The Oracle Tarot is a colorful, lively, and very positive deck. Mine was a Christmas gift, and I'm having a wonderful time becoming acquainted with it. The images are much more modern than those found in traditional decks, and the cards themselves are sturdy and have a shiny finish. The key words that accompany the images are subtly different from those I'm used to and have introduced me to new layers of meaning for each card.
I was a bit skeptical at first because there are only 64 cards in the Oracle Tarot - the court cards have been omitted. Surprisingly, the lack of court cards hasn't been a problem, and I'm finding that this particular deck is great for tuning into the present time and the near future. As a matter of fact, this is one of only two decks that I can comfortably use when reading for myself.
While I don't feel this deck is right for every single reading, primarily because there are no male figures in the illustrations, I find myself turning to it more and more as the days go by. The Oracle Tarot makes a great accompaniment to my standard working deck, and I recommend it to anyone interested in cards that are both inspirational and fun.
My daughter suggested to me the other day that I come up with a spell to help her beat the post-holiday/wintertime blues. Here's what I came up with - she said it worked beautifully, so I wanted to share it with you.
For this spell you will need:
1 soft yellow or cream colored candle.
Cinnamon - freshly ground is best, but the kind in the jar also works.
1 Shiny new quarter
12 yellow toothpicks
A fuzzy warm sweater or shawl.
Instructions:
Sprinkle the cinnamon on a pretty plate or silver dish. Don't be sparing - use lots! Place the quarter in the center of the plate, and arrange the toothpicks around it to suggest a sun. Wrap yourself up in the sweater or shawl and meditate on sunshine and warm, happy feelings. Tell yourself how wonderful it is to be alive. Feel the blood coursing through you veins.
Now, place the candle on top of your little sun and say these words:
"As the sun brings light and life, so does this candle bring happiness and warmth to my heart. As the soft scents of spring bring new life and joy to the earth, so does this cinnamon bring hope and happiness to my soul. As the company of my friends and family brings cheer and love into my life, so does this sweater enfold me in comfort and warmth. With this flame, I re-light the fire of happiness in my heart." Light the candle and let if burn itself out. If you need to leave the house, it's okay to snuff the flame and then relight it.
Now, go do something to pamper yourself!
Bright Blessings,
Robyn
""Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be."
Abraham Lincoln
It took me a long time to realize that Mr. Lincoln was right, and we
can make up our minds to be happy - at least most of the time. But wait! Abe forgot to leave detailed instructions on how, exactly, to do that.
So how exactly does one make up one's mind to be happy? After much thought and experimentation, I came up with a formula that works for me. I decided to channel happiness in basically the same way so many talented people channel those who have passed over to the other side.
Here's my recipe for channeling happiness. Please feel free to use it if you like, and please feel free to change or rearrange it to suit your own needs. "Presto, chango, re-arrango", and it magically becomes all yours!
Materials needed: None
Although props never hurt! With that in mind, I suggest the following:
1 pretty pillow (or silk scarf, bedspread, field of flowers, beach towel, patch of green grass, sandy beach, comic section from the newspaper, hot bath, etc.)
1 stick of incense (or fragrant flower, freshly brewed coffee, homemade cookies baking in the oven, bath salts, etc.)
1 fluffy kitten (or tank of fish, a dog, a baby, a flock of birds flying overhead, etc. If you don't have one on hand, a photo will do.)
1 memory of a time when you were truly happy.
Procedure:Seat yourself comfortably on whatever gives you pleasure at the moment.
Inhale the scent of something that reminds you of a happy time.
Focus on a beloved pet, favorite kind of animal, or baby. Notice they way they live in the moment, and how happy the simplest things make them.
Focus on a time a favorite moment of happiness from your own past. Revel in the memory and open your heart and mind. Let that moment of happiness fill you up and overflow to fill the space around you. Tell yourself that you can re-experience this feeling any time you like, no matter what is going on in your current life. And soon enough, this will be true.
