Tuesday, February 23, 2010

A Day of Rest & Light

Greetings fellow Travellers! :-)

It's Candlemas today, the Festival of Lights (tho' it turns out the actual St Lucia Festival of Lights is on December 13 - did not remember that), the day when the Northern Hemisphere officially celebrates the returning light that heralds the coming Spring.

As a “well, if you must put me on a specific spiritual Path, then call me a Pagan” with S.A.D. (Seasonal Affective Disorder), I choose to celebrate the light of Candlemas as a pagan hollyday rather than the more P.C. Imbolc (although I'm fond of milk too, so I suppose it's really a toss-up, tho' at least at the mo', I'm strictly a cow-juice kinda gal. :-D)

Either way, it's a day to take a moment to reflect and think about the season and the year to come.

And since it's another of Mike's Early Mornings, that suits us just fine.

As it is also Bridget's Day, Guide to crafters & artists, sometime daughter of an Irish blacksmith, I reproduce here a message that she gave to me to give to a spiritual group that I work with in Brooklyn, New York. (She grants me the more modern spelling/pronunciation so that I don't have to mangle the original Gaelic, for which I am profoundly grateful. [And, I gather, so is she.])

Bridget's Message – Imbolc 2010

Well, beloveds, it's been another Year. The prospect of Spring is in the air, but like so much else, not yet realized. This will be a short message, as it is but part of your ceremony today. If you would like to hear more, you are more than welcome to speak to me, either directly or through my channel, Birdy.

This coming year is about realizing your Dreams. You are all on Journeys to do just that. It's about taking the necessary steps to achieve the life you desire, even when it seems hard or scary. It's about realizing that you have more help than you could possibly imagine, and all the seeds you need to plant are right inside you (and have been all along).

When the going gets tough, the truly tough call on their Team – human & other. Remember that, and that one of the few real sins in this world is to think that you are all alone. You're never alone unless you truly choose to be, and even then, companionship & aid are never more than a thought away.

So go out & create the wonder-filled future that is yours to have! And may the coming Spring be filled with the sprouting seeds of your truest hearts' desires.

Blessed be, beloveds! :-)
-Bridget


So, your Question for the Day, should you choose to answer it (and I hope you will! :-D) is...

Regardless of location, is the Light returning to your Life?

Bright Blessings & Good Fortune! :-)
-Birdy! :>

P.S. - Please share your comments, answers, questions, and stories in the comments section below, or by e-mailling us at phoenyxravenswing at gmail dot com -B! :>

Monday, February 1, 2010

A Practicum on Asking & Receiving

Greetings fellow Travellers! :-)

We were bushed. Exhausted. And not previously planning to do a whole mess of errands. But our housie was sick, and needing stuff done, which is part of the arrangement of staying here, so there we were.

So we Asked that everything that we needed to find be in this one shopping center instead of scattered over three or four stops in different parts of town.

And so, blissfully, it was. Things that we weren't sure would be there were, and the one item that wasn't, had an acceptable substitute.

So off we went to home & bed, tired, but triumphant, and very, very grateful.

So, your Question for the Day, should you choose to answer it (and I hope you will! :-D) is...

Are you putting the principle of Asking into your life? If not, why not?

Bright Blessings & Good Fortune! :-)
-Birdy! :>

P.S. - Please share your comments, answers, questions, and stories in the comments section below, or by e-mailling us at phoenyxravenswing at gmail dot com -B! :>

Friday, January 29, 2010

Holding the Tiller – Landing Laguz

Greetings fellow Travellers! :-)

Another Gift found while walking the dog, this time found at the other end of our standard walk. Another Gift of wood, this time in the shape of Laguz, the Tiller.

Helpful because I've been feeling even more scattered & disconnected than usual of late.

Laguz has joined Fehu in the window, reminding me to stay on course and all will be well.

So, your Question for the Day, should you choose to answer it (and I hope you will! :-D) is...

Do you have objects or rituals that remind you to stay on course?

