In the Wee Small Hours

 

In the Wee Small Hours

A frequently asked question is what does it mean when we wake up at 3 am with thoughts and dreams that are powerful enough to wake us, and then we go back to sleep. It seems that the universe opens its doors, inviting us to receive messages from the spirit realm. It's almost as if the cosmos has set up an exclusive late-night hotline just for us! Tied intricately to the number 3—often celebrated as the number of manifestation and creation—this hour becomes a golden opportunity for inspiration and enlightenment. So, if you find yourself wide awake, staring at the ceiling, take a moment to embrace the magic of the night. Who knows? You might just be on the brink of a profound revelation or a brilliant idea waiting to burst forth into existence! Jot it down so that you can reconsider it after you wake up to start your day. Awakening during the early hours of the morning, such as at 2, 3, 4, 5 can hold intriguing significance beyond mere sleep disruption. Many cultures and belief systems suggest that these awakenings may be linked to our body's natural rhythms or even spiritual messages. For instance, waking at 2 AM might indicate a time for reflection and self-evaluation with a focus on balance, while 4 AM could be associated with heightened intuition and creativity and how they can be used for stress relief. Waking at 5 can be about connecting with higher realms and aligning with circadian rhythms. These moments of awakening can serve as invitations to explore our inner thoughts, reevaluate our goals, or connect with deeper aspects of ourselves. Embracing these early hours with curiosity may lead to profound insights and personal growth, transforming what may seem like an inconvenience into an opportunity for self-discovery and inspiration. It is a common experience to awaken with a flurry of ideas and insights, only to find ourselves drifting back into the comfort of sleep, allowing those valuable thoughts to slip away into the recesses of our minds. Imagine the potential unlocked by simply keeping a notepad by your bedside, ready to document those bursts of creativity and reflection. Embracing this practice not only helps preserve our ideas but also empowers us to harness our subconscious mind, transforming those ephemeral thoughts into tangible actions that can lead us toward our aspirations. So, let us strive to awaken not just our bodies, but also our creativity, ensuring that no brilliant thought goes unnoticed or unrecorded. Does this season, this part of the year, bnring you any different awakenings?

Dressed to the Nines

 

Dressed to the Nines

Dressed to the nines is an old expression meaning to the highest degree. As we know from numerology, 9 signifies the completion of a cycle, getting things finished and wrapping things up. Nine is not only the number of completion, it is also the number of wisdom and leadership. That is why people traditionally dress up when going to a symphony, theater performance, a public presentation by a well known speaker, a business event such as an expo or awards ceremony. These kinds of dress up occasions reflect the special vibe of the event, where the participants will all dress up creating an aura of higher energy. Some people joke about having a suit for weddings and funerals, but the other examples named above are times when excellence is awarded and the evening is enveloped in a celebratory aura. This includes getting together with family & friends for Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas and Solstice parties, going to New Year's Eve parties. It feels good to be casual for every day, and dress for events. Another way to look at dress is this. We notice that shamans, healers, and spiritual leaders of all kinds don special garments before beginning to lead ceremonies. Why? Because the person getting dressed to lead a ritual of any kind is getting their mind into that altered state. You could say that for the leader, the ritual is beginning from the time they do their ritual cleaning and dressing, then getting their tools ready for use. So they are changing their consciousness as they prepare and they are in an altered state before their performance begins and lasts beyond the night. The energy stays with us for a good while after a ceremony. Changing our appearance is all about changing our attitude and mental state. We are changing our mind as we change our clothes. And this suggests to us excellence, doing the best we can, using our abilities to the nines. Many of us have experienced that feeling of the nines when we have set a goal and accomplished it, whether in our career, a sport, a hobby, overcoming a health challenge, or perhaps as a volunteer with a charity. Even when we are teaching ourselves something new or developing a new habit, and we strive to do our best, we are going for the nines. Notice how you do certain things to shift your consciousness. Is your desk or office set up to facilitate your flow and productivity? Do you wear certain things to get ready? What habits do you cultivate to sharpen your wits and shift your consciousness? When do you dress to the nines? How do you feel about yourself when you do? How does your outer state reflect your inner state? Are you considering some new ideas about this now? I always love hearing from you, so if you feel like sending me a note, calling or coming to see me, please do! If any of you has any idea you would like me to include in my newsletters, I will consider all suggestions.

