This card again?

This card and another used to plague me. Well, not literally!  But for nearly a year I selected 3 of these angel cards nightly and journalled about them.  And for 32 out of 46 days straight, I pulled this card and another one.  Clearly there was a message I needed to take from this Angel card, and I wasn't getting it.

The pages of my book are so dog eared here, and still smell vaguely of the essential oils I frequently had near my bedside table then.  Here we go:

Sensuality

If only we are wise enough to stop and set aside a moment amidst the demands and distractions of our daily lives, to truly see the beauty that surrounds us, to hear teh sounds of birdsong, to taste a peach and smell the roses, to touch the one we love.  ~ Elizabeth Millar in "The Fragrant Veil, Scents for the Sensuous Woman"

The soul is sensuous and playful by nature.  The angel Sensuality revives your sensuous and playful spirit by guiding you to a more open, loving heart. Sensuality connects to the pleasures of the spirit and reveals itself through the senses of taste, hearing, sigh, smell, touch, and emotion.

Bodily sensations and your truer qualities are greatly enhanced when you are in touch with your soul.  A slight breeze can feel like a passionate caress, and brief eye contact with a stranger can give you a glimpse into the grace of eternal love.  Are you open to feeling aroused and vibrant?

 She goes on to ask questions about how we (I) feel at this time in my life, today.  Am I stopping to smell the roses?  What areas of my life need a makeover?  Is it my hairstyle or clothing?  What can I change in my life to feel more sensual right now?

In the sensuality makeover she suggests the following:

• meditate and ask the angel Sensuality to help feel connected with the sensual, playful nature of your soul.
• Play music that provokes sensations and desires, and allow yourself to feel all of your emotions.  Cry to wash away old pains and hurts, scream into a pillow to break through numbness and Dance!
• Write about any thoughts that come to you, and any actions that you could take.  
• Take a bath with essential oils that smell enticing and make your skin feel smooth and delicious (This may be why my book smells so good right now)
• Do a striptease
• Act out a fantasy
• Dress up in erotic costumes and accessories
• Remove things from your closet that make you feel numb or dead.  Wear clothes that bring you to life.
• And, choose clothing that connects you to this following pieces of music

Celine Dion, "Seduces Me"

Alanis Morissette, "Uninvited"

Joe Cocker, "You Can Leave Your Hat On"

Sarah Brightman, "You Take My Breath Away"

While browsing for these video clips in YouTube I came across something that stirred me. It reminded me of a time of awakening while I was on one of my trips to England several years ago.  I watched a documentary about Freddie Mercury from Queen.  Someone who I'd known very little about, a tortured soul I've since discovered.  Someone who was willing to step outside the box & be who he was, regardless of societies expectations of him.  He stood for so many things that are admirable, whether you believe in the ways he experienced them, or not.

I found this little snippet of a video from 1977, by the same name

You Take My Breath Away, Queen

There is clearly a lifetime worth of work for me here, in this card about sensuality.  I can't let it slide & think I've done the work, completed it like something on a checklist.  Instead, it's something best revisited daily.

During the coaching call last week with Gary, he uncovered a phrase he believes should be my life motto.

Walk In Beauty

It's an old Native American saying that means

Beauty before me, beauty behind me, beauty beside me, beauty below me, beauty above me -- I walk in beauty.

You can read more about it in an ezine article here

 In this article the author also says:

In this life, pain is inevitable--suffering is optional. The key to practicing non-suffering is to stay in the moment, stay in our "Beauty."

By drumwolf

All week my body has been filled with pain.  Migraine pain for the first several days, then what seemed like a recovery day only to wake up this morning with another intense headache and sinus pain that's kept me small and quiet.  In some ways it has been good for me though.  I've stayed indoors, I've waited until the end of the afternoon to write this blog & I've quietly enjoyed teleseminars and information videos that peak my interest. And I did do some research for a client on a topic that interests me, something I could respond to quickly.




And how interesting it is to me, that "walking in beauty" is to be in a state of Grace ~ as this was the card I pulled yesterday. 

I can hardly wait to see what shows up tomorrow.

~ Loralee

Grace

I'm feeling less inspired to write today, so I will begin with my customary Angel Card. Today I will write my interpretation of her work, since I'm not feeling comfortable with the risk of copywrite infringement. The text in green in the section below is from Kimberly Marooney's  book "Angel Love".

Grace

The soul learns which activities brings God's presence nearer.  
~ Brother Lawrence, French Carmelite monk (1611-1691)
in The Practice of the Presence of God

The angel Grace is God's messenger who bestows the experience of unconditional love at the most surprising moments.  These precious moments light the beacons of faith in your soul, showing you the way home.  Home is the place of your soul's origin, which lies within the heart of the ultimate source.  When you are touched by grace, you are feeling God's tender caress calling you to "come home." 

