Insects as Spirit Guides

Like birds, Flying Insects are Spirit Guides and Totem animals that are related to the element of Air.  Many people have a strong dislike of these animal allies, but if you can put aside your fears and "icky" feelings you may find that we actually have a lot to learn from the amazing lives of insects!  Similar to the exercise of bird observing, take some time to notice and observe the types of insects that you encounter on a regular basis.  Learn about their life cycles and how they live and interact with their environment and other insects and animals.  You might find that the insects around you on a daily basis have a message for you!!

 

TransformationMost insects go through some kind of major transformation.  A caterpillar goes through a metamorphosis to become a butterfly.  Flies transform from maggots to flies.  Cicadas and Locusts go through a metamorphosis that can actually take up to 10 years to complete.  When you encounter flying insects, ask yourself what kind of transformation you are going through.  What stage of your transformation are you in?  Are you still a caterpillar, preparing to make a chrysalis?  Are you inside your cocoon, undergoing dramatic changes in solitude?  Are you emerging from your cocoon and learning how to spread your wings and fly?  Keep in mind that sometimes it's hard to recognize that we are undergoing a period of change, and even harder to see the end result when we are going through pain or hard times.  The caterpillar probably doesn't know that it will one day become a butterfly... it just knows when it is time to go into a cocoon.  The transformation of insects can teach us a lot about faith and trust in our own instincts and intuition.  If we fight the change and just continue along our path, ignoring our inner urges to transform, we might miss out on our chance to become a butterfly!

 

Community

Insects like Bees and Wasps can teach us a lot about community and communication.  Insects that live in colonies have a complex yet beautiful and simple structure in which each insect has a specific job.  They may be scouts, harvesters, protectors, or breeders.  We all have roles we play in our lives, sometimes for just a short period of time and sometimes for extended periods.  Think about the roles you play in your life and whether you are giving those roles the attention, dedication, and energy they need.  Colony insects also have a lot to teach us about communication.  A scout bee will locate a food source, fly back to the hive and communicate with the harvesting bees with a series of body movements and touch.  In a beautiful dance the scout bee will give exact directions to the other bees, who will then fly out to collect the pollen to bring back to the hive.  If you are encountering bees or other colony type insects, think about your own methods of communication, and how you are vocalizing or expressing yourself to the people in your family or work place.  Proper communication can make all the difference in our group interactions!

Insect Totem & Spirit Guide Meanings

If you are interested in learning about the spiritual messages of some insects, check out this page I found!  Remember to pay attention to your surroundings and you will find that the element of Air is speaking to you quite clearly and frequently, with the air, the wind, the weather, birds, and insects!

 

Also check out my previous post on DRAGONFLY.

 

Working on "Me"

I'm a work in progress.
Where am I going? Where am I headed?
It's okay to say, "I'm not sure", and to say, " I don't know where I'm going - but I know where I am."

Currently I'm in the process of putting myself back together. Waiting on health insurance stuff so I can see a doctor and have some help getting my health back on track. Because right now, I can see the road I want to be traveling, but I can't just take off down that track quite yet. It's like I need to make sure I have the right shoes, the right kind of clothes, and the tools I'll need to succeed and survive on that journey.

I do have some of the tools, but I haven't been using them. That's really frustrating. It's like having a car, being at a gas station, having the money for gas, but not being able to put the gas in the car.
I know yoga, I know Tai Ji, I have my Reiki 1 certification. I know how to meditate, to ground, center, clear, and protect. I have crystals, herbs, tarot cards and books. I know how I should be eating.
I just haven't been able to get myself to apply these things to my life.
I'll get there. I'm trying to be patient with myself. I know I have great potential, and my life purpose is just right there, just slightly out of reach.

