Friday, February 1, 2008

By The Finger Nails

by Cate Cavanagh

So many people I speak to are going extremely difficult times. This is not happenstance. This is all cosmic. A cleansing of the old is usually very painful and manifests in hardship, illness and desperation.

Many are so overwhelmed the mental capacity to cope has been impaired. Often when it seems we cannot take one more thing something happens. In short, many of us have not had a break from worry or sadness in a very long time. At times like these we are challenged to trust the Universe. More than this every day gets more and painful to endure. Our nerves become frazzled, our despair looms over us and we wait for the third shoe to drop. Whereas we talk about working at eliminating negative thoughts the cosmic truth is sometimes we must experience upsetting things so new, positive energies can come in. Many people say "When God closes the door, He opens a window" but waiting for that window to open can be horribly stressful at times.

Difficult times may come in cycles for you. Try to think about when your challenges began and try to figure out how long the onslaught lasts. Does it last days? Weeks? Months? In my case challenges have happened in five month cycles and have lasted for three months. Do the math. I have known challenging times a lot. So, how do you handle your harsh experiences? Are you emotionally white knuckling your days? Are you handling your life "One day at a time?" I have often had to handle days one second at a time, holding on by my finger tips. The main thing is to get through your upset as graciously as possible.

When white knuckling your life, try to keep in mind that a lull must happen. The Universe works this way. Try to discover what the lessons are for your life. This can help you not only understand what is happening but how to avoid a repetition of the problem. If you are having financial difficulty, for example, accept that perhaps poor judgement on your part created the problem. Get all your information together and go to a credit counseling agency that can manage your bills, your bill payments and actually leave you with more money in your pocket a month. Take action and the Universe will respond.

The difficult truth is we can make changes but may have to take drastic action especially when it comes to painful and toxic relationships and recurring upsets. On any real spiritual journey accountability for how we may have encouraged our problems is called for. Once we do this the Universe will open new pathways and bring positivity into our lives.



First it is a call to shed the old to make room for the new. We may need to shed old ideas, unrealistic goals and modify dreams. Modifying or redefining our dreams is the second message, for Lizard is the totem of dreams. Lizard medicine can take dreams and make them reality. We may need to look behind us to determine what "shadows" are holding us back and how we can use the realm of shadows to create a positive reality beginning with dreams. It also lets us know if we are not getting enough sleep or dreamtime. Dreamtime is the realm in which we problem solve and rest the mind as well as the body. The mind needs dreamtime to work through issues whether we remember them or not so dreamtime is also a shadow realm. The body needs dreamtime to rest as well so we can be better equipped to meet the following day.

Above all else, Lizard is a call to allow our imaginations to take hold. Imagination is the mother of dreams, daydreams, goals, hopes and wishes and if we do not wish or daydream we cannot hope that our dreams can come true.

Karmic Weave: Releasing Unwanted Ties

By
Theresa Chaze

All relationships are connections between individuals. Some are karmic, while others are current issues. However, these bonds are not always positive, nor are they solely between individuals but groups as well. Bigotry has been passed on from generation to generation for no other reason than it has always been that way. This ingrained behavior creates unwanted ties and karmic imbalance. It is only by stepping back to see the larger picture that healing and forgiveness can be achieve, thereby breaking the cycle.

Karmic relationships are not necessarily negative. Many souls will incarnate together in order to help each other grow and learn. These relationships are blessing of healing and support. However, those of karmic debt are the continuation of pass issues, where one or both failed to learn from the situation or behavior. These reoccurring relationships will be ongoing until one or both grow through and let go of the past. It is only by releasing your end of the karmic tie though forgiveness that your soul will be freed and be able to move on to the next challenge.

One only has watch the news or read the newspapers to find cases of stalking or racial bigotry. It is very easy to fall into the tit for tat mentality. However, in reality no one every gets even. Each side merely binds itself to that which they hate, creating an unending dance of pain, fear and resentment. Giving in to the anger and fear is easy. When it is all their fault, you absolve yourself of responsibility and create a victim role for yourself. However, no matter what the conflict, who started or who kept it going, there are always more than one side and more than one person responsible. That doesn’t mean that innocent people are not injured. But it always takes two to keep it going. Even when you are harmed through no fault of your own, how you react will determine the end result. By playing the victim, you only increase the likelihood that you will continue in that role. However, if you refuse to relinquish your power and self-determination, you will change the path of the relationship as well as the end result. If you don’t play the game, you can’t get caught up in the fall out. This doesn’t mean being a doormat. Simple stated it means if you don’t get emotionally involved or allow the behavior of another to affect yourself image, they cannot control your destiny. If you do not accept the challenge, there is nothing they can do.

