Joy Express

The last 4 months have been such a whirlwind of learning and experiencing all the elements of our upcoming workshop, “Mother Earth Dreaming ~ Sacred Space“, that I am blown away (as I often am with all things metaphysical) by how my world and the Universe are so in sync.

The first session of our workshop at the end of this month is all about Honouring Self, realising that our bodies are Sacred Temples and appreciating that we ‘rent’ them … this has been an awesome ‘aha’ concept to explore and Norma and I have had some amazing discussions about it.  WOW!  I am getting excited, all over again, about what fabulous stuff we have prepared.  Woo Hoo!  Anyway … back to my original point ~ a lot of this part of the workshop focuses on our ‘physical’ bodies, which over the years has been quite a challenge for me.  I guess that my discovery, recently, about myself is just how much better my body ‘works’ when I am exercising.  I have had many, many, many emotional issues to face and manage since Dad died and lots of crying and anger to explore.  It’s been really tough.  The greatest benefit has been committing to my personal training goals and discovering the wonderful ‘bonus’ of improved mental health.  And – my ‘temple’ (body) is looking so much better; better than it has in many years!  I firmly believe that focusing on my exercise ~ a process I began purely to support my mental health (’cause otherwise I wouldn’t have done it as I am so not an exercise person) ~ has been possibly the most important factor in my healing.  Oh, and I LOVE being able to look at myself in the mirror and be accepting of, even liking, what I see!

The second part of our workshop is all about Sacred Space ~ Decluttering!!  Woo Hoo!  Bring it On!  This has been All Consuming!  As you know.  LOL.  We, as a family, have been decluttering for a couple of months, and our home is feeling vibrant and healthy.  That’s not to say that it was unhealthy before the decluttering because I am actually pretty committed to fairly regular cleansing of clutter, but with a more concentrated effort at really getting rid of stuff we don’t need there is a lightness and flow appearing in our living & sleeping spaces which is fresh and gives a renewed sense of wellbeing.  I have totally, thoroughly enJOYed working through Mary Lambert’s book, for this part of the process! 

I don’t think decluttering ever ends once you’ve started on the journey.  Today, I have a little bit more flexibility in my commitments so I am going to do another “Cleanse and Clean” of the craft room.  Being a Stamper and occasional Scrapbooker means I have to regularly declutter, tidy, vacuum, dust … and today my Oracle Card shelves are calling to me ~ they are demanding ‘refresh-ment’!

The last section of our workshop is probably most dear to my heart.  It’s all about Mother Earth.  Ever since visiting Alice Springs and attending the Animal Dreaming Workshop, last year, I have found myself tuned in to the environment in a really strong way.  I have been aware of the planet for ages and very connected with my local animal visitors and my garden, chatting to the wildlife and being observant of my local area.  But now … it’s like I feel a part of Mother Earth.  So, I am going to share a little bit of Animal Dreaming and honour the learning I received from Scott Alexander King, and we are going to do some ‘partner’ work exploring each other’s auras and feeling which animal energies are with each of us.  It’s very grounding yet uplifting.  It allows us to be more aware of messages which are being shown/given/provided to us and gives us the opportunity to live a more empowered life.

Ahhhhh. 

I LOVE what I do. 

 I had a fabulous experience working through the Oracle Card reading layout options in Denise Linn’s Soul Coaching Oracle Cards Guidebook, last week, at a special “Play” session. 

I usually get straight into the card decks I use and just follow my intuitive thoughts but I recently discovered the JOY which can be found from actually indulging a little time to read what the author/creator of the card deck recommends.  A lot of spreads are similar to other author/creators but then there are some which are quite unique.  The “Medicine-Wheel-One-Year Spread” is one of those ‘unique’ layouts and really, really exciting to connect with.

We started out with choosing a card for the current month (May) and placed it in the appropriate position on the Wheel … then we chose cards for each month afterwards, ending with a card for April (2011).  The centre card is the theme for the year.  

I was blown away by how the cards related to things which I knew were already on our calendars for the year!  We often have a sense of how our year will pan out, especially if we have kids at school or we are studying.  I could see how my “May” card ~ Beginnings ~ would already start playing out … there are a few new things afoot in my plans for this month.

But, I think that the part I am most astounded with is the application of this spread in a reading.  My client, earlier this week, was looking for some idea of what was happening in her life and where she might be going from here.  I am not comfortable ‘predicting’ the future in readings because we often get caught up in the expectation of what is ’supposedly’ going to occur and then disappointed if it doesn’t.  The Medicine-Wheel layout allowed us an insight into the potential of what is planned for the next year and it really gave my client a degree of peace. 

The 13 cards allowed us to chart a journey … we connected with a card for this month and really explored what that meant.   Then, my client chose 11 more cards, for the year, and the final card which was the theme of the year.  That was really interesting, too, and really made sense to both of us.  So, curiosity became overwhelming and we laid out the rest of the cards … WOW!  Without going into much detail of what each card represented, we could see a clear path on the journey, and it really gave my lovely client a sense that All is Well.  She could see that where she was at now was just a passage of time thing and that a sense of direction and renewed purpose and energy was ‘just around the corner’.

