Tag Archives: Ancestors

Dealing with a nightmare neighbor (#TarotReading #PearlsofWisdomTarot)

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So, I’m having a problem with a neighbor over a small piece of property that belongs to me. She, however, feels that it is part of her property and has decided to try staking her claim by putting a chair on my property as though marking her territory. She’s never directly confronted me. Although, when I questioned her about what she was doing on the property, she did become rather verbally aggressive telling me she would not speak to me, and I should call the police. So I did. Naturally, it proved futile because she still behaves as if it’s her property.

Her property is to the left of the water, mine is to the right. The chair inside the fence, on the right side, is my neighbor’s.

I was becoming very stressed out by this. Headaches, anxiety, nervous stomach all decided to pay me a visit. One consistent trait I possess is that I’m very outwardly expressive when it comes to anger, I don’t internalize it. I sometimes joke that if depression is anger turned inward, I won’t suffer from it because I prefer to turn my anger outward. This situation, however, was getting the best of me. So I decided to do something about it because it had become intolerable and unacceptable.

When I find myself in times of trouble, Tarot always comes to me. So I did what I always do when I need clarification, I pulled cards! First I asked the Morrigan (my Matron goddess) “What is my neighbor’s problem? Then I asked my husband “How should I handle this?” And finally I asked my ancestors for additional insight or clarification. Here are my answers;

Pearls of Wisdom Tarot : King of Cups, Strength, 8 of Wands

The Morrigan showing me my neighbor’s problem as the King of Cups suggests to me that this woman would benefit from therapy. I’ve seen her in other circumstances and she becomes easily agitated and emotionally overwrought, disproportionate to the situation. She definitely gives off a vibe of an out of control neighbor who could easily cross the line into potentially harmful confrontations.

My husband sending me the Strength card as the answer to how I should handle this is just so true to who he was, and how he saw me. This is John sending me support, and letting me know that I’m strong enough to handle this. I shouldn’t let this get the best of me. I don’t need to become aggressive in this situation, I just need to stay calm, not lose my cool, and do whatever is necessary legally to make sure that this is cleared up.

The final card, additional insight from my ancestors, is the 8 of Wands. As soon as I saw this image the first thing I thought of was people plugging in to a tree or waterway (appropriate, as this property is along an arm of a lake). That made me think of restoring myself by plugging in to the nature that’s surrounds me. Letting myself just relax by watching the squirrels and the birds and the other critters coexisting on this property. When I shared this reading with two friends, they both also pointed out that it could also symbolize plugging into my support network and my community so that I know I’m not dealing with this alone.

This reading really helped me get a better handle and different perspective on this entire situation. I feel much calmer and much better able to handle it in a non-stress-inducing way. I’ve decided she can play all the games she wants and each time she puts that chair on my property I will remove it again. If she involves the police, I will just calmly explain that it’s my property and, unless she can prove otherwise, I’m going to remove anything on there that isn’t mine. In the meantime, I will figure out a way to put up a barrier or some type so she can’t access it anymore. Simple but clear steps that should prove effective.

I hope anyone reading this enjoyed the journey through my mini near breakdown. While I hope none of you need to deal with a similar situation, if you do, I hope this post will prove helpful in some small way.

ADDENDUM: I had a bit of an epiphany after posting this. 💡 I realized that although the King of Cups can indeed suggest that this neighbor would benefit from therapy; I think it’s also pointing out is that she is a master emotional manipulator. Now, that might not be the right interpretation for other people, but I have always had a problem with the suit of Cups. I would prefer to get Swords in a reading for myself over Cups any day (it’s my issue, I’m dealing with it). The point is, in my own readings, I often see the Cups Court cards as representing some type of emotional manipulation. As Mel Brooks said in History of the World, Part I “it’s good to be the king”. 👑 She enjoys the sense of power that playing these kinds of games gives her. To take away that power, I need to stop responding the way I have been. I need to remove myself from her little emotional games. I can’t believe I didn’t see that before! 🤦‍♀️

#ChattingwithTarot – 6 of Pentacles Rx, The Star + 5 of Pentacles (#Dreamkeepers #Tarot)

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Okay, clearly my ancestors are trying to shake me from some bad habits which they also possessed.

