Day: May 10, 2012

‘THINK on THESE THINGS’ for May 10

‘THINK on THESE THINGS’
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

There are so many things we must come to know. If there are obstacles we have made them. And if there is unrest it is because of a lack of holiness, of recognizing the truly important. If our appetites are too great, it is not that we crave food or drink, but something higher than that which we are experiencing.

Sometimes we fail to know the needs of others, but more often we can see their needs more clearly than we can our own. And we can help ourselves quickly by recognizing the truth of our own being.

We are spiritual beings and to operate in the strict physical and mental sense is likened to running a car with only gasoline. It cannot be done efficiently. It takes water, gasoline, and oil.

When we learn that it takes our physical, mental, and spiritual beings to make one person, then we are whole and have eliminated the inability to help ourselves. The outcome depends on you and me. And it is our duty to disqualify the thousand and one excuses that keep us from that duty.

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Available online! ‘Cherokee Feast of Days’
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler.

Visit her web site to purchase the wonderful books by Joyce as gifts for yourself or for loved ones……and also for those who don’t have access to the Internet: http://www.hifler.com
Click Here to Buy her books at Amazon.com

Elder’s Meditation of the Day May 10

Elder’s Meditation of the Day May 10

“When you go inside that power, there’s no fear. It’s so beautiful!! There’s no fear there. There’s no pain.”

—- Wallace Black Elk, LAKOTA

Imagine you are standing on the edge of a stage. In the center of the stage is a spotlight shining from above. If you stand anyplace outside the spotlight, in the darkness, you will experience fear. But as soon as you step into the light in the center of the stage, all fear and pain go away. When we stand in the power, fear cannot exist. How do we find this place of power? We pray our way into it. We ask the Creator to take our hand and help us. When we get to that place, we will feel the fear go away.

Great Spirit, hold my hand and guide me today.

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May 10 – Daily Feast

May 10 – Daily Feast

We are complex combinations of many things. Mind, body, and spirit, yes, but with all the height and depth and feeling that make up the three. If one of these is not kept in shape and made to be harmonious with the others, we are out of balance. There is almost always more interest in one part rather than seeing the necessity of developing the whole person. What reading a book is to one person equals running a mile to another. It is natural to do what pleases us and makes us feel worthy. The Cherokee claims that if you tso tle s di, sit down all the time or are idle in mind and spirit, the whole I ya dv ne li da s di, complex system, suffers. Once upon a time, Indian dancing served the whole person, worshiping, exercising, and activating the mind. True fitness requires it all.

~ We work as hard as you do! Did you ever try skinning a buffalo? ~

OURAY, UTE CHIEF

‘A Cherokee Feast of Days’, by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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A positive reality

A positive reality

If you choose to cause harm, then you will be harmed by it as well. If you choose to create value, then you will benefit from that value.

If you direct your efforts against the interests of others, those efforts will also work to oppose your own true interests. When you work to support others, you also end up supporting and advancing your own life.

Negativity is universally destructive, regardless of the direction in which it is focused. Genuine love is universally creative and beneficial, and goes far beyond its intended object.

Don’t bring your whole world down by obsessing over who or what you are against. Lift your world higher by supporting and advancing the values and visions you are for.

Let go of the fears that hold you back. Grab hold of your most treasured dreams, for they will bring out your highest levels of effectiveness and creativity.

Put your energy and efforts into what you favor. The way to experience a positive reality is to constantly keep your focus on a positive vision.

— Ralph Marston

The Daily Motivator

Daily OM for May 10 – Finding Peace Within

Finding Peace Within
A Full Embrace Excluding Nothing

by Madisyn Taylor

 

If we are to have true peace in the world, we must first find it within ourselves.

Most people agree that a more peaceful world would be an ideal situation for all living creatures. However, we often seem stumped as to how to bring this ideal situation into being. If we are to have true peace in this world, each one of us must find it in ourselves first. If we don’t like ourselves, for example, we probably won’t like those around us. If we are in a constant state of inner conflict, then we will probably manifest conflict in the world. If we have fighting within our families, there can be no peace in the world. We must shine the light of inquiry on our internal struggles, because this is the only place we can really create change.

