What the Deer Shared with Me

I made this mixed media collage over the summer using a photo I’d taken of a fawn who had appeared outside my Joyful Pause Cottage window one late afternoon.

Since then I’ve made a few other collage pieces. I’m enjoying exploring this art form along with how the process has been like a meditation each time I sit down at my table to create. I keep feeling more and more called to explore mixed media and I am honoring that nudge.

It was a few mornings ago – in the wee hours of the morning actually – that I saw this collage of Deer in my mind and heard the following message that I share below.

But first I must say that this feels vulnerable to share because I know in my heart what this means to me and perhaps others won’t understand. But then it might just mean something different to you and that is perfectly okay. So I share in hopes that it brings you whatever it is you need at this time.

Message from Deer:

The heart will ache for a time for what we feel we’ve lost and had to leave behind.

But the path ahead, though still filled with uncertainty, will be one that will be sprinkled with unexpected blessings that will encourage us to keep going.

So we bound ahead with hope, an open heart, and with eyes wide open.

As we journey along this new path, we are granted what we once thought was just in our imagination.

But that which now stands before us in all its magical magnificence.

And we realize what it was that we had really left behind which began so very long ago and that is…

Who we truly are—

And now we see, and we bow in deep gratitude that we have found our way home.

I think of Deer and how they use all their senses to move through this world. And perhaps that is what we are being called to do in order to bring about a peaceful new world in which we can all feel safe in who we truly are.

xo,

Barbara

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The Little Book of Sloth Philosophy – Book Review

I never expected to come across this sweet little book when I did a search via my library system for books about the Hygge lifestyle. If you are new to the term Hygge it is pronounced Hooga. You’d think they could just spell it that way to make it easier to remember! Ha!

Hygge is described as an ambiance as much as a state of mind based on Danish culture and design. Think chilly winter evening, candles lit, snuggled under a fuzzy blanket, with a good book or magazine, a cup of tea, hot chocolate, or glass of wine. Add to that perhaps some tranquil music. Or perhaps it’s a snowstorm raging outside your front door and you are snuggled in with your loved one playing a game, putting together a puzzle or watching a movie. There are many ways in which to accomplish Hygge!

But then again, it’s not about accomplishing, but rather about being in the moment, relaxing, letting your cares melt away, and enjoying the simple pleasures of home.

So what’s a sloth got to do with it? Well as I did my search for books on Hygge in anticipation of winter just around the corner here in Wisconsin, this sloth title popped up on the list of books on this subject.

Of course, it caught my eye because of my love for animals. But also because Sloth came up recently in an animal wisdom oracle reading I did for myself, and also a general reading I did for my followers. Sloth really does embody what I believe is one of the key messages for what 2020 has been all about. S-L-O-W down. Disconnect (from social media) more often. Be in the moment. Connect with nature. Hug a tree. Don’t rush. Rest. And repeat, repeat, repeat. 

Author Jennifer McCarney of The Little Book of Sloth Philosophy has a delightful sense of humor also which pairs nicely with a creature who in the past wouldn’t have been viewed as cute and cuddly – though I do think that has definitely been changing. The illustrations in the book of sloth meditating, counting the stars, and hugging a tree – just to name a few – will most definitely make you smile and love Sloth even more.

My favorite chapter title is “Sleep in, take a nap, and then go to bed early.” Did you know that Sloths sleep up to 18 hours a day? I think I’m part sloth. Well, maybe not 18 hours, but I do need lots of sleep. I typically go to bed by 8:30 p.m. (even on weekends), am up by 6:00 or 6:30 a.m., and more often than not take a nap during the day. I sometimes give myself a hard time about that because I don’t feel normal in the sense so many can go with much less sleep than I can.

But then the next chapter is titled, “Or stay up late and embrace the night.” In other words, as Jennifer so brilliantly shares, “The sloth philosophy is about getting enough sleep whenever and wherever you want. The fact is, just like the sloths, some of us are programmed to stay up late and sleep in thanks to differences in our chronobiology – the natural internal clock that dictates when we sleep and wake.” This alone makes me want to run out, find a sloth, and give it a big hug and the teaching of just embracing what works for us individually.

This pocket-sized book is packed full of ways in which you can embody the wisdom of Sloth and incorporate more simple pleasures into your life, learn to slow down and be okay with it (despite what the outside world may try to convince you otherwise), and why I now see why this book definitely falls into the Hygge lifestyle category.

Sloth is a master teacher of Hygge! I love the Hygge lifestyle and now I love Sloth even more than before.

xo,

Barbara

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Tuning In and Staying In Grace: Animal Wisdom Oracle Reading for Week of Nov. 9th

In this week’s reading, I share a new animal deck I recently purchased. It is so lovely!

Without further ado, click here or on the graphic below to watch and listen for your own personal message plus the overall message for the week. I hope it provides helpful insight or whatever it is that you may need right now.

xo,

Barbara

Need support? A one-to-one session looking at a situation you feel stuck in can help you get back on the right track sooner rather than later. Click here to learn more about my Wisdom in the Pause readings (just for you) or click here to learn more about my Wisdom in the Paws readings (for you and your animal friend).

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