Share the happiness you feel by doing something nice for someone else.
Isn't it amazing how things always seem to fall into place just at the right time? My dreams have been very surreal and intense the past couple of weeks, and have seemed to deal mostly with interpersonal relationships of all kinds - both past and present. I've been wishing for a book that dealt specifically with relationship dreams, and this one, "Dreams & Relationships" by Nicholas Heyneman, literally jumped out of the bookcase onto my head yesterday morning.
Not only did this book propel itself off the bookshelf, but I've never seen it before and have absolutely no idea where it came from in the first place. In any case, I love this book and highly recommend it to you. It's chock full of goodies, including a relationship oracle, exercises to help you understand and improve your relationships, and it clearly explains the language and symbols of dreams.
Here's an excerpt from the section titled "The Emotions of Sleep":
"Dream life is a netherworld of swirling emotions: raw, undisguised, and free from the shackles of unconscious repression and the need to conform to the social laws of waking reality. The core meaning of a dream is how it feels: the emotions coalesce to form its very essence, which is often a far more reliable guide to the dream's meaning than the visual images that tend normally to catch our attention.
While waking emotions can sometimes be misleading, we can rely upon dreams to display truthfully the entire spectrum of feelings intrinsic to relationships - whether positive emotions such as joy and excitement, or darker feelings such as sadness, anger, and frustration. In turn, dreams can help us come to terms with our waking emotions: they can guide us in dealing with disabling guilt, or teach us how to infuse new life into a relationship when it is most needed. "
We have a new kitty at our house, and my husband's been teaching him to read the tarot! In fact, kitty
insists on helping with tarot readings and likes to be given his own deck to play with while I'm working. Little Pumpkin Kitty (we found him at the Pumpkin Festival) spreads the deck out with his paws, carefully selects a few cards and then turns them over one by one with his teeth.
He's so adorable that I took some photos to share with you. Hope you enjoy them.
Blessings,
Robyn
Reading over!
I was listening to Ani Difranco tonight (partly for pleasure and partly because her music makes an awesome accompaniment to housework), and one phrase in particular resonated strongly with me. Ani sings:
"I see you and I'm so perplexed.
What was I thinking?
What will I think of next?"
Most of us have had this experience at least once or twice - something that seemed like a wonderful idea at the time leaves us scratching our heads and worrying about what we might think of next. For sure, I've done it time after time. In fact, the fear of what my next "mistake" might be has often wiped out all confidence in my decision making ability.
Time and experience has taught me, however, that there are very few real mistakes in life - almost every experience, every relationship, every friendship, every chance we take, holds a valuable lesson or two. Especially the ones that had surprise endings. Yes, it's wise to think things through carefully, but not to the point that we hold ourselves back from living life to the utmost.
The universe has an infinite number of things to offer, and I hope to (finally) come to a place where both caution and joyful risk-taking find a magical balance. And I wish the same for you. May we all live every moment to the fullest, explore our options wisely and refuse to let past experiences hold us back!
Blessings,
Robyn
Isn't it frustrating when you want or need something that you just can't find? Are you looking for a lost object? For the right someone with whom to share your life? For a certain location? For the perfect dress for your wedding? Whatever it is you're looking for, this little spell can help you find it. My husband and I used this method when we were searching for the perfect location for our outdoor wedding. And it worked beautifully!
The inspiration for this spell came from "Condensed Magic" by Phil Hines. It's an excellent book and I highly recommend it to you.
All you will need for this spell is:
- A small figurine that represents an animal, person, mystical creature, etc. You can even use a rock or crystal instead of an actual figure. (At our house, we use a stone that looks like the needle of a compass and lives inside the shell of a turtle-shaped container.)
- A small candle of any color.
- A cone/stick of incense or a small bundle of sage.
- Fresh coffee beans or a small silver coin.
- A very small bowl
Begin by lighting the incense or sage and placing it in the bowl. Pass the figure or object through the smoke and say three times, "Magical friend, please help me as I search for that which eludes me."