Whether it is a positive or negative connection depends solely on those involved. Positive relationships, those that bring out the best of both, should be encouraged. However, those that are one sided or bring harm, need to be severed. One-sided relations are those that are not mutual; if the connecting bridge was built solely on one side, the relationship is not healthy and infringes on the other's free will. By forcing one's energy, attention or presence on another is an act of black magic and will have the appropriate consequences. Anytime you usurp another’s free will, you do more damage to yourself. Many think that loving another gives them free access to the other person. If the feeling is not shared, you cannot and will not be able to build a relationship. You cannot force another to love you. Attempting to do so will only create resentment and push them further away. The reverse is also true; hating another doesn’t bring positive blessings into your life. Like attracts alike; by sending out negative energy you will only attract those of who are on the same emotional and spiritual wavelength. It will only serve to reinforce your own believes and behaviors, thereby ingraining them more deeply into your soul and making change that much more difficult. When you live in this mind set from lifetime to lifetime, your karmic debt increases as do the negative karmic bonds that you will eventually have to answer for.

The increasing bigotry and violence is more than just result of the uncertain economic and politic times; it is the coming due of many karmic bills and the balancing of the scales. Each of us are being challenge in the way, which will give us the greatest spiritual growth, and healing in the shortest amount of time. No longer do we have the luxury of putting off to tomorrow our challenges; finals have come early and there is no skipping school.

Yet even those who have done the spiritual work are finding that they are confronted with negative behaviors that are beyond their means to heal or release. It is not that they haven’t put in the effort, but that there are lingering karmic ties, which keep them from fully moving forward. It is only by severing these links that you will be able to move on. Giving in to the anger, fear or playing the victim, only makes the connection stronger and harder to break. However, if you emotional step back and objectively see the situation for what it is, you reclaim your power and ability to make positive changes. The question you must ask yourself is, “what do I want to achieve? By changing your focus from the challenge to the outcome, you refocus your energy to achieve the outcome you seek No matter what anyone else does, you are able to take back your power and retain control over you own destiny.

Karmic debt is a little different. It is past behavior. The results of which cannot be changed. However, this doesn’t mean that the connections are permanent or that you will be forced to be stuck if the other soul refuses to learn. There are ways to severe the ties and free yourself from others without having to directly confront them. The following ritual will help sever those ties; however, be warned that not only will it bring down the balancing on the other person but it will also calculate your karmic score as well. Yet if you have done the heart work of cleansing, healing and forgiving, there should be a positive balance. Even if there are still issues of your own to work through, the healing will be easier without the drag of someone who has locked their spiritual breaks. When the Titanic sank, it broke in two. If the break had been clean, the aft end would have slowly sank, giving the rescue ships more time to arrive. However, since it was still attached to the bow, it was dragged under just as quickly as the front of the ship. This analogy could be made of many spiritual attachments. The simple fact is that no matter how you feel about a person, you cannot save them from themselves. You cannot change their behavior, only the way you react to it.

Karmic Healing Weave

What you will need:
The will to heal and move forward from your heart
White yarn
Candles
Nine nails, preferably finishing nails or other with very small heads
A block of wood
A hammer

Draw a circle around the block of wood and find the center. In the center, drive the first nail in far enough for it to be secure. Just above put the second at the edge of the circle. Below it, drive the third also at the edge of the circle. Do the same on both the left and right of center. The next four nails are driven in between the first four at the rim of the circle. When you are finished there will be one in the center and eight around in a circle. Eight is the not only the number of energy but that of karma in action. This formation represents you and your karmic attachments.

Cut a length of yarn that will be long enough to create the weave. Loosely tie a knot around the center nail. It should be snug enough not to spin, but loose enough to fit over the head of the nail. Guide the yard to the top nail and tie a knot, keeping in mind that the weave will be removed at the end. Return the yarn to the center nail and tie another knot. Repeat the procedure on the bottom, both sides and moving clockwise connect the last four nails to the center one.

Loop the yard and form a knot around the top spoke close to the center nail and say, “I forgive you and release you to your karmic justice.” Continue knotting around the circle, making sure the knots are snug but not tight until you have used all the yard. Each time a knot is made, repeat, “I forgive you and release you to your karmic justice.” The last knot must be tight and secure. It is the period at the end of your karmic sentence. Cut off any yard that is hanging over.

Take the weave off the form and light the candle. Forcing on the flame and say:

“With this flame I do burn away all the negatively which connects me to others.
With a forgiving heart, I release them to their karmic justice.
With (or without, if you which every you choose) grace, I severe the ties that bind us and block you from sensing me, seeing me, finding me or harming me. In my reality, you no longer exist in any shape or form. I accept only the karmic debt that I owe and am willing to pay it in full. For what I am owed, I ask that it be paid in full to the Powers of Justice in whatever way they see fit. From my heart, I forgive, release and move on.”
For the next lunar month, once a day light a candle and say, “From my heart, I forgive, release and move on.”

More Wiccan and Pagan rituals are available in the “Out of the Shadows and Into the Light.” This ebook of Shadows is only available at www.theresachaze.com. The download is $5.00 through paypal.

Filled with magic, suspense and romance, the residents of Coyote Springs will entice and frighten you as they face challenges that come from within and without Awakening the Dragon--Book one of Dragon Clan Trilogy. www.theresachaze.com For publishing tips, resources and paying gigs go to http://theresachaze.blogspot.com/