Surrounded by Symbols

This season, more than the rest of the year, is more laden with evocative symbols than any other time.

How familiar are we with evergreen trees, holly wreaths, mistletoe? What about the New Year's symbols of the baby and the grim reaper? The witch at Halloween? The cornucopia at Thanksgiving?

We speak in this shorthand all the time. We know that a red diagonal line through anything means no. We know that thumbs up means yes. We know that a person who opens their arms is welcoming us and one who crosses their arms is not. We know that a colon and a half parenthesis is a smile. :)

Symbols have been part of our lives since before we had fully formed language. Primal ones that we have found, like the ancient cave paintings, are as emotive as many more finely drawn paintings, and carry a powerful amount of energy in a few spare lines.

There are systems to symbols, and some, like the runes or the I Ching hexagrams have an interesting way of fitting together and interlocking visually.

Others, like the system of tarot, have a way of interlocking conceptually, and although they are visual in themselves, they cannot be as compact as abstract forms like runes, or the hexagrams of the I Ching.

Some symbols are so emotionally charged that their mere appearance sends chills or rushes of joy, depending on the sign, without anyone saying anything or any accompanying literature.

Obviously, some symbols are references to ancient beliefs and feelings and some are purely modern inventions of convenience which may or may not last. With some symbols we have near universal agreement, but with others not.

We bring our own interpretations to symbols as well as recognizing traditional meanings. This is why two people can look at the same picture and have two very different experiences of it.

And this is also why this is such an emotional time of year for so many people. We are surrounded by symbols and they can convey a host of messages to us faster than we can digest them.

Reading Within, Reading Without

Today, I was thinking of a situation and was going to draw some cards to read on the matter, but then I remembered I did not have my cards with me. So I did what came to me automatically, and just focused on the subject and let the answer come.

Of course, I have done this before, and it is always part of my readings that what comes through is not always what exactly is on the cards. Many people understand that the cards are gateways through which messages can come. Some people see them as visual prompts, focal points for the person requesting the reading to focus on and let their mind start to work on their issues even before the reader speaks.

There are times when I tell a person something, they ask me what cards told me that, and sometimes the answer is that it was not coming from any card, but rather from one of my spirit guides who told me to give you this message. Of course, there are also times when the literal interpretations of the cards do convey exactly the right message for this person at this time.

I have noticed recently that more people are asking me questions that do not require the cards, and in fact, for some answers, the cards are not needed at all.

Of course, you know that there are many psychics who do not use cards, runes, pendulums, I Ching, crystal balls or any other kinds of tools to connect with spirit and relay messages to clients. Mediums, channelers and straight psychics are other names for working this way. When messages come through touch, it is called clairsentient, when it comes through hearing, it is called clairaudient, and when it comes through seeing it is called clairvoyant.

Our comfort with using tools is both for the comfort of the client who might like to think that there is a logic and methodology to what we do. And there is to a degree, but there is also a lot coming through that psychic connection, which is not about logic, and is more deeply rooted in an ability to feel or sense.

The more we attune ourselves to be the tools, the more reliable our connections to our sources. For the reader, the tools are often familiar props that serve to set the stage until the senses connect and take over.

We go within in order to go without. I always affirm before a reading that I will bring through something that is useful for this person at this time.

For readers, learning to work within and without is part of the necessary development of really being a reader. It takes practice and it is not always easy to learn, but if you truly want to be able to do good readings, it is essential to learn. Like every other talent or skill, some will be born with more than others, but for the most part, it is the refinement of the skill through practice that brings the readings to life.

You have to read within in order to read without.

Lighting a Fire

Fire is vision. We need light to see, not just what is right in front of us, but the long range, what is in our future. What we passionately desire, what we dream, what we want to do differently.

Fire is creativity. The flames dance, our vision expands and we think of new ways to do things, or at least different ways to do things. When our creative energy is moving, so is all of our other energy. Creativity causes us to move, to dare to be different, to get up and find a better way, to find a more exciting way.


A person who has no creativity needs more fire in their life. They need the fire of inspiration, the fire of lifting spirits, dancing bodies, lightened moods, laughter, loving. Fire, creativity, imagination. These are the components of aphrodisiacs.

