2014 Year of the Horse -New Moon, New Year, Jump Start Belly Dance Class

A couple days ago, I found out 2014 is going to be the year of the horse- Year of the Wood Horse, to be exact. This explains why on Tuesday, the card with the Horse Goddess was drawn along with the Star, which is about making optimistic long term plans!! There will be a new Moon on New Year's day this year. New Moons are about setting intentions and traditionally we set new intentions with "resolutions " on new years day. If ever there were a time to set a new intention and have it really stick, this is it.

The year of the wood horse is marked by speed, wild abandon, luck, following your gut, surprises, and rule bucking. Acting quickly and with decisiveness brings great rewards this year. According to this website- those was born under the sign of Horse, Tiger, Dog, or Sheep (or any of those in their 4 pillars) fair best this year. Those born under the sign of the Rat should be extra cautious.

My recommendation for exploring horse medicine makes extra sense now. So, if you are drawn to jewelry, images, books, and especially spending time with horses, follow those instincts. Find out what Horse has to teach you. Meditate on Horse and discover the messages he has for you.

If you would like a Tarot reading for the upcoming year, I offer a 12 card reading which highlights a card for each month. You can also get a general reading for the year with any of the spreads mentioned on this page. Remember, you do not have to schedule an appointment for my readings. You will get your answers quickly, which Horse appreciates. :-)

I'm looking towards the New Year with so much excitement!! I've decided to hold a small "jump start" class the 1st weekend in January. Saturday, January 4th, 2-3pm, I'm holding a class that will balance your chakras, raise your consciousness and bring awareness to your intentions. We will start with yoga and belly dance to balance the chakras, then I will guide you through a short meditation and journaling session. There is only room for 4 people to take advantage of this rare opportunity, so act quickly! The class will be held in my Mt. Lebanon home studio. The cost is only $20 a person. Send payment and register by clicking the button below or calling 304-276-DANCE.

Shiva Lingham Stone

How was your Christmas (if you celebrate)? Ours was really nice. We were pretty relaxed about it... At least I was. Because I usually have a teething baby attached to me, my husband took care of the wrapping and cooking. It was just us since we were unable to make it to my parents' house. Video calls were had with both sets of parents/grandparents, plus my sister and nephew. So, we got some face time, which was great. 

Normally, my husband and I do not buy each other gifts for Xmas. This year, my husband decided to break "the rules" and surprised me with this amazing set of healing crystals! 

The large one is a Shiva Lingum stone and is incredibly powerful. Before he gifted this to me, I hadn't seen nor known of these stones.  When I looked them up, I was blown away! They are only found in a sacred river in India- the Narmada. Villagers polish them by hand and they are naturally egg shaped. They represent the unity of the masculine (phallic shape) and feminine (egg shape and the beautiful designs on the stone).  All chakras are charged and Kundalini energy is raised by these stones. They help to break up old patterns to make way for new ones and further inner transformation. The first 3 chakras are especially affected by this stone and therefore increases energy and vital health. 

The 2 stones on the sides are "hyper stones" according to the man at the store where DH bought these. They are naturally heart shaped!! We both did some research, but haven't found any information on them yet. Perhaps meditation will reveal the properties. :) Do you know anything about them? I'm wondering if "hyper stone" is a pet name and there's a more official term for them. 

The double terminated tourmalated quartz was a special find. It helps you see the truth, stay grounded, clear your energy, heal after accidents and surgeries and helps heal scar tissue. At home and work, it allows you to let go of little resentments. The double terminated (points on both ends) property completes the energy flowing in and out of whomever is working with the crystal. 

The gorgeous amethyst cluster has such a deep color and reflects the light so beautifully. That deep purple will really amplify the all healing properties of the cluster. 

Blue tiger eye sits at the front. This was definitely on my "must get" list. Blue tiger eye helps with communication and balances the upper and lower chakras. It is calming and assists with relaxing when one is speaking publicly. 

I'm feeling very grateful and looking forward to working more with these stones. 

Another healing crystal bracelet is up in my Etsy store! Clear Quartz and Hill Tribe Silver. Clicking on the picture will take you to the listing. Please click the heart on the listing to favorite or buy if it calls to you. 