Now that you have charged your figure or object, place it next to the bowl and promise it a reward once you have found whatever it is you're looking for. Now keep looking! This is an important part of the spell - remember you're asking for help, not for someone else to take over completely.
Once you succeed in your quest, don't forget to thank your new magical friend. My helper's favorite treat is a two or three fresh coffee beans, but I find that placing a small silver coin inside the turtle's shell also seems to make it happy.
Only a few minutes ago, I happened across a book that has been sitting unread on my bookshelf for several years. It's called "Ordinary Magic; Everyday Life as Spiritual Path", edited by John Wellwood, and found myself strangely compelled to open this book to a random page and write today's blog on whatever happened to be in paragraph two on the right side of that page.
And this is what I found:
We Are Not The Poem
by Natalie Goldberg
"The problem is that we think we exist. We think our words are permanent and solid and stamp us forever. That's not true. We are in the moment. Sometimes when I read poems at readings to strangers, they think those poems are me. They're not me, even if I speak in the "I" person. They were my thoughts and my hand and the space and the emotions at that time of writing. Watch yourself. Every minute we change. It is a great opportunity. We can step out of our frozen selves and our ideas and begin fresh."
These words are exactly what I needed to hear on this hot Saturday afternoon, and oddly enough, they almost exactly mirror something my husband said to me last night. I realize that when I woke up this morning it was with Friday's feelings, Friday's emotions, Friday's goals and thoughts running around in my brain. Enough of that! This is Saturday, not Friday. It's a new day and I'm free to reinvent both the day and myself in any way I please.
Thank you, Ms Goldberg for teaching me that I am not yesterday's poem. :)
Have you ever found yourself bombarded by negative energy and been unsure how to repel the bad vibes? Here's a simple bit of magic that anyone can use to literally clear the air around themselves and banish negativity, malice, envy, etc. etc. All you need is a mirror. Or two. Or three.
You will definitely need a white candle, some incense, at least one mirror. You may also need a marking pen and some fabric glue or a needle and thread. The type of mirror you choose depends on who, or what, you're trying to shield:
- If your goal is to protect your home from unwelcome visitors, nosy neighbors, or any other type of negativity, you should use round stick-on mirrors of the type meant for the side mirrors on cars. You will need one mirror for each direction in which your house has windows. For instance, I have no windows on the western side of my house, so I would only need three mirrors.
- If you're having problems with someone at work, or if you find yourself overwhelmed by people when you go shopping, you will want to buy a small makeup mirror. Not a compact, though - just a flat mirror with no lid.
- Gym lockers, school lockers, work cubicles - all of these are perfect for small mirrors hung to face the door.
- To protect your backpack, purse, briefcase, umbrella, etc. visit a craft store and buy those tiny little mirrors that are often sewn onto clothing.
Before you begin, take a bath in salt water, or else throw some bath salts under the spray in your shower. This will clean your personal energy. Now, light the white candle and the incense. Pass the mirror(s) over the flame of the candle and through the smoke of the incense and say:
"I infuse this mirror with the flaming fire so that it may burn away all outside negative energy. I pass this mirror through the fragrant smoke so that it may hide and shield."
Now, let the candle and the incense burn all the way down, and when that is done, put your mirror shields into place.
- If you are using the stick-on mirrors, attach one to the outside of one window on each windowed side of your home.
- For protection in the workplace, get your magic marker and draw an eye on your small mirror. Now draw one little tear at the corner of the eye. This will reflect all sadness, envy, aninmosity, etc, back toward the sender.
- Attach a flat, stick-on mirror to the wall opposite the door of your locker, cubicle, etc.
- Attach one or more tiny mirrors to the item you wish protected. For instance, I have a black velvet backpack and have sewn several small mirrors to the side that faces out when I wear it.
That's all there is to it! My sisters and I use this technique all the time and have had great success with it. I hope it works for you, too. :)
P.S. It also helps to wear highly reflection silver jewelry whenever you are feeling overwhelmed by the energy of others.