Be patient with me.
Here's the thing. When I say, "my migraines and anxiety have been really bad lately". - I hear a lot of, " have you tried this herbal remedy? You need to get outside more and meditate in nature. You should use this type of crystal."
These things will all help me, yes I agree! I want to have my healing be a natural, homeopathic, energetic experience. I love that stuff!! I believe in it! But sometimes, traditional doctors and pharmaceuticals are required too. All these wonderful natural methods can't help me if I'm so stuck in pain and anxiety or depression that I can't use them! Yoga and Reiki and Tai Ji are wonderful for relieving pain and improving your mood - but you need to first be able to get out of bed and have the energy to apply them. Herbal remedies are wonderful and helpful, but some conditions need more than that.
There's a common problem in circles of people who are into natural healing and energy work - and that's a tendency to be harsh or judge mental when you meet someone who uses traditional american medicine and doctors. YES there is a problem in this country with over-prescribed pharmaceuticals, and there are people who don't try natural methods and just buy into the "there's a pill for that" mentality. But be careful not to make assumptions about people. When someone tells you they take medication for a health problem, don't assume they haven't tried natural things too. It's exhausting to have to defend myself and my choices to my peers. Just because I take medication for my migraines and my depression doesn't mean I don't value natural herbs and energy work. It just means that in my case, both are needed at this time. I do hope to someday get to a point where I don't need the prescription medication any more; and to be able to manage my health with vitamins, food, herbs and energy work! This is my dream! But meanwhile, I'm not there yet. And I'm okay with that.
This post turned into a rant. But I think I needed to point this out. In the magickal, pagan, new-age community there is a lot of judgment about people who aren't 100% natural. Please stop, and think about what you say before you say it. You may have the best intentions, but your suggestion or advice is not always wanted. Your advice comes with the assumption that I haven't tried the natural way, or that I'm not trying hard enough. That assumption is hurtful.
I will get there. Just be patient with me.

FlyLady - Pagan Style; Shine Your Sink!

For those of you who don't know what FlyLady is, it's an inspirational website designed to help you clean and de-clutter your home and your life. It helps you create routines that work for you, your lifestyle & your family to help housekeeping become stress-free and something you just do naturally and daily rather than something you put off until the last minute and then stress about when you have company coming over.

I have felt for awhile now that many aspects of the FlyLady program can be applied in spiritual ways to those who consider themselves, Neo-Pagans, Kitchen Witches, Hearth Witches, Green Witches, etc.  I will be going over some FlyLady basics here in my blog and writing about how they can be seen as a spiritual thing; not just a house-cleaning and organizing thing!  If you missed it, check out my post called "FlyLady - Pagan Style; Welcome Letter"

When you start with FlyLady, there are 31 days of "Baby Steps" to help you slowly start to integrate small changes into your daily routines.  It's about developing habits and changing your mind-set to a positive one!

BabyStep Day 1;
SHINE YOUR SINK!

Read FlyLady's Day 1 letter here; Day One- Shine Your Sink! 

My favorite part of this letter is where she says; "The voices that you hear in your head keep telling you that you are behind and you have to get it all done now. We are going to quiet those negative voices that are beating you up constantly and replace them with a loving, gentle voice that tells you that you are not behind and you can do this one BabyStep at a time!"

You may look around your house and think there are areas that need more work than my kitchen sink!  The desk is covered with paperwork, the closets are overflowing, The kid's rooms look like a tornado hit.  It's okay.  We are going to listen to FlyLady and start with one small task for today.  We are going to shine that kitchen sink!  Then for the rest of the day, we are going to keep it shining!  Before you go to bed, make sure it is shining again!  Even if you do nothing else today, and the rest of your house is messy, you will LOVE waking up to a shiny sink!  Trust me!

Here is FlyLady's "Lesson" on How To Shine Your Sink! Check it out!

Keeping your sink shining is going to be your first habit with FlyLady.  Even when I fall way off the bandwagon and my whole house is a mess, I know exactly where to start to feel better... the kitchen sink!  Once my sink is shining I usually feel the motivation start to flow again, and it's easier to keep going and start work on other areas of my home.  Energetically, this makes sense, because all sinks and drains in our home represent and reflect "energy flow" both in and out of our homes.  If the sink is blocked with dishes, clogged with dirt, or just plain grimy, how does this effect the flow of energy in and out of our homes?
In Feng-shui, the Kitchen is associated with both Health and Prosperity, as well as being the "Heart" of the home.  So, as you clean your sink it can be great to visualize this task as a moment you take to care for the "Heart" of your home.  Open the flow of energy... let the good pour in and the bad drain away!  You can easily make the process of shining your sink into a Home Blessing Ritual!  Smudge with some sage, pour salt water down the drain, visualize and pray for the energy flow of your home to become open and cleansed.  Here is a great article called "Clearing Your Sink and Magickally Sealing It." by Confessions of a Pagan Soccer Mom.... I love her ideas and I have incorporated her suggestions with my monthly sink-clearing ritual, as well as just simply visualizing and praying while I shine my sink each night before bed!

