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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But that’s my conscious reasoning :) It’s telling that I do this racing to work EVERY day. What we all do is CREATE THE FAMILIAR (”patterns”), spurred by the “stuff” in our subconscious.  I was raised in hell, to be blunt :) I lived and breathed fear throughout my childhood and beyond, living with abusive people, and in a very unsafe environment.  So I lived in a constant state of fear, always on guard, always in “fight or flight” mode… adrenaline :)

So now I find myself at a point of peace, beginning to have many blessings bestowed upon me. But this isn’t what my heart knows, so oddly enough, I am SUBCONSCIOUSLY uncomfortable with this — the UNFAMILIAR. So I reach back, subconsiously, to what I know — a racing, fearful heart, an adrenaline rush. 


I create some “excuse” every morning for having to race to work — it embarasses me. Co-workers seeing me do this, every morning. It makes me angry with myself, every morning. I endeavor to change it, every morning. And yet, somehow, “it’s always something” that creates it yet again.
 

 


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

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.”

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

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?”

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

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…

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

“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  Ugh, I don’t feel so good.  I think I’m going through a healing crisis or something, healing is such a wild ride…  I did get some decent sleep last night, almost 7 hours, which is very unusual for me.  I almost never remember my dreams, and I think that’s the main reason why (not sleeping long enough).  I was thinking about that this morning, how so many of us don’t get a healthy amount of sleep.  And sleep is so very important.  Not only for our health, but it’s like meditation — that is, even though we might not consciously remember or note what comes to us, it still comes to us and it helps us in this life, it heals us – that energy that comes during those “down times.”  And so, since we create it all (including all the I-don’t-have-time situations), we are avoiding this healing energy that comes from healthy sleep and meditation.  Why, why do we avoid it?  Because healing brings change, and we invariably resist change, especially the mega-changes that these healthy rituals bring.  We fear change…

I guess I broke through my own resistance a bit last night by getting a dab more sleep.  Just enough to remember a very vivid dream.  Someone asked me a while back if I dreamed in color and I’ve never noticed that I have — until last night.  Again, it was very vivid, but I only remember the color of the animals.   And their fur resembled the color of my hair, (naturally) red or rusty orange :)   I was in what was apparently my home, but it was open, no walls in front.  I was looking outside through these open or missing walls.  There were camels lying around, one very close to the house.  I thought, ah, I’ve gotta get a pic of this for my blog, lol ;)  So I went to get my camera and found a fine-looking fox in my bed, just sittin’ there like he belonged there :)  I wanted him out of my bed, so I picked up a skinny leather belt and swatted him with it.  It pained me to hit him, but I was afraid he would hurt me…  He left my bed, went outside through the open walls, but then turned around and started walking back.  He came close to me, and I raised the skinny belt to defend myself (lol) — again, I wasn’t sure to what extent it might harm me.  He was glaring at me, and I was staring right back and was prepared to strike him again.  I did feel afraid.  He held his stare on me and I heard a very faint, close-mouthed growl.  That’s when I woke up :)

I have a few ideas as to what this dream is about, but I haven’t given it enough thought yet.  It is interesting though that I was reading about the fox totem just yesterday on another’s blog – even made a comment, sharing how the fox represents the Magician (in the Tarot) for me.  So it’s especially interesting that I then dreamed about a fox last night.  Here’s one interpretation for the camel…

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

Replenishment, Survival

People with Camel totems have the ability to remain positive
in the harshest of times and experiences.
Their philosophy is always “the glass is half full.”

Camel people often have unusual sleep habits, rarely sleeping through the night.
They often power nap instead.

The appearance of a Camel totem can signify hard times ahead,
but everything will turn out good in the end.
Remain positive and all will work out. Camel people can accomplish the impossible.

