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

By Dove, www.TarotwithLove.com  Ha!  I had been considering writing a blog on my Crow totem experience that happened this morning, but then I pretty much wrote it in a comment just now.  And my friend Lune’s comment is part of the magic…  So rather than repeat, I’ll just give ya’ the link to it.  Crow totem this morning, second comment…

http://dovelove.wordpress.com/2008/07/19/moonstone-balance-and-intuition/#comment-779#comment-779

After posting that comment, I was looking at my stats page and the search terms for today and yesterday.  I couldn’t believe how many phrases with “angels” were there.  So that brought the thought that ”angels” must be strongly around me in this moment too, and then how I sometimes think of birds as angels.  Hence, “Crow Angels” :)

Peace,
Dove

By Dove, www.TarotwithLove.com  Synchronicity, as usual :)  That seems to be the primary spur of my posts these days — synchronicity is soooo awesome ;)  Earlier today I made a comment on another’s blog, on nutrition and vegetarianism.  I felt compelled to comment on what was coming to me — that this eating thing we do is really about balance (like pretty much everything) as well as trusting one’s intuition.  And then just a bit ago, I was googling on something totally different, doing a search for a certain Tarot card that came up for me today, Page of Cups.  And the first link I clicked on (a blogspot blog) had this at the top of the page, “Moonstone — the Stone of Balance and Intuition“  How cool is that? heh  Exactly what I’d been trying to convey on the above-mentioned wordpress blog — balance and intuition.  So key, across the board of our existence here.

This Blogspot blog has corresponding Tarot cards for the stones — like the major arcana Moon card for the Moonstone.  Fun :)  I scrolled down the page and found a pic of some gorgeous little pink orbs with white-ish swirls, “Rhodochrosite.”  I love those!  That pic makes me happy — and suh-weet that it’s corresponding card is the Page of Cups.  It has a sweet, loving energy (sometimes referenced as “Cupid”), sometimes a child-like energy, and this card is also about intuition and creativity.

I googled “Moonstone” and found another nice site that has some worthy elaborations on different stones.  I love stones, and have several at home, but I don’t give them near the attention I feel they deserve.  Years ago I was advised to put certain stones on my different chakras (and visualize, deep breath…) while lying down and it was a very nice experience, but I don’t recall ever doing it again.  So many fun metaphysical things to do, so  little time, lol ;)  But gotta get back to “playing” with my beautiful little stones — especially the Moonstone, it would seem, given the synchronous emphasis on it.

*Muah* ;)  (A bit of that Page of Cups energy showing here, ha)

Peace,
Dove

By Dove, www.TarotwithLove.com  I was just reading one of my previous blogs, about all the Vultures I saw one day here at work.  The title of the blog drew me to it just now, the “New Vision” part.  Because I’ve recently decided I’m no longer willing to wear a “crutch” on my face all day long (glasses…or contacts either).  Gonna try some of that faith seeing, lol ;)  Seriously, after reading only ten pages of the book that I mentioned in that blog, I’m convinced that wearing “corrective lenses” is harmful.  It might help us see better physically, but it just makes our eyes weaker and weaker (we continue to get stronger and stronger lenses, no?).  So there is surely a better way — better than just padding the pockets of eye docs, etc., while our precious vision goes to hell.  And look at the symbolism of it.  Not good, but very telling…  Our VISION, allowing it to atrophy, to be destroyed…  Think “vision” on multiple levels.  That part of us that fears our own Power (often referenced as “they”) doesn’t want us to see clearly.  We fear doing so.

Anyway, I was enjoying this last paragraph of the Vultures blog:

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

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 ;)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

When I read that last line, “just a page away,” it brought a smile, because I realized it was a message for me today :)  Maybe an hour or so ago, there was a truck parked out front with the word “Paige” on the window, big large white letters, perfectly printed (name of a company), facing me.  I thought, “Hmm, that reminds me of the giant ‘Death’ card I saw outside a while back.”  (See the blog on that one.) 

Only this was a giant “Page” (court card in the Tarot) card.  Oh, and also in that same (giant “Death card”) blog, I also elaborate about Pages (”Jacks” in a regular deck of cards) – and how Pages represent change.  The “Death” or ”Transformation” card is a major arcana card that represents major change in one’s life.

This is what I feel this “Page” message is trying to convey.  That this phrase, “the healing, the beauty, is just a page away,” is saying that, yes, the answers, the healing, the beauty, it’s all very close…  It’s all just a “change” away :)  And it’s about changing us, not “them.”  “They” change, when we change.  The world changes, when we change.  The world finds peace, when we find peace.  The world heals, when we heal. 

