#guidance

Shadow work: Advice for my younger self.

/ Freya Bishop / Leave a comment

Take two! Mercury Retrograde is in full swing over in this house. I had an entire entry composed and I was attempting to submit it… but WordPress was having “technical issues.” I lost the entire entry! 😖 Note to self: as I compose future entries, save along the way!

Anyway, I am back at it again to write this entry because I feel like this will benefit someone out there who will potentially read this one day, maybe.

As we are approaching the Autumn season (if you haven’t gathered, I am all about that Autumnal Magick), I tend to turn into the Hermit and do a lot of shadow work. Shadow work is an important work to integrate into your craft. Does it suck? Yes. Is it beneficial for our healing? Yes. Shadow work helps us to appreciate our darker selves while bringing to light what we need to work on within ourselves. Something that has been coming up a lot for me is, “What advice would I bestow upon my younger self if I had the opportunity to do it?” This past weekend, I have been making notations and these were my discoveries.

I submit these to you as well, Dear Reader, in the hopes that perhaps that they maybe of a comfort to you as well. Here goes nothing.

  1. Be true to yourself.
  2. Follow that internal beat of the drum within your soul. That’s your heart, guiding you along your journey.
  3. Laugh, a lot, even if it’s at yourself. Laughter is the best medicine in times of great distress. It makes your soul smile.
  4. Don’t forget to smile. A smile is contagious and can light up the room!
  5. Don’t be afraid to say ‘no.’ It’s your strongest boundary.
  6. Love. Love, to love. And don’t be afraid of it. As the late Jonathan Larson said, “share love, give love, spread love.” He knew the message.
  7. Your body is beautiful! Love those curves, dimples, hips! Give your body some extra love because it deserves it. Cherish it.
  8. Wear whatever the fuck you want. Don’t wear clothes to fit your body! Wear clothes that make your body look and feel amazing.
  9. Self-care is not being selfish. It’s an act of self-love.
  10. Invest in yourself because you are worth it. And let’s face it, not too many people will invest in you if you don’t have the confidence to invest in you.
  11. Take that chance… that ‘leap of faith’ could be your saving grace.
  12. Failure happens. It will teach you about how resilient you are. And the come back, especially when others do not think you will pull through and succeed, is delicious!
  13. Follow and listen to your intuition. It is always right.
  14. You see the world through a unique lens and the way that you gather messages is your unique way. No one has the right to diminish that ability.
  15. Do not give anyone the power to take away your voice or your power. Once you do, it’ll take you a life time of struggling and fighting to get it back.
  16. If you close a door and walk away from someone or something, good– keep it closed. Don’t open it. People don’t change.
  17. Words are just that, words. Actions have more credibility.
  18. Believe in yourself.
  19. Love yourself.
  20. “Heal with Grace.”
  21. It is never too late to study something new or try new things. Go for it!
  22. Eat the best that you can, exercise and take care of your body. In this life time, you only get one vessel.
  23. You are never too young or too old to learn something new.
  24. Never be afraid of walking away from something or someone that doesn’t bring you happiness, especially if it’s not healthy.
  25. Starting over can look and feel scary but it’s also refreshing. It’s a re-do, a fresh slate!
  26. Crying is not a sign of weakness. It’s a powerful release.
  27. Cursing does not make you less of a lady. It just means that you have a colorful vocabulary.
  28. You cannot please everyone nor is everyone you meet going to like you. And that’s fine. Be the radiant, bad ass, amazing person that you are and own the shit out of it.
    • To further my point: there are 46 flavors of Häagen-Dazs’ ice cream, did you know that? Some flavors you will like… others, you won’t. The same can be said about people.
  29. “Breathe in peace, breathe out bullshit.”
  30. Not everything is “love and light” and if someone tries to convince you that it is, they are delusional. Run, don’t walk.

So far, that’s my list… (:

11/24: Card of The Day- 3 of Wands

/ Freya Bishop / Leave a comment

Good morning, Friends! As usual, I hope that this entry finds you well. I am reporting here for our daily card of the day.

Today’s insight is the 3 of Wands. Allow me to take you on a journey with the imagery found in this card:

As you walk up towards the cliff, you hear the sounds of the sea. Very similar to the way that music moves you, the sea’s gentle song calls you forward. As you approach the edge of the cliff, you find three ‘poles’, planted firmly in the ground. Out of curiosity, you reach out and touch one of the poles to see how stable it is. Depending upon what type of person you are, you may even attempt to pull and shake the pole to see if it’ll move by your force. Your attention calls you to look out into the horizon. Nothing but open sea and two ships, gliding along the water with ease. You watch as these ships move steadily through the sea, making their journey closer to land. No rough waters can be detected. No storms are looming overhead. It is smooth sailing. As you stand on this ‘vantage point’ as I will call it, you are in a position where you can see if trouble would be brewing. If there are challenges approaching, you would be the person that would see it and signal to the others to watch out or even devise a plan to avoid upcoming challenges. Before making your way back towards the land, you stop to pick up a single seashell in perfect condition that sat right next to your right foot. You pocket this little sea treasure and look out at the sea one more time. It’s a big world out there that holds endless possibilities. What new opportunities are out there for you? Are you seeking to embark on an adventure? Taking a deep breath, a smile glides across your face. “A leap of faith,” you say to yourself, and you take the first step forward on your journey.

Whenever this card comes up in a reading or a card pull, this symbolizes that it is time for you to expand your horizons and take a risk. Perhaps you’ve been wanting to make a change in your life but have been too afraid to make it. Perhaps you’ve been slowly making steps to better your future, whether it be personal life, spiritual life, going back to school/taking a class or your career (maybe it’s even a career change!). Sometimes when it comes to a new path or choice in life, it can be frightening to make these necessary changes and move forward. Let’s face it: you aren’t happy and are feeling stagnant. Because you are on the fence about making these changes, you may even start scaring yourself into thinking about the “what if’s.” However, you’ve been thinking about make this change for quite sometime. You even started brainstorming on how to make this goal a reality. So, why wait? If you are looking for a sign if this is the right time, let this be it! “The time is now.” With a few more preparations and support, you will be ready!

To break down the symbolism in the card itself:

  • The ships symbolize your plans of moving forward, a progression.
  • The three ‘poles’ represent your commitment to your plans.
  • The horizon symbolizes your world and how endless your potential is.
  • The sea will carry you onto your next destination. Maybe there’s an opportunity for you overseas!
  • Looking out into the horizon symbolizes the vantage point aspect, being able to “see” what’s ahead.
  • The small seashell next to our wand represents opportunity to make more money. Back in the day, seashells were used as currency!

You got this! I believe in you! The question is, do you believe in yourself?

Stay well and have a magickal day,

FB.