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My Yearly Birthday Ritual & Animal Guide. A Practice You May Enjoy Too.

Snake card from my deck, Animal Reflections Healing Oracle
 
Each year on my birthday – and what you can do for yours – is that I pick an oracle card as my guide until when my birthday rolls around again the next year. More often than not, I’ve chosen an animal themed card since I’ve learned (and continue to) so much from the Animal Kingdom.
 
Snake has been my guide this past birthday cycle.I’ll be saying goodbye to Snake on July 18th when I pick a new card for my next trip around the sun. I’m looking forward to seeing who it will be!
 
While Snake can be potent medicine, she was a bit more subtle this year helping me shed some aspects of myself that no longer fit for me. Not to say there were some challenging moments, but I find the more I continue to work with my inner self care, I don’t stay stuck in a negative space and the quicker I can move through what is calling to be healed.
 
So for your birthday why not pick an oracle card from any deck that speaks to you.
 
Place it where you will see it everyday (or a copy of it if you don’t want it out of the deck for the whole year). Then just be in awareness of how it nudges you to make changes, to see things differently, to let go of what no longer works for you.
 
At the end of your birthday cycle spend some time in contemplation with how that card and message served you. Perhaps do a meditation and journal as a way to reflect and honor the lessons and teachings. And lastly, express gratitude for this oracle that served as your loving guide.
 
Once that feels complete, pick a new card for your next year of evolution! Have fun! ❤
 
And I’d love to know if you decide to do this practice and how it goes!
 
If you don’t have a deck, but would like to give this a try, check out the free-pick-a-card on my website.
 
XO
Barb

    

July 2024 Animal Wisdom Oracle Reading: Create New Life from Your Signal of Peace

Click on image to watch on my YouTube channel

For July’s Animal Wisdom Oracle Reading, I pulled a card to represent a theme for the month along with your opportunity to pick an animal oracle card to go with the theme as your personal insight for this month – the halfway point of the year!

I also share wisdom from Elephant who presented some insight during my morning meditation along with finding our center and resting in our personal sphere of protection to help us navigate the remaining of the year.

I hope you find it beneficial! I’d love to hear your thoughts and reflections! Feel free to leave a comment!

XO

Barb

    

Sweet Moments After All the Rain

We had three inches of rain yesterday. Today, we are slowly drying out as the Sun tries to make an appearance.

Spending some time in Joyful Pause/Paws Cottage Studio this morning I tidied up for the week ahead and also installed a small shelf on my art table to give me more room. By doing this it actually gives me more creating space, which I’m loving!

And as I glanced out the window, sitting in the garden atop the fence with its cheeks stuffed full was a chipmunk. Happy to be in a special space of its own and filling its belly.

Then a walk out the front door to discover the delphinium is getting ready to blossom. So soft and sweet and I admired her gentle but strong spirit having made it through the storms.

I just couldn’t help but reflect on how sweet all these simple moments are.

On a side note: When my cottage studio was built in 2009 I called it my Zen Writing Cottage. It then became Joyful Paws Cottage because over the years the sweet paws of three different dachshunds kept me company while I wrote. But after my last dachshund passed away, I changed it to Joyful Pause. It didn’t feel right at the time to call it Joyful Paws as I no longer had those sweet paws inside this space.

Then someone recently commented on social media how they liked my Joyful Pause/Paws space. And I really liked how that felt! And it had me reflecting once again on all the joy, love, and beautiful teachings I received from the many dogs in my life, but also other animals too.

It’s the very reason my website is called Joyful Paws after all…because animals continue to show me the value of PAUSE-ing and reflecting and how this really all came to be way back in 2005.

So I’m making it ‘official’ that I shall now refer to my special space going forward as Joyful Pause/Paws Cottage Studio as that feels right and good with my soul.

Sweet moments of nature and special time in Joyful Pause/Paws Cottage Studio that brings happiness to my heart.

Thanks for reading and I’d love to hear of any sweet moments you’ve had lately…

XO

Barb