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

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Geez, so much of this seems to be pointing to difficult times, and today’s one of them (but so far, so good) – hopefully, this is fleeting energy, but as I indicated, this transformation stuff is generally a rocky ride.  And it depends on how good we are at “going with the flow” and all…  I feel that all of these messages are at least primarily about my health, which is definitely improving, but also clearing away of stubborn ole patterns (and I think the two go hand-in-hand).

I’ve been seeing “555″ quite a bit lately, and this morning I happened to look at a watch I keep in the bathroom (it shows the seconds too) at just the right SECOND — “5:55:55,” which was a potent 5 message.  In a post I did recently(“Angelic Numerology”), it indicates this about the 5…

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

“When you notice 5’s, this means significant transformation is going on within you, to bring you more into alignment, with the real you. You are being transformed into a beautiful butterfly.”

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

And 5’s are aligned with the rest of these messages, not usually fun in my experience — such is the nature of “transformation.”  Ya’ just have to stick it out to get to the good stuff :) 

So this morning, I did my usual adrenaline-addict rush to work, angry about how I repeat this pattern every morning.  But usually I shake that off and have a good day, but today, again, I just didn’t feel so good (starting to feel better now).  I cut my cards when I got here, and got the most icky card in the deck.  Cut again, and yet another icky one.  Not a surprise — the cards draw right from our hearts/minds (our energy).  I felt like crap, so it shows me crap.  And when I see (am reminded of) my energy like that via the Tarot, I immediately try to change it.  Not always easy, especially when you’re not feeling well physically. 

I then did a spread online and it showed me as Pitiful Pearl (lol), the 5 of coins, but the Magician card was in the “Situation” position.  Hmmm, am I resisting becoming the Magician that I am (that we all are)?  Do I need to take some type of action for my healing…?  Or am I feeling the energy of another Magician?  (A problematic connection I have with another that strongly represents unhealthy relationship patterns that I desperately wish to heal.  Actually I feel I have recently made significant progress in this area as well.)  Hmmm, I think perhaps it’s all interrelated. 

The “Near Future” position showed the World card, which can be a healing card, generally a very positive card.  The “Outcome” is the Six of Swords, another healing card, but can also represent grieving or sadness — part of the healing process.

I then endeavored to change my energy and was even saying a positive affirmation, “I am love, I am love…,” that I often use to shift my energy.  I drew another spread (online).  It showed me as the Ace of Cups, a potent love card :)  But what fascinated me, and I don’t remember ever doing this before, the first three cards, the core of the spread was all Aces, three Aces.  Interesting.  Shows some powerful potential (the Aces are like potent seeds).   The Near Future and Outcome cards on this one look very good — I just need to hang in there :)

But the three Aces excite me, getting Aces like that invariably means something new and very cool is on the horizon :)  And that was an awesome dream, even if the Fox did scare me.  Did I mention that the Fox is one of my totems?  Among other things, this dream may be saying that I’m still a bit frightened of my own “magic,” but my magic (represented by the Fox) knows it belongs in “my bed” ;) 

Hmmm, just noticed the time is 4:11 (I started this post this morning, and finishing it up this afternoon) — that, 411, was the number sequence that came up so much on my “Magic Monday.”  

My energy seems to have really improved since this morning, because I just drew a beautiful 3-card spread (yep, online again, heh), way good stuff on that one too.  It’s so cool to truly know that my world is all about MY energy.  I have the pow-uh ;)

Exciting times…

Peace,
Dove

By Dove, www.TarotwithLove.com  I was just reading an old post I did on a book that I feel everyone should read — that is, those who are so very tired of being on a hamster wheel that never gets them to where they wish to be, wondering where’s the happiness, the freedom…   It’s called “The Paradigm Conspiracy.”  My previous post includes an overview of the book (note, the bolded areas were my doing). 