Just a “page” away…  Hmm, it sounds so simple.

Peace,
Dove

By Dove, www.TarotwithLove.com  I wrote a blog a while back on my experience and opinions on the topic of vegetarianism and veganism.  Here’s a link to it…

http://dovelove.wordpress.com/2007/09/09/vegetarianism-veganismits-not-for-everyone/

And here’s a great post I came upon this morning on the topic of “Vegetarianism and Malnutrition,” showing a pic of a malnourished vegetarian family …

http://cheeseslave.wordpress.com/2008/07/10/vegetarians-and-malnutrition/

Extremes are rarely a good thing.  Yeah, I think as a good general rule, we should eat plenty of veggies and fruits, nuts and seeds and such — but also eat some of the healthy foods that apparently made Grandma and Grandpa pretty robust :)  Properly cared for and fed animals (read, not mainstream).  Meat and dairy — ya’ know, before they started injecting all kindsa crap into animals as well as feeding them literal crap… 

Additionally, I’ve come to feel that maybe, just maybe, our animal totems can guide us in this way.  That is, once you know what your main totems are, try aligning your diet with theirs :)  No, if you have a lion as a totem, don’t eat raw meat for gawd’s sake!! LOL! ;)  BUT, I would think if this animal is one of your main animal guides, an energy that is a part of you, then you’d be wise to consider eating a decent amount of meat.  I’d say, if you are especially unhealthy on a vegetarian diet, it would certainly seem worth experimenting with your diet in this way.  In my mind, if in fact these animal energies are a part of us, it would make sense that we’d do better if we endeavored to align our eating and living patterns with theirs, as possible, reasonable and enjoyable :)  Hey, what could it hurt? ;)

For me, one of the most significant health improvements I’ve experienced is when I took a hint from my Hummingbird totem.  The Hummingbird, it’s small — like me :) — and it must eat often.  My health immediately improved when I started doing this, and I’ve been eating every few hours for years now.  Again, this is one of the best things I’ve ever done for my health. 

At least one or two of my totems eat a lot of fish.  I do eat some fish, but I feel I should eat more, and more of a variety.  Most of my totems are winged ones, several birds of prey — eat meat.  And a few four-legged ones that eat meat.  I do well on a moderate amount of good healthy red meat.  Anyway, that’s something to consider while studying your totems :)

How Do Ya’ Know What Your Animal Totems Are?

Ultimately, I feel we should use reasonable logic married to our own intuition as to what’s the right amount, the right balance or ratio of veggies to meat/dairy for us.  And speaking of ratio, I can’t imagine what might have happened with my “borderline diabetic” bod if I hadn’t been intuitively guided to the Zone concept (and the Hummingbird’s frequent eating). 

I’ve never been “officially” diagnosed with diabetes, but it runs in my family — and I used to wake up with numb limbs…  One of the worst was one morning awakening with both my legs totally numb.  I didn’t go to the doctor (I don’t trust a business to care for my health/bod — their primary interest is their bottom line), but I made a LOT of lifestyle changes that day. 

I haven’t had anything close to that experience since (that was well over a decade ago).  The most significant change was learning to balance my carbs, proteins and fats per the Zone.  I’m not meticulous with it, but I’ve learned to estimate pretty well.  I never eat without having at least a pretty close Zone ratio of carbs/protein/fats.  Ya’ might say I “test” it on very rare occasion – like last night, lol ;)  I was tired and didn’t feel like scrounging around for some extra protein right before bed.  So I drank some dilluted (50/50 with mineral water) cranberry juice (helps with blood sugar) and a rice cake with some coconut butter with a little protein powder mixed into it.  I knew that was too many carbs (the juice and the rice cake) per the amount of protein, but I did it anyway *whacks head* ;)  To make it worse, I had waited almost four hours to eat (also a rarity — I usually eat every two to three hours).  So when I awoke during the night with my left hand completely numb, it wasn’t a surprise…  Thankfully, it’s a rarity for me to do that.  Again, listen to that all-important intuition :)

Peace,
Dove

By Dove, www.TarothwithLove.com  Hmmm, wild. I just had a bing-bing-bing synchronicity with “Top Dog.” The guy who brings us clean new rugs every week was putting this week’s rugs down here in front of my desk as he usually does. We’d already said our “hiya’s” and a couple of guys walked up to exit while he was placing the one rug by the door. One of them said, “Hey, rolling out the, er, black carpet, lol.” The rug guy laughed and was walking away, and I piped in, “Uh, is that like the opposite of the red carpet treatment, lol.” ;) He laughed and in that very instant, my phone rang. The caller ID screen said, “Top Dog Carpet.”