Have a great day and if you are spending time with friends and family, enjoy! 

Blessings to you, friends!!

Tarot Card Tuesday- Meaning of 9 of Summer/Cups and more

Nine of Summer (Nine of Water or Cups) from the Victorian Fairy Tarot by Lunaea Weatherstone 

Epona or Crystals from the Ascended Masters Oracle card deck by Doreen Virtue, Ph.D.

Hello! Well, if you aren't already having a good day, then you'll be feeling pretty happy soon, because the card I drew from the Victorian Fairy Tarot deck for you is the Nine of Summer, also known as   9 of Cups in traditional Tarot. This suit is all about emotions and the 9's are about extremes, both positive and negative. In this case, the emotions are positive, because you get your wish! There are 2 "wish" cards in Tarot- this one and the Ace of Fire.  In the picture, the Fairy dances about with the fireflies exuberantly. Spearmint for virtue, moon flower for dreams and Fairy Flax for weaving dreams into reality surround her. Whatever you've been dreaming about and hoping for comes true. A couple of weeks ago, this deck told us to pay attention to our dreams with the moon card. Apparently, you did! This card often means your hopes for your love life are fulfilled. Today, I'm especially feeling that any career or life purpose wishes are fulfilled too.

For further clarification, I drew a card from the Ascended Masters oracle card: Epona, a fairy-Goddess of the Roman and Celtic cultures, is the Ascended Master on this card. She tells us today that working with crystals is beneficial to you. Carry or wear them throughout the day to help you heal, stay calm, and focus your intentions/dreams and desires. Epona is a horse Goddess. She protects them and has a strong connection to nature. In addition to connecting with and using crystals, you should also look into "horse medicine". How do you connect with them? Are you drawn to horse images, jewelry, or statues? Are you a "work horse"? This could be to your benefit and why you're about to get or are already getting your wish. Or, you may need to rest and let the higher realms do their work. Remember you are a co-creator of your world. Your thoughts and intentions are your part and higher realms take care of the rest. Keep up the positive thinking! :)

Knowing these weekly readings are for me as well as you, I know that making and selling my healing crystal jewelry has been on my mind and these cards make me very happy! It lets me know that it is part of my life's purpose (one of the meanings of the Epona/crystals card) to work with crystals. Today is one of those days it would have been great to have videoed myself drawing the cards so you could see my reaction- it was a very happy one! :D

Have wonderful holidays, my friends. Tomorrow our family celebrates Christmas with traditions both ancient and modern.  Whatever you celebrate this time of year, I wish you peace and joy.  Thursday I'll be back on here with another post.  Enjoy yourselves and be safe! <3

Healing Crystal Jewelry Now Available!!

Well, I'm so excited to finally be able to announce that healing crystal jewelry is now available in my Etsy Shop!! It's been on my mind for a long time and now that I've turned some pieces out and listed them, I feel like I'm finally fulfilling something I've been called to do. All the pictures below link to the listings. 

All healing jewelry in my shop is charged with Reiki!  There will be more coming, so check back! :)

Currently, I'm offering free usps shipping in the 48 contiguous United States and can ship the same day if ordered by noon.  If ordered after noon, I may get to it that day or it may be the next day. Either way, they will go out quickly. If you are in or near Pittsburgh, we can make arrangements for you to pick up.  Even if you don't buy today (though, you'll be happy if you do), please favorite the items, my shop, and share both.  :) <3

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

Namaste

Tarot Card Tuesday- The Wheel (Meaning of and more)

"The Wheel" from the Angel Tarot deck by Doreen Virtue and Radleigh Valentine

Hello Folks!

Your card for Tarot card Tuesday is "The Wheel".  This card means that a situation is suddenly moving forward. When I see this card, I actually see the wheel rolling away from its current position. Perhaps there was some work to be done in that place or you were stuck, but now things are changing in a positive fashion. Keeping in mind that with all change comes adjustment, I'm reminded of last week's reading in which there were some deep emotions coming forth to be released. The full moon is tonight- a traditional time of release- so, this tells me that those feelings are moving on and you are letting go.  Congratulations!! This allows you to live more joyously and freely! Remember that this change is ultimately for your highest good.

