a strong psychic connection…  Once I was feeling a lot of anger towards him (a lot), and we hadn’t spoken in quite a long while, and out of the blue, he emailed me, and spoke of my anger as if he knew I was feeling it right then.  Another time we tried to guess what number the other was thinking of, we both got it right — that amazed me.  He told me almost at the very beginning that he knew our relationship would become a love-hate thing… He told me at a desperate moment in my life that I was going to make it, and I did.   Even so, the way he treated me at that time was inconceivably cruel (”ill-dignified” or reversed King of Swords), especially coming from a lover …

Via my Tarot, I often knew when breakups (many) and other things were about to happen between us.  I invariably know when he’s about to contact me again (even after many months have gone by) — I always start seeing his name, I’ll see it everywhere.  Once it had been about four months, and I’d been getting his name.  One morning I clicked on a blog and it had a sport’s celebrity theme, same first name as this soulmate guy.  Across the top of the page was his first name in giant letters.  It was so large, his name, it kinda stunned me.  I thought, oh-yeah, he’ll be contacting me very soon.  I got an email from him the next morning (after four months of no contact). 

Also the week before I met him, I was standing in line at the grocery store and my eyes were drawn to a caption on a magazine there, it was something “at first sight.”  Because I’d been getting the Two of Cups so much with the Tarot, I felt kind of excited by that, it was another little message, and it further assured me that I was about to meet someone special.

But easily the most potent message was also in that week before our first meeting…  It was one of those magical “tween times” :)  Still daylight but approaching dusk, and it was kinda “dreamy” outside ;)  It seemed from out of nowhere there appeared these two fireflies, right in the center of my upstairs window.  Oh-ma-gawd, it was so beautiful.  It was like they were putting on a show just for me :)  Having their sweet little fiery dance right in the center of my window.  I was mesmerized by it, I so loved it.  I recalled that fireflies are on the Lovers card in my Animal-Wise Tarot.   He  and I were first, um, “together” on the 4th of July … fireworks?  Not so much, lol ;)  But it progressively got a lot more fiery, in more ways than one. 

So ya’ see, a lot of synchronicity with it, so I have to believe there has been some reason for all of this.  And that’s why it has been especially difficult for me to accept that this person isn’t “the one” for me.  At this point, it is abundantly clear that he is not.  And yet I still wonder why there was so much “magic” about it — maybe I just allowed it to be blown into something it wasn’t because of all of that.  There was some joy in it, joy like I’d never known before, and maybe that was why the Universe put such an emphasis on it.  I don’t know.  But I do know that it has been a very unhealthy connection, and it’s clear that’s because both of us need to find that “wholeness” and healing that the soulmate post speaks of before we are ready to truly meet “the one.”  And what I most know is that I deserve so much better than the wicked, abusive energy that I grew up with, and until I completely heal, it’s clear that I’ll keep drawing those with this energy.  If for nothing else, I am grateful for having had this experience so as to come to this realization.

Peace,
Dove

=================

THE MOON

When we experience such turbulent emotions, it is difficult
to believe that we could ever feel harmony and peace within
ourselves again.

Highly charged feelings cause havoc in our lives, and when
The Moon appears in your readings, you can be sure there are
issues in your life that are causing confusion and mixed
emotions.

When this card appears, it is suggesting you take a step
back and view your situation from a different perspective
and with a calmer logic.

However, The Moon does represent powerful feelings and it
isn’t always easy to gain clarity: we often can’t ‘see the
wood for the trees’.  The path to clarity and understanding
is a challenging one, yet despite the emotional wrenches
you may feel, it is right for you.

For example, if you are in a situation where you need to
let go of a lover or partner for whatever reason, but
emotionally cannot summon up the courage to do so, even
though you know it’s the right thing to do, trust that the
new path you seek is right for you.

Often when a decision is very difficult and causes strong
emotional resistance within us, we allow our weaker nature
to rule. However, in many of these situations it is a brave
heart and clear mind that help us see through the fog of
unruly emotion and step onto our true path.

The Moon not only represents illusion caused by powerful
emotions, but also illusion or trickery created by other
people’s lies or misleading behavior.  Therefore, when The
Moon appears in a reading, it’s a good idea to question
your motives and those of people close to you, and it is
best to refrain from making firm decisions until you know
and feel a sense of certainty about your choices.

The wan light of The Moon does in some way shed light upon
the right path for us, but because we cannot see clearly
in dim light we doubt ourselves and hold back from taking
the steps forward.

The Moon may suggest that your avoidance to take action or
make a tough decision about a certain situation is simply
due to fear of loss. Fear has much to do with The Moon, and
courage is always needed to conquer fear, so take your time
when The Moon appears in your readings and search for your
inner courage. With patience you will find the clarity you
seek.

