Soul Navigations

Soul Navigation Card of the Week: CONTEMPLATION

Definition: deep consideration; reflection; thoughtful observation; meditation; mindfulness; introspection.

When we are in contemplation we slow down, turn inward, and reflect upon things very deeply.  In deep introspection, our “searchlight” reviews a myriad of past events, actions and choices, our life, or the meaning of life. We may turn our attention to specific issues of concern, but may also be able to observe our process in the moment – the rising and falling of thoughts, feelings and emotions.

Being ever mindful of the present begins to naturally create space between stimulus and response, action and non-action, doing and not doing. It is this pause and space that enables us greater freedom of choice. We may not always have to move into deep contemplation to apply skillful reflection; by being more present or mindful can enable true Self to engage more directly in our lives.

Contemplation is also known as a stage in the process of change where one reviews the advantages and disadvantages of change and explores how best to move forward in the future. It is a stage in the process of change that is necessary before we take action. If we linger too long in this phase it can sometimes feel as if we are stuck reviewing the past or a course of future action. This sometimes happens when one is rigidly attached to an outcome, has unprocessed regrets, or is bound by fear or past conditioning. 

The purpose of reflection is to review, revise, and come again to a situation in a different way. In this way we grow, evolve and move more into alignment with our authentic self. 

If you have pulled this card, there may be something you may want to reflect on or review at a deeper level. It may also be time to become more mindful of the present. Are you currently in the contemplation phase of change?  How does contemplation fit for you now? Can you take a more mindful position?  What are your favorite forms of contemplation?  Do you need to set aside regular times for contemplation?

 

© 2012 Leslie Helen Bambic Ciechanowski

Every week I shuffle and draw a card to write about and represent the week ahead. If you would to like purchase or view the full deck visit www.fuzionhealingarts.com/products.

Soul Navigation Card of the Week: CLARITY

Definition: Free from obscurity; comprehensible and easy to understand; the state or quality of being clear; lucidity; unambiguousness; intelligible; exactness; light.

Clarity often refers to our experience of achieving sudden comprehension when previously things were unclear. The origins of the word come from Latin meaning clear, or bright.  Indeed, clarity can feel like having the sun come out from behind the clouds, or like a light illuminating what was once in darkness. When things become clear, related elements that were once obscured from view can also be seen.

A moment of clarity is often experienced as a sudden insight, a flash of understanding, or an “aha moment” when the light bulb turns on.  It may be a sudden understanding of a problem one has been working on, a truth that has been out of reach for some time, or perhaps some dynamic or pattern that becomes clear. The experience of achieving clarity can be a personal revelation or epiphany that send depth charges into our very being, sometimes illuminating a personal truth, or a grander vision of interconnectivity. 

The ways by which we arrive at clarity vary from person to person, and problem to problem. Journaling, talking it out, deep reflection, stopping the inner chatter, or seeking out someone who may be knowledgeable in your area of inquiry may all be ways of attaining greater clarity. Realizations often come in flashes, sometimes when we have stopped searching so hard and allow the wisdom of what we already know to come through. 

If you have pulled this card, you may be currently experiencing or seeking greater clarity in your life.  Perhaps something has recently been illuminated for you.  Are you having difficulty seeing what is going on?  Does it feel like you need more information about something?   What would have to happen for you to achieve greater clarity?  What would have to happen for you to acknowledge what you already know?

 

© 2012 Leslie Helen Bambic Ciechanowski

Every week I shuffle and draw a card to write about and represent the week ahead. If you would to like purchase or view the full deck visit www.fuzionhealingarts.com/products.

Soul Navigation Card of the Week: FOUNDATION

 

Definition: the basis on which something is grounded; lowest support of a structure; an institution supported by an endowment; groundwork, substructure or understructure; education or instruction in the fundamentals of a field of knowledge; the fundamental assumptions from which something is begun, developed, calculated or explained. 

When we lay the groundwork for something in our lives we are establishing the foundation on which other things can be built. Strong foundations are like deep roots and are essential for anything that is lasting in our lives. They ground us to our origins and ancestry, and can provide the blueprints to help us navigate through any problems that may arise.