An Experience of grace provides a glimpse of the magnitude of the love that awaits you.  This pure love ignites the longing of the soul for home.  What is the state of your relationship with God?  Do you have a personal connection with him?  By what name do you call him?  Even if you feel that you don't know God, realize that he never forgets you.  He knows you intimately land waits patiently for you to want to know him again.  Wherever you are in your relationship; with the divine, think of it as your starting point. 

Your soul calls on the angel Grace to guide you into intimately personal experience of unconditional love.  An open, yearning heart is an irresistible invitation for the intervention of Grace.

She reminds us that unconditional love is available to everyone, at all times.  

ALL times!!

It's not something you earn 

Some ways to experience Grace:

• Ask the angel Grace to show you opportunities to share kindness. Be Observant.  If you see a neighbor struggling with a heavy trashcan, offer to help.  Or Take a flower to the clerk at your dry cleaners.
• Listen to the following pieces of music:

"I knew I Loved You" by Savage Garden on Affirmation

  
"Ave Maria" by Chloe Goodchild on Devi to elevate your desire and attract grace.

And a quote from Gary Zukav

Judging is like watching a big-screen, big-sound, full-color feature film in black and white on a tiny television set with one small speaker.  The feature film is your life.  The reduced black-and-white version of it is what you see through your judgments. ~ Gary Zukav

Are you playing your Best Game?

I wrote this letter (to myself?) on June 22, 2009, and referenced the music video you see above.
Ethan Lipton and his Orhestra:

Don't go with your song still inside you!

Let it guide you, everyday

We all know that it's good to be humble

but don't fumble

don't grumble

don't mumble..... your life away!

Have you looked inside recently?  Have you seen the clutter and jumble, the unwrapped gifts?  The crumpled papers and reminders?  Is there, a laundry list longer than your arm and a promise left unspoken?

It doesn't surprise me at all.  If you're anything like me, you've left a lot of things unsaid, unfinished or "unstarted".  But you know you've got to, right?

It's time to COME OUT!

You have a bigger game to play.  You have a calling, a passion, a desire ~ to help, to serve, to "solve a problem", to restore the confidence of one other human being.  You are being called to BE who YOU ARE!

Not what society thinks you should do.  Not the perfect mother, perfect business owner, perfect double income earner, perfect athlete with a perfect body,

Blanket of Fog

This morning there is a blanket of fog enveloping the little world I live in.  Most mornings I see the beautiful mountains from my office window ~ an entire view of the north side of this city.  Today I can't see more than 3 feet out the window, and it's all white.  I feel as though I'm wrapped in a big blanket.

And as my ritual continues of going through my daily journal (focusing on manifestation, an angel card as part of my meditation, and jotting down the top 4 "most important things to do today") I selected:

Intimacy

Passion is the quickest to develop and the quickest to fade.  Intimacy develops more slowly, and commitment more gradually still.  ~ Robert Sternberg, American psychologist

(this is an excerpt from Kimberly Marooney's book Angel Love)

The angel Intimacy is the "Beloved angel of God".  True moments of intimacy are precious gifts of connection when hearts merge in the pure love that comes from God.  During an intimate exchange, love can feel any number of ways: sweet, sensual, respectful, sexual, passionate, tender, powerful, or alive.  Over time, the quality of love often changes to become richer as experiences deepen, resulting in a great fulfillment.

How can you become more available to intimate exchanges with the people you love most?  Intimacy with family and friends occurs when you can safely reveal you innermost feelings and desires.  Finding one person with whom you can share the full range of your being is a rare experience.  Do you feel both an affection and a deep understanding with someone?  Do the two of you create opportunities of intimacy when it is safe for  you both to affectionately open your hearts? Or do you tolerate shallow chatter with no emotional connection?

Intimacy happens when two hearts connect in the sincere desire to experience something new.  Expectations, on the other hand, prevent intimacy, such as wanting a connection to feel like a favorite experience you had previously.  In fact, it is as possible to have a brief, intimate connection with a stranger while waiting in line for coffee as it is to experience on with your mate in a more private situation.  Do you have the knack of starting up comfortable and revealing conversations with strangers?

Do old fears come up when you feel vulnerable?  Lack of trust in yourself or in another person deflects intimacy.  Instead, use your discernment before opening your heart.  Let the lessons of heartbreak from your life become the wisdom of discernment.  With keen awareness, you will know when it is safe to offer your heart in an intimate exchange with another. 

