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Healing with words of gold: The Empress, Kintsugi and alchemy

March 24, 2017

kintsugi

When we draw the Empress, the time has come for change and renewal in the sense that it is the right moment to dare to come out with our ideas, plans and insights.

Tarot as a Way of Life: a Jungian Approach to Tarot, Karen Hamaker-Zondag

The Empress connects us with this new dimension of awareness; for is it through her intuitive understanding rather than through masculine logic that the spirit leaps forth into outer space to connect with celestial insights.

Jung and Tarot: An Archetypal Journey, Sallie Nichols

The Empress – Part II

This is the second in a two part series on The Empress tarot card which has been appearing lately in various guises. These posts explore The Empress, her powers and how she is showing up for me right now as a guide.

In the first post, The Empress: vision, creativity and patience, we explored her appearances recently in tarot spreads and the symbolism of The Empress in various tarot decks as an insight into her meaning.

In this post, I’ll be sharing thoughts and intuitive writing on the messages of the Empress to help channel growth in creativity and healing at this time.

Activating heart energy

I’ve been working with gifted channeller and intuitive healer, Amber Adrian for the past six months as part of a transition process to focus on creativity as a way of life. Amber’s Activate program is about switching on your wisdom, power and light more, especially (for me) around creativity.

It’s all about connecting with our higher selves, integrating what needs to be integrated and showing up with what we learn and experience. It’s powerful and healing work, hard to describe, but my role it seems is to put my experiences into words.

In a session recently, guides stepped through for each of us with a message. For me, the guide was a woman with red hair, goddess-like. She was there to help me connect with my heart. She put her hand over my heart. With gold from her palm, she filled in any wounds with gold, so it was like my heart was made new again. She released shadows and energies, removed cords from my heart and filled the holes left by my heart wounds.

And she gave me a special message:

 Your heart is ready, put it on the page.

I am not sure who this goddess or guide is, but I am feeling the energy of both The Empress and Pele, goddess of fire and irrepressible passion who is guiding me this year. I’m feeling the power of both as they appear around messages of vision, creativity and passion. They are a couple of mighty female consorts with transformative energy I can tap into and channel creatively.

The empress

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My superpower – writing

The guides in this Activate session also came forward with messages around our superpowers: how we want to be seen as we truly are. This included messages around learning how to mother and care for ourselves.

When anyone has ever asked what my superpower is, I would (and will) always say it’s writing. It’s a strength I rely on for so much: in my work role, in my personal life, strategising ideas, processing pain, capturing beauty and sorrow to experience, move through and on. It’s helped me navigate so much and words are my life-blood and heart.

So it was with a smile of recognition that I heard the words from Amber that the guides were activating channelling gifts as they come through writing. The gift being activated, once I cycle through some layers of self-care, is an ability to sit down and receive writing as a divine conduit to words – “beautiful, entertaining, what’s needed in the world.”

I am blown away by this but it seems right. It means opening up through resistance and fear to this and I note also, requires actually sitting down to write. Important.

Later we are encouraged to let our guides show us where they would like to connect and how – for example, ceremoniously, through exercise, afterwards, when you sleep. Journalling is a way we can do this, asking guides to speak to us or come through as we sleep.

In this spirit work, we need to flex and move through our own paths. The guidance and support is to be accessed. It’s a gift we need to learn. We are reminded:

It’s a muscle like anything else.

Like a muscle, we need to use it.

light person fire

Message in a Bottle

The next day while all this is settling, I receive the ‘Message in a Bottle’ card from The Wisdom of the Oracle deck, in protection position (reversed). This card is all about communication and signs from spirit and guides pointing to your highest good. In protection position, it’s saying:

Don’t ignore the signs. Spirit always has your best interests at heart and will draw your attention to what you are overlooking.

With its image of a telephone in a bottle, there’s a sense of messages coming and not being able to get them or read them. The Wisdom of the Oracle guide book says this is also about allowing yourself to “become fluent in the language of symbols, oracles, and omens.” But in protection position, it’s about maybe not acknowledging signs because they don’t fit our world view. We are tending to want them as we want them. Or we are missing them altogether.

So I’m listening, opening up and working to become fluent in this language of guides, signs, symbols and intuitive writing. It’s natural ground in one way, but the signs are flagging a richer and deeper connection with spirit and channelling of words.

This is welcome but there’s that resistance I can feel around what this means. Channelling, for example, is a concept I am not entirely comfortable with and it seems a big step into an unknown world right now. In my mind, are the inevitable thoughts of “What will (insert anyone you like) think about this?” with all the dark power and shadow that such fruitless thinking can muster.

message in a bottle

Night thought visits

I head to bed with an open heart, inviting guides to speak to me in the night as this seems to be the way I am currently receiving information and inspiration.

In a wonderful interview on The High Priestess podcast, Julie Parker speaks with guide and psychic, Helen Jacobs, about intuition in the most down to earth of ways. This was such a balm for my soul at this time. They discuss how the way we access intuition and information from guides is different for everyone. And it can also change from time to time for each of us. Talk about keeping us on our toes!

The way my intuition and guides seem to be speaking to me now is through what I call night thoughts. They are words, symbols, signs or lines of songs that come through clear as a bell when I wake in the early hours of the morning.