So now you have read FlyLady's First Babystep and how to Shine your Sink in a spiritual, magickal mindset!  Off you go.... shine your sink and let yourself feel proud of this small but important task!

FlyLady, Pagan Style! Welcome Letter

For those of you who don't know what FlyLady is, it's an inspirational website designed to help you clean and de-clutter your home and your life.  It helps you create routines that work for you, your lifestyle & your family to help housekeeping become stress-free and something you just do naturally and daily rather than something you put off until the last minute and then stress about when you have company coming over.

I have found the FlyLady system to be a wonderful and positive way to get my life in order, although admittedly, I haven't followed it as closely as I could have!  I have "fallen off the bandwagon" more than a few times!  Yet one of the great things about FlyLady is that you can jump back in at any time!  With FlyLady, I always know exactly where to start!!

Over the years, I have found ways to integrate my spirituality into my household cleaning.  Wait, did I just say that House Cleaning is Spiritual?? Yes, it can be!  I am a Pagan, more specifically an eclectic Neo-Pagan, meaning that I draw from MANY spiritual paths which focus on Nature and the natural cycles of the world we live in.  For many Pagans and Witches, our homes are the central place of our worship, our spiritual learning, our meditation, etc.  Since we don't have Churches to go to, and we don't limit ourselves to only experiencing nature when we are outdoors, it makes sense to think of our homes as our "Temple", or our Sacred Place.  Many Pagans and witches also believe that their spiritual path is a Lifestyle, not just something they do once a week or on the Blessed Sabbats or the Full Moon.  I have found through FlyLady and my own spiritual path, that even the mundane, daily tasks that come with being a wife, a mother, and a housekeeper, can be beautiful parts of my daily Spiritual Life, and I wanted to share with you some ways that I have done this.

I will be going through the different aspects of FlyLady, and talking about how I apply them to my own life as a Pagan.  Today we begin with The Welcome Letter!

When you first join FlyLady you get a Welcome Letter. (and by the way, if you follow my blog, please join FlyLady or at least bookmark the FlyLady website for reference!)  This letter explains the basic idea behind the FlyLady program and how it works.  Please click the Link and read the welcome letter for yourself!!

The first thing you read is what FLY means.  It means Finally Loving Yourself!  All the great spiritual teachers of our time and times long past have taught us that without first Loving Ourselves, we cannot truly love others.  Buddha, Paramasana Yogananda, The Dalai Lama, Ghandi, Jesus, Doreen Virtue, Dr. Wayne Dyer, Sonia Choquette, Louise Hay, Starhawk... to name a few; all teach us that when we truly see ourselves as Divine Children of God/Goddess/The Universe, we begin to truly love ourselves and then the flow of love to others and from others comes more naturally!  With the basic Law of Attraction, if we Love Our self, we invite Love into our lives.  This isn't meaning a type of love that involves vanity or a feeling of self-importance in that we are better than anyone else.  We are all children of the Divine!  But if you don't love yourself the way you love your own children; unconditionally - then you block the flow of true Divine Love from flowing to you and through you!  Without loving yourself, you are constantly criticising yourself, seeing the negative instead of the positive.

When you FLY, you embrace the positive and develop a desire to bring more positive into your life.  When you FLY, you want to eliminate the negatives to make room for the positives.  Maybe you have too much clutter.  Maybe you keep a clean home, but neglect taking care of yourself.  Perhaps you are really good at keeping parts of your home clean and orderly, but there are certain areas that build up and become a source of stress for you.  Maybe you procrastinate and let things build up to the point where it creates stress and a burden upon yourself and your family.  When you FLY, you look around your home and you think, why I am I letting myself - a beautiful Child of The Divine - live in chaos?

