Russian Gypsies

Russian Gypsies

by | Life Reflections

Hats off to Svetlana Alexandrovna Touchkoff for introducing the Western world to the Gypsy teachings of nineteenth century Russia  by creating her Russian Gypsy Fortune Telling Cards.  The gypsies were a freedom-loving nomadic group known for their ability to offer insights and predictions to any who asked.  Fortune telling was an integral part of people’s lives in Russia; it was an opportunity to concentrate on themselves, talk about their feelings and frustrations and come up with strategies for the future.  Readings were often done with others listening and offering their insights into what was being said. People believed their predictions, yet they were not controlled by them. They understood that at any moment, an individual’s free will or God’s intercession could turn any situation around.  This open understanding has continued to this day.

The cards contain artwork and symbols from many areas, as would be expected from gypsies who traveled around Europe, Russia, the Middle East and parts of Asia. There are many entries for each card explaining the history, mystery and practical aspects of the messages.

Here are some short examples of Russian sayings and proverbs contained in her cards.

The card:  Lady
Symbol for: support and help
Proverb:  Don’t spit in the well.  You might have to drink the water
Meaning: don’t do anything that could hurt or embarrass someone unnecessarily; you may need their help at some time

The card:  Cat
Symbol for:  hidden danger
Proverb: An uninvited guest is worse than a Tartar 
(the Tartars were Mongolian invaders of Russia during the Middle Ages)
Meaning: refrain from boorish acts that irritate others, otherwise expect to be criticized

The card:  Bread
Symbol for:  happiness, prosperity, generosity and nourishment
Proverb:  If everyone gives a thread, the naked one will have a shirt
Meaning: do your share of giving in some way

The card:  Dog
Symbol for:  relationships with friends
Proverb:  Better to have a hundred friends than a hundred rubles
Meaning:  you are not alone in this world when you have friends

The card:  Heart
Symbol for: love and emotions from the heart
Proverb:  First love is like first teeth;  it comes with pain
Meaning:  if this is your first love and the other doesn’t even know you exist, don’t despair. Try again.

The card:  Moon
Symbol for: peace, beauty and mystery
Proverb: What we have we don’t treasure; having lost it, we cry
Meaning:  don’t waste your time wishing for things you do not have;  rather, enjoy the peaceful happiness you have now

The card: Clover
Symbol for:  luck
Proverb: Without pain, there is no learning
Meaning: do not get too despondent over a situation; stay positive and a solution will be found

May the practical, freedom inspired messages from the Gypsy cards make you smile. And reflect for awhile.

The Hero’s Journey

The Hero’s Journey

by | Life Reflections, Psycho-Spiritual

There is a lot of talk about 2020 being the year to set a new vision for one’s self and stepping into the best life you can dream of. Change theorists will say that our normal state of being is chaos – from that, we can create our world and its reality.  This sounds crazy, over-the-top,  a  rose-coloured glass type of reality.  Yet if we resist change, we will stop growing, learning, exploring or risking to try something different; to be something different.  We will never get a different result from what we already have if we continue doing what we’ve always done, always thought and always felt.

Throughout history, many versions of the Hero’s Story abound.  And although the characters, locations and situations are different, the main themes remain universal.  Looking at the works of people like Joseph Campbell, C.S. Lewis, Carl Jung, George Lucas, Albert Broccoli, J.R.Tolkien and J.K. Rowling, we can easily see the archetypal story of the Hero unfold.  Joseph Campbell called it the monomyth – the story which is understood by everyone, everywhere, throughout history and eternity, at a primal/cellular level.

So what is the Hero’s Journey really about?  To answer this question, let’s look at Carol Pearson’s book,  Awakening the Heroes Within”

“We find a model for learning how to live in stories about heroism. The heroic quest is about saying Yes to yourself and, in so doing, becoming more fully alive and more effective in the world.  For the Hero’s Journey is first about taking a journey to find the treasure of your True Self and then about returning home to give your gift to help transform the kingdom – and, in the process, your own life.  The quest itself is replete with dangers and pitfalls, but it offers great rewards:  the capacity to be successful in the world, knowledge of the mysteries of the human soul, the opportunity to find and express your unique gifts in the world and to live in loving community with other people.”   (p.1)

“… The paradox of modern life is that at the same time that we are living in ways never done before and therefore daily recreating our world, our actions often feel rootless and empty.  To transcend this state, we need to feel rooted simultaneously in history and eternity.  This is why the myth of the hero is so important in the contemporary world.  It is a timeless myth that links us to peoples of all times and places.  It is about fearlessly leaping off the edge of the known to confront the unknown, and trusting that when the time comes, we will have what we need to face our dragons, discover our treasures, and return to transform the kingdom.  It is also about learning to be true to ourselves and live in responsible community with one another.”  (p.2)

When do we know when it is time to embark on our personal journey?  Usually, it starts with a sense that something is not quite right; things are not as we would want them to be; inner restlessness or distractions that won’t leave us alone. It may not make sense to anyone else but ourselves.

Stage One of the Journey is called the Preparation Stage.  It will challenge us to prove our competence, courage, our fidelity to high ideals.  Testing, trials, tribulations abound in an effort to make us prove our worthiness for this treasure.