I felt the same way when I did my layout … it’s like having an overview of the next year and gaining an understanding of the times to be busy and the times to idulge the silence; how something happening in a month’s time may be the catalyst for, or the germination of, something occurring in 6 months time.  Without getting caught up in the specifics of ‘predicting the future’ we were able to see that all is panning out in a timely and orderly fashion.  And, that is what allows us to feel a sense of peace, that All Is Well.

Lying in bed, this morning, I really did not know what I was going to blog about … life has been very busy but not overly ‘news worthy’.  So, I thought I’d better upload photos from the camera, to the computer, and WOW!  A little bit of magic has been cast.

I was feeling a bit blue, thought I’d be practical, and did the photos.  I knew I had images of my recent card creations to be edited and photos from Kels’ Gym Skills Testing Session.  Then … I found this photo.  Saturday morning was really misty and damp and I thought it was so inspiring and beautiful that I would take a photo.  I tried to take one through the craft room window but ended up with a big flash reflection (duh!) so went out on the deck.

Now, I have an image which appears to be filled with Angel Orbs!  Thinking ‘magically’, for a moment, it would appear that Saturday morning was something really special.  What a scene!  I couldn’t believe my eyes!!!  Could they really all be Angel Orbs? 

Thinking ‘cynically’  … mist seems to be lots of really round water droplets floating in the air … is that what I have captured in my photo?

Whatever the answer is, I find a Smile on my face and a lightness in my heart.  Sometimes just ‘touching’ the thought of beauty and JOY can be enough to make you happy.

Happy Monday!

I spent 2 days, last weekend, attending Rachelle Charman’s FIRST EVER Advanced Crystal Workshop.  Woo Hoo!  It was an intimate group of 11 participants ~ all graduates of the Foundation and Intermediate Crystal Workshops, as that was a pre-requisite ~ with Rachelle as our teacher and Lovely Sharon as our Support Person/Teacher Assistant/Organiser of Food and all round wonderful person.

The theme of the workshop was connecting with our Shadow side … kind of spending time ‘hanging’ out with those parts of ourselves which we try and ignore, or are afraid of.  Day 1 was lots of talking and journeying ~ we participated in a drumming ceremony; indulged in a meditation to connect with our Shadow selves; went on a Medicine Walk; journeyed, via drumming, to meet our Shadow totem animals, and shared our stories and experiences. 

The second day began with more sharing of our experiences then talking about the 4 Elements ~ Earth, Air, Wind and Fire.  I think the part I most enJOYed over the weekend was connecting with a whole bunch of different crystals.  In the Intermediate Workshop, I was introduced to a whole range of crystals that I hadn’t heard of.  This time, I was familiar with most of them and really, really enJOYed the Black Tourmaline!  I think that’s my favourite crystal of all. 

Our Crystal Healing Session was significantly advanced by comparison with the other workshops.  We used the same approach as before but this time we were connecting our clients with a ‘lost’ part of themselves.  It was very powerful and allowed the client to do so much more of her own healing.  It’s actually what I have been doing with readings so I was excited that I knew what to expect.  Crystal Healing is not my thing at all, but I do love working with the crystals and I do really enJOY the healing/connecting process.  I was blessed to have a wonderful ‘client’ who was just delightful as the healer, too!

All the other workshop participants do Crystal Healings and I would happily recommend their services to anyone interested.  I know we ‘advanced’ to an even higher level of connection with Crystals and Healings over the weekend, and really ‘cemented’ our love of Mother Earth.  I found myself wanting to incorporate more crystal grids in my readings, and a renewed love of the magic they provide.

Thanks, Rachelle!

Oh, Wow.

Today’s Soul Coaching Card is “JOY“.

I am smiling, feeling humbled, and my thoughts are racing to think about all the things that bring me JOY, make me feel JOY-ful, and what is in my day/week which enhances JOY.  Ooh!

 “One of the fastest paths to happiness is through sharing and giving, so give of your heart and share your love.” (Soul Coaching Oracle Cards Guidebook by Denise Linn)

As I took today’s card, I was looking at my Fame & Recognition corner, right in front of me when I am at the computer.  I looked at the photo of me with my friends, at the oracle card of Athena (“It is safe for you to be powerful.”), my Joy/Peace/Kindness shelf ornament, my angel with “Follow Your Dreams” message, and thought about David.  Choosing this card is like the cherry on top of the 3 scoops of icecream … these things are all symbolic of JOY in my world.

I am going to take Denise’s message literally.  I am going to Celebrate!  I am going to have Fun!  I am off to meet Lovely Karen to discuss our Angel Workshop (in July) so I might just indulge in a little JOY-ful food and coffee.

I choose to “Soar to the Clouds” … to Feel the JOY … to Share a Smile … to Live My Passion! 

Wow!

Who would have thought that just taking one card, from an oracle card deck, could bring such a high?!

Be Happy.  Choose to Create Your Own Reality.  Share your JOY-ful Experiences.  Fill your day with Empowering People, Positive Thoughts, Expansive Decisions, and JOY-filled Everything.