LIR 9215 Weekly - TaiwazR

Yup, pretty sure we've had this one before. And the meaning hasn't changed.

There is no need to give anything up. For most situations.

I'll grant you - there could be some situations where this rune is saying, "If you're looking for a particular XYZ, you aren't finding it because you’ve already used it." This is the day, event, situation, future you traded for.

But for most situations this rune is saying we can fit it all. Rather like one of those puzzles where you have to get all of the blocks into the box - there is a way for everything to go in. Whether you're talking about schedules or projects or getting one more thing into your suitcase for the trip, there is a creative way to include everything you really want. Everything that feeds you, or that answers to your truths, or that sparks your passions. You can, we can have everything we want this week. There is a way.

Even those situations where this is the day you traded for, you actually have the funds or the energy or the means to replace what you used previously. No hardship. No "gasp" SACRIFICE.

The final corallary - if something doesn't fit, really doesn't fit, if there is no way to eat the cake and have cake next week, then maybe cake isn't really needed, in either situation. I know it sounds like a divination cop-out, but it doesn't change the truth of our lives. If we are living our truths, practicing our passions, and every day making choices for our happiness, we KNOW that we can do and have and be everything we want. We know this is just a reminder. And we know that if something doesn't work, doesn't fit, doesn't feel right, then  it's not for us at this time, no matter how much we wish we wanted it.

TaiwazR - there is no need to choose. What you need will fit in your life. There are no limits to your truths.

*****

yes, it's really nice to hear "I can make it work." Yay me! 
The question I ask myself is how? How do I make it all work? I understand I can fit it all in, but HOW?

And it always, still, all comes down to practice. 

Wait! Before you throw your hands in the air and swear never to read my blog again, just... wait.

And breathe.

And remember. Did anything you do ever NOT require practice? From crawling to walking to reading to zinging that look at errant transgressors, some of it is skill, yes, but there was still and always practice. Even habits are made automatic by practice. Years of practice. And repetition.

Each time we work on something, do something, we achieve more knowledge and more skill. We understand a little more about the process, and about the way we (individually) do it best. 

If you're like me, you have realized that creating a HOW TO sheet is the best way to start anything new! I use it for my daily schedule and for all of my work. (How to pay bills. How to practice voice. How to do my fantasy writing time.)

This helps me a) know what all the involved steps are, so I don't conveniently forget to stretch in the morning; and b) change old habits by reworking the steps, so I can be consistent in my practice; and c)when the practice doesn't work, I can try a different way there on paper, and remember what I did differently.

I'll be honest, it is a guide. Somedays I do jump right over the "tidying up" because I really need / want to get to the "work". And I keep changing when I exercise. It is a learning process, learning to balance what I want with when I do it best.  I actually do pretty good grunt work during a specific time. And practicing breathing techniques as soon as I wake up in the morning is an excellent way to stay in bed for a few more minutes and still feel productive, with the side benefit of starting the blood flowing. Yay!

Practice. For me, it is the only way to fit everything in. Last month, I was calmly breathing over my sorting and filing. This month it is a smooth process, even when I skip a day. And I'm actually accomplishing things. Next month, I expect the sorting will be so easy I won't even need an in-box. And I'll be happily accomplishing my passions and my chores.

Because I can fit it all in. I can do all the things that really matter to me. With practice.

I hope you have a great week, and a happy practice!

-Lila

LIR 82615 - LaguzR in Fire

If you're like me, you're itching for things to get started. To be able to test theories or practices. To be in the possibilities. To do SOMETHING with your dreams.

LaguzR is implying we'll get a chance to do something, but it's not going to be the big rush of a grand opening we might think we want.

Laguz itself is about that rush - being carried away by the force of the birth; being swept along once things have begun. But LaguzR says nope, not this week.

This could mean that this is another week of making sure we have everything in order; of practicing our steps and creating more product.But I feel LaguzR pertains more to the start - saying it will be slow, but it definitely will be. We will have time to practice as we begin our takeoff. Time to correct the position of our wings. Time to jump out of the plane and run back and get one more tool. Time to use the restroom. Time to make sure all of our thoughts are aligned, and we're happy with our course.

