animal guidance

Confirmation from Bee and the “Backward” Message

Posted by Barbara Techel

After I did the weekly reading yesterday, throughout the day I kept revisiting the fact I really felt called to read the cards backward (from right to left, instead of left to right). If you’ve not watched the video yet and would like to pick your own card from the three I pulled as your personal message, you can still do that and watch here.  Then come on back to hear how the reading has expanded with a confirmation I received from Bee this morning.

The word reset has also been forefront in my mind the last few days. In part, because I believe that is what the last several months have been about regarding the bigger perspective as we’ve revisited in our own hearts what is important and how we are individually, and as a collective, going to move forward with all that we’ve learned since early March of 2020.

And there’s more we still may each need to be with and learn and what perhaps the rest of the year will be about as we make our way toward 2021. 

Thinking of the reading I did yesterday and the word reset it came even more into focus the reason I felt called to read the cards backward. As I made my way out to my writing cottage this morning I saw this bee on the siding near my screen door. While the temperature has dropped into the low 50s with a sharp northeast wind that has a bite to it, I realized bee was confirming my reading and my pondering the value of what reset means.

At first glance, it seemed Bee was stunned from the cold, which could likely be, but I also sensed that Bee seemed to be taking a pause to conserve its energy and adjust and adapt as a confirmation to the message I shared yesterday, and yes, also to what it was now facing in the change in temperatures.

I thought about my own life and how I’ve been doing my best to conserve my energy and adapt and adjust just like I have no doubt so many of us are doing. For me, I’ve been focusing on what I need to do to stay balanced while also taking steps to expand (clean up) things I need to understand for my own growth. I think for many of us, this is what we’ve been learning to do the last several months— each of us at a different level of experiencing and incorporating this new way of being.

So my ‘backward’ reading:

Again, normally I’d read from left to right, beginning with Bee, and the cards following representing a story in motion. But this reading I see as the great reset and why I felt called to read it backward from right to left. Because we are not looking at life in the same way as we used to and we are seeing things from different perspectives than before.

I do believe we are moving toward a time of more peace, harmony, and community, though yes, we still have some times of unrest to move through.

We are creating in many ways a new story and one none of us have experienced in our lifetime, but yet at the same time, this way of being has been experienced before. 

Turtle Spirit is helping us to stay in this new inner space that many of us have invested in the last several months and is encouraging us to not give up – to stay with it – that intentionally moving at this slower pace, though we’ve been so used to rushing, going, and forcing, and it can feel like we aren’t doing anything and that we are going against everything we know.

Vulture Spirit is reminding us that we still have things we need to individually and collectively clean up. While the big picture and the chaos out in the world can feel overwhelming at times, cleaning up what we can within ourselves, is what I believe is what we each need to be doing, in order that we can all collectively move forward. 

What I feel is so important to remember also is not to beat ourselves up inwardly for the past and the mistakes made, but to take what we’ve learned as the way in which we can best move forward – and so as the message on the Vulture card says – nothing is wasted because it truly isn’t.

Seeing Bee outside my writing cottage this morning was confirmation that this work with Turtle and Vulture guiding us is what is going to lead us to the sweet results. The reset is about valuing more than ever the beauty of pausing and reflecting on what we’ve learned and then sharing that wisdom in community as a way to begin to help shape this planet into a kinder and more peaceful one.

xo,

Barbara

 

 

Today You Pick! Which Animal Has Guidance for You.

Posted by Barbara Techel

Today you pick! Think of a situation/concern you’d like some guidance on.  Then pick the card you are most drawn to – #1, #2, or #3. Today’s cards are from three different animal decks. 

Once you’ve chosen which one speaks to you, scroll down to reveal the card…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CARD REVEAL

While each card has a message from the creator of each of the decks, I’m sharing what came up for me as I turned each card over. Perhaps the message I share will resonate and maybe it will be the author of the deck and their insight that resonates, or perhaps it will be both mine and the author’s that will ring true for you and you will see them as working in conjunction with each other. All is good, no matter what! It’s all about feeling into what feels right for you and jumping off from there to expand on how the message(s) will serve as your guide around your particular situation/concern.

#1 Blue Heron (Card from Messages From Your Spirit Animal Guides by Dr. Steven Farmer)

Blue Heron invites you to stand still, appreciate what it is you need to let go of, listen to your own internal guidance, and move forward with intention but thoughtful and deliberate steps. Herons are very much their ‘own bird’ and perhaps there is a message here for you to be more assertive in what it is you wish for your life.

Interesting to note that the back of each of the cards in this deck is the image of a blue heron also. Just an extra nudge to pay attention to the message.

 

 

 

#2 Cat (Card from The Ark Animal Tarot and Oracle deck by Bernadette King)

Cat invites you to curl up in the sun. Give thought to where you need or are wishing to assert your independence. The cat’s tail curled in front of him/her may indicate that protecting yourself as you move forward in your independence is important. While others may have well-intended from the heart advice for you, Cat wants you to remember that you’ve got this. Listen to your own inner compass which will save you in the long run on time and needless stress of falling into the pattern of following the advice of others.

