Monday Mettā
A new + beautiful way to experience Mondays.
I’ve posted this before, but it’s feeling especially poignant right now.
May I be free from injury. May I live in safety.
May [insert someone you love without restraint] be free from injury. May they live in safety.
May [insert someone you have neutral feelings for] be free from injury. May they live in safety.
May [insert someone you struggle with] be free from injury. May they live in safety.
May all beings be free from injury. May they live in safety.
These words are attributed to Thich Nhat Hanh, and is the second line of his Nine Prayers.
I think of this line specifically as our fellow human beings are in the midst of enormous, consistent, explosive, and surprising physical, mental, economic, emotional, and spiritual harm. All beings are entitled to a safe home and future.
As you meditate on these words, start with yourself— the importance of self-loving-kindness is vital. Then, send mettā out to others. Begin with someone you deeply love, with no complications. Move to someone you simply know, with no expectations. Then send these words to someone you struggle with, imagining them with love. Finally, send out these words to the planet.
The Nine Prayers
May I be peaceful, happy, and light in body and spirit.
May I be free from injury. May I live in safety.
May I be free from disturbance, fear, and anxiety.
May I learn to look at myself with the eyes of understanding and of love.
May I be able to recognize and touch the seeds of joy and happiness in myself.
May I learn to identify and see the sources of anger, craving, and delusion in myself.
May I know how to nourish the seeds of joy in myself every day.
May I be able to live fresh, solid and free.
May I be free from attachment and aversion, but not be indifferent.
*To read more about spiritual teacher and leader Thich Nhat Hanh, visit this little slice of the internet.
✨
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: Carnelian Choose this card for a message on courage.
Card 2: Thulite Choose this card for a message on compassion.
Card 3: Peach Quartz Choose this card for a message on joy.
Wait to scroll down to the bottom of the newsletter until you’ve chosen your card!
In-Person Yin Yoga Workshop! April 20th in Wisconsin.
On Saturday, April 20, I’ll be presenting a yin yoga and journaling workshop for Write On, Door County. The workshop is meant to engage the body, mind, and creativity through yin yoga poses that correspond with guided journaling and creative writing prompts. Since the body and mind each have a response to holding a yin yoga pose for 3-5 minutes, creativity can flow in a surprising way. Each yoga pose is gentle, and is designed to promote qi — or energy — flow. All prompts will be based around a specific theme, which will correspond to each yoga pose.
I was lucky enough to present a similar workshop in January, 2023 at Write On, and they had some great things to say about the workshop.
More info here!
Sign up here!
With Gratitude,
As part of my community, here are three beautiful ways you can support this newsletter:
🌱Make a micro-donation or become a totally optional paying member of this Substack. Subscribe to pay for this newsletter for $5/month or $50/year. Paying subscribers have access to my entire archive.
Subscribed
(Or, donate any amount below. Whatever you donate goes directly and wholly to me.)
🌻Contact me for a Tarot or Akashic Records Soul reading or connect with me about learning yoga, meditation, or breathwork.
💌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 make a great gift! Interested in gifting a private yoga, a tarot or an intuitive soul reading to a friend? Reach out!
Your Tarot Reading, Revealed!
Card 1: Carnelian // Ten of Pentacles
Take courage in your community. Don’t go at it alone. Be with those you love with abundance, and those you see as guides or mentors. Right now, your courage comes from the way other people see you.
Card 2: Thulite // Two of Pentacles
It might be the compassionate thing to let something go! You’ve been balancing for so long—emotions, schedule, or both! Let go of (even just for a day) the thing that’s sending you off-kilter the most.
Card 3: Peach Quartz // 8 of Wands
Look for joy in action. What are you doing that brings you joy? What do others do that make you just delighted? Let joy come from the outside, in.
Rachel Barker's role as writer and intuitive is to facilitate the reader’s introspection, awareness, and reflection. Whether to make a particular choice or take a particular action is entirely the responsibility of the reader.