Bright Blessings & Good Fortune! :-)
-Birdy! :>

P.S. - Please share your comments, answers, questions, and stories in the comments section below, or by e-mailling us at phoenyxravenswing at gmail dot com -B! :>

Thursday, January 28, 2010

The WHOLE of It v. the HOLE of It - in progress

Greetings fellow Travellers! :-)

Another day where I will put a post if I can think of something to say, otherwise, not.

Perhaps – Free Day! Setting your mind free to wander as it will, and the benefits that can be gained from that.

The original thought was to shift the original post for Tuesday, January 26, 2010 here: The WHOLE of it v. the HOLE of it. Which is still a good idea, I just need to find the original blog post that got me thinking of the topic.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Releasing the Hounds - Finding Fehu

Greetings fellow Travellers! :-)

We've been making progress lately, small tho' it sometimes seems to be. We've been figuring stuff out, thinking a lot, and putting the bits & pieces together into a (hopefully) coherent whole.

One very kyool piece was provided on our daily walk with our Basset Hound, Bailey. Beside the sidewalk today we noticed a clump of sticks, among them a stick in the shape of Fehu, the Abundance Rune.

Making a mental note to pick it up on the way home, we said our “Thank you!”s and moved on. On the way home, we did indeed pick it up, and it now sits in the window beyond the computer screen to remind us of why we are doing all this: Abundance. For ourselves & for others.

So, your Question for the Day, should you choose to answer it (and I hope you will! :-D) is...

Where are you bringing Abundance into your life?


Bright Blessings & Good Fortune! :-)
-Birdy! :>

P.S. - Please share your comments, answers, questions, and stories in the comments section below, or by e-mailling us at phoenyxravenswing at gmail dot com -B! :>

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

What King Wenceslas Taught Me About Faith

Greetings fellow Travellers! :-)

Let's be honest, here. This Tuesday was not my perkiest day ever.

In fact, I was downright depressed.

Despite the wonderful moves forward, we still seemed very far away from where we need to be re: getting our biz up, running, & producing enough income to protect us from homelessness, while the countdown to said potential-homelessness ticked relentlessly onward.

Besides, it was one of Mike's Early Mornings, which didn't exactly help, or did, depending on how you look at it.

So, anyway, I'd finally gotten back to sleep, and a restful sleep too, when I was given a Gift which helped to put it all in perspective.

I had a dream, and in this dream I was a guest in a fellow musician's kitchen. It was narrow, but homey, light yellow for the walls of the surrounding rooms, and medium-brown woods for the cupboards. It was open, because it was so small. Basically counterspace with a sink in and cabinets above that separated that part of the room from the rest of the living/dining area.

Looking out into the living room, I saw a radio to my left on the counter, which was playing the human Christmas carol “Good King Wenceslas”. A gorgeous recording, a male duet or trio, maybe even as many as a quartet, singing essentially a capella.

As I listened, the story of the king and his page and their Journey of faith reminded me that, in the end, it really is all about faith, and the personal choice of whether or not to have that faith.

When I awoke, I was much quieter in heart & mind, my faith, at least for now, restored.

So, your Question for the Day, should you choose to answer it (and I hope you will! :-D) is...

Have you had an experience lately that has renewed your faith?

Bright Blessings & Good Fortune! :-)
-Birdy! :>

P.S. - Please share your comments, answers, questions, and stories in the comments section below, or by e-mailling us at phoenyxravenswing at gmail dot com -B! :>

Monday, January 25, 2010

Burst Forth!


Greetings fellow Travellers! :-)

Last week's challenge for the Thursday Sweet Treat was “Art Breaks Forth”, which I kept remembering as “Art Bursts Forth” (You can find the gorgeous results of the challenge here.).

This piece in particular brought to mind the concept that ideally, we should be bursting forth in a lot of ways & places – our art, our gifts, our selves, etc., etc., etc..

So, my Question of the Day for you today, should you choose to answer it (and I hope you will! :-D), is both Question & Challenge...

Are you bursting forth? If not, why not?


