We’ve talked about word meanings here before, and how a variety of things don’t actually mean what some of us were raised to believe they did. Occult, for one. The true definition is “that which is yet unknown” -not anything sinister at all, simply not yet learned. Same with snakes*. Sadly, our culture is entirely wrong about them. Our card today touches on this, visually, as well as in written form.
*Don’t worry, those of you who don’t care for them, no real images today, merely an artistic rendering. (And as I look now, kind of a dark one at that.)
“Goddess Of Shadows ~
What you perceive to be your dark side holds a hidden treasure.
Realise that any perception or belief you have about yourself or others is actually a deception more than it is a perception. What you perceive to be your dark side or shadow self holds a hidden treasure. As humans, we rarely see the full picture in any situation because we are forever stuck in the illusion of good and bad.
You judge your positive and negative qualities and strive to be more of what you perceive to be positive while attempting to disown or neglect those aspects which you consider to be negative. By holding this belief, you fail to realise that all serves a purpose and that all benefits you in some way.
Everything in our world is made up of positive and negative charges, which together make a whole. You have been guided to choose this card by your soul, because you are ready to move to the next level of conscious awareness.
Over the coming months you will find yourself questioning many of your long-held beliefs and you will realise that many of them are simply illusions that only serve to keep you feeling small, inadequate, or restricted. This card heralds the start of a wondrous and empowering period of your life which brings to the surface many beautiful experiences and opportunities which, in the past, you never thought possible.”
This is so cool, and really promising. Especially as we stare down the barrel of our current retrograde phase, and tonight, enjoy the beauty of the Dark Moon. For me personally, it speaks to some topics that *A* and I touched on yesterday. I AM leaving many old concepts and perceptions behind. Some I didn’t even know I was holding on to. It’s tremendously encouraging.
In the erranding portion of my day this afternoon, I was foiled by several license plates. Sneaky foreign bastards. I managed to grab one for you, but the others (three?) got past me. NONE of them were familiar!
I was careful,
I promise.
So, yesterday I mentioned ordering a new shirt. It didn’t fit. Not the company’s fault, I have issues around size (as you may have noticed). My design is the one being modeled here. I heard about this project from Dan Savage, and was immediately clicking over to learn more. (Can’t find the original article, of course. Fuck you, Mercury. Oops, I meant, maybe we don’t have to see that right now, in order to believe that this is a worthy cause/project.)
As an ally to all people (except really stupid ones), I feel it is my duty to assist whenever I can. Who can’t use a new t-shirt? And if ordering one can help a person be their authentic self, then we NEED to do that. Aydian is also doing his part, it’s the least we can do to reach out and be a useful community member.
Since our guests have gone home (sad, sad, sad are me and Max) it’s just us again.
Napping,
and not being bothered.
It’s entirely likely that when Dan gets off work tonight after two, we’ll all go for a nice walk. Good for the body, mind, and spirit.
Today’s Deck:
Angels, Gods, and Goddesses Oracle Cards by Toni Carmine Salerno
(Interesting side note, the second I walked into the card altar room earlier, I KNEW this would be where our message came from.)
I dislike this card. It seems to believe that everyone’s “dark side” is some sort of saccharin Disney-special unwarranted dislike for some aspect of themselves that is really a positive, if only they’d realize it.
For some people, their “dark side” involves words like “kinetic kill weapons,” “clean nuclear devices,” and “benevolent dictatorships.”
…just sayin’…
~
So noted. And discussed. And posted.
(mom)
10:13 p.m.
7-19-12
I think the premise with this deck is that if you’re reading the description, your dark side most likely doesn’t involve “kinetic kill weapons,” “clean nuclear devices,” or “benevolent dictatorships.” Maybe I’m just not stretching far enough, but I can’t imagine someone with that mind-set choosing to do a reading from a Angels, Gods, and Goddesses Oracle Card deck.
~
And I think,
you nailed it.
J
10:15 p.m.
7-19-12
Once again from Toni we have a good message and a bleh drawing. Not as bad as some, definitely, but doesn’t really speak to me or do anything whatsoever for me. But, I like the message… very much what I’ve been doing, and will definitely continue to do.
Maximum sadness.
I hope you have a beautiful night walk!
~
We went 2 point five one miles (according to Dan’s fancy ass phone).
It was lovely out.
J
10:16 p.m.
7-19-12
I’m unable to access my dark side at the moment. I know it’s there but it won’t verbalize itself.
I’ve officially been witness to several snake mentions today. Can’t remember which deck it is that talks about snake medicine being about transmutation as opposed to transformation. Transmutation meaning specifically turning something bad into something good. Something about how they shed their skins.
So what bad thing do I need to change to good? Don’t know yet.
OT sent you and Allen Carr type email.
Hope your walk was nice.
~
Any mention of positive snake Magick, and I’m in.
Interesting differentiation …. thanks.
J
10:18 p.m.
7-19-12
I am with JD on this one. I can believe that there are areas of an individual’s personality that are perceived as “negative qualities” that do fit into the definition on this card that can be those illusions that restrict you (witness some of the work you’re doing with “A”) but for the most part, a true dark side is just that (and acknowledging Corina here) and that sort of soul probably isn’t looking at a card reading for insight. There is a difference between holding some negative self perception and evil.
Hope it was an enjoyable evening for a walk, and that the t-shirt situation is resolved. Looks like a good cause.
Oh, and Mrs. Denial had a lovely snake visit while exploring an abandoned bridge over the VanDuzen (or something like that) River off of Hwy 36 on the trip home.
~
(I’m quoting you,and Corina, in tonight’s post.)
