Contemplate and Celebrate You

Take the time to
peacefully contemplate

Contemplating who you are can be an overwhelming prospect.  Immediately, questions arise about where to begin and what you hope to get out of such an all-encompassing undertaking.  If you read Chantel's last post and attempted the success inventory that she recommended, you have already taken a step on the path of contemplating and celebrating you.

One of the first things we realize when we complete a success inventory is that success is determined by much more than finances and status.  Success occurs in every part of our lives, especially those areas that feel enriched and satisfied.  Therefore, not only does a success inventory allow you to begin to contemplate who you are, but it affords you the opportunity to celebrate you by acknowledging the successes that you've had in your life.

Over the next several weeks, Chantel and I intend to provide you with tools that allow you to understand yourself in new ways, acknowledge aspects of who you are that you may not currently recognize, and build on and support those positive features.  Through this series of posts and exercises,  we hope that you will increase your ability to engage your inner wisdom by gaining a stronger understanding of who you are and what aspects of who you are you would like to accentuate.  We do this, in part, through the idea of success, because success is a measure of accomplishment and, when we see all that we are accomplishing in our lives, we feel enriched and empowered.

There are many ways that you can approach the idea of contemplating you, but the bottom line is that you must choose a method with which you are comfortable or that you are at least willing to try.  The method that I use most regularly is consulting the Runes, but I know not everyone works with the Runes.  Other ways you can consider include writing about it, meditating, going for a walk in nature or listening to music; whatever will help you focus and concentrate.  Still, I will give you an example using the Runes that is easily adaptable to all of these other ways of contemplation.

Mannaz is the Rune of self.  It represents everything that makes us human, the good and the bad.  Within its meaning, for me, is the whole truth of who I am.  I merely need to ask questions of myself about myself and be honest, without judging or being critical.

Holding this Rune in my hand, I sat and contemplated the following questions from a purely human perspective.  So as not to be overwhelmed, I focused on one aspect of me - what makes me unique - and built every other question around that idea.

What makes me unique?  How are you unique among your family or friends?  At work?  Pick one thing.  Are you a good cook?  Are you a terrible cook, but have one thing you make really well?  Do you excel at a sport or an art form?  Do you volunteer?  It doesn't matter if other people do it, because no one does it exactly the way you do.

How do I use this aspect of me in my life?  If you are not using this aspect of yourself, your next question should be why and think about how you could incorporate it into your life; or is it an aspect whose influence you would like to reduce?

Why do I use it this way?  How could  I use it differently or in another part of my life?  Really think about all the ways you can incorporate some unique aspect of you into your life.  It can be in very subtle ways.  Sometimes those are the most powerful.

What successes has this aspect of me brought to my life and/or to others?  This is your success inventory for this unique aspect of you.

How do you feel about this realization?  Now it's time to celebrate this part of you.  Celebrate acknowledging this feature of yours.  Celebrate the role it plays in your life and the fact that you considered other ways to use it.

It is important to realize that you are a unique individual and to celebrate those attributes which make you unique.  This is one step in contemplating the complexity of you and empowering yourself by appreciating your uniqueness and how it helps make you who you are.

Practice Engaging Your Inner Wisdom:  I've given you a handful of questions that allow you to contemplate one aspect of you that makes you unique.  To contemplate these questions, I sat quietly and held a Rune in my hand, the Rune of self, because that is empowering for me.  You must find your own mode of contemplation, but I've also given some options to get you thinking about how you'd like to focus on one of your unique attributes.  Maybe you need to sit on a rock in the mountains or in a chair at the beach.  Maybe you process things through writing or while you listen to music.  Decide on an approach and spend 10-15 minutes thinking about these questions.

Once you've completed this exercise, I encourage you to share your experience by leaving a comment on this post.  And, remember, you can contact us at any time if you would like additional guidance.

One Simple Tip to Boost Your Success

“ Success begets success” ~Anonymous

Do you know why “Anonymous” said this? Because any one of us could have said it, we’ve all experienced it. Think about a time when you’ve tried to do something new. If it was hard (success was more difficult), you may have given up, or at least found yourself dreading the idea of doing it again, but if it came easily (success was easier), you may have continued, or at least tried again. Success encourages us. It gives us hope, highlights our accomplishments, and makes us feel capable.