Bright Blessings & Good Fortune! :-)
-Birdy! :>

P.S. - Please share your comments, answers, questions, and stories in the comments section below, or by e-mailling us at phoenyxravenswing at gmail dot com -B! :>

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Bonus Post – A Gift of Movement

Greetings fellow Travellers! :-)

A bonus post for this week, because I am just so excited over the progress we've made on our new site.

It turns out to be Gift Week this week. Not a bad idea at all, to remember all the gifts we're given.

So with that in mind, I give you...A Gift of Movement.

Figured out one of the major confusion points about our CafePress store; we got WordPress installed on our site, and with the assistance of an awesome Helper Mouse from Bluehost, we were able to get the theme we wanted installed, and things are just be-bopping along, after long periods of pause.

So happy I just had to share.

So, your Question for the Day, should you choose to answer it (and I hope you will! :-D) is...

Where are you finding movement in your life?

Bright Blessings & Good Fortune! :-)
-Birdy! :>

P.S. - Please share your comments, answers, questions, and stories in the comments section below, or by e-mailling us at phoenyxravenswing at gmail dot com -B! :>

Friday, January 22, 2010

A Gift of Networking

Greetings fellow Travellers! :-)

It turns out to be Gift Week this week. Not a bad idea at all, to remember all the gifts we're given.

So with that in mind, I give you...A Gift of Networking.

Humans are social creatures, creating connections at the drop of anything even vaguely resembling a cue.

And sometimes the connections have help.

A wonderful example of the former were the outstanding Helper Mice (a term [oddly enough, it's not yet in the glossary, so for an explanation see this post instead] from the amazing Havi Brooks) from the Briarwood Mall Sear's & Land's End counters, as well as the Land's End customer service line. All three lovely ladies went out of their way to make sure a transaction, while a bit odd, went smoothly.

An interesting example of the latter is seen by the web woven by my 'just happening' to decide to read a particular post on the web, rather than in e-mail, 'just happening' to read the comments, where I 'just happened' to see a lady looking to find a home for jewelry supplies. In Twittering with her, I found out that she 'just happened' to not only live in the same town as us, but the same part of town. And in checking out the stash, I 'just happened' to discover beads that I needed to finish a current commission.

Co-incidence? Maybe. But I tend to think not.

So, in networks big & small, planned & unplanned, thus do we make the human connections that help us along our way.

So, your Question for the Day, should you choose to answer it (and I hope you will! :-D) is...

Where have your networks helped you out lately?

Bright Blessings & Good Fortune! :-)
-Birdy! :>

P.S. - Please share your comments, answers, questions, and stories in the comments section below, or by e-mailling us at phoenyxravenswing at gmail dot com -B! :>

Thursday, January 21, 2010

A Gift from a Guide

Greetings fellow Travellers! :-)

It turns out to be Gift Week this week. Not a bad idea at all, to remember all the gifts we're given.

So with that in mind, I give you...A Gift from a Guide.

While in the middle of doing our revamped business cards, a funny thing happened.

Merrily arranging things, choosing fonts, trying to get everything to both fit and look good at the same time, I suddenly got a suggestion from Beyond.

A visual suggestion.

A GOOD visual suggestion.

So, grabbing our trusty camera, I quickly set about documenting it. (Had to redo the pics, hence the difference in date.)

Here are some of the best: (photos to be inserted later, after I get the hang of things)

For the skeptics among you, I will add that while our computer is ancient (by modern standards) and sometimes cranky, it is not known for glitches of this variety.

Never let it be said that your Team doesn't have your back.

So, your Question for the Day, should you choose to answer it (and I hope you will! :-D) is...

Have you received a good suggestion lately? From whom? About what?


Bright Blessings & Good Fortune! :-)
-Birdy! :>

P.S. - Please share your comments, answers, questions, and stories in the comments section below, or by e-mailling us at phoenyxravenswing at gmail dot com -B! :>

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

A Gift from an Argument

Greetings fellow Travellers! :-)

It turns out to be Gift Week this week. Not a bad idea at all, to remember all the gifts we're given.

So with that in mind, I give you...A Gift from an Argument.

Mike & I were in a terrible hurry, trying to get through the store and back home before he needed to leave for work.