When synchronicity is that quick, it is so freaky. But more than the rug or carpet synchronicity, I immediately realized that I’d just seen the word “Top Dog” on an eBay listing. I still had that eBay page open, so I scrolled back up to it to confirm that that’s what I’d seen. Yep. It was a listing for a pink t-shirt or “top.”  Why it had the word “dog” immediately following it, it wasn’t readily apparent. Maybe to get more hits, because it was a human’s t-shirt, not a dog’s :)

I think it’s interesting that I mentioned “underdog” in a recent blog (last paragraph).  So the Universe may be using my own terms against me, lol — it thinks it’s funny like that, lol ;)  I googled … and the first entry brought me to a definition for “top dog.”  “One who is dominant or victorious.”  Hmmm.  I’m kinda leaning toward this being a message of my having a need to be this here “top dog.”  lol  I do tend to pull back like a cobra when I feel someone is trying to “one-up” me, heh, and sometimes I don’t even notice that this person is no threat to me whatsoever — and often he/she is one of those “underdogs” that I invariably want to protect.  Kind of an irony.  It just seems like it’s an automatic defense mechanism with me …  I must have hit on some truth there — that’s bringing tears.  Geez, I’m at work!  Okay, eye fanning now, lol ;)  Not so easy to heal, but I’ll be workin’ on it given that the Universe feels it’s a top-dog issue with me right now ;)

Ah, so now what’s coming to me is that some of these ”Top Dogs” often have the desire to be the ”savior” of those “Underdogs.”  Now, a desire to assist and teach others to help themselves is one thing, but an ongoing need to swoop in and “save” ‘em is another.  I think the latter is a top-dogging control-freak thing :)  Even so, as always, it’s a matter of degree, a matter of balance.  Because it’s just as (or more) loathesome to not give a damn about the “fate” or suffering of others.  Hence, the need for that intuition thing — and drawing from it in each moment, knowing what’s good and right for us in each moment as opposed to having a set of rigid rules that we apply to every situation… I believe that if our intuition tells us that it’s right for us in any given moment, then it’s right for All in that same moment.

Okay, so there’s a good Top Dog and a not-so-good one (as with most things). But I think the big message here is that those of us who feel a need to “save” others might instead re-focus and realize that what we all really need is to learn how to “save” ourselves — and help to teach others how to “save” themselves, and that we all have the Power within us to do so. 

The “Savior” is within us — we are the “Second Coming.”  Go figure, little ole Us, lol ;)  Hey, so there ya’ go, we are, each and collectively, the Top Dog … also known as “God.” :)  Ah, and I think it’s cute that the Universe tied a pink tee to this – pink is the color of that there love thing.  The real Top Dog is Love :) 

And Job One is learning to truly love that sweet Top Dog in each of us. There’s your “savior” :)  When the bible speaks of “worshipping God,” it speaks of Self-Love.  Wouldya’ believe in this very moment, on the caller ID… I JUST got a call from “Christ Life Cat… “  That’s all the screen would show.  Okay, Christ, like I said, that’s the real us :) 

And, hey, since all I could see of the last word on the screen was ”cat,” that’s what I’ll interpret (don’t be so “logical,” People, or you’ll miss the “magic.”)  Oh, and what a lovely change the “cat” makes for the title to this post, lol  When I see a cat, I always think about intuition, it’s about seeing things clearly (because they see so well in the dark).  The Cat is known for being a witch’s familiar — a neighbor lady’s cat often sleeps on my welcome mat, heh ;)  I love cats…  By the way, all true witches are good, so the reference of “good witch” is redundant :)

Also, cats are about healing, which is very on point here.  And living a “Christ Life” isn’t about being all saintly and goodie-two-shoe-ish — all the time, lol ;)  It’s about being That Which We Are — that is, it’s about being connected to that “God” within us, that is us.  It’s about being authentic, and free, uninhibited, fearless/faithful/peaceful/loving, connecting to that Goodness, that Realness that we seem to have totally lost…  Watch little ones, before they’ve been “spoiled” by all of our fear, and you’ll get an idea of it :)

Here are a few excerpts from two Cat totem interpretations:

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Cat Totem

Because of their x-ray vision, acute hearing and high intelligence they were used throughout history as guardians and protectors. In ancient Egypt cats guarded the temple gates and were used to ward off evil.

If cat appears in your life the blending of magic and mystery is at hand.  A trustworthy teacher, the cat will guide you into the world of self discovery and transformation.

