This post was originally published at 7 reasons to be vegetarian on Witch Blog.

The card of the day is Death and the Maiden  from the Oracle of Shadows & Light.  The keywords on this card are invasion, boundaries violated and dominance.

Death is an uncontrollable force. She comes for each one of us, it’s inevitable that one day we will meet her. Like death, there are other forces in our lives that pay us a visit, whether we want them to or not.  It might be unwelcome people or situations, and they can leave us feeling out of control, lost and sometimes bewildered.  Don’t be surprised if today has these elements.

Sometimes the best thing we can do is to step back and take a deep breath.  It’s about acting calmly to find the middle ground – not be overwhelmed and to keep self control. Today might be challenging but you can get through it. Remember, breathe.

Need a tarot or oracle personal reading? Check out my shop.

Moon:

Waxing

Planet:

Mercury

Good day for:

Communication, business, jobs, travelling, journeys.

This post was originally published at Witch’s Forecast – 22nd February 2012 on Witch Blog.

I’ve been waking up in the early hours of the morning, unable to get back to sleep until moments before the alarm clock shrills at 7.20.  Something is bothering me, my mind whirls and races, and every time it quietens, it only comes back shouting twice as loud.

It started with an email, a request for me to review a book.  Well, you should know me well enough by now to know that I’m not the kind of girl to turn down a free book.  OK, free anything.  The book turned up and I began to read. I won’t tell you what it is just yet because I haven’t finished reading it, but the chapters I’ve read have resonated.

And, when things resonate, or vibrate, they can set things loose.  Thoughts or feelings we keep buried can somehow find themselves shaken to the top, and there’s nothing to do but face them.  Usually in the middle of the night, when everyone else is asleep and there’s just you and your demons.  Taunting, nagging, and pulling at your soul until you have to do something.

What could be so terrible to keep me awake? Would you believe a blog post?

I haven’t been writing as heartfelt as I did before.  My blog used to be a safe place for me to share my life; it was an extension of me and, often, therapy.  I’ve been consciously self-censoring since I wrote about the stalker creep.

I can’t tell you this story in a linear fashion so bear with me as I go back to the weekend.  I don’t have much time to visit blogs these days, but on Sunday, I had a few minutes and I read a post by Seba from Southern Kitchen Witch.  Again, it was something that resonated but at first, just like the book, my thoughts were, ‘brave, brutally honest but nothing to which I can directly relate’.

And then, the cogs began to turn, and I kept pondering the post, and the more I thought, the more troubled I became.  Then these thoughts merged with the book I’m reading and I began to see patterns.

Not long after I found myself in the role of single mother to two little boys, my mother said to me, “Lyn, I don’t understand. Why aren’t you angry? I would be”.  I prattled off a response about anger only ever eating up the person in which it resides.  She expected me to play the dramatic part of wronged wife, with diva tantrums and gnashing of teeth.  Instead, I barely ate, I wanted to sleep all the time, I became hypersensitive to other people’s emotions, and I spent a lot of time just wanting to die.   It was the number one thing on my wish list.

Anger doesn’t have to be explosive. It implodes too.

That’s how I deal with things, and up until a few days ago, I honestly had never associated it with anger.

And that, in a very roundabout way, brings me back to my writing self-censorship.  In the space of a week, the Universe had guided me to two amazing, intelligent women, one through a book and the other a blog, who have been brave, brutally honest and have a lot to lose by doing so.  For the past 6-months, I have been holding back on expressing myself, being true to who I am, because I am angry.

I’m unsettled, and frankly still disturbed, about the creep but I’m angrier with myself for falling into a victim mentality.  This is my repeat pattern, a place I know well.  It’s safer and easier for me to cut out part of who I am than to stay true to what I feel inside.  Deep down I want to be brave and honest too.

Anger has been keeping me up at night.  Irritating my sleep, refusing to stay down in the deep abyss where she normally resides.  She doesn’t want me to begin shouting, screaming and stamping my feet but she wants to be acknowledged and she wants me to do something.

And so I’m writing this post.  I wasn’t sure I would.

This quote, from the cover of a notebook I bought yesterday, made up my mind:

So I’m speaking from the heart to be heard.

P.S. The photo is from the beach today – isn’t it gloriously grey?

This post was originally published at Self-censorship and sleepless nights on Witch Blog.

The card of the day is The Shield  from Madame Endora’s Fortune Cards.  The message on the card reads: “You are safe from harm”.

For most people, being hurt is usually from some form of emotional upset rather than being physically attacked.  Pain from feelings being hurt can still be very deep, and often long lasting.  Today, the witch’s forecast is reminding you that you have the ability to be a little tougher and you don’t have to let negativity and meanness permeate your skin.

If you find yourself in situations today that are overwhelming, upsetting or negative, imagine a shield in front of you.  Nobody or nothing can get over, under, around or through your shield- it bounces anything unpleasant right back.  Just remember the message from the card, “You ARE safe from harm”.

Need a tarot  reading? Check out my shop.

Moon:

New Moon

Planet:

Mars

Good day for:

Power, courage, conflict, enemies,  protection.