There was a bit of snarling involved, I'm embarrassed to admit, about what was necessary and not to purchase just then.

But the kyool thing about it all was that in the aftermath of a particularly heated bit of snarling, I ended up stopping the cart right in front of the bottle of special bath gel that I'd been looking for in the first place.

If I hadn't gotten frustrated and angry and stopped in just that place, I might not have seen it in time, and we were completely out.

A major crisis? No. The best way to go about it? Also no. But finding the good in every place that you can? Priceless.

So, your Question for the Day, should you choose to answer it (and I hope you will! :-D) is...

Have you found Gifts in unexpected places? If so, what?


Bright Blessings & Good Fortune! :-)
-Birdy! :>

P.S. - Please share your comments, answers, questions, and stories in the comments section below, or by e-mailling us at phoenyxravenswing at gmail dot com -B! :>

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

A Gift of Grace & Patience

Greetings fellow Travellers! :-)

It turns out to be Gift Week this week. Not a bad idea at all, to remember all the gifts we're given.


So with that in mind, I give you... a Gift of Grace & Patience.

Our friends, seen & unseen & as-yet unseen, look out for us. It's a nice feeling, to know that there are people out there who care about you & your well-being, to the point they will sometimes create little miracles to help you along your way.

As I wrote yesterday, it seems to be Gift Week this week, and today was no exception.

I'd had a client who'd decided not-to-be-a-client, and in the midst of the resulting self-doubt & answer, I'd decided to have Mike pick up one of the decks of Oracle cards I'd been recommending.

It was the Fairy deck by Dorreen Virtue. We have Fairies, in their true guise as Nature Spirits (i.e., without the wings & bodies), who have become our friends. We first became interested in them as a species because of the Fairy channelling partner of one of the people from the channelling class before ours. So even though I know the bodies and wings are human conventions to explain a particular form of energy being, I felt the deck could bring me some comfort at a time I felt I needed it.

So, Mike bought it, brought it home, and I sat down to work with it.

Now her decks are heavily gilt on the edges, to the point that it takes some time & patience to initially get the cards apart.

So I lay on our bed, under the reading lamp, carefully bending the cards ever so slightly, breaking the golden seals that had held them together, studying the pictures as each new card was revealed.

And then I had to laugh, and I felt comforted. For revealed in the deck was not one, but TWO Patience cards. “Patience, Please. 'What you're asking for is coming about. Have patience, as there are unseen factors that need to occur first.” And with that, I knew that the Universe had not, in fact, forgotten me, but was instead holding me, and us, most carefully in Its thoughts.

I went to sleep much calmer and happier that night.

Thank you Friends! :-)

So, your Question for the Day, should you choose to answer it (and I hope you will! :-D) is...

Is there a place in your life where you are being asked for Patience?

Bright Blessings & Good Fortune! :-)
-Birdy! :>

P.S. - Please share your comments, answers, questions, and stories in the comments section below, or by e-mailling us at phoenyxravenswing at gmail dot com -B! :>

Monday, January 18, 2010

A Gift from a Friend

Greetings fellow Travellers! :-)

It turns out to be Gift Week this week. Not a bad idea at all, to remember all the gifts we're given.

So with that in mind, I give you... a Gift from a Friend.

Our friend Karen is officially retired as of yesterday, and high time too, in both opinions, so we went to celebrate her new-found freedom.

After a delightful lunch at Argerio's in Ann Arbor, full of good food & good company, when the check came, she offered to cover it. My first instinct was to say 'no', as we'd been the folk to invite her, and after all, she was the guest of honor. But then I remembered that sometimes gracious receiving is the best gift you can give someone, so after receiving verification that yes, she meant it, we gratefully accepted her generous offer.

Which just goes to show that when you give a gift, you don't always know the ripples it will create.

So, your Question for the Day, should you choose to answer it (and I hope you will! :-D) is...

What gifts are you giving today?

Bright Blessings & Good Fortune! :-)
-Birdy! :>

P.S. - Please share your comments, answers, questions, and stories in the comments section below, or by e-mailling us at phoenyxravenswing at gmail dot com -B! :>

Friday, January 15, 2010

The Guide Who Yelled "Time to Get Up!"