This card also indicates a twist of fate, so something unexpected may come up in the next week. This feels especially true of family situations, so stay grounded with some deep breathing and smokey quartz or other healing crystals.  Again, keep in mind that this is forward movement and the work you do is for your spiritual benefit.

Archangel Michael is the strong and protective Archangel who knows our destiny and Life's Purpose. He is with us through all changes in life. Just call upon him for assistance! Remember that we have free will, so the Angels cannot help us unless we ask.


If you would like some distant Reiki to help with balance and stress relief, see my Healing with Reiki page.

Namaste

11 Steps to a more Peaceful life

1. Regular meditation- There are many free online guided meditations. Do a search on YouTube or Beliefnet. A simple five minute meditation in which you observe the breath will do wonders.  Deepak Chopra's Soul of Healing Meditation cd/audio download is probably the best one I've done. Even if you cannot do the whole CD, then try just the breathing awareness part. It is short and will make you get big difference. You can build up to doing the whole meditation. You will feel amazing afterwards! Amethyst is a great healing stone and Frankincense, sandalwood, and lavender are great essential oils for meditation. Reiki is an amazingly relaxing way to reach a state similar to meditation and is excellent for those who have trouble finding peace on their own. 

2. Yoga Asanas- regular exercise of any kind will help you burn away stress hormones, but yoga asanas (positions) are based on ancient wisdom that yoke together mind, body, and spirit. 

3. Positive thinking- Even if you do not believe in or aren't sure about the Law of Attraction, do a little experiment: Try spending five minutes only thinking negative thoughts. Then spend five minutes thinking only positive thoughts. See which one feels more peaceful. Books to read: "The Happiness Makeover", "Easier Than You Think Because Life Doesn't Have to be So Hard".  Call upon Archangel Jophiel to help beautify your thoughts. Flower essences help one think positively.

4. Removing toxins from your life- Ridding yourself of toxic substances, cleaning and body care products, pesticides (both ones you use and ones your food was grown with), and especially relationships will give you the freedom to be who you really are. A great book to read:"Detox for Life"by Josephine Collins Clear crystal quartz purifies body and soul.

5. Expressing yourself creatively- This idea is not based on something you feel you would be good at. Though being good at something may add to your satisfaction, just the process of creating a song, dance, painting, beautiful meal, or knitting a sweater will tap into your Divine nature. We are all of the same source, which is naturally creative. Belly Dance is an excellent way to be creatively expressive! A good book to start with his SARK's "New Creative Companion." Many also like "the Artists Way ".

6. Find your Life's Purpose- A reading by me is one way to go about this. 

7. Forgive- "Unconditional Forgiveness" Is a great book for this step. Holding on to anger, resentment, and pain only gives another person or situation power in your life. Forgiveness is not about saying what happened was okay, but that you will not give it space in your heart any longer. 

8. Keep a gratitude journal

9. Let go- "The Little Book of Letting Go" really helped this Scorpio start to learn about this process... Let go of perfection, other people's expectations, old beliefs, and anything else that no longer serves you. Flower essences also really help with this process.

10. Love yourself first- really contemplate this idea, because you have probably heard it 1000 times. Until you actually do speak to yourself kindly, set boundaries, and do the things you enjoy because it is healing for you, the concept has not sunk in. Read "This I Know" for a beautiful account of a woman's road to self-love. Rose quartz helps one feel more self-love.

11. Connect with Source- This can be anything from spending time in nature or quiet contemplation, asking questions and speaking to the higher realms. Knowing we are fully supported and guided by loving beings removes the anxiety of feeling you have to do it all alone.

