wisdom of the oracle

Let Us Give Thanks for Times of Uncertainty

Posted by Barbara Techel

This week is beginning hot and steamy and expected to last at least through the weekend. I think about how I used to thoroughly enjoy this type of weather when I was younger, but now on the other side now of 55 years old and soon to be 57 in about three weeks, well, let’s just say I am very grateful for air conditioning.

This week’s cards are Chaos and Conflict and Turkey Spirit.

Even though I’ve been using oracle cards as a personal empowerment tool and also doing readings for others for quite some time now I can still feel a small tug of angst when I pull the Chaos and Conflict card. How often we just want life to be all peaches and cream, right?

As I went for a walk early this morning I made plans in my mind to go at a much slower pace this week. With the July 4th holiday on Saturday and warm summer days now upon us, I’m feeling the need to slow down and savor.

So when the Chaos and Conflict card presented itself I felt a bit let down and went right into wondering what it is that might “interfere” with my plans. But it was only a matter of seconds that I snapped out of it and remembered that it can be a good thing. Next, when I pulled an animal card to help guide us with Chaos and Conflict, I smiled, because yes, of course, we must give thanks for it all.

I also just saw in my mind the Go the Distance card as I feel that with what our world is experiencing right now that we must be in this for the long haul. The Chaos and Conflict are something that is going to take time to work through. But if we can remember to give thanks for what we can control in our lives and what we do have, perhaps not focusing on what we think we may be losing, or what it is that we can’t control, we can move through this time with more ease.

We can let fear gobble up our energy or we can allow fear to be our motivator to take a stance for what it is we wish for ourselves individually and as a world. Whether you choose to strut your stuff by carrying that belief in your heart or making a loud call out into the world about your stance, either will help make a difference.

Notice the Zebra on the card isn’t black and white, but rather brown. Nothing right now is black and white and it is my belief that it is this and that. I believe the conditioning of seeing things as black and white is what we are being called to move away from. There is a middle ground and that begins with each of us tapping into the center of our hearts and living from that truth.

So this week, let us be in gratitude for times we are shaken as a gift that will lead us to a deeper understanding and that this planet is made more peaceful by each of playing our part by living within harmony within ourselves so we can encourage that in others too.

xo,

Barbara

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Our Wise Self Knows How to Move through Chaos and Conflict – Animal Wisdom and Oracle Guidance

Posted by Barbara Techel

Here we are in the last week of April. We’ve certainly all gone through changes we’d not anticipated along with what I hope you’ve gained which is a new way of seeing the world and also hope for what is yet to come.

For this week’s reading, I pulled both cards in reverse which means protection in these two particular decks. This is a message from Spirit/Divine/God really wanting us to understand this teaching while at the same time giving us a hug and gentling nudging us to get on with it.

Chaos and Conflict: No doubt just hearing these words you may be finding yourself cringe. I know I sometimes do when I pull this card for myself. It can conjure up a negative thought and perhaps you are feeling a tightness somewhere in your body just reading the words. This a beautiful clue to explore further.

The fact it is in reverse means we have to ask ourselves the question of where aren’t we opening our minds and hearts to finding the gifts in what appears to be a time of chaos or conflict?  It’s during these times we may have to ‘work’ a little harder to understand, but this is where the true reward lies. This is what will advance us forward in a much quicker, fulfilling, and lasting way if we can ‘see’ past what appears to be a disruption or may feel like things are falling apart.

We humans don’t like change. I’m just as guilty of this at times. Especially when it feels like things are going smoothly and life feels like it is all roses. In the middle of chaos and conflict, we may yearn for the good times of the past or pine for what we hope the future will bring.

But it’s in the middle of turbulent times that we can glean the greatest teaching that can change us in a profound way. I can’t help but think about my own life and what felt like a tornado that moved through me in the winter of 2018. How that chaos and conflict of wrestling with all those feelings I knew had to be dealt with regarding a childhood wounding felt like the pain would never end. Times of chaos and conflict doesn’t always go in a straight line, nor does it exactly outright share how everything will turn out. But what’s important to remember is that it is only temporary.

The Chaos and Conflict card is the exact one to help us deepen our faith and expand our trust in a way we’ve never done before. As we continue through these times of uncertainty and while hints of what may all come from this is beginning to appear in different ways, we still have unanswered questions too. Lean into what you know is certain, like the fact that Zebra do indeed have stripes, even though the card shows only partial stripes. But they are there. Trust that.