The radio was on in the car this morning and I wasn't paying any attention, until "Driving Sideways" from the "Magnolia Soundtrack" by Aimee Mann started to play. Ever since then, this song has been stuck in my brain. I can't help but think how well these lyrics apply to so many situations in life - especially relationships.
So many times we fall into the trap of measuring relationship success by how quickly things move, how fast the other person moves towards a commitment, how soon we get to the stage where we can feel secure. But speed is not necessarily an accurate measure of how well things are going, or even
where they're going. As Ms Mann says in this song,
"And you will say
That you're making headway
And put it in overdrive.
But you're mistaking speed
For getting what you need
And never even noticing
You never do arrive.
Cause you're
Driving sideways
If you roll down the window you'll see
You're where you don't belong."Sometimes, the very best things in life don't arrive as quickly as we wish they would, and the path that leads us there isn't as smooth and easy as we wish it were. But in the end, it's the goal that matters, rather than the ease and speed with which we move. So from now on, I'm going try to remember to sit back, chill out, and sing along with Aimee Mann while I check the sat nav to make sure I'm moving in the right direction.
Lemon/rosemary Chicken
This recipe works with any kind of chicken, i.e. whole chickens,
pieces of chicken, skinless/boneless chicken. You name it. You can cook
it on the grill or in the oven. I like to serve it with steamed rice
and a nice salad, but it's also delicious with grilled corn on the cob.
Ingredients
Chicken
Lemon juice
Dried or fresh rosemary
garlic powder or minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste.
Drizzle lemon juice over each piece of chicken. If you're cooking a
whole chicken, do the same with that. Sprinkle chicken with garlic
powder, salt and pepper. Now, sprinkle rosemary (either fresh or dry) over the chicken. I like it heavy on the rosemary. If
you're roasting or baking the chicken, cook it at 375 degrees until it
is well done. On the grill, cook as you would any other kind of
chicken.
Grilled Corn on the Cob
This couldn't be easier. Soak the corn, husks and all, in salted water for approx 1 hour. Shake the water off ear of corn and pop them on the grill to steam. The husks will blacken, but that's okay. Test the corn from time to time and when you feel it's done the way you like it, serve it with lots of butter. Yum!
This lovely card called
"Psychic" is from
'The Soulmate Oracle Deck' by John Grey, Ph.D. It reminds us how very easy it is to fall into the "psychic trap", wherein we believe we can intuit exactly what our partner thinks, feels, or wants, at any given time. Its easy to believe that we can properly interpret their actions, responses, words, and then respond according to that interpretation.
Why is this kind of thinking a trap?
- Because we can never know for sure what's happening inside the mind and heart of another person - not even the person closest to us.
- We each come equipped with our own set of expections, beliefs, fears, and filters, which predispose us to see things in a certain way.
- No two people are exactly the same, so it's never safe to make assumptions based on our previous experiences with other people.
- It's much easier and less stressful to ask what someone else is thinking than it is to try to figure it out on our own.
Here's some of what Dr Grey has to say about playing psychic in a relationship:
"Viewing a partner through the distorting lens of our inner "crystal
ball" is dangerous, as we seldom realize that we are simply making
things up. We've all heard of self-fulfilling prophecies. These occur
when someone is so strongly affected by their "psychic knowledge" that
they act in a way that makes their worst fears come true.
How do you tend to play the psychic with your partner? All of us at
times think we know what our partner is feeling. We become upset by
what we think our partner means by an action or by their words. We even
limit our own choices and behavior according to how we believe they
will respond to us. Do you recognize how you do any of these things?
It's important to realize that whatever you see in your "crystal ball"
could be absolutely wrong. You may be limiting your relationship by
believing in that crystal ball. This card warns you to beware of being
"psychic" in any way about your partner. It's always better to ask than
to assume!"