This post was originally published at Witch’s Forecast – 21st February 2012 on Witch Blog.

The card of the day is 3 of Wands from the Housewives Tarot.  My keywords for this card are exploration, partial completion and potential growth.

Some days, and it does mainly seem to be on a Monday, you can try to get everything done but suffer from an epic fail.  Today, you have a good chance of actually accomplishing what you set out to do.  I know, this never happens at the beginning of the week (actually, if you’re me then it just about never happens) but the cards are predicting good things.

Don’t be afraid of your to-do list, get things ticked off and then look to the next project. You might not complete everything you set out to do, but you’ll do much and then you can happily reward yourself for being so amazing. I suggest cake.

Need a personal tarot reading? Check out my shop.

Moon:

Waning

Planet:

Moon

Good day for:

Psychic work, healing, Goddess rituals, home & hearth, sleep, dreams, friends, fertility and compassion.

This post was originally published at Witch’s Forecast – 20th February 2012 on Witch Blog.

Blodeuwedd was created from flowers by two wizards so she could be the bride of LLeu Llaw Gyffes, who was placed under a spell by his mother never to marry a mortal woman.   Blodeuwedd married Lleu but she took a liking to a local lord, and had an affair with him.  The two lovers conspired to kill Lleu, who could only be killed at dusk, with one foot in a cauldron and the other on a goat, and by a spear that had taken a year to forge.

It was quite a task to arrange, and Blodeuwedd almost managed to pull if off, but Lleu, injured by the spear, turned into an eagle and fled.  Poor Lleu eventually found his two wizard friends and was nursed back to health.  When fully healed, Lleu tracked down Blodeuwedd and turned her into an owl.  She’s cursed to stay in owl form, never to show her face to sunlight again, and hated by all other birds.

The background….

Two agents have been randomly chosen from the secret association MIFFED, Modern International Federation of (almost) Forgotten and Extinct Deities, to save the world from the 2012 end of the world.  Can Cinxia, a once worshipped Roman goddess with an obsession of dressing brides, and Topia, a Finnish forest god now relocated to Michigan, USA, save the day?

The Adventures so far….

Austria – Week 1 | Spain – Week 2 | Brazil – Week 3 | China – Week 4 | France – Week 5 | Belgium – Week 6

Postcard from Wales

This post was originally published at Postcard from Wales on Witch Blog.

The card of the day is the 7 of Wands from the Haindl tarot.  My keywords for this card are defiance, fortitude and independence.

Don’t be surprised today if you need to stand up for your beliefs or take a defensive position against others.  It might mean that you feel under attack and are not in a position where negotiation or tact will benefit you, at least not yet.  Being defensive and protecting something dear to you, whether that is something physical or intangible, does not necessarily mean being aggressive.  It’s about being firm, not backing down to pressure and staying true to what feels right in your heart.

This post was originally published at Witch’s Forecast – 19th February 2012 on Witch Blog.

The card of the day is Synchronicity  from the  Mermaid and Dolphin oracle deck.  The phrase on the card reads: “Your prayers and questions are being answered by synchronistic events. Notice them in order to increase their flow.”

The witch’s forecast for today is a reminder for us to keep our eyes open to look for seemingly unrelated or unimportant events.  I know, I know, life is full of those but today there’s adventure to be had and wisdom to be gained.  So, look for repetition in names, numbers, books, songs… anything really and then let your mind wander on the meaning.  Also, follow your intuition in whichever area it wants to pull you – it’s a day to be led by events rather than tightly taking hold of the reins.

Need a personal tarot reading? Check out my shop.

Moon:

Waning

Planet:

Saturn

Good day for:

Banishing, binding, hexing, defence, endings, obstacles, spirit communication.

This post was originally published at Witch’s Forecast – 18th February 2012 on Witch Blog.

The card of the day is Five of Pentacles from the Tarot of the Magical Forest. My keywords for this card are neglect, rejection and loss.

It just seems wrong to get the five of pentacles on a Friday.  It should be a happy card for the witch’s forecast, not all doom and gloom.  Oh well, we have to deal with what’s in front of us and, as such, it’s a bit of a cold, lonely place.

Take care of yourself today.  This tarot card can often indicate ill-health so wrap up warm and top up on vitamin C.  More than just sickness, this card can be of feeling excluded, neglected or shut out.  Try not to take it personally if you do feel neglected because your not the only one – look around for a kindred spirit who will keep you company. Things won’t look so bleak or worrisome with a companion by your side.

Need a tarot reading?

Moon:

Waning

Planet

Venus

Good day for:

Love, romance, beauty, friendship, arts and crafts, reconciliation.

This post was originally published at Witch’s Forecast – 17th February 2012 on Witch Blog.

A day full of blocked drains… and plumbers… and headaches… and sons having headaches… and hairdresser appointments… and waiting for deliveries… and wrong orders arriving… and terrible, awful customer service… and having no food in the house… and not eating breakfast until dinner time… and taking two steps back for each one forward…

To receive the gift.

This post was originally published at Sometimes… on Witch Blog.