February’s Energy: Connecting the Heavens to Earth
This monthly card is a simple principle to draw inspiration from related to the card of the year – The Hierophant. I drew The Hierophant again for February, which means, deeper dive into the energy of the year folks!
The Hierophant (Brady Tarot, @brady.tarot)
As I pointed out in January, we are working with a Universal Numerology of the 3 year. This is the Empress card in all of her luminous feminine energy, full of art, beauty and abundance. For 2019 I drew the Hierophant card to represent how the focus of the Empress/3 relates to what we are dealing with in the world this year: a focus on structure, dogma, what symbols/rituals we hold sacred, and our relationship with it. February brings us back into the heart of the Hierophant, after we have spent January with the theme of deep truth and clarity.
How did last month go for you? How did it feel to come closer to the truth of who you are, in this world, at this time, with your gifts that are running around in your head and heart like a gentle breeze? Or is it a roaring torrent? If you didn’t take time out to look at this, read the January post again and spend a moment reviewing yourself in relation to truth. What did you learn?
February brings us right into the theme for the year without missing a beat. I mean, Pisces does start February 20th, so yes that spiritual renewal theme is just pulling us even closer this month. Rooted in truth, sweet truth, bitter friend, excellent foe! Oh, how we struggle with you! And yet, when we take you into our heart, we find that we are affected. We allow ourselves to drop things long over-due for letting go of. Truth is a grace, a balm, and sweet when we stand in her embrace. Once we bounce off all that rejects the truth, we stand in a calm and centered place. It’s a relief.
I just love the image of the Hierophant in this deck. So deep. The beautiful, brilliant thing about this card, is that the knowledge contained in the book, of all the great religious paths, is just the beginning. Sitting on the back of a peregrine falcon, which darts between heaven and earth, that knowledge wants to soar and rise above, not stay stuck in the realm of dogma or traditions past. It wants to find a higher expression, as it grounds with our life experience, bringing heaven to earth. It wants to challenge our faith, help us to trust deeper, love wider and live our truths. All paths challenge us to carve out our own traditions, based on inner and outer knowledge. The journey is weaving it together.
So, what does your Book of Truth say? Where do you find faith? What inspires your soul? How does flying above with your wisdom allow you to see what you need to survive, and thrive? How do you want to live your Book of Truth? How will you soar? And how can ritual and tradition show a deeper grounded way to proceed?
On Feb 4that 4:04 pm, we have New Moon in Aquarius, which highlights these questions for humanity. This energy closes out the intense energies released by the past 2 eclipses. It asks humanity, where do we want to go? It’s very simple really to choose to KNOW, rather than be lost in old structures that have lost their meaning and oomph. What ritual so you want to do, to initiate this wise energy, to carry you to the next New Moon? And what do you want to grow into the fullness of the Virgo Full Snow Moon on Feb 19that 10:54 am? Think about this, about how your piece of the puzzle fits in the larger thread of life on the planet. What do you want to give thanks to the earth for at this time? What will you do to bring healing energies to the planet through one thing we can change about how we live? These things are important during a Virgo Moon, which calls on the perfect healing energies of the earth to guide us.
This month, look at your faith, look at your beliefs, and where you can seek to move beyond them to acquire wisdom and become teachable and open. Listen this month to others, especially those whose viewpoints differ from yours. Catch your criticisms and shift into compassion. Start to take apart the viewpoints that bind you and isolate you from others. It isn’t always the obvious things like racism, or xenophobia that keep us bound, it’s the things like gossip, stubbornness, anger, and self-righteousness that inhabit all of us, that needs to find breathing room. As we befriend these areas, the shame that also keeps us bound can shift into really hearing what others have to say. There is a thread that connects us all, and it’s up to us to find it and follow its wisdom. Happy soaring!
January’s Energy: The Truth Will Set us Free
This monthly card is a simple principle to draw inspiration from related to the card of the year – The Hierophant
1 of Arrows – Truth
I love these Brady Tarot cards, for their elegance and simplicity, as well as their deeper iconography. They are perfect for a time when our hearts want to draw us closer towards the Earth Mother, and understand our relationship with her and all creatures, rocks, and plant beings.