As I was reading over this overview, thoughts came up about a blog I was frequenting on here a while back — trying to tweak the minds of a group of rabid skeptics.  I was sharing a few of my experiences with them, particularly with the Tarot.  Of course, it mattered not that they had zero experience in this regard (and I’ve now spent about a decade almost incessantly using the Tarot), they still scoffed at the prospect that what I spoke was the truth.  Since they’d already warmed up to me a bit, they first tried to be charitable and suggested that I was imagining all of this (heh), but it was clear that if that wasn’t it, dishonesty had to be.  

I tried to not let it annoy me — I s’pose I asked for it by sharing such things with people who believe nothing that their science tells them they shouldn’t believe.  I remember posting my Edison post (where people mocked Edison — scientists, and other lofty ones) on that thread, and there was a brief pause … then one of them came back with something like, “Yeah, but those Edison things could be proved by science.”  At that point, I moved on, because it was clear their minds weren’t budging — but I was like, huh?  Then, why were highly regarded scientists among those who scoffed at and mocked Edison? …

My next thoughts were about a guy in my past.  My cards have actually referenced him as a “fool” (several times) in the negative sense (but there is also a positive take on the fool in the Tarot).  The way he thinks boggles my mind, but I don’t think he’s that much different than many — thinking that “success” is all about how much money you can make.  And so this guy is consumed by his work.  He sees no other way to become his version of a success.  I remember a few years ago when he started working this job, I told him that it was a prison, that it wasn’t worthy of losing his health over.  I heard from him recently — he said he’d been in the hospital a couple of times recently per lack of sleep…   What he doesn’t seem to get is that the present dictates the future.  If it isn’t balanced, the future won’t be.  If you’re not happy in the present, you won’t be in the future either.  The thing is, you can do something in the present that might not be all that you wish for, BUT you must BALANCE it with what you do want.  That is, some energy MUST be put towards what you do want.  If you are currently neglecting and abusing your body for some pay-off in the future, there’s no balance in that — so stay tuned for a messed up body in the future.  But hey, you’ll have lotsa money to go to the hospital and docs a lot…

It’s insanity.  Our bodies, our health, are PRICELESS.  Ya’ can’t go out and buy a new body — NO MATTER HOW MUCH MONEY YOU HAVE.  Ask someone who has no sight, but lotsa money what they’d pay for the gift of sight.  Someone with no legs what they’d pay to have them back?  …  And yet so many of us sacrifice our lives, our health, so as to make money — to buy STUFF.  Geez. 

Actually it isn’t insanity, or even stupidity (usually), it’s what the above-mentioned book speaks of.  A kind of brainwashing via “paradigms.”  And I would add that we keep doing this over and over, because the promise of what it supposedly brings (happiness, or even real security, per money/power), never actually happens — but we think (per the paradigms) that it will if we just work a little more, a little harder…  And then maybe ya’ get “there,” but all you discover is that you’ve been a fool…you’ve been duped into sacrificing your precious body, life, health, TRUE HAPPINESS…for a pile of green paper, a false sense of security/safety, a mountain of material stuff that’s momentarily gratifying but ultimately suffocating, and an illusion of power…  All you truly have in those things is NOTHING, but you’ve lost so much in this FINITE life…

It’s time to “wake up.”  And this book is a good place to start :)  Read the overview of the “The Paradigm Conspiracy” here.  And then also realize that you ARE the power, it’s all about what you believe… And it will be those who are endeavoring to overcome the brainwashing that will truly be powerful in the future, not those who continue to put their total focus and efforts in the outer world, all the while destroying their bodies, and consequently dishonoring the real power — within them.

Peace,
Dove

By Dove, www.TarotwithLove.com  Golly, go figure, that big shiny ball in the sky is there for our GOOD…and yet many of us avoid it like the plague because “they” tell us it’s bad for us.  But so many of us aren’t intentionally avoiding it, we’re just working and sleeping a bit with little time in between for much else, including getting a healthy dose of sunshine. 