Source: http://www.sayahda.com/cyc1.html

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Mystery, Magic and Independence

A cat totem encourages agility in both body and mind.
You will be challenged with new ideas and places.
The cat gives you clearer perception.

This spirit helper is resourceful, strong and fearless.
It will give you courage and confidence.

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

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I feel compelled to add that those of us who feel that all we have to do is continue feeling powerless while awaiting this being named “Christ” to save us are in for a very long wait.  Does that truly make sense, why would anyone value POWERLESS “WRETCHES”??  Isn’t it much better to know that “Christ” is already within you — it is you, the real you.  The Power, the Christ, the God, the Savior, the “Magic”…it is all YOU.  These statements are telling you this…  “Believe and it shall be so.”  “All things are possible.”  “You will do as Jesus did AND MORE.”  Think, People, think — and then feel and see the magic of That Which You Are…  And “lighten up,” that greatly helps to connect with your…  Top Dog ;)

Peace,
Dove

By Dove, www.TarotwithLove.com  This is a continuation of my “Horses and Hawks” post, and the Butterfly spread.  When I was writing it, I couldn’t remember the third card that came up.  It was the Elk, and I’ve been reading a bit about it since then.  I find it interesting that it followed the Horse, which was in the second position.  Both represent strength, and I’m feeling that it’s a strong message about my getting back to running.  Running always made me feel so good, mentally and physically.  One of Elk’s messages is about being confident and that’s definitely what running used to do for me.  If I felt like crap, running would snap me right back into shape — in more ways than one :)  And I’d never run for more than 20 minutes. 

The other messages I’m getting from Elk on this issue…  PACE YOURSELF, don’t overdo it (something I tend to do, heh).  From the Hawk, I’m getting that I should be fearless and determined in this goal.  The Horse has strong legs, it’s a sign of freedom and power.  Yes run, say the Horse and the Elk, but pace yourself…slow and steady progression.  Both of these animals are strong, have confidence and have a regal air about them.  As I understand, the Elk can “trot” for long periods of time.  Maybe run for a while and “trot” for a while :)  With the Elk, there’s also an emphasis on the diet, it advises to eat more fruits and veggies, less meat (less meat, not no meat) and supplements for more energy. 

The Elk can also be very unpredictable.  Aggressive one minute, passive the next.  From that, I’m getting that I should get after that running, but know when to pull back and rest (”passive”), both during exercise as well as from day-to-day.  But it might also be advising to stick with it, don’t give up.  Ya’ know, we get fired up about things (maybe too fired up) and then it tends to go by the wayside.

I also find it interesting that both the Hawk and the Elk advise to be observant of our surroundings and subtle energies.  Okay, so plug into how the exercise is making me feel.  If it hurts, stop it! ha! ;)  If ya’ get tired, rest.  I’m not all that knowledgeable about running, but as far as “environment,” I can’t help but think that running on concrete is not a particularly good thing.  Where is concrete in Nature? …

The Elk came up in a position that represents why I wish to pursue this goal.  Like I said in my other blog, I want strength, and the Elk definitely represents strength…and pride/confidence…power.  And another thing comes up with it that is a potent bing-bing for me.  The Elk will try to avoid confrontation, but if that’s not possible, there’ll be hell to pay for Elk’s opponent. 

I always liked that old Kung Fu show, where the guy travelled around like a hobo, very humble-like — would always try to avoid confrontation.  But any guy (or group of them) who pushed him too far invariably regretted it :)  I love that — it’s Athena (goddess) energy.  She’s about peace first, but she’s a powerful warrior… 

I loathe when those in power exploit or otherwise harm those they see as powerless, when bullies harm the “underdogs.”  And it rocks when these individuals discover they’ve made a serious error in judgment in that regard.  I used to have an old Garfield comic strip on my frig — the first frame showed Garfield in the bushes, stalking a seemingly tiny bird in a bird bath.  The bird’s head was under water, very vulnerable.  In the next frame, the bird’s head was out of the water, and it was shaped like Garfield’s head (it was in the bird’s mouth), LOL!   That’s what I’m talkin’ about  ;) 

Peace,
Dove

~*~

Here’s a guy who seems very passionate about the Elk, a great interpretation for the Elk Medicine/Totem.

By Dove, www.TarotwithLove.com  OMG, it’s so gorgeous — can’t remember the last time I saw one.  It’s so big and amazing…  Also very synchronous in this moment.  I had been looking at a website that was talking about color therapy, and then I went to Amazon to read the reviews on a book that was mentioned. 