So I wake in the night with wavy haint blue lines that I know from the Spirits card in Marcella Kroll’s Sacred Symbols deck. I know it means that spirits are calling offering wisdom and help. I draw the wavy lines with my finger in the air as I can feel them so strongly.

spirits

I look at the time and it’s 3:13am. Those numbers speak to me too – I’ve been noticing lots of number sequences lately especially 111, but this sequence 313 seems significant so I take note.

I know I will need to get up and write this down so I don’t forget. And I know I need to write. Here is an opportunity to harness the spirit of guides and channel any messages, despite my uncertainty about this. It’s a gift, a present, a presence and a guide. It’s there for me to access and it’s there to help me channel love and light. It’s not all about me it seems.

Journalling night thoughts

I have a Night Thoughts journal – I’ve had it for a while – and I capture all the thoughts that come in the night there. They are so rich. I open the journal and I write this message:

I’m waking you in the middle of the night to say I’m here, spirit, 313, helping you to see and hear the signs that come to you. Ask and you shall see. You need to ask.

(I then insert three of the Spirits wave symbols as in the card above)

The Empress, orange cloak, golden hair, is guiding you. Plant the seeds, heal the wounds, feel the gold inside the cracks, go there. It’s a gift you’ve always had from very young to see and feel the cracks and fill them with gold. The gold in your heart is what can help heal others’ cracks and wounds and your own.

You’re called to help heal, to hold the hands and hearts of those who hurt. In many ways, like a kindred soul, standing in healing, standing side by side, in the trenches of the heart. But healing with words of gold, from your pen and from your mouth.

Number 313

Afterwards I check about the number 313. And what I read again blows me away. Joanna Walmesley of Sacred Scribes explains in this post that it’s an angel number:

Angel Number 313 is a message from your angels that the strong connection you have with the angelic realm and the Ascended Masters is assisting you with staying positive, light and optimistic about your life…It is time to live your truths and express yourself with clarity, purpose, passion and love. Be a positive light to others.

I’m encouraged just like the ‘Message in the Bottle’ to pay close attention to intuition and inner wisdom, that guides are there helping me with the next steps along my path.

313 is made up of the attributes and vibrations of 3 appearing twice. Then I recall that 3 is The Empress’s number also, she who has appeared twice recently in my tarot readings, with 3 linked to creativity, self-expression, talents and skills. Number 1 is about self-leadership, intuition, fresh beginnings and approaches – all in line with The Empress and her messages of creativity, intention and patience. I love the term ‘self-leadership’ and this number emphasises that:

 we create our own experiences with our intentions, thoughts and beliefs. This makes 313 the number of optimism, enthusiasm, communication, creativity and expansion.

Kintsugi

After all this beautiful light and energy that has flowed from The Empress appearing in various guises, I keep reflecting on that palm of the hand holding my heart and filling it with gold. It feels so warm and positive. I know that sense from somewhere.

Then I remember the Japanese art of Kintsugi (or kintsukuroi). A representation of the idea of wabi-sabi, it’s a method for repairing broken ceramic pieces with a lacquer mixed with gold or other precious metals with the philosophy behind this:

to recognize the history of the object and to visibly incorporate the repair into the new piece instead of disguising it. The process usually results in something more beautiful than the original.

In a piece on kintsugi, wabi-sabi, the beauty of scars and her son’s repaired heart, Amy Basken says:

kintsugi pieces are prized precisely because they have been broken. They are said to be more beautiful, more unique, and “stronger at the broken places” (to quote Ernest Hemingway)

I’m feeling like my heart is a vessel, a sacred object, cracked from wounds and hurts but healing. As I reflect, I realise there are 3 significant times in my life when my heart fractured and hurt intensely with deep grief, loss and pain.

I feel my heart wounds fill with gold and heal. I’ve had enough suffering from these wounds for now. I can move on. I can communicate the lessons and emotions to help others heal, to feel they are not alone or to acknowledge and honour these feelings as part of moving on.

How often do we hide these wounds and experiences with a sense of shame instead of realising they are what makes us strong, beautiful and able to support others with what we have learned.

Not that we would ask for these experiences. But if they happen to us, Kintsugi and The Empress remind us that breakage and repair, wounds and healing, are natural, not something to be concealed but there to be held up to the light with love. And love mostly for ourselves.

Seek and you shall find…one layer of Truth at a time. Every experience we have in life, even the missteps, and especially the bliss, is a step closer to that sacred radiance. We are all waking up in the same direction.

Danielle LaPorte White Hot Truth: Clarity for keeping it real on your spiritual path from one seeker to another (forthcoming May 2017)

Alchemy: the power to transform things for the better

I leave the draft to this point overnight, asking for guidance to clarify and make sense. The words that come in the night are:

This is alchemy, you are experiencing alchemy.

Yes, I realise, that’s it. Alchemy: the power to transform things for the better – that would be a relief and something I can work with, a healing thing for me and others. I relax suddenly, snuggling into the warmth of my loved one and cuddling my little stuffed bear in the dark, smiling. I relax into this knowledge, this beauty, and lean into its wisdom, embracing whatever is to come.

Thought pieces

You can learn more about Amber Adrian and her brilliant work in activating creativity and healing at AmberAdrian.com – she is also a fan of stuffed animals and is the most beautiful writer.

Dee at Archangel Oracle – Divine Guidance explores The Message in a Bottle card in more detail. These thoughts resonate on becoming fluent in reading signs and symbols.