A person who has more creativity is a better lover. Passion gives rise to enthusiasm, and enthusiasm gives rise to creativity, and creativity gives rise to the senses, and the senses open the way for courage. Courage to speak our desires, courage for the other to open to those desires, courage to act on those desires. Courage to cast aside the dull shells of routine and immerse ourselves in those bright colors and the juciness they bring when heat brings sweat and the warmth between us becomes liquid. Unleashing this fire, this creativity, this bold action, this love, this passion, can begin with simple questions, as does all creativity. What if? Will you? Now? How does it feel? Again?

Travels with Spirit Guides

When doing readings in big public events and I am very busy, I am more easily able to enter that zone where I am in close contact with my spirit guides, and the readings just flow through me. Time disappears and I might notice that when I pause to eat because my blood sugar is running low.

Whether I am doing one-on-one sessions in my home office or meeting and reading for large numbers of people in a festival or fair, I always affirm that I am bringing through something that will be useful to this person at this time.

Opening the connection with my spirit guides this way, the altered state produces a feeling that leaves me tired, but in a good kind of way. That is why sometimes on festival weekends, I do not have the energy to make blog entries when I get home, and that is part of the natural ebb and flow of energies I work with.

I am happy to have met so many new people and to have been of service through my readings. It is an affirmation of my work, and we all need and love that. Who would not like to get feedback from others that the work that they have done has benefitted them and that they feel better as a result? This kind of feeback is an important part of the process of giving and receiving.

Life is good. I am thrilled to be busy. Hope to see you again soon.

Ancient Signs of Positive Thinking

You might say that the "power of positive thinking" is much older than we think. The runes are a system developed by ancient people that focus our intention and mental energy in order to achieve a goal.

We may have pictured that the human mind evolved slowly over time to the point where we are much more intelligent now than our caveman ancestors. But is this true?

Many people have speculated that the cave paintings were examples of hunting magic. In other words, people visualized a successful hunt before they actually went on the hunt.

The runes are a whole set of symbols that serve similar purposes. When a person would draw one of these signs or picture it in their mind, they were applying their thoughts and energies to the concepts represented by the signs, whether it was for health, safety, prosperity or anything else.

People knew even back then that the seeds of what they wanted in their life began with focusing their thoughts and energies on their stated purpose. And then taking action.

Unwrapping Ancient Gifts

A common thread among all the people who have studied the runes and learned how to work with them is that they all spend time in deep meditation with them in order to understand various aspects of them, how they work and what they represent.

Because the runes consist of abstract shapes formed by straight lines, it is hard for some people to relate to them. The primal shapes and signs cause the mind to delve deeper into the subconscious mind to find the essence of meanings associated with them.

In other words, the runes demand that you work hard to mine the gold they have to offer, but in return, the rewards are rich. The energies that flow from them are powerful. We can feel that energy by making the shapes of the runes with our bodies and bringing that flow of energy through ourselves.

Cards, by comparison are much easier to like and to work with because as soon as we start looking at the pictures, we can start associating stories with the images we see. When we find a deck with art that we really like, it is not hard to start thinking that a certain card reminds us of someone familiar or that the scene depicted is similar to an event that happened to us or someone we know. The art can also suggest beautiful places we might like to be in the future or or perhaps even have been in a past life or someplace we have visited in this life.

If you think that working with playing cards is more difficult because there is not a picture on every card, you are beginning to grasp the essence of mental activity you engage in a study of the runes. However, it is more than mental, because if you try the exercise I mention above where you make the rune shapes with your body and bring the energy through, you can feel it in a very primal way. So it becomes a body of knowledge, not just intellectual knowledge.

Referencing cards and runes, there is a thread that offers another insight: numbers. There is a significance to numbers, just as there is a significance to shapes and signs. From the time of the earliest people, numbers would have been integral to the process of barter. Imagine two people who do not speak a common language holding up their fingers to symbolize what they will and will not exchange. There was a breakthrough in communication.

So just like simple numbers facilitated barter in primitive tribes, so did simple signs that signified important concepts like home, mother, fire, water, defense, risk, justice or spirit.