A solid foundation in early childhood provides the basic building blocks of our personality and character, shapes our interactions with the environment, and even the quality of our consciousness.  Repetitive problems or patterns that we may encounter may be rooted in our foundations and solutions may require that we address them at that level. 

It is important to put adequate time and energy into developing the fundamentals at the beginning of any undertaking.  Not doing so can predispose to future difficulties, which may not be reparable without serious restructuring and remodeling. Costly problems can arise when a house is built in a weak foundation and basics are not tended to.

If you have pulled this card, you may want to ask yourself what is the nature of the foundation you are standing upon?  How deep does your foundation go?  How are you connected to your roots and how do your roots influence you now?  Are you in the process of laying the groundwork for something in your life? What are the important fundamentals to your growth, your essence?  Do you need to make some fundamental changes in your life?

 

© 2012 Leslie Helen Bambic Ciechanowski

Every week I shuffle and draw a card to write about and represent the week ahead. If you would to like purchase or view the full deck visit www.fuzionhealingarts.com/products.

 

 

Soul Navigation Card of the Week: JUGGLING

Definition: To juggle objects; to deal with two or more things simultaneously;, the act of manipulating balancing things; balancing; to keep two or more objects in motion at one time.

In the most common use of the word, juggling is the ability to keep two or more objects moving in mid-air without dropping them.  The juggler learns this skill through dedicated practice and attention.  She or he typically starts with two rounded, easily held objects, gradually adding in more props of differing types and sizes, and then perhaps adding the variant of juggling with others.  It is a skill that involves great timing, rhythm, balance, and coordination. 

Juggling is used metaphorically to describe our increasingly divided activities in today’s busy world that we commonly describe as “multitasking”.  We juggle home life, work life, social life and personal life – engaging in many tasks all at once.  We move from role to role and try to balance our various responsibilities – focusing on one, then another, concurrently or serially – switching from task to task. 

As with mid-air juggling, multitasking requires similar skills: timing, rhythm, balance, coordination, and also great organization.  A good “multitasker” can accomplish much. However, taking on too much or too many life events can disrupt our rhythm and create demands that throw off our focus.  The downside of multitasking is that it leads to a scattering of our energies and intentions, and reduces the quality of our attention, work and or the ability to be present.

If you have pulled this card you may want to examine what you are currently juggling.  How many “balls” do you currently have in the air?  Are you succeeding at getting a multitude of tasks done, or do you have too much going on at once?   Is this a period of time that require lots of multitasking?  Do you need to move things around to make room for other things?  What would it take for you to be a masterful juggler?

 

©2012 Leslie Helen Bambic Ciechanowski

Every week I shuffle and draw a card to write about and represent the week ahead. If you would to like purchase or view the full deck visit www.fuzionhealingarts.com/products.

 

Soul Navigation Card of the Week: COMMUNITY

Definition: A group of people living in a particular local area, having common ownership, or having common interests, values or goals; a district where people live; a group of interdependent organisms inhabiting the same region and interacting with each other.

The word community comes from the Latin word “communis” which means common. When we are in community we share a common bond and are like-minded with regards to values, interests, geographical location, and affiliations of numerous kinds. The interpersonal support gained from community creates a bond and can provide sense of belonging and connectedness. This supportive network increases our overall well-being in social, emotional or physical ways.

Traditionally, community formed around geographical location and habitat. Our first community was family, then extended family and, eventually, the tribe. We are social animals, naturally forming affiliations and finding connection with others through likes and dislikes as well as needs and common goals.  These extended relationships and mutual supportiveness have been important factors in our survival as a species.  Communities, however, have broadened beyond local neighborhoods to the World Wide Web, where online communities are formed through social networks, chat rooms, and gaming communities of various kinds. 

Today’s accessibility to the global community has expanded our awareness about how interconnected and interdependent we all are.  This change of consciousness asks us to expand our thinking and actions to include a broader sphere of community – our humanity.  That which makes us unique and different is also the place where we come together. When each person offers their individuality in a manner that is whole to the community, it creates a bond of mutuality, respect and support that is beyond measure.