I’d read one book by this author in the past, and devoured it almost in one sitting (a rare thing for me — even to complete a book).   That one was Mary Summer Rain’s “Phoenix Rising.”  This book I was reading about on Amazon is called “Earthway.”  I immediately decided I would eventually get it.  Then I clicked on the link to read its first page. 

My head started swimming with joy with just the first two words, ”mountain living.”  I so desire to live in the country again, secluded with all the luscious and magical nature stuff :)  *sigh*   I looked up at the sky (glass walls here at work) and said a little affirmation — and asked to be shown the answer as to how I could make this happen, how I could manifest living this way again — soon! 

Within seconds a guy here at work came in from outside and said to me, “Did you see the rainbow?”  I leaped outta my desk chair (lol) and ran to the door and there it was.  OMG, so gorgeous!!  Ahhh, what a suh-weeet and awesome sign!  … and cool synchronicity/answer from the Universe.  Instantly!  Oh, baby – my dream is soooo gonna happen!!  Ha!  ;)  Hey, it’s also very cool that it aligns with the color therapy.  Hmmmm…

And by the way, I was going to call this just “Rainbow,” but one of the guys here that I work with — very not “magical” (lol) and had no idea what I was typing about, and not someone I’d speak about “magic” with :) … but I’d been talking with him about (gushing about) the rainbow.  He walked out the door and to my surprise said, “Yep, a magic rainbow.”  Ha! :)

Peace,
Dove

~*~

I did a quickie search for rainbow as a dream symbol and this is what I came upon…

To see a rainbow in your dream, signifies much hope,  success and good fortune in the form of money, prestige, or fame. The rainbow is a bridge between your earthly, grounded self and the higher, spiritual self.

Source:  http://www.dreammoods.com/dreamdictionary/r.htm

By Dove, www.TarotwithLove.com  The other night I was ripplin’ in the magic :)  Sometimes it’s so strong it brings tears to my eyes.  I had asked my animal totem cards a question and I drew the Butterfly, which is about transformation.  I am sooo in the “heat” of transformation — changes that I’ve been seeking for a very long time.  I’m eager to get to the other side of it, but, no doubt, there’s something inside of me resisting even this very good change.  That’s invariably the case with most of us. 

The totems book suggests, under the Butterfly interpretation, that if one draws the Butterfly that it might be helpful to do the “Butterfly Spread” (which is outlined in the book) on the issue.  My question was about my health, the fitness and strength of my legs.  One of my potent life goals is to be strong in every way — especially physical strength.  I’ve just always loved the idea of being very strong.  I haven’t been able to give my goal of physical strength a lot energy for a while now, and that makes me angry… 

Anyway, just before drawing the Butterfly Spread on the issue of my legs, I was thinking about how I used to run pretty regularly and how that kept my legs in decent shape (although far from my ultimate goal).  I thought perhaps this little four-card spread might show me the Horse in reference maybe to running, maybe a need to get back to it.  And sure enough, it was one of the four cards.  The first card, what this spread calls the “seed,” was the Hawk.  I still need to work more with this spread, not exactly sure what the Hawk is trying to say on this issue.  But later in the evening, the Hawk came up again elsewhere, so I think I have an idea as to the message.  Here’s one Hawk interpretation:

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Hawk

In Native American cultures the hawk represents a messenger.  It often appears in our life when we need to pay attention to the subtle messages found in our surroundings and from those we come in contact with. As with all messages received it is important to recognize its underlying truth.  Because there are so many varieties of hawk its messages vary and can affect all levels of our psyche.

One thing that all hawks have in common is the skill to move between the seen and unseen realms gracefully connecting both worlds together.  Their acute vision compliments this ability and their discriminating nature keeps them out of harms way.  The broader vision of the hawk allows them to see what the future holds.  In man this symbolizes prophetic insight.  If this medicine is underdeveloped a tendency towards over analyzing everything is common.  In so doing, clear vision is lost.  Those who hold this totem should remember to keep their analytical mind under control and not allow it to run wild.

The hawk has many foraging techniques.  The most typical in their pursuit of prey is swiftly following the animal’s efforts to escape.  Once the hawk has secured the prey with its powerful talons, the bird dismembers it with its sharply pointed, strong beak.  In man, this suggests that we can run but we cannot hide from our destiny.  Sooner of later it will catch up with us.

The destiny of all humankind is to awaken from their spiritual amnesia and realign with the original intention of their soul.  When the hawk flies into our life we will be asked to evaluate who we have become and rip out the threads of our self created illusions.  This enables our inner truth to surface.