As I pointed out yesterday, we are working with a Universal Numerology of the 3 year – 2+0+1+9=12, 1+2=3, reducing our numbers to a single digit. This is the Empress card in all of her luminous feminine energy, full of art, beauty and abundance. I drew the Hierophant card to represent how the focus of the Empress/3 relates to what we are dealing with in the world, a focus on structure, dogma, what symbols/rituals we hold sacred, and our relationship with it. January gives us our first lesson on how to do this.
Clarity, in a time of intense information flow, is about clinging to the truth within. When we make a commitment to honesty and balance inside, it makes more room for honesty and balance to inhabit the outer recesses of humanity. Where have we been avoiding the truth? That is the best place to start this month. With rigorous honesty, examine yourself. This is not about shaming or blaming, it is about knowing where you stand. This is an excellent thing to think about in the first month of the year. It frames our new beginnings with solid, unshakable strength. Stand in this and you will be on course for a balanced year ahead, for knowing one’s truth, in the deepest way, eliminates the need to be so defended. It heightens our wisdom, and allows us to keep sacred our well of sacred intention. Be still, go inside, and know who you are.
With this stance, we can focus on our larger year long emphasis on the Hierophant’s invitation to look at how we fit into the structures around us, especially the ones that shape our lives the most, religion, corporations, and politics. Faith and trust are enhanced by truth. We need both for this quest. Knowing who we are, and what we believe in, sets us free in order to question authority. We can take apart the most intricate structures for inspection. This ability to query, look under and around what has stood the test of time, can show us how strong certain parts are and what crusty and non useful structures have hidden the most incredible doorways. Truth lets us test out what we have learned and taken to heart against that which we create around us. There is such freedom in knowing what is real, and what is not. Stand in it and begin your own look.
2019 Energy: Wisdom Emerging through Owning our Path
Card of the Year – The Hierophant
This is a card that we can go back to throughout the year to draw inspiration from. It is a lens for deeper meaning.
Although in Numerology, 2019 is a 3 year, The Hierophant gives us a lens through which to apply the luscious abundance and beauty of the Empress. We need her glory and feminine power to deal with the structures of the Hierophant. And with Saturn, Pluto and the first New Moon Eclipse of the year in Capricorn, it is clear that attention will be focused on our responsibility to look closely at structure and how we relate to it. As knowledge about all sorts of things is revealed, we must know that each one of us holds ground for creating something that works better.
The Hierophant contains a paradox. On one hand, we have our superficial and unquestioning relationship to tradition and the sometimes dogmatic nature of religion, organizational structure, and even government; on the other, the opening of a deeper spiritual or more meaningful path through tradition, possibly associated with initiation of some sort. It harkens the beginning of a wiser more detached view of what really matters in our hearts and in the world. As we take responsibility, and delve into what we believe, rather than count on others framing of a story, we might be more inspired by what we uncover rather than throwing something out for being hollow. We might find that the hollowness was our own ignorance.
There is that which we push against, and that which is solidly needed to pull us deeper. There is a lot of emphasis on sacred objects, or those things that we confer sacred status onto. Take a serious look at what you give your attention to this year. And what symbols and ritualized things you have integrated into your life. Do they deserve our attention? Are they indeed sacred, or are we putting our attention onto meaningless symbols that have no relevance to what our hearts are longing for. This is a time to go deep and create your own symbols or sigils, or research the origins of symbols you hold dear. Are they in alignment with you? Having sacred objects can deepen an experience and becomes a language of its own to spirit. Meaningless rituals of any sort may have held deep meaning in the past, but do they need a creative restructuring to freshen them up? We all have rituals in our lives, whether it’s our commute to work, or how we leave the house in the morning. Change it up and brighten your spirit.
What secret wisdom do you carry? How are you infusing it into your daily life and words? What makes a sacred object? How can you detach from anything ritualized in your life to evaluate its effectiveness? This year is about giving these things new life or creating new rituals that work for you in a deeper way.