Sometimes our connection to community changes. We may move away and have difficulty maintaining connection with people, or we may lose community through changes in affiliations or common interests. Communities that were once a good fit for us may no longer fulfill a supportive role. When this happens, it can feel like we are being constricted and asked to conform to the values and interest of the group, which may no longer be in alignment with our concerns.

If you pulled this card you may want to explore the nature of community for you. What is the extent of your circle of interconnectedness?  Do you have a supportive community?  Is it time to reach out to, or find your community?  Are your communities still of value for you?  Do you still have a shared bond in your community?  What do you offer to your community?  How do your choices impact the greater community?

2011 Leslie Helen Bambic Ciechanowski

Every week I shuffle and draw a card to write about and represent the week ahead. If you would to like purchase or view the full deck visit www.fuzionhealingarts.com/products.

 

Soul Navigation Card of the Week: PERSISTENCE

Definition:  Persevering; continuing or repeating a behavior; determination; doggedness; endurance; tenacity; refusing to stop.

Persistence is a quality that can be helpful in achieving our goals. When we are persistent, we continue with a set of activities until their completion, rarely wavering from our desired goal. When persistent, we may endure numerous pitfalls or discouragements, and there may be times when we contemplate giving up, but we do not.  We get up again and again, and move forward, despite fatigue and despite internal or external criticism. The drive towards the desired “end” is strong and propels us forward. 

In the well known fable of the tortoise and the hare, the tortoise’s persistence and dogged determination kept him moving forward to win the race against his formidable opponent.  Sometimes we need this type of dogged determination in our lives to keep us moving forward despite “apparent odds”.

Persistence may also refer to something that continues well beyond its ability to be useful and supportive. When something persists that is not welcomed, it can be experienced as annoying and even deleterious to us - be it a “persistent cough”, annoying gadfly, or a behavior that has become a “nasty habit”.  To change it may require an awareness or tolerance that is equally persistent and pervasive.

If you have pulled this cards you may want to ask yourself if there is something requiring more determination in your life.  Is there confirmation of a continued effort you have already invested?  Do you need to persist toward a goal to achieve your desired results? Is there something persisting in your life that you would like to change?  Perhaps if what is persisting is unwanted, it requires equal amounts of tenacity to change it.

 

© 2011 Leslie Helen Bambic Ciechanowski

Every week I shuffle and draw a card to write about and represent the week ahead. If you would to like purchase or view the full deck visit www.fuzionhealingarts.com/products.

 

Soul Navigation Card of the Week: TRUTH

 

Definition: A fact that has been verified; conformity to reality; a statement proven to be or accepted as true; sincerity; integrity; fidelity to an original standard; that which is considered to be the supreme reality and to have the ultimate meaning and value of existence.

Satya is the Sanskrit word for truth and refers to that which is unchangeable and pervades the universe in all its constancy. Some say it is not for us to know an absolute or ultimate truth, for we live in a land of relativity, but that we can experience glimpses of truths that cross paradigms and dimensions. Indeed, truth is relative. What is true for one person is not necessarily true for another. Truth is also relative across paradigms. A poetic truth is not always a literal truth. What is true in one area of the sciences may not necessarily be true in other areas. When groups agree upon a way of perceiving something, it is believed as true. Not understanding an individual’s or group’s truth does not necessarily make the truth invalid. 

Yet, when we come upon “a truth” we often have a visceral experience somewhat akin to an “aha” moment. There is a certainty of knowing that feels undeniable, and an alignment with our self that “rings true” throughout our whole being. We may experience it as a sens,ate knowing, cognitive knowing, intuitive knowing or otherwise, but its certainty feels undeniable.

Expressions such as “the truth hurts” paradoxically serve to keep our frightened defense-ridden ego from the truth of its nature. It is not the truth that is painful, but rather the process of letting go of illusions and defensive structures that binds us to false beliefs. Our personal truth is not about following rules of right and wrong, but about how aligned we are with our core self and our heart. When we speak with our heart, we speak with truth, other hearts listen, and our own being perks up. When we are aligned with our truth, we can feel like “truth has set us free”. We may experience a lightness of being as we step out of illusion and let go of points of view that constrict us. When deeply aligned with truth, we may feel open and centered, and a freedom of being.

