Monthly Archives: July 2008

Peaceful Purple

PURPLE
Key words: Spirituality, insight, intuitiveness, royalty, sacred connection to the divine.

Visualize a rainbow. At the far end of the spectrum is purple. It’s also the color that is least seen when the rainbow is weak and incomplete.

rainbowWe can equate this with our own spirituality. When our own energy field is weak, we are least in touch with our spiritual, intuitive side, and we feel incomplete.

Don’t we all want to be all the colors of the rainbow? To complete ourselves, most of us need to feel, in a sense, a sacred connection with the divine whatever that divine may be for that individual. To do that, we need to seek that which is most mysterious and elusive. That which is unseen to us, but can be divined by us through our own intuition & introspection. With that, we can become truly inspired to bring the magic into our lives that we deserve.

Purple is ruled by Jupiter, whose astrological symbol is a “…lunar crescent rising above the cross of the four elements and becoming receptive to the light of Spirit.” Jupiter is a planet which represents expanding social awareness and insight through knowledge. To seek that knowledge takes courage inspired by red combined with the serenity inspired by blue, the two primary colors which make purple.

Purple is the color of the third-eye chakra which we use for our intuitive insight & introspection. (Some people consider purple to be that of the crown chakra. I and others see the crown chakra as being the pure white universal white.) By meditating and being in balance with purple, we gain a sense of direction, creativity & universal love without judgement.


To interpret purple in a tarot reading consider these connotations:

Positive & Neutral Connotations
— Inspiration & Devotion
— Spiritual & Intuitive
— Tolerance and Peace
— Authority
— Creativity
— Royalty & Sophistication
— High ideals, connection with the divine
— Sense of direction

Negative Connotations
— Lonely
— Isolated
— Lack of responsibility


Sample Interpretation with Purple:

Deck: “Universal Waite Pocket Edition”
Card: Several

Usually I choose one card to analyze for it’s color, but in choosing for purple, I realized how relatively few cards have purple in them. I am using the pocket edition of the “Universal Waite” deck, so I will analyze in general terms and address specific differences.

To begin, let me say that the shade of a color indicates different things. Pictures from the Heart by Thomson states, “In general, lighter colors symbolize the conscious mind, while darker colors symbolize the workings of the unconscious.” (I will revise that to say the “sub-conscious,” as I feel they are two different things, in keeping with Jung’s theories.)

The 3 of pentacles; 4 of wands; 6 and king of swords, The Lovers and The World all have purple garments in them. Think of a person being ‘cloaked’ in something. This garment or article of clothing may represent an attitude the figure is ‘wearing’ or an outward representation of what they really feel or who they really are.

For instance, the child in the 6 of swords is cloaked in a light purple garment. Depending on the reading, this may represent the idea that within our inner child lies our most intuitive thoughts, actions and reactions. And if we want to head to calmer times, we need to follow that intuition or “gut” feeling using a strong sense of direction. In other cards the purple garment may represent authority, sophistication or a good sense of judgement &/or tolerance.

The ace, 2, 3, and 9 of wands; the ace, 5, and 8 of swords; the 7 of pentacles and The Star all have purple mountains. Many times, mountains represent attainment. 6_of_swords In many of these cards, what we want to attain is spiritual enlightenment, or perhaps inspiration to attain our goals.

In the case of The Moon, we also have a purple crab, the sign of Cancer. What does a crab do? Think about it. Where does it live? Answer: within it’s own protective shell. It has pinchers to further protect itself. But this crab is purple and it’s emerging from the water (emotion.) Perhaps it is emerging from it’s protective shell to risk change (towers in the background) by seeking higher knowledge & spirituality.

The Devil, and the 9 and king of pentacles, all have purple grapes in them. Grapes, in and of themselves, may mean abundance and fruitfulness. But some grapes are green in real life, why purple here? Perhaps the abundance that we seek is the abundance of inner peace bunched with a connection to a higher source.

In all of these cards we see the purple grapes together with green (healing, growth, renewal.) And isn’t it a renewal of our soul to grow into our own spiritual reality?

Additionally, there are other various depiction of purple throughout the cards: backdrops & sky (Justice & The Hanged Man), one a veil waiting to reveal psychic secrets of the subconscious, or perhaps projecting a sense of royalty; the other the sky, maybe a representation of the collective unconscious.

The ground (Knight of Pentacles) and a mattress (9 of Swords) give us sure footing, emboldening our sense of direction, and a place to become introspective when out-of-balance, lonely or isolated. It may also represent a place to reduce worry and stress.

And, of course, we find purple on the wings of the archangels in both The Lovers and the Judgement cards. These are entities which represent a spiritual authority to us. They are magical and mystical by nature, but faith in their existence allows us to receive their divine guidance.

Purple is a fascinating color. Some may lean blue, some may lean red. Which of those you see in a reading, and how you interpret them within the context of the rest of the cards are what makes you unique in your abilities as a tarot advisor.

As always, choose one or two key words that are meaningful to you for that specific reading.


References:
Pictures from the Heart: A Tarot Dictionary? by Sandra A. Thomson
“Color Magic for Beginners”? by Richard Webster
A. Venefica’s Tarot Teachings
http://www.hedgewytchery.com/signs_and_symbols.html
http://www.cafeastrology.com/jupiter.html

James Van Praagh

We saw James Van Praagh at a book signing last night, for his new book vanpraaghGhosts Among Us I don’t ever watch the Ghost Whisperer, but he was really interesting. I knew a lot of what he talked about, but he was pretty down to earth and had some interesting stories.