Each month I will offer a universal card to integrate the month’s energies with. This is a general card which will offer a way to take The Hierophant’s message into that month’s energy. If you would like a custom set of card drawings that is suited to your individual queries, and goes deeper, consider the Song in Your Soul LifeCast, a 12 Month Reading. This is a reading for next 12 months which we do over the phone. We choose 3 goals for the year, and draw a card for each month. I send you a report with a written analysis of each month’s card, and how it can help you move towards your goals. It also includes the planetary movements and a brief analysis of how those movements can help you. Schedule here.
Spiritual bath for troubled times
I am re-publishing this article, as I feel we can use it’s wisdom for the next few weeks.
Nearly all religions and cultures equate water with energy. Ancient peoples believed that water could transform human energy, especially when combined with ritual and prayer. Even science supports this idea, in that flowing water emits negative ions which have a beneficial effect of the body. The past couple of weeks have been a lot to take, so taking a spiritual bath or soaking your feet, can aide in restoring us to better feelings as we handle the transforming energies around us. The following Spiritual Bathing Ritual will restore and refresh. Most of the ingredients can be found at your local health food store. Get creative and add any soothing tinctures or essences you have on hand. The point is to create an experience that soothes you and leaves you in a different state than you started with. You might want to do one of these daily until the New Moon Solar Eclipse on the 11th of August 2018, and for the weeks following, as I have a feeling we will need it’s healing balm until then.
Ingredients:
Lavender flowers or essential oil
Salt
Calendula or Chamomile Flowers
Bach Flower remedy (if you have it)
Transform your bathroom into a healing space by adding candles, soothing music, and low light.
Hold your hands over the water and pray:
Divine water, thank you for your many blessings. Let your flowing powers take away the stress, negativity and overload I have absorbed. Connect me with the divine to heal me, restoring peace and serenity. Oh glowing waters, as you reflect the sun may you nourish me with joy and love. As you reflect the moon may you open up my intuition and calm strength. As you reflect the stars, let me absorb hope and renewed purpose. As the land holds you and supports you, may I be held and grounded too. May the breezes that gently caress you take away any fear and doubt. May the heat of the sun warm my heart. Bless you water for restoring my spirit.
As you step into the water, know you are entering divine space. As you soak, try to think about the prayer and let the water and elements wash away the difficult feelings.
When you are ready to step out, pause and thank the waters, and know that you are renewed. Know that you carry the healing energy with you.
Finding Strength in a Moment of Radical Change
August 11,2018 Full Moon Solar Eclipse in Leo at 5:58 am EDT
With the Sun, Moon conjunction, Palais Athena, and reversing Mercury right over the Rising of this chart, this Lunation is all about new beginnings, with an intense edge. Mercury clearly traversing into the 12 house underground, is taking us into the cave of our ancestral knowledge. When Mercury goes direct on the 19th of August, until it passes over the rising of that chart into 1st House on the 28th of August, initiating a new beginning energy, we will have ideas about what it is that we are able to embrace. And on the same day, Mars goes direct bringing us some of the Capricornian energy of structure and kick ass to get us going.
Uranus has just gone Retrograde and will be moving slowly till the Middle of September, before it heads out of Aries for one last try to get that entrepreneurial, old economy rally, before it heads back to Taurus for a big, finger wagging, talking to. This little dip which lasts till March 7th 2019, gives us a chance to get ready for financial opportunity and revisioning in our own lives. Keep asking the question, how will I align with new financial energies. How can I welcome new opportunities and allow them to benefit me? How can I contribute to the writing of a new economic story? What do I need to learn about finance and the economy? How can I stay informed?
So back to this lunation, which is a bit of a harbinger of these unfolding big energies. Leo Sun’s energy is fun, loving, warm and big hearted in a beautiful way. Compounded by a Leo rising as well, it’s a fiery and energetically good energy. So you would be inclined to sit back and kick off your shoes, right? Um, well not so fast grasshopper. Make time for enjoyment, but there are some bigger inclinations we need to pay attention to.
