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
transitive verb
1 : to desire with expectation of obtainment or fulfillment
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:
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| 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.
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