inner work

Creating a Vision for 2023 and With the Help of Animal Guides

Posted by Barbara Techel

Late December I started to see the familiar offerings to take part in creating a word or vision board for the New Year. But it didn’t particularly call to me and I had no plans to do this. Vision boards, especially, I’d found to have become too focused on material things though I’d certainly participated in doing them a few times.

Not that I don’t like material things, as I do. But, let’s just say that they aren’t quite as important to me as they used to be. I realized that over the years, buying things was sometimes more about not dealing with my inner emotions.

It was during two oracle readings in December that I did for myself on the new moon and then the full moon and the card I pulled from my Animal Reflections Healing Oracle that Deer presented herself each time. In my deck, Deer represents gentleness. Both times I pulled the card, tears immediately pooled in my eyes.

I can still be hard on myself at times. I realized Deer was reminding me of the importance of checking in and examining why I get lost within myself at times.

From my guidebook: Deer, gentle and sweet, is a reminder you are your own gentle and powerful healer with the ability to regenerate new roots as you heal your wounded parts. As you become adept at making positive changes you are then able to connect with your empathetic nature, becoming a thoughtful and skilled listener for others who are also in need of some gentle care, understanding, and love.

The more I sat with the word gentleness, the more it moved into my being as a personal focus I wish to live from on a more consistent basis. It fits those areas I can still feel challenged by.

Then came along an offering to do a vision board based on how one wants to feel in the New Year. Now that spoke to me.

And from that experience came my vision board, incorporated with my word for the year, which you can see in the photo above. Then just this morning during my breathwork session, I saw the vision for pulling an animal guide for each of the categories I’d created for my board.

We could choose from a total of eight categories and could do all of them, or pick the ones that most spoke to us. I chose four: family/pets, health/well-being, love/friends, and passion/creativity. I also chose to try and find just one image to convey what I want to feel in each of the categories.

  • Family/Pets: John and I have been talking on and off over the past six months or so about bringing another dog into our life this year. What’s different this time around, is that it is a decision we have made together. Summing it up, the one sentence that bubbled to the surface for me from journaling is not only that our waiting until it was right for both of us, which gave us the experience of deepening in love and peace with each other, that welcoming another dog will have us deepening in love for another being and experiencing the peace and joy that a dog so often brings into one’s life.

Dragonfly with the message of graceful reminds me that when I move from a place of ease and trust that life flows in such a magical way.

  • Health/Well-being: I continue to practice breathwork to help me with my asthma, though I can become quite frustrated when I have flare-ups. In this category, I especially feel the word gentleness is key for me. I love the image I found of the flowers blossoming on the end of tree branches that are shaped in the image of lungs. Breath connects me with all that is really sums it up because when breathing consciously it is what makes me feel alive and connected to my mind, body, and spirit.

Cat with the message of choice says to me that I always have a choice – I can feel frustrated by my breathing challenges and go down the rabbit hole of internally beating myself up, or I can pause, check in with my breath, allow myself the space to do some breathwork, and check in with where I’m at. This is what helps not only allow my lungs to expand but for my mind to expand and let go of any negative thoughts.

  • Love/Friends: This one came up for me this year as a good friend of mine I’ve known for over twenty years will be moving in the not-so-distant future from Wisconsin to Colorado. All the things I’d thought in regard to the future for us have now been changed. While I have no doubt we will stay connected via phone, and Zoom, and when she comes back home to visit, it’s just the realization she won’t be a city away that has had me grieving at times for this impending loss. But I also trust that perhaps a new friendship will come into my life, or perhaps I’ll be just fine with the distant friendship. But most important is that when I’m my authentic self this is what brings me into connection with other like-minded people and together we thrive.

Hummingbird with the message of believe reminds me to continue to focus on my own north star and that when I do the rest of my life falls into place just as it’s meant to be.

