I Love It When Oracle Cards and a Scarab Beetle Make Me Cry

Posted by Barbara Techel

I shared this post on my Joyful Pause Facebook page yesterday and received such a lovely response from Linda Su who appreciated my honesty and that my sharing helped her with a struggle she was going through. So I thought I’d share this post here, too.

I Love It When Oracle Cards and a Scarab Beetle Make Me Cry…

Well, ok, not always – but for the most part, I do. It means I’ve hit the truth. Once I acknowledge the truth, I can then be with it, feel it, and integrate it. Otherwise, it follows me around and weighs on me like a ton of bricks until I say, “Okay, I see you. I hear you.”

This is so great for helping not repeat patterns. We all do it. It’s human. But it’s why I enjoy working with oracle cards as part of my daily devotion to myself.

I knew right away what these two cards were about today and as happens when I hit that nugget in my heart, it brings tears to my eyes. I was falling back into the pattern of forcing something that is not yet ready to be born. I was in that place of trying to control an outcome of how I think it SHOULD unfold.

And you know where that gets you right? Yup…struggle, and an inner battle that makes you feel off-balance and cranky.

Scarab Beetle was the perfect animal to present himself today to remind me to not push because I think I SHOULD which won’t get me too far – and will feel inauthentic – but in order to shine my true magic, there is grace is allowing the flow to happen with the timing of the Universe.

Go with the flow and listen to that inner compass (i.e., Intuition!) is what To the Sea card said to me.

I KNOW this, but that dang ego of mine wasn’t listening as my mind went round and round.

But after pulling these cards and journaling, I recognized where this was coming from, and I then felt more at peace.

XO,
Barbara

Subscribe here to receive my bi-monthly newsletter which includes a digest of my blog posts, oracle readings, wisdom from the animal kingdom, first to know special offers and more

and/or…

Subscribe here to receive my blog posts as they are published.

Just for the Sake of Appreciation.

Posted by Barbara Techel

Yesterday afternoon John noticed the hydrangeas on the kitchen table. “Look at the hydrangeas,” he said.

“I picked those and put them there yesterday.”

“But I noticed.”

I really thought about this as he left for an appointment. It used to be that when I did something in the house, such as bring in flowers, rearrange something, or put a new decorative item up I’d bought I’d be disappointed if he didn’t notice.

But I realized some time ago I really do this for me. Two of my values are home and beauty. Did it matter that he would notice? I no longer feel disappointed if he does not notice things I do around the house that make me happy.

I realized my response wasn’t the same as it would have been years ago — like, oh, now you noticed. But it’s interesting how at first it felt like old patterning, but yet it wasn’t.

Over the years I’ve become more comfortable with who I am and have learned more often than not to just be me. The more I am myself it seems the more John has picked up on certain aspects of seeing life through my eyes. I saw this today when he noticed the flowers and after I gave it some thought. I do the same with certain aspects of how he has helped me see life in different ways than I might have, too.

And so I realized what a lovely thing it was for him to notice those flowers just for the sake of him enjoying and appreciating the beauty of nature.

I just thought that was kinda cool and just had to share.

XO,

Barbara

Subscribe here to receive my bi-monthly newsletter which includes a digest of my blog posts, oracle readings, wisdom from the animal kingdom, first to know special offers and more

and/or…

Subscribe here to receive my blog posts as they are published.

What’s the Noise All About? What I Miss.

Posted by Barbara Techel

My morning walk winds along a path with trees and a wooded area on one side and an athletic field on the other. Once I reach the top of the hill, I come to a busy highway.

Sometimes the noise startles and frazzles my nerves. I had slept deeply last night and wasn’t quite awake as I sauntered up the hill and along the path. The noise from the trucks and cars whizzing by felt like an assault to my still awakening psyche.

Once past the elementary and high school and down the hill the noise usually quiets again as it did today. I felt my body, tense from the rushing of cars and loud noise as they passed, relax and breathe a sigh of relief as I left the highway behind.

On my way back the maintenance man at the elementary school was using a leaf blower to blow the fresh-cut grass from the sidewalks.

I heard myself wonder, “Whatever happened to brooms?”

I then recalled just a week earlier when I’d driven through a small nearby town to see a shopkeeper sweeping the debris from the front of her shop. I enjoyed the feelings it invoked in me— like a meditative state as I watched her go back and forth with the broom across the sidewalk.

Over the weekend I’d swept off our deck from leaves and branches that had fallen after a storm. I love to hear the sound of the bristles going back and forth across the wood planks.

My mind drifted back to the leaf blower blaring along with the man wearing headphones to block out the noise.

Not only was the noise bothering my still awakening self, but I also felt a loss of connecting with that man – even if just to say hi.

I spend a lot of time alone, which I choose, and honestly, what I need to keep myself in balance and grounded. But I also enjoy (on most days) when I encounter someone and can say Hi or Good Morning.

I realized the noise was about so much more than bothering my ears. There was a sense of loss of connection.

Back to thinking about the woman sweeping in front of her shop, I realized seeing her also brought me back to what felt like simpler times. Where life didn’t seem in a hurry all the time. Or full of so much noise and so many distractions.

Once I was back home I put on one of my favorite t-shirts. It says, “Live Simply.” As I write this post I don’t have music playing as I usually do and am instead just enjoying the sounds of nature and the birds outside my writing cottage window.

I sometimes think we don’t even realize what frazzles our nerves and we stay in a perpetuated state of angst. While I was frustrated with the noise I encountered I was reminded again that I have a choice. And so I’m choosing to move at a slower pace today and one with as little noise as possible.

XO,

Barbara

Subscribe here to receive my bi-monthly newsletter which includes a digest of my blog posts, oracle readings, wisdom from the animal kingdom, first to know special offers and more

and/or…

Subscribe here to receive my blog posts as they are published.