Greetings, fellow Travellers! :-)

Well, it's Friday, folks, and I will be blogging a bit later about what happened to the rest of our week (actually I ended up posting these in order after all, but bear with me), but at the mo', I have something really, really kyool to share.

Which is extra kyool because it is paranormal in nature, and it's Friday, which when we move to our shiny, new home on www.crowtarottours.com, will be our day to blog about such things. So, the Universe is paying attention, which is always nice when that happens.

Anyway. I can (& does) haz teh excitement. :-D

So. The kyool thing that happened is this: during Mike's & my a.m. cuddle this morn, he mentions to me that he'd been 'shouted' at by a Guide earlier. "Hey, Mike! Time to get up!" this Guide had said.

Very loudly.

At six a.m.

Now, these days, that's not as much of an unusual occurance as you might think. Ever since my second Guide, Benedetto, brought himself to my attention by announcing himself in my sleep, word has gotten around that this can be an effective way to join our Team.

No, what was unusual (and so very, very kyool!) was that there was some feedback for this event.

In the course of our morning routine, I happened to notice that the power had gone out sometime between sleep and the morning. While bringing up the computer, I got a Nudge to ask Mike how long ago the power outage had been. (The microwave [and normally the stove too!], reset to zero after a power outage.)

At nearly eleven a.m., it said nearly five hrs.

Six a.m.

Isn't it kyool the way life works out sometimes?!

So, your Question for the Day, should you choose to answer it (and I hope you will! :-D) is...

What kyool things are happening in your life right now???

Bright Blessings & Good Fortune! :-)
-Birdy! :>

P.S. - Please share your comments, answers, questions, and stories in the comments section below, or by e-mailling us at phoenyxravenswing at gmail dot com -B! :>




Another temporary placeholder, so I can do these in order. :-P

Thursday, January 14, 2010

The Benefits of Doing Very Little :-D

Greetings, fellow Travellers! :-)

It's been a crazy-busy week this week. A certain amount of it regrettably self-inflicted. So I'm not as far as I'd like to be on various projects, and I'm painfully aware both of time inexorably passing, and that my time has not been spent as productively as it perhaps 'should' have been.

And we've hit that Word.

Should.

Should is not a friendly word. It does not raise up, neither does it support. It sits there and points an accusing finger, telling you of all the ways you have failed, in whatever big or little ways your mind comes up with.

Should is an empty word. At the same time, it is unbearably heavy. It speaks of some nameless, unwanted future, not of a joyful present.

So, ditch the 'shoulds'. Allow yourself to breathe and be in the present moment. Wherever you are, in space and time and your current project(s), it's enough for now. Time enough for progress when you have rested and restored yourself. :-)

The Question of the Day, should you choose to answer it (and I hope you will), is...

Are you taking time for yourself? :-)

Bright Blessings & Good Fortune! :-)
-Birdy! :>

Temporary place holder, so I can get at least one blog post done on the day it actually is. :-P

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Ask, and Receiving Can Happen

Greetings, fellow Travellers! :-)

The other thing that happened on Tuesday was that we got the living daylights scared out of us that evening by our Bassette, Bailey.

For once, I'd remembered to give her all her pills, supplements, etc., including her monthly heartworm pill, despite all the tired.

A little later, as we were doing a restorative channelling session with one of our marketing Guides, Bailey kept interrupting us, poking her nose at first one, then the other of us. She does that, wanting attention, so we were doing our best to ignore her, not thinking anything of it.

Until she started panting, and upchucking, and it got very scary for a little while there.

Long story short, she was okay again shortly thereafter. We think it was the glucosamine upset her stomach, so no huge problem there. But we apologized to her, and loved on her, and Asked our Guides to please work on her, just to make sure.

Fast forward to Wednesday.

In the course of the morning, she jumped easily onto the couch. Which wouldn't be noteworthy except that she'd mangled herself jumping out of the bathtub a few weeks ago and hadn't been jumping anywhere without help.