With LaguzR being in Fire this may feel especially relevant for the creative parts of our projects.  This week, this slow start, could be a creative step. A slow step. A small step. Not the leap, not the flight, not the rushing downhill. But a step, finally a step, towards our awesome future.

Happily, since we're stepping slowly and surely, we'll be able to see more possibilities, make choices in line with our truths, not feel pressured by anything other than our own desire to release our gifts into the world.

LaguzR in Fire. A slow start is a good start. A slow start gives us time to practice and place our steps carefully, so that when we are running, rushing, flying, we will do so with confidence. 

Ready, set, walk!

*******************************************

Oh, I am amazed at how things flow, one into another. How one practice can influence ten different events in a day. And those events influence the next week, which influences another practice.

The connectivity is astounding. And easy to miss, especially when I'm revving to go.

Happily, I actually believe I am grateful for the slow steps. However much I am wishing to be in the thick of things, I know that I am still practicing my decision making processes; and that I work best and most happily when I am doing one thing at a time.

But I am also grateful that there is finally a step. There is only so much one can plan, or do, without an audience or client or agent, or whatever and whoever is the next step to bringing creativity to life. When two cymbals crash together, the vibration is not a sound until it interacts with eardrums.

On a side note, I also feel like I've done this reading before. Which would bother me, a little, except I know things go in stages also. Stop and start. It's all forward movement, as long as the intent is growth. 

I hope you have a great day!

-Lila

LIR Virgo 2015 - Gebo

Gebo is the gift of equality. Of balance. Of receiving and giving equally.

So this month, the question is, are all parts supporting each other equally?

Our lives are full of parts. And when we step away and look at the whole, we see how the parts flow from one to the other. The "work to money to food to energy to work" flow is the most common example. And each part is vitally important to the healthy whole. The work is not more important than the food; the money is not more important than the work. In this cycle, they are all equally necessary steps, and equally supportive of and supported by each other.

Granted, not every aspect of our lives is a major corner stone. And, as usual, this reading may to one part of your life. But whatever the situation, the important focus is, are all the parts giving equal energy?

Relationships work best this month with equal give and take, equal support and equal nurturing.
Projects work best if everyone is contributing equally.
Your daily work flow could be best served if you are providing equal focus to each aspect.
If you're like me and have a few different hats, each one needs attention this month.

And it's more than just attention. It's seeing how each of the parts of the relationship flow together. How do they support each other? How do they require support? Because equal energy (and equal support) does not mean similar. For one person, intense energy contribution may only be represented by one line in the project plan. For another, a whole sheet of lines. But through both of their efforts, the project is a complete whole.

Likewise, in any relationship (which, for this exercise, let's define as 2 or more humans in communication), the more people involved, the more versions of language, production, and support you're going to have. Our job is not to judge the types of support or effort; our goal is not to make everything uniform. We simply want to feel, to know, to assist in creating the balanced flow.

Gebo - it's about balance. Equality. And knowing that equality does not mean sameness. When you can see / feel the equal connection & support flow through a variety of things and people -- the beauty of that is the true gift of Gebo.

I hope you  have an excellent Virgo month.
-Lila

LIR 81915 - TaiwazR

This week, let's know there are no limitations. We don't have to make bargains, exchanges, or sacrifices. We're gonna watch the movie AND finish the project AND play outside. We shall eat ice cream today and still fit in those jeans tomorrow. 

Taiwaz is about expediency, making choices, sometimes sacrificing - where sacrifice means, exchanging one thing for another. TaiwazR is, obviously, about the reverse of that. Not making a choice, not exchanging. Having it all.

Yes, it might actually take more time, or more energy, but all it really takes is a choice. And a belief. I believe I have the time, the energy, the brain power, the space, the fiscal agility, the (insert adjectives here) to do everything I want to do. To include all I want to include. And to do it well, because part of having something done is being able to look back at it and say I did that!