Got your snake pics, thank you! And yes, a very good cause.
J
10:21 p.m.
7-19-12
Thank you for the acknowledge. I respectfully disagree (if I’m understanding you correctly), and here’s why: I have, in the past, been extremely verbally abusive. I did so only in response to being verbally abused myself, but I was verbally abusive, nonetheless.
I was (and am) a spiritual and loving person, but the man whom I’ve called Ex #1 here in the past (the karmic connection) was verbally abusive, and I would try to remain calm with him, pointing out assertively and respectfully that his behavior was not OK. He would continue verbally abusing me, until it got to the point where I would lose all control. I would become filled with indescribably intense rage and hatred. I would verbally abuse him relentlessly, punch walls, kick doors, break phones, and sometimes literally pull my hair out or hit my head on the wall repeatedly. If anyone had tuned in in the middle of one of my episodes, they would have thought I was a stark raving mad, evil bitch. If you had never seen or heard of one of these episodes, though, you would think I was a good person.
It was looking for insight through the Tarot that 1. lead me to Julie’s blog (yay!), and 2. helped me to realize that the hate & anger that came out in response to being abused were the repressed hate & anger that I felt about having been abused growing up. I had plenty of reason to have the “dark side” that I possessed (just as, I believe, everyone has reasons behind their “dark side”), but, until I faced my dark side* it could (and did) take control of me, when triggered.
If it hadn’t been for these difficulties in my life, I know that I would not be on the spiritual path that I’m on today. That, for me, was the “hidden treasure.”
So, to me, the message in this card is this: repressing and denying our subconscious fears and wounds only gives those fears and wounds the power to control us. When we acknowledge and consciously address these fears and wounds we gain power over them.
I believe that no one is truly totally and completely evil, but there are definitely those whose dark sides are quite clearly the captains of their ships. They’re most likely not looking at these cards. But many others are somewhere along a continuum. They might be looking for guidance, like I was.
*by releasing the hatred & resentment, or, more accurately, transmuting them into forgiveness & compassion, nurturing my wounded inner child, and focusing on loving myself & others unconditionally
And, on a much lighter note, OMG, you were on Hwy 36 at the Van Duzen??? My family owns a cabin out there! Was it the arched concrete bridge? I love that thing! LOL!
This makes me think of “there is no light without darkness” kinds of things. Although I hear what JD and xenatuba are saying, I think this is more in the way of looking at traits that you (I) have that WE perceive as “bad” or needing to be changed, but that really aren’t. They may just need to be re-stated. My hermit-y characteristic for instance. If I don’t acknowledge it and allow that characteristic to be fed, I get all cranky and really negative. That being said, there are truly dark impulses in most of us that while we need to acknowledge that they are there, they truly don’t need to be fed. Reference back to that story about the two wolves which I’m too tired to look up right now.
~
Perfection, thank you.
(Don’t need to look it up, we remember.)
J
10:23 p.m.
7-19-12
There’s definitely a difference between my dark side and that of Charles Manson’s. I think that messages like these are meant to tell us non-crazy, non-murderous people that we should acknowledge that sometimes we want to pull out all of Ms. Perfect’s hair or occasionally run down the dog walker who doesn’t pick up his dog’s poo. We don’t have to express it like that, just acknowledge that we aren’t made up of all sweetness and light. I acknowledge my dark side, which can get pretty dark, but I’m not going to let it out to play except maybe in my fiction. Envy, coveting, jealousy — they can stay in the place I use to allow my creativity to play in.
~
Fictional dark sides, a whole ‘nother animal. Great avenue to let it out to play.
J
10:25 p.m.
7-19-12
I like snakes in dreams. Still trying to face the primal fear in real life. But in my dreams they are a good thing. Like the caduceus.
~
They are also massively symbolic. See Judy’s remark above. New beginnings, all over the place!
J
10:27 p.m.
7-19-12
The b*stards let me post. But to get here, I clicked on “forgot password”, This made them send me an email to reset said password. I reset password by typing into the 2 given fields. EXCEPT, I NEVER HAD A WORDPRESS ACCOUNT IN MY LIFE. I just got shanghaied into one. Bad feelings have been created by WP. But maybe this’ll wok for Delia and who ever else couldn’t post here.
~
You got in! I don’t care what door you had to access, you’re here again !!!
(I totally knew you could do it.)
J
10:29 p.m.
7-19-12
Yay! I have internet again! We’ve been having a really fun time with storms today. The internet has been up and down all day. Which has really annoyed me. HOWEVER. I still have power and no trees are lying on my roof. So THANK YOU to the Universe.
I don’t have anything to add about the card. Everyone else has said it. And poor sad Max and his Nana! I hope you had an enjoyable walk.
~
Just as you were posting this, Max was like a tumor on my side. (Barnacle-time!) We were having big ol’ rumbling thunder. Of which he is NOT a fan.
Glad you guys are safe,
and connected.
J
10:31 p.m.
7-19-12
I might be losing the internet – something just haqppened and it ate what I was saying. So I’ll make this quick.
I always thought of the ‘shadow self’ as those qualities that we don’t care for in ourselves. We know them because they are the things we project on to others. When I find myself being overly critical I have to ask myself what do I need to change. Why am I focused on that aspect of someone.
In literature I realize it has a different – Charles Manson’esque- kind of feel, and I do love that about books.
Oh, and the hidden treasure? Why it is the step stool that I needed to be able to catch the wave that the Lady of Lightning saw fit to send my way.
Great interpretations, thank you!
(I truly appreciate you going through all of this to comment from afar, and lol, from asea.)
Love the “treasure” too.