Most definitions of success include the words “prosperity”, “popularity”, “wealth”, and “goals”, however, I think being successful includes far more than having an outcome that involves money or everyone thinking we’re swell. Success moves beyond achieving goals, and into the realm of interaction with others, perception of self, and a life lived with depth and meaning.

Success is so much more than just performance, prosperity, and popularity

I continually assess my success, sometimes haphazardly, and in a few instances, with repeatable certainty. For example, every year, I do a “success inventory”, a process in which I take time to give myself kudos. I do my success inventory on a special day, my birthday. I don’t know about you, but to me, birthdays mean a lot! I love spending time with family and friends and visiting special places. Birthdays also offer a clean slate, a new year, and provide a marvelous opportunity to reflect and grow.

So, as Earth begins its course around the sun again, I take time to reflect on my previous revolution, and set seeds of intention for my annual adventure. Several weeks prior to my birthday I begin asking myself questions to get my brain thinking (check out “One Small Step Can Change YourLife” by Robert Maurer.) I don't’ have to find the answers right away, I just want my brain to chew on the questions for a while, ‘stirring the pot’ so to speak.

I start to think about what I accomplished, where I fell short, the challenges and unexpected opportunities that arose, and whether I reacted or responded to them, and how. I ask myself, “What was the general tone of my year in terms of my emotions”. I consider how my interpersonal relationships played out, where I need to take responsibility, and where I need to let go and not get caught up in drama – even If that drama is only in my head.

On the day of my birthday, I start out by creating sacred space. Whether at home, or a location like the beach or park, I lay out a cloth, using a material I love, select iconic items that have meaning for me, and light a candle. The candle reminds me to bring in the light, positive energy. Often times I will include a natural item such as a flower, leaf, or seashell, something that reminds me of my connection to the world around me.

Rituals support humans in their daily life

Once my sacred space is set, I allow myself to settle, spending time in meditation, either a mindfulness meditation, a guided visualization, or centering prayer. With that done, I begin to free write, allowing myself to remember my year; sometimes I will go month to month from my last birthday, other times I will notice the highlights first. What I’ve found, is that usually, I’ve had an amazingly successful year, not just because I’ve accomplished goals, but because even in my trying, difficult times, I realize that I’ve learned something, or taken away something of value that makes me a better person today. I end my ritual by considering how I would like my next year to flow – I don’t list goals per se, but rather, I set a tone, and come up with words that indicate my intentions.  This year I decided to focus on being joyous, inspired and confident; ultimately with those intentions I will be successful.

By engaging in my annual ritual, I recognize that “success” means so much more than accomplishing a goal, obtaining wealth, or becoming popular – success is a quality, a timber that defines my experiences. To be kind, is to be successful. To be happy, is to be successful. To be connected with others, empathizing, celebrating, contributing, is to be successful. I’ve had a rich and marvelously successful year, and I’ve accomplished quite a bit too!

Practice engaging your inner wisdom:

What does success mean to you? How do you measure your success? Do you engage in a birthday ritual, or other rituals to give yourself credit for your success? Have you ever considered doing a “success inventory” – try them daily, weekly, monthly, or annually – by taking stock of your success, you will bring about more success. 

Using Inner Wisdom When Plans Go Awry

This isn't a post about making things 'okay' when trouble strikes.  This isn't a post about powering through like a bull in a china shop when things aren't going the way you planned or about collapsing into a a ball on the floor when something creates self-doubt, sorrow, detachment or struggle.

Things aren't always going to go as you want, plan or intend.  But what can you do when those plan go awry?

That question is why this post is about realization, acceptance, and action in the face of any or all of these situations, when, for any variety of reasons, you feel like you're at the end of your rope.

This post is about empowering yourself and feeling confidence in who you are and what you want, even when certain aspects of your vision change for whatever reason.  Sure, it's okay to feel sadness, anger, frustration; all that is part of the human experience, but moving beyond that is the other part of it, the more powerful part (if you let it be), the part that occurs when you engage your inner wisdom to address it.