I’ve been getting intuitively for several years that a key factor to curing my ills is getting in the sun.  It’s not something I want to fully elaborate upon, but I get almost no sun…  If I could manifest something instantly it would be me living in the country with the opportunity to get at least 2 hours of healthy sunshine every single day, in a secluded area (clothing optional) …  That’s my dream :)   I’m greatly concerned for my health with each day that passes that I am unable to get a good dose of sunshine (as well as that healthy connection to Nature)…  It appears living our lives without much sun is a strong contributor to very serious disease (see link below).

It would seem most of us don’t get our needed sun — and I just came upon some information that really shakes me up.   It seems the vitamin D in that blecky milk from the regular grocery store is not only NOT beneficial, it could actually be contributing to disease.  That’s one point in my favor though, thankfully I haven’t drank that stuff in a lot of years…

Wouldn’t it be something…if someday we realize that we aren’t such defective beings as to need a gazillion hospitals and docs — with all those “required” check-ups and such, but that we simply need to live our lives aligned with Nature — not housed in concrete and steel, swallowing toxic crap on multiple levels, everyday, all day long…  Hmm, almost seems like common sense, eh? :)

Peace,
Dove

Here’s an excerpt from an enlightening article on this topic.

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All Vitamin D Supplements are Not the Same

“I’m not certain what type of vitamin D was studied in the report above, however the abstract mentions the vitamin D that’s added to milk and cereals. Well, the vitamin D that’s added to milk is synthetic vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) and is not something that you should be taking anyway.

Only vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol), the type of vitamin D found naturally in foods like eggs, organ meats, animal fat, cod liver oil, and fish, is appropriate for supplementation. Do NOT use the highly inferior vitamin D2.

There have been no clinical trials to date demonstrating conclusively that D2 prevents fractures, yet every clinical trial of D3 has shown it does. Further, vitamin D2 has a shorter shelf life, and its metabolites bind with protein poorly, making it less effective.

Studies have even concluded that vitamin D2 should no longer be regarded as a nutrient appropriate for supplementation or fortification of foods (though it continues to be used).

So if you choose to use vitamin D supplements make sure it is in the form of vitamin D3. And remember that if you are relying on your “fortified” milk to supply you with vitamin D, it is NOT giving you the healthy type of vitamin D that has been associated with all the benefits that you read about on this site and in the media.

If you do choose to supplement with oral vitamin D you will need to carefully monitor your levels to avoid overdosing. The only time you don’t need to worry about whether or not you’re getting too much, or too little, vitamin D is when your body makes it naturally from the sun.”

Read more here…

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/02/12/why-vitamin-d-supplements-are-not-the-same-as-sunlight.aspx

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Here’s another current and worthy article on this topic — more info, and no purchase required :)

Excerpt…

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“The Nebraska 4-year placebo-controlled study has revealed that the group receiving the calcium and vitamin D supplements showed at least 60 percent decrease in cancers. Note that these astonishing effects were achieved on what many nutritionists consider to be a low dose of vitamin D. Exposure to sunlight, which creates even more vitamin D in the body, was not tested or considered, and the quality of the calcium supplements was likely not as high as it could have been (it was probably calcium carbonate and not high-grade calcium aspartate, oratate or citrate).”

Source:  http://www.naturalnews.com/022889.html

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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  Watching ole Charlton Heston (damn, he’s good) play Moses in that movie, “The Ten Commandments.”   A movie I’ve seen so many times since I was a kid.  I’ve always liked it, only now it’s a blessing that I no longer feel even a hint of fear in watching it, unlike when I was a bible-pounding kid.  I see it so differently now…

That line jumped out at me that the Pharaoh spoke.  He was angry that “the slave’s god” was clearly kicking their god’s ass, lol ;)  And to his priests or whatever, he angrily said something like, “You created the gods — to play upon the fear of the people.”  Indeed, all “gods” are fabricated for this reason.  That’s probably the best and most telling line of the movie.