For more reading and beautiful visuals on kintsugi and its processes visit:

Kintsugi: the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery

Kintsugi: the art of broken pieces

Image acknowledgements:

  • The Empress card is from the Sakki Sakki tarot deck; others as noted in the text
  • Other images from pexels.com and used according to licence with thanks to the creators.

Keep in touch

Quiet Writing is on Facebook – Please visit here and ‘Like’ to keep in touch and interact with the growing Quiet Writing community. There are regular posts on tarot, intuition, influence, passion, creativity, productivity, writing, voice, introversion and Jung/Myers-Briggs Personality Type.

Subscribe via email (see the link at the top and below) to make sure you receive updates from Quiet Writing and its passions. This includes tarot, personality type developments, coaching and other connections to help express your unique voice in the world. New opportunities and special offers coming soon.

If you enjoyed this post, please share via your preferred social media channel – links are below.

You might also enjoy:

The Empress: creativity, vision and patience

Dance to a new beat – Full Moon in Virgo

creativity inspiration & influence intuition

The Empress: vision, creativity and patience

March 17, 2017

The empress

The Empress – from the Sakki Sakki Tarot Deck

The Empress

The Empress has been appearing lately in my last two full moon tarot readings for Virgo and Leo. And she is popping up in other ways as a guiding goddess right now. I’m still working through all this wonderful energy! So thought I’d do a deep dive into The Empress, her powers, how she is showing up for me right now and share this with you as I work through.

In this first post of two on The Empress, we explore her appearances recently in tarot spreads and the symbolism of The Empress in various tarot decks as an insight into her meaning for us.

In the second post to follow, I’ll be sharing thoughts and intuitive writing on the messages of the Empress to help growth in creativity and healing for me and for you at this time.

The Empress appears – Full Moon Leo, Jan 2017

The Empress has been appearing pretty frequently in my daily guidance draws but has made cameos appearances in my last two Full Moon tarot readings – for Virgo and Leo.

She first appeared in the Full Moon in Leo Reading with the Sakki Sakki tarot deck in the final position around:

What positive energies will come to fruition from this Full Moon?

full moon Leo

I made some intuitive notes around:

It’s the right time to birth creative potential and plant seeds for the future.

It was also a lunar eclipse coinciding with the Leo Full Moon so the shadow side of creativity and self-expression and our doubts were also in there.

Revisiting the insightful Leah Whitehorse’s writing for this Leo Full Moon accessed via Mystic Mamma, these words jump out and sing to me:

Sometimes you have to go out there and show what you’ve got or stand up for what you believe in. The skills and talent you have are yours and yours alone. No one sings or paints like you. No one has your own special way of seeing the world. That’s what makes you unique and extraordinary…

Sometimes it’s about showing what you’ve got regardless of all the fear. Shine as you were meant to shine. This isn’t a rehearsal. Giving the best of yourself can be a great gift to the rest of humanity.

This thought is part of the DNA of Quiet Writing and my life’s work and passion – shining a quiet light, shining as we are meant to shine, helping others to do the same. And writing this and into this. So it’s a great message to come from this reading and confluence of the constellations.

The Empress reappears – Full Moon in Virgo,  Feb 2017

Leah Whitehorse notes about the Leo lunar eclipse:

As Leo often represents the entertainer, I feel like this eclipse is like a pilot episode of a new drama series – a taste of things to come.

So it seems to have turned out with the Empress appearing again in my Full Moon in Virgo tarot reading in prime position, now setting the scene and focused on:

How can I seek the greatest vision of myself?

full moon virgo

My intuitive notes:

So I can seek out that greatest vision of myself just by being myself, celebrating what I love, relaxing into the creative process. I can connect with nature and spirit, allowing the vision to gently emerge over time, living it as I go.

Along with the other cards from the reading, I worked up a page with the cards and key messages with these words as the summary:

raw

 

visual collage

Raw, yes, – I never could cut in straight lines, and it’s messy but that is not the point. Or maybe it is – just being raw, real and ready, authentic not perfect! I love those words that connect with uniqueness, shining and showing up. And patience to self-nurture, learning as I go, feeling into my vision as it emerges.

Exploring The Empress and her many guises

I love seeing how the symbols and imagery of The Empress plays out in different interpretations and I use this to guide and weave in with my impressions and intuition. It’s rich fuel for the fire and such brilliant learning. And I’ve developed this sense further through the fabulously wise and rich 78 Mirrors e-course I worked through recently with Susannah Conway.

I mainly work with six tarot decks so here is The Empress in her guises across these six decks:

1. Rider Waite Tarot
2. Robin Wood Tarot
3. Sakki Sakki Tarot
4. Fountain Tarot
5. Dame Darcy Mermaid Tarot
6. The Wild Unknown

Here is The Empress as she appears visually in each of these decks:

The Empress tarot card

Top row left to right: Rider Waite, Robin Wood, Sakki Sakki

Bottom row left to right: Fountain Tarot, Dame Darcy Mermaid, The Wild Unknown

Here are the standout images, symbols and thoughts for me from these different decks and their interpretations:

Rider Waite

The Rider Waite tarot Empress is solid, front facing, with a mature growth and sharing focus around her. Pomegranates feature on the robe of the Empress, symbolising the “eternal renewal of life” according to The Book of Symbols. In ‘The Pictorial Key to the Tarot’, Arthur Edward Waite refers to The Empress as “the fruitful mother of thousands”.