You can't just use your inner wisdom when things are going well.  In fact, I'd argue that being connected to its strength is even more important when disruption occurs.  Believe me on this one; I've been dealing with two major issues this summer on top of a mountain of ongoing things.  So, how do we rely on our inner wisdom in times of stress, anxiety, self-doubt, frustration, anger, and/or sadness?  When our plans go awry?  How do we engage our inner wisdom to help us move forward?

Everything in your life has the power you assign to it.  No one else can give power to anything in your life.  It's your life and you control the power.  So, why would you give more power to a bad relationship than to a good one?  Why would you allow yourself to feel unworthy or be manipulated?  Why would you not find the good in or learn the lesson of a bad situation?  This is how your inner wisdom helps when plans go awry.

If you spend time engaging your inner wisdom when things are going well, it will be there when things are not going so well.  It is where you will find the strength to get out of a bad relationship, stop allowing yourself to be treated without respect, stand up for injustice, and even process personal tragedy.

Let me give you a simple example.  Two days ago, I saw a little girl who lives on my street; she was crying.  When I asked her what was wrong, she said her brother called her a mean name.  So, I said, "What if I call you a name that isn't mean?  Will that make you stop crying?"

She looked at me confused.

"Well," I went on, "What if I call you pretty?  Does that make you want to cry?"

"No," she fought a smile.

"You are pretty.  You know that right?"

"Yes, but..."

I covered her lips with my finger.  "What if I called you smart?  Everyone on the street always says how smart you are.  Are you smart?"

"Yes," the smile was a little harder to hold back.

"What about the dance you did at the block party?  It was good.  You're a good dancer."

She smiled as she wiped her eyes.

"Now, if you know that you are smart and pretty and a good dancer, why would you let one little thing that your brother said, that isn't true, make you so sad?"

She smiled at me, stood up and went back to playing.

As I said it was a simple example, but doesn't this exemplify many situations?  Just substitute the name she was called (or her brother) for whatever tries to make your plans go awry; then put yourself in her shoes and think about how she handled the situation.

Acknowledge the problem for what it is, but keep the majority of your power focused on the positive aspects of who you are and what your inner wisdom tells you.  That is where you will find the strength to realize, accept, and take action to address the problem.

Remember, your plans may experience setbacks and obstacles, but these troubles can be overcome by trusting and empowering your inner wisdom.  Your inner wisdom would not let you give power to negativity.

Practice Engaging Your Inner Wisdom:  There are many ways you can create reminders for yourself of what your inner wisdom is and how it supports you.  Here are two ideas you can try:

1)  While you're making your plans, make a second list of the attributes you possess that will allow you to accomplish them.  This can include not only things directly related to the plans, but also attributes that make you who you are.

2)  Make a collage following the same idea.  Find images related to your plans and that reflect your personal attributes.  Show how those attributes support your plans.

When something causes those plans to go awry, consult your list or collage and let it help you reconnect or stay connected to your inner wisdom so that you can overcome the issue.

A Closer Look at "TRUST"

We are so excited to be a part of the “Declaration of You – Blog Lovin’ Tour” book launch!. 

Authors Jessica Swift and Michelle Ward invited hundreds of bloggers (check it out here http://thedeclarationofyou.com/press/) to share their thoughts on topics that include:

Enthusiasm

Uniquity (yes it’s a word!)
Intention
Self-Care
Success
Money
Celebration
Trust

Karen and I decided to join the tour and talk about TRUST

All of our Engaging Inner Wisdom posts address trust in one form or another, but a few speak more specifically to trust than others - "Honoring Your Process"

"Engaging Inner Wisdom Using Runes"

 "Deepening the Connection with Our Inner Self"

Today's post takes a closer look at "trust"

After a lot of reflection, free writing, pondering, and sleeping on the concept, I came to my own personal awareness around trust. First off, there are three distinct life areas where trust spreads its influence:

The personal realm – trusting self

The relational realm – trusting others
The communal realm – trusting large groups, governments, systems etc.

My pondering lead me to trust’s complete opposite, “distrust” – given recent world events – rampant war, neighbors who kidnap and hold people for years, child sex trafficking, Mr. Snowden’s leak about our government spying on us, and many other horrible events, it’s no wonder that distrust abounds.