 

 

 

 

#3 Peacock (Card from Spirit Animal Oracle deck by Colette Baron-Reid)

I can’t help but hear in my mind, ‘strut your stuff’ when I see peacock! Or perhaps this is a call to reveal your true colors that you’ve been hiding out of fear. See the light emanating from the center of Peacock? Time to stretch your heart in all directions too. Allow your vibration of light to move out around you in order to attract what it is that you need in order to help serve you in the best possible way.

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Did the card you chose resonate or help in your situation/concern in any way? I’d love to know so feel free to leave me a comment below.

As always, if you’d like additional support, I offer personal one-to-one readings where I  can help you expand on a particular area you feel stuck. The cards are an amazing tool that reveals insight and perspective to help you gain clarity and move forward with more confidence. I also now offer readings for your pet and you!  More info below.

P.S. Just after I finished writing this post I jumped onto Facebook and the first post I saw was a photograph of a flying Blue Heron. Looks like Blue Heron may be my personal messenger today, so I shall have to ponder in that some more for myself.

xo,

Barbara

Just click on either graphic to learn more and/or to book a reading.

          

 

 

 

 

Tapping into Our Breath and Purifying Our Hearts. Guidance from Beetle Wisdom.

Posted by Barbara Techel

How are you doing? Know that I think of you often and I’m holding a place of love and peace in my heart for each of you.

So today I pulled two oracle cards for us asking the question: What do we all most need to know right now as we continue to navigate this time of uncertainty?

The first card I pulled from The Wisdom of the Oracle is Breathe and it came out in reverse. In this deck when in reverse it means protection.

I meditated longer than usual this morning and pulling this card I felt myself move to another level of calm and peace and actually let out a sigh when I turned the card over. It’s such a beautiful reminder that we must take time to really breathe right now. When uncertain and afraid, it’s a natural tendency to forget to breathe or breathe shallowly.

So this card is a reminder to check-in with yourself when fear arises. When we take time, even for two minutes to check how we are breathing and stop to take some deep inhales, it helps to settle our nervous system, which at times of fear and uncertainty as we are currently experiencing, puts us into fight or flight mode.

We tend to want to hold our breath when we feel fear as a way to control a certain outcome or situation. More now than ever, we are being called to go within and one of the best ways is through slowing down, tuning into our breath, and listening to our soul. This requires a great deal of trust at times, but I’ve found time and time again how beneficial and helpful it is. Remember to have patience with yourself and that this is a practice. One day, one hour, one moment at a time. We can do this.

When we connect to our breath, we connect to something far greater that is supporting us. It’s something we can tend to forget in times of stress. But our breath brings us back to that connection to how we define our higher power and helps us remember we aren’t alone.

The animal guiding us as we remember to breathe is a card I pulled from Animal Kin Oracle and it is Beetle with the word purity. Did you feel another shift to a more calm place within with that word purity? I sure did.

The symbol above the Beetle is representative of Spirit. When we tap into our breath and slow ourselves down we are cleansing our hearts of fear. When we do so, we can more easily feel that we are protected and being taken care of by an energetic force we can’t see, but can feel if we tap into moments of stillness and taking deeper breaths more often.

Sarah Wilder, author of this deck says this of Beetle: “These curious creatures have the ability to tunnel and burrow to chambers to store food.”

I see this as a message for us that in order to refill our reserves that may be feeling depleted during this time, it’s vitally important right now to take time to journey inward and look at what needs healing for ourselves personally. This will add to the collective in a transformational way as we each do our personal work.

I can’t tell you how often in the last week I’ve thought about the deep healing journey I took two years ago around this exact time as I healed a childhood wound which I wrote about in my newest memoir. I have felt such gratitude for having done that inner work. I feel certain it is what has helped me move through these challenging times with much more ease. I still have my moments of fear as I’m human just like anyone else, but the tools I’ve been practicing and tapping into for the past twenty years have been so helpful to me.

Beetle reminds us that we are being asked to clear out what no longer works, get out of our own way, and open to something far greater than we can even imagine right now.

While the Beetle has a hard shell, it’s wings open to the most beautiful of translucent colors and is such a sweet reminder that we will each experience this too as we stay connected to our breath, focus on healing, and tapping into what most matters. This is what will give our wings new life and together we will bring about a new and better world.

I’m Here to Support You

If you are struggling with how to cope through these challenging times, I’m here to support you with my oracle readings and intuitive guidance sessions. In my own life and the clients I’ve worked with, I’ve been so moved many times at how this simple, but profound tool, often guides us to see a perspective we’d not considered and how that can move us to a space of peace.

So please feel reach out to me if I can be of service to you. I’ve reduced my rates to help during this time to $60 for an hour session. You can email me through my contact page here or barb (at) joyfulpaws (.com) to set up a session.

Much love and peace to you.

xo,

Barbara