Futuristic & Nostalgic at the same time

 

At this time of year, one of the places you will find me doing readings is for high school After Proms.

One of the things that I enjoy about reading at these events is that the students are always brimming with optimism and plans for the future.

This is one of the first big turning points in a person's life when their future dreams about businesses and careers will determine what path they choose, and how they begin to pursue it after high school.

It fascinates me to hear them talk about what kinds of plans they have and where they are going.

When I began high school, they were de-emphasizing trades, and shut down many of the schools workshops where skills like carpentry, metalwork, electronics, auto repair were taught, while encouraging us to go to college.

At the time, the ones who decide such things thought that the skills most in need would be management, marketing, publicity, finance, scientific research, and other topics.

Now here we are, decades later, and what we really need is more electricians, plumbers, welders, carpenters, heating and air, all those skilled trades are what needs to be brought back, because for all the talk about AI, these kinds of skills are essential to building all these plants to power AI. Ironic, isn't it?

When I hear the young ones talking about going into trades, I hear them making good decisions that will help them get good paying jobs that will enable them to build a career that earns enough to buy a house, supports a family and enjoy vacations.

I see a lot more choice among them too, for example, with young men going into nursing, aesthetics, massage, or design, which young women are choosing to be engineers, construction managers, electricians, carpenters and welders.

And there are others exploring newer paths, going into careers like Internet security, stem cell research, selling their art on Etsy or making music videos on You Tube or Podcast programs.

I think back and lots of the jobs that might be excellent opportunities for them did not even exist when I was going to school.

Then again, some of the careers that we were preparing for were different than what our parents did.

Remember the choices you were making when you graduated from high school? Remember how we thought about what is next?

A few generations back, many in my family were farmers or ranchers. They also had bigger families, with some having 8, 10 or 12 kids. Then the next generation picked up skilled trades and had families with 3,4, or 5 kids. Then when we got to our generation and the next ones, we were more likely to have 1, 2 or 3 and work in an office job. And now the generations further behind are having 1, 2 or no kids and more technical jobs.

Plus, of course, there will be some who join the military, and some who will go to college. College, however, is not as great a choice as it once was, since it costs so much more now that they could end up saddled with a huge debt that might not even help them make a good living.

Seeing all of this is very uplifting to me. Seeing the young people preparing to enter into the adult world of work and career is futuristic and nostalgic at the same time.

I was in the generation that had to learn to use computers as they entered the workplace, beginning from typewriters, carbon paper, adding machines and copy machines to the first word processors then to desktops, laptops notebooks, pads and smartphones.

Now there are generations that never thought of keeping quarters in their car's ashtray so that they could stop at a phone booth and call the office. And now we all have GPS in our phones so that paper map books are no longer needed, and answering machines are built into them so that we don't have to check our answering machine for messages. These are all great advancements, and I am glad that we have them.

I find it fascinating to observe the changes how how people are choosing and looking at what we are creating and what kinds of career and life paths they are creating.

And yet both of us, younger and older, are not at all certain how AI will be impacting our careers, among other factors.

Nostalgic and futuristic at the same time? How does it feel to have read 1984 when you were in school, thinking it was just a far out sci-fi story and then find yourself living in it?

Science fiction writers have always been some of the best at imagining futures.

Does it prompt any kind of thought in your mind when someone tells you they were born in 1984?

Let me leave you with a bit of humor. This year, people born in 1984 are 42, and the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy says that 42 is that answer to everything. All you 42s are welcome to write me and tell me the answers to everything because I have not been able to figure it out yet. I am looking forward to hearing from some of you 42s.

Maybe you have some good ideas for re-imagining the future. 

With a spring in your step

The bees are getting busy with the flowering plants, and our thoughts are going that way too.

We are going to start gardening early this year. I do not think we are going to get more snow storms this spring. This is the least amount of snow we have seen in the mountains in 44 years.

I am willing to risk it. Some seeds are already int he ground and sprouting.

Our plant choices will be those that need less water, and we are using drip hoses in order to make things work during this drought. Some of our perennial herbs came back nicely and have fresh green shoots pushing up through the dirt.

What have you noticed in your gardens and plants? I have also noticed lots of birds singing lately, so they are enjoying spring as well.

Of course, this being Colorado, we are always aware of temperature fluctuations, like 70 - 90 in the day and in the 30s & 40s at night. So we pull covers over them on the cold nights.

Of course it is a bit of a calculated risk. But the usual warning is not to plant until after Mother's Day, and I do remember years when we had snow on that day, but I don't think that will happen this year. Of course, it is possible I will be wrong, but I feel like taking the risk and see how it goes.

Time to put a little spring in our step.

What do you think about gardening this year?

Happy springtime to all of you!

 

What is being uncovered?

One of the most interesting developments happening all around the world is the revelations of ancient civilizations laid bare by droughts, floods, fires, earthquakes and other earth changes.

Some of these concepts simply boggle my mind, like when they say that think skeletons, bones, beads, pottery and stone tools are three and a half million years old or something. I can't wrap my head around that kind of time span.