Conversely, it's also unwise to expect our partner to be psychic about us! They have no way of knowing what we feel, need, think, at any moment, especially when we haven't shared that information with them. Then we become hurt or angry because they haven't satisfied our unspoken needs. The reality is that it's simply not true that if our partners "truly care" about us, they're "know" what we want without our telling them.
To quote Dr Grey again:
"The card PSYCHIC makes a suggestion: To find out what is really going
on, talk! Open your mind, your heart, and your eyes. Then open your
mouth. To know what's going on with your partner, ask them! If there's
something you want or need from your partner, tell them! If you are
having problems, speak up and discuss what's going on inside of you.
By talking, you and your partner can distinguish your imagined ideas and
beliefs from the realities within each of you - and see each other more
clearly. With this clarity, you will more easily see ways that you can
move together toward greater joy and fulfillment."
The bottom line is, if you want to know what your partner is thinking, ask them! And if you want them to know what you're thinking, tell them! Communication is the key to a loving, caring, informed relationship.
Blessings,
Robyn
Do you ever feel that you are powerless and unable to gain control over certain events or situations in your life? It's easy to spiral into anxiety and frustration when it appears that someone else has all the power and control. Many of my callers are currently struggling with this very issue, and since I know first hand how awful it feels, I've decided to re-publish a blog I wrote a couple of years ago.
This is
"The Parable of the Bitter Tea" by Rev. Dr. Hypocrates Magoun, P.P.and it's taken from the "
Principia Discordia", written by Greg Hill and Kerry Thornley.
"When Hypoc was through meditating with St. Gulik, he went
there into the kitchen where he busied himself with preparing the
feast and in his endeavor, he found that there was some old tea in a
pan left standing from the night before, when he had in his weakness
forgot about its making and had let it sit steeping for 24 hours. It
was dark and murky and it was Hypoc's intention to use this old tea by
diluting it with water. And again in his weakness, chose without
further consideration and plunged into the physical labor of the
preparations. It was then when deeply immersed in the pleasure of that
trip, he had a sudden loud clear voice in his head saying "it is bitter
tea that involves you so." Hypoc heard the voice, but the struggle
inside intensified, and the pattern, previously established with the
physical laboring and the muscle messages coordinated and unified or
perhaps coded, continued to exert their influence and Hypoc succummed
to the pressure and he denied the voice.
And again he plunged into the physical orgy and completed the task, and Lo as the voice had predicted, the tea was bitter."
So many times I have found myself in this same sort of situation.
Much like Hypoc, I forget to ask myself what the true nature of the
situation, person, or object I'm dealing with might be before I choose
to go ahead with my plans. Usually, this happens when I don't want to
see the truth because it doesn't fit in with my personal agenda. I'm
trying to do a better job of seeing things clearly these days, though.
In his book, "How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World", Harry Browne addresses this same sort of problem, and offers a solution.
"Each individual is acting on own knowledge in ways he believes
will bring him happiness. He acts to produce the consequences he
thinks will make him feel better.
You have to treat things and people in accordance with their own
identities in order to get what you want from them. You don't expect a
stone to be a fish. And it's just as unrealistic to expect one person
to act as someone else does. You don't control the identities of
people, but you can control how you deal with them."
When I read these paragraphs, it resonated as truth - just like the
Parable of the Bitter Tea did. I can't control other people, but I can
learn to judge situations and people according to their true nature.
One of the best ways I've found to do this is make my judgements and
plans based on the taste of the tea and the actions of the people
involved in any given situation - rather than on my preconceived ideas.
Or even on their own words and good intentions.
If the tea is bitter, I can throw it out, or use it for some other
purpose than drinking. For instance, bitter tea is great for treating
sunburn! Once I understood that there is more than one way to deal with
other people and things, I no longer felt the need to control or change
them.