Archetypes associated with this stage include the Innocent (teaches trust and optimism), the Orphan (teaches us to provide for ourselves and stop relying on others), the Warrior (teaches setting goals and strategies, develop courage and discipline) and the Career (teaches caring for others and ourselves).  These four basic archetypes teach us how to live in the world. They are necessary if we are to be successful in completing the Journey.

Stage Two of the Journey is simply called The Journey. Now, we leave the comfort and safety of all we’ve known and embark upon a quest where we encounter death, suffering and love. If we have prepared ourselves well, we will find a way through this journey. During this time, we become transformed.  In myths, this is usually symbolized by the finding of a great treasure or sacred object.

 Archetypes associated with this stage include the Seeker (searching for something that satisfies our yearning), the Destroyer (initiation through suffering, takes away what we thought was essential to ourl lives) the Lover (a new love for people, causes, places, work; forces a commitment from us to birth our true self) and the Creator (helps us express this new self in the world and start the return to our queen/kingdom).These four basic archetypes teach us the basic process of dying to the old self and giving birth to the new self. This process prepares us to return to our queen/kingdom and change our lives.

 Stage Three of the Journey is called The Return.  As the journey comes to an end, we come to realize that we are the rulers of our own Queen/Kingdom.  Upon return, we might be upset with the state of our world, but because of our new-found self-knowledge, skills and understandings we can transform our world into the world we believe in – the world we desire. We will create a world that is in keeping with our true self – the Self we brought back with us. We are free to be ourselves and offer our gifts to others.

 Archetypes associated with this stage include the Ruler (teaches how to take command over our Queen/Kingdom to create a beautiful world), the Magician (able to heal and transform ourselves and others so the queen/kingdom can be continually renewed), the Sage (teaches what the Truth really is; sets us free from attachment and petty desires) and the Fool (teaches us to live joyously in the moment without worrying about the future). These final attainments are the reward for our journey.

There is not only one journey taken in our lifetime.  Life is an ever-changing event that needs continual attention, destruction and renewal. “Out with the old, In with the new.”   As we evolve, we embark upon new Journeys in order to keep our world from becoming stagnant.  Each time we embark upon our personal Hero’s Journey, we bring more life experience, knowledge, skills and soul growth to the adventure.  This, in turn, assists us to bring back richer treasures to aid with our own health and healing as well as those whom we share our world.

 When you feel those stirrings in your heart, mind and soul, maybe it is your True Self trying to get your attention.  Are you listening?  After all, it is for your Highest Good.

 

Setting a New Course

Setting a New Course

by | Life Reflections, Psycho-Spiritual

With the New Year upon us, we have a chance to evaluate our past year and see where we’d like to make better choices and changes in our lives.  This is where Honesty comes in;  no time to be in denial. No time to point blame elsewhere.  And no time to minimize or rationalize anything negative that came our way.  It happened, we reacted, and the results weren’t what we wanted or expected. Now, if we want to see a different, more positive result, we need to take responsibility for our reaction and work at developing a new approach – a new response. Without a new approach, we won’t get a new result.  And we can expect more of the same over and over.

There is a difference between a reaction and a response.  Most of us react to people and situations that trigger a deep, powerful emotion within us. This emotion is generally rooted in things like abandonment, low self-esteem, fear, anger or rejection from an earlier time in life.  When we act from this position, we are actually showing others that we are feeling victimized from our own past and its accompanying emotions. We haven’t worked things out and let them go. They are still there, like emotional buttons waiting to be pushed. What we get back from the other person is often emotionally charged, too. This can set up a potentially dangerous situation – physically, mentally and/or emotionally. Reaction is like a quick reflex – a knee-jerk reaction.  Once it is done, we can’t take it back. Often times we wish we could so we could do it better!

A response is different.  When we respond to people or situations, we employ both our head and heart. We recognize our emotional state, but we think before we talk or take action.  Our thinking and feeling coordinate to create the response.  When we choose to respond, we show we are using a balanced approach to the situation or person. A response shows that we are in control of ourselves in the situation. We have no buttons to be pushed!  We are free from our past and the emotions attached to it.  We choose to respond to our past and present, so that our future can be better.

How do we switch from using reaction to response?  One of the keys is Surrender.  Odd as it may sound, surrendering to all that has happened in the past allows for it to leave us alone.  When we hold on to it, fight with “the demons of the past”, or continue to wish that the past had been better, we are giving our past the control over our current state of being and ability to balance our head and heart reactions into responses.  If there are no emotional buttons to push, we can think and feel more clearly. We can act more neutrally. We stay in the Now and respond in the Now.

The more often we use responses towards emotionally charged situations and people,  the better we start to feel about ourselves.  This, in turn, helps increase our sense of positive feelings for ourselves and our abilities.  And our confidence and trust in our ability to create our own way will start to increase. Action will follow thought!

See yourself in a whole new light.  Don’t expect others to like what they see, as they’ve been used to you being another way that suited their purposes.  But in time, and with your consistent responses, not reactions, to what others say or do to you, they will come to know that your strength, courage and belief in yourself are real. This is your new course – your new way of being.  This is how you begin to set a new course for what you truly want in your future.

You are in the driver’s seat – where do you want to go?