If you have drawn this card you may want to reflect on what truth is for you. Are you being called to explore your inner truth? Is there a truth being reflected to you in this moment? Does your situation reflect a truth for you, or is it out of alignment with your own truth? Do you need to honor your truth, through voice, action, or silence? 

© 2011 Leslie Helen Bambic Ciechanowski

Every week I shuffle and draw a card to write about and represent the week ahead. If you would to like purchase or view the full deck visit www.fuzionhealingarts.com/products.

Soul Navigation Card of the Week: CENTER

 

Definition: A point equidistant from the ends of a line or the boundaries of a figure; the most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience; object upon which interest and attention focuses; a place where some particular activity is concentrated.

The felt center of our being – sometimes called authentic self, core self, or true self – serves as a focal point in our spiritual development. When we are centered, we have a greater awareness of the essence of our being, we meet aspects of everyday life with greater ease, and we have a stronger connection to our place in the experience of life. There is a greater flowing of our essence from our inner core that keeps us from becoming overwhelmed by the vicissitudes of life.

The notion of the existence of a central part of our being is a complex idea that leads to numerous philosophical, spiritual and scientific debates. If we believe we are infinite beings, then our center is not necessarily a place, but a felt connection to the truth of our being, free from constrictions and limitations.  We often hear phrases such as ‘being centered’, ‘keeping our center’, or ‘being off center’.  To be centered in our ‘core self’ is more a felt sense in our experience, rather than something that can be mapped in time and place, or that can be explained through linear logic. We can be centered physically, psychologically or spiritually. When we are aligned with our core values, feelings or ideas we experience congruency in our decisions and actions. Alternatively, we may become ‘off center’, misaligned, and the stresses of life may ‘tip us over’ when we are not centered. 

If you have pulled this card you may want to explore the meaning of center for you. When have you felt the most at center or ‘centered’?  How have your life and life decisions flowed when you felt centered?  Do you need to find ways to bring yourself back to center?  What would your life look like if you were always connected to center?

 

© 2011 Leslie Helen Bambic Ciechanowski

Every week I shuffle and draw a card to write about and represent the week ahead. If you would to like purchase or view the full deck visit www.fuzionhealingarts.com/products

Soul Navigation Card of the Week: IMAGINATION

Definition: The formation of a mental image of something that is not perceived as present to the external senses; the ability to form mental images of things or events; the ability to deal resourcefully with unusual problems.

The power of imagination is one of the most potent resources we have for healing, for creative endeavors, inventions and for expanding our horizons. Imagination relies upon a high level of creative fluidity, and the ability to tap into and interact with the non-rational dream-like world. Engaging the imagination involves not only imagining pictures in one’s mind, but also utilizing all five senses as well as feelings, emotions, and intuition.  When we imagine we engage in the imaginal as if it had a life of its own.

A strong imagination is a necessary component of all creative endeavors be it related to work, personal projects, or shaping the direction of one’s life.  Some mystical doctrines believe that all things first arise in the world of the imagination before becoming real.

In the Asclepian Temples, healing rituals involved connecting to the inner imaginal world through dreams and visions to access messages for healing.  Shamans have been some of the earliest healers bridging the “imaginal” world with mind, body, and soul.  Science today has only begun to touch upon the powers of the imagination for healing utilizing techniques such as hypnosis, guided imagery, biofeedback and even EMDR.

Imagination can have a “downside”, which is not about imagination per se, but about the way it may be integrated in one’s life.  If one is not centered, present or able to navigate and distinguish between the imaginal world and the “real” world, difficulties may arise. We may have flights of fantasy when carried away with the imaginal world, that under certain circumstances can become actively imagined worries and fears to the point of having difficulty distinguishing what is real. Extreme examples are found in episodes of psychoses or delusions that make it challenging to function. 

If you have pulled this card you may want to explore the role imagination plays in your life.  What are you imagining day-to-day?   Is it something you would like more of?  How could you have more of what you are imagining?  Does your life function more in the world of the imagination?  How could increasing imaginative play change your world?  Do you need to ground your imagination in more practical ways?