If within the world around us we feel distrustful, and rightly so, then how in our personal world are we supposed to begin to trust? Can we count on ourselves? Can we count on others? What about counting on our close relationships? More importantly, can we cultivate trust, and if so, how?

In truth, I hadn’t thought about any of this prior to taking on the “Trust” topic, but I’m glad I did. Considering this topic helped me recognize that trust has to start at the personal level, move into relationships and then, once I cultivate trust and demonstrate that cultivation, perhaps it will spread to others and eventually to institutions, large groups, and even governments; after all, each of these groups is made up of individuals who have a choice to be trustworthy, or not.

Let’s begin by Trusting Ourselves

It’s so easy to not trust oneself. If we were to rely solely on the mass media marketing that bombards us on a daily basis, we would “know” that we don’t “know anything” – that is to say, all the advertisers seem to “know” better than we do, and they have a commentary about it al, so do talk show hosts, the evening news, Oprah Winfrey, Deepok Chopra, Luise Hay and all the other self-proclaimed “gurus” out there that tell us how we “should be” leading our lives*. Not to say that there isn’t relevant information, and that some of these individuals have the best of intentions, but when aggregated as a whole, the message is “trust us, because we are the experts, and you are not”.

It’s no wonder that many people experience self-doubt and question if they are on the right path, or are afraid to put their art into the world, or take the first step toward living a fulfilling life. Many people avoid situations in which they could be wrong, get embarrassed, make a mistake, etc.

We’ve got to shake this off and start listening internally to the voice that gently screams, repeatedly urging us to “do this”, or “try this”, or “take a risk”.  We need to know that our inner wisdom is awesome! We can, and should in my opinion, trust our intuition, trust our gut, listen to the messages that come to us throughout the day. We must count on ourselves to be our own advocate. If not you, then who?

Trusting Others 

Trusting others can also be tough. How many times have you trusted someone, and they’ve fallen short, not only of your expectations, but maybe they even intentionally “burned” you. ”Wow, that came out of left field,” you say to yourself. It’s amazing how knowingly, and unknowingly, people can erode our trust in them, and ultimately in others.

When we experience painful situations in which someone breaks our trust, we remember these situations in relation to new experiences, and may therefore act with greater caution, thus limiting ourselves and putting “distrust” onto others who do not warrant it. This is apparent in love-life situations, racial situations, work-related experiences, and opportunities for risk-taking as a means of personal growth and development.

Trusting others requires becoming vulnerable, and suggests that we depend on another to have our best interests at heart. Truthfully, we must continually open ourselves up and trust others, even if untrustworthy people have impacted us in the past. If we are listening to ourselves, and trusting ourselves, then the choices we make around others will most probably reflect our good judgment and our deep knowing.

Communal trust

Here is where I got stuck. What I repeatedly returned to was that only by modeling trust, by being trustworthy ourselves, could our institutions begin to change. Institutions, communities, societies, etc. are all made up of individuals – it is the quality, character and trustworthiness of these individuals that define the entities. Trusting in a better world may be utopian, but it inspires people to become whistle-blowers, to fight for what is right, to be honorable, and to speak their own personal truth – even if in doing so one risks ridicule, their freedom, and maybe even their life.

Trust is deep. Trust is profound. Trust is tantamount to so many other feelings. Without it, we wouldn’t move forward personally, we wouldn’t engage in meaningful relationships, and our world would experience even worse tragedy.

As you cultivate trust it compounds, in other words, trust begets trust. You trust yourself, you are trustworthy, others trust you, you trust them, and so on.

Engaging Your Inner Wisdom: Cultivate trust

Personal Trust –

Begin to listen inwardly, become silent and still, so that you can hear your own truth.
Act on your “gut feelings” – whenever possible and appropriate.

Keep your promises to yourself! Jennifer Louden, author of "The Women’s Retreat Book” says,

"Self-trust grows from a history of promises made and kept."

Say what you mean, and mean what you say.

Relational Trust –

Be trustworthy – model this so that others will be trustworthy too.
Check out the “Four Agreements” by Don Miquel Ruiz – 1.) “be impeccable with your word”, 2.) “don’t take anything personally”, 3.) “don’t make assumptions”, and 4.) “always do your best”.