Bright Blessings & Love,
Robyn
Candle magic (also known as candle meditation) has been a strong interest of mine for quite some time. I've read many books on the subject, scoured the internet for information, talked to other practitioners, and conducted my own experiments. If you search my blog, you will find many spells which incorporate candles of various colors, sizes, and scents; as well as articles on herbs and oils, etc. And I haven't even touched on the subjects of candle shape, quality of wax, homemade vs store bought, etc. etc.
All of this can seem overwhelming to someone who is new to candle work. However, it's really very simple once you understand the secret.
Are you ready? The secret is that it's the intention of the person lighting the candle that matters most. All of the rest is merely a tool to help you focus your intention. The shape of the candle doesn't matter - neither does the color or the scent or whatever you might choose to rub on it - just as long as you, yourself, are focused and clear on what it is you wish to achieve!
Some people will tell you that it's necessary to purchase an expensive candle, but it's not. It's fun to have special shapes, which is why I sometimes buy them. And it's fun to have a lot of different colors, which is why I often buy colored candles. I love growing herbs and buying special oils with which to anoint candles, but, again, that's not necessary. My basic working candle is nothing more than a small white votive that I buy in bags of 50 from the discount store. For a really big project or spell, I might go all out and purchase a 7-day candle from the Mexican foods section of the grocery store at the cost of $2 per candle.
People may offer to light a candle for you for a high price - up to $500 or more - but this isn't necessary, either. You can take them up on this if you like, but the chances are that you're quite capable of lighting your own candles and performing your own meditation. After all, who understands the desires of your heart better than you do? And who is more capable of accurately visualizing those desires than you are? No one!
Here is how you go about candle magic in the most basic and effective manner:
- Decide on the candle(s) you wish to use.
- Take a few moments to spell out in your own mind exactly what it is you are trying to achieve.
- Write this down on a piece of paper. Fold the paper and place it next to, or underneath, the candle(s).
- Light your candle(s) and sit or stand where you can clearly see the flame.
- Meditate on your goal while focusing on the flame.
- When you feel you have made your wishes and intentions clear, go listen to some music, take a nap, go for a walk, etc.
- Wait for the candle to burn down.
- Burn the piece of paper on which you wrote your heart's desire and dispose of any remaining candle wax.
That's all there is to it. And if for any reason, you still feel you would like someone to help you with a candle meditation please ask when you call me. I would be happy to do it for you for free.
Bright Blessings,
Robyn
This is one of my all time favorite recipes! It's healthy, filling and totally delicious - not to mention easy to make. I hope you enjoy it. :)
Chicken (or Tofu) and Grains
Ingredients:
Four cups of mixed grains cooked in vegetable broth.
(I like wild rice, brown rice, oats, and barley)
1 cup raw cauliflower
1 cup raw brocoli
1 cup raw carrots
1 cup mushrooms
1/4 cup finely sliced green onion
1/4 tsp minced garlic
1/4 to 1/2 cup tahini sauce depending on your tastes
2 cups tofu or skinless, boneless chicken breasts cut into small pieces.
1 cup low fat sour cream or plain yogurt
1 cup of our favorite cheese, shredded
Chop the cauliflower and brocoli into small pieces. Cut the
mushrooms, carrots and onions into thin slices. Spray a sautee pan with
Pam, or else add some olive oil. Sautee the carrots, brocoli and
cauliflower to almost the desired degree of doneness, then add the
mushrooms. When the vegetables are done, mix them with the grains and
stir in tahini sauce to taste. At this point, you can arrange the
grains and vegetables on a serving platter or put them in the
refrigerator to serve at a later time.
In another pan, sautee the chicken or tofu in 1/4 cup tahini sauce and the garlic.
When you're ready to eat, heat the grain mixture in the microwave if
needed. Arrange it on a serving platter and garnish with the chicken
or tofu, shredded cheese, yogurt or sour cream, and green onions.
This mixture is also fabulous when served over a baked potato. Cut
the hot baked potato lengthwise, slather with butter, and top with the
grains, chicken or tofu, cheese, green onions and sour cream or
yogurt.