Dog Visits Again

Messages are flowing these days, including through my dreams. 

Last night I had my recurring dreamscape of a combination indoor school-campus-dorm setting, but also a sort of shopping mall. Many stories; at least five, but small.

Inside, I'm on the third or fourth level,looking out over the railing to the people below. A woman that I don't know comes up to me, she is asking me so many questions about my tarot practice. I'm telling her all about it, and very excited to do so. Then my husband Jim comes along. This is our conversation, which I cross posted at my UFO blog The Orange Orb:

Me: "I had a dream you had just returned from a trip in an egg shaped UFO and you were telling me all about it."
Him (without missing a beat): "Yeah, I was scrambled from the trip."
Me (pretending I didn't hear that): "I was standing in my dreamscape of combined campus/dorm/mall, on the third or fourth level, talking about my tarot practice to a woman who was asking me all kinds of questions, and that's when you showed up, just back from your journey in the egg shaped UFO. You were very matter of fact about the whole thing."
Him (again, without missing a beat): "That's because I'm hard-boiled."

Ha. I then go outside, and here is the school part. Lots of students and adults roaming about. I see a few dogs that are clearly service dogs; they have the vests, etc. One is a seeing eye dog, and so on. But there are some that are pets, and the dogs are on school property. One dog, a large short haired brown dog, long and rangy, is rolling around but he's on top some people, pinning them down. He isn't particularly aggressive -- more like he thinks he's playing but he doesn't really get it -- still, rules are rules and no dogs allowed on school property. The owners of all these non-service dogs are very irresponsible. Some kids are clearly upset at the dogs and some of the dogs have ruined the

grass by rolling around. I stop and firmly tell a person about the no dogs rule. As I walk on (ignoring the indigent comments of the dog owner) I see one of my supervisor's down on the ground. She was one of the "victims" of the dog. Yet she is upset with me, for what she felt was my rude behavior to the dog owners. But I don't care; I'm doing what is right and I tell her so -- the students as well as the adult's safety is the important thing. And, anyway, that's the district rule, I have nothing to do with it.

So, Dog once again visits me in my dream. I still haven't figured out what the message with Dog is yet. Probably that's why he/she (usually I have the impression Dog is male) keeps visiting!

Related posts:
Delving into the Black Dog Mind Slide

Wolf in the Dark

Pit-bulls, Cats and Racoons

Dog Totem and Dream Guide

Medicine Cards: 4 Directions Spread

Medicine Cards oracle; 4 Directions spread

Year End Mini Review

Mini Albano-Waite tarot

Lisa Frideborg shared this; many thanks. Her suggestion for a 2014 Review: lay out three cards on the last day of the year. Many suggestions along the same lines, I decided on the following reading. I used my mini Albano-Waite tarot deck:

Left to right . . .

1st position (card 1): Lessons learned
2nd position (card 2): What to discard
3rd position (card 3): What to keep


You'll see that, even though this is a three card reading, there are four cards. That's because when I set down the cards, I found that the Nine of Pentacles was underneath the Page of Pentacles. So I used them both in that last position.

Three of Swords, lessons learned:
Grief, sadness, loss, depression. Express these, acknowledge, accept them. A part of life. But don't remain stuck, don't hold onto or sink into this realm. Learn from these events, these sides of myself. But look to the future, and what I do want. Not what I don't want or have lost. But what I want to gain.

This has been one of the consistent messages the cards have been giving me for the past couple of weeks!

Three of Wands, what to discard:
This is a positive card overall. Vision, the future. Possible travel. The work and knowledge and ideas have been expressed. How does this fit into the idea of "what to discard?" I see it as a message: okay, I've done quite a bit, and know what I want. Time to stop just standing there and looking wistfully at the expanse before me, and time to start moving! Literally doing, moving forward. Take it out of my head and emotions and into the concrete. Also a reminder to be confident.

Page of Pentacles, what to keep:
Flowing from the Three of Wands before, time to keep those fresh exciting ideas and start doing. The enthusiasm of the Page is great but it can also stop me from really doing -- stop being dazzled by the glitterings of the ideas, and do what needs to be done to make it happen. An encouraging card; keep the joy, but be practical about it.

Also had the Nine of Pentacles in this position:
Keep my focus. It's all good and learn to accept the good. I also see this as a reminder to be positive and not sink into that spiral; with that comes the grace this card represents. Acknowledge the importance of being kind, compassionate, which comes from remaining positive.

By nature, I abhor shallow don't worry let's all be happy nonsense. It's insensitive and passive aggressive. On the other hand, I know from experience that focusing, putting all of my intent on the stress filled, worrisome past only keeps it in the present. Remaining stuck is the result. Accept without judgement the shadow side, and accept the good that comes and is offered while keeping a positive vision of the future.

The Cosmic Tarot and The Fool

In the post below, I mentioned that I wasn't familiar with the Cosmic Tarot. After looking at images on-line, I realized that I had seen this deck before, and I love it! Now this is a deck I really want! Maybe the birthday fairy in March will gift me with a deck.

The deck was created by Norbert Losche in 1986. A few reviews on the deck at Aeclectic Tarot's site.

Like many readers, there are certain cards that I look at when looking at a deck -- if those cards "call" to me, then I know it's probably a deck I want to work with. The Fool is one of the cards that I always look at to help me choose.

I do like the Fool in this deck!

The Fool, Cosmic Tarot

Some of the reviews on Aeclectic Tarot say the deck might appear "dated." Not a criticism, more of an observation. I suppose that's true, from what I've seen so far, but I like the feeling of a sort of 1960s/1970s feel. After all, I'm an old flower child myself. The card also evokes RWS.

