great adventure, and grace & gratitude

"Great Adventure" is the first card the angels have invited me to interpret today. Here we are invited to "Take a risk; venture forward".

The word that immediately pops into my head when I think of taking a risk and venturing forward is fear.

Fear can (and does) often stop us in our tracks. We feel our gut is guiding us to do something, to step forward but before we can take action our logical mind kicks in and, in an effort to keep us safe and in our comfort zone, talks us out of the very action our gut and intuition is encouraging us to take - we become stuck, unable to move forwards because of fear.

But what is fear? Fear is purely a perception. It isn't real. There's no true threat of immediate danger. It is "False Evidence Appearing Real".

Fear is something we have created to keep ourselves safe, to stop us moving forward, to live in our comfort zone.

But here's the thing... miracles happen outside of our comfort zone, not inside them. Miracles are attracted into our life through love, not as a result of fear.

So by remaining fearful, or by being consumed by fear, we cannot embark on the great adventure we are being encouraged to set out on by the angels.

The angels are inviting you to hoist your sails and let the wind drive you forward. Explore the high seas and venture into new ports. Leave your safe harbour.

Whilst there are no guarantees when you take a risk and venture forward, by doing so you're pushing yourself beyond your perceived boundaries and, no matter the result, living a more fulfilled life.

Remember: living a safe life, never leaving the safety of the harbour, staying within your comfort zone, will never open you up to discover gifts and talents that you carry deep within yourself. And at the end of this life, what regrets will you have? When most people are asked their response is always that they regret the things they didn't do, not the things they did.

Helen Keller, who was both deaf and blind, did not let life's challenges stop her. She became a successful author, political activist and lecturer. So listen to her when she said "Life is either a daring adventure or nothing." Unfurl your sails and enjoy the adventure, beautiful soul!

Reference: This beautiful card is from The Sacred Traveler Oracle Deck by Denise Linn, artwork by Jesse Reisch

The second card for this week is Grace & Gratitude: "Through gratitude, joy expands"

Every Monday morning on my Facebook page I post about gratitude. It's my personal way of working through and sharing my thoughts on gratitude.

Gratitude was not something I was openly taught when I was young. Sure I was always encouraged (strike that... 'made') to phone up Aunts and Uncles etc who bought me a gift and thank them for that gift. But it was never fully explained to me how much gratitude and being grateful for even the smallest things in your life can change your life so immensely.

It's only been in recent years that I've (better) understood the energy and vibration of gratitude, how powerful being grateful is. And it's only recently that I've started to actively practise gratitude and watch how that simple practise changes my energy and helps me climb over, break through, and overcome obstacles in my path in a more peaceful and loving, yet resilient, way.

When you're happy, when you're joyful your energy is high. And when it comes to energy, like attracts like. So the more joyful you feel every day, the more joy you'll experience in every day life.

And the secret to maintaining the high vibration associated with joy is gratitude. Because, through gratitude, you cherish and honour everything and everyone around you - you cherish life. You can't feel sad, scared or low when you look around you and see nothing but joy. Joy and vibrations like sadness and fear are at opposite ends of the vibrational spectrum. Where one is the other simply cannot co-exist.

It doesn't mean to say that when you express gratitude for everything that life is a bed of roses or a box of chocolates; you can and will also experience sorrow and fear (because it's important for us to experience a full life, not just one of joy or one of sorrow). However, when lower vibrational emotions (sorrow, fear etc) impact you, you know you have a tool and a skill that you can apply which will raise those vibrations until your energy reaches one of joy: and that skill is gratitude.

There are only a couple of symbols on this card that I want to dive into, quickly, today (otherwise I would be writing forever!). The first is the little whisp of 'cloud' rising from the lady's hand. The cloud feels quite magical as it's rising from her hand and through it you can see pink feathers floating.

Gratitude is referred to as modern-day alchemy, where you can transform something negative into something positive. Alchemy is an ancient practise that has always been shrouded in mystery and secrecy and I think that is fitting, in one sense, when we talk about gratitude. Where, unlike alchemy, gratitude is something that can be practised by everyone, not everyone who practises it realises why or what they are doing and, yet, gratitude always creates positive results whether you fully understand the concept or not. It's magical.

In the card the lady has her hand outstretched. Is she giving or receiving? It really doesn't matter because gratitude works in both directions. You give gratitude and you receive positivity as a result. The feathers floating down represent the angels. The angels are with you and, just like a Mother Duck, they are asking you to move forward, to keep practising gratitude so you can watch and experience the positive impact it has on your life. The little whisp of cloud is inviting you to enter into higher thinking. As I mentioned above you don't need to know how or why gratitude works. What you do need to know is that practising gratitude is a higher form of thinking and the angels are inviting you to create a daily practise.

The second symbol I want to refer to is the pink tree. Trees represent a harmonious exchange. Trees absorb the carbon dioxide we breathe out and exchange and release it back out as oxygen which we breathe in. In doing so we have a harmonious exchange with Mother Nature in this way. The message here is that in order for you to receive what you want in life, in order for you to experience a fulfilled life, you need to express gratitude. Because if you're not grateful for what you already have, you'll never be grateful for whatever you receive in the future. There has to be balance, a harmonious exchange.

Also of significance is the colour of the tree: pink. Pink is the colour of compassion. As your gratitude practise grows, so your compassion for those around you, human, non-human and nature, will grow also. Through gratitude you create not only a better life for yourself but for those around you and for those whom your life touches.

Reference: This beautiful card is from The Sacred Traveler Oracle Deck by Denise Linn, artwork by Jesse Reisch

Let's end by combining the meanings of these cards...

You are being encouraged to take a risk, set sail, and venture forward. To do so you must shake off fear and leave the safe harbour (your comfort zone). The adventure you're embarking on will be a great adventure, great things will come of it. That doesn't mean it'll be an easy ride. When you enter the open sea you will face challenges.

But that's where gratitude comes in.

Gratitude and fear can not walk hand-in-hand. They cannot co-exist simultaneously. So by practising gratitude and learning that you can replace fear with joy through it, you can face the open seas, the rough water, with strength and courage because you know that, by being grateful for even the smallest of blessings, you can see the good in all blessings (and challenges).