Source:  www.lotustarot.com

===============================

Update:  The same blog that posted the soulmate post mentioned above just did another post (noticed it right after publishing my post here) that I’m strongly resonating with — an explanation for the tears and the sadness.  Very helpful reading this… 

http://indigolifecenter.wordpress.com/2008/02/24/twelve-signs-of-your-awakening-divinity/

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By Dove, www.TarotwithLove.com  “Hay-aaaay, have you ev-uh tried, reeeally reaching out for the oth-uh siiiide? :)  I may be climbing on rainbows, but baby here goes.   Dreeeeams they’re for those who sleep, liiiiife, it’s for us to keep… “

*soft sigh, and feelin’ all nostalgic* :)

Listenin’ to an old tape I’ve had for about a million years — I’ve loved it since I was 14.  “The Best of Bread”  …  It’s so dreamy ;)  The words so sweet, so bittersweet, to me they seem to be saying more than they’re saying…   

A few more drops in an ocean of synchronicity in my life…  I was just marveling at how this has stuck with me, my love for it, and how the first line of this album asks if we’ve ever really reached out for the “other side” :)  “Rainbows” and “dreams” …  how could this not be something that grabbed and held onto to me, paranormal “dreamer” and Libra that I am :)  

The “Diary” song gets me every time…    I loved when he said “her disconcerting air” …  At 14, I aspired to having such an “air” and rocking a guy’s world with it, heh-heh ;)   But I always cried at the point when he discovered she wasn’t talking about him in her diary, he wasn’t the love she spoke of…

And I get heart butterflies with “If” …  “Then one by one the stars would all go out, then you and I would simply fly away.”  Mmmmm, yummy sweet ;)

Happy Valentine’s Day,
Dove

===========

“Make it With You”
by Bread

Hey have you ever tried,
Really reaching out for the other side?
I may be climbing on rainbows
But, baby here goes.

Dreams they’re for those who sleep,
Life is for us to keep,
And if youre wondering
What this song is leading to

I want to make it with you
I really think that we can make it girl.

No, you dont know me well,
In evry little thing only time will tell,
If you believe the things that I do.
And well see it through.

Life can be short or long,
Love can be right or wrong,
And if I choose the one
Id like to help me through,

Id like to make it with you
I really think that we can make it girl.

Baby you know that
Dreams theyre for those who sleep,
Life is for us to keep
And if I choose the one
Id like to help me through,

Id like to make it with you
I really think that we can make it girl.
=========================

“Diary”
by Bread

I found her diary underneath a tree.
And started reading about me
The words shes written took me by surpise
Youd never read them in her eyes.
They said that she had found the love she waited for.
Wouldnt you know it, she wouldnt show it.

When she confronted with the writing there,
Simply pretended not to care.
I passed it off as just in keeping with
Her total disconcerting air
And though she tried to hide
The love that she denied,
Wouldnt you know it, she wouldnt show it.

And as I go through my life, I will give to her my wife
All the sweet things that I can find.

I found her diary underneath a tree.
And started reading about me.
The words began stick and tears to flow.
Her meaning now was clear to see.
The love shed waited for was someone else not me
Wouldnt you know it, she wouldnt show it.

And as I go through my life, I will wish for her his wife
All the sweet things that she can find
All the sweet things they can find

========================

“If”
by Bread

If a picture paints a thousand words,
Then why can’t I paint you?
The words will never show the you Ive come to know.
If a face could launch a thousand ships,
Then where am I to go?
Theres no one home but you,
You’re all thats left me too.
And when my love for life is running dry,
You come and pour yourself on me.

If a man could be two places at one time,
I’d be with you.
Tomorrow and today, beside you all the way.
If the world should stop revolving spinning slowly down to die,
I’d spend the end with you.
And when the world was through,
Then one by one the stars would all go out,
Then you and I would simply fly away

==============================

By Dove, www.TarotwithLove.com   Ty Pennington.  I love this guy… the guy on that show called “Extreme Makeover,” one of the very few shows I find worthy of clicking on the “box.”  This sweet guy (so sweet), with his spiked hair, and goofy-playful way, finds the most amazing people in this country, amazing people that aren’t doing so well — often that’s because they’ve followed their hearts in helping others.  They’re always just really good people, very giving and loving people.  And Ty, I love watching him while he talks to these people — ya’ can see his compassionate heart in those precious eyes. 

And the houses they build are so incredible, such creative people building them.  I’m watching it right now, they’re building a house for a marine who lost his leg “over there.”  It was apparently too much for the marine’s wife and she left him — with four kids.  The show just came on, and tears have already been streaming down my face (if ya’ have a hard time crying, this is the show to watch), and I already so wanna hug the marine.  Yet another sweetheart, a guy with courage and honor, who loves his little ones so much. 

Ty’s my hero, I wanna guy like Ty – and I’ve officially decided I’m never gonna settle for less :)  Gotta go watch my sweetie ;)

Peace,
Dove

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