Insights – Melannie Thomas

Archive for the ‘Dreams’ Category

Around the world, in the earth and the heavens, the spring Holy Season is in its full blush.

This week I chose to share a few inspirational quotes in honor of this time of renewal.  Pick one or two and allow it to be a meditation this coming week.

“Of all things visible, the highest is the heaven of the fixed stars.” ~Nicolaus Copernicus

“Learning to be still, to really be still and let life happen – that stillness becomes radiance.” ~Morgan Freeman

“Your ordinary acts of love and hope point to the extraordinary promise that every human life is of inestimable value.” ~Desmond Tutu

“Give light, and the darkness will disappear of itself.” ~Desiderius Erasmus

“I thank God for this most amazing day, for the leaping greenly spirits of tress, and for the blue dream of sky and for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes.” ~e.e. cummings

“From what we get, we can make a living; what we give, however, makes a life.” ~Arthur Ashe

“I will love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness because it shows me the stars.” ~Og Mandino

Happy Easter!

‘…emotional support or encouragement.’  I really like the synonym, ‘Proclamation.’  It has power!  ‘The King or Queen has made a ‘proclamation’ to be heard and heeded throughout the land!’

Positive affirmations are proclamations repeated to the self to support and affect change in beingness; a behavioral and attitudinal shift for the betterment of ourselves.

It is thought that the mind will believe anything if it is heard often enough.  For example, as children we may have heard repeatedly that we are not smart, we are dummies.  This message becomes hard-wired into part of who we believe we are.  As adults, we struggle to overcome this self-image.

There are many books, cards, and Cd’s available to assist us with this process.  One I like, Create the Best Life Ever Cards, by Taylor Wells, author of the book, Create the BEST LIFE EVER, are big flashcards with affirmations on both sides of each card.  “I know the power of my being.” Flip side is, “I am strong.”   Another proclaims, “I am sure of myself.”, the other side states, “I am peaceful.”

Whatever method you may choose to use positive affirmations as a tool for personal growth, I invite you this week to explore the possibilities.

I Spring clean; the normal things many of us do at this time of year.  However, every three years or so, I purge.  This is one of those years.

I am astounded at the amount of ‘stuff’ I have.  As I go through drawers, cabinets, closets, the garage and storage shed, my emotions swing from ‘Oh, I love this’ to ‘Why am I hanging on to this?’.  It is especially hard to part with gifts from family and friends, and with mementos collected over several years.

I set aside boxes to contain the ‘stuff’ I want to give to family and friends (if they want it), and the ‘stuff’ that gets donated to local thrift non-profits. Sometimes I shut my eyes and just throw something away.

As I become engrossed in the rhythm of purging the task becomes compelling, urging me on to the next project.  I figure this year’s purge will take me about a month.  Washing windows, stripping and waxing floors and cleaning carpets will come later.

I have a great sense of accomplishment at the end of the purge.  And I literally feel lighter.

We are a consumer culture.  It is our consumption that drives the economy.  I know this about myself…I am never likely to live a spartan life or become a hoarder.  And I recognize that the older I get the more ‘stuff’ accumulates.  Until I find a better solution, I will continue to purge.

Welcome to Spring.

The heavens declare it is spring!  Earth awakens.  The Green Goddess displays the breath-taking splendor of her beauty.

It is a time of awakening; opportunity to renew our spirit selves.  The light grows stronger each day, gently tending to the blossoming earth.

Full of passion and renewal, the spring Holy Days beckon us into sacred rituals which have been celebrated by humankind for centuries.

This week I invite you into the sacred circle, to honor the season and to celebrate the rebirth of the soul.

Fire is the element of the suit of Wands.  Fire can spark creativity or destruction.  Finding the path between the extremes of isolation, despair and fear, and commitment to the creative expression of the soul,  is the task of the Page of Wands.

Key to this journey is patience, a quality essential to spiritual growth and the emergence of the fully developed authentic self.  Always depicted as standing alone, the Page of Wands is a loner; face partially or completely hidden, not wanting to see the world or for the world to see him.

The Page of Wands presents the opportunity to release fears and nourish fruitful creativity in all aspects of life.

All Pages represent youthful potential for inner growth.  This Page requires sustained focus on the restless, unformed stirrings within.  Nurturing them with patience and  honoring their presence, will lead to new beginnings, new endeavors, and the emergence of the Knight.

I invite you this week to examine the fire within.

When I blogged about the Page of Pentacles, following with the Pages of the other suits was not my intention.  Then the intuitive prompt whispered ‘Page of Cups’.  It became clear to me that I would blog about each Page in the Tarot.  This week it is the Page of Swords.

