oracle reading

The Sweetness of What Life Brings Begins with Us

Posted by Barbara Techel

This week two cards jumped out of the deck as I was shuffling — Hoatzin and Sugar Glider. I’d not heard of Hoatzin before though I am somewhat familiar with Sugar Glider.

Immediately what jumped out at me is that both cards are a pair of animals. This month we’ve certainly seen our share of two’s with the dates of 02/20/2020 and 02/22/2020 and the celebration of the day of love on February 14. Two is about balance, harmony, and duality.

Just as I write this post I glanced out my window to see a pair of wrens on the peanut feeder which is like a wink from the universe and confirmation of the pairs on the cards of hoatzin and sugar gliders. It’s interesting to note too that this is the first time I’ve ever seen two together feeding as I’ve only ever seen one on the feeder.

While it can be common to look at these pairs on the cards and the wrens I just saw and think it is about a relationship with another (which it can very well be), we can’t forget also that the first and most important relationship is to self.

To live in harmony with others we have to first be in harmony within ourselves. When we can find this balance it makes the sharing of life with others so much more enjoyable.

I’m being reminded of a card I pulled when I was in the process of integrating a dark night of the soul in 2018 and what my dog, Gidget was trying to help me with during that time. I’d reached a point where a big part of my healing had occurred when one morning I pulled the card Soul Mates from the deck Wisdom of the Oracle. The image is that of two penguins.

As I simmered in its meaning I understood it as Gidget and I had agreed to come together when we did as she stood lovingly by me and encouraged me to give voice to a painful wounding from childhood. This required a focused time of inner work on myself. She was the soul mate that was (and did) exactly that. Interesting to note also that Soul Mates is also about fostering personal growth as I went through one of my biggest transformations ever.

I had to do a little research about hoatzin because as I mentioned I’d not heard of this bird before. They are described as a chicken-like bird. They are the only bird with a digestive system of that of a cow and ferment the vegetation they eat which is huge amounts of foliage.

They are also referred to as a reptile bird, skunk bird, or stinkbird. This is because of the smell they give off because of what they eat and how it is digested. They have also been referred to as the ‘punk-rock’ bird because of their feathers that protrude straight out the top of their heads.

The sugar gliders can fly seamlessly through the air just like flying squirrels and are also quite adept at climbing trees. They love sugary foods and enjoy sap and nectar. The symbology connected with them is gentle, philosophical, adventurous and enjoy life on their own terms.

Linking this together with the importance of relationship to self first in order to be in harmony with others, I see this as how we have to be willing to be with those feelings and emotions in our lives that can feel toxic and drain us of our energy. We can’t possibly be one hundred percent there for another if we are swimming in our own gunk of emotions. When I think about the hoatzin and the only bird that ferments their vegetation, this is a great teaching for us to not rush through times that feel challenging and the importance of taking the time and being with what we are feeling and understanding the why of it.

Sugar glider then reminds us that this is where the sweetness of life lies. When we take the time to be gentle with ourselves as we process our emotions and struggles, we eventually come to a place of acceptance and understanding. From that place, we feel more confident in who we are, and we are willing to be more adventurous and stand in our power of living life the way we feel is best in alignment with who we are.

And from that more centered place of peace and knowing ourselves better, we attract into our lives the relationships that support and encourage us. 

Have a great week!

xo,

Barbara

Cards from: The Ark Animal Tarot and Oracle deck by Bernadette King

HAPPY TO HELP
It is an honor to serve as an intuitive guide and oracle reader for women who wish to embark on an inner expedition and evolve into living in alignment with what matters most to their soul and live a more balanced, gracious and peaceful life. I’m happy to help so feel free to reach out or learn more by clicking on the banner.

 

Time to Break Out of the Cage and Sing Our Songs

Posted by Barbara Techel

This week it is Canary that is our animal guide.

It’s time to break out of that cage you perhaps have kept yourself in for far too long. It’s time to sing that song that has been wanting to burst forth from your heart. It’s the one that has been calling to you, consistently nudging at you, to let it out because it is the one of truth. It’s time to set it free.

The canary on the card sits on a flute. I played flute in high school. I no longer have mine, but now have a Native American flute which I pick up from time to time. There is something so soothing and haunting all at the same time about the sound that when I play it often brings me to this space that feels sacred and real.

It can feel scary to let our true selves be seen. But I find it symbolic in thinking about the haunting sound a flute can make—and how we live in this stage of angst and ‘what if’s’ if we don’t live from more of that true space within us. Isn’t it more difficult to hold our song in than to let it out? I’ve definitely realized, especially the last few years, that to let it out has set me free in ways I never even imagined for myself.

That is what Canary is inviting us to be with this week. How can we be who we are and in a way that feels safe? It’s little steps really. One note at a time. Being with others in a like-minded flock that supports us— that’s what helps us to spread our wings just a bit more and more each day.

At the beginning of 2019, I pulled an oracle card from The Spirit Animal Oracle deck for each month of the year. I did the same this year but with a different oracle deck. Each month the animal card I pulled serves as my guide and teaching for that particular time. When I looked back over 2019 and each animal that had presented itself over those twelve months I definitely saw the teachings and what I needed to work on, as well as, where I was being supported. It told a story of how my life unfolded that year.

