May I Feel...
Monday Mettā
A new + beautiful way to experience Mondays.
May I feel safe. May I feel connected. May I feel love.
Three very different phrases, three vital statements. I use these to settle in when I’m starting a meditation.
Feeling safe, whether in your body, your home, your environment, your own skin, is sometimes not easy. Remember: when you sit to repeat your Mettā phrases, or to meditate, being and feeling safe is of utmost importance, and something many of us have to build up to. For first time meditators, or even those of us who practice regularly and have for years, sometimes it doesn’t feel safe to close our eyes and simply be. Thoughts, memories, anxieties, can rush in when the body and mind feel open. It’s normal for this to happen. Use your own intuition to decide: do I stop meditating right now because it is not safe? Do I continue, breathe, and remind myself I am safe?
Feeling connected, supported, and cared for is something all of us crave at some level. Inhale and exhale deeply to find that connection within yourself.
And finally, love. That’s why we're all here. May I feel love.
✨
So glad you’re here.
Intuitive Tarot Card Reading
Use your intuition to guide you to a specific card below. Choose the card with the crystal on it that calls to you. At the end of this newsletter, you’ll see the cards flipped over, with a reading for each one. The card that you choose here will have your reading for the week.
Card 1: Iolite Choose this card if you’re looking to further your intuitive skills.
Card 2: Lapis Lazuli Choose this card if you need a pragmatic assist (decision making, organization, logistics).
Card 3: Blue Lace Agate Choose this card if you’re interested in speaking your truth.
Wait to scroll down to the bottom of the newsletter until you’ve chosen your card!
Yoga Classes:
Online yoga is back! Book a personalize yoga class, on demand, here.
Monday classes at noon start next week. See you then!
February Brings Light
In Torbjørn Ekelund’s book A Year in the Woods: Twelve Small Journeys Into Nature, Ekelund takes microadventures: one overnight camping trip a month in the forest near his home in Oslo. It’s how I like my nature books: slow, sweet, observant. And he has something very beautiful to say about February in the Northern Hemisphere, something I’ve started to notice myself as I hike in the early mornings, aware of when and how the light appears.
“… all the changes leading to springtime first start to become apparent in February… [the light from] Winter solstice may be the astronomical turning point, but its effect becomes visible at some point in February. That’s when we may see the earliest signs that the great natural processes are turning in reverse, and that a new season is at hand. The light grows bolder. The temperatures rise. Animals and birds slowly come to life again. These, and a thousand other things both big and small, suddenly burst forth and break out in color and in the end manifest in what we like to think of as spring. The anemones that bloom in April are not the spring but rather the result of spring.”
When I hike in February, the sun shines in a particular way, lighting my morning in, as Ekelund points out, a bolder glow. And it happens almost overnight, as if one day in February it’s cold, dark, damp, and suddenly the next brings growth. And a bit of warmth. Perhaps it won’t be this week. In fact, it probably won’t. But in these next few weeks, keep an eye out for the light as the days get longer and as we move towards spring. And remember that the result of spring comes from the hibernation of winter.
On Sunday, February gets its Full Moon, the Snow Moon, at its brightest at 10:30am eastern. Look out for it the night before, too, and enjoy the glow. 🌕
With Gratitude,
There are three beautiful ways you can support my work writing and teaching!
Make a micro-donation, either through Buy Me a Coffee (or in my case, a love note), or after you’ve listened to one of my meditations on Insight Timer.
Book a personalized yoga class or contact me for a Tarot or Akashic Records reading.
Forward this newsletter on to anyone who might want a little love! Ask them to subscribe! Tell them you love them!
Thank you thank you!
Much love and gratitude,
Rachel xo
PS- I love hearing about the cards you pick and your related experiences. Please email me or comment below to share what came up from your card reading this week🔮
Your Tarot Reading, Revealed!
A note on this empowering set of cards! The blue stones, associated with the throat chakra (speech, communication, and expression) happened to draw all three cards in Wands (the suit of energy, creativity, and passion). I don’t think this is a coincidence! It looks like all of us could use a little reminder of the power we hold when we express our most creative and energetic selves.
Card 1: Iolite // Ace of Wands
The Ace of Wands often refers to a spiritual awakening. What that means to you, as an individual, is completely unique, but what is universal is that this card is challenging you to stretch the limits of your consciousness to become more connected with the force of your energy. And in this case, I mean energy in the way qi flows through us, or prana in yoga, not the energy you might have after drinking four cups of coffee. What is flowing through you that you’d like to connect with? What do you just know, without being told or guided, that feels like the right way to be, act, or do? Follow that.
Card 2: Lapis Lazuli // Prince of Wands
The Prince of Wands comes through with his courageous (the lion) and magical (the unicorn) action. There are so many things you have bursting off of your “to-do” list, pursuits you’d rather be doing, energy you’d rather be spending. The Prince’s time management advice? Begin with the stuff that lights you up. Instead of starting the day with the mini tasks that are easy to check off, or the mundane emails you just want to get out of your inbox, start with the most creative project on your list. You may be surprised by how much energy you then have for the rest of it!
Card 3: Blue Lace Agate // Ten of Wands
Here you have the bear as your spirit or animal guide, a representation of your personal power and strength. Sometimes, when I have trouble communicating my authentic thoughts to people (respectfully, of course!), I think about how I would coach a child to be who they want to be, and then turn that same coaching on to myself. Basically (stick with me here) YOU are both the bear and the person in this card, coaching yourself with the gentle yet forceful commitment to authenticity.
✨I use House of Intuition’s Crystal Encyclopedia and Judy Hall’s Crystal Bible to interpret the crystal meanings. Intuitive tarot inspired by Sarah Greenman, who was in turn inspired by Chris Corsini, because inspiration is contagious✨