You Can’t Make This Sh** Up!

I had the great fortune to attend a three-day retreat recently where oracle cards were used throughout. The facilitator pulled some and we pulled our own several times throughout the days as part of our journey.  I am fascinated how the messages from oracle cards came through. Frankly, you just can’t make this sh** up! 

As I prepared, I pulled a card asking what message Spirit had for me as I went into this retreat. The card (all of them are from the Shaman’s Dream deck by Colette Baron-Reid) was “Me-Tox”. In other words, this retreat was a time to leave everything behind and focus on things only for my highest good. This was going to be a time for cleansing out thoughts and feelings and rejuvenation. Do the work it would take for transformation.

Okay, I thought. That’s a great start! I took some deep breaths and settled in, open and willing. The rest of this blog is all about my journey in the retreat through the cards  I pulled. 

We began by looking at the lessons we learned to bring forward. To move forward in our lives, we need to be able to forgive (Repairing the Veil). Forgiveness frees ourselves. The pains of the past were lessons we learned. Carrying them with us doesn’t allow for growth. Forgiving doesn’t mean we condone what was done but we let go of the grip it has on us. You are no longer the person you were then.

So how do I do this? Sometimes it is difficult and painful but requires you to be a Deep Diver to go to where the pearl is. Look beyond the surface for answers. Let the memory come forward and observe it.  Gather them and place them, one by one or by handfuls into the trash bag and bring them out to the curb to be taken away (a Tidy House).  This lets you make room for the new of what you want to surround yourself with.  Doing this will help me see that I am not broken, but whole. I am not the past, I am the present. 

Okay, I thought, this sounds good. But it is hard. So the next cards focused on forgiving myself for repeating old patterns, letting go of resentments and liberating myself for limiting beliefs. Eye of the Eagle told me I needed to look ahead and that I could rise above any obstacle, with the help of Spirit. Be ready to go forward. Honor and respect the transition it will be, don’t be afraid of this part of my journey (The Crossing). At this point I felt the weekend was going to be my right of passage moving from limiting beliefs to liberating beliefs. I committed to really working over the weekend to emerge a more phenomenal me.

(Side note here: I did a new year reading for 2022 and the goddess card I pulled was Kali who is a Hindu goddess of endings and new beginnings and the word on her card was “Liberation”. Like I said, you can’t make this up.)

My next card was Closing Door which is a call to recognize an ending. Every door that closes is actually an invitation to another path towards my destination. There is light beyond the place I’ve been. I am to align to my new self and allow it to emerge and shine. By this time, I can feel a lightness in my shoulders, tears behind my eyes, and a smile coming from within. Isn’t that what retreats are supposed to be about?

At this time in the retreat, we began to look toward the future. What is it I need to know as I move forward into this future? My next two cards reassured me that I am loved by Spirit (Beloved) and all I need to do is have faith and trust (Galactic Mushroom). The phrase from the center of my 2022 Vision board says  ”I partner with Spirit on all that I do”.  My word from my 2022 reading was “Faith & Trust”.  I’ve been working on this all year. I now have chills up and down my spine. I’ve been letting go of my need to control things and have finally come to understand that I am not in charge of the world.  It is faith and trust and letting go that have allowed new things to enter my life that are better than I thought it could be.

Still, I needed a reminder that I need to take care of the thoughts I fill myself with (Mind Full), not to go back into the past and relive my old stories from my old interpretations. I need to be willing to give up my old self. That isn’t always easy because the old may be comfortable. Know it won’t always be easy but know it is necessary for growth.

Sure enough, the next card confirms that! Dust Devil tells me the struggle inside is real and it will be messy. I am evolving. Be aware that some dust storms may come my way to try to throw me off course. How will I handle this? Stay still, allow the dust to swirl, and then when it’s done, sweep the dust away. The dust isn’t going to penetrate the new me if I don’t allow it. Focus on my light.

Now we get to looking at our future self.  What does my future self want me to know? 

I almost fell off my chair when I read this next card. Covenant tells me that the agreements I am making over this retreat were founded in truth, with Spirit, in service for the greater good, in integrity, transparent and using the gifts I have been granted.  (One of our final activities of the retreat was writing a covenant for ourselves – but that happened after I pulled this card.)

What is my next move? Meditation and stillness (Deep Quiet), go where the noise stops and listen to the whispers of Spirit inside me.  Remain open, teachable, trust my experience and allow things to happen (Hollow Bone).  Have faith – I am on the right path.

This is the Covenant I wrote at the end of the retreat, listening to all I learned, the messages that came forward:

“I commit to living in partnership with Spirit and to let the Divine Universe show me my path.

I commit to using my gifts to help make the world a better place.

I commit to live with compassion for my fellow humans.

I commit to breathe and be still to allow myself to be fully present each day.

I commit to live in gratitude for all my blessings, big and small.

I allow myself to receive because I am worthy.”

Reflection from the cards is powerful when we take the time to read the message and identify how it applies. This is, for me, the psychology of the cards. There is wisdom all around us if we are open to listening, to hearing. 

This weekend showed me that I am on the right path and the plans for The Sage Goddess are moving forward to blend the work of Human Design and oracle cards into a unique approach to guiding women along their journeys to be their most precious self. We’ll take the tarnish off the gem that you are, polish it up and let you sparkle as you are meant to.

Interested? Reach out. We can have a complimentary chat on what your needs are and how I can help. Click here to book a call.