There are some tense energies between a simmering Female strength that got riled up by the last Eclipse, and the need to start chinking away at the ways women are systematically marginalized culturally. This is where carefully laid plans and incremental justice hit the pavement. Step by step, victory by victory, the road leads toward walking together, as we persistently, and with strength confront the hidden agenda. Here is the key folks, it is a time to hold the space for people to see the truth. So we must move with love, not with anger. Some people are just awakening to their understanding of colonial mindset and what that means. Instead of being impatient and all gloaty, lets just catch and hold while people readjust. Give people time to face things. They do. The energies of the Divine will not have it otherwise. Trust the energies around us to help us. This is where being in tune is so important. This is what we have been learning as spiritual folk, now it’s time for a test drive. Leadership is tricky, not always smooth, and requires a knowing, a vision, and moving forward despite outside objections and fears.
Back to Mercury for a moment. The winged messenger is bringing us whispers from our ancestors, our soul self and from the spirits that walk with us. We must take the time to listen to their warm, vibrant messages for us. About how to move forward. (I feel this is so important, that I will be giving a workshop about this is New York in the fall). This is a spiritual reorganization, a deeper call than we might be used to. Nevertheless, embracing it will only bring joy, focus and higher energies into our lives. So create time to integrate and document your ideas
If you have creative projects you want to get off the burner and into the world, move now! Anything creative has a beautiful strength to it now, so get working on your projects. Your critical, doubting self has left the building for a bit, and there is a surge of energy as you take that dark energy and just let it move you forward, with a lighter sense of itself. Yes, we could get all blamey on ourselves and blah blah, blah, but stop wasting that vital energy. Let that box of blick go, and wash it away in the certainty of your vision now.
This is a moment when we see the hand of God in our lives, manifest through a knowing that will carry us for the next 6 months. Don’t waver on this knowing, nor take it for granted. Sure ideas are a dime a dozen, but these ideas…these ideas have merit. So take them into the next step of light and constructive unfolding and create something with them. Even little stuff adds up. We are on a longer trajectory here, so take it step by step.
Look to healing the critical feminine, the inner bitch, as well as healing the body at this time. How does healing the feminine within you affect your body? How can we reframe our bitchy selves into looking at what we are resisting? Are we resisting exercise? Are we not going to the doctor when we need? Are we not speaking up? Really look at why the need to get critical. Do we need a new alternative approach? Dietary change? Check out your body resistance and address it during this time. It will lead to something radical if you do.
Looking at the world stage, a lot is going to be revealed. Almost too darn much. Pay attention, write it down, synthesize for yourself. A certain unmasking and release of energies is coming with intensity and wants attention. The idea here is learn from what is falling apart, and know that nothing is certain. We are Midwives of a new energy, and this lunation shows us how to be that kind of change maker. As I said before, it is not in-your-face change. It is hold the energy and move forward change. It we can increase our meditation times, and remember to give blessings to these energies throughout our day, this will be that.
And patience Grasshopper, patience. Some of us are totally over dealing with certain energies, but check yourself and stay steady. Remember that some are not able to get it as fast as others. That’s okay, they will get it. And those who don’t, will deal with the fact that energies are changing whether they like it or not. Have compassion on those beings. They deserve our love too. Lets not demonize the stuck ones, rather, lift them up in our prayers and our intentions. See the same light we wish for ourselves infusing their lives and loves. See the stuck places melting in light. And remember, they might still be in opposition to our views, but they will be moving from a stuck place to a better frame of energy.
So as a friend says, Shields up folks! Just remember, we are strong, kind and gentle creatures. And Love is a powerful mender of things. Let’s hold up love during this lunation.
Our Unfolding Greatness: The Divine Feminine
Welcome to my sketch of this powerful July 27, 2018 Lunar Eclipse in Aquarius at 4:21 pm EDT. I have a lot to say here, so get ready!
Lets start with current affairs in the skies. Thursday Mercury went retrograde, on it’s merry way to the underground for a rest. Let’s not freak about this one, for I think that Mercury is telling us to rest and take a big break here. In this chart Mercury falls in the place of higher learning and offers a lesson to this Full Moon Eclipse of being teachable, mentally flexible and alert to the financial undercurrents. As I write this Facebook lost $100 billion in value. This fits with Mercury’s travel beneath, prizing privacy and alone time, Facebook not really learning it’s lesson, and well, the people (investors) speak. One must learn their lessons and shift ever so much.