Sitting here watching this, good-gawd, no wonder most people are so horrified of “God.”  Another line that got me, Moses telling his former love that he couldn’t save her child (firstborn of the Pharaoh) because he was “nothing without God.”  Again, no wonder with such things spoken in this type of movie — watching it over and over, year after year (more people watching it than reading the bible) — no wonder we are so self-loathing.  No wonder our world looks the way it does, no wonder we endeavor to destroy it, ourselves.  We believe we are nothing.  So sad. 

It’s all so misconstrued, twisted around into BS — “to play upon the fear of the people.”  No, Moses is nothing without “God,” because Moses IS “God.”  We all are, this is what Moses meant.  This body is a shell, nothing — it is the “spirit” within that is real, is “God.”  And it is us who have personified this thing called ”God” into a fiery-eyed one, separate from us — who supposedly loves us one minute, but is highly wrathed up about us the next. 

The scene that really gets me in the gut is where they are eating the herbs and bread.  Sitting there hearing (trying to ignore) the unnerving cries from a distance of the mothers and fathers watching their children die.  One man in the house with Moses’ is singing!  Yee-haw, rejoice — God’s green stuff is killing children!  Good-gawd.  And then the woman (mother of the Pharaoh, former mother of Moses) is pained by the cries and says, “They’re my people.”  Another of Moses’ people leans over to her and says sweetly, “We’re all God’s people.”  Uh.  It’s okay, hon, God knows what he’s doing in killing those children.  Geez.

When ya’ know it’s all symbolic, this movie is so much easier to watch — yet, at the same time, unnerving in the realization that so many of us believe this represents literal truth.  Moses says that he cannot save the Pharaoh’s firstborn, that the Pharaoh brought it upon himself with HIS OWN WORDS.  Not God’s words, but the Pharaoh’s own words.  Meaning, we create our own reality.  The Pharaoh wished this upon others, and since we are all God, he wished it upon himself… (”karma”)

All the children supposedly being killed by the green death-smoke — it wasn’t about death, it was about transformation.  Again, symbolic.  Interestingly, green is the color of the heart chakra, it’s about healing, it’s about love.  We “die” to (become free of) our old selves when we heal our hearts, and we become something new (transformation, aka, “death”). 

And the absurdity of this Pharaoh not letting the people go after Moses shows him some heady stuff from our “God” :)  I mean, geez, he changed the water to frickin’ blood, even the container of water that the Pharaoh held.  No water for seven days, then the three days of darkness, and that cool fiery hail ;)  How stupid could the Pharaoh be to not give Moses whatever the hell he wanted, lol   Not reality — it is all symbolic messages.   The Pharaoh represents our fear, and how our fear has an irrational death-grip on us (”let my people go.”)  And we allow our fear to have this hold on us — represented by Moses leaving each time.

It’s ALL about us, collectively, and individually.  We are very much NOT “nothing,” we are God :)  We are both Moses and the Pharaoh — it is fear, and only fear, that enslaves us.  We need only to “worship” (love) and believe in the “God” that is within us, that is us.  We need only to face the ”Pharaoh” (fear) within us and set ourselves free from it.  Only then will we truly “know God” (love and trust our own hearts) and get to “heaven” (peace, and creating the blissful lives we desire). 

*Yawn*  It’s time to wake up, to snap out of the brainwashing, the fear, that has kept us as slaves.  ”Fear not.”  “There is NOTHING to fear, but fear itself.”  (Pharaoh = Fear, Moses = Love, Freedom)

“Let my people go.”

Peace,
Dove

By Dove, www.TarotwithLove.com  It’s inconceivable to me what we’re doing to our precious world…  I don’t recommend continual focus on the negative, but we do need to be aware of the “monsters” we’re creating…the monstrous things we’re doing to Nature.  There has to be a balance between focusing on (manifesting) that which we wish to create (healing of our precious planet, peace…) and taking action intuitively toward making these changes. 