Desires felt during intimate connections can be confusing when they are accompanied by sensual or sexual feelings.  Yet it is natural to want to have sex when your feelings are intimate and passionate.  Does being in a committed relationship cause you to close your heart to these kinds of intimate conversations with others, perhaps because you don't trust yourself?  Are you afraid of losing your partner's love?  Be aware that intimate and loving experiences are often quite brief and don't need to lead to sex or betrayal.

Are you avoiding the pain of feeling a broken  heart?  Pain is a part of human love.  Heartbreak opens your heart to God's love.  His love is the most intimate and personal of all because it is unconditional and wholehearted.  The deeper desires  you feel during intimate connections are for God's pure love.

The angel Intimacy is waiting for the opportunity to take you into an intimate experience with God so you can share that love with the people in your life.  When you are filled with God's love, you find the freedom to express your full sense of being alive without fear or self-doubt.  With God's love, fear loses it's grip.

Actions to Attract the Angel Intimacy

• Write about your realizations, feelings, and experiences in a journal so you can gain awareness into the ways you avoid intimacy.  Use questions selected from the preceding section to guide your contemplation.  As you look over what you have written, ask the Angel Intimacy to help you see how past experiences cause you to run from opportunities from intimacy.
• Make a peace offering to a loved one with whom you have had a falling out.
• Invite an acquaintance you'd like to get to know better to have lunch with you.
• Write a love letter to your most intimate companion.
• Meditate to the music listed below, focusing on the desire for your heart to open so you can experience more intimately satisfying connections.

Music:  Sarah McLachlan, "Fumbling Towards Ecstasy"

Jude, "I know," on Music from the Motion Picture City of Angels

Creed, "Arms Wide Open," on Human Clay

This, followed by the "Soul to Soul Meditations" quote from Gary Zukav

To be compassionate requires that you share your passion with others.  The passion of so many now is one of pain, of shock, of grieving, and of loss.  Compassion allows you to feel those difficult emotions and the pain that lies beneath them.

As I continue my day, with the possibility of this fog not lifting, I embrace the opportunities to have intimate connections with people I connect with, by phone or in person.

Loralee

Trust and Faith

This morning began with a gentle neck rub to wake me from a deep/dreamy sleep, just moments before my 8:00 a.m. phone meeting with my friend/business mentor.  One of the key points that came up in our discussion was about stepping out before finding the courage to make that step.  It may seem a little bit off centre, since we often have the courage to step out.  But in my case, I need to step out and then I will find the courage for the next step.

Step out in faith from http://www.wak-art.com/stepbig.JPG

There is a lot more I'll want to write about this session with Gary, but I want to keep this post in line with my Daily Journal, and the Angel Card, because it ties in so beautifully.

Today the card I selected was Trust and Faith

(the following is a direct excerpt from the book by Kimberly Marooney called Angel Love)

And Immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand and caught him, And said unto him, "O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?" ~ Matthew 14:31

The angels Trust and Faith respond to the cry of your soul for a deeper connection with the source.  Faith comes from the soul, from a part of you that just knows.  Go to the place in your soul that has unshakable faith.

Trust comes from the mind and heart.  You decide to trust and then take an action to support the decision.  Trust can be lost when something unwanted happens, but faith is a quality of the soul and never leaves you.  You can always rely on faith.  Greater faith can be found by deciding to trust and by taking actions that will lead you to experiences of faith.

Today is about Transcendence

Today My FOCUS was primarily on a coaching call with Joy from www.nakedfemine.com

Before the call I spent time with my daily journal.  My angel card reading for today was:

Transcendence

You know, the difficulties in life do not have to be unbearable.  It is the way tha we look at them  through faith or unbelief. 

~  Brother Lawrence, French Carmelite monk (1611- 1691) in The Practice of the Presence of God

And the songs recommended were:

1. Evanescene - "My Imortal"
2. Sarah McLachlan - "Angel"
3. Rob D "Clubbed to Death" from the Matrix

I didn't have a chance to listen/watch the videos on YouTube before the coaching call, and as I was writing up my review notes at the end, I hit "play" on video still up on my screen.  I was immediately brought to tears.  The call had brought up issues of a lifetimes of fears that have been holding me back.  My  fear of being visible ~ seen by everyone.  It may seem like a silly thing to a lot of people, yet for me it can be paralyzing.  A great part of me would prefer to stay small, and quiet and make sure no one notices me. I know this isn't in my best interest, or the interest of others, yet the fear is more intense than what I felt driving home on the icy roads last night.

In the coaching call we talked about the foundation of this fear.  This fear that may have started in childhood.  What we uncovered was my fear of being bossy!

Yes!  I was a bossy little girl!  I knew what I wanted, and I pushed people around to get what I wanted.