Crystal Balls - There's Magic In Threes

Triumvirate: "A group of three powerful or notable people or things existing in relation to each other. "

Note the large Pink Quartz lending tremendous
heart vibration – perfect way to read over distance!

You see them for sale in tourist shops, import boutiques, on eBay and Amazon.  Crystal balls come in a variety of sizes and can be made from just about any mineral.  Quartz, Tiger's Eye, Malachite, Selenite, Beryl and Obsidian are very popular.   On the surface they're colorful conversation starters, but more deeply, they are the tools of energy workers.  You can do healing work, meditate, channel or scry (crystal gazing) with them.

 I have two spheres made from clear Quartz and one sphere made of Austrian lead crystal.  Mine sit in the middle of my kitchen table unless I move them on the rare occasions when I practice the ancient, and somewhat forgotten custom of serving dinner.  I call the spheres, my triumvirate.  I didn't intend to create one.  It just sort of happened by following my instincts as I connected to the vibration of the crystal balls.

The light is wonderful in my dining room.  While sunlight glazes my backyard, it can't shine directly on the spheres inside.  Crystal balls are lens, after all, and perfectly capable of igniting a fire if left in direct sunlight for an extended period of time.  My spheres range in size from large, to medium, to small.  I keep them in a triangular configuration with an enormous pink Quartz in the center.  I have two pieces of Black Tourmaline flanking the Pink Quartz, helping to dispel and transmute negative energy.  I also scatter Ametrine around them just for fun. That's a lot of healing

My card reading setup – complete with Corrine Kenner and
John J Blumen's Wizard's Tarot©

love and psychic energy on that table. (See blogs: "Crystals Every person Needs I and II" for crystal properties)  I like to think of it as a perfect storm of high vibration.  Simply sitting there with a cup of tea is an uplifting experience.

It takes time to introduce one sphere to another.  Imagine the complication of introducing three at once.  They compare their pasts, take each other's measure and seek, not only common ground, but also what they can learn from each other's differences.  Does this all sound like hocus-pocus?  Probably, unless you've worked with crystals before, or have ever sat in front of three active crystal balls who are exceedingly happy that you found them.  I actually performed a crystal ball rescue in the case of two of my spherical friends.  I bought them from a hoarders estate sale.  They felt grim and unstable for a couple of days.  I set them in my garden under a light Spring rain.  The contact with the earth and greenery helped to clear them out and they began to wake up.  I washed them with Dragon's Blood and mild soap, then rinsed them and tucked them under a cloth.  Within a week they began to resonate with me.

My triumvirate passes a vibration amongst themselves and when I sit with them, reading tarot cards, meditating, or taking tea, they include me in their song.  Sometimes I play my CD of Tibetan singing bowls.  The bowls start a conversation and the spheres answer.  Before I know it, I'm connected to the Universe on a whole other level.

If you've never worked with or even considered working with crystal balls I suggest you try it.  Start with one.  The sphere will tell you how it works best with you.  Some people scry with the crystal, some meditate, some heal.   Set up systems to keep your crystal ball clear.  Smudge them, and cover them with a cloth infused with clearing oils such as White Sage or Dragon's Blood.  Above all touch and talk to them so they know you.  There are some very good books on scrying, if you wish to try your hand at the time-honored art of crystal gazing.  It takes focus, patience, an open mind and a genuine connection between you and your sphere.  Checkout your local bookstore or online vendor for these books:
   
            "Crystal Balls and Crystal Bowls- Tools for Ancient Scrying and Modern Seership"
              by Ted Andrews

            "Crystal Ball Gazing: The Complete Guide to Choosing and Reading Your Crystal Ball"
              by Uma Silbey

            "Crystal Ball Reading for Beginners: Easy Divination and Interpretation"
             by Alexandra Chauran

Explore and enjoy the worlds around you.  You have nothing to lose and a whole new perspective to gain.