Robin Wood Tarot

In The Robin Wood Tarot, The Empress is spinning, with images of green and gold and a basket of produce at her feet. The imagery symbolises fertility, growth, competence and security, weaving a sound future.

Sakki Sakki Tarot

The Sakki Sakki Tarot Empress, speaks to me directly with her orange robes and richness. According to the Sakki Sakki Tarot guidebook, she symbolises the “mother of all, creativity, femininity, fertility, abundance, Mother Nature.” In essence, the mother of all creations whatever they be: “a baby, business or the world itself”.

Fountain Tarot

The stunning and ethereal Fountain Tarot Empress appears to be standing in a pond or pool, cloaked in gold, her rainbow energy around her. She is abundant creation and from the Fountain Tarot guidebook…

invites you to water your new creation with love and patience.

Again that theme of creativity, passion, what you love, nature and patience connecting. I love these words from the Fountain Tarot accompanying book:

As the ultimate mother, she will nurture you through the unique moments of each particular stage of growth – through the cycles of life, death, create and destruction. Relax into the safe glow of her embrace, and begin what there is to begin. Now is the time to act.

Dame Darcy Mermaid Tarot

The Dame Darcy Empress is all about mermaids, feminine energy and the pearls of wisdom to be found in the depths of the sea and elsewhere. It’s a message about exploring those depths, going there and speaking of them.

The Wild Unknown

And in the beauty of The Wild Unknown – a deck I have been working with a lot lately – the energy is all about trees, growth, reaching out branches, creation, nature and the mother. The Empress is described as:

the mother, or goddess of the tarot

She emphasises maternal relationships, connecting with our feminine side and especially nature, encouraging us to get outside to ground ourselves and activate our senses. I am finding this is really critical to forming vision, needing that quiet space in nature to find myself and hear my inner voice.

The Empress

Image from Shutterstock via pexels.com

Stay tuned for the second post on The Empress….

…in which we weave all this rich material together as she starts to appear more actively to me through channelled messages and night thoughts with intuitive writing guidance! Exciting times!

Your turn – would love to hear your thoughts about The Empress…

  • What’s your favourite Empress image and symbolism?
  • Has The Empress appeared for you with any special messages?
  • Has this piece stirred anything for you?
  • What card is showing up for you lately with special messages?

Would love to hear your experiences and thoughts here or on Instagram or the Quiet Writing Facebook page where I’ll post a link to this post.

Do share to stimulate this beautiful and powerful feminine energy in the world!

Thought pieces and references:

Symbols in The Empress Tarot card – Janet Boyer – is a fabulous deeper dive into the symbolism of the Rider Waite Smith Empress card – fascinating reading!

Leah Whitehorse’s beautiful blog Lua Astrology

Keep in touch

Quiet Writing is on Facebook – Please visit here and ‘Like’ to keep in touch and interact with the growing Quiet Writing community. There are regular posts on tarot, intuition, influence, passion, creativity, productivity, writing, voice, introversion and Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI).

Subscribe via email (see the link at the top and below) to make sure you receive updates from Quiet Writing and its passions. This includes tarot, personality type developments, coaching and other connections to help express your unique voice in the world. New opportunities and special offers coming soon.

If you enjoyed this post, please share via your preferred social media channel – links are below.

You might also enjoy: Dance to a new beat – Full Moon in Virgo

creativity inspiration & influence

Dance to a new beat – Full Moon in Virgo

March 12, 2017

Full Moon in Virgo

It’s a Full Moon in Virgo and being a passionate Virgo, I’m diving into the messages and opportunities of this full moon via tarot.

Sam Roberts aka @escapingstars on Instagram has provided a Full Moon in Virgo tarot spread which I’ve used for this reading. The focus is on vision, blocks, what needs to be purged and the pathways that will unfold once the energy flow is opened up.

Here’s my tarot reading, using the Sakki Sakki tarot deck and featuring three major arcana cards – The Empress, The Fool and Death. So there’s some archetypal, journey oriented cards there for me to work with, plus the somewhat impetuous Knight of Swords, with his sword wildly waving above his head as he sits upon his long-necked steed!

full moon virgo

Here’s my reading, based on my intuition with reference to a few key resources listed and linked below:

1 How can I seek out the greatest vision of myself? The EMPRESS

I’m loving that The Empress has arrived with her beautiful, alive, female presence in the space around seeking the greatest vision of myself. The Empress also came up in my Full Moon in Leo reading in the space around the question ‘What positive energies will come to fruition from this Full Moon?”

The Empress represents female aspects of motherhood, nurturing and creating. My word of the year is PASSION and it’s a continuing theme that passion, nature and creativity are key to the most powerful vision of myself at this time. It’s about living a pathway to the spirit through the senses and nature. Embracing my creative potential through reconnecting with nature, planting creative seeds, being patient and trusting in the process is highlighted.

As Playing with Symbols tells us about the Empress:

She is the force that can create out of nothing; the Mother of every creation, whether it is a baby, a cake, an enterprise, or the world itself. She inspires beauty, emotion, passion, trust and patience, and calls for a time to “do” by just “being”.

So I can seek out that greatest vision of myself just by being myself, celebrating what I love, relaxing into the creative process. I can connect with nature and spirit, allowing the vision to gently emerge over time, living it as I go.

