Welcome 2011! I chose that painting because it has all the colors of the chakras and then I noticed that it is upside down. I painted the picture some years back and gave it to my daughter who has it on her wall. When I was at her house Christmas, I decided to take a couple of pictures of some of the paintings. Obviously, I didn't sign this one so she placed it in the position that made the most sense to her and I love that she did it! She captured my journey. I long to stay in upper chakras but my life is about learning to live in the lower chakras. The green, the color of the heart chakra is the place of peace for me. I live my life sensually, stimulated by sounds, colors and textures. I've studied color therapy and aromatherapy and other "therapy" and conclude there is true and value to all of it FOR ME! For those who don't know, chakras are energy centers in the body and an ancient wisdom. So much of what I find valuable in my life is ancient although new to me. There's a quote that comes to mind that "there is nothing new under the sun" and I understand the truth in that quote.
I won't get into a discourse about the chakras here but there's plenty of information on the internet if you are interested in knowing more. If not, that's okay, too.
Every year for the past 13 years, on January 1st I do a "Whole Person Reading" which I learned about in Angeles Arrien's book "The Tarot Handbook." On page 267 she writes: "The Whole Person Spread or the Celtic Cross Spread is the oldest spread in all of Tarot history. It is the spread that has survived since the Middle Ages." She goes on to say "It is the best spread to do, once a year, as an overview for the quality of work that you want to manifest in all arenas of your life, personally, professionally, and spiritually."
I will share with you my reading for 2011, if you're interested. At the end of this year, I will go back and revisit this reading and gain a greater understanding of ME for that's my entire purpose for doing the reading. I want to understand ME better. That is what my writing is all about, after all. I want to understand ME better. And, if in my process and in the sharing of my own process YOU can understand YOU better and we are both enlightenen and enriched by the knowledge then light has shined through and that's also what I desire.
I have been learning about the Thoth Tarot since 1997 and there is so much I still don't know and if I lived to be 500 years old, I doubt I would still know all there is to know. I am so interested in EVERYTHING and sometimes I become so over stimulated and go in so many different directions I have to take a moment to center and balance or I may implode or self-fragment. Do you ever feel that way? There is so much to know and I want it all and right now!
I have purchased a number of other books about the Thoth Tarot and learned something different from each and took what felt right and incorporated it into my "library" and let the rest go. My two favorites are two of my oldest and Angeles Arrien's book is a great book for beginners as is "Tarot ~ Mirror of the Soul" by Gerd Ziegler.
I love Gerd's book because in his foreword, written in 1984, he says that "Just as we use a mirror to observe our exterior, we can use the images of the Tarot to approach our inner reality." He goes on to say "Many people are afraid to confront their inner reality." In the next paragraph he says "...we learn to accept and love ourselves only when we stop trying to hide, and hide from, our inner reality."
Gerd Zeigler says "We can use the Tarot as a map, drawn in symbols, indicating the roadsigns on the inner path." Going one step further, Angeles Arrien states "The Tarot is a symbolic map of consciousness and an ancient book of wisdom that reveals to us visually and symbolically the creative ideas and states of consciousness that appear in multiple existence in ALL CULTURES!" (My emphasis)
Again, there's a wealth of information out there if you're interested but it is so easy, especially for me, to be overwhelmed by the wealth of information. I'm taking it one, two, three or four books at a time! If you'd like to see my reading, just send me an e-mail or a comment and I am happy to share. I did save it in pdf format but don't know how to share it here so I'll leave it as an "if you are interested, ask and I will share!"
Well, I have much to accomplish this afternoon but I have been meaning to sit down and write and the hardest part is to just start, as it always is..."the journey of a thousand miles" and all that!
So, enough of the esoteric and on to the personal...
Job/Professional - Job ended 01/07/11 without burning any bridges. It was a good mirror for me. It was difficult to be around all the angst and petty manipulations and working in an office with ALL women, most of whom still get their periods kept me in a place of being grateful that all of that is behind me. I felt, most days, as if I were in the "Twilight Zone" as my head is so far from the reality of that job that it took every minute on the way to work to get my "mind right" and go in and do what needed to be done. It wasn't a good fit. On the one hand, I believe in the premise. They are fundraisers and a large part of the money does go to help people who need it. I buy into that and I love it! On the other hand, it was a microcosm of life and there was a rigidity and corporate structure I just do not fit into and never have in any job with that structured mentality. It doesn't allow for creativity and really sits on personal growth. Anyhow, I do not want to say anything negative as I did fall in love with each individual for who they were and I was interested in their path. I felt like the ugly duckling in the pack and now that I've been "kicked out" I can find my true home. It's all good and I will hold the memories of that job close for more reasons than one and I wish them all nothing but success and happiness. For my part, I am glad it's over and I believe I left the "position" in a much better state than when I walked into it and I did a good job with the tools they gave me. So, I think that's a win-win and now I'm on to the next thing God has planned for me and I can't wait!