To me Swords are the suit of conflict and truth, crisis and opportunity; they reflect both positive and negative aspects of being.

The Page of Swords is ready for action.  However, the realities of youthful lack of experience and mature self-knowledge must be considered before action is taken.

The Page of Swords cautions that spiritual and physical growth is achieved by seeking wisdom and balance; through the use of knowledge not force.  Swords are double-edged, hence must be wielded carefully and thoughtfully to prevent potential catastrophe.

The path of the spiritual warrior demands excellent swordsmanship.

Cups represent the water element, our emotions and spirituality.  Pages are youthful; they are the beginning of the ‘court card’ journey.

The Page of Cups reflects initial movement toward emotional and spiritual maturity, which often leads to feeling like a fish out of water as symbolized in many depictions of this card.

Working with Page of Cups energy is trans-formative.  Often indicative of renewal, increased intuitive awareness, courage to face and work through complex emotional quagmires; inviting us toward a deeper connection and greater trust in divine spiritual guidance.

This is never easy work; it is a process not an event.  However the gifts and fruits of a commitment to emotional and spiritual maturation are abundant.

As the fullness of the authentic self emerges we achieve mastery of our emotional being; able to respond from within rather than re-act to outer stimuli.  Embracing our vulnerabilities, weakness and strengths in a balanced way. Living in the present moment as opposed to swinging like a monkey between the forests of past and future.

To travel the path of the Page of Cups is demanding and often painful, but is a trip well worth making.

The Page of Pentacles reflects the energies of work these past couple of weeks.  Like a theme weaving itself through life’s tapestry.

Pentacles are the earth element… grounding, and represent wealth, abundance and riches.  It is important to keep in mind that the smaller portion of riches and abundance is material.  The greatest wealth is measured by the intangibles… health, happiness, love and joy with life.

I want to share this passage from the Spiritual Tarot  (Echols, Mueller & Thomson Quill NY 1996).

“I intend to stay busy learning new ideas and skills, and I hope I inspire you to do likewise.  Even if our ideas don’t work exactly as we think they should, we still can learn from trying.”  Life is an education.  Through study, observation, and experimentation, we develop our potential.

“Take time to discover your real dreams and desires before you make long-term commitments, I say.  In career matters, it is important to define your goals and plan how to accomplish them.

“On the other hand, sometimes it serves us to set aside carefully made plans and concentrate our energies on meeting new challenges that arise serendipitously.  It takes both kinds of experience to achieve success, appreciate its joys, and develop the confidence to move on to greater things.

“So stop saying, ‘Someday I will do that,’ and start figuring out just how to do it.  I want to inspire you to take the initiative.  Consider yourself in the right place at the right time.  I do.

“My key phrase is developing creative power.”

Several comments this week have expressed low energy and sadness; a sense of being tired and weary.

Tired of the rain, tired of flooding and cold, weary of the daily political strife, fighting  seasonal illnesses, with some folks expressing feelings of foreboding.

It is these very moments that our spiritual strength is tested; it is these very moments that create strong faith.

We are fortunate to have a truly vast resource of inspirational wisdom to tap into when we are weary.  I share with you the following:

“Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.”  ~Francis of Assisi

“Try to be  a rainbow in some one’s cloud.”  ~Maya Angelou

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”  ~John F. Kennedy

I invite you this week to find the spiritual inspiration that reduces weariness and strengthens faith.

We are getting a lot of it in my neck of the woods.  After six years of drought,  experiencing  ‘normal’ winter rains is challenging.

Good news for California…the snow pack is substantial.  The rain has restored lakes and reservoirs to capacity.  Bad news is underground aquifers are not reaching optimum levels.  Additionally, the quality of water is troublesome, not just here but throughout our country.  Flint, Michigan is a good example, and it is not an isolated event.

“Water is life, and clean water means health.”  ~Audrey Hepburn

Rivers of the Earth, both great and small are akin to the blood system in the human body.  When they are polluted, we are sick.

“I can’t imagine anything more important than air, water, soil, energy and biodiversity.  These are things that keep us alive.”

~David Suzuki

In America, and most of the Western world, we live in water luxury.  Turn on the tap, and there it is…easily accessible water.   We drink it (maybe), we bathe, wash everything, cook with it, and water our plants and gardens.  So easily taken for granted, and so easy to ignore the threat of poor water quality.

“Water and air, the two essential fluids on which all life depends, have become global garbage cans.”  ~Jacques Yves Cousteau

Water is a sacred commodity.  (See Blog Post of February 3, 2014). It is a symbol of the Divine Spirit.  The Planet needs our help to keep functioning healthily, caring for our air and water is an essential requirement for our survival.