And now we have seen new kinds of dinosaurs, stones from previous civilizations, under Greek temples, under pyramids, under mounds.

We thought that the Native tribes were the first people on this continent, but who might have been here before them?

Who was more ancient than ancient people? Some people will say ETs and UFOs. Who knows?

The government is supposed to be releasing the info that they have on these topics to us. I will be as curious as anyone else to see what is revealed about all of that.

Neflix, You Tube, Gaia, PBS, Prime, and many other channels and apps offer documentaries on these topics. And my news feeds every day show new discoveries. It is fascinating to consider how other civilizations lived.

How is it possible, I wonder, that there used to be someone living under what is now Antarctica?

I guess that means that the poles were located somewhere else on earth long ago. I had never thought of that until recently. I used to think it was nothing but ice and snow.

And since they are finding new kinds of dinosaurs that they never saw before, and since all dino bones are not dated at the same age, that brings into question the theory that one day a huge meteor smashed into the earth and it killed all the dinosaurs at once. That theory always seemed sketchy to me.

In school,we learned that as time went on, we humans got smarter. In some ways, yes. We certainly have tools and machines that our ancestors didn't have. And they had some that we still don't understand, like the various pyramids and stone circles.

Yet, even the earliest humans had burial rituals. We know this from archeological digs. So that means that way before we were literate, even before we had languages, even cavemen and cavewomen knew that there was something more to us than our body.

What was that something else? Our spiritual essence. Our abilities beyond the physical.

Our earliest ancestors did not have any guidebooks or You Tube videos, so how did they know if they should eat this plant? Follow that path? Are these people who are approaching friends or enemies?

They had to make all of those decisions using gut instinct and insights seen with the psyche and the third eye. And we inherited those instincts from those ancient ancestors, and they have become refined and further developed over time and generations.

If more of the stuff that gets uncovered points to beings from other planets living on earth first, before humans or with humans, what does that mean for our future?

If our ancestors had civilizations that were all paved over before the Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Assyrians, Babylonians, why did that happen? How did those things happen? Was there an Atlantis or Lemuria? Were there other continents that sank? We certainly know that there were whole ancient cities that sank because divers have found them and made films and pictures of them.

What do we really know about the beginnings and endings of civilizations on this planet? What difference does it make?

 

Mapping Synchronicity

How do we define synchronicity? And how does it affect us?

One way would be to say that they are events that appear to be related without having a discernible causal connection. You know the old saying that there are no accidents. Sometimes we view synchronicities as accidents.

But think about it. If someone cancels their appointment because of an unexpected development and five minutes later another person calls and asks if I have time to see them, do you think that the person who got the appointment was the one who needed to see me first?

How about the person who was unhappy in their job, and they are developing their own business on the side? Then they suddenly get laid off, so they shift their energy and focus to their own business and it takes off, totally replacing the old job. Was that just coincidence?

Another definition might be that a Synchronicity is spirit's way of guiding us.

When we are focused on something and suddenly something unexpected pops up to support or advance our choice of goals, spirit is letting us know that we are on the right path. And the synchronicity was sent to help us get there.

When things pop up that we were not thinking about, but they fit with our schedule, it may be spirit signaling us to check out something new or different.

This is something we have all experienced.

If you make a list of synchronicities in your life, do you notice any patterns in these events? Do you find them more when significant events are happening? Or every day?

Keep a record of your synchronicities and coincidences. When you look over your own notes, what do you see? The more you notice and pay attention to synchronicities, the more they will happen in your life.

Did you ever have an unexpected meeting with someone who conveyed important information to you, and that information helped you make a critical decision?

When you are trying to figure out what to do about a problem, do unexpected solutions pop up?

Always thank spirit for whatever information they bring you, whatever ideas they bring you.

You know the saying that where your thoughts go, your energy goes? Or the advice to keep your focus on the goal, not the how to?

If you want to receive an answer or a message, you have to open your mind to it. Synchronicity may Bring you things that seem odd until you start thinking outside the box.

So jot down all the synchronicities in your life, and look at how they map out developments in your life.

What magic is revealed?

 

Our Hidden Strengths

Shadow work is a powerful way to uncover those hidden triggers that prompt us to respond negatively to events. By examining these subconscious triggers, we shed light on the subject, bringing it out of darkness, and in the process, unleashing our energy.

Often, holding onto old ideas or attitudes may get in our way.

As we are growing up and becoming educated, we make up stories about what we want to be when we grow up. Some of us stuck with that and built our lives that way, but more of us changed plans as we went to school or got out in the work world.

So then, what happens when those stories we used to tell don't look like our present life? Do we get disappointed with our self? Our life? Do we change our plans? Which answer unleashes more energy in you?

Transform the first answer. What happened to make us change our plans? If you decided to make something else your priority, then pause for a moment and appreciate what you have done, Feel the energy? Now, let go of the old vision and feel the alignment with where you are.

If we have accepted the change of path and are looking to do that in the best way possible, letting go of the old plans that don't fit lightens the load. And that enables us to move faster and easier.

Spirit has a way of helping steer us to get the most out of our life.