2 What in my life is blocking my intentions of that version of myself? KNIGHT of SWORDS

The Knight of Swords is a somewhat impetuous, impatient, ‘let’s get on with it’ kind of guy. He’s insightful and can think and talk on his feet, and there’s plenty of his qualities that can help me at this time.

But in relation to the question of what’s blocking my intentions, having lots of ideas and a tendency to jump from one thing to another is definitely emerging as an impediment. I need to follow through with action and execution of these ideas in a measured and focused way.

Intuitive guide Amber Adrian working with her guides on my behalf, gave me the message ‘Focus on one’ just this week.

I need to not let impatience get in the way as I work on a gentle, focused way forward. Yes, I acknowledge that desire to just get on with it each day. But it’s about making sure I’m grounding myself, channeling my energies on the right project at the right time. Then I can get my unique vision out into the world in a way that also enables self-care, community and connection with others.

3 What energies and behaviours need to be purged this Full Moon? The FOOL

One of the feelings I am aware of at this time is: “Who am I to do this work? What do I know?” So when I pulled the Fool card in relation to this question, that’s what immediately surfaced: purging this “Who am I to…?” kind of negative self-talk.

It’s about letting go of the thoughts of “I don’t know enough about xxxx” They are so self-sabotaging! Who can ever define if they know ‘enough’? What is ‘enough’?

I need to take my life and work experience proudly with me to this next phase. To not be afraid to take risks and to not take it too seriously. Leaving behind any trace of that sense of feeling like a fool, it’s time to embrace new beginnings with an open mind and explore less trodden paths.

4 What possible pathways will unfold once I open up the energy flow between myself and that vision? DEATH

The Death card is all about transformation. The vision for my work is all about connecting with the passion and energy of what we love to find our unique voice in the world.

The pathways to this are about truly embracing what I love, working with that, being authentic and sharing this with others to help them do the same.

Opening this energy flow means actual change happens, with transition to a life based on doing what I am passionate about and sharing this with others. Resistance will break down, the negative self-talk will lose its hold and transformation of myself and others will occur.

The pathways seem untrodden in some respects; it is new ground, with butterfly paths of emergence and with a supporting tribe and community. It’s different to the old work world structures that I’ve lived and worked in for decades. There will be room for the new to emerge, building on a solid foundation of the past and its learnings, skills and connections. It means letting go of what no longer serves.

Final thoughts

Mystic Mamma’s beautifully curated FULL MOON in Virgo astral summary includes these insights from Leah Whitehorse that ring especially true for me at this time:

Virgo sometimes wants to shy away into the background but right now it’s important that we step up to the plate. Let others see your work…

This Full Moon it’s about having the confidence to show what you can do. Learn to control those fearful lions that tear at the meat of your courage…

Do what you do with love in your heart and to the best of your ability. Improvement comes with practice. Flaws add character.

It’s time to dance to a new beat that is characterised by natural passion, risk-taking, being seen and not being afraid to flaunt it a little. But working in a connected and measured way with focus on one step, one project, one day, at a time.

It’s remembering also there is a community and tribe of like-minded souls, friends and family to support me in doing what I love to the best of my ability. Just as I support them to do likewise.

Tribe

Card from The Wisdom of the Oracle deck – Colette Baron-Reid

Thought pieces and references:

Mystic Mamma Full Moon in Virgo, March 12th 2017

Full Moon in Virgo March 2017 – Flawed – Leah Whitehorse – “The highly efficient Virgo Full Moon is saying that we need to get down to the nitty gritty if we want to achieve our dreams (Sun in Pisces).”

Playing with Symbols – The Essential Companion Book to The Sakki-Sakki Tarot & to Your Creative Journey, Monicka Clio Sakki with Carol Anne Buckley

78 Mirrors – Finding your self in the tarot e-course, Susannah Conway – highly recommended

Amber Adrian  and Activate – activate your genius, power and life with a group of soul sisters – highly recommended support for your creativity.

Keep in touch

Quiet Writing is on Facebook – Please visit here and ‘Like’ to keep in touch and interact with the growing Quiet Writing community. There are regular posts on tarot, intuition, influence, passion, creativity, productivity, writing, voice, introversion and Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI).

Subscribe via email (see the link at the top and below) to make sure you receive updates from Quiet Writing and its passions in 2017. This includes tarot, MBTI developments, coaching and other connections to help express your unique voice in the world. New opportunities and special offers coming soon.

If you enjoyed this post, please share via your preferred social media channel – links are below.

intuition planning & productivity

Overwhelm, intuition and thinking

January 27, 2017

thinking and intuition

You can get overwhelmed when the intuition is firing and there’s an abundance of creative inspiration. Whilst it’s a good problem to have, without balance it can lead to inaction. Here are some thoughts on how to manage this.

As an INTJ Myers-Briggs Type Indicator type, Introverted Intuition and Extraverted Thinking preferences play out to a large extent in my life. They are my dominant and auxiliary preferences respectively. There’s a frequent tussle going on between intuition and thinking over which takes the lead role at any particular point.

Being the dominant one, intuition often leads, coming from an interior and quiet place. It’s an inner voice or a flash of insight, a mystery I don’t fully understand and possibly never can. It’s taken me a while to begin to understand this part of me even though it’s the preeminent piece.

