3 cups – Mary El

This month’s card of the month is from the Mary El deck – I love the imagery in this deck. Here we have the 3 cups. The image shows a river coming towards us from the lite sky in the background – it forms three tributaries as it flows over the cliff edge and falls in three channels. traditionally this card is about friendships and how we lovingly connect to each other.

I am instantly struck by the meaning that we all come from the same source of light, however we may conceive of this. We differentiate into individuals with separate paths. we may flow along side others heading in a similar direction to us. As we fall over the cliff edge we trust in our own path and our friends are by our side – doing their own path, but sharing the journey from their own perspective.

There is a feeling of trust as we allow ourselves to connect with another, we can not control the way things will flow – we simply have to discern there is enough in common with the direction we are going and then let go and allow the rest to be as it is. Opening our heart to love and trust as we share with people of like minds.

the tree in the foreground suggests age and wisdom – the many twists and turns life takes us on, sometimes we wind towards one part of the tree then later towards another – overall we are growing, gaining wisdom, strength and reaching for the light in our growth – even in the face of difficult conditions. We allow the experiences we have to shape our future, each challenge bringing a new way of turning to face the light we need to sustain us.

So this month it is time to appreciate your friends and family – those who accompany you on your journey forward in life. We need not to cling, or demand another follows our own pathway, we simply need to appreciate who is with us by our side at any particular time and trust in our own hearts to guide us on our own unique path. Even if a change of direction is needed there will still be others who will be able to share our journey with us – perhaps for a moment – perhaps for longer. So appreciate and let go – be like the river and recognise we are all from one source and have our own unique paths to travel.

Recognise your own history and journey and what has brought you to this place and this time. Your experience is your own and has shaped you – each person you know has their own story and shaping – as we appreciate another’s uniqueness without judgement we are led to appreciate our own, and can honour our own learning and ways.

This month a reflection on the trust you have built with your friends and how your trust in them stems from your trust in your own self, your own commitment to your personal pathway. As we allow ourselves to trust when we fall over the cliff there is a pool to catch us at the bottom so we feel safe allowing others to fall into their own truth also.

The colour of green that is so apparent in this card is telling us to be heart led this month – to focus on what we love and who we love to be with, as well as extending our love to others around us. As we do this we water our connections with people like watering our cherish plants in our garden, we nourish beauty and love in our lives.

Have a wonderful month and enjoy celebrating with your friends, simply and creatively. Spending time on socialising, catching up and making connections will feed both you and those around you.

Enjoy!

9 Swords

The card for this month is the 9 Swords from the Mary El deck. In this deck we have a different emphasis to many other decks. It represents here the balance of both our free will and our accumulated inner knowledge, so we see this month as a time of bringing these two things together. There is an aspect of the balance of action and solidity and strength, so as we move into June we may see situations where we have to decide what is the permanent fixture in our lives and what it is we need to take action on and change in some way. We discern and divide, and in the 9’s often this is done internally.

It is also possible though that in the process of this we find ourselves getting caught up in our indecision and not allowing our true ‘middle path’ to reveal itself between opposites. We might have a tendency to choose one extreme then change our mind and choose the other. The gold from this process though is the ability to see both sides and declare not ‘either or’, but ‘and’.

In the process of doing this we can make our dreams come true as we see the vision of who everything can work out in balance and then strive for it directly. There is a possibility you will find yourself making huge progress this month and achieving more than you thought possible as you set your sights on the highest ideals. Any issues you have to face in the process will be experienced with the sense of being guided well. This may come from an inner knowing you have of in the form of a trusted person outside of you helping you find the way that is the most true for you.

Many things that are dealt with this month bring lasting positive effects. There is a sense of being spiritually in touch and guided also for those of you who are involved consciously with your spiritual growth this month is a time to truly trust what you know to be true on a higher level and take action from this. You may also find you over come the fear of change and transition, and this sets you free in a way that brings you much more joy in life.

It is also a month to work with any issues you may have about your self esteem and to turn around any negative thinking about yourself and come to love yourself more fully as you are. As you do this so you find the relationships you need form around you as people reflect your new found self acceptance. At the beginning of the month you may find this process a little challenging but by the end of the month great progress will have been made and your life will feel better for it.

Year ahead – 2 of cups and Death – A Powerful Year of Change

I intended this months cards would have messages for everyone who comes to read this blog or email. I also intended it to be what to focus on as we start the year this January and the theme for the year 2014 ahead.

I was drawn to use the Mary El deck this month for the reading for you.

The card for the month of January is 2 cups.

2 cups from Mary El Deck http://www.mary-el.com

The card for the year as a whole is Death.

Death – Morta The Crone – Cutter of cords for liberation of the soul

Lets look at the year as a whole first – Death. This card is not something to worry about, as most people know the death card very very rarely means physical death, instead it refers to physical change of circumstances and a rebirth in some way in your life. Very often this is extremely positive. As we let go of old ways of being internally (often seen as the Tower) so the external world changes to match our new internal state. We might move house and so attract a new set of friends who more accurately reflect our inner being, we might change jobs having outgrown the old one, we might change our lifestyle through having more space and time as children have reach an age to allow us more freedom.

