It’s the Small Things, Really, That Give Us the Biggest Perspective

Posted by Barbara Techel

There isn’t a cloud in the sky this morning and it is as blue as blue can be. We have a fresh blanket of snow covering the ground, trees, and everywhere in between after a Sunday snowstorm. The calm and breathtaking beauty is all around me as I sit in my writing cottage. Gazing out the windows now and then I catch a glimpse of a chunk of snow that falls from a branch as the sun is beginning to be more potent each passing day.

Today I’m sharing some wisdom from hummingbird. But before I do I just wanted to say that I continue to experiment with how to bring messages to you each Monday from oracles and animals from various oracle and tarot decks I enjoy.

While I have used YouTube it requires more prep work as well as recording the video, (not to mention being personally presentable) and then finally uploading it. Depending on the length it can take quite some time. Doing it just as audio is a bit easier and quicker which I upload to SoundCloud. Then today I recorded and uploaded from my phone, though I discovered that has to be short and sweet. It also means I can only upload to my Facebook and Instagram page, but not here on my blog (at least that I’m aware of).

The other thing is that I also enjoy writing and sharing the message in this way too. So while I don’t yet know if I’ll find a ‘one and done’ way in which to do this, or just follow the flow of what feels right for me each Monday,  or will do a combo of things, I  just wanted to share that this is where I’m at – and still experimenting. 🙂

So onto today’s animal wisdom from the delicate but dynamic hummingbird. This card is from a deck by my friend, Dawn Brunke, called The Animal Wisdom Tarot. It’s one of the first decks I ever bought years ago as I continued to find ways to go deeper into my inner journey.

Hummingbird is my favorite bird. It has such deep meaning for me personally, which you may recall if you’ve read my first memoir, Through Frankie’s Eyes.

I can’t help but think of the word joy every time I see a hummingbird whether on a card, in a magazine, or the best place, in nature. Each spring, I look forward to hanging feeders right outside my writing cottage to attract them.

I feel hummingbird, being that they are so symbolic of joy, is inviting us to give thought to the small moments of life. So often it seems we prepare and work hard for the big moments, which we sometimes put so much expectation on, that we don’t feel the happiness we thought we would and then we feel let down.

I also feel that hummingbird is asking us to revisit how we define or accomplish success (which does not necessarily mean career). Is it something we are forcing? Or are we remembering to first take time each day and ground ourselves and remember our connection with spirit, source, the universe, God (however you define it) and then move from that space. I know in my own life when I do this, my life flows more organically. Then when I do bring about a realized intention I had set, it feels more natural and comes from a space of true joy.

It really is remarkable also that this tiny creature is the only one that can fly backward, forward, and up and down – no other bird can do that.

I see this as a metaphor to open ourselves to other perspectives – not just one we are familiar with and perhaps feel most comfortable with. While I can be stubborn at times of how I perceive something (and it has at times caused me great angst and struggle), I also am someone who is willing to look at things in a different way and enjoy hearing how others perceive something too. Oh, the times it has expanded me in a way I’d never considered and my life is richer because of it!

So often, when we do allow other aspects to come into play, we open ourselves to something far greater than we could have even imagined. And it’s those moments when we are flooded with more insight and more joy and I’ve found it also tends to really stick with me.

So hummingbird is inviting us to see life from all its different angles this week. And not get stuck in our comfortable or rigid way of thinking that this is how ‘it’s always done.’ Then watch as the magic unfolds and how life brings you something quite unexpected that elicits happiness you’d not anticipated.

xo,

Barbara

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It is an honor to serve as an intuitive guide and oracle reader for women who wish to embark on an inner expedition and evolve into living in alignment with what matters most to their soul and live a more balanced, gracious and peaceful life. I’m happy to help so feel free to reach out or learn more by clicking on the banner.

 

 

 

The Giving Tree

Posted by Barbara Techel

As the holiday season faded into memory I had something very special to look forward to.

I’ve long admired the work of artist Micah Felch of Dancing Creek Studio and the trees he creates.

From his Facebook page, he shares this about his work: Micah has spent years perfecting the technique of encased metals and minerals in colorful glass. Using mixed media such as copper, silver and mica in layers of glass that embody the magical moods of nature.

Magical they are as that is how I felt the first time I saw them! I was strolling through our local Farmer’s and Artisan’s Market a few summers ago when I was pulled into Micah’s booth. I was smitten and was deeply entranced all at the same time. That day I silently wished to someday have one of his trees.

Photo credit: Dancing Creek Studio

My wish came true when I received a gift certificate as a Christmas gift.

Last Saturday I made the half-hour trek to Micah’s home and studio to pick out my tree. It wasn’t easy as all the colors were so beautiful! But my eye is always drawn to blues or greens. But to choose blue or green? I vacillated back and forth in my mind and I finally chose blue.

So why am I calling it the giving tree?

Well, from the moment I first saw them, I could feel a grounding and mystical energy about them and they gave me something I couldn’t really explain in words.

Transporting my tree home I was just giddy with it sitting beside me in the passenger seat. It really felt as if it was alive. And the reality is that it is as it is made out of natural materials. Not to mention the energy of Micah that is also infused in the tree. Though I don’t know him well I sense a quiet, compassionate man who cares deeply about life.

I wasn’t sure where I was going to put it once I got home. But when I walked through the front door I knew just where it needed to go. I placed it on the corner of the half-wall that separates my kitchen and living room. I love that I can see it from both rooms.