When we initiate the process of looking inside ourselves for the meaning of peace, we will begin to understand why it has always been so difficult to come by. This in itself will enable us to be compassionate toward the many people in the world who find themselves caught up in conflicts both personal and universal. We may have an experience of peace that we can call up in ourselves to remind us of what we want to create, but if we are human we will also feel the pull in the opposite direction—the desire to defend ourselves, to keep what we feel belongs to us, to protect our loved ones and our cherished ideals, and the anger we feel when threatened. This awareness is important because we cannot truly know peace until we understand the many tendencies and passions that threaten our ability to find it. Peace necessarily includes, even as it transcends, all of our primal energy, much of which has been expressed in ways that contradict peace.

Being at peace with ourselves is not about denying or rejecting any part of ourselves. On the contrary, in order to be at peace we must be willing and able to hold ourselves, in all our complexity, in a full embrace that excludes nothing. This is perhaps the most difficult part for many of us, because we want so much to disown the negative aspects of our humanity. Ironically, though, true peace begins with a willingness to take responsibility for our humanity so that we might ultimately transform it in the light of our love.

LESSON 6 – The Environment

LESSON 6

The Environment

The environment of a tarot reading includes the physical setting and your internal state. There are five inner qualities that are beneficial. These are:

  • Being Open
    Being open means being receptive. It is an attitude of allowing – being willing to take in what is offered without denial or rejection. By being open, you give yourself the chance to receive what you need to know. 
  • Being Calm
    It is hard to hear the whispers of your Inner Guide when you are in turmoil. Tarot messages often arrive as gentle hints and realizations that can be easily overwhelmed by a restless mind. When you are calm, you are like a peaceful sea in which every ripple of insight can be perceived. 
  • Being Focused
    Focus is very important for a tarot reading. I have found that whenever I feel a question strongly, I receive a direct and powerful message. When I’m scattered and confused, the cards tend to be the same. Your most insightful readings will be those you do when the desire is very strong. 
  • Being Alert
    When you are alert, all your faculties are alive and awake. A cat is alert when it is watching a mouse or bug. Of course, you won’t be pouncing on your cards, but you will find them difficult to read if you are tired or bored. 
  • Being Respectful
    Being respectful means treating the cards as you would any valued tool. You acknowledge their role in helping you understand yourself better. You honor the choice you have made in deciding to learn the tarot and handle the cards accordingly.

Even though these five qualities are important, they are not necessary. You can have a meaningful reading without them, but it may be more difficult. The best way to decide if the time is right for a reading is to look inside. If something feels wrong, postpone the effort, but if your inner sense says go ahead, then all is well.

Besides the inner environment, there is also the setting of a reading to consider. The ideal place is one that elicits feelings of quiet, peace, even reverence. You could do a reading in a crowded airport, but the noise and distractions would make inner attunement difficult. Since you will probably be doing most of your readings at home, let’s look at how you might create a agreeable environment there.

Set aside a place in your home where you will do your readings. By using the same spot over and over, you build up an energy that reinforces your practice. If you meditate or pray, you can do these activities here as well as they harmonize with the tarot in spirit and intent.

Try to create a sense of separateness about your spot. When you use the cards, you want to turn away from the everyday world and go into a space that is outside time and the normal flow of events. A separate room is ideal, but a corner set off by a screen, curtain, pillows or other divider can work too.

Try also to create an atmosphere of beauty and meaning. Place some items nearby that are special to you. Objects from nature, such as shells, stones, crystals, and plants are always appropriate. A talisman, figure or religious icon can help you shift your focus from the mundane to the inspirational. Consider pictures and artwork, especially your own, and appeal to your senses with such items as flowers, incense, candles, textured materials and quiet, meditative music.

These touches are nice, the only thing you really need is a space large enough to lay out the cards. You can use either a table or the floor. There is a grounded feeling to the floor, but, if that position is uncomfortable, a table is better. Choose a table of natural materials such as wood or stone.

