animal oracles

Fly Free. An Important Message from Our Dog Friends.

Posted by Barbara Techel

Fly Free. An Important Message from Our Dog Friends.

This morning I was listening to a podcast called Freedom Seeker Chronicles. At the end of each episode the host says, “Fly free my friends!” as a way to encourage her listeners to follow their hearts.

As I celebrate my 55th birthday today, I’m reflecting on the past twelve months as I get ready to orbit yet another year around the sun.

I’ve been thinking quite a bit about Gidget and my new book I’m writing. With it on my mind so much, I often have what I think are my best thoughts, early in the morning, as I sit at my vanity getting ready for the day.

Today when the host said “Fly free my friends!”  it occurred to me to the real teaching of dogs related to this saying. How often when a pet (or person) passes we say, “fly free.”  With well meaning of course, as we believe that when a being has passed they are free of pain and struggle. No more constraints of worry or burden must they carry any longer.

As I reflect on this half-way point in 2018, I could have never predicted it being as pivotal as it was in my personal growth. Gidget was so poignant in helping me take a leap of faith I never thought I would. And as I simmered in “fly free”  I realized that for me, the true teaching from our dear dog friends, is to learn to fly free while we still walk this earth.

We have a choice as to how we will work with what we perceive as a burden. Is there a teaching within that burden that we aren’t seeing? Could it be that by understanding this we could be set free while living in this human body?

While perhaps we may not always be 100% free as we are human after all, Gidget did help me understand that every time we are willing to look deep within ourselves, and dig to the root of what may be causing our pain, that we can more often than not, find clarity in a perspective we may not have otherwise known had we only lingered on the surface of our feelings.

And when we do, we are able to set ourselves free just a little more.

Fly free my friends from me and G!

XO,

Barbara

A Little Bird Shared this With Me…

Posted by Barbara Techel

A Little Bird Shared this With Me...

Yesterday morning with cell phone in hand and a glass of water, I reached to turn the handle on the patio door to walk out to my writing cottage. Luckily, I spotted this little fellow before I turned the handle completely.

What a delight it was to watch him for a few moments hop about my deck! At one point I noted he had a few morsels of bird seed gathered in his beak. I do believe he is an Indigo Bunting as a Bluebird has a tan chest and it is quite rare to actually see one. But also a rare site indeed to see an Indigo Bunting up close and personal right outside my door!

I was happy to have had my cell phone in hand as I very slowly and carefully (since I’m still healing from a sprained back!) kneeled down to snap a couple of pictures.

It wasn’t until I reflected on the day last night that this little fellow came to mind again. Earlier that evening John and I ventured out for date night to a local restaurant. He asked me how I was feeling with the handing over the reins of National Walk ‘N Roll Dog Day (NWNRDD), which I announced yesterday.

I said, “You know, it’s interesting how this took me a long time to decide and while I feel right about the decision, there is a part of me that feels a little bit sad.”

What I’ve come to appreciate about my almost 40 years of being with John is that he’s come to understand that sometimes I just need to be heard and I don’t need him to “fix” me or to say everything is going to be okay.

When we got home after dinner, sitting on the sofa, I continued to move through my emotions from the event of the day, when that little bird came to mind again. I thought about how the Bluebird is a symbolism of happiness. Even though this little guy wasn’t a Bluebird, per say, his appearance that morning was to assure me that in letting go of the attachment of NWNRDD and all that symbolized for me, a new channel of joy will come into my life.

I thought about the little seeds he carried in his tiny beak and how this represented to me the seeds I’ve been planting to grow in a new direction. In order for them to continue to sprout (a.k.a allowing myself to grow!) I can only develop further by releasing what no longer is part of an old identity I had of myself.

I’ve changed so much over the years because of my dedication to personal growth and being open to the wisdom of animals. Both continue to guide me to go beyond the surface of what is so that I can live an even more enriching life.

This morning in doing a little research for further symbolism of Indigo Bunting I came across this:

Indigo symbolizes a mystical borderland of wisdom, self-mastery and spiritual realization. While blue is the color of communication with others, indigo turns the blue inward, to increase personal thought, profound insights, and instant understandings.