After the costumes come off

 

After the costumes come off

Dressing in costume is a way of being a different person for a while. We can have fun pretending that we are someone else and we can talk different and act different for a while, and when our costumes and masks are well done, no one knows it is us, we can be outrageous and wild and totally different than our normal way of being. Does some of that stay with us for a while? Do we sometimes like the person in the costume better than our usual self? Do we not sometimes desire a major change in our life so that we are very different from our present self? This may sound a bit far fetched, but stop and think for a moment. Once upon a time, I worked in jobs that required wearing a suit and tie every day, no beard, short haircuts and driving in rush hours to get to office buildings downtown every day. You would never know that by looking at me now. Have you seen anyone at a party who looked absolutely fabulous dressed up, where their every day manner of dress and looks are plain and low key? How did you used to look before I met you? How we look influences how people see us. And now, more than ever, we are free to look however we want. There was a time when certain looks went with certain positions. That has largely changed. For example, it was not that long ago that if you had visible tattoos, a lot of companies would not hire you. Who is the person underneath all the designs, body art and clothing styles? That is the part that really needs to shine through. Does a person's look reveal that? Is the person able to do what needs to be done? Does the way a person looks fit their personality? People are enjoying looking more colorful and why not? If colored hair and body art lifts your spirits, go for it. Employers these days are letting go of those old dress codes as long as you can show up and do the work. Even in medical professions, where we will continue to see those professionals wearing scrubs, how differently do we perceive that person when we see them in their scrubs than when we see them in their street clothes? On the occasions when I encounter someone from my doctor's or dentist's office in another place, I have to do a double take to recognize them, but they don't have the same hesitation recognizing me. How differently do we see ourselves when we are wearing jeans and T shirts and when we are dressed up? Who is the person under those clothes? What kind of energy are we projecting when we dress different ways? How do we want people to perceive us? We put a lot of thought into our costumes. What else do we put a lot of thought into? Do these concepts drive thoughts of change? I always love hearing from you, so if you feel like sending me a note, calling or coming to see me, please do! If any of you has any idea you would like me to include in my newsletters, I will consider all suggestions. Have a wonderful Halloween, Diwali and Samhain this weekend!

That Sweet Tooth

 

That Sweet Tooth

When I was a little kid, my favorite holiday was always Halloween. We put on costumes and walked around the neighborhood, filling our bags with free candy. What a great holiday, dressing in costumes, playing tricks on people and feeding that sweet tooth. These days, Halloween means doing tarot readings for costume parties, and this is as much fun as going trick or treating. Now, over the years, I get a sweetness that comes from spiritual celebrations where we remember and honor our dead. When we focus on the good things that someone did for us and the important part they played in our life, we summon happy memories rather than the ending of a person's life, we gather encouragement and perspective from that. This is why I always experience October as a sweet time. It was a different appetite that we were feeding when we were kids. Now as adults, the appetite that we are feeding is for wisdom and balance. Taking time to reflect on the people in our life, we express gratitude to those who have given us other gifts, things we learned from them that has lasted us a lifetime. Whether you celebrate Day of the Dead, Samhain, All Souls Day other spiritual tradition, it is a sweet tradition. As adults, when we reflect on the people we know who have already passed into the next realm, we have different realizations about both the tricks and the treats we have bagged during our life. These spiritual celebrations are lights on our path, with the auras of those who have been with us for a part of our life illuminating our visions and goals. Sometimes we get the trick, sometimes we get the treat. Experience teaches us to savor both with a smile. I always love hearing from you, so if you feel like sending me a note, calling or coming to see me, please do! If any of you has any idea you would like me to include in my newsletters, I will consider all suggestions. Have a wonderful day!

Fireside Chats

 

Fireside Chats

See the dragons coming out to play in the fire? Maybe you see the chess piece, the knight, which looks like a horse. Maybe you see a witch with a pointy hat with her arms raised. Maybe you see a person with a walking stick and their dog is laying by their feet. Whole stories can unfold with the flickering of the flames. Each time a log is turned, a different picture is formed. After we get a fire going in the fireplace, the fire is our friend. It warms us and lights our vision. I like to meditate with the fire. When fire is out of control, it destroys, but when it is contained in a stove or fireplace, we create. We cook, we warm ourselves, we appreciate the gift of the element of fire. Enjoying peaceful moments just gazing at the fire is a great way to relax. It is when we relax that spirit likes to plant new ideas in our mind. Relaxing in a way that lets our mind drift brings us into a meditative state. There are many ways to meditate, and this is one of them. Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple, used to get up and take walks while he was working out his ideas. Yes, visionary technology arose from simply talking walks and talking about it. Now that trees are letting go of leaves we can see farther in the woods. Like trees, when we let go of some old ideas, or old perspectives, we can see more. Simply taking a walk can help us stimulate our mind, get new ideas. Fresh air and simple, natural movements bring fresh thoughts. The spirit of the season brings thoughts of trees, colorful leaves, sitting my the fireplace with a cup of coffee or tea. The spirit of the season brings clarity. The spirit of the season is about savoring the joy of the harvest, the warmth of the fire, the simple pleasure of taking a walk and admiring the natural changes we see all around us. We are in the season of leaf peepers and pumpkin pie flavors. Yes, I love watching the leaves turn color, and I prefer my pumpkin pie flavor to stay in my pumpkin pie, thank you, not my coffee or beer. Amazing how many things are now made to taste like pumpkin pie. I know that a lot of other people like it or they wouldn't be making it, and that's ok. Pumpkins are fine with me. I enjoy eating it just like other winter squashes, baked, and served with butter and salt. In these ways, I am a person of simple tastes. If you are a person who thinks of themselves as having a hard time meditating, try these things and see how it works for you. Savor the season with a walk in the day and a fireside chat in the evening. I always love hearing from you, so if you feel like sending me a note, calling or coming to see me, please do! If any of you has any idea you would like me to include in my newsletters, I will consider all suggestions. Have a wonderful day!