If you like, you can cover the table or floor with a cloth to create a uniform area. The material should be natural, such as silk, cotton, wool or linen. Choose the color with care as colors have their own energies. Black, dark blue and purple are good choices. There should be little or no pattern, so the images on the cards stand out from the background.

Store your cards in a container to protect them and contain their energies. Any natural substance is fine, such as wood, stone, shell, or a natural cloth. I know of one woman who sewed herself a silk, drawstring bag and embroidered it with stars, moons and other designs. Consider keeping your cards wrapped in silk cloth when inside their container. Silk has a luxurious feel that will remind you of the value you place on your cards.

Tarot cards pick up the energy and character of those who use them. For this reason, set aside a tarot deck that is just for you, if you can. These cards are going to be your personal tool of communication with your Inner Guide. You want to bond to them closely.

When you do your tarot work in a place of your own, the experience can be quite powerful, but extra preparations are never necessary. All you have to do is use the cards. That’s the important part.

Exercises – Lesson 6

The Environment

Exercise 6.1 – Creating a Place To Do Your Readings

Spend some time thinking about where you will do your tarot readings. Consider some of the suggestions or use your own ideas. Don’t feel that you have to create a showcase location. Just see what you can do to create a setting that is pleasing and comfortable.

Exercise 6.2 – Quest for a Symbol

In this exercise, you will be announcing your intent to find or create an object that will be a personal symbol of your tarot practice. You can buy, find or make this object yourself. Once you have it, place it in your tarot spot as an inspiration for your work.

Read over the description of the Fool. This card often stands for the feeling of joy and freedom that comes from beginning a new adventure. It is in this spirit that you will seek your object. This quest symbolizes the quest for greater understanding you are undertaking by learning the tarot.

Hold the Fool in your hands, and close your eyes. Announce your desire to find or create a tarot symbol. Commit to working until you have it. The value you place on this quest will reinforce the value of your larger quest. Once you have affirmed your intent, let it go. You will find what you are looking for.

This exercise will strengthen your faith and commitment and leave you with a tangible symbol of your purpose. It will also help you learn that hidden within seemingly foolish acts is the experience of life as an adventure.

Calendar of the Moon for May 10

Calendar of the Moon

Willow Tree Month

Colors: Yellow, silver, and pale willow-green
Element: Water
Altar: Upon cloth of yellow, silver, and pale willow-green place three white candles, wreaths of willow-branches, a large clay bowl of water, flowers if they are available, and a silver moon.
Offerings: Contemplate an emotion, and how you use it, and how it uses you.
Daily Meal: Vegetarian, preferably cold food. Fruits. Only spring water to drink.

Saille Invocation

Call: Now is the time of the Willow Goddess.
Response: Now is the time of the Green Man’s courting.
Call: Now is the time when leaves are full.
Response: Now is the time when gold gives way to silver.
Call: Now is the time when Sun gives way to Moon.
Response: Now is the time when Lord gives way to Lady.
Call: Now is the time of the search and the quest.
Response: Now is the time of magic dew on the fields.
Call: Now is the time of the phallus rising.
Response: He seeks the doorway that is wet with spring rains.
Call: He seeks the moon in the river.
Response: He seeks the fishes in the winnowing basket.
Call: He seeks the fruit of Persephone.
Response: He seeks the mountain of the Muses.
Call: We crown his head with flowers….
Response: That he may reach the sky.
Call: We crown his head with ribbons….
Response: That he may touch the earth.
Call: We bring forth the pole from earth to sky.
Response: We lay the line from earth to sky.
Call: We blow like the wind from earth to sky.
Response: We fall like the rain from sky to earth.
Call: We descend like the sunlight from sky to earth.
Response: We climb like the trees from sky to earth.
Call: We are the children of earth and sky.
Response: We are beloved of sky and earth.

Chant:
We all come from the Goddess, and to Her we shall return,
Like a drop of rain, flowing to the ocean.