But the bigger thing was how the universe puts things into place for you.  I have been getting messages for the past year or so that I should be learning mediumship and healing. It’s a big reason why we moved, because I was stagnant up where I lived. Since I’ve moved, I’ve met so many people with great energy. Last night was no different.

First of all, when he took questions, I told him I was an animal communicator and asked why I might have so much easier time connecting with animals who have passed over than I do with humans. His answer made perfect sense. He said because to connect with the other side, you connect through the vibrational energy of love. And since animals are unconditional love, and humans are by nature judgmental, it’s harder to achieve the right level of vibrational energy to connect across, whereas with animals, it’s just there. Okay, good. Makes sense. But it’s what happened afterwards that blew me away.

As we were walking out, we started talking to this woman on the street with the most adorable little — miniature collie?  I don’t know if that’s the right name. But she asked where we had been and when she found out, she got so excited and asked if we did ‘stuff like that’. I told her all that I do, and she was just fascinated.

Meanwhile, I was fascinated with her. She was …. so …. innocent. She had this wide-eyed child-like quality and I just … connected with her on a really emotional level. I didn’t know why. Especially when another woman came out of the store (someone who I had been talking to before the program) and and gave me a big goodbye hug. I looked at the two of them, and the two were so different.

Listening to the chat between them made me feel as though the woman with the dog has really been told all of her life that she is not very smart, but sort of accepts it, even if self-conscious about herself.

We all hugged and left, but I couldn’t get “L” (the woman with the dog) out of my mind. I couldn’t understand, how by all external appearances, we really had little in common but I felt such an emotional connection to her.

When I hugged her goodbye, she commented how nice the hug was. And for me, it was like I felt a true deep love for her. vanpraagh It was so strange. And then it hit me. I honestly believe I was talking to a friend of mine who died of breast cancer several years ago. She and “L” were so much alike, but it was more than that. When I left, and realized who she reminded me of, I didn’t start feeling sad, missing my friend (she and I had been very close), I felt like I just had the opportunity to speak with her. It wasn’t sad to think of her not here anymore, I felt joyful like I had just been able to see her.

It then dawned on me that the universe was trying to make me understand what it is like to connect on that vibrational level, to a human who has passed, just as Van Praagh had told me.

Van Praagh also said that the most common way spirits connect with us is through our dreams. I then went on to be visited by my baby girl, Puma, in my dreams last night. It was so wonderful to see her. I guess all of this is a matter of perspective, huh.

Caat

Tarot for iPhone Users

While I don’t think any form of electronic tarot is particular effective as a true divinatory tool, if I had an iPhone, I’d lay out the two bucks for this just for the fun of it.

You can buy and download a copy through the iTunes store. (*Note: this link will open up iTunes on your computer.)

First Steps to Animal Communication

Steps to getting started in your first communications

1. CENTER YOURSELF
— Close your eyes, take at least three deep breaths. With each exhale, imagine all negative energy draining out the bottom of your feet and disintegrating in the earth below.

cairoWith each inhale, imagine breathing in pure white light from the universe.

As all of the negative energy leaves your body, imagine the white light filling up all that space. When there is no space left in your body, imagine that white light (I imagine it with beautiful little gold or blue sparkling specks) flowing out over the top of your head and engulfing your body like a cocoon.

2. SEEK ASSISTANCE FROM A HIGHER SOURCE
– Ask the universe, or your higher self, or whatever source you choose, to help you connect with the animal you are about to speak with.

3. CONNECT WITH THE ANIMAL
— See the animal in it’s environment. Take a moment to sit quietly with him or her and get a feel for his/her ‘feline-ality’, ‘canine-ality’ ‘esquine-ality’ etc.

Remember that every animal has it’s own personality, just as humans do. Some are outgoing and talkative and will start talking before you know what hit you. Others are shy and reserved. Some are funny, some are serious, etc.

Feel the personality, just like you would when meeting a human, so that you get a feel for boundaries and conversational approach.

4. INTRODUCE YOURSELF AND ASK PERMISSIONcats
— Remember common courtesy. Remember that you are coming out of the blue to these animals, introduce yourself and ask their permission to speak with them.

5. CONVERSE
— Have a ‘conversation’ with them. If their person has given you questions, that’s fine, but don’t pepper them as if they are being interrogated. Work the questions into the ‘conversation.’

6. SAY GOODBYE
— It’s rude in any circles to just leave a conversation without saying goodbye, show the same courtesy to animals.

7. PAT YOURSELF ON THE BACK
— … For doing such a good job. Because, surely, you did.

TIPS:
• Start slow and keep the conversation light.

• Don’t try to ‘fix’ a behavioral problem until you have learned more, you might make it worse.

• Have fun with it. It’s not brain surgery, and most animals are giving and grateful for the attention.

• Remember that the best way to learn and gain confidence is to simply ‘jump in’ and get experience. The more validation you receive, the more confidence you will achieve. But you can’t get the validation without taking the risk: conversing and presenting it to the animal’s person.

• If you’re still uncomfortable jumping in, consider speaking to an animal of one of the communicators on the board. We fully understand what you’re feeling.

(To practice communicating with animals, visit the
Spiritcaat Animal Communication Practice Forum.