So in this year ahead there is likely to come before us a chance to make quite big practical changes in our world. If we approach this in a conscious way and allow ourselves to let go of the things and activities we have outgrown the process can be empowering and affirming to our deepest and truest selves. We might find ourselves feeling some sadness as we let go of people or places we have been attached to in the past, however the aspect of rebirth follows very quickly and there will likely be a strong sense of rightness to the ending, in the situations we are being asked to let go of. If you don’t feel it is time for things to change in a particular area then it isn’t.

The death card comes when we have done the inner work of change, it is merely the external situations that are catching up with us. Consequently that inner knowing of whether something needs to transform or be left is accurate and can be trusted. There is no need for worry.

So in this year ahead allow yourself to let go, to feel the sadness of loss and to allow the universe show you what you are being re-birthed into. This year marks the dawning of a new age in your life – one that will bring more fruitfulness and renewal than you can imagine.  Old stagnant situations are either rejuvenated or released and we experience the change we have been waiting for.

Looking to the image on the card we see an elderly woman with an expression of peace on her face – I get a sense of wisdom and knowing from her. It is like she has seen so much in the world and gained so much knowledge and wisdom from her experiences now she can allow things to progress as they do without resisting change, but with a deep peace in her heart knowing that when we lose something it is to make way for something new. She understands the natural order of things and how when we are true to our spirit then nothing is ever wrong, change simply brings more chances to deepen our connections with ourselves and our spirits. We can allow external transformation to help continue to heal us and help us grow.

The flowers, leaves and nature spirits depicted here show to me an image of autumn and the beauty of the change that happens as we sink into winter and the time for rest and rejuvenation. We can approach the changes in our world with this perspective, there will come again spring, but as we surrender to the changing process itself we can gain from the very journey itself. Staying with the feelings that come to us whilst change happens helps us gain the most from it. In winter as we go inside physically and emotionally we comfort and love ourselves, give ourselves the rest we need, the warmth of the winter fire and the sleep of the longer nights. When spring comes we are renewed and refreshed and excitement returns as we embrace the possibilities of life with a clear head, and inspired thought.

So through this year make the changes you have had in mind – it is time to take action to create your life as you would like it and to make your dream a reality. It might be a case of planning to leave your job and set up in business doing something you love, it might be having the courage to leave a relationship that no longer serves you, having worked with it for a long time in the past to try and rescue it. It might be taking the risk to move abroad and follow your hearts calling. Allow yourself to feel the process and make the internal and external preparations needed and then make the transition. The rebirth you experience with renew and regenerate your passion for life.

2 Cups: Then if we look a little nearer to now in time scale we have the guidance of how to approach the start of the year. What do we need to focus on as we enter this year of change and transformation. What should we be doing first? The card that gives us this guidance is the 2 of cups. This is a card of great love and connection with others.  Our focus needs to be on who and what we love, on our one self love as a spring board for the connections we make with others. Through January look at who is important to you in your life and spend time energy and intention on these people and as a natural consequence those you are less drawn to will figure less in your life. The start of you creating the life you have dreamed in this year gone past.

Relationships of all sorts are figured here – particularly those where we meet with another on a one- to- one basis. It may be a partnership of two friends exploring the world together, or a romantic relationship, or a business partnership between two people or two companies. Which ever it is the similarities and differences between the two parties make the connection strong and fruitful and it is the energy of love that binds the strongest and also allows the greatest freedom.

As we focus on sharing our love with others so we also find love coming back to us. If you are looking for a romantic partner as the year begins, look to how you give love to others, as you see what you are offering, know you will be able to attract someone who can offer you the same loving respect, openness and attention that you want to give to them.  Notice also that as you treat yourself in this loving way it helps you attract those who will be able to love you.

As I look at the card I see the union of passion and innocence within ourselves creating a magical (unicorn) result. The more we unite with our own drives and passions in life and be with our innocence and truth the more we will find this mirrored to us externally.  Others hide less of themselves as we are vulnerable, others seem engaged and excited by life as we are engaged and excited by life and so we find our match.

Love is the force behind all connections. To love doesn’t mean to agree with someone, but to respect them for their differences and their experiences as much as we respect ourselves for our own. We listen and bear witness to another’s life path, not diminishing or judging it, nor trying to fix it – we simply stand alongside and be a witness. In this way we share our love, we offer the person the faith in them to fix themselves in the way that is right for them, rather than trying to rescue them out of something in the way that would be right for us.  To connect deeply also means to be able to stand back as separate. The red and the white horse are together and sharing – but if they were to merge we could imagine their colour pink – something totally different without the strengths of each of the colours alone – the white white the rich red, would be lost. Their merging would diminish the qualities each had.  So as we love we need to stand our own ground also – be true to ourselves and allow the other person to be true to themselves, in this way our union can be interdependent, and each will continue to have something to give the other.

So through January focus on what love means to you and how you express love with yourself and with others. Perhaps you can spend time just with the intention to love all those around you more fully, more honestly, standing by your own truth whilst also respecting theirs, then allow the miraculous to happen.

Have a wonderful start to the year.