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Calendar of the Sun for May 10

Calendar of the Sun
10 Thrimilchimonath

Lofn’s Blot

Colors: White and blue
Element: Air
Altar: Upon cloth of white and blue set twelve white candles, one sky-blue candle, a great jug of mead, and a cup of tea. Throughout the next nine days, the altar stays the same, and one more candle is lit. On this day, light the blue candle and three white candles.
Offering: Endeavor to mediate and make peace between warring factions. Do things correctly.
Daily Meal: Soup or stew. Bread with cheese, meat, or jam.

Invocation to Frigga’s Handmaidens

Call: Twelve maidens hold the halls of Asgard!
Response: Twelve virgins hold the pillars of heaven!
Call: Twelve mysteries hold the luck of Asgard!
Response: Twelve virtues hold the Law of heaven!
Call: Twelve words of power resound through Asgard!
Response: Twelve stars light up the dome of heaven!
Call: We call upon the power of Virtue!
Response: We call upon the mysteries of heaven!

Invocation to Lofn

Hail, Maiden of Peacemaking!
Hail, bringer of frith into our halls!
You who stand always between
The parties of war and conflict,
You who write truces
And live by compromises,
You who place peace above all things,
Be with us in our daily lives,
That we may learn to quiet our passions
And seek harmony in all things.
For peacemaking is more than merely stepping aside,
It is placing the needs of others above your own
And in so doing, making of yourself an offering for that peace.

Chant:
Cloth of honor from the thread of truth
Weave your heart into all you offer

(A libation of mead is poured out for Lofn, and the jug replaced for the next day’s ritual. A follow-up to yesterday’s House meeting should be held, with an emphasis on peacemaking.)

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Current Moon Phase for May 10 – Waning Gibbous

(waning 135-90 degrees)

by Jan Spiller

This is a tremendous time of transmutation. All of the prior elements are coming together for a final burst of creative output. You have seen a clear view of your own needs and the posture of significant others. Now the accumulation of that input is leading to a deep, core change within you. In this phase, you will naturally be inclined to seek higher guidance so that you can emerge from this transformation successfully. This Moon Phase favors sharing what you have learned (and are learning) with others.

Your Daily Number for May 10

Today is great for signing contracts or finalizing deals. Your financial picture is looking rosier, so going out and spending some money wouldn’t be the worst idea. On the personal front, romance beckons. Just be careful not to do anything irresponsible.

Fast Facts

About the Number 8

Theme: Power, Responsibility, Good Judgment, Financial Rewards
Astro Association: Leo
Tarot Association: Strength

Your Daily Cosmic Calendar for Thursday, May 10

Make steady progress in business and investment matters under the favorable energy-field of the Moon in Capricorn in trine to the Sun in Taurus (5:04AM PDT). This is quickly followed by an equally auspicious and optimism-generating Moon-Jupiter trine in the same earth signs (8:58AM PDT). What could land you in hot water is a Mercury-Mars parallel (9:29AM PDT). This sky pattern can go either way – to give you a boost of emotional and mental vitality or push you to act too fast, without carefully thinking of the potential consequences. Before you know it, the Moon in Capricorn squares Saturn in Libra (12:12PM PDT) – starting a void uncertainty zone that lasts until 10:04PM PDT. During this 9+ hour twilight zone, complete odd jobs and old ventures, but don’t initiate bold, new plans. Have fun with photography, film or video work, poetry and painting, improvisational music and dance while Mercury forms a supportive, 60-degree rapport with Neptune (3:00PM PDT). This may also be a good time to enhance your spiritual studies. Your productivity quotient can reach new heights during the void lunar cycle as Mercury forms a strong parallel with Ceres (8:53PM PDT). Once the Moon enters the universal air sign of Aquarius (10:04PM PDT), start thinking more about joining forces with other like-minded souls in global and humanitarian efforts. Write down overnight dreams as they could be precognitive and tune you into future events as Mercury forms another engaging contact with Neptune, this time a contra-parallel that becomes exact at 5:04AM PDT tomorrow morning.