There is a nearly measurable amount of comfort in the known quantity, when we return to a calming reality which soothes our unsettled soul. It can be like coming home, if we ever really COULD go home again (or ya know, time travel), like changing into our jammies after a stressful day out. Today, and today’s card, made me think of this as I sat down just now.
Our interwebz issues are not us. (No shit.) It’s been confirmed, by an official “guy” (with a business card and truck-with-decal). It’s a nodal problem. Or, as I have been saying all along, it’s Mercury, messin’ me up. On purpose. Simply because it CAN. Either way, we wait. It will be diagnosed and then (hopefully) repaired by the “crew” OR we’ll eventually move past it as the Retrograding fades. Neither option sounds particularly appealing to me, but that makes not one WHIT of difference. I MUST wait. And be patient.
(Currently we have SOME connectivity, it’s stable at the moment. I’m being grateful, and moderately satisfied with that. Best we can do.)
Let’s just get to our message, shall we? Then I can show you what I saw this afternoon as I trudged around my neighborhood.
“Raven ~ Bran ~ Healing, Initiation, Protection.
The card shows a raven perched on the bare winter branches of a beech tree that grows beside an ancient mound. This is the White Mount, in which is buried the head of Bran the Blessed, and on which in later times will be raised the Tower of London.
Bran offers initiation, protection, and the gift of prophecy. What is meant by initiation in practice may be as formal as actually undergoing an initiation ceremony, or as informal as, for example, being initiated into the mysteries of a new post or profession.
It marks the death of one thing, which gives way to the birth of another. The power of the raven can also bring you the very deepest form of healing, which is achieved through a process known as ‘the resolution of the opposites’ – giving you the possibility of resolving conflicts that have lain buried in your unconscious or perhaps in your past.”
This one was VERY right-side up when I flipped it over, but I’m hearing now that we also need to look at the Contrary aspect.
“Drawn reversed, this card suggests that you should become aware of the forces of destruction that exist in your life and in the world. However much we might wish that destruction did not occur, we know that without destruction there cannot be construction and recreation.
The raven speaks of the knowledge of the dark and difficult aspects of our life, which is hard for us to understand. Sometimes we, or our lives, must go through a process of disintegration and darkness, in order to emerge into the greater light of a new morning. To a great extent our fear of the dark is worse than whatever it is that we find there.
Drawing this card reversed may mean that we can now come to terms with our own destructiveness – a rage that has perhaps been buried for years – knowing that we have the protection of the Goddess. Deeper still, it may mean that we can come to a resolution of the conflict of opposites – experiencing the reality that in darkness there is light, and in light darkness.”
Another mystically connected creature who speaks of the darkness. THIS is where I’m comfortable. THIS is the type of message that makes me feel at home and at ease. As with Owl, I sink into the words of “healing” and “subconscious” likening them to cozy home-made flannel quilts.
On my wander this afternoon I saw crows (or possibly ravens, in this case, it doesn’t matter which they were) several times. On each occasion they just looked at me, then went on about their bird-y business. It was nice. To share space with them (or the same one, I repeat, doesn’t even matter) in a familiar area. What I felt every time was that comfort of home, knowing my surroundings, and sensing I was safe.
It helped that I began my trek by seeing this wee item. And engaged in a lovely text exchange with a genuine, and understandingly kind friend. The combination gave me, again, a feeling of comfort and peace.
The umbrella got left behind this time. A mile down the road, my head got rained on. But not for long. A new “wind event” is coming, the beginnings of that blew the denser clouds away from me. I also took that as a sign.
Much of the clean-up from the last weather happening has been completed, but there are still bigger jobs around that no one has even touched yet. (Like that huge halfa tree and fence disaster above.)
In this view you can (kinda) see some remains of a mess that took days to clear aside. Involving three or more pieces of property, an entire cul-de-sac, and this intersection.
My Foreign License Plate spottings have been picking up lately: Maryland, a Dakota (probably South), Nevada, Alaska, BC (wave wave), Vermont (with a big ol’ cougar head on it, Kewl Kate, tell us more about this new development), Nebraska, and Arizona. Spring Break maybe?
Now, I don’t know about any of you, but I have a situation, on the physical front, which bothers me. I won’t get too graphic here (my children still occasionally stop by and read this), but I do need to describe something in order to explain the next picture. The deal is: my thighs touch. Each other! In two places! I know, devastating isn’t it? And just all kinds of wrong.
(Although, according to my son, this is a NATURAL state of being for humans. I was thinking my condition was an anomaly. And it made me feel bad. Really, it’s made me feel terrible for about my entire life. He says that it’s NORMAL. Hmmmm. What about my pudgy knees? Also in the supposedly normal category too?!)
Not so dry mommy.
Dan said this blow-out is from my legs meeting the bike seat. Still. It’s a flaw. A defect. In me? Or just in the pants? Who cares? Rain got in yesterday! (Or possibly it was gutter water that got in.) I’ll be patching it. With the same product I used to repair our guest room carpet Max tore up. We’re fancy like that. There WILL be pictures!
Today’s Deck:
The Druid Animal Oracle – Working With The Sacred Animals Of The Druid Tradition by Philip and Stephanie Carr-Gomm, illustrated by Bill Worthington