Eclipses sure are wiley things. This one is no less so. Ironically, this eclipse energy involves a strong T-Square with Jupiter forming the looser 4th element of a Grand Fixed Square (fixed planets AND fixed houses – super strong stasis energy) containing this eclipse. Yet with Uranus and Retrograde Mars partnering with Moon and Sun, it’s gonna be explosive and wanting out of the box. Let’s just say it is fortunate to have Jupiter in there smoothing things for us. Cause otherwise…it could be much worse.
Aquarius Full Moons want the best for us. Aquarius rules the higher mind, the overview, the big picture. Humanity. And, with the volatile, emotional, surprising energies surrounding it, you can be sure things that get riled up need to be. Jupiter butts in and says, yes look for the higher good here, the hand of the Divine. There is power and beauty in the divine forces here. They call us to let go of our notions of how things should be and just pause a beat. There is elemental energy here that wants to be expressed. The Moon conjuncts Mars right before the eclipse, so our bodies are involved here. We need to move, shake, dance, yoga it out. Sit on the ground and meditate. In other words, do not try to hold this energy in your bodies. It will make you a bit nuts.
Jupiter is helping us expand our notions of what is best for all people. For some of us, that is a difficult notion. Jupiter is not going to shut his mouth though, in fact he’s gonna get precise and pointed. But in the way a concerned, but to the point, adult would say to a wayward teenager, “Get your shit together young folk”. We have some collective growing up to do, regarding our responsibilities in the world. Leaders all over the planet are having teenage regression and it’s up to us to be the mature ones. So that means speaking up. Meaning what we say, say what we mean. More important now more than ever to walk ones talk. Be authentic. I cannot stress more the notion that cleaning your own street leads to a collective cleaner world. Root out your own darkness and get to work on your shadow. Therapy, 12 step work, coaching, introspection, shamanic soul loss and ancestor work. The next 3 weeks, while Mercury is in Retrograde, are a chance to get our houses in order. When that happens, we can see our neighbors pain, suffering and also their joy and celebrations. We are present and observant. Get real people!
Note to self: Realize that the Divine can clean a house better than Mrs. Meyers. Prayer and spiritual connection is the best protection we can muster. We will see miracles around getting our spiritual work done, and what that can do for us. So Ancestor work, organizing your spiritual practice, listening to the divine, and letting those things refresh us. It will take root in us if we let it. Work your manifesting magic to get things energized.
In terms of Uranus in Taurus, and it’s powerful reframing of finances, we are just seeing the beginning of what Uranus can do starting with this eclipse and the following one in August. Look for clues in your own world. My take is that Uranus is cracking open a very stubborn portal that is trying hard to remain closed. Get structured with finances. Develop and use a spending plan. Use your resources wisely. And…use your intuition. Invest where your intuition leads. Trust your gut, but also be cautious and look to invest locally where you can. Money is about to rebirth itself over the next 7 years. Gack. This lunation gives us clues about that. Be aware.
I want to speak a bit about anger. Mars energy is a straight up bossy opinionated lot. And yet, the God of War knows how to use his energy wisely. Well sometimes. He has a lot of repressed feminine energy to deal with. So in the story of this lunation, The Moon has brushed up against Mars and said, “Hey there, give me a boost as I balance out the Male Sun energies, will ya?” Tired of dealing with the frigging patriarchy, she is just like, “Hey, you want a glimpse of my power folks? I am not having it anymore. Watch me break shit apart.” Which Uranus is gladly available for. What gets peoples attention when you want to make change? Money. (Remember, Uranus in Taurus means money is in for a ride). Lets all be deep learners and pay attention here. Step out of fear. Pluto in all of his magnificence is sending a hug to the Divine Feminine who is ready to get to work feeding us all with instinctual love and compassion, no matter what resources we have. So drop fear and listen up. We are here on the planet at this crazy time to usher in change. Step into Midwife mode all ye mothers out there. All ye nurturers. That includes men too. It is time to rebalance all the Male out of hand stuff with a more modern vision of the feminine warrior energy. Don’t get me wrong, we love our male counterparts, but the thinking is in need of an update. We were cultured into a male dominated view of the world. It is not going to hold up any more. Like all things, change happens in increments, but there is a power in this time that cannot be held back. Anger. Mars. So be conscious of this war, it is what is underneath all of this. And follow the money.