Tarot Card Tuesday- The Moon

It's Tarot card Tuesday again, and it seems you all are dreaming up something wonderful that will come to fruition soon! The Tarot card I pulled for you today is The Moon- one of the Major Arcana, which indicates a significant event. In this card from the Victorian Fairy Tarot deck by Lunaea Weatherstone, the fairy dreams under a full moon. The moon represents our subconscious, where dreams are generated by our higher selves and the higher realms. Dreams can be mysterious with their symbols and layered messages. We must use our inner vision as well as our outer vision to make sense of them. This fairy is open to all those mysteries and the unfolding of them, as you must be. Have patience, but you will not have to wait long, for the Fairy Oracle card card (from Magical Messages from the Fairies by Doreen Virtue) tells us that your dreams will come true in the winter months.  The first official day of winter is coming up soon on the Winter Solstice- December 21st.  We celebrate the return of the light and hope for bright days ahead. Many holidays are celebrated during the last 2 weeks in December and you may be dreaming up gatherings with friends and family. With these 2 cards, I am sure you will find Empowering Astrology's update from yesterday as interesting as I do!!
    
 "Dreamy Moon in Pisces making a grand water trine to Jupiter and Saturn today. A grand trine is like a big triangle formation with three planets in the same element (water) forming the angles. The aspect will be fleeting, peaking around mid-day, but will be active well into the evening EST. This aspect will be perfect for creative visioning and anchoring inspiration into the physical. So what big idea do you have? How can you use the magic of today to make it real?"

What are your dreams telling you? What do you need to pay attention to? I'm sure that the grand water trine spurred some interesting night time travels for you. If you are having trouble remembering any dreams, spend some time in meditation and ask for some insight on what your subconscious has been attempting to make you aware of. 

If you would like a dream interpretation reading, see the description on my Tarot Readings page. 

Galena for Soul Retrieval and Past Life Recall

Post by Healing and Crystal Therapy.

How to Find Your Soul's Unique Purpose

We are all here to learn, grow, experience joy, inspire and help each other, release, and forgive. Beyond that, we each have a unique configuration of experiences, talents, and interests that make our Soul Mission different than everyone else's. If the Universe did not have a need to experience itself as thhe exact way that you are, then you would not exist. Your purpose may change - there are large and small themes. There are many purposes you have that play out simultaneously. How do you find out what your individual purpose is this lifetime? You can go about it in any and all of the following ways:

1. A Life Purpose reading by me.
2. Meditation- ask and listen
3. Past Life Regression- try this CD by Doreen Virtue and/or this book and CD (both CD's are available as audio downloads)
4. An Astrology/Natal chart consultation with an astrologist who looks at the Soul's Journey.

While I've done all of the above, my most recent experience was with #4- an astrology chart consultation with Katie of Empowering Astrology. I've been following Katie on Facebook for a bit and her method of looking where the Soul has been and themes that are played out in this lifetime was intriguing and appealing to me. What Karma do I have to clear in this lifetime?

Well, I found out a good bit about that and more in our one hour consultation. While Katie is clearly an expert Astrologist and I'm enthusiastic and have a lot to learn (because, wow, is there a lot to learn), I was able to follow her and get a lot of information about what to pay attention to in my Soul's work. (She also provides an audio recording, so you can go back and listen for further insight.) Previously, I mentioned that she saw that my connection to the other side is extremely powerful and direct because I've already been the Shaman in so many lifetimes. When I mentioned Tarot and Reiki, she was sure to point out that I really need to own my power because Tarot is just barely scratching the surface and Reiki is a bridge to something deeper.

By looking at the chart and using her intuition, she was able to see themes of the trials I've been through. The timelines she gave me for certain events that I have felt would happen lined up. She was able to explain why each January 1st was a trigger for me and see key people in my life who provide opposition. In a big way, it was a big validating relief that it was all marked out in the chart for my life plan and it wasn't just me imagining things or getting into messy situations on my own. She was able to confirm that it is my purpose at this time to teach people to heal themselves.

The sessions (we broke it into 2 half hour sessions because that worked better for me) have led me to look more into Shamanism. When she mentioned me being a Shaman in past lifetimes, I heard Native American singing (I know I was a Shawnee medicine man and was Cherokee in the 500's) and saw a scene of that life as a Shawnee medicine man. Through my Tarot/Oracle card readings, I do already contact the higher realms and deliver messages and advice for healing. Apparently, I'm already working in dreams to help people as well. So, I'm interested to see how this all develops. I am so grateful for this life.