Now, if you're looking at a situation and thinking, okay, I'm doing it all, I have it all, and I'm still missing something, perhaps this is the week a previous choice repays you. With Taiwaz being about expediency, perhaps what you're looking for is left over from the past - the money you saved, the outfit you didn't wear, the material you didn't use. This could be the time to use it all.

This week, let's not give things up, or make hard choices between two desires. This week, let's practice doing it all. Being it all. Having it all.  

***********************

And here, instead of my usual rambling about myself, I offer you a little assitance in actually doing it all. Cuz if you're like me, just the thought of getting it ALL done creates a whirlwind inside your head. So. When you start to feel the hyperventilation, I hope this helps:

* Stop everything you are doing (unless you're driving)
* Take a deep breath. Yeah, really. Just take a deep breath. Follow that breath all the way, make sure it hits the bottom of the diaphragm.
* What? You're not sure? Try again. The breath goes in the nose, down the back of the throat, THRU the lungs, pushing down the diaphragm, expanding the lower ribs. It also expands the pelvic floor, if you know how to breathe really deeply. But that may be an exercise for another day.
* Blow the air back out. Notice how the everything that expanded contracted? Yeah, the body is pretty amazing. I could go on about this all day, but then neither of us would get anything done.
* Wait! Before you harken back to the whirlwind, one more deep breath. Do you notice where your attention is? If you've been breathing (and gazing in wonder at your expanding bellybutton) your attention is on your base. Your root. Your foundation. Not up in the head where all the lists run rampant.
* Stay here, grounded in the breathing of the body which is fully capable of accomplishing all you want to accomplish. The body fueled by the breath. The breath which flows easily and expands.
* When things are expanded, more things can fit in them.
* When things are expanded, more things can be done.
* When the mind and spirit are expanded with the body, more things are possible.
Like a squirrel on caffeine (a scene from Over the Hedge), everything slows down. And we can see (through our oxygen charged brains) more efficient, easy ways to do things.
We can also see (say it softly) what things don't REALLY need to be done today (sadly, dishes and laundry have to be done SOMETIME.)
* One more breath. Then, from this great expanded awareness, pick the next thing to focus on. Cuz your body, amazing as it is, can only do one or two things at a time, right? So, what's the next step?
* And breathe.
* And what's the next step?
* And breathe.
* and repeat until...
...you're finished. Yay you!

Hope this helps you as  much as it helps me. (And yes, this is something I do every day. In fact, I was doing this a few minutes ago when the whirlwind tried to take over my shower. Not only did it calm me down and give me space, it gave me something to post. Yeah, for multi-purpose tools!)

This is going to be an amazing week. For me, at least. I hope yours is too!

-Lila

Life in Runes 81215 weekly - No Rune (and Iubhar)

Yay us! We are still heading in the right direction.

But you know I don't like receiving No Rune twice in a row. So I pulled an Ogham card to supplement.

The card was Iubhar (the yew tree). Iubhar is about transitions, life cycles, and rebirth.



Yew and No Rune are telling us to remember, Rome wasn't built in a day. Nor was the land it occupies barren and perfectly prepped for its creation. When we build things, create things, start new things, we also demolish things, uncreate things, end old things. It is a natural cycle.

So we keep taking steps forward, and using our tools. We destroy the old ruts, and we create new ones. We turn cloth into clothes one action at a time. The Enterprise's replicators had to be programmed, step by step, to create the perfect cup of "Earl Grey, hot." Even the program I'm using right now to communicate with you was created by the laborious step by step of someone else.

But we are building our Romes. Step by step. We are in the middle of it. We are moving forward. We are creating our realities.

So yay us! Really. We're still stepping. We don't as a group, need any other advice than to keep stepping. And yeah, we might sometimes be stepping in it, but that just means our soil is fertile, right? Right.

Cycle on, my peoples.

******************************

Yup, another week. I'll admit to some exhaustion. Perhaps a few muscles feeling over-worked. But mostly, I'm feeling excited. I am getting things done. I am taking the steps. They aren't always easy… self-confidence really requires some work, sometimes. But my world view has helped me a lot. Accepting others for themselves, allowing others to be themselves, really helps me believe in the equality of everyone, even me.  A tool I used to use was, "I have as much right to ask my questions as anyone else."