I did have a job interview scheduled for Tuesday (because I was supposed to take Mom to a Doctor's appointment on Monday) but both had to be "delayed" because we are "snowed in" which is something rare in the Atlanta area where I live. I can't get down my driveway and my car is covered in about 4 inches of snow. So, it will all have to wait until next week. I've used my "snowed in" time to rest, rejuvenate, clear my energy and get ready to rock and roll in 2011.
I'm forming a creative cluster and we're meeting on Tuesday nights at my house (again delayed because of the snow) and I feel a whole new creative burst coming in 2011. I have an idea for a Spring Retreat to follow the 12-week process we begin next week. I'm considering New Beginnings in Dahlonega as a venue and a Mind/Body/Spirit retreat that I'll open to about 6-8 people to keep it an intimate experience.
My focus this year is on health and personal growth. I am going to give more attention to diet, exercise and I will treat myself bi-monthly to a massage. I deserve it! Personal growth is on the agenda for EVERY YEAR of my life as is spiritual growth, which is really at the very top.
My Mom is still living with me and she had her 81st birthday on December 21st. It's interesting living with a parent and having to adjust my life. I was perfectly happy all by myself with my Wizzie as my best pet friend yet God intended more for me. I won't say I accepted it all with as much dignity as I could have but I am doing what I feel is right and I'm trying to take care of her as best I can without losing my mind. She's not a difficult person to live with but between her craziness and mine it gets a little touchy at times. I try to see each day with her as a gift and an opportunity to learn more about myself (the goal of L-I-F-E). I try to be patient, kind, giving, loving and attentive. AND I am trying to also stay aware of taking care of ME! SABRA! I feel honor bound to do this for her and I guess being the oldest of four children, it's just a part of who I am. I couldn't bear the thought of her living out her days all alone in Destin. So, she's with me. Still, that doesn't mean I cannot continue to honor my own self and my own needs.
That's part of my process for 2011. I want to paint and fall in love with my yard and gardening again. All of that died within me for a while but I feel it bubbling up again. It's been an interesting journey since my lucrative job ended in 2008. Not only did I lose my job but I lost a best friend at the same time and those are two hard things to lose at one time. I took the time to help my Mother out of her quagmire while falling into my own as a result.
At some point, I will have to go back to Destin with her. I had hoped my brother would do it but it looks like that will fall on my shoulders again. I loathe the thought of going there and it makes the bile rise up in my throat just to think about it. Yet I will do it if I must and I'll prepare myself before I go. Some people think Destin, Florida is one of the greatest places on Earth. Not to me. It's a reminder of pain, sadness, suffering and I really have absolutely NO HAPPY MEMORIES of the place nor any desire to ever go there again. Yet one must sometimes do that which causes one the most pain, I suppose. Is that resignation or my walk through fire to become more of who I am meant to be? I don't know the answer to that questions right now. I'll get back to you when I figure it out.
Wizzie, at 15, is still my best buddy and although he is deaf, he is still getting around pretty and still loves a good walk.
I've been in my house five years which is a very long time for me to be in one place. There are many things to be said about home ownership but I believe I just may be a gypsy at heart and my fondest dream is a "mansion on 4-wheels" where I can live, travel, read, paint, study, and stay in beautiful places for as long as I want or move on if the spirit moves me. I'm not attached to the house although I love it dearly. I will sell it someday to someone who will appreciate it "specialness" when I no longer have Mom with me. When that happens, I will be out to see you...in my "mansion on 4-wheels!" That is "somewhere down the road" though!
So, let's see...job, Mom, Wiz, home, oh...family...Well, my family is all healthy and happy, for the most part. There was a divorce in the family last year that was pretty devastating for all of us but life goes on and we continue to love them all. Right now there's a "separation" due to a financial situation but it's temporary and at least it is NOT a divorce. We had a new baby enter our lives last year and what a blessing that always is! There are now 7 grandchildren and each is perfect and beautiful and special in their own way.
So, that leaves only "relationship." Not much to say about that one. There isn't a significant other in my life (besides Wizzie) and I'm not really open to one right now. Maybe later or whenever God sees fit to put someone in my path but I'm not looking and don't really have the time or the inclination. Sometimes I think it would be nice to have someone to kiss and hug but then I remember there's always more that goes with it (even if you can kick them out the next morning) and I just don't want to put my energy there at this time. Maybe down the road but not yet. I'll keep you posted. For now, I'm seeing a "mansion on 4 wheels" only big enough for one but two can travel twice as far so we'll see when the time comes. It might be nice to find another gypsy and if he's an artist, that would be awesome, too!
I am excited about 2011. This year begins a new cycle for me and it is a growth year! Hope yours is equally exciting.
More to come! Stay posted! It IS a great day to be alive and the best is yet to come! NAMASTE my friends!
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for your comments.