Their message “Life is filled with give and take; with giving aid and receiving it. Being willing to accept help is not a sign of weakness. It shows you’re mature and self-aware enough to realize you can’t do it alone. It’s a sign that you are healing and able to be vulnerable enough to risk rejection. It also shows that you retain hope of gaining more autonomy and freedom. The truth is people are often willing to help if you’re able to ask. So stop being so stubborn!”

#ChattingwithTarot – Ace of Cups, 3 of Wands + Strength (#Dreamkeepers #Tarot)

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Today the ancestors are taking the opportunity to remind me that in order to pursue interesting projects or find ways to collaboratively express my creative energies (which they feel is a key to keeping me strong enough to keep moving forward), I need to look in my heart.  I need to find ways to reconnect with that little girl who loved to dance and wanted a tutu. 

Being strong is very useful but sometimes it means I tolerate intolerable situations because I’m “tough”.  As I have often joked, the women in my family are not delicate, china teacups – we’re sturdy, plain mugs able to take the occasional rough patches.  What this has also meant is that we often put up with difficult situations far longer than is healthy.  Strength and fortitude can become burdens if a situation is endured beyond reason.

I think this message is my ancestors reminding me that being able to take a punch can be useful but that doesn’t mean someone who dreams and dances in a tutu is weak.  It’s a different kind of strength  Listening to your heart and following its wishes mean believing in yourself and being willing to look foolish or open yourself up emotionally in order to achieve those dreams.  Am I strong enough to risk having my dreams laughed at if others feel they’re silly?  I like to believe so but I guess time will tell. 

#ChattingwithTarot – 10 of Pentacles, 2 of Swords + 5 of Swords (#Dreamkeepers #Tarot)

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Today’s chat with the ancestors was a bit of a scolding; a chiding if you will. They’re reminding me that lately I feel like I want to climb out of my own skin; I want to escape from all the stuff in my life – responsibilities, possessions, obligations.

The small figure climbing out if the town in the 10 of Pentacles is facing the blindfolded figure on the 2 of Swords. This suggests she has no clear idea what her next move should be. My ancestors are reminding me that in addition to having a plan, I need to find balance in my life. This is been a recurring theme for the past few months, at a minimum. I think they’re getting a little frustrated with my lack of action in this area.

I think the 5 of Swords is showing me that I sometimes feel trapped in a no win situation but that only remains true if I continue to resist making changes. I keep viewing this as an all or nothing scenario but that isn’t true. If I can make changes in baby steps it should reduce my frustration levels and my need for flight.

#ChattingwithTarot – 2 of Peppermills Rx, Queen of Peppermills Rx + 6 of Hats Rx (#Wonderland #Tarot)

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My ancestors message for me today:

“Find an outlet for your energy and creativity before you become bitchy, embittered and unpleasant. Reclaim your crown, your passion and your self. Revisit creative outlets that brought you joy in the past but don’t get lost in “the good old days”. They probably weren’t as golden as your memory paints them.”

#TarotDaily – 2 of

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How are the ghosts of your past still influencing your life?

The ghosts of my past, or as I like to call them – my ancestors, left me a legacy of family obligation and responsibility as well as strength and fortitude.

The women in my direct line did not domesticate well. We aren’t the best at cooking or cleaning but we’re great at taking on a lot of responsibility; at getting things done. At the same they helped me learn how to forge my own path in life; how to be strong and endure. I’ve learned to trust my own mind, even if I don’t always follow through. I realize that compromising who I am to satisfy others sucks! It’s not worth it to me and if it results in a limited social circle I’m fine with that.

So, I may need to get better at the whole finding balance thing but I have learned not to try to fit in and be like everyone else; not to do things because others expect me to do them. I may be chained by what I believe are my obligations to family but I’ve accepted that. Is it easy, hell no! However in my heart I know that this is right for me and I feel good about it.