It’s interesting to note that the canary was my card for December 2019. And in this New Year, I’ve been feeling the nudge to make a SoulCollage® card of canary. So I think not only is this message for all of you, it is for me too. So I best heed the advice. I do know that the canary is quite symbolic for me personally as I’m on the cusp of releasing my new book soon – and one that shares my journey of finally giving voice to a childhood wound that haunted me for twenty-five plus years.

While a small part of me can still feel a bit of fear around this, I’m more ready than I’ve ever been before. I’ve experienced what it feels like to have worked through what needed to be looked at and acknowledged. The freedom that has come with that has made it easier for me as I now embark on sharing my song with others.

We all have a special song to sing and it’s what brings so much beauty to this world. As I write this, in my mind’s eye I’m seeing a sky filled full of birds and in a wide variety of brilliant colors! Let’s light up the world like a rainbow, plus a multitude of colors we’ve never even imagined— and let’s listen to the melody of songs being sung by each of us —and know that this will transform us, heal us, and set us all free.

xo,

Barbara

HAPPY TO HELP
It is an honor to serve as an intuitive guide and oracle reader for women who wish to embark on an inner expedition and evolve into living in alignment with what matters most to their soul and live a more balanced, gracious and peaceful life. I’m happy to help so feel free to reach out or learn more by clicking on the banner.

 

 

It’s the Small Things, Really, That Give Us the Biggest Perspective

Posted by Barbara Techel

There isn’t a cloud in the sky this morning and it is as blue as blue can be. We have a fresh blanket of snow covering the ground, trees, and everywhere in between after a Sunday snowstorm. The calm and breathtaking beauty is all around me as I sit in my writing cottage. Gazing out the windows now and then I catch a glimpse of a chunk of snow that falls from a branch as the sun is beginning to be more potent each passing day.

Today I’m sharing some wisdom from hummingbird. But before I do I just wanted to say that I continue to experiment with how to bring messages to you each Monday from oracles and animals from various oracle and tarot decks I enjoy.

While I have used YouTube it requires more prep work as well as recording the video, (not to mention being personally presentable) and then finally uploading it. Depending on the length it can take quite some time. Doing it just as audio is a bit easier and quicker which I upload to SoundCloud. Then today I recorded and uploaded from my phone, though I discovered that has to be short and sweet. It also means I can only upload to my Facebook and Instagram page, but not here on my blog (at least that I’m aware of).

The other thing is that I also enjoy writing and sharing the message in this way too. So while I don’t yet know if I’ll find a ‘one and done’ way in which to do this, or just follow the flow of what feels right for me each Monday,  or will do a combo of things, I  just wanted to share that this is where I’m at – and still experimenting. 🙂

So onto today’s animal wisdom from the delicate but dynamic hummingbird. This card is from a deck by my friend, Dawn Brunke, called The Animal Wisdom Tarot. It’s one of the first decks I ever bought years ago as I continued to find ways to go deeper into my inner journey.

Hummingbird is my favorite bird. It has such deep meaning for me personally, which you may recall if you’ve read my first memoir, Through Frankie’s Eyes.

I can’t help but think of the word joy every time I see a hummingbird whether on a card, in a magazine, or the best place, in nature. Each spring, I look forward to hanging feeders right outside my writing cottage to attract them.

I feel hummingbird, being that they are so symbolic of joy, is inviting us to give thought to the small moments of life. So often it seems we prepare and work hard for the big moments, which we sometimes put so much expectation on, that we don’t feel the happiness we thought we would and then we feel let down.

I also feel that hummingbird is asking us to revisit how we define or accomplish success (which does not necessarily mean career). Is it something we are forcing? Or are we remembering to first take time each day and ground ourselves and remember our connection with spirit, source, the universe, God (however you define it) and then move from that space. I know in my own life when I do this, my life flows more organically. Then when I do bring about a realized intention I had set, it feels more natural and comes from a space of true joy.

It really is remarkable also that this tiny creature is the only one that can fly backward, forward, and up and down – no other bird can do that.

I see this as a metaphor to open ourselves to other perspectives – not just one we are familiar with and perhaps feel most comfortable with. While I can be stubborn at times of how I perceive something (and it has at times caused me great angst and struggle), I also am someone who is willing to look at things in a different way and enjoy hearing how others perceive something too. Oh, the times it has expanded me in a way I’d never considered and my life is richer because of it!

So often, when we do allow other aspects to come into play, we open ourselves to something far greater than we could have even imagined. And it’s those moments when we are flooded with more insight and more joy and I’ve found it also tends to really stick with me.

So hummingbird is inviting us to see life from all its different angles this week. And not get stuck in our comfortable or rigid way of thinking that this is how ‘it’s always done.’ Then watch as the magic unfolds and how life brings you something quite unexpected that elicits happiness you’d not anticipated.

xo,

Barbara

HAPPY TO HELP
It is an honor to serve as an intuitive guide and oracle reader for women who wish to embark on an inner expedition and evolve into living in alignment with what matters most to their soul and live a more balanced, gracious and peaceful life. I’m happy to help so feel free to reach out or learn more by clicking on the banner.