FlyLady's Welcome Letter explains that by taking one step at a time, the program will help you build daily routines and weekly plans that will help you run your household more efficiently, thus relieving yourself of stress.  If you embrace the ideal of FLYing (Finally Loving Yourself), then the desire to do this grows stronger.  Building routines takes time, and patience with yourself.  You have to work on developing new habits, slowly, piece by piece; trusting that eventually you will overcome whatever difficulties you may face.  The FlyLady program will help you develop these new habits and new routines, or build on the routines you already have in place.  It starts with the BabySteps, and onward to Daily Flightplans and weekly "Zone Missions", all of which are described in detail on the FlyLady website but I will (hopefully) also cover here - with a Pagan Twist!

Whether you are new to FlyLady, or have been doing it for awhile, take some time today to think about how you Love Yourself.  Are you really acting in ways that show self-love?  Are you being really hard on yourself, criticizing your failures and shortcomings?  Think about your inner voice - is it Loving towards you, or mean?  Would you talk to your child the way you talk to yourself?  How is your self-love reflected in your Daily Life at home?  Are you avoiding things that stress you out?  Is this avoidance just creating more stress and more critical self-talk?  The first step to changing negative self-talk to positive self talk is to be AWARE of your self talk.  Listen to your inner voice, and when you find it being un-loving to yourself, stop and think something positive instead.  Changing your self-talk is something that will take time, and take practice, starting with Awareness and Intention!

Here is a wonderful video of affirmations that will help you increase your self-love, by Doreen Virtue. 

Starting Over

Confession Time; I'm a horrible housekeeper.
Ironic, since my Matron Goddess is Hestia - Keeper of the Hearth.  But this is exactly why She's my Matron; I return to her when I need the motivation to care for my home properly.  She reminds me that caring for my household is a great act of Love - for myself and for my family.

In mythology, Hestia volunteered to keep watch over the Fire of the Gods.  Instead of returning to Olympus with her brothers and sisters to reign and rule, she chose a life of service; keeping the Fire of the Gods lit and tended.  In ancient times it was important to keep the hearth fire of the home lit and ready at all times.  It was the source of heat, light, cooking, and other preparations and activities that went on through the day.  If the fire went out or was untended and dwindled - precious time would be needed to get it going again; time that could have been used being more productive.  One never knew when the fire would be needed, so it was best to keep it steadily going.  As Hestia watched over the Fire of The Gods in this way, she became the Goddess of The Hearth and Home, representing the service of the housekeepers that blessed the household and kept it running smoothly. 

In our modern world, we don't need to keep a fire lit in our homes at all times.  Yet we do take actions that keep the household running smoothly and keep our family safe, fed, and protected.  Paying the electric bill.  Preparing the meals.  Cleaning and Maintaining the home.  Hestia reminds me that these acts of service are a loving choice I make for my family - not an evil chore that I am tied down to or required to do as a slave, but an act of love.

My modern inspiration is the FlyLady.  She has taught me a few simple things that help me keep going, and help pull me back on track when I need it. 

• FLY - stands for Finally Loving Yourself.  It's a reminder that the things I DO are a reflection of self love.  When I care for my home, I care for myself.  When I care for myself, I am free and I give myself wings to FLY.
• Progress, not Perfection.  My home doesn't have to be perfect.  The little things that I do are a blessing, even if they are not done perfectly!  I don't have to be "finished" to have progress.  I don't have to keep a perfect home to be blessed.
• The power of 15 minutes - Progress can be made in a short period of time.  You'd be surprised how much can get done in just 15 minutes.  No need to overwhelm yourself with a big job - just do what you can in 15 minutes!
• You're not behind!  Just start where you are.  This is a big one for me.  With chronic pain and illness, and living with depression and anxiety, I feel like I'm "behind" a lot.  Like I need to "catch up".  I need to remember, I AM HERE.  I AM NOW.  What I can do NOW is enough.

These are the things I'm reminding myself of now.  I've had another period of falling flat on my face and letting things go.  (But that's okay too - as Akhilandeshvari reminds me!)  I'm working hard to not be angry, disappointed or pass judgement on myself.  It is what it is.  I do what I can.  Sometimes, what I can do is not much at all.  Sometimes, just getting through the day is all I can do.  And that's okay!  I live in cycles, as does the world and the whole universe! 