Hawk signifies union with Great Spirit.  A bird of the heavens the hawk orchestrates the changes necessary for our spiritual growth.  Having this totem can be bitter sweet.  If we accept its presence in our life we will be asked to surrender anything that doesn’t honor the integrity of all life.  Be it an idea, a feeling or an action.  Although hard work is involved the rewards the hawk offers us are great.

Source: http://www.sayahda.com/cyc.html

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{Dove}

The “Outcome” card of my Butterfly spread, the fourth card, really stoked me.  The Blue Heron.  Amazingly on point.  The Blue Heron is very much about having strong legs, and it also happens to be one of my totems :)  Yay!  Although I like to think there’s no question that I will reach my goal in this area, I can’t help but feel that card is saying that I very much will :)  And it’s, of course, more than just “strong legs” in the physical sense.  (Ha, I just in this moment, with that thought, got a call here at work…the ID machine indicated the company’s name as ”Samson (something)”  Yep, strength.

Here are a couple of Heron interpretations…

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The Heron

The heron is a long legged wading bird. There are about 60 species of heron including several species called egrets. Most egrets have white plumage that is highly prized as ornaments in oriental ceremonies.

Herons are often seen standing motionless, as if in a meditative state, on its long thin legs. This stance symbolizes its ability to maintain balance through proper focus. Its inner foundation is secure although not fixed.

When the heron feeds it stands in water. Its neck is bent in an S shape. The flowing pattern of the letter S reflects the rhythm of this bird. Understanding your personal rhythm and responding to it accordingly is imperative for those with this medicine.

Water is associated with the mysteries of life. It is connected to the emotional body of man. When you see a heron standing in water notice how deep the water is. This depth can symbolize the depth that needs to be explored within self. The deeper you go the more you discover. Whatever is discovered take the time necessary to stand in silent reflection. In this way clarity of understanding is known.

Those with this medicine have strong emotional natures. They feel things deeply and with passion. The challenge here is to keep passionate thoughts and feelings under control in order to maintain a balanced emotional nature. The advantage of this energy indicates the passion and ambition needed to complete tasks and accomplish goals.

Herons are seldom seen flocking together. They are solitary birds that enjoy their own company. Heron medicine people are independent and willing to make changes when the need arises. They do not need a lot of people in their lives. This can sometimes lead to challenges in personal relationships especially if the other person has needs that require constant attention. Maintaining some type of social interaction and not withdrawing from others completely is helpful.

Herons stand out in their uniqueness and know how to take advantage of things and events for their own benefit. By observing the heron, its actions and its lack of action we learn how to perfect out personal flight through life. Herons hold a silent power, their grace, agility and majestic presence reflect balance. This balance is the gift they offer to all who choose to receive it.

Source: http://www.sayahda.com/cyc.html

================================= (here’s another)

Heron

The heron is part of the family of birds known as “waders”. They live and feed in marshlands and in shallow waters, and are often confused with cranes and storks. The heron carries a strong message, and it takes a very special person to live with heron medicine.

You are strong and aggressive, determine your own course in life and rely upon yourself. You find a comfortable balance in the “shifting sands” of life for you are able to see opportunity where many would not look twice. You know what is best for you, and have the courage to follow your own path.

You are a person who does not need the security of a 9 to 5 job, pension plan, group insurance and the assurance that every day will be the same. You are one of those rare breeds that can live on the razor’s edge of life, and have an in-born instinct about what will and what won’t work for you. You are happiest when you are exploring many things, learning many skills, and are often known as a “jack of all trades”. While this may give the impression that you are flighty and irresponsible, quite the opposite is true. If one thing fails you, you have an assortment of knowledge and skills to fall back on. You are never without, and adapt into new working situations with ease.

While you enjoy a social life, it is not a necessary part of your existence for you are quite at home alone, with your own thoughts and devices. You are comfortable with yourself, and have no need to be surrounded by people. You are not impressed with status symbols, or accumulating “things”, and have no need or desire to play the game of “keeping up with the Joneses”.

The great blue heron is the “boss bird”, the king of the marshes. It is the tallest of the herons, and the most powerful in flight. It hunts with a slow, deliberate, stalking stride that seems to tell everything else to stand aside. If you are attracted to the blue, you approach new opportunities with even more aggression. You know what is best for you, and will not allow anyone else to change your path.

Heron medicine is strong and courageous. It is not afraid to take responsibility for every aspect of life. It will never pass the buck, or deny an act or deed. It is the totem of character and strong will, but it will never use those gifts to bully or take advantage of others. If you know someone who is afraid to take control of their life, introduce the heron. It could make a difference.