LADY ORACLE


visit me at www.ladyoracle.net 

Victory and the Seven of Pentacles - All In a Day’s Work

Today was a terrific day.  I accomplished my five mile cardio power walk, basic household chores, hoisted and moved two, count ‘em, two, diesel marine engines, worked on a dance costume, mediated, read the tarot and wrote.  Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I am now deeply under the influence of the Seven of Pentacles.  In just a moment I’ll indulge in my slippers and a glass of wine in the garden while dinner cooks on the grill.  Life is sweet.

You know the Seven of Pentacles - the fellow leaning on his hoe and gazing with satisfaction (and probably a sore back) at his pentacle harvest.  Number seven is about rewards received for efforts expended.  Six, healthy, good-sized pentacles grow on a vine while a seventh pentacle grows alone on another small plant.  The reddish earth is rich and fertile.  Our farmer has worked long and hard for this harvest and now his reward is at hand.

The definition of the Seven of Pentacles is pretty straight forward.  You’ve worked hard and now you’re ready to harvest the fruit of your labor.  But, what about the small plant?  Some readers view the little shrub as a warning that you must decide whether or not to remain content with your present good fortune, or risk losing it all on a new venture.  An interpretation like that really depends on the question asked and the surrounding cards in the querent’s spread.  

Instead of a lesson about the whole bird in the hand theory, let’s view the new plant as a sign of self-propagation. Even though the plant, or new opportunity yields a small return now, the return is still proof that your efforts are self-sustaining.  Victory over material circumstances.  As long as you continue to weed out the unnecessary and provide the proper environment, your success will continue.

All sevens in the tarot suits deal with aspects of victory.  The Seven of Wands shows us an individual who will hold their ground successfully.  Will it be a hard fight?  You bet, but hold his ground, he will.  In Cups the seven shows us the variety of choices our victory gives us.  The lesson here is to be mindful of what you are choosing and the underlying reasons for your choice. Lastly, the Seven of Swords offers us an intriguing look at a bold victory through covert and perhaps less than honorable actions. Sketchy, but victory none-the-less.

Next time you collapse on your couch after a tough day at the gym, work, or mulching the entire backyard, take time to celebrate your personal victory.  Think about the Seven of Pentacles and reward yourself with some of your favorite little things in life.  You’ve earned it.  Besides, a reward today makes picking up the hoe again a heck of a lot easier tomorrow.

LADY ORACLE

Major Arcana No. 19, The Sun - Pay It Forward

The battle with your shadow-self in over and now you get to ride a pony around the garden, naked, with a plume on your head.  We've talked about free will before.  Don't blame me if you get arrested, or at the very least, get a bad sunburn.  Flowers are blooming, you are innocent, open and happy.  Be encouraged.  Life is filled with possibilities and it's time to find ways to express your joy in the moment.  Just as The Moon (No. 18) portrayed your doubts and anxieties in the shadows of the rocky lunar landscape,  The Sun offers a warm, fertile place to grow our dreams and make them a reality.

It's all too easy to let our anxiety and fear take hold of us.  We become focused on lack and scarcity.  We also stop living in the moment and that's when we get blindsided by issues and problems caused by not being present in our own life.  The Sun encourages you to join the dance and explore your potential.  Sunshine is for everyone.  There are no judgments.  All you have to do is show up and pay attention.

A friend of mine received an envelope in her mail this week.  It wasn't an ad,  or the chance  to make millions.  It was the identification that she'd lost on a hiking trip in the Columbia River Gorge a month earlier.  There was a note enclosed that simply said, "Pay it forward."  This could just be a pleasant little story about the kindness of strangers, but it isn't.  There's much more to it than that.  My friend had strayed off the path in The Moon.  It wasn't entirely her fault, she got bombarded by the Universe and ran into the shadows for cover.  Heck, we've all done the same thing and we all know people who've chosen to never come back.  But a wonderful thing happened for my friend.  She asked herself why she'd decided to stop being present in her own life.  Why did she stop taking responsibility for her journey and allow other people and their energy to effect her?  In that moment of realization, she stepped back into the moonlight and headed for the sunrise.