I hesitated making this post, but I kept thinking about this …

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“It was the news that the sexuality of starlings is being increasingly affected by contamination from female hormones like oestrogen from the contraceptive pill and hormone replacement therapy (HRT). These hormones are contained in female urine which passes through the sewage treatment process unchanged and the birds foraging for worms at the sewage works consume the chemicals. One effect of this is to increase the size of that part of the brain which controls their singing, and their song patterns are now very different to what would be expected from male starlings.”

Read more here:  http://salonesoterica.wordpress.com/2008/03/10/prepare-to-download-your-sexuality/

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Even though there are other sad things like this indicated in this article — how we’re screwing up the animals, I was sitting here thinking about a world where birds could no longer sing…  And in walks a co-worker from outside, and he expresses his joy about the nice weather, “The sun is shining, the birds are singing…”  It was difficult not to respond with, “Yeah, for now.”  His synchronous comment spurred me to go ahead and post this. I so want to believe that we will stop all of this insanity — that we will change before it’s too late, long before the birds stop singing…

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  Wow, a lot of magic going on right now.  I pulled up an MS Paint pic I did almost exactly a year ago (amazing that I’ve been doing these that long).  It was one of the first ones… I wasn’t that thrilled with it, so I played with it this morning.  I really like the new version, it indicated it was “Goddess.” 

I was about to post it just now when I heard a guy in front of me (my reception desk) talking about a rattlesnake experience.  So I felt it was a totem for me.  It also reminded me that a guy about an hour ago was also standing right here talking to me, and he mentioned “cobra” (speaking of a vehicle).  So it seemed clear that I was getting the snake totem in general.  Here’s a link to my snake totem post

This rattlesnake interpretation (below) intrigues me because it mentions the number 16 (and “Mother Goddess”), a number I’ve been getting prolifically this week (I spoke of it in one of my “Jesus” posts).  It ties to the “Tower” card in the Tarot…  But I feel this is pointing to something that is a positive, unlike the rough-ride Tower experiences usually bring. 

Another part of all of this is a multitude of “lightning” messages this week…  It all seems to be a strong message about creativity (Cobra is the King of Wands in the Animal-Wise Tarot and this has been a message about significant creative ventures for me in the past) and it also seems to be about healing and clearing away of the old ways… 

Another sync with this totem, I showed a recent MS Paint pic, “Wild Elephants and Hollow Cake” to a co-worker, he said the cake reminded him of a rattlesnake’s tail.

Here’s the pic I did this morning, “Goddess.”  It’s interesting that the previous eyeball had been something that looked like the Earth, but it’s now become a spiral.

Peace,
Dove

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“Goddess” by Dove, March 7, 2008

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Rattlesnake Totem

Rattlesnake is one of four venomous snakes native to California. Rattlesnake belongs to the pit viper family. There are 16 rattlesnake varieties and numerous colors, with distinct shape patterns. Rattlesnake is approximately four feet long and its body is covered with small scales. It has no eye lids and no legs. All rattlers are positively identified by the jointed rattles on the end of their tail. Rattlesnakes are dangerous and when disturbed, coils up and rattles a warning. If it is cornered, it will definitely strike. Rattlesnake hibernates in winter in deep dark crevices and ledges. When temperatures begins to warm in early spring, snake crawls out to hunt for rodents, lizards, squirrels and small rabbits.

All snakes are symbolic of death and rebirth because they shed their skin as they outgrow the old. In ancient times snakes signified the mysterious; they were primitive symbols of the Great Mother Goddess. If rattlesnake is your power animal there will be significant changes in some area of your life. You are going through a major transitional period. Try to make conscious choices and pay attention to your dreams which may contain valuable information about those changes. Make sure of the intention of others before you strike out at them. Rattlesnake’s message is change and renewal. Perhaps you need to take time out to digest new information or knowledge. Attend a Goddess workshop and get closer to nature. You are most powerful when you meditate, or spend some (quiet) time outdoors.

Source:  http://www.lilytherese.com/POWER1.HTM

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