Thinking then is not far behind, connecting the ideas that come from intuitive inspiration, shaping them into an argument or a project, a strategic plan or a blog post. It links symbols in poetry more overtly or plays the role of editor, cutting back, refining and polishing.

When our intuition is switched on and we learn to tune into it more, suddenly so much comes in. That big picture becomes huge and threatens to overwhelm. Our to-do lists that involve crafting that inspiration further become enormous. It feels like all that creativity is going nowhere, just spinning round and round our head.

The Seven of Cups tarot card from the The Fountain Tarot recently captured this for me so well.
7 of cups

So many ideas, so many options, so many projects, so many plans. I can relate to the look on the woman’s face. The first time I drew this card, on a day of particular overwhelm, I laughed out loud. It just captures the feeling so perfectly, a state of being stunned into inaction by the options.

And the upshot of all this? Nothing much gets done except a lot of brainstorming, scribbled notes of potential and words of promise. We need to learn how to bring the intuition and thinking functions together to ground ourselves more into action in the external world.

Coalescing intuition and thinking

So if your interior world is running hot and your to-do lists are longer than your arm, here are some suggested strategies based on my experiences to focus energy and attention into action.

1 Practise rest and self-care

Ironically, I am finding that rest and self-care is fundamental to coalescing intuition and thinking to get action happening. Self-care is fundamental to all things, but it’s a special consideration here.  Like self-care in emergency situations so we can be of service, we need to ensure our buzzing intuition and sparking ideas don’t drive us into an energy tailspin where we are of no help to anyone. As Amber Adrian, intuitive and energy healer reminded me, “Put your own oxygen mask on first.” Wise advice.

And lo and behold, when we do rest and practice nourishing ourselves, the well-springs fill and the right ideas burst forth. Suddenly we know the answer or the next best thing to do.

2 Capture ideas and work in bite-size chunks

One of the big issues with creative overwhelm is that it’s all so exciting. We can feast on that emotion and not much else happens. I’m working to focus on specific aspects of projects within the time available each day. My Write Your Own Adventure planner, with its open and spacious approach, is helping to make every day a creative step in the journey. It’s easy to document progress and it’s showing me where my energy is going and where it’s dissipating.

I’m also working on breaking things up more: time into chunks and words into achievable targets. I’m starting to work with Scrivener  more to shape writing drafts and manage inputs. I’m using tools to capture ideas and connections so I don’t lose them. I’ve been a long time user of Evernote for gathering ideas, references and images and tagging them to bring together later.

I’m exploring time management and productivity techniques like the Pomodoro technique. Linked to self-care, it’s all about short bursts and writing sprints plus getting up, walking and keeping refreshed instead of sitting for hours. This is something I need now.

In a Secret Library podcast interview with Caroline Donahue, Scott Carney explains his formula for getting writing done which combines these techniques. He explains how he uses Scrivener and writes 500 words a day, 5 days a week and that over eight months, this ends up the length of a book manuscript. Or it could be a lot of blog posts. Either way it’s a great practical way to focus effort into chunks and get the writing done.

3 Realise the benefits of strategy

Sometimes a combination of intuition and intellect can lead to ‘analysis paralysis’ and over-thinking, especially when combined with introversion.

At our best, however, we can bring these three orientations together to create visionary plans, then work out the logical steps and goals to get there. We can identify the measures that help us achieve the plan and we can define what success looks like. And we can leave room for the unexpected.

Strategy is elegant clear thinking, being confident and assembling what we have logically. As Colette Baron-Reid says in relation to the ‘Thinker’ card from the ‘Wisdom of the Oracle‘ deck, when strategy is calling…

Things are exactly what they seem. You have all the information you need. Keep it simple and you will win the game of life you’re playing now.

thinker

Joanna Penn is my role model in this respect. Her webinar on how to achieve your goals in 2017 is a valuable example of strategy development in creative spaces. Joanna’s achievements over time exemplify how to work with both intuition and strategic thinking goals to make excellent progress.

Like any journey, knowing the destination helps with managing the steps to get there and avoids the wasted time of going down wrong paths.

4 Keep showing up

The overwhelm of so many creative ideas can make us feel that we are not getting anywhere compared to our aspirations. Consequently, we get discouraged and do nothing or not as much as we had hoped.

So it’s important to keep showing up to write the words, get the blog posts published and focus on the inputs that will help manifest our vision.  It’s vital to keep learning the skills that will help us do the work of our heart. But it’s achieved little by little as we show up each step of the way to bring that effort to bear.

Sometimes it’s hard to see where it’s all leading as an intuitive creative. But just ‘doing the work’ in line with our vision and plan is the way to take it forward.

Steven Pressfield is the best person to read about showing up and doing the work. His work has clearly shown us that the ‘not sitting down to write’ is resistance and ultimately, fear. We need to break the impasse and show up to find the intuitive mystery of the words as they unfold. In Turning Pro, Steven reminds us:

That place that we write from (or paint from or compose from or innovate from) is far deeper than our petty personal egos. That place is beyond intellect. It is deeper than rational thought.

It is instinct.

It is intuition.

It is imagination.

So the plan, the strategy, the structure, the formula are all valuable, but the heart of the work and the journey is at that space where the pen hits the page or the fingers hit the keyboard. It’s when the instinct, imagination and intuition find form.