Source: http://www.mrkay.org/projects/totems/heron.htm

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{Dove}

It amazes me how many “solitary ones” are among my totems.   Many things in that second Heron interpretation are especially “bing-bing-bing” for me, very much align with me, my life…  At the same time, I feel there’s so much to learn and grow into with this totem. Although others have told me they feel I’m strong, I don’t feel I’m near as strong as I should be, can be…will be.  I’m remembering a guy in my past who called me “weak” at one of the lowest points of my life — I still want to rip his head off for that, heh ;) Yeah, I’ve got a lot of fire, as mentioned above with the Heron (”feel things deeply and with passion”), and I definitely still need to learn better how “to keep passionate thoughts and feelings under control in order to maintain a balanced emotional nature.” But one of the wonderful things about knowing one’s totems is it helps in understanding oneself better.  Knowing a particular way that I am via this or another totem, that it’s simply a part of who I am, not some flaw in my nature, it’s reassuring.  It very much helps in that all-important self-love thing :)

Okay, so after feeling the rush of this Butterfly spread, I went to watch one of my favorite television shows.  I love “Extreme Makeover” (where they build houses in a week for awesome people) and my sweetie, Ty Pennington :)  I loved that this episode lined up with my spread, it continued the theme of horses (Horse was in the spread) AND especially that the name of this family’s horse ranch was “Freedom Hills.” It made me wonder if they knew when they came up with that name that one of the strong messages of the Horse totem is freedom.

Hmmm, so we have freedom and strength being highlighted here (and, as always, magic, heh).  Later that night, after getting in bed, I was flipping around in my Animal-Speak book on totems…and asking questions.  I can’t remember all the different questions I was asking, but in opening the book randomly for one of the answers, it especially wow-ed me. I had been thinking how I can be so fearful at times — in the last several years I’ve learned so much about that fearing thing. And yet other times, there’s no denying I can be almost insanely fearless, lol ;) Even as a kid. I think about times when a tiny little me stood up to a vicious, abusive older brother…and a self-destructive teenage me stared down a frickin’ drug dealer (no, I’ve never used drugs or the like — just at the wrong place at the wrong time) … and lotsa stories of livin’ on that “razor’s edge.” And yet, I’ve never been seriously harmed by any of it. Lotsa of them there guardian angels with me ;)

So I asked the Animal-Speak book which of my totems gives me this fearless energy at times. I held that question in my mind, and randomly opened the book. I think it was like the second page into the Hawk totem. I scanned the page on the left side for any mention of fearlessness in the Hawk, and then the page on the right — and there it was.  It was something like, “the hawk is a fearless bird.” :) Very specific, very cool. Ya’ can’t deny the magic in that kinda synchronicity.

In conclusion to all this rambling, heh, I s’pose the Hawk in the “seed” position may be saying, among other things, that fearlessness is key in accomplishing this goal that I aim to accomplish.  Well alrighty then ;)

Peace,
Dove

By Dove, www.TarotwithLove.com  Aces are awesome :)  I love them for some reason…maybe because they are the seeds of “magic.”  They align with the Magician (major arcana card in the Tarot), whose number is also ONE.  (Note, any card in the Tarot,  major or minor, that has the same number as another card has some relationship with the same-numbered card.) 

When I got to work this morning, I was pulling cards, as usual :) … asking my same ole questions, getting the same ole answers … yeah, it would all be so easy if we could take those answers and create perfect lives with them :)  The fact is, with or without the use of something like the Tarot, deep down, we all know how to heal our lives.  But the real deal is being able to “break through” the fear, the blocks, that keep us from doing what we know we need to do… 

Aces are kinda like spurs encouraging us to do those things.  Spurs to become the “Magicians” that we are :)  Little “gods” that create “magic” everyday — without even knowing it.  But once we begin to know, that’s when the real power is gonna kick in ;)  The less ya’ fear, the more ya’ “know” :)

Anyway, so I started pulling Aces out the wazoo this morning.  One after another.  That’s always exciting.  Aces are about new beginnings, fresh starts, big bunches of wonderful potential are reflected in the Ace. 

I then got online to check my email and came upon an interesting article called “Creating the Next Society” …  from one of my favorite websites, www.naturalnews.com and the synchronicity of it spurred me, ha, to write this blog.