  • Passion/Creativity:  I continue to be passionate about how when we do our inner work and connect with animals and nature, we not only thrive individually, but we thrive as a planet. Guiding people to connect deeper with themselves, animals, and nature I express with joy through my oracle readings for people and for pets and their people, my writing, my animal art, and the Animal Reflections Healing Oracle deck I’ll be releasing in Spring.

Vulture with the message of poised is so perfect. I know that when I continue to do my inner work this is what joyfully and passionately feeds my creativity for all that I do, not only for others but in my personal life too. The more I put my focus first and foremost on taking care of myself, the more I am poised to be of service to those that need my guidance.

And just like that. I have a word for 2023 and a vision that feels in alignment with who I already am and who I will deepen into becoming. And best of all? I really appreciate how it evolved in the most organic way.

XO

Barb

To book a private oracle reading just for you click here.

To book a private oracle reading for your pet (and you) click here.

    

Video Book Excerpt Series: Animals, Oracles, Healing & Love

Posted by Barbara Techel

When I look into the eyes of an animal I don’t see an animal. I see a living being. I see a friend. I see a soul. ~A.D. Williams

Today, May 11th marks the two-year anniversary of Gidget’s soul passing on to greater adventures.

As a tribute to Gidget, my desire to help others understand how animals are these incredible, noble beings of light guiding us, and along with my desire to continue to encourage and inspire others to walk their own healing journey, I’ve put together a series of videos with an excerpt from each chapter of my book, I’m Fine Just the Way I Am – Healing Emotional Pain through the Wisdom of Animals and Oracles.

The gift of this tiny dog with the heart of a Buddha walked ever-so-lovingly and patiently beside me on a self-healing pilgrimage during the time we were together. This continues to be one of my greatest treasures and stays with me as one of the most profound and positive impacts on my life.

Each day I’ll release a new video until the afterword conclusion has been reached (though disregard I’ve stated in the earlier videos I’d be releasing them weekly. A girl has a right to change her mind!)  🙂

You can follow along with the daily excerpt videos right here on my YouTube channel (by subscribing and clicking on the bell you’ll be automatically notified when a new video goes live).

Other social media areas I’ll be posting a link to the videos are:
Instagram
Facebook

We are never alone on our journeys though at times it can feel that way. So again, I hope the sharing of the healing journey Gidget and I walked, shared in these bite-size pieces will be of value and benefit and encourage anyone who needs these messages…

and that we may all begin to really know and trust that we are all fine just the way we are.

So without further ado click here or on the graphic to the preview kick-off to my book excerpt series:

XO

Barb

Channeling my Inner Flying Nun

Posted by Barbara Techel

Who needs wings to fly?
Certainly not I,
I prefer to take up on the breeze,
Follow any swallow that may please my fancy.

I just close my eyes,
Tiptoe through the skies,
Long as there’s a habit standing by,
Who needs things like wings to fly?

~Lyrics from The Flying Nun

Many mornings last week I found myself grumbling under my breath upon waking to see the trees blowing in the gusty winds. I wanted it to be calm for my morning walk. I didn’t want to fight the wind. And so some days I didn’t walk.

Today it was windy yet again. But this time I decided to not fight against what was. So I bundled up and out the door I went. These days I truly walk more for my mental health than anything else and when I don’t get in a walk my energy feels different – not as energized.

Upon returning home today I caught my reflection in the storm door. With my hood up, I felt as if it looked like I was wearing a nun’s habit and I felt as if I’d just channeled my inner Flying Nun!

I posted the above photo on my Facebook page and my thoughts about my hood feeling like a habit and channeling my inner nun. My mom commented she was pondering my thoughts. Perhaps not seeing and feeling what I did.

A friend posted the opening line from The Flying Nun, Who needs wings to fly? Certainly not I, I prefer to take up on the breeze…immediately I heard myself inwardly say, “Yes!”