Hidden in Plain Sight

 

Hidden in Plain Sight

How many times have we not been able to find something because it is hidden in plain sight? A great example is a deck of regular playing cards. Many people over time have used playing cards to do readings, yet, someone looking around their house would not see any sign of a person doing readings. They would simply see a deck of playing cards. How many times have I looked for something and couldn't find it, yet, when I went back again, there it is, in a place where I had looked and missed it. It happens when we are stressed and worried. Slow down, take a deep breath to calm, and there it is. How many times has that happened to you? Now shift your vision to looking for a new job. Are you boxed in to looking in places you have looked before and not checked out new possibilities? Have you overlooked talking to people you know because you assumed that they could not help? Maybe they can't employ you, but they might know someone else who can? You won't find out unless you talk to them. Maybe there are new ways to make money that you have overlooked. How many people now are making some or all of their money selling on Etsy, Kickstarter, Ebay, Amazon, Patreon or other sites? How many people are working remotely, using Google Meet or Zoom to do consultations, or contributing to online sites or podcasts? Notice how when we first step out into the yard when it is dark and there are no lights on, that at first, we see nothing, but after our eyes adjust for a few minutes, we can see, and even in the dark, we can identify the outline of a tree, fence, birdbath or plants. Our eyes just need time to adjust. Patience reveals what is present to us. In order to recognize things that are hidden in plain sight, we need to learn to see differently. When it is dark, if we simply pause for a few moments, we can see what the dark is hiding. When we are digging through drawers or cabinets looking for that item that we need right now, relaxing and remembering the last time we had it may lead us to uncover it. Likewise, how we look at our thoughts and how they color our perceptions of various subjects, patience, and a willingness to adjust to a different perspective can help us see our way through those areas of darkness as well. Darker aspects of our selves that influence some of our choices are often hidden in plain sight. When we learn how to see more clearly, the darkness lifts as we let more light in.  I always love hearing from you, so if you feel like sending me a note, calling or coming to see me, please do! If any of you has any idea you would like me to include in my newsletters, I will consider all suggestions. Have a wonderful day!

Our Balancing Act

 

Our Balancing Act

Every September brings us the Autumn (Fall) Equinox, which is one of the two days a year when day and night are of equal duration, the other being, of course, Vernal (Spring) Equinox. Each signals a shift when the balance tips, with fall bringing more dark night hours, while spring brings more daylight hours. Symbolically, it is a great reminder for us about keeping the balance in our life. This is a great challenge for many of us. It is worth it to set aside time to engage in a hobby, go to the gym, meditate, journal, or just go out to hear some music or other entertainment. Why is that important? I find that by setting aside some time for these things helps me be more clear and energized for doing my work. Ask yourself if you are doing what you need to do to keep your balance. If you have a partner, do you have time to reconnect with them each day, or are you always working? Do you find yourself saying that you would like to do some art or music or something but you never have time for that? When will it be time to make time? In the course of a year, there are some very heavy work times when my schedule is full, and so of course there are some days when I don't have time to work out or go to a concert, like on expo weekends, but those are the exceptions, not the rule. Where, in your life, do you need to find balance? Finding the balance will help you soar to new heights, just like the bird in the photo above that I happened to catch while out on a walk. Being in balance helps us to see the big picture even more clearly and find even more sources of inspiration. I always love hearing from you, so if you feel like sending me a note, calling or coming to see me, please do! If any of you has any idea you would like me to include in my newsletters, I will consider all suggestions. Have a wonderful day!