We females have been watching for a long time and shaking our heads. And now, well, it’s gonna get interesting. Push back, and posturing is not nurturing the planet. Things are getting real. We are seeing a great change in climate, ecosystems and habitat. Humans have it in us to be planet protectors, not rapists. We have forgotten our place in this landscape of beauty and plenty. So this is about bigger things than the women’s movement, or feminism. This is about survival, nurturing peace, loving across borders. This is about how we are going to be as humans. And how we are as stewards of our Grandmother, the earth. Do we want to really give up our National Parks? Do we really want big business to dominate us? Is that divinity? Is that what the whispers in our ears are nudging us to? I think not, but check for yourself. Feminine energy does not want to dominate the world, it wants to liberate and restore sacred feminine wisdom. And that is part of the grand plan. It can be painful or easy, our choice. But lets not be so mamby-pamby here. Claim it. Stand up for it. What are we waiting for? It is our time. I think this lunation is gonna kick ass. That would be good, ya know?
Last note, this chart rises in Sagittarius, and sextiles the Moon, giving the gentle energy of fun and companionship. Let’s not forget the people that make up our lives and their very real struggles and celebrations at this time as well. How can we be good friends, stand with our spiritual brothers and sisters in this mish-mash of a time? Have a damn sense of humor people! It goes a long way to spread the healing energies.
Here’s to walking this wild and wonderful path together! We are who we need to be.
Moons and Planets and Things that Go Bump in the Night
On July 12 we will head into a season of, well upheaval is a nice word for it. Three Eclipses in a row, put us in position for a bumpy ride this summer. Weathering this is all about how you strap in for the ride. Since this is so darn difficult, I am going to be doing daily readings on Instagram (@cathytowle) to help you make the best use of these dramatic energies. And try to step out of the macrocosmic drama and shore up your microcosmic lives. So hop on over to Instagram and follow me there.
I started yesterday with a reading for the week, an overview so to speak. Check it out -https://www.instagram.com/p/BlBYLLABG2-/
To recap –
Our Challenge (8 of Vessels – Rebirth) is to let go of the past, so our blessings will flow through us. See the potentials, not the barriers. Ask – Why not me? We have learned from our challenges, now believe it and renew life objectives. Mold the future to reflect how you would have it manifest in your hands.
The Potential Before Us (Knight of Vessels- Eel) By defining our destiny through the lens of pure intent, our maturity allows us to trust our vision. These are hard times, when courage and integrity are tested. Recognizing to importance of this moment, and the power of choice and belief in being able to renew our vision, we can bring that to others to stand together to be strong and protected.
Astrologically speaking, this is right on. Holding on to the past is not going to serve us as we watch a lot of things get dismantled. Our challenge is to hold that energy, nurture something new into being. There are new timelines, to jump onto, but be careful what you get started at this time. Instead, be patient so you can see what to grow.
New Moon in Cancer (20 degrees) on Thursday, July 12, at 10:48 pm EDT has an accompanying partial Solar Eclipse. We are already feeling the effects of this eclipse, as we feel them as much as 2 weeks before they happen. You can certainly see that in the current world affairs. Personally you might feel intense energy, emotionally taxed, unsettled and just plain off. Don’t worry, that’s normal! We are in a period of Mars being retrograde on top of that so…anger. Even if you have done tons of work around this, surprise! Whatever anger is lurking will be revealed. Instead of unleashing that freaking thing, stay calm, notice what is going on and chock it up to Mars. Okay, I do not have to get this angry. Note to self: Use that anger to get things DONE! Call my representatives, protest, write about it. Just save your family from unwanted outbursts. There is plenty of time to deal with dramas. Just walk away. Don’t engage. Put up the hand and save your energy for the important stuff. Like anything that is hard to do> For example…I’m so pissed at my boss, but I am going to instead tackle my backlog of number crunching that really helps me know what my financial sitch is. You know what to do folks!
