transition
Signs, Sigils And A Solstice Frith
As we arrive at the mid-year this weekend, with the solstice on June 20th, we have an opportunity to consider what needs to unfold next, for the remainder of this unusual year. The solstice is the ideal time for signs, sigils and spiritual messages.
This has been a curious time for everyone on the planet. It is as if we’ve been trapped in an alternate reality, where we can no longer accurately sense what lies ahead. With this much upheaval and uncertainty, it’s natural to experience a range of extreme emotions. We’ve had to adapt, and reflect, and confront our inner demons.
During these interesting times it’s important to nourish what we know feels good and true in our lives. The situation also opens up the space to be curious and be willing to try new things.
We have been living with one foot in the past, and one foot in the future. The good news is, however, that there is a change in the wind. We can’t successfully continue living between two worlds forever. There is a shift coming. When the winds starts to blow in a new direction, one can feel it ‘in your bones.’ There is anxiety, excitement, anticipation, a sense of renewal. For me, when this happens with the changing winds, I look for signs and spiritual guidance.
Recently, on the day a new wind blew for me, my first question was, “What’s next?” I was drawn to step on the threshold of my door, touching the door frame. The first thing I saw and heard was a murder of crows sitting on the fence around one of the rose bushes, cawing loudly. Then I noticed a significant change in the rose buds.
The day before I was pruning the bushes, and it looked as if many of the buds were not going to open this season, as several branches seemed to be dying. Fortunately, I had some other chores and didn’t finish the pruning, and left them as they were. Now, I saw a few of those buds were actually beginning to open, and new leaves were sprouting.
The Spiritual Symbolism Of The Peacock
The masculine energy of the peacock emanates self-assurance and confidence, and also represents pride and vanity. In the spiritual context, masculine energy is understood to be the active and doing part of nature – it is the force that compels us forward.
Given the uncertainty we are currently facing our world climate, we could all call on the energy of this spirit animal to provide us with the courage to step forward in new ways.
The peacock was the first bird to every appear in my artwork. Each time I was drawn to paint the peacock, I experienced major changes in my life, which involved either moving home or relocation, or taking another step to progress in my career.
The peacock (Pavo cristatus), also known as the Indian peafowl, has a long tradition of spiritual symbolism in many cultures and belief systems. The peacock (in contrast to the peahen) is known for the beautiful array of iridescent colors in his tail feathers, featuring the well-known mystical designs that look like eyes. Some of the key spiritual messages of the peacock include:
Confidence
As the vision for the peacock came to life on that first canvas, I gained a renewed sense of confidence with my own artwork. He reminds us all of the need to feel free, joyful and confident in how we express ourselves. When we have appreciation for our abilities, it gives rise to self-confidence.
Let Us Meditate On The Butterfly Spirit
Have you had a butterfly dance into your life? Can you remember the issues happening in your life at that time? Butterfly Spirit usually deliver a wonderful message that you are leaving your cocoon and will be experiencing the joy of transformation in your life.
The butterfly spirit represents rebirth and freedom from despair. Next time butterflies show up in your life, consider looking at your relationships, career, living situation, and your finances. Take some time and meditate on the meaning of the presence of the butterfly in your life. The reason will soon unfold. You are truly blessed if it is the first butterfly you see of the season, as it is surely a sign of good fortune throughout the next year.
The butterfly has many stages before it reaches its final form, and its spiritual symbolism is especially significant during this time of global crisis. The egg stage represents a thought, idea or intention for a new manifestation. The larva stage is the decision to move forward with the plan. The cocoon stage symbolize the actions required to manifest the intended new reality. Then finally the birth stage arrives, which represents the manifestation.
This delicate, sweet-winged spirit can appear in many different colors and patterns. Up to the 1600s, the white-winged butterfly was protected by law in Ireland because it was said to be the souls of children that had passed away. Still today, some of Irish decent believe this to be true, and are considered blessed when the white butterfly spirit comes into their life.
A Time Of Transition With Venus Retrograde
Venus is the goddess of love, and in Astrology the planet Venus is thought to represent what we love, value and the pleasure we take in life. The zodiac sign that Venus is in at the moment of our birth, can give us clues as to how we approach relationships, as well as what gives us joy in life. In the Shamanic Astrology tradition, the natal Venus is considered to be our emerging feminine expression.