Communal Trust –

Get to know your neighbors – create a neighborhood block party.

Walk or bikeride in your community.

Shop locally, and get to know your “mom and pop” vendors.

Volunteer for a local project like a food pantry, community garden, or sitting on the board of a local non-profit doing work that benefits the community.

“The Declaration of You, published by North Light Craft Books and available now, gives readers all the permission they’ve craved to step passionately into their lives, discover how they and their gifts are unique and uncover what they are meant to do! Find more info and order the book at http://thedeclarationofyou.com

“We can’t wait to be a part of The Declaration of You’s Facebook party this Friday at 9:30-10a PST/11:30a-12p CST/12:30-1p EST. We’ll be chatting in real time about TRUST over at http://facebook.com/TheDeclarationOfYou

Hope you can join us!”

Make a point of liking

The Jera Institute at http://www.facebook.com/JeraInstitute

and Art and Soul Lab at https://www.facebook.com/artandsoullab

The Importance of Honoring Your Process

I am grateful to Karen, my blog partner, for writing about the importance of "taking time for our passion". Her writing coupled with my blog post on "creative process need processing?" and coming across something I wrote several months ago, prompted today's topic: honoring your process.

I easily get sucked into the "shoulds" and "have-to's" -  I find that rather than being competitive, I am comparative - which I think might be worse. I expect that I "should be" just like everyone else, moving at their pace, in their time, and in their way. If I am not successful with my objectives, then I have missed the mark, failed somewhere, am not as good as the other person next to me. When learning something new, I berate myself if I don't "get it" immediately. phew...gnarly critic!

Re-reading what I wrote several months ago makes me question the beliefs I mention above. I had been working on a new business prospect (ongoing) and thinking about my creative process; I wrote the following:

"I suppose something I realize about my process, and frankly, I rarely accommodate, is that it takes me a while to decide on a trajectory. For example, when I made the white spiral piece, it took forever to decide and design, so too did the metal, gold piece and the umbrella. I seem to need time to ruminate, to allow. I feel like the world moves way faster than me. With the mundane, I can easily keep up, but when it comes time to listen to my inner voice, that takes time. Things need to simmer and stew. I need time to consider and contemplate. It is critical that I allow myself that time. No need to compare, or compete, or keep up. I must allow myself to move at my pace, and be ok with it."

It is easy to say all this, but it is so much more difficult to embrace and apply.

I recently took an assemblage class, and experienced a tremendous amount of anxiety because we were supposed to finish building a piece within the duration of the class. I was freaked out! I hadn't even decided on which materials I wanted to use, let alone figured out how to put them all together. Moreover, I hadn't really thought about what I was getting myself into when I signed up for the class. It is so much fun to gather materials and imagine the possibility, and usually, I don't take the time to consider the work involved; all the more reason to embrace taking time!

This brings me to Karen's post. Karen, I embrace your challenge of "taking time for your passion", and the way I intend to do it is by taking time throughout my weeks to reflect, let things stew and see what comes up. Perhaps I will do more stream of consciousness writing on specific topics. Maybe I will walk the labyrinth with a question concerning a project I am working on. Perhaps I will just sit and be. Now mind you, I already do morning pages, and meditate; what I am suggesting is different. It's different because it will be topic specific, intentional.

I may or may not choose to share my progress every month. I may just wait until the autumnal equinox to let you know the outcome. I haven't decided yet, I need time to let it swirl around in my brain for a bit before I figure out which way I want to go with, either way though, you will eventually find out.

Practice Engaging Your Inner Wisdom: What about you? Do you move more slowly, needing time for things to settle in before making a decision? Do you like to think about the myriad possibilities before jumping in? How do you work? Perhaps you could take time to write about what works, and doesn't work for you. Do you do Morning Pages? Morning pages are Julie Cameron's (author of the Artist's Way) prescription for emptying ourselves, so that we have room to fill ourselves. She encourages that you write 3, one-sided pages a day, upon waking - stream of consciousness, don't lift your hand from the page, keep writing even if you don't know what to say pages - these shouldn't take more than 15 minutes. You might want to ask yourself a question before you start writing. Please let me know what you think, how you process, and what you're up to. It helps me with my experiences!

