Stay Connected to Yourself and Spirit Guides throughout the Year

Posted by Barbara Techel

As I’ve done for many years now, and if this calls to you, you can join in with this yearly practice too.

New this year is I added a twist and picked a card to serve as my theme for the year. I must admit I grumbled under my breath when the Thinker card presented itself. Not my favorite card. But it was also a wonderful opportunity to observe and contemplate why. And as I’ve learned from experience it’s what I needed to hear and will serve my best interest.

And then I got excited when I remembered my intention for the year – to deepen my connection even more with Spirit and my spirit guides. The card then made perfect sense to me!

Our mind serves a purpose in regards to logical decisions we need to make, but can also feel like we are spinning in an endless loop when we can’t get out of our own way and find ourselves in fear or analysis paralysis.

So the Thinker card makes perfect sense with my intention – that when I find myself in overdrive of trying to think my way out of something – to drop down into my heart and connect with Spirit and my spirit guides as my allies for my highest good.

The animals will serve as a monthly contemplation point around the theme of Thinker and a reminder when I lose my way, which lets face it, we are all human, and this happens! But more importantly is staying more in awareness that when these times happen we can find our way again sooner rather than later.

At first glance, I can already see how each animal will provide guidance around the Thinker theme as I move through each month of the year.

Interesting Hyena and message of Critic begins this month of January! It’s something I’ve been shifting away from in my personal journey over the years with being kinder to myself.

It’s time to let go of blame and shame we carry within ourselves. These are old patterns that need to go now. Time to be kind and graceful with ourselves. We can do it! And every time we practice rituals like this or tend to our inner selves we are doing it!

Now it’s your turn!

  • First, ground and center yourself. Meditation, walk in nature, etc.
  • Allow an intention to bubble up from your heart of something you wish to explore or expand on in the year ahead.
  • Chose two oracle decks of your choice for picking cards.
  • Pick from one of the decks a card that will serve as your theme.
  • Pick from the other deck twelve cards – one for each month – that will serve as reminders and reflection of how the theme is playing out for the month.

I like to place the monthly card on my desk in my studio where I will see it every day. And this year I’ve printed out the theme card to serve as my backdrop.

After pulling my theme and monthly animal guides I happened across this quote:

“The more fearful a person is, the more he uses his mind. The more fearless a person is, the more he uses his heart.” – author unknown

This is the Universe in supportive action!

If you wish to give this practice a try, and want to share your theme and cards, feel free to reply to this post! I’d love to hear.

And if you’d like some extra support around a challenge you wish to find more peace about, please feel free to reach out for a personal reading.

Cards: Animal Reflections Healing Oracle created by me and Wisdom of the Oracle by Colette Baron Reid

XO

Barb

    

Animal Wisdom for 2025

Posted by Barbara Techel

The animals inspired me to draw three cards this morning from my Animal Reflections Healing Oracle deck and share with you their wisdom for the coming year. It’s a message you’ve no doubt heard before, but it’s one that many of us need reminding of as we continue to heal what needs healing within ourselves. And this, I believe, helps us shift the planet, one-by-one to a more peaceful place.

Animal Wisdom for 2025

Hippo reminds us that our true HOME is within and gently embracing all aspects of who we are.

And when those sneaky doubts slink back in, Hummingbird swoops in and flutters before us with excitement, encouraging us again to BELIEVE in the magical gifts that reside in each of us.

Kingfisher, so bright with its magnificent colors, lovingly calls out to us in its beautiful song as a reminder to never stop SEEKING the wonder of it all – the stars, the planets, the Universe! Everything is alive and here supporting us!

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I also recently completed this custom 8 x 8 3D mixed media collage Animal Art (thank you, Connie!) and felt the additional message from Mountain Goat is a great one for the New Year also.

When Connie asked me to create this custom piece I asked her what it is about Mountain Goat she liked. She shared with me that it was during a spirit animal workshop I co-facilitated a few years ago that Mountain Goat came to her during the meditation portion of the workshop. At first she was disappointed.  But then she learned how they can traverse any surface without falling and appreciated their teaching for her of perseverance, grit, and grace.

Don’t you just love grit and grace together? I do!

Animals have this amazing ability to show up at just the right time with just the message we need. So it’s best not to question what animal may appear and keep your heart open to exploring what you can learn. You just may be pleasantly surprised!

Our perseverance has certainly been tested these past few years, but I do hope you are feeling a shift of the energy and one of grace as we move into 2025.

Happy New Year!

P.S. I am available for a limited amount of custom pieces. So if you are interested, let me know!

P.P.S Could you please let me know if you received this blog post?? I’ve had to update this part of my website and want to be sure you are receiving my blog posts. Thanks so much!

XO

Barb

    

Updated & More User-Friendly Pick An Animal Card for Inspiration

Posted by Barbara Techel

I discovered a more user-friendly way for you to try out my Animal Reflections Healing Oracle deck if you’d like and I’m excited to share the update with you!

The Pick-A-Card page is now updated on my website. The gist of it is that I’ve now numbered all the cards. Plus now you click on the Random Generator Number link for a number to be chosen at random. You then go back to the Pick-A-Card page and choose that card number for your message.

Just this morning I gave it a whirl asking what I needed to know today. I received Pelican and the message of expansion. While this Pick-a-Card version is an excerpt from the guidebook that accompanies the deck it was the first paragraph that stood out to me, and especially the last line:

Each day, Pelican’s large bill scoops up what they need in order to nourish themselves. Perhaps it’s time to make room in your life for a daily practice. Not only will this provide you with a refreshing sustenance, but it will help you release what you no longer need to carry.

This is what I’ve been doing of late – releasing what I no longer wish to carry. And some of this in the past few days has been around ancestral work. I ended up creating an altar with acknowledgement of my ancestors and allowing the grief to move through me which definitely has me feeling lighter in spirit.

So Pelican’s message was a confirmation of the inner work that started out feeling heavy, that once released, has made me feeling a sense of more expansion in my being.

How important it is I’m reminded yet again of nourishing ourselves, from the inside out. And sometimes all it takes is a quick, short message that can be so beneficial.

So if you’d like to give it a try, please do. And if you feel like sharing what animal you got, I’d love to hear!

XO

Barb