Soulful Saturday: Community cookbooks – a spiritual and emotional connection to a savory past

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I have to admit I have a bit of an addiction – to collecting cookbooks. I find that reading cookbooks can sometimes take me away from the stress and aggravations that surround me. I really enjoy community cookbooks because they offer insights into how people in different parts of the country cook and entertain.

There are also certain patterns I’ve noticed. Older cookbooks tend to be a bit more regional. I’ve noticed that since the 1990s many community cookbooks are a bit more generic and less regional. You’re as likely to find recipes for Asian dishes in a Texas community cookbook as you are to find barbecue recipes. The late 1960s-1980s offered community cookbooks filled with “dump & pour” recipes relying on convenience foods.

Some community cookbooks are filled with information about the community such as sites of interest or historical tidbits. Others offer blurbs by the recipe’s contributor that give some info about where or how it originated. Some of the recipes are very down-home style whiles others are more sophisticated or gourmet.

One of my favorite collections is called America’s Best Recipes. This collection was published annually by Oxmoor House from 1988-2003. It collected what the editors considered the best recipes from various community cookbooks submitted for consideration. McIlhenny Tabasco also sponsored annual awards from 1990 to 2009 for the best community cookbooks from each region and the top three nationwide. They also had a Hall of Fame where the best selling community cookbooks of all time are memorialized (this list includes such classics as Savannah Style, Charleston Receipts and Pirate’s Pantry).

Reading these community cookbooks gives me a sense of connection to the people who created these recipes. Across time and space I can make their recipes and keep their memory alive. It makes me feel like a bit of a food historian. This is important to me because the women in my family were not very domesticated (I may have mentioned this before). We don’t have family recipes that were handed down. My ancestress’ primary mode of feeding the family was very plain, inexpensive and filling and tended to involved some type of convenience food. We might not have gone hungry but no one was clamoring for those recipes.

Food is a spiritual medium for connecting with our family, our past and those who have gone before. It’s interesting and enlightening to learn why certain dishes developed the way they did or why certain foods were popular in specific regions. In recent years America is losing some of its regional diversity. In some ways this is very good but when it comes to food I think it means some of each region’s unique foodways might be lost. So read a community cookbook today and connect with the past; keep those memories alive in spirit and honor their contributions.

What insight can my ancestors offer me right now? King of Swords R, Queen of Swords R & The Tower R

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Greenman Oracle Saille/Willow

Today I drew an ogam to see what I needed to consider in my daily reading.  I drew Saille/Willow.  In her book Ogam: Weaving Word Wisdom, Erynn Rowan Laurie wrote “I have come to see this fid as an indication that the ancestors are sending messages in some way. It might be through the voice of falling water or through song and music.”   So I decided to see what insight or advice my ancestors might have for me today.  I drew the King & Queen of Swords reversed and The Tower reversed.

DruidCraft King of Swords DruidCraft Queen of Swords DruidCraft Tower

At first I just didn’t get this message. I was trying to see how the reversed King and Queen of Swords might represent aspects of myself. The Tower reversed was another puzzler. It puzzled me. Then I visited my former employer’s website and realized that some of the people I consider responsible for my termination, those who betrayed me, are still employed and doing quite well at the agency. I suppose I was hoping they’d be gone and I’d learned that they had flamed out in an explosive display of incompetence and ineptitude. I was greatly disappointed.

Then I started to reconsider my cards in light of this knowledge. It struck me that the King of Swords is FU, the former executive director who terminated me. The Queen of Swords is AC, my former immediate supervisor who I am sure undermined and denigrated me (but subtly, oh so subtly – she has mastered the art of killing with kind words). The Tower is the termination itself – that seminal, traumatic moment that is still impacting me no matter how much I claim to have healed.