Taking Time for Your Passion

Say, "Yes!" to your passion!

How often do you engage your passion?

For way too long, I have largely ignored mine - writing - but that all changes now.  In her last post, Chantel talked about the solstice as a time of abundant energy and vibrance when we can make bold moves and take giant leaps.

I, for one, am taking her up on the idea and I hope you will join me.  I plan to channel this high energy time into my writing passion using the simple formula I've been using for my blog, The Wonder of Runes, since last fall.  I have committed three hours one morning a week to writing and sharing my blog with others and, since that time, it has flourished and I am amazed and grateful to see the interest in and response to my efforts.

Yeah, nice idea.  Why is this important?  What if I'm just too busy with other things to do anything about my passion?  I have to work, ya know.

When you focus all your energy on things that simply suck the energy out of you, you are draining yourself.  Engaging in your passion is one way to refuel or replenish that energy.  I write for a living, but much of that entails writing things for other people or editing their work.  While I enjoy it, it is not the same as the three hours I spend writing my blog entries for The Wonder of Runes.

Therefore, between now and the autumnal equinox on September 22nd, I plan to dedicate a similar amount of time, like that which I dedicate to my blog, to different writing projects each weekday and there is no shortage of supply.

I write my blog on Mondays and that will not change.  Making that commitment is one of the best things I've done for myself in recent years.  This a a wonderful example of the benefits of engaging your passion.  Not only has it paid off for me personally, but professionally as well.  And now it serves as the formula to expand that benefit and write more.

Tuesdays will be dedicated to writing the sequel to my novel, The Son of Nine Sisters.  I began writing it last November as part of the NaNoWriMo challenge, but haven't really touched it since.  Sure, I've gone over it a hundred times in my head, thinking through details, making links, and solidifying characters and story lines, but I'm not sure I've written a word in it this year.  Since I want the first draft completed around the autumnal equinox, I had better get a move on.  So, Tuesdays for my sequel.

Once I published my novel, my daughter decided she wanted to write a book too, so we are working on one together, a young readers series about time travel.  The first book draft is literally about 500 words from being finished, but it is a series, so we need to write at least more and the synopsis for a couple beyond that.  That ought to keep me busy on Wednesday mornings.

Of course, there is little point in writing all these books if I don't do any marketing.  Even though it's not my favorite thing to do, I will spend Thursdays marketing both my creative writing and professional writing services.

Friday is for another, much newer passion, gardening.  You may recall my last post was about my new love of growing food.  Yes, this is the first and trial year, but I've already learned a few things and I can't wait to get back and dig in literally and figuratively.  And, I have to say, I am amazed how engaging with Earth helps clear my mind and accelerate my creative and critical thinking, a grea way to come up with or clarify story ideas.

Ah, now that's the way to spend a week.

I don't have time to dedicate three hours each morning to my passion.  Are you crazy?  I have a job and I have to clean the house and shuttle the kids and go grocery shopping, and do the laundry.

I'm not suggesting you follow my model exactly.  I am suggesting that, as one way to engage your inner wisdom and refuel yourself that you take time for your passion once a week.  The only catch is that you have to set a dedicated time to do it and stick to it until the equinox.  You can make excuses or make time.  Which will it be?

I would love to have you join me in this solstice to equinox quest, especially my fellow writers.  We can spend a morning writing together.  To that end, here is your challenge:

Practice Engaging Your Inner Wisdom:  Take time or, more specifically, arrange a set time once a week to engage your passion.  Tell me what it is.  Share your experience with me.  Are you an artist?  Show me some of your work?  A fellow writer?  Share an excerpt or poem.  Are you spending time in nature?  Take some pictures to show us.  Email me a sample of whatever you do and I will dedicate a blog post or two (or however many it takes) to sharing your experience with our readers.  I look forward to making this journey with you.

For those of you still questioning whether you have time to spend engaging your passion, how about this?  All you have to do is monitor me.  You can check into this blog over he next three months to see what progress I've made or, you can follow Engaging Inner Wisdom on facebook and see regular updates there.  That way, you can decide whether it was worth it for me to take this time or not.  Maybe that will inspire you to take time for yours.