Tarot Card Tuesday- High Priestess and 6 of Water/Cups

It is Tuesday, so it's time to talk about what Tarot card(s) are relevant for you this week! As I was shuffling the deck, the 6 of water (traditionally called the 6 of cups) popped out of the deck. Since you always pay attention to those enthusiastic cards that "jump" out, I put it aside to go with whatever card I pulled. When I asked for a card that would apply to my readers today (and this is you, even if you've never been here before), The High Priestess came up. In the Angel Tarot deck by Doreen Virtue and Radleigh Valentine, the High Priestess is represented by Archangel Haniel, the feminine Goddess-like Archangel who helps us tune into our intuition. So, for further detail and clarification, I pulled a card from the Goddess Guidance Oracle cards (by Doreen Virtue) and Artemis came up, which is really amazing (but not surprising ;) ) because in traditional Tarot, the High Priestess represents Artemis! (And Isis and Persephone. In the Goddess Oracle card deck, Dana, the Celtic Mother Goddess is named High Priestess.) 

The 6 of Water/Cups represents memories from the past coming to the surface (you can see the little merboy, who happens to look a lot like my son, a double Pisces, keeping his head above the surface). Often they are memories from childhood or ones that affect children. It can represent nostalgia, the innocence of childhood/lack of guilt or wishing for a break from adult responsibilities, especially emotional ones.   The memories have surfaced for a reason that affects your present life.  

The High Priestess represents an urge from the higher realms to pay attention to and follow our intuition, our subconscious, and the mysteries of the Universe. In traditional Tarot, there is a thin veil between two towers representing the division between the conscious and subconscious minds. In this deck, there is no veil, and her tome is open, which represents the lifting of the veil and that the knowledge of the Universe is is ours for the taking. The shift in consciousness that occurred in 2012 is the reason for this updated version of the card. Our dreams are generated from our subconscious, so in addition to our gut feelings or listening to our heart, our night time messages have much to tell us. 

The message from the Artemis card is that she and the Angels are our protectors, so we have no need to fear. Her bow and arrow are a talisman, for she does not have need to use them to harm anyone. Artemis prefers to spend her time in the forest amongst the animals. Spending time in nature connects us to our true natures and our intuition. 

This weekend, the moon, Saturn, and Mercury were all in Scorpio, digging up subconscious memories and feelings from the past. They could be from this lifetime or others. Likely, the effects are still hanging around since the subconscious does not always give us a direct picture of the issue.

The overall message here is that subconscious memories from the past have surfaced, either in dreams or by unidentified funks. Our Spiritual protectors tell us that there is no need to fear. The past is the past and we only need to follow our intuition in order to resolve the issues. 

Interestingly, a friend told me yesterday that I appeared in a dream of hers with a High Priestess vibe and told her that she needed Gaia right now; that she would watch over her and help her feel grounded. She and her family are planning a big move, which comes with many feelings of not being rooted, no matter how exciting and wanted the changes are. So, in a way, I am the High Priestess here, directing you to pay attention to, and trust your intuition and calm your fears. 

One way to dissolve the emotions that surface from times like these is to sit in mindful meditation and pay attention to the physical sensations created in the body. How does your  chest feel? Is it heavy? Is there darkness to the energy, as Scorpio's job so often calls for? Are there shots of adrenaline moving down your limbs? Are your palms sweaty?  All you need to do is notice and observe these sensations without judgement. Sit with the feelings and they dissipate on their own. You can also write down the memories or sensations on a piece of paper and then burn it (outside in a metal trashcan or in some other safe manner). Last night was the new moon- a time to set new intentions. You haven't missed the opportunity to do so, so you can also set the intention to acknowledge the feelings and sensations as they come up rather than stuff them down, cover them up, or dismissing them as unreal because you cannot initially explain them.  

Take a few minutes to write down your thoughts about this reading and how it may relate directly to you. If you care to share, leave a comment below.  If you have questions or would like clarification on this reading, either leave a comment below or email me at Narah (at) me (dot) com. You can also find me on Facebook under Narah Kimberly Arrington Minardi.  My Fan page is Facebook.com/vinegarandglitter