oracle reading

Hedgehog Guides Us Gently Within to Find Peace

Posted by Barbara Techel

The oracle cards and the message for us this week are from Hedgehog and Peace.

I was immediately drawn to the light glowing from within the hedgehog as well as the orbs of light surrounding him. I felt an immediate sense of hope, centeredness, and calm flow through me just by gazing at the card for a few moments.

What a perfect card in conjunction with the peace card as that is what I was feeling also as I took in all the beautiful colors and twinkles of the light surrounding the hedgehog as well as the soothing colors of the peace card, along with the dove which is often symbolic of serenity.

I see the hedgehog as reminding us that when we are feeling off balance and the fact he is a nocturnal creature and curls up into a ball until he feels safe, that we too must be willing to go into the darkness within ourselves and sift and sort through feelings we are unsure about.

This message from Hedgehog was definitely reflecting my own inner state this morning as I’d been waffling back and forth wrestling with some things that had me feeling off-balance the last few days as I worked on deciphering what was mine and what wasn’t.

On Saturday I spent some time digging in my gardens planting some new perennials. This required digging down into the earth deep enough so the new plants will have their best chance at taking root and blooming and thriving into their best selves. The dirt was still cold as it will slowly begin to warm as the temperatures continue to increase as we move from spring to summer. This feels in alignment with the message from hedgehog and how we have to do the work to get to a state of peace also when we feel off.

Peace feels warm and comforting, just like the roots of those plants will soon experience as they take root and then feel more stable and nourished as the days begin to warm.

My hands digging in the ground and planting new life was helpful as it took me out of my busy, overanalyzing, and what can be sometimes a critical mind.

This morning moving through various exercises on my AeroPilates machine I began to feel even more grounded while I also began to feel the heaviness I was carrying begin to lift, too. I knew meditation would be what I’d end my workout with, and I curled up on the platform of the AeroPilates machine which I now see symbolic as the hedgehog curling up and then showing up as he did today for this reading.

As the meditation music played in my ears I felt called to list everything at that moment that I feel grateful for. The list was quite extensive, and all simple things really – a roof over my head, food in the freezer, gardens to nurture, a husband who loves me, a writing cottage to come to, and share my heart through my writing and other work, etc.

I now think about the hedgehog and when he emerges from within himself you see his sweet pink face – he is glowing and radiant! Just like when we take time to be with what is bothering us, rummaging through all the thoughts of why that is while being gentle with ourselves, to then eventually emerge feeling more in alignment with who we truly are…. and then we too glow and sparks of twinkles surround us just like the Hedgehog card. Another reminder that it’s an inside job to true and lasting peace.

So if you find yourself in a space of feeling off-kilter in the moment or encounter that this week, remember Hedgehog and find a place to curl up and just be with it all and soon enough peace will find its way to you too.

Have a beautiful week!

xo,

Barbara

Cards used: Archangel Animal Oracle by Diana Cooper and Wisdom of the Oracle by Colette Baron-Reid

Divine Dog Wisdom Cards – Reveal and Review

Posted by Barbara Techel

I love, love, love this oracle deck! Did I mention I love this oracle deck? ha! I recorded a video of me unveiling it when I received it in the mail yesterday and share that here along with a written review I did of it too which is below the video.

So if you want to be surprised and see how touched I was by a card I pulled that is now my favorite, be sure to watch the video first, as I spill the beans of which one it is in my written review. Just sayin’!  🙂

Love of Dogs Evident in this Deck and So Much More!

Whimsical and fun, but deep at the same time—just what dogs are all about and what they so beautifully share with us and serve as faithful guides to help us understand.

I hesitated to purchase this deck because I thought it would be too ‘cute’ and not enough depth that I like in oracle cards when I read for myself or for others. Was I ever wrong! It is both, and I really appreciate that, because life can be tough, but it also has many joyful moments too.

Just like dogs help us with, this deck does this too in that when we do the inner work, we also have to remember to play. This is what balance is all about and Divine Dog Wisdom Cards depicts exactly this.

My favorite card, which I pulled at random during a video unveiling I did of the deck, brought me to tears and the card is “Honor- Acknowledge you, me, and we.” It features three dachshunds side-by-side. For those that know me, they understand the significance of this in my life in that I was blessed to share my life with three special needs dachshunds that taught me this very lesson (and so much more)!

A lovely added feature in the guidebook is that each card has a section called, “Another Bone to Chew On” which are prompts to work with or a specific exercise to do to deepen the meaning and teaching of the card for your own life.

I’m thrilled to have this deck in my collection and look forward to working with it for a very long time to come! 

xo,

Barbara

Wisdom from Elephant and Connecting Past, Present, and Future

Posted by Barbara Techel
 
Photo: Unsplash @tobiasadam
 
Animal oracle wisdom from Elephant for your week and for the month of May. I hope you enjoy! <3 🐘
 
The elephant a symbol of strength and I also always think of the word ancient when I think of them. They are such a steady and grounding animal to guide us as we continue to find our way through these times that can sometimes feel unsteady, but also grounding as our world continues to learn to slow down and move with more careful, considerate, and conscientious steps.
 
I’m thinking about how on my morning walks the past few weekends how I’m often hearing these words float through my mind sung by The Carpenters, “There’s a kind of hush all over the world tonight.”
 
With fewer cars on the road and more kids playing outside it has just felt like to me like a soft blanket that has fallen ever so gently and lightly over our town. It reminds me of my own childhood days and how things didn’t feel rushed and time wasn’t a concern.
 
And it reminds me of Elephant and though such a large creature it walks with such a hushed grace. Elephants also associated with being loyal to family is also a beautiful mirror for us right now too as we are spending more time with those closest to us and perhaps discovering new ways in which to be together that beckons us back to what felt like simpler times.
 
The words on the card ‘learn from the past’ seems to tie nicely into this message too. What did we do right in the past – what can we learn from that could have been better – and then how can we bring that together into the present? Those questions run through my mind as Elephant walks gently beside us this month as a powerful and graceful guide.
 
xo,
Barbara
 
Card from: The Spirit Animal Oracle by Colette Baron-Reid