A Mid -Year, Summer Solstice Ritual with SoulCollage® Cards

Inspired by my friend and co-blog creator, Karen Paquin, who recently celebrated the 2^nd year anniversary of her blog “The Wonder of Runes” (Yay Karen! Congratulations!), I decided to conduct a ritual for the upcoming summer solstice.

You may remember that Karen and I launched Engaging Inner Wisdom on the winter solstice, and then started the new year by reflecting on the past and envisioning the future. We began planting seeds of intention, and doing the work necessary for the seedlings to grow. We’ve been nurturing our projects since the vernal equinox.

On Friday, June 21, 2013 we will experience the longest day of the year (shortest night), aka the summer solstice, and as a result we will have an abundance of energy, time, and the vibrant enthusiasm associated with the sun at our fingertips.

This bold energy of encouragement brings with it the opportunity to expand, work hard, play hard, and move forward, thrust into our big, bold adventure that began earlier this year. Soon, on the autumnal equinox, we can harvest all that comes from this exuberant, vibrant, energy-filled time. What we harvest doesn’t just come from work, it can come from the time we spend with family and friends, vacationing, enjoying leisure time, and basking in the sun.

Intent on knowing how to put my best foot forward as I move into the second half of the year (we are after all, at the midway point) I enlisted my SoulCollage® cards to use in my ritual. These cards are considered a “personal oracle” because I created the cards and selected the images used on them,  I ask the questions and I answer the questions – in doing this I tap into my subconscious and receive powerful insight. If you create your own deck, you can do the same thing. I will talk more about SoulCollage®  in upcoming blog posts, but for now, I will share my summer solstice ritual with you, and the meaning I derived from my SoulCollage® cards.

When I work with my cards I like to set sacred space, so I set off with my altar to regale the sun in my backyard. I lit a candle, shuffled my cards and decided to ask them this question: “As I step into the second half of the year, with the sun’s energy at its height, which Neters (cards) wish to guide me and move me forward?” After selecting four random cards I engaged in several SoulCollage® writing activities, and here is what the cards had to "say" to me (abbreviated for the post):

Card #1

This card provides me with peace of mind and a sense of clarity. I am reminded that when I listen to my intuition, I can trust in the future. This card tells me to hold on to summer’s light and energy, but don’t cling too tightly. Its green color suggests that my heart chakra plays a role in the upcoming months. I am also reminded to lay out a plan, and gently follow it.

Card #2

This card focuses more on a path, a narrow path. It speaks to the importance of structure and passion. It encourages me to follow my path, and to make sure that I don’t sacrifice structure for passion. I can see clearly, and I am encouraged to engage in joint ventures.

Card #3

This card is all about peace, harmony, loving kindness and compassion. It reminds me to stay heart centered and open my heart to both give and receive. When I do this I will benefit from the marvelous gems that are near and dear to my heart. It suggests that even though things may get strewn about at times, and seem chaotic, as long as I am operating from my heart, I will be ok.

Card #4

 

This card encourages me to “jump on board” and not get weighed down by my "wet blanket" i.e. my negativity, whining, and comparing myself to others. I need to turn my thinking around and see the marvelous opportunities that are just waiting around the bend for me. It reminds me to be grateful! I need to turn and look at the blessings in my life! There are marvelous, golden opportunities awaiting me on the horizon.

So, what do I get from all this for the next six months? -

Follow my true heart’s path. Fill myself with passion, but remember to create a structure from which to operate. Stay true to my heart, remain loving and kind, and be grateful for all that I have and all that awaits me. Things are fine and moving forward splendidly. I don’t need to doubt or second-guess. I just need to do my work, keep the faith, and remain true to myself.

Engaging Your Inner Wisdom – What rituals do you engage in that support you as you move through your year? Have you ever thought of doing SoulCollage®? Maybe you would be inspired to celebrate the summer solstice by walking a labyrinth. Perhaps you use art making as a ritual. Maybe you rise every morning to pray and meditate? Engaging in rituals helps us to connect more deeply to the activity. I'd love to hear from you about your rituals and encourage you to find meaningful rituals that can enrich and deepen your life!