 

© 2011 Leslie Helen Bambic Ciechanowski

Every week I shuffle and draw a card to write about and represent the week ahead. If you would to like purchase or view the full deck visit www.fuzionhealingarts.com/products.

Soul Navigation Card of the Week: FOCUS

Definition: Concentration of attention or energy; maximum clarity or distinctness of an image or idea; a central point or locus of attention; special emphasis attached to something.

When we are focused, our attention is directed to a specific thing or task, and it seems as though nothing can distract us. With pinpointed focus in our activities, there are fewer blurred edges of uncertainty, our concentration becomes laser-like, and much can be accomplished.

However, there are also many distractions that can pull us away from our intended course. In today’s world, there are numerous social and personal commitments that are part of our busy lives and multiple roles and responsibilities that engage our attention. Helpful technological advances also create distractions that are a press of a button away.  Staying focused can be challenging, requiring ongoing awareness to redirect us when we are “off track”, be it moment-to-moment, day-to-day, or in our general life direction. 

If you have pulled this card you may want to explore what focus means for you and how it manifests in your life. Do you need to pull back from a microscopic focus and take a broader look at what we have been focused on? Alternatively, are you a “multitasker” who is spread too thin? You may want to ask yourself if you need greater focus of your energies on a day-to-day basis. Is a change of focus needed or simply more concentration required to accomplish your tasks? Is there a point of focus you could have that would allow other things in your life to flourish? What benefits would you gain by having more focus in your life?  What is beneficial about what you are focusing on right now?

 

© 2011 Leslie Helen Bambic Ciechanowski

Every week I shuffle and draw a card to write about and represent the week ahead. If you would to like purchase or view the full deck visit www.fuzionhealingarts.com/products .

 

Soul Navigation Card of the Week: AIR

 

 

Definition: In its pure form, a colorless, odorless and tasteless gaseous substance; the region above the ground enveloping the earth; the atmosphere; the sky; a breeze or wind; personal bearing; a distinctive but intangible quality surrounding a person or thing; a succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence; medium for radio and television broadcasting. 

Once thought to be one of the four elements by Empedocles, air is still considered a fundamental element in many traditions.  In some shamanic traditions it is connected to the direction of East, and associated with spring and new beginnings. In other traditions, air is seen as connected to the breath of life, the nature of mind, communication, divine prana, and the Holy Spirit. Indeed, we can imagine that in the form of wind, air can carry away our troubles, blow away strife, and carry positive thoughts to those far away.

When we connect to the element air we naturally move into a place of boundlessness. Air carries particular combination of gases that sustains life.  We come into this world with an indrawing of our first breath of life, and we exit with a final exhalation.  Through our lives, as a way of increasing the space of our experience at any given moment, or to slow down or bring calm, we need only begin with the breath.  Slow, deep and rhythmic breathing will often allow us to approach our center and be in the moment with more calm and ease.

Our language expresses our experience of air and our need for more or less of this element.  For example, we may need to engage to a greater degree in the air element when we are overly engaged, contracted or too immersed.  Here we may need to “come up for air”, need a “breath of fresh air”, or “air our grievances”.  When we have too much air we may lack the practical energy that brings things to action, and we may be see as too airy, or we may even be seen as  an “air head”.  Other expressions that reflect how we may be experiencing the air element include:  “putting on airs”, being “full of hot air”, or “vanishing into thin air”.  Our experience of the air element suggests that there is the quality of space, fluidity, and lack of crystallization of something, as in the phrases “rumors in the air”, or when something is “up in the air”,. 

If you have drawn this card, consider how the air element is affecting you.  Do you need more space in your life?  What would it take to create more space in your life? Do you need to pause and breathe?  Perhaps you need a breath of fresh air, or conversely, there is too much air in your life.  Is your life too much up in the air? 

 

© 2011 Leslie Helen Bambic Ciechanowski

Every week I shuffle and draw a card to write about and represent the week ahead. If you would to like purchase or view the full deck visit www.fuzionhealingarts.com/products .

 

Soul Navigation Card of the Week: ATTACHMENT

Definition: The state of being attached; close adherence or affection; fidelity; passion or affection that binds a person to another; a feeling of affection for a person or institution; social or emotional ties; a supplementary part or accessory.