Though I found myself feeling bothered that my mom didn’t understand what I was seeing and feeling. I admit I felt deflated for a few moments. But then I paused and sat with what I was feeling. I realized I was falling back into an old pattern. I didn’t feel heard or understood. Though I know this wasn’t my mom’s intention. It was my projection. It was also just something she wasn’t perceiving as I did. Nothing right or wrong about it.

It didn’t mean that what I felt and saw in the reflection in the door that morning was wrong. But how often is it that we wish to be understood? Especially by those we really love.

But again, I realized it was my projection and it was just that my mom didn’t see what I saw. This was perfectly okay. It was up to me to not let that take away from the truth of what I’d been feeling – and more importantly – the magic of what I’d felt coming home to seeing myself as The Flying Nun.

And why did I feel like I was channeling my inner Flying Nun? And why did I see my hood up over my hat and head as a habit that nuns wear? Well, that along with my friend sharing the opening line of The Flying Nun lyrics really had my mind flying (pun intended) in a flow of excitement wanting to go deeper with this…

It begins with the fact I made the choice today to go with the flow of Mother Nature and not against it. My hood up over my head and hat created this safe and cozy sanctuary against the element of the wind. I was contained within myself but yet a part of the elements.

Researching the habits the nuns wore in The Flying Nun TV series I discovered they were called cornettes.

According to Wikipedia, a cornette is a piece of female headwear. It is essentially a type of wimple consisting of a large, starched piece of white cloth that is folded upwards in such a way as to create the resemblance of horns on the wearer’s head. 

The cornette was retained as a distinctive piece of clothing into modern times by the Daughters of Charity, a Roman Catholic society of apostolic life founded by St. Vincent de Paul in the mid-17th century. The founder wanted to have the sisters of this new type of religious congregation of women, that tended to the sick and poor, and were not required to remain in their cloister, resemble ordinary middle-class women as much as possible in their clothing, including the wearing of the cornette.

It is said that the cornette worn by Sister Bertrille (The Flying Nun), that due to her being light in weight and the heavily starched cornette is what gave her the ability to fly.

Then from IMDB.com along came the episode in 1969 where: The Mother General has issued an edict for the sisters to wear a new habit. The sisters are all thrilled by the new, modern habit, that is until one by one they all realize that the new cornette with which will no longer allow Sister Bertrille to fly. Not only is Sister Bertrille devastated by the fact, but all the sisters are as well.

But as the plot continues it ends with The Mother General having the sisters returning to wearing the old habits once again.

This means Sister Bertrille could fly once again! But isn’t it interesting to note that we can all fly, no matter what, if we just remember the truth of who we are? And how we sometimes let our projections or old patterning, or that of not feeling heard or understood deflate our wings?

I’m also pondering my feeling connected to The Flying Nun played by Sally Field, who also played in another TV series called Gidget. And it will be two years next week since my dachshund named Gidget, petite and sweet just like Sally Field who played Gidget, will be gone.

While my pint-sized doxie was oh-so-sweet, she was also a light warrior and master teacher who guided me to finally accept a memory of a childhood trauma that haunted me for over two decades. As I walked through that self-healing journey, I came to realize I was, and will always be, worthy just as I am.

I don’t need a heavily starched cornette to fly nor do I need to wear a habit to feel safe. But it’s by continuing to do my inner work when I feel not heard or understood, digging into why that is, that I can course-correct old patterning. This is what gives me the ability to fly!

Who needs wings to fly? Certainly not I, I prefer to take up on the breeze…I just close my eyes,
Tiptoe through the skies…

Connecting in with my higher self and with the universe I give myself permission to explore all my feelings, reminding myself to do so without judgment, and remembering I’m always being supported by something bigger than me that has my best interest in mind at all times.

I close my eyes, connecting with the stars, the sky, the Divine, and the breeze of all that is brings me back home to the center of love and all that I am. This is the space I strive to be in more often where life isn’t a struggle, but a gift that reminds me that yes, I can indeed fly.

XO,

Barb

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