Along with Mars fun energy, we also have Jupiter turning direct today. In Scorpio no less. So this increases the capacity for cutting remarks, zingers, and expansion of all kinds. Like I said, get off the ride, turn that horse around and do not go there. This is not the time to ream anybody out. Instead, USE that energy. We do have handy-dandy Saturn stabilizing Uranus’s impulsive in your face action on the New Moon, but that thing has a way of feeling like it’s too much to handle. Thank goddess we have Venus in there saying, turn to beauty, turn to love. So repeat after me…Love is a better way. Love is strength. Love is fierce. Love takes action. Love is me. And the see what happens.
Despite all this, this nurturing Moon is going to give us a lot of intuitive power. Forming a nice trine with Neptune and Jupiter, it’s gonna feel good to be artistic, dream a bit, soothe ourselves with film and art, and meditate and yoga it up. We will find a spiritual perspective, if we reach for it. It’s there. Practical Venus is going to keep us from going off the deep end, but enjoy to dip into the subconscious for a bit. It will come in handy later on in the month. In fact, if you can continue to step into meditation and connection to the divine right now, you will be able to weather the rough waters ahead with a bit more equanimity than you would otherwise.
I will be back in a few days with the cosmic weather for July 27th’s Full Moon Lunar Eclipse. Until then, tune in on Instagram – @cathytowle. I will be keeping you updated.
Revive Your Spirit with Violet Tincture
Violet Tincture Recipe
“Oh! faint delicious spring-time violet,
Thine odor like a key,
Turns noiselessly in memory’s wards to let
A thought of sorrow free.”
W. W. Story—The Violet
The beginning of May is the perfect time to prepare a Violet Tincture. This lovely concoction is a subtle mood lifter, shifting grief and loss in sweet ways. Taking us to a deeper and more loving place, violet enhances self-love and self-care. I find it helps also with things like weight loss, and after one has had a bout of illness, when we are letting go of emotions and difficult thoughts. Violet gets us a gentle nudge to get back on tract and connect with our feelings. It also subtly helps our lungs heal. And not to mention, a wonderful herb to imbibe after a soul retrieval in the integration process of remembering the soul part.
To prepare your tincture:
Collect a lot of violet flowers. Put them in a glass jar and cover with 100 proof vodka. You will see the color of the liquid turn a cast of purple after a few days. Leave the violets in the solution to macerate for 2-3 weeks. Then strain out and you have a nice tincture.
Use:
Just a few drops on the tongue works wonders, but again it is subtle compared to nettle or other more robust herbs. I tend to liken it to being infused with fairie dust…it is that magical.
Know that it does not retain its strength for that long, approx. 9 months, so make several tinctures throughout the bloom time, to enjoy it into the winter months.
Enjoy this Violet poetry…the perfect combination
“A humble flower long time I pined
Upon the solitary plain,
And trembled at the angry wind,
And shrunk before the bitter rain.
And oh! ’twas in a blessed hour
A passing wanderer chanced to see,
And, pitying the lonely flower,
To stoop and gather me.”
Thackeray—Song of the Violet
“A violet by a mossy stone
Half hidden from the eye!
Fair as a star when only one
Is shining in the sky.”
Wordsworth—She Dwelt Among the Untrodden Ways
Download the pdf below by clicking on the link.
Owning Wisdom and Power in Spiritualist Traditions.
This is not my usual post, as I don’t often talk about the shamanic side of Mediumship, mostly because it is misunderstood and misinterpreted by a predominately white european view of Mediumship. And yet, spiritualist traditions have a beautiful trajectory throughout the world, and a very strong root in the black, latin and indigenous communities.