As the Spring Equinox and the New Moon approaches, I'm feeling the call of Hestia, awakening me again.  I'm hearing the words and lessons of FlyLady urging me on.  I'm entering a new cycle, and ready to start fresh.  I know that this won't last forever.  I've come to recognize, embrace, and accept that I am never going to stay "on top"; and that I will time and time again repeat this cycle.  I'll face this feeling again.  That's okay.  The point is that when I do have my moments of "Spring" and hear the call of Hestia - I will answer. 

My starting point is the Kitchen Sink.  As I mentioned, we don't really have a "Hearth" in modern homes.  Even homes that have a fireplace - that fireplace Hearth does not necessarily play the role of center of the home.  So what place in the home does serve as the central focus?  For me, it's the Kitchen Sink.  This is probably because of FlyLady's teachings of Starting with the Kitchen Sink.  Her theory is that if you keep your kitchen sink shiny, the rest comes easier.  It's easier to keep up with the dishes if you're not letting them pile up.  It's easier to be motivated to keep the rest of the kitchen clean and shiny if the sink is clean and shiny.  It's easier to be motivated to keep the other rooms of the house clean if the kitchen is clean.  Then the other things you need to do come easier too, because you don't have to clean before you cook, or you don't have to clean up the living room just because you want to sit down and relax.  In theory, if you keep your kitchen sink shiny, the rest will fall into place (it still takes work, but that's the basic idea)  You can read FlyLady's Kitchen Sink lesson HERE.

So for me, the kitchen sink is becoming my "Hearth Fire".  It is the place to focus on, it is the place to start and the place to end.  Hestia is considered 'The First and The Last" and it was traditional to honor her first thing every morning and the last thing every night.  Incidentally - FlyLady says to shine the kitchen sink first thing every morning and the last thing every night.  So this just works! 
I moved my kitchen altar to the window above my kitchen sink.  So there's Hestia, and an orange candle to represent the Hearth Fire, right above my kitchen sink - reminding me of her lessons. 

I'll be working on other areas of my home too, as my health permits.  I'll be blogging more about my goals, my inspiration, and what is working for me or helping me.  But for now I just needed to get this out there; I'm starting over!

Akhilandeshvari - The Goddess of being Broken

I'm intrigued.  My interest has been sparked by the name of a Goddess that has crossed my path recently.  And as it goes when a Goddess taps me on the shoulder, there's a lesson here and I'm in the midst of it. 
A few weeks ago, this story came across my facebook news feed.  I read it and I thought, this is so interesting, and beautiful, and . . . wow I can relate!  The article was called Why Lying In A Broken Pile on Your Bathroom Floor is a Good Thing and it's about a little known Hindu Goddess - Akhilandeshvari - The Goddess of Never Not Being Broken.  She's an aspect of Parvati (at least from what I can find in my online searching; and in Hindu mythology most of the Gods and Goddesses are all different aspects of each other)  The Goddess of Never Not Broken - the eternally broken Goddess... resides in the state of brokenness.  You know, that raw place of grief or loss where the soul feels so open, like the world and everything can just reach in and touch it?  Yeah we've all been there.  Akhilandeshvari lives there.  Riding on the back of a crocodile (fear) through the river (the eternal energy flow of the universe).  Yeah.  Powerful. 
I know that those moments of brokenness have been some of the most transformative experiences of my life.  After all, when we break apart in pain or grief, we have to redefine ourself, rebuild our life - and we usually come back from that place a stronger person.  It's where that annoying phrase "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger" comes from.

So, I made note of this interesting Goddess, told myself I would research her (this was after only reading the article in the link above), and moved on with my life.  Doing my thing.  Taking life in leaps and bounds!  I've been in a state of rapid manifestation and big changes.  Empowered.  Fearless.  Taking big steps and making big changes.  I've been working on an online class to get Certified as a card reader (Tarot & Oracle).  I quit my unsatisfying retail job.  I've been meeting new people and working on starting and organizing a social group for local Pagans in my area.  Experiencing new things.  Feeling so together.  I'm going after my dream, my life purpose!  Amidst all this I also had a chance to get my Reiki 1 certification.  Great!  Adding Reiki to my life just seems so perfect, so wonderful!  And it has been!  The class I took when I received my Reiki 1 attunements was wonderful!