It took my breath away. It’s very much in alignment of where I am these days. For quite some time now I’ve been craving deeper conversations with women. I continue to explore the deeper meaning of oracles, by working with oracle cards personally, and with others, to open channels to more meaningful dialogue to impact our lives in a positive way. My continued pursuit of my own spiritual realization and wisdom developed in communication first with myself and in connection with the creator guides me to want to share with others seeking this path also.

“Indigo turns the blue inward” speaks to me of my belief that to gain thorough and valuable insight to who we are, that time for daily personal reflection and going inward is vital. The more we do this, the more our souls can find peace in what is true.

Just as I was coming to the end of writing this post, I spotted the mailman drive by. In my mailbox a special package arrived that I’d forgotten I’d ordered. What perfect timing for another “sighting” of Indigo Bunting! A box of note cards I ordered recently from Brook Burling, an amazing photographer of all things nature! She named this photo she captured, A Shiny Blue Gem. I couldn’t agree more!

Thanks for reading and may you be blessed with some animal wisdom of your own today!

XO,

Barbara

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My Word + One for 2018 + a Gift for You!

Posted by Barbara Techel

My Word + One for 2018 + a Gift for You!

I enjoy picking a word for the year! But this year I was having a hard time deciding between two. Then I saw my friend and fellow blogger, Lori, of Oh! The Places I Go share that she couldn’t decide either. So she picked two!

While I didn’t need “permission”  to go with two, it was confirmation for me as I’d really been feeling stuck! And goodness, for no apparent reason at all. Sometimes I don’t always see the obvious. And it’s that “good girl” in me wanting to “follow the rules.”  Well, the heck with that! 

I woke a little before 5am today eager to start 2018, but also thinking about my two words trying to narrow it down to one. But neither was willing to budge.

Depth came to me first a few weeks ago. But then the word abundance began dancing in my head. It isn’t just about abundance in terms of financial. But in all honesty, yes, I’d like to bring in some income of my own again. I’ve not done so since my work with Frankie as I’d been in transition for a few years.

During the summer I immersed myself in a passionate idea of launching a new service – one I’ve talked about quite a bit lately and my Intuitive Oracle Guide offering. I went through a 22-week group coaching program to put all the pieces together, followed by attending Oracle School in October and November.

I’ve been, in some ways, quietly building the momentum these last couple of months with plans to officially launch my new offering on January 9th with a free webinar (I’ll announce the details about that this Wednesday)! But as I’ve been doing all the behind-the-scenes personal mastery work, I’ve also been doing reading sessions for those interested.

That is where I became stuck between the two words of abundance and depth, and trying to choose just one. They are both so rich for me in terms of how I feel doing this new work. It brings me such a depth of gratitude and my heart feels full with abundance for those I’ve been able to help guide.

While yes, as I mentioned a moment ago I will welcome the financial piece of it as a new arm of Joyful Paws, it’s also so rewarding! It’s been so rich with synchronicity and magic when I’m able to help someone gain a new perspective when they are feeling stuck. 

These are the type of conversations I want to be having – those rich in depth – because they feed my soul. And it’s something I realized about myself this past year. That the foundation of who I am is that I love seeing life in all its many layers, of which we each have so many layers too, and what makes us uniquely who we are.

To help another by holding space, really listening, and working with oracle cards to start a meaningful dialogue has provided so much new rich content for my own life just by being in service in this way…and why depth and abundance just have to go together for me this year.

And it’s what I want more of to experience because it is bringing a new depth of abundant joy to my life!

So now its your turn. It’s not too late to give thought to a word (or two!) for 2018. If you want to share with me what your word or words may be and why, I’d certainly love to hear. Really! I love this kind of stuff! So bring it on!

And to kick off this new year, which I think is going to be a beautiful one, I have a little gift for you. Sunday, I sat down with the Power Animal Oracle Cards  and asked for guidance from the animals for you and me for the year – one for each month.  

Perhaps it might entice a word to come to the surface by hearing from the animals! But you can read this e-book in full to start if you wish, and then revisit it at the beginning of each month to see what animal is here to guide you with their wisdom.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed putting this together for you!

Just click here to download or click on graphic below.

Happy New Year with love and gratitude,

Barbara