It was around noon time when I took a photo of it that I share above. Then as dusk approached I noticed a quality to it I hadn’t seen until then. As I said, I’m always drawn to the colors blue and green and I was torn between those two colors when I looked at them at Micah’s home.

But what I noticed was that the glass leaves were iridescent and were displaying a green shade within the blue. It’s like I got two trees in one! Here is a photo of it at dusk, though the camera didn’t pick up on the green and now as I posted the photo here I’m seeing a shade of purple. Interesting!

Then the next morning when I woke and opened the bedroom door I realized it is the first thing I see. There it is dancing in all it’s magical energy enticing me and reminding me to dance through this one precious life.

Sometimes I also feel like perhaps I was a starving artist in another life because when I can support other artists now it really brings me so much happiness. I admire so much the talent of many artists!

And this is why I call it the giving tree because it continues to be such a joy to see it each morning and throughout my day.

xo,

Barbara

 

 

 

A Book Review of a Book I Really Hope You Will Consider Reading

Posted by Barbara Techel

I want to first start by saying that I understand many have a fear of snakes. I did too. And I certainly don’t mean to cause anyone any angst. While my story of an encounter with a snake is included in my friend Dawn’s book, that experience truly changed my life for the better. Along with the depth of research and history included, plus other personal stories, I believe this book is so important to where we are now as a society and the chaotic times we find ourselves in and the potential this book has to help us heal and evolve.

I hope you will consider reading my review and also reading Dawn’s book.  xo, Barbara

MY BOOK REVIEW OF “AWAKENING THE ANCIENT POWER OF SNAKE” 

What I respect and admire about Dawn as a friend, writer, and mentor is what I’ve learned from her— and that is— the value and importance of stepping back and taking time to give serious contemplation to the ‘why’ of our fears as a way in which can lead us to a larger perspective.

And this book, Awakening the Ancient Power of Snake invites us to do exactly that.

Throughout my review, I’ve sprinkled a few passages from the book that spoke to me (they are in italics). Though, honestly, it was hard to choose as there were many.

So – full disclosure – my story and my encounter with a snake are included in the book. But here’s the thing—I almost backed out.  It was too much at the time— on many different levels— to bear the judgment I feared by sharing it.

I can’t say I ever hated snakes, but like many, I did have a fear of them. It was hard for me to even look at a photo of one. But one day I came across a mama snake and her four babies who were all perished. I still recall how I was moved to tears because it all felt so tragic.

This is when I learned how to dance with the wisdom of Snake and was thoughtfully and compassionately guided by Dawn.

“Learning from snakes isn’t necessarily about becoming friends, but rather about seeing them for who they are.”

Would I have been drawn to read this book had I not encountered a snake or knew of Dawn, or my willingness to explore what snake had to teach me?  Perhaps not.

But like my personal experience with a snake, which changed my life in profound ways, so too has this book elicited another shift and awakened another level of understanding for having read it.

“Snake: protector of our psyche and champion of our eventual awakening.”

I was blown away by the in-depth research and rich history Dawn shares about Snake – something that as a young person I was easily bored by or didn’t understand.  But as I’ve grown older and wiser, I’ve come to realize the utmost importance of understanding our history and even more vital, the relation to it as to where we are today as a society.

Reading about the ancient wisdom of snake and goddess— and how that part of our history has been pushed down and even looked at as evil at times, had me vacillating between angry and sad. But it also had my respect for snake deepening even more and how they can guide us to not only evolve individually but as a planet if we open our hearts to these teachings.

“The challenge is to see snake as it really is. By accepting the challenge we may discover far more about both snakes and ourselves than we might ever imagine.”

There have been times in my life where I thought I was nuts because of how I see things in a way that perhaps others don’t understand—and then even more so when I was challenged to go deeper into my psyche because of my encounter with a snake.

But I’m grateful to snake for initiating me, for the other stories in Dawns’ book that were even more confirmation of the healing powers of snake, for the abundant wisdom Dawn has personally gained and so generously shared, and the wide array of research Dawn has included to help us understand snake through myths, history, dreams, science, and so much more.

“I think everything the ancients and alchemists knew about Snake is true and needed now—today, more than ever. Snake’s wisdom is vital to us during this time of planetary upheaval and profound paradigm shifts. As noted in the introduction, “Snake appears in the collective dream when change is most desperately needed.” And that is where we are.

The global transformation we are currently experiencing (which feels like a madness and destruction to so much of the world) is part of an immense shift, a move from rigid patriarchal rule to a more balanced consciousness that reunites nature with spirit, sacred masculine with sacred feminine, and more. Snake’s expertise in bringing together that which is separated and disjointed—something that is essential right now to our survival as a species.”

Lastly, though I initially had great fear around my story being included in this book, I’m now honored to be a part of it. Over the years I’ve come to deepen in respect for all animals (not just the cute and cuddly ones). I believe at the core of my heart, animals are some of our greatest teachers and are here to help us heal and evolve. It’s when we can look at those we consider scary, even repulsive, that I’ve personally gained some of my most profound teachings, and for that, I consider it a great honor to not only be a part of this book but to also share it with others.

Thank you to Inner Traditions Bear & Company for an advanced reading copy.

Here is a wonderful video from Dawn talking about why she wrote the book. Also for more information about the book and Dawn’s other books and her work visit her website, Animal Voices.

Snake Goddess Intuition Doll pictured above is by artist Maria Wulf.