In Reiki 1, we receive blessings that help awaken our inner power to heal ourselves and our loved ones.  We learn that Reiki is a lifestyle, and a big part of the journey is in meditation and working on ourselves.  Focusing on Gratitude.  Learning energy awareness.  Healing and being open to receiving healing . . . on a daily basis.  It's really all so wonderful!  But if you've ever had any kind of energy work done before (or gone through a detox) you know that as you accept that healing - all the negative has to come out.  Things from the past bubble to the surface. 

So here I am, literally lying in a broken heap on my bedroom floor.  I knew that my Reiki teacher had told me that "things from the past might come up, or you might face uncomfortable feelings."  And I knew that this was just a part of healing - sometimes we have to shine a light on those deep dark places.  But damn.  I mean, This is stuff from years ago that I thought was resolved.  I'm asking "Why me?" and "Why Now?" and "can I do this?  Am I strong enough?  Is it time?  Am I ready?"  All that confidence I had, this blissful cloud of change just dissolved beneath me and I had to realize - changing the outside (the external) ain't worth shit if the inside isn't changed too.  And I'm realizing I have to redefine myself, yet again.  Rebuild myself, yet again.  (How many times have I been here?)  And I'm feeling broken and raw and unsure of myself, and then . . . I remembered Akhilandeshvari.  The Never Not Broken Goddess.

So, I started doing some research.  I found another article describing this Goddess

"Pronounced ah-kee-LAN-desh-va-ree, "Akhilandeshvari" translates as "Never Not Broken." She shows us the power and opportunity of being broken into pieces by heartache, disaster, great fortune, and other life changes and traumas.
However She takes this to the furthest extreme, purposefully keeping Herself broken wide open, allowing Herself to flow with every current, creating and fragmenting and recreating Herself endlessly.
She steadfastly refuses to paste Herself together into a stable form, shunning the limitations that She'd have to abide and the false identities that would hide Reality.
She rides on a crocodile: the very survival-fear that keep most of us chained to the known and routine is Her flying carpet! She is not controlled by the need to keep her identity consistent, or even alive. She dances and spins and breaks herself into shards of light, tossing out new possibilities for herself like flower petals from a cherry tree.  

The Goddess Never-Not-Broken promises that the greatest magick is in the transformative moments: the heartbreack, the uncertainties, the pause before we hit the ground... and what we do with ourselves after we land. "

I found a few more websites with scattered and brief information, much of it the same from one site to another.  But that's part of the beauty of this Goddess - the simplicity of being broken.  Undefined.  Ever changing.  Defying definition and boundaries by being constantly in the flow of that river, riding the back of that crocodile, breaking apart and finding power in that state.  A strong sense of peace came over me as I read more.  Well, not "peace" . . . but just knowing.  Trusting.  I can do this.  I am powerful, even when I am broken.  I am still connected to all that Divine bliss, even in my moments of pain and doubt.  Yes. Akhilandeshvari has become part of my personal pantheon, and I invite Her to tap on my shoulder and get my attention any time that I forget that being broken is beautiful.

I also found this traditional chant attributed to Akhilandeshvari, it is quite beautiful and I think I will use it for meditation to help me connect with this aspect of the Goddess!
Also -  found some beautiful art inspired by this Goddess - I think an artist of any kind could really connect with this Goddess. . . because as we create something new we often have to break ourselves into pieces, and as we rearrange them and put those bits of ourselves back together in a new way, art is born.

Hestia's Weekly Musings - The Hanged Man

Here's your weekly reading from Hestia's Muse! I draw a card at my Kitchen Altar at the beginning of the week, asking Hestia (Goddess of The Hearth & Domestics) what advice she has for me for the week ahead.  I also ask that the message I receive will be something that my blog readers will also benefit from.



My kitchen altar, with this week's cards.

This week I did a comparative reading style, comparing the same card from 3 different tarot decks.  First I drew randomly from The Kitchen Tarot and then found the matching card from The Housewives' Tarot and the Epicurean Tarot.  Our card of the week is The Hanged Man.