And she sat up. Twice. This is even harder to do on a sore back.

In the midst of praising her, we asked her, Third-eye, what was up that she could now do these things, and she 'said' that the Pretty People had worked on her. Impression of swirly energy, which is definitely how we perceive our Guides.

Wow.

Now we've been working with what I call the Five A's and an R for several years now, ever since Jacob ( a wonderfully wise Guide channelled by Judy Crookes) taught them to us. (www.JacobSpeaks.com)

They are: Ask, Allow, Acknowledge, Accept, Appreciate, and my addition of either another A or the R, depending on what mood I'm in, Abundance or Repeat, Repeat, Repeat!

Talk about having your Askings answered! Bailey had been steadily improving all this time, but that was a leap of monumental proportions, no pun intended.

That's not the only place we've had our Askings answered, but time is growing short, so I'll save the others for another post.

In the meantime, I'll leave you with the Question of the Day (tm)...

What are you Asking for?
And if you're not Asking for anything... why not? :-)


Bright Blessings & Good Fortune! :-)
-Birdy! :>

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

On the State of Being Tired or What One Can Learn from Exhaustion :-P

Greetings, fellow Travellers! :-)

These being written a bit after the fact this week, I admit, certain things are a bit of a blur at this point.

And one of them was Tuesday.

What I mainly remember about Tuesday was pervasive tiredness, coupled with a strong desire to know what the **** Borders was thinking of when they wanted my husband to be in at 6O'CLOCK IN THE BLESSED A.M.!!!

Ahem. Sorry about that. But we are Night People, and you'd really think that Borders would have figured that out by now.

Anyway.

The other thing I remember about Tuesday was finally coming to terms with a couple of guilty pleasures I still have, despite strong feelings for years now that I shouldn't have them.

The "Patty Duke Show" and "Mister Ed". Both born of pain and inexcusable treatment of our fellow beings, both human & animal. I cannot & do not forget that. But I have chosen to allow myself to honor their pain and thank them for the sacrifices they made, unwilling though they were, and let myself off the hook for watching every once in a while.

Is it the 'right' thing to do? I don't know. And yes, they are just television shows. But who's to say whether and when pleasure counterbalances pain? Not me, I know that much.

And is it 'enough' to say to the air "I'm sorry these things happened to you and I'm grateful for what you give to me?" I don't know that either.

Big thoughts for a little Tuesday, full of tired.

Not sure of the question really, tho' there 'should' be one.

Maybe it's enough to simply think about the sacrifices others make on our behalf, knowing & unknowing both, and to silently (or not-so-silently) thank them for doing so.

Thank you. :-)

Bright Blessings & Good Fortune! :-)
-Birdy! :>

Monday, January 11, 2010

Ripples in the Pond

Greetings, fellow Travellers! :-)

New faces, new folks. Welcome! :-)

Been a lot of reminders of the power of ripples in the proverbial pond over the last few days in posts made, stories shared, past times remembered, and debts paid.

The joy of a box of leaves. The sadness of loss, and the acknowledgment of a very special gift given from that loss. The rewarding-but-scary-as-all-get-out feeling of casting off one's personal covering bushel basket, letting the glorious light that's been hidden too long beneath it shine out, and finding out that others see it as a beacon in the darkness, and not an annoying glare.

Ripples in a pond. Starting from a center point, and echoing out forever, diminishing, but never dying completely. Kindness, cruelty, happiness, sadness, generosity, stinginess... it doesn't matter what stone you cast into the pond; it echoes just the same.

So, your Question for the day, should you choose to answer it (and I hope you will) is...

What ripples are you making in your pond?

Bright Blessings & Good Fortune! :-)
-Birdy! :>

Friday, January 1, 2010

Happy New Year! :-)

Greetings, fellow Travellers!

It's been a wonderful, productive day - a great start to what will, I firmly believe, be the best year yet.

However, my brain is tired now, and so I'm taking it to bed before my head explodes. :-P

Good night all! As I go, I leave you with this question...

What are you doing in your New Year??? :-)

Bright Blessings & Good Fortune! :-)
-Birdy! :>