Owl Spirit: When we are in times of confusion and worry we can often lose sight of our own wise inner compass. Did you notice the owl on the card has a crown on her head? This is a message for us to tap into that energy center within ourselves to gain insight and understanding. When we open that chakra – our crown – and connect with not only our higher self but also with the Divine, we find that in time we can gain the clarity we are seeking. 

Times of chaos and conflict can have us getting stuck in our minds where we go round and round with what are just thoughts of what could or should be and this just keeps us spinning our wheels. 

As I shared at the beginning of this reading when we find ourselves in what feels like chaos and conflict it’s a beautiful clue to explore further. So take time to drop into your heart space. Do something that feels grounding to you – such as meditation, walking, getting out in nature, painting, journaling —whatever it may be—because this is what will help that monkey mind to rest.

And as your mind begins to quiet, your wise self will feel more comfortable in coming forward and you’ll be surprised at how the answers you seek will more easily float right on up to the surface. 

Wishing you much love and peace this last week of April!

xo,

Barbara

One-to-one intuitive guidance and oracle readings available here.

Cards: Wisdom of the Oracle and The Spirit Animal Oracle by Colette Baron-Reid

Simple Tasks Guide Us into the Natural Rhythm of Life and Create More Peace

Posted by Barbara Techel

The question I asked for all of us this week: What is it we need to know as we continue to pause in this time of unknown right now?

Chop Wood #42: How symbolic to see the broom on the card with the buckets as we are all being encouraged to continue to sweep away what we no longer need. We’ve had a few weeks now of following the ‘safer at home, sheltering in place’ and being with a myriad of feelings that have come to the surface. This may also include areas of our homes we are quite literally going through, cleaning out, and getting rid of what we no longer need.

While we can’t control what is going on in the outside world, we can continue to do what we can within our own spaces of our homes and minds. “Chop wood, carry water” is a saying I’m sure you’ve heard of. While it may seem tedious at times and we may find ourselves vacillating back to wanting ‘more’ this is an opportunity to pause and shift our perspective because we have nowhere to be right now. 

It’s these simple tasks we practice that will continue to help ground and center us. As we ‘chop wood’ not only will we feel lighter in spirit within the current moment and what is right here, right now, but it is also what we can then take with us as we move into a new world— which is still unknown right now. In other words, this time of pausing, learning to be with all that is coming up for us, then hopefully finding your way back to peace, is something we will come to see as a gift and how fluid life is and how so much of what we perceive as a struggle or the unknown is really just temporary. “This too shall pass.” We are learning to go with the flow even more now.

This line from the guidebook jumped out at me: “There are times when the big dream is meant to lie dormant in your consciousness so that you can pay attention to simple chores in your life.”

When I pulled the Chop Wood card I actually sighed and my body melted into my chair. There really is nothing else for us to do right now, but be with and care for what is right in front of us, which includes our inner world, and what is around us within our homes. This is what carries us to the next step – whatever and whenever that will be.

I know the reason I moved into feeling peace is because of my love of home has always been a value of mine. I love to tinker around my house, creating a cozy and sanctuary-like atmosphere. I enjoy the feeling I get after cleaning a room also – though there are times I dread having to do it – but then the feeling I experience after I’m complete makes me coming back for more. There is really something so satisfying in it.

My inner world is also something I’ve learned to appreciate and nourish over the years. The more I do, the more I find I can flow through uncertain times with more ease.

The animal guiding us as we continue to ‘chop wood’ is Octopus. When I think about Octopus I’ve always marveled at the beautiful fluidity of which they move through the water. The way all their tentacles seem to effortlessly glide through the water is so mesmerizing and calming to me – such an exquisite dance to witness.

We may not know where we are going or what all of this is about right now, but we can still participate in the dance of life by learning new ways in which we move through our days.

I appreciate the words on the card of ‘calm clarity, control over emotions, and self-compassion.’ The fact that we’ve all had to put many parts of our life on hold – or what we knew of life to be before the virus – if we are open to it and not struggling against it – we can discover and feel into the fact that this is what can actually guide us each into a more peaceful place within ourselves.

As emotions arise for each of us we each have the choice to practice self-compassion instead of perhaps falling back into old patterns of berating ourselves for thinking things should be different or judging ourselves for what we think we could have done differently.

We are truly all in this together. The more we can each be with what is coming up for us individually, working through it, and integrating it, not only will we be better off for ourselves, but for those around us. That self-compassion we practice floods our hearts with understanding and love, which then helps us to extend that outward to others.

Much love and peace to you this week.

xo,

Barbara

One-to-one intuitive guidance sessions available here.

Cards used: Wisdom of the Oracle by Colette Baron-Reid and The Ark Animal Tarot and Oracle by Bernadette King