In Trees We Trust

I really wish that were the state motto

Trees. Get yourself outside among some! (Or maybe cozy up to a houseplant if you can’t right now.) I just had to say that first, because I am coming off of three full days being held by tree energy at a Benedictine monastery in Washington state. Loving, sure, but they also don’t mess around if there is something you need to hear.

Image of water and bald eagle were taken at the Billy Frank, Jr. National Wildlife Refuge on the way home. Other photos were taken on the grounds of St. Placid Priory.

I am not quite able to write about my little solo retreat just yet, and honestly I am still moving and thinking a lot more slowly than is typical for me (trust me, this is a good thing), so instead I am sharing the weekly messages (normally for paid subscribers) and some photos I took last week.

I wish you health, joy, peace, and love this week.

Maria Luz

Weekly Message and Oracle Card Pull

I often receive symbolic images from Spirit through my third eye, much like I understand the Sabian symbols were received by the psychic Elsie Wheeler in 1925. Please use your own intuition and take what resonates and leave the rest.

I received the below in meditation on 2.1.25

A perfect cultured pearl necklace and a snake side by side, each in the shape of a circle.

I take a couple of meanings:

1. Transformation.

   1. With the Lunar New Year ushering in the Year of the Snake, the snake in the vision emphasizes this energy. I am not well versed in the Chinese zodiac, but my understanding is that this year is one of introspection, using intuition to inform strategy, and transformation.

   2. From what I understand, pearls are derived from an almost miraculous transformation when a tiny bug or granule invades a mollusk. The mollusk then attempts to soothe the irritation by exuding nacre to coat it over an over. A pearl is the result.

2. An invitation to consider intrinsic value as opposed to assigned value. The pearls have value because humans have determined their beauty is marketable. Although, perhaps some appreciate the symbolic beauty of the natural process. The snake has intrinsic value because of its part in the natural world, keeping its prey populations in check.

I also had a vivid dream that night involving snakes and themes of stepping into your unique gifts as a way to stand up to destructive power.

I believe we are being encouraged to embrace our intrinsic gifts and surrender to the personal transformations we have been facing, with the understanding we are part of a much larger whole.

If you gave last week’s spread some space in your life, I would be interested to hear how it went in the comments. [Note: I set the paywall to come down after one week, so if you are a free subscriber, feel free to access it now and see if anything resonated.]

Here is this week’s card spread.

Card 1. Clarity on last week: The Holy Spirit/Miracles are Possible (from Angel Activations, Kyle Gray, Jessica Tummunello).

This card calls us to reflect on something we have been longing for. Or perhaps we have longed for freedom from the grasp of something that we feel hopelessly entangled in.

Rather than focus on the object of our utmost longing, we are invited to turn inward and ask - Do I feel 100% worthy of my most heartfelt wishes? If there is any hesitation, we have some work to do to release old stories or limiting beliefs that prevent us from attaining the highest levels of freedom, contentment, and love.

If, when we turn inward, we find what we thought we were longing for is actually not a heartfelt wish, but stems from the mind, Card 2 is especially applicable.

Card 2. Help bridging last week to this week: What is Meant for You Will Find You (from Intuitive Whispers Oracle, Maude Hirst, Lori Menna).

This card invites us to examine what we are fixated on and have built plans around. What comes to me is the scenario where I have planned myself into a corner, only to find I don’t truly want the object of all my planning on a heart level. Uh oh!

Sometimes, this happens because I haven’t given myself space to allow what it really in my heart to come through. The invitation, as the guidebook puts it, is to “… make space in your schedule for space itself” this week.

What this may look like for you: meditation, walking, a bath, or simply waiting just a few minutes before jumping out of bed in the morning in order to check in with yourself, newly hatched from sleep.

Allow yourself maybe 15 - 20 minutes, so that you have several minutes to settle into your body, open your heart space and belly, and allow the thinking mind to take a back seat.

This week, also be mindful of the pleasant things you are attracting without trying to. Have people been asking for your input on a particular topic lately, has a side project or hobby been fruitful lately? Tune into how you feel about these areas vs. what you have been actively working to attract.

Card 3. Something to look for this week: Fire (#19 of Mystical Shaman Pocket Oracle by Villoldo, Baron-Reid, and Lobos).

Fire can be chaotic and destructive (e.g., the LA fires), or symbolic of inspiration and transformation (e.g., the Celtic festival of Imbolic).

The image coming to me is of fire as used in glassblowing - to make an object of beauty according to the vision of the artist and through the movements of the craftsman.

An alternative image is of ignoring or trying to contain a passion deep within us. The denied desire may alchemize into anger, to erupt inward at oneself or outward at others.

I suggest a practice for this week to use fire in a simple ritual.

At dinnertime, light a candle with the intention that the flame help you to transform anything weighing you down into the spark for a desired personal transformation.

Whoa, like don’t start a fire! Photo by Jonathan Borba on Unsplash