The planet Venus rotates around the Earth in an 18-month cycle. The cycle begins when it appears as the ‘morning star’ on the eastern horizon, best seen in the early morning sky. It then begins a journey around the Earth, disappearing behind the Sun for two to three months, before reappearing as the ‘evening star’ on the western horizon. As it nears the end of the cycle, Venus goes retrograde, before disappearing again from the sky, and then re-emerging once again in the early morning sky as a goddess transformed for another cycle.
This annual cycle of Venus represents the personal growth, transformation, death and rebirth that affects us all collectively. There is also a complete eight year cycle for each individual, as Venus reaches the same point in the sky, where it was at our time of birth, once every eight years. This is known as the Venus Return and is the starting point or rebirth of an individual’s eight year cycle. Often, around these 8-year time-frames, for example at age 24, 32, 40, 48, 56, 64, and so on, there are significant life events that have more far reaching effects for us personally.
Simple Ways To Reduce Your Stress Levels
We all feel the effects of stress in our lives at the moment. This is an especially difficult time in the world, and it is challenging us in ways that we did not expect.
Stress is a feeling of being under way too much pressure. This pressure can come from different aspects of your daily life, such as career challenges, life transitions, relationship conflict, health problems, family issues and financial worries. Whatever the stressors in your life are, they can affect your well-being very negatively.
We all experience stress, but how we handle it affects our lives to various degrees. You might have tried different approaches, but not much has worked. Sometimes the solution is much simpler than one might realize. Here are some positive lifestyle tips to manage your stress levels. Even if you just apply a couple a day, these basic strategies can make a real difference in cultivating a calmer state and greater peace of mind.
Get Enough Sleep
Sleep is so important in so many ways, and so often neglected in our busy lives. Adequate sleep helps us to stay focused, heal is from within, and manage our days so much better.
If you are not sleeping well, or not getting enough sleep, make every effort to resolve this. It is probably the most important thing you can do to reduce your stress levels. I find meditation music or white noise very helpful, and taking short naps during the day are an excellent means to get extra rest.
Making The Most Of The Ebb Of Life
Life follows a cyclical pattern, of ebb and flow, whether it’s our health, money, career, education, relationship, family or lifestyle. Focusing on what brings you joy, and what we do during these challenging ‘ebb times,’ make a difference once the flow returns. During the difficult times in life, we can feel that there is not enough, or we’ve failed in our judgment, or we are in survival mode. But don’t panic, a time of ebb is temporary, and in time things will begin to flow again.
The ebb that we are currently experiencing can be a highly creative time to journal our ideas or create a new vision for our future; since we are off the spinning wheel of life temporarily.
A friend who was experiencing this kind of pause some years back, felt a sense of panic every day. He was obsessed with situations and people. After his ebb time, when things picked up again, we connected at a spiritual retreat. He shared with the group the lesson he learned from his experience.
By spending his days in panic, he felt he missed out on the luxury of free time to spend it in ways he would have enjoyed more. He always wanted to develop a course, but did not work on it during this time by doing the research he usually enjoys.
He also missed out on honing his skills for a new job and finding clarity on what he really wanted in life. He was also not working on the relationship he wanted to manifest, instead of clinging to the one that was already hanging by a thread.
The True Meaning Of Surrender
When life becomes too challenging, and things begin to fall apart for us, we usually seek spiritual guidance and comfort. And in these circumstances we often tend to hear terms like surrender, release and acceptance. We are told to just let it go and simply be in the moment.
But what does it really mean to surrender? It’s a term often used in spiritual and metaphysical circles. Is there even such a thing? And if so, what does it entail? According to the dictionary, surrender means to stop fighting and admit defeat. It also conjures up the vision of waving a white flag. But is spiritual surrender truly nothing more than throwing in the towel, and graciously accepting our defeat?
I prefer to explore the meaning of spiritual ‘surrender’ through the metaphor of a painting I made, which is my way of meditating and reflecting on life. The painting is of an angel and I even named it Surrender. I chose this name, because it is the energy this angel emanates. His pose and posture also symbolizes the act of surrender.
At the time of working with the energy of this piece, I was in the process of leaving the security of a mainstream finance career, to establish myself as a full-time artist, energy healer and spiritual reader. Meanwhile, I was also very busy navigating a family separation and divorce. There were so many major changes in my life, and so much about my future and my life path that remained uncertain and unknown.
During my painting time, I felt connected to an energy that provide me with wise counsel. It was during a time in my life when I wasn’t feeling grounded in my own wisdom, and I needed a way to feel into it. This painting for me became the bridge in my understanding, as I navigated my new life changes.