Last week I had a conversation with a wonderful priestess and friend that walks the same path I do in the African Diaspora Spiritualist traditions, Ambrozine Legare. We were puzzling over what happens when one steps up into owning our place in our traditions, and what that responsibility is like. It does kick one’s butt as it opens up a door to greater wisdom and knowledge. As women, we do not have many role models in a mostly male leadership situation with colonialized overtones. Women I feel have a different take on leadership, especially spiritual leadership. Here are my thoughts on that.
It’s our ego that tells us that we have to be “something” to be a spiritual leader. Most of us just know we are, at some level, and start acting like it. Some of us were acting like it all along and didn’t notice. Others of us have to be shown the way. However it happens, it is a calling, and it is not for everyone.
Once you step in the light of your destiny as a leader, you notice the fakery and hollow spirituality all around you. But don’t for one moment fall for the trap of thinking you are better than this or that person. What we are really noticing is how our own egos are at play in every situation. It is good to look at what doesn’t work. We find our own leadership that way. It is not judgmental to notice it if we take it to heart and learn from it. If we are not doing our own shadow work, confronting our ego through self-inquiry and psychological work to unmask that friend; then we risk losing our connection to our ancestors and our spiritual guidance. It is an ongoing process, to be undertaken one’s whole life. Integrating, and not demonizing our ego, is a life’s work, and companion to unfolding our spiritual gifts. It can keep us out of a lot of trouble. Spirit corrects us if we are listening. Our elders too. This is what is called walking the razors edge.
Honestly walking one’s talk is a recognition that you could lose it in a second. It is that perilous. So, when we step into our gifts and feel like, “Oh no, how am I a leader?” then one must take a step back and recognize our friend in all of its glory and get to work confronting it, knowing it thoroughly. When we know ourselves, our gifts and our weaknesses, highs and lows, we understand when spirit is in us and when it is not. We also know it is a gift and we do not dally making use of it and letting it out into the world.
There are so many of us now on this planet that are meant to be spiritual leaders on all kinds of levels, in our communities, in our spheres of influence, in our families. Standing for what is right, understanding our own imperfections and taking the risk to be led and to lead at the same time. We risk falling from grace, but if we have led our communities correctly, we will be held by them and allowed to find our way back. To find humility and grace to mend the parts of our soul that we cannot see, that takes a fall from grace to correct so that we can get back up there and be a human, flawed, work in progress. A true leader is not perfected. In fact, the more flawed the better, in that there is an accessability to other people’s pain and suffering. But they MUST be teachable, humble enough to be corrected and take action around that correction.
True leaders listen without and within. They understand it is not about them at all, rather they are a facilitator, a place holder for the greater wisdom to flow through. This is come to in a very humble, working for the greater good, kind of way. It means delegating and letting power flow through oneself and onto others. And teaching them how to channel that power and let it flow through them to the next person. True power is from the collective letting itself be led, by trust and belief in that person’s ability to transmit power and use it well.
Whether we are called into service or not, there is a version of priestess in all of us. Once we take on that part of us, and struggle with it and our friend the ego, then we can have the compassion to hold our leadership with more ferocity and love. That is our part in things as a community. Holding our leadership accountable means loving them as we love ourselves. With everything we’ve got. Even the ones we cannot stand. If we are demonizing without, then we are condemning within. Find that place within and illuminate it with love and hope. We cannot as spiritual people believe there is only light. The truth is that there is only balance and love for the darkness. It is our teacher and our friend. That does not mean we condone it, or fall down in its face. We see that it’s only power is in the parts in us that are afraid of it. We say no with all the love in our hearts. We create boundaries with a recognition of purpose and gratitude for the understanding of their importance. We recognize the ego and call BS. But then we have to leave room for change to take place. Holding space is a priestesses job. Creating sacred space for the power of what is needed to move through and change what it can.
Let us all step into being the priestess that we need to be, inside and outside, and hold the space together.
Loving Ourselves in the Midst of Tremendous Change
Love. This is where I want to start. Just saying that word makes a shift. Love, love, love. It opens doors. It can move mountains. It can change our hearts.
cathy towle ancestrally guided coach & shamanic healer. medium & intuitive consultant spiritual house cleansing 