Words, Intentions and Intuition. 1.18.2018

Many people have asked questions about my use of oracle cards, so I thought this would be a good time to touch on the subject again, as this week's cards were pretty amazing in their timeliness and relevancy to my word and intention of the year.

So, what are oracle cards? Well, first of all, they are not tarot cards and they don't have anything to do with witches or magic or spells. They are simply cards, created by insightful, intuitive people, to be used as an inspirational tool. I ordered my first deck not long after a very accurate reading by a medium (which you can read about here). The reading was a game-changer for me and solidified my once-wavering belief in the power of intuition.

Another game-changer? The power of intention. I firmly believe in it and I think choosing a word-of-the-year is a great way to stay true to your intentions for the coming year. This year, my word is HOPE. A couple of months ago, my husband reminded me that I just have to have hope that things will work out. He doesn't usually say things like that, but even so, it was so sincere and heartfelt that I decided right at that moment that HOPE would be my word for 2018. I could go on for days about what he meant, but I think I'd rather just leave it at the meaning according to the Merriam -Webster online dictionary:

Definition of hope

hoped; hoping

intransitive verb

1 : to cherish a desire with anticipation : to want something to happen or be true  

2 archaic : trust

transitive verb

1 : to desire with expectation of obtainment or fulfillment  

2 : to expect with confidence : trust  

    

So, HOPE. Always. Right?!

My intention for 2018 (something new I started this year) is FOCUS. I chose this word a few weeks ago, as I'm currently trying to balance family life, my full-time job, part-time art making and yoga teacher training. Fast forward to this past yoga teacher training weekend. One of our topics? Brahmacharya- which basically translates to "focus". A coincidence, for sure, but not too surprising since it was the next part of the eight-limbed path of yoga that we began studying this week.

From the 200 YTT Jane's House training manual it says:
"Both yoga practice and life deal with managing energy and directing it, by way of focused action, into the areas where it is most needed."

Then, this past Monday, I had the day off work, which meant I had some extra time to devote to my weekly, card-pulling ritual. These are the cards I pulled:

Tracker. Tree. Mugwort.

And this is my journal entry after reading up on each one in the guidebooks:

'Focus your interest and passion on one thing, rather than being scattered in multiple directions. Be single minded in what is truly important in your life and let go of everything else. When you direct your thoughts toward good, you attract positive experiences and people into your life. When you focus on what isn't working, you create even more challenging situations. Being scattered in multiple directions dilutes your strength. Diminish activities not essential to your goals.
Ground yourself and focus. Being grounded helps us grow upward and outward towards the light.
Restore areas in your life that have gone flat by going back to basics.'

Another coincidence? Maybe. Probably. But it's meaningful to me. This particular three-fold coincidence gives me confidence that following my intuition is actually leading me in the right direction. But beyond circumstances like this, the messages I get from these cards inspire me and give me something positive to consider and reflect upon in the coming week. I go back to those messages every morning during my morning practice. It's a great way to start the day. And I consider it some sort of 'divine guidance' when it all comes together (coincidence or not) like it has this week.

Is this type of thing "woo-woo" or "wacko"? Some people think so. But, if it's something that inspires me and gives me HOPE and FOCUS when I need it most (and it's not hurting anyone), then I'll take the risk of people calling me "woo-woo" and "wacko" any day. What other people think of me is none of my business anyway, right?!

What do you think? Do you have words or intentions for the new year?

Until next time- Be Still. Be Strong. Be Happy. 😊  Juli

P.S. If you'd like to read more about morning practice, Dr. Kristin Shepherd has a great Facebook post about it here.

Be Still. Be Strong. Be Happy. 1.05.18

I miss this space! So I'm back. Lots of varied criticisms (good and bad) have made their way back to me and it has been pretty disconcerting, to say the least. So, I took some time to think. Maybe I should give it up. Maybe I should change the subject matter. Maybe this. Maybe that. You know how it goes. I've been up and down and back and forth about it. My conclusion? These few things that I know to be true:

1) I enjoy this space and feel fortunate to have it available as an expressive outlet. It is surprisingly and absolutely cathartic to me.

2) My only aim here is to share my experiences and use those experiences as a way to help other people feel better- not worse. So, if someone takes it personally, in a negative way, I can guarantee that is not my intent.

3) Some things happen for a reason. My experiences have led me to this space. And my experiences keep me here. Over the past decade, I have been broken wide-open, multiple times. This space has helped me organize my thoughts about these experiences and helped me see the good in, otherwise, not-so-good situations. And it has helped me build myself back up again as, hopefully, a better person. This space is part of showing who I truly am, at this moment, and leaving the past and parts of the old "me" behind. Because when you put things, thoughts, ideas, etc., out there and state your intentions, accountability comes into play. There is no denying that. It's a pretty powerful force for change. I highly recommend it.

4.) I recently turned 52 years old and even though, so far, the 50's have been challenging, those challenges have led me to some crazy good things. My intent, now, is to make my 50's my best, most authentic decade yet. And I intend to keep expressing my joy in that and sharing what I learn along the way, with all of you!

So, here's the plan. My "Lately" posts will now become my "Art.Craft.Home.Life." posts, hopefully on a more regular basis. And, since yoga is now a more prominent part my "Life", it will most likely become a more prominent part of my "Art". And my "Craft". And on the "Home" front, ideas are brewing, so stay tuned for that!

Thank you to those of you who have encouraged me along the way! And thank you for reading today.  

Be Still. Be Strong. Be Happy. ~ Juli