And we only make that journey by showing up and writing, unfolding the mystery of our intuition, word by word.

Making the connection between head and heart

So my reflections on this have led me to realise that intuition leads the way, being the inspiration and destination. The intellect is there too but its role is to shape the map, plan the timeframes, create the doable list or corral the effort into something manageable. It has its place and its ultimately about keeping things simple and on track, not over complicating.

But the intuition, the active imagination comes first. It’s not so neat and time-sensitive nor is it predictable, but it’s the heart of the effort, the raison d’etre.

We need both. Without intuition, we wouldn’t have the creative imagination to start with. Without thinking, the inspiration wouldn’t see the light of day in a practical way.

In comes the Queen of Swords

I left this piece open-ended overnight as I thought how best to finish it. And in the night, the Queen of Swords came like a flash, her sword glinting in the darkness.

Queen of Swords

And this brought all the pieces together. You see, the Queen of Swords has been my poster girl for a while. She sits at the front of my Softly Wild  journal, guiding this piece of my life, where it says: “I dedicate this notebook to making the connection between head and heart.” I am on the last page of that book now.

And only yesterday as I work through Susannah Conway’s fabulous 78 Mirrors course, I discovered that the Queen of Swords can be seen as the court card for the INTJ type. Cutting through, clarity of thought and commitment are her specialty. I’ve recently completed my Myers-Briggs Type Indicator certification so this link holds special meaning as I seek to take this work into the world.

So in the end I find that I have the answers within me. That intuition is the heart and conduit to feeling. Thinking is the sword to cut through to the essence and bring it to light for me and others. It’s time to finally commit and do the work, given that I already know the strategies to get there.

I hope the spirit of the Queen of Swords and these ideas can give you the courage to face the overwhelm and get on with your work in the world too. Because we so need to see its refined shining light.

This piece is written for #IntuitiveFriday – you can find more about this initiative celebrating intuition here.

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Quiet Writing is now on Facebook so please visit here and ‘Like’ to keep in touch and interact with the growing Quiet Writing community. There are regular posts on creativity, productivity, writing, voice, intuition, introversion, Jung/Myers-Briggs personality type , tarot and yes, passion!

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Featured image from Shutterstock via Pixabay and used with thanks.

Queen of Swords image is from the Sakki Sakki Tarot deck.

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creativity intuition

Intuition, new moon and a new year

January 5, 2017

intuition new moon

Intuition and the narrative of tarot

Happy New Year! It’s a time of newness all round including learning to use my intuition when working with tarot and oracle cards. I’ve been moving from the narrative of ‘I’m still learning tarot’ to ‘I’m writing the narrative of tarot and what it means in my life.’

I’ve been working on New Moon and Full Moon tarot readings for a while now in an intuitive way. After posting one such spread on Instagram recently, someone asked, “What does it mean?” So I thought I would take some time at this new year to focus on intuition, tarot and new starts here at Quiet Writing.

In particular, I’ll focus on a New Moon in Capricorn reading from the end of 2016 and preparing for 2017.

Tarot and oracle cards are like reading an ongoing narrative of your life. As with any narrative, there is a protagonist, an immediate setting and a broader context. The protagonist is the subject of the reading, in this case, me but could also relate to you as the reader here. The setting is the individual circumstances so what is going on around me. The broader context is the lunar and astrological conditions in which the reading takes place and the energy around it.

New moon preparations

The first things I do are identify the time of the new moon (or full moon) where I am in the world.  I like to understand the moon energy context in which I am reading the cards. I find the following two astrological reports to be fabulous for this context:

Mystic Mamma – there’s always an excellent curated summary of key trends for each lunar event at Mystic Mamma. Here’s the one for the Capricorn New Moon with the overall message of stepping back to reflect and release in preparation for 2017.

KV at Aquarius Nation – there’s an abundance of rich material available at Aquarius Nation too with a focus on customised intuitive guidance including by sign. You can subscribe for regular and very detailed lunar updates which are valuable.

New moon spread

Next step is to work out the reading you wish to do and an appropriate spread for the lunar happenings. I really love the moon spreads prepared by Sam Robertson aka @escapingstars on Instagram. Each New Moon and Full Moon, Sam prepares a specially tailored spread and posts it on IG. Below is the spread for the recent Capricorn New Moon that came to us in Sydney at 5:53pm on 29 December 2016:

Personal preparations

In terms of getting ready, key things are:

  • making space and time around the energy of the moon – it’s so easy to get side-tracked and miss the important times!
  • preparing personally and spiritually with whatever helps your energy – crystals, candles, intentions, words that help to call in guidance from spirits, guides and ancestors
  • making sure you have practical things like water, a notebook and something to write with, your camera if you wish to records the cards and any key tarot reference books on hand to support your intuitive work.

Using your intuition

I’ve been trying to use my intuition more for a while now and not go straight to tarot books. So many of the teachers and leaders in this space encourage this. But as an INTJ Myers Briggs type, my intuition and intellect are always jostling a little to step in first.

It’s so tempting to go straight to the book and not allow your intuition to have the first go. I’m just beginning to get comfortable with relying on my intuition first and foremost. In fact, this reading was the first I managed that felt right without referring to tarot books first. I was very pleased and excited by that!

I did check in afterwards with a few reference books for any further perspectives to add to my intuitive read. I find that this is a great way to develop my burgeoning tarot knowledge.