Speaking of the flavor of eras and The Fool, this remains a favorite album. If you're a fan of Incredible String Band, for example, you'll love this.

The Fool album cover

Stay Positive: The Cosmic Tarot and The Star

This was on my Facebook page from Tarot.com:

Cosmic Tarot

This is the Major arcana card The Star, from the Cosmic tarot deck. I'm not familiar with the deck at all -- this is the only card I've seen from the deck. I just love this! The colors are so peaceful and soothing. It gives me a magical realism sense of things. I find the flamingo delightfully surprising, reassuring, humorous. Tropical and pleasant. The woman belongs there, is confident in a quiet, meditative way. The blue color of both the woman and the water and surroundings makes everything a whole, she is part of nature, they are one. In and out of the water. She is pouring water from gold cups into the lotus. Very spiritual and magical.

The message Tarot.com put with this card was to "stay positive."
And that has been the consistent message I've been getting lately. That message came through very strong in a reading someone did for me, and yesterday I did a 12 month reading for myself. Both readings told me to stay positive, not sink into negativity, panic, and fear, but to focus on the positive (what I want, not what I don't want) and expressing gratitude. When I feel myself going down, or, when things are moving as fast as I'd like, stay positive. (and be patient.)

Medium Chip Coffey on Mothman - and a Strange Pull

(cross posted at my blog Orange Orb Tarot)

A few years ago, television's Paranormal State aired a Mothman episode. Medium Chip Coffey was a part of that investigation. One moment in that episode I found very interesting; just before Coffey uttered his comments on what he thought Mothman was, I felt a weird electrical feeling. I also knew what Coffey was going to say; that Mothman was an intelligence, a true and non-human presence.

The other night Coffey was on Coast to Coast, and when asked what he thought was his strangest paranormal experience, he said it during the Paranormal State Mothman episode. That he felt Mothman was "superior." Not negative, or evil, just "superior." Very interesting word to describe this entity.

Which suggests to me that, one, Mothman is not human. Nor a barn owl. (The popular debunk theory to explain away Mothman.) Quite obviously an "other" and paranormal, or more accurately, supernatural entity.

I myself have never seen Mothman or been to Pt. Pleasant. But like so many unexplained and mysterious things, I have not only a fascination, but sometimes, as the case with Mothman, some type of pull, something that calls and tugs between me and it. A sort of anomalous mediumship or communication.

Related links:
Host of Paranormal State Ryan Buell on the Mothman episode, and his odd experience involving a tape recorder. 

Deviant Moon: Ace of Wands Twice

This card has come up twice, in two different readings involving the same individual.

In context of the situation and individuals involved, this card suggests the hold on family the person in question has. New direction, beginning, possible pregnancy, children. This woman will hold onto their unit with whatever it takes. Perfect union for them, but isolated, insulated, and at what cost? Before that:

The two other cards in the reading: 9 of Cups, 10 of Wands.

9 of Cups: material fulfillment. Greed, lust, such wishful thinking! Like a kid who gets all the candy they want, not knowing or caring that it isn't good for them. Concern for the material is the priority. Expecting things to be given to them, more to the point really: feeling of entitlement. And not having to share. Mine, mine, mine!

10 of Wands: Such a burden! Heavy, hard to handle, all the individual has to do is put the load down. But they won't, they can't. so grasping and greedy and overwhelmed with keeping what they believe is theirs. Nobody else deserves it, there's no sharing the burden. No leaving some of it behind to lighten the load -- someone might steal it after all! Better to carry the heavy thing. That way it's sure to stay with the rightful owner -- no one else will get any!

Back to Ace of Wands. I love the imagery in this card; it's very Madonna like. But in this context, and the fact the card has come up twice in the same context (different days, different readings) it suggests a skewed maternal instinct.

Summary
Another dark reading, and so where is the benefit to this? The healing and productive side to such a reading? This was a reading for insight into a situation for another. Not much can be said for the unpleasant truths of the situation; but we can be forewarned. Our intuitions about the situation are confirmed, and we now know that it is simply best to walk away and leave them to themselves. 

Upcoming & Pre-Order Decks at Aeclectic Tarot

A look at some of the new tarot and oracle decks coming our way. Not all have images yet but many do. Hmmm, which one do I want? Upcoming & Pre-Order Decks at Aeclectic Tarot

On my list: Wild Wood Tarot

It's that time, when the urge to acquire a new deck is so very strong. I've been wanting a deck -- a tarot deck, not an oracle deck -- to use with more witchy-pagan type energies and realms. So far, it seems that the Wild Wood deck might be the one. Truly beautiful. I haven't had the opportunity to work with this deck yet but I love the images. Druids, nature, pagans, deities, shamanism, … feels very much where I want to go these days.

The deck was created by John Mattews, Mark Ryan and Will Worthington. 

Reviews of the deck at Aeclectic Tarot, among other places.

Early Santa Solstice Sweetie Gift

My Santa Solstice Sweetie gave me my gift early; this beautiful multi-colored aqua aura quartz necklace. I also love that he bought it at our local Holiday Market here in Eugene, hand made by a jewelry artist named Crye. I loved her witchy vibes steam punk kind of jewelry, great wire wrapping jewelry and crystals. There were crystal pendant earrings I would have loved to have had but Santa Sweetie and I both couldn't afford it. Still, her prices are very reasonable. She sells at the Saturday Market so I will be sure to visit her when the market starts up again in the Spring.

Aqua aura crystals are not "natural" but enhanced crystals with gold. This is a powerful combination of gold and crystal that facilitates communication, calmness, self-expression, public speaking, success, abundance, psychic abilities of all types. A  perfect crystal to come into my life at this time!