Left to right, The Hanged Man from; The Epicurean Tarot Recipe Cards, The Kitchen Tarot, and The Housewives' Tarot

Hestia's Message;
This week you need to look at things from a different perspective. Things that haven't been working for you may need to be approached from a different angle, or given more time. Make your chores and goals turn into acts of active meditation and practice awareness. Break down your goals into smaller portions and work on things one at a time. Use your timer and clock to give extra focus and awareness to your tasks this week, and if something isn't working out, consider "hanging it out to dry" for now, until the timing is right!

Affirmation for the week:
"I will connect to my highest values and see the world through my own eyes"

Meditation for the week:
"From the place of humility comes inner strength when the brash ego has faded."

The Hanged Man says;
"You are now placed in a position where you have to look at life from a whole new perspective; think about why you are here, how you got here, and what events and actions have shaped your life so far.  What can you take forward with you from here, and what do you need to sacrifice?  Be brutal and honest in your assessment, and don't be afraid of letting go!"

A Closer Look;
The Kitchen Timer
From The Kitchen Tarot by Susan Shie and Dennis Fairchild
This card indicates a lot of false starts and / or compromised situations.  As we have just had the start of our New Year, many of our minds have been on resolutions and goals.  This week we may find ourselves slipping back into old habits, or realize that some part of our resolution was unrealistic.  This card urges us to take a time out and step back from our frustration.  We may need to break down our goals into smaller, more reasonable and attainable "mini goals".  The Hanged Man is a card that urges us to take a new perspective and as represented here by The Kitchen Timer it may be a good time to look at our time management skills! it's still a good idea to keep working on breaking those old habits . . . but maybe the way you originally thought of doing it isn't working out.  I'm reminded of The FlyLady's method for housework and organizing.  She teaches that the only way to get organized is by breaking it all down into Baby Steps, taking one day at a time and slowly developing new habits one at a time, then adding in a new habit every month or so.  She also encourages the use of a kitchen timer!  Set your timer for 15 minutes and work on that goal until the timer goes off.   Sure, you might not finish your whole project in 15 minutes, but now you can take a break and re-evaluate your progress.  Figure out what's working, and what's not.  Celebrate the progress you made.  The timer also helps you stay focused on one task at a time, and that kind of mindful awareness is a big message of The Hanged Man, no matter what deck you are using!

The Hanged Man
From The Housewives' Tarot by Paul Kepple and Jude Buffum
The Housewives' Tarot always has a way of putting a humorous - if not dark - perspective on the Tarot.  Here we see a Housewife hanging out her laundry to dry - and while she's at it she's hanging that no-good husband out to dry for awhile too!  This card relates to the epiphany that comes from hardship.  Once you realize that something isn't working right in your life, you have that "A-Ha!" moment when you realize you need to change something.  You may need to wait for the timing to be better (waiting for the delicates to dry on the line), or distance yourself from a toxic situation or person.  Whatever it is that's bothering you, a little time and change of perspective might be just what is needed!

 

The Hanged man's Upside-Down Cake

From The Epicurean Tarot Recipe Cards by Corrine Kenner

This deck lovingly pairs a recipe with each card of the tarot.  Often the recipe will in some way represent the card, and can make the act of cooking or eating into a time of mindful active meditation on that card's meaning.  Here is a bit of a twist on an upside-down cake, cooked and served in honor of The Hanged Man;

"The Hanged Man looks at the world from a perspective that's entirely different than the one most of us are used to.  Change your outlook with this surprisingly easy, exceptionally tasty dessert."

 

 

 

• 8 to 10 apples, peeled, cored and quartered
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup flour
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup softened butter
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla

Place apple slices in a bowl, sprinkle with lemon juice.  Add walnuts

In a large deep cast iron skillet, melt the butter.  When melted, remove from heat and mix in the brown sugar. Place the apple slices and walnuts in layers on top of the butter/brown sugar mixture in the cast iron skillet.  Do not stir.  Set aside.

In a separate mixing bowl, combine the flour, white sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Add the 1/4 cup softened butter and the milk, mix well.  Add the egg and vanilla, mix well.  Pour the batter gently over the apples and walnuts in the cast iron skillet. 

Place in preheated 350 degree (f) oven for 40 minutes.  Let the cake cool on a rack for 5 minutes before inverting onto serving plate.