Here’s an excerpt from the article:

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(NaturalNews) It’s fairly obvious to anyone paying attention that the American Empire, as currently configured and operated, is simply not sustainable. Financial collapse is inevitable (and accelerating, it seems), and even mainstream America can no longer deny the obvious signs that things have gone terribly wrong: Skyrocketing fuel prices, unprecedented inflation in food prices, rampant epidemics of preventable degenerative disease, plummeting real estate prices, an increasingly-worthless national currency, disastrous war failures, rampant dishonesty in Washington, and accelerating climate changes that are causing flooding, crop failures, droughts and worse. It is becoming increasingly difficult for even the Pollyannas of the world to argue that the United States of America has a bright future.

Click link above to read the rest of the article.

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It’s only a matter of time, People…we know that.  It’s time for us to become the Magicians that we are, to take the actions that we know deep inside that we need to take to heal ourselves (Job ONE), to heal our world… 

Just noticing the word “America.”  Kinda sounds like “a miracle” and it even has the letters of the “Ace” in it.  Interesting.  I think America was meant to be one of our miraculous and wonderful manifestations, and in many ways it has been.  But our fear mucked it up along the way, the self-loathing and consequent greed, intolerance/hatred, indifference — allowing fear-based religion to brainwash us into believing that we’re wretched and lowly without some being outside of us to “save” us.  From that, how could we possible not hate ourselves, and others.  Try to imagine instead if we’d been taught that we are amazingly wonderful beings, precious, sacred…just because we are.  In need of no “fixing” or “saving” …  Imagine the world we would have created knowing that truth :)  Imagine. 

Peace,
Dove

By Dove, www.TarotwithLove.com  Weirdly enough, lol, my Tarot is still saying that Hillary is going to be the next president — and that Obama isn’t.  How that’s going to happen now that Obama is the dem nom, I don’t know :)  But I’m drawing the same cards on it.  Here are the first two blogs I did on this:

December:  Our Next President?

January:  President Hillary…and Maya Angelou

I also posted a comment on this blog not too long ago.

The most intriguing thing to me is how the Tarot is sticking to its strong negative in asking if Obama is going to be the next president — even using the same card.  Five of Cups.  And when I asked the first time (in December), I had absolutely no bias.  I asked about all this again this morning.  Whether or not Hillary is going to be our next president (and oddly enough, lol, I still believe she is going to be — I trust my Tarot), I truly don’t believe Obama is going to be.  And I surely don’t believe it will be McCain.  That leaves Hillary.  Nah, I’m not ALWAYS right (thank gawd, that would scare me, heh), but my Tarot is generally pretty darn accurate.  I have now clearly asked if Obama is going to be our next president, and twice now have been shown the 5 of cups as the answer to that question.  That’s definitely not a victory card.  It’s about sadness and loss.  I mentioned in the comment on the other blog (link above) that maybe this means he’ll withdraw for some reason (I know, it seems inconceivable at this point).  The 5 of cups can be about bereavement or abandonment — it often shows someone very sad because someone has left them. 

Actually, I first asked “Why did you tell me Hillary was going to win?”  (Something like that.)  The Tarot came back with the Page of Swords, which is one of the “truth” cards.  I’m taking it as, “Because it’s the truth.”  I even asked if Obama was going to withdraw, and got one of the most positive cards in the deck (Empress — hmmm, his “Empress” would be his wife, perhaps this is suggesting that she may have something to do with his withdrawal).  I asked “Why?”  Seven of Swords.  That card is about a secret, a question of trust – or someone trying to get away with something, it can be about theft.  It’s one of the not-so-positive cards.  I also got the same money card (6 of coins) I’d gotten in originally asking about this — that is, that the problem for Obama may have something to do with a money issue. 

I did all this quickly this morning.  I remember asking another question on Hillary, but can’t remember the exact question.  But the answer was 4 of Swords.  In that moment, I felt it was saying with this card to be patient, maybe a waiting period.  As I recall the next question was about Obama, with the Seven of Swords as the answer.  Interestingly, this 4 of Swords can be about a hospital stay — or even incarceration.  I’m thinking now that my question there was, “How can it be the truth that Hillary will be our next president?”  I think that was it.  The cards often have multiple meanings at the same time.  It could be saying that she wil be president after a waiting period.  At the same time, it could be saying that the reason is because Obama will have to withdraw for some reason — health? (hospital stay) or legal? (incarceration) — or some other reason, maybe having to do with his “Empress” (wife).

It’s also interesting that at least one astrologer on that other blog states that things may change from what we think right now — and that seems to align with what I’m getting with the Tarot.   

Ah, it also just dawned on me that we’re in a Mercury Retrograde — things are so often temporary during these times.  Democratic nomination?

We’ll see. 

Peace,
Dove