The fact that all these cards are reversed tells me that my ancestors are telling me it’s time to really put it behind me. It’s in the past. Nothing I can do or say will change any of it. If I let them beat me and keep me down, then they’ve won. If it’s one thing I know, it’s that I come from a long line of fighters. We fought for survival. We fought to endure the curve balls life threw our way. We fought to prove our detractors wrong. I may have not been able to fight to keep the job but that doesn’t mean I need to let them win in my own mind.

Obviously I still have some issues to work out regarding that situation. I think it’s complicated by the fact that I haven’t been able to return to work. My new career is caring for the in-laws and somehow that’s not enough to wash away the sense of failure. I will heal and I will triumph again. I just need to allow myself to feel these things but not get stuck in the emotions. All that will do is make me angry and sad – neither of which is helpful in the long run.

COTD – 7 of Cups (Wheel of Change & Greenwood)

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Looking at both these cards I was struck by the idea of offerings – each image shows several bowls each filled with a variety of offerings.  The offerings might serve a different purpose but for some reason what struck me was honoring the ancestors or the gods.  On the Greenwood 7 of Cups a skull is surrounded by 7 cups and its keyword is mourning.   The Wheel of Change 7 of Cups shows 7 bowls filled with various types of foods surrounding a grinning, fanged statue – the Fire God of Flores.  These are offerings to appease the Fire God.  The offerings and statue all sit on a decorated carpet shaded by a parasol, and overlooking three craters and a volcano.  One of the craters is filled with burgundy fluid, the other has a greenish fluid and the third a milky blue fluid.  Across the plain a mountain reaches up towards the sky but is still in the shadow of the huge volcano.

The Greenwood image shouted “honoring the Ancestors” at me.  It reminded me of spiritual practices where people make offerings and give honor to the Noble Dead, the ancestors of blood and heart.  The skull at the center symbolizes those dead ancestors.  On the Wheel of Change 7 of Cups I was struck by the idea of someone making offerings to the deity of the volcano; sacrifices to appease the gods.  Regardless of what purpose the offerings serve, the main concept is that they are offerings.

That reminded me that I could spend more time honoring my own ancestors.  As part of ADF’s ritual structure and spiritual practice, honoring the Ancestors is required and recommended.  Beyond the ritual structure, there is no mandatory way to do this but many members find that daily devotionals offer a wonderful opportunity to connect with the Ancestors and offer them honor and recognition.  I have been somewhat remiss in this area.  I certainly think about my ancestors on a regular basis but I’m not always as diligent at daily devotions or making offerings to them.  The reality is that the more I honor them, the more likely they are to aide me.  But more than that, I do feel it is important to remember our ancestors, even if they weren’t very nice.

I have been doing some preliminary genealogical research over the past few months and it amazes me how many of the women in my line seem to have been married to rather useless men.  Of course I’m extrapolating this belief based on certain things I’ve found in the records – such as that my great-grandmother divorced my great-grandfather and the family stories I’ve heard about those I can remember.  I think in past generations when it was not as easy to divorce a spouse as it is today, many men and women stayed in unhappy relationships for a variety of reasons.  I don’t think such a sacrifice should be forgotten.  I also think honoring and remembering the ancestors and keeping family stories alive give us a sense of connection to something much larger than ourselves.  It allows us to see the patterns that have influenced our families and ultimately change those that are negative into something positive.  It can also help heal rifts.  For many years I had a rough relationship with my mother because I couldn’t forgive her for things that had occurred in my childhood.  When I was able to take a step back and look at her childhood and her mother’s childhood, things came into focus and my perceptions shifted.  This ultimately allowed me to start healing this rift and forgive her.

So although we have specific occasions for honoring those that died in war or serving this country, perhaps we need to get better at honoring our own personal dead.  We can offer thanks to the grandmother whose sense of humor was passed on to us and helps us get through the rough times.  Or perhaps we need to thank and honor the aunt who gifted us with her bright red hair or her no-nonsense approach to obstacles.  Whatever gifts they have given me and however they continue to bless my life, I think the 7 of Cups is reminding me that I need to make more of an effort to honor my ancestors on a regular basis.