The decision to take accountability and make positive changes in our lives is never easy.  You have to face the issues that made you surrender your control in the first place.  It takes a strong light to see things clearly and as we step from the darkness into the sunlight, we naturally squeeze our eyes shut.  But slowly, our vision adjusts and the fresh air and birdsong fills us with enough hope that we gain the courage to open our eyes.  Once our eyes are opened, we can see our reality and garner the perspective we need to make changes.

I received a call from my friend shortly after her moment of clarity.  It wasn't a call filled with woe, or asking for a pity party.  She gave me a short list of what she wanted in her life.  Not her problems, mind you, but her solutions to them along with her goals.  My friend had stepped into the garden of The Sun.  She told me about losing her identification and stated with conviction that someone would find it and return it to her.  Three weeks later that's exactly what happened.  Amazing occurrences continue to happen in her life, her problems, while not entirely cleared up, are becoming manageable and her goals, suddenly more attainable.  

Stories like my friend's encourage all of us when we find ourselves lurking in the lunar shadows.  If The Sun has shown up in your reading, follow it with joy and an open spirit.  As miraculous things unfold in your life, own them.  By being present and focused, you've brought them to you.  And as the stranger reminded my friend, "Pay It Forward."


LADY ORACLE

  

You Are What You Speak - The Power of Words on the Physical Body

OSHO Zen Tarot © by
Deva Padma
Amazing Deck!!!

There was a mother and her son pushing their cart along the aisle at the grocery store this afternoon.  The mother's T-shirt said, "Bad Attitude," underneath a picture of Oscar, the Grouch from Sesame Street.  Her son's shirt read, "I didn't ask for your opinion, so shut your f(ing) mouth."  We can all agree that negative messages can't produce positive growth.  If you wear a message shirt while in the public eye, that message is the first impression you make on the people around you.  And that's fine because what you wear is a matter of choice and individual freedom.  However, what about the message you're sending yourself?

If you're familiar with the work of Masaru Emoto ("The

OSHO Zen Tarot© by Deva Padma

Message From Water")  you're already familiar with his contention that ordinary words carry the power to actually alter matter.  More correctly, Emoto theorizes that each word we speak is imbued with a creative energy simply because we use that particular word to define and recognize an item, or trait we are describing.  Emoto photographed the frozen crystals of various types of water directly from their source and then photographed samples of the same water after they'd been labeled with words such as, beautiful, ugly, love, hate, frightened, happy, etc.  His photographs are astounding.  The more positive the messages written on the water, the brighter and more clearly defined the crystal structure of the sample.  When a negative word or message was written on the water, the resulting crystal appeared less symmetrical in shape and darker in color.  Whether or not you agree with the outcome of Emoto's experiments, you have to admit that that the concept is fascinating and is certainly worthy of further exploration.

OSHO Zen Tarot© by Deva Padma

We know that words can psychologically wound and that positive reinforcement does more to teach appropriate behavior than yelling and name calling.  If we understand this about the world outside of ourselves, why wouldn't our inner world, our physical body, respond in the same way?  Think about why meditation works in the first place.  You disengage from outer stimulus and by focusing on your inner being, achieve harmony between your physical, mental and spiritual selves.  

The messages we send ourselves via the type of music we

OSHO Zen Tarot© by Deva Padma

listen to, the movies we watch and the cultural memes we endorse effect us just as surely as our religious and political upbringings.   However, as adults, we get to choose what we allow to cross into our personal territory and we can label ourselves in any fashion we want.  If you subscribe to the theory that  words hold the power to either nourish or malnourish your physical form, then it only makes sense to carefully consider the messages you use for self-expression.  Catch phrase zingers are all well and good on a thirty minute sit-com, but don't usually translate well as an endorsement for a lifetime philosophy. 