Now, my tool has changed to, "The person on the other end of the (phone, email, counter, etc.) is just as human as I." I can't exactly explain why this phrasing works, but it does. Because humans want to connect? Because it gives me permission NOT to have all the answers? Permission to seek help?

And while I am looking forward to having this drudge work under control, I am enjoying the step by step this week. Because the steps bring about results. And I know the path leads to an awesome creation.

I hope you're having a great week!
-Lila

LIR 8415 Weekly - No Rune

No Rune, as you probably remember, means there is no new advise from the Universe (or from ourselves) about what's cookin' this week.

The good news is, we've got this. One step at a time, practicing our tools, doing our thing, and being the best we can be.

The difficult news is, we've got this. One step at a time. Practice those tools. Do YOUR thing. Be the best you can be in each moment.

I wouldn't call it two sides to the sword; I would say it's 2 parts of a whole. The calm acceptance we give to drama and transition; the breathing and practicing we use to get us through the challenges - these tools are the same tools to use in times of boredom, ennui, and the plain old "I don' wanna!".

Our goals have not changed. The zing may have retreated, because now things are no longer new and exciting. In fact, some things may even be dull now. They might be (say it softly) chores. And when we feel like we're getting trapped and bogged down by chores, or frustrated and rushing through, it's time to go back to our tools.

Breathe. Step back. One thing at a time, even though the computer feels slower than EVER. Be in this moment. Live the truth of the moment. Be your best in this moment.

And then, move on to the next.

The affirmation is: "Every day, in every way, I am better and better and better." We don't just want to be awesome tomorrow at the really cool stuff. But Every Day. In Every possible way.

At least I do.

*******************

In the first draft of this post, I had a long bit about how drudging it felt, to practice things I consider chores, or am reluctant to do, for whatever reason (some of which I am not consciously aware.) Which in and of itself is illuminating to me. 

But then I edited the post to make it more relevant to the reading instead of my personal practice; and in searching for the source of the affirmation, I found something new and astonishing.

According to Wikipedia and Brain Quotes, this affirmation, "Every day in every way I am better and better and better," came not from a 1970's leadership speaker, but from a 1900's French psychologist, Emile Coue (there are accents in there, but I'm too jazzed to figure out how to use them.)

Just by doing things in my best possible fashion, following my truths (I must give credit where it's due; & I rarely remember names), I found something new. Something to explore. Yay!

So, yeah. Step by step. Every day. Whether washing the dishes, or writing a book. It's even relevant in divination readings. Find my tools, and work step by step.

It's the fastest way to happiness.

I hope you have a great day!
-Lila

Life In Runes Leo 2015 - Fehu & Wunjo

Fehu - more energy coming our way, of the material kind. All that hard work is paying off, and the things you consider work are going to give back this month. Perhaps a bonus; perhaps you're going to get paid finally; perhaps you win a GC from a grocery store.

From another perspective, maybe someone is going to be working hard on your behalf. Someone else may put energy into your business, or expend energy for your material benefit.  Either way, it looks like it's going to be a prosperous month.

Wunjo - family, clan, gatherings. It could be a good time to celebrate with the peeps you consider the home of your heart.  It may be time to plan for (or expect an invitation to) a gathering of your family or clan. Or maybe just take a few minutes to get in touch with your loved ones, check in for no good reason.

Material return coming in; get with your clan. It's a pretty straight forward month. Don't burn through it all at once!

video version

************************
Hmm. So. I SHOULD take another vacation and hang out at the beach. With family, of course!

And I'll be spending the payment on sunscreen.

Last month the foundations shifted. Slowly and steadily, like a continental land mass, something changed. Perhaps it was in the only foundation that really matters - myself.  Whether it's my perception or my energy that has changed, I find myself waiting (again?) for the other shoe to drop. Having released the old, weary or possibly temporary foundations, I am curious to see what will pay off this month.

In fact, I am in such a "wait and see" space, I have nothing much to comment about this reading. So…


I hope you have a great month!
-Lila