And how often have we had to change how we do things because of technical evolution. When the internet was new, people didn't know if they wanted or needed a website. Now, of course, what business does not use a website and email?

Look at how many people enjoy working from home now. You don't have to be real old to know that wasn't always an option.

From another perspective, besides the technical revolution we have gone through, there are the heartfelt changes. Such as when a person leaves one field to go into another to gain peace of mind or really put their heart into something they care about.

Clearing out old baggage is part of what shadow work is about. Optimally, we all are in the best place when our head and heart are aligned. When they are not, it indicates that we need to clear an old shadow.

 

In & Out of Our Shadows

Shadow work is a term that you may have heard, but may not familiar with, so here is a look at it. Our shadow refers to negative emotions and impulses, such as rage, envy, greed, selfishness, striving for power. Everything we deny in ourselves, whatever we perceive as evil, inferior or unacceptable, become part of our shadow.

Shadow work, then, is about recognizing these attitudes, ideas, and impulses and finding ways to bring these things to a conscious level and change the flow of energies connected to them.

Example. A question you might ask yourself.

Think of a limiting belief.

Why did I create this belief?

Mantra to shift my limiting beliefs.

Think of a toxic thought.

How does it negatively affect me?

Now reframe that thought.

What makes me feel vulnerable?

How do I hide this from others?

How can I be more authentic in expressing this part of myself?

What am I afraid of, or jealous of?

How can I change that energy, those feelings?

What can I do so that those feelings no longer trigger me?

What must I do to advance my gifts?

What is my fear about this?

What can I do to bring this from shadow to light?

Certain fears we need to deal with, and some we don't. For example, I have no need to go sky diving to overcome a fear of jumping out of airplanes. But if my job involves public speaking and I have a fear of public speaking, then I need to clear that fear.

Often, when one person feels jealous of another, they are coming from a fear that they will not be successful because they other person is. However, if the fearful one takes the attitude that the world is abundant enough for us to both be successful, then the jealousy is no longer there.

Yes, it is harder for some people to make these changes than others, but once we examine the roots of some of those feelings, and change our attitude and perception, energy flows smoothly and powerfully.

You can answer these questions by meditating and journaling on them. You can thank your spirit guides for helping you have the wisdom to see things differently.

You can also use tarot or oracle cards to help you find answers to these questions.

If you use cards yourself, when a card comes up frequently, spirit wants you to notice, and this will happens whether you are reading for yourself or someone else. 3 questions, 3 cards to start. Pull more for clarifiers if you feel the need.

 

It's All Aces This Year

All those of you who have had me do your numerology for you know that each of us has our own new year on our birthday every year.

January 1 is a national holiday and our society's new year. And this year, that is a one. One always symbolizes new beginnings, fresh starts, new growth.

In other words, this year is all Aces, which are the ones in every deck.

The picture above shows the four aces from the Elemental Wisdom Tarot and the Magician is from the Time Tarot. The aces are 1s and the Magician is 1.

So for the year ahead, keep your consciousness attuned to new developments in all areas of life. Some we will plan and instigate and others may be new developments that we will encounter.

Each of the 4 suits in tarot represents an important area in our life.

Pentacles represents career, money, health and home. The physical parts of life. Element earth.

Wands represents passion, inspiration, creativity, and our spiritual energy. Element fire.

Cups represents our relationships, feelings, emotions, and connections with others. Not just our love life. All of our relationships: family, friends, co-workers, peers, vendors, merchants. Element water.

Swords represents the sharp mind. Thoughts, ideas, knowledge, wisdom, information. One edge of the sword represents gathering data, and the other edge we use to clear our path. The combination of thought plus action. Element air.

The artists who created the Elemental Wisdom Tarot are Gracjana Zielinska and Lukasz Sienkiewicz (Poland).

The Magician from the Time Tarot speaks to our relationship with time. After all, our free will gives us the opportunity to speed things up or slow things down.

The artist who created this deck is Eugene Vinitski, and the author of the book that goes with it is Elsa Khapatnukovski (Switzerland).

Elsa reminds us that time is our mysterious companion that travels silently with us on our life's journey. It knows no bounds, knows no obstacles, and is indifferent to our desires and plans. It manifests in two opposing forms, fleeting moments and endless eternity.

Their Magician uses time as his magic. In their view, only a true magician lives every moment in the present as if time is frozen. With skill and confidence, the Magician creates new realities from the elements stored in their secret pockets. People think of time as subjective, and our thoughts drift to the past or future, but all that exists around us is today.

So when will we act on our thoughts and desires? Often, the timing of our actions create magic. The timing of our words create magic.

You have already noticed that the timing of ideas and thoughts are magic, haven't you?

How does the timing bring magic to your life?

Synchronicity is when seemingly unrelated things are happening at the same time. Once we make the connection between synchronicities, the whole picture looks different. Notice how you feel different when this happens?

The most important time we have in our hands, the only time we have in our hands is the present moment. What are we going to do with it?

This is why sometimes it seems like a split second, yet from another perspective it seems like an eternity.

Where will the aces show up in your life this year?

What do you want to be new or different?

What will you do this year?

What magic are you creating?