To own your truth you must live your truth and choosing your truth can be a difficult thing.  To borrow from a cultural meme, "Choose wisely."

LADY ORACLE

Have an opinion?  Please share!

OSHO Zen Tarot© is available for purchase through Lady Oracle Tarot®

There's Something Fishy With the "Age of Aquarius"

The "Age of Aquarius,"  isn't simply a catchy little ditty by James Rado and Gerome Ragni.  The term refers to Earth's passage through the constellation of Aquarius, a journey that will take our planet approximately 2166 years to complete.  And how far are we along our journey?  Actually, we haven't started it yet.  We're still meandering along in Pisces.  But what about all those, "mystic crystal revelations - not to mention the "mind's true liberation?"  They are all alive and well, just not necessarily traits belonging to the Aquarian Age.  Before you grab your love beads and go hide under your bed until this whole thing blows over, let me explain how we move through the Zodiac.

On Earth, we are spinning around as we simultaneously orbit the sun.  Earth's axis wobbles a bit while it rotates.  The wobble is caused by our shape.  We bulge at the equator (It must be all the Milky Way stuff) and the gravitational forces from the Moon and the Sun provides the torque that pulls at our bulgy middle and causes our axis to wobble during rotation.  I experience a similar phenomenon when wearing stilettos in a bakery department.  The gravitational pull of chocolate cheesecake fastens onto my waistline and my high-heels wobble me right over to it.  Sort of my own personal tractor beam.

In terms of the Earth, however, our little axis wobble causes us to

The tarot association for Aquarius
#17, the Star - serenity, hope and inspiration
from Barbara Moore and Aly Fell's
"Steampunk Tarot"©

slip in our position in space by one degree every 72 years, or 360 degrees ( a complete circle) approximately every 26,000 years.  Little things add up.  The stars in the Zodiac gradually shift their position in relationship to us and we complete our journey through each constellation approximately every 2166 years.  If rough calculations, we entered Pisces when Christ was alive.

Pisces is ruled by Neptune and Pisces folk are generous, compassionate and highly adaptable.  They are not always the most pragmatic of individuals, but are deeply spiritual with a innate sense of responsibility toward the greater good.  Pisces on the positive side, are the essence of kindness and patience.  On the other hand,  they can invest heavily in the illusions of life and can be overly sensitive.  If we're talking in terms of a planetary age, it's hard to argue with the merits of Pisces.

What about Aquarius?  When do we hit the golden gates of human enlightenment?  There are guesses ranging from 300 to 800 years.  And if you think about it, the timing doesn't really matter.  Our task on Earth, the mission we all signed up for, is to learn to live life as a series of continuous moments and to be  fully present and accountable in each one of them.  We've heard the phrase a million times - live in the now.  And living in the now doesn't mean you simply hang out waiting for stars to align and herald the pinnacle of human existence.

The last time we traveled through Aquarius we were Neanderthals, or close to it; I'm not an anthropology major.  What I do know it this:  As a species we continue to evolve and each one of our souls is unique in all the universe.  Collectively and individually, we bring our own special magic to the mix called humanity every single day of our lives.  The sum of humanity's parts are much greater than the sum of our whole.   Enlightenment and evolution happen around us all the time.  Our task becomes one of stopping long enough in our personal journeys to recognize human progress in terms other than the new-fangled bells, whistles and gizmos we've invented for ourselves.  If there's one singular important feature of the coming age, perhaps it's the opportunity to gain perspective.

So put on your love beads (108 beads in a strand) burn incense and celebrate your humanity in each moment.  Make your contact with each person you encounter as you go through life count towards the greater good more often than not.  And as for the chocolate cheesecake in the bakery, a piece once in awhile isn't that bad.  I mean, let's not go crazy over this whole enlightenment thing, okay?

LADY ORACLE