Runes pack intense amounts of information in extremely concise signs. The process of unpacking them and savoring their secrets is a journey of immense proportions, an adventure for the seeker of deep wisdom and profound energy shifts.

Thousands of artists and authors have redesigned the tarot over the years, coming up with thousands of different interpretations and looks. But every artist does not try their hand at redesigning the runes. They have remained constant over the millenia. That gives us a very powerful hint about them, the mysteries and energies they contain. Are you interesting in unwrapping these gifts from the ancients?

Carrying the Raft?

A person asked me an interesting question the other day, then left before we got a chance to really discuss it, so here it is, for your consideration.

He was questioning why people need to continue using divination tools. He quoted what he said was an old Buddhist saying. Not sure if it is true, but I'll accept the question at face value.

It went like this, when you get to a river and use a raft to cross, you don't carry the raft with you when you get to the other side. So why keep using these tools. Why not just use them a few times to answer questions and then leave them behind.

As I mull this over, a few different things come to me. One is that tools such as tarot, runes or I Ching, can be useful every day. Some people use little meditation books to get a thought for the day to meditate on. Some people use joke a day tear off calendar pages to give them a laugh for the day (which can also be thought provoking.) Many people use these other tools to provide them a thought for the day. Unlike a calendar, a deck of cards, set of runes or I Ching book can be used for many years. So they represent an excellent value for the money.

The raft analogy may or may not be applicable for a simple reason. How many times do you need to cross the river? How many times in your life do you need to make a decision about love, money, business, family relationships, friendships, health issues and so on, where you could really use another opinion?

We use a dictionary when we want to know the meanings of words, so why not use a guide (tarot, runes, I Ching) that can offer guidance through a symbol that represents a pinciple? Many people consult other books they find value in, and you can consider tarot and runes to be types of picture books.

Maybe these tools are not so much rafts as they are bridges that you can cross over time and time again.

Consulting with the Oracles

On a day busy with readings, the energy sustains me in mysterious ways. I have noticed that being absorbed in the process of reading, that hours can go by without thoughts of food or drink. Time itself collapses. There is only a present tense exchange with the people coming to me for readings. And messages come through that I hear myself speaking, but I know I did not think of them.

Sometimes when the cards are turned, a clear signal comes through me that says "here is what this person really wants to know. Look past the cards."

When a person asks about the runes, I place them in their hands. The light dances in their eyes as they look them over and fall into inner space as they try and gather meanings from the abstract symbols, which is just about impossible if you have not studied the signs. When they ask how meanings can arise from such spare symbols, just lines on stones, they look at them again and again to see if there was something they missed the first time.

Mysterious energies are unleashed when the runes are cast or the cards are spread. And it is a pleasure to tap into these energies with those who wish to consult with the oracles.

Rocking the Runes

In the last post, I mentioned the Runes. This is one of the lesser known metaphysical tools, which I found appealing as soon as I was introduced to them. They are simple symbols, all made of staves and chevrons. As far back as the 5th century, they are found carved on stone. They have also been found designed into jewelry, furniture and tools.

Runes were a development of the Germanic and Norse people. Some people say that they are an ancient alphabet. This is true, but they also contain more meaning than that, in the same way that Chinese characters or the Hebrew alphabet do. So while a character could stand for a letter of the alphabet, it could also stand for home, and another could represent, wealth, health or justice.

There are 24 signs in the most commonly used set. People who read with them can get answers to the same kinds of questions as you would with a Tarot deck. Using 24 pieces of wood, stone, metal clay or other material, the set is held in the hands while focusing on your question, and then cast. The reading is done from the way the set lands on the table or ground.

Since there are only 24 signs in the set, there are less different individual parts to learn than a person learning Tarot, which has 78 cards. The signs all have layers of meanings and lore that go with them. Plus there is another advantage to the student, and that is that the signs are so simple that anyone can draw them and make their own set.

The signs can be used in many ways, from feeling the energy in your body from making the shapes and holding them, similar to what you would do in Tai Chi or Yoga. The signs are also easy to incorporate into other media, from candles to markings on jars of herbs or oils, to jewelry or just about anything else you would like.

You can draw one a day to meditate on as a way to learn them, and as a good way to draw on a bit of wisdom to help guide you through your day.