I’ve just started Susannah Conway’s 78 Mirrors e-course too which has been on my list for a while now and am loving an intuitive deep dive and more learning about tarot for the next six weeks.

My New Moon in Capricorn reading:

Below is my New Moon in Capricorn reading for December 29 2016 in line with the @escapingstars spread and using the Sakki Sakki Tarot deck:

Here’s my reading and intuitive interpretation, plus any key perspectives from tarot reference books.

1 What thoughts or behaviours do I need to purge before the New Year?

Card: DEATH

I know the Death card can bring on an intake of breath but it’s really all about approaches to change.

My first intuitive thoughts were that I need to purge the thoughts or behaviours that stop me from getting to where I want to go. That’s really anything leading to atrophy and dullness. This means any self-defeating and excessive behaviours like: eating too much, drinking too much, protecting others too much, taking on things for others and comparing myself to others. A key message coming through is to go on my journey and allow others their journey. I need to move into change without fear.

Seventy Eight Degrees of Wisdom adds this insight which resonates:

Contrary to what many people believe the card of Death does not actually refer to transformation. Rather, it shows us the precise moment at which we give up the old masks and allow the transformation to take place.

2 Where do I need to draw healing energies into myself in order to dig into my power?

Card: TWO of RODS (WANDS)

The Two of Rods is saying that I need to open co-operative energies around working with others. Rather than getting stuck in ‘comparisonitis’, I need to be creatively open to others, their gifts and their work and in this way, open myself to my own gifts.

Playing with Symbols, which is a companion to the Sakki Sakki deck, reinforces:

This is a time to set goals, define a course of action and see what else or whom else to include in your plans. The need for collaboration does not take away your independence – it only opens new possibilities.

3 What intentions would bring me in harmony with my most genuine Self?

Card: EIGHT of CUPS

This card has been appearing consistently over the past year with a strong message. This message is about making peace with the past and moving on. It’s about turning my back on my previous success in one sphere and shifting to a new body of work and journey. It’s also about realising that the heart of my work continues over time – that is, the cups are full and it’s my choice. All of this contributes to self, spirit and skill and a richness that I can share with others from my experiences. 

The booklet accompanying the Robin Wood tarot deck succinctly sums up:

Enough of this!

Meaning: Abandonment of this phase of life, rejection of material things and a turning towards spiritual things…A search for new paths.

4 How can I stay grounded with all the plans and intentions flying around me?

Card: KNIGHT of CUPS

The Knight of Cups is reminding me to stay grounded by balancing dreams with action. It’s also suggesting that I need to focus on my gifts and strengths and what I have to give to others. I’m also being encouraged to be open to the gifts of others, as suggested by the Two of Rods in this reading.

Seventy Eight Degrees of Wisdom says about this card:

The Knight has not learned that the true imagination feeds on action rather than fantasy. By this I mean that if we do nothing with our dreams they remain vague and unrelated to the rest of our lives.

Ouch. So definitely a resonating point here to focus on action in relation to gifts and strengths. I need to keep moving, connecting the pieces together.

5 How can I best tend to my inner needs?

Card: FOUR of COINS (PENTACLES)

My intuitive thoughts with this card are that I need to go deep, nurture, nourish and hold close what I value. I need to develop my own knowledge and frames of understanding for the areas I wish to explore further. They are my passions and the intersection of them is what I want to share and communicate with the world.

As above, connecting the pieces in my unique way is the best way to tend to my inner needs.

As Seventy Eight Degrees of Wisdom explains:

Finally, on a very deep level, the Four of Pentacles symbolizes the way in which the human mind gives structure and meaning to the chaos of the material universe.

6 How can I use the energies of the New Moon to plan and guide the upcoming year?

Card: EIGHT of SWORDS

This card speaks to me of reflecting on what’s holding me back, the limitations and the blindfolds. It’s important to realise that this is the end of a cycle with a universal 1 year in 2017. This card suggests the best use of the new moon energies is to acknowledge any restrictions, especially those I put on myself, and to basically let them go, step up and let it rip in 2017.

As Playing with Symbols states:

The Eight of Swords is calling you to break out of restricting habits and thoughts, and to initiate your own well-being and advancement by heightening your awareness of your abilities and options.

This echoes the messages of the Death card (purging what no longer serves), Eight of Cups (realising abilities) and the Four of Coins (creating meaning).

Using intuitive gifts

One of the areas I have been exploring and will be working further on in 2017 is Myer Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). It’s been so valuable to me to understand my personality type and orientation. I’m looking forward to working to help others understand their type and unique gifts to the world.

This is one of the key creative pieces I am connecting as I move forward in 2017.

As an INTJ, my dominant gift is Introverted Intuition. I’ve mainly exercised this in the work sphere until recently. Tarot and oracle cards are helping me to connect and exercise my natural intuitive gifts in other spheres of my life.

It’s a powerful experience to trust your intuition to read the cards and their symbols naturally without first consulting texts and books. But it does take a leap of faith and a stepping into the unknown in some ways. It’s scary at first but exciting and I look forward to richer intuitive work as I go deeper in 2017.

And I look forward to sharing this with you.

Would love to hear about your experiences:

Where have you been working more intuitively in your life? How has it helped you?

Please leave a comment below as I would love to hear more about how intuition is playing out for you in your life.

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