Attachment is defined as an emotional bond that links us to that to which we are connected. Whenever we interact with our environment, we establish bonds, links, and connections with something or someone. These connections or attachments usually sustain us, can uplift us, and can fulfill needs of various sorts. We can feel attached to people, places, things, ideas, beliefs, or even memories.  Attachments may not always be bonds of closeness but also of aversion – such as strong emotions against something or someone, certain ideas, happenings or people.

In early childhood, we form patterns of attachment to our caregivers. These patterns of early childhood attachment often guide our relational experience for years to come by forming a blueprint for future relationships – sometimes called an ‘attachment style’.  As we develop, our attachments may change and evolve. Healthy attachments help us grow and deepen our relationship to Self and to the world. They are flexible, supportive, nourishing, and mutually enhancing. Attachments become unhealthy when we rely on them excessively, or when they become constricting and inflexible and become a hindrance to our connection to Self.

When others have an unhealthy attachment to us, personal boundaries may have become blurred. This may be experienced as dependency and felt as a weight, or even drain us on a number of levels. Addictions of all sorts may also fall under this category, and may include unhealthy attachments to drugs, alcohol, food, T.V., people, emotions, etc. They become a way we avoid, mask, or numb our experience. 

Non-attachment, or equanimity refers to the process of learning to let go of the many attachments, aversions, fears, and false identities that can cloud true self. Cultivating equanimity requires letting go of attachments that prevent this connection, as well as healing attachments that misidentify the Self through rigidity and inflexibility. Healthy attachments support and sustain our inner journey, and reduce the degree to which we get sidetracked into pains and pleasures along the way.

If you have pulled this card, you may want to ask yourself what are you attached to or what is attached to you? Are you connected to something that is no longer serving you?  What are the contributions of your attachments? Are your attachments hindrances or a enhancements? Is your attachment to what something should look or be like preventing it from being what it needs to be?

 

© 2011 Leslie Helen Bambic Ciechanowski

Every week I shuffle and draw a card to write about and represent the week ahead.

To purchase or view the full deck visit www.fuzionhealingarts.com/products .

 

Soul Navigation Card of the Week: RESPONSIBILITY

Definition: the proper sphere or extent of your activities; the social force that binds you to the course of action demanded by that force; answerable to someone, or something; a form of trustworthiness; accountability. 

Responsibility is the ability to respond and be accountable.  It may be felt as a subtle awareness on some level, that accompanies and guides a response.  Ones ability to respond is influenced in turn by ones awareness.  The extent of ones sense of accountability ranges from ones self, social sphere, family friends, work, etc.

Biologically, we are guided by instinctual impulses, which can oftentimes direct our propensity to respond such as, a mother’s impulse to nurture her newborn child.  Psycho-socially, some factors that guide our accountability are commitment and valued end. If there has been a commitment made to oneself, another, a job, or a business there is an agreement made towards a valued end that directs and guides our actions.  The valued end becomes an ethical guide that directs ones choices – personal, social, or public agreements.  Each person discerns their “valued end” according to their own mores and perspectives.

There are responsibilities that we take on from experiences in early childhood, and some say there are responsibilities taken on at a soul level that can span life times.  Whether you believe in the eternality of the soul, or soul as an expression of unconscious feelings, there are tacit “agreements” that guide our sense of responsibility and the ways we engage with the world.

Some people feel great responsibility not only to themselves, but also the lives of others, and more globally the earth and its inhabitants.  Some take on responsibilities that are not theirs to bear at an early age, and continue to do so into adulthood.  Others feel that responsibility is a dirty word and react, or even rebel against the sense of constriction and heaviness it gives them, and still others are unable to accept any responsibility for the effects of their actions.

Responsibility can be so convoluted and involved that professions have been built around deciphering the intricacies of this emotion.  Religious and legal systems speak of ways that we are held accountable for our actions according to the beliefs of their system and rules.  Ultimately we are responsible for our true self, our actions, feelings, and our choices.  Some say that we are responsible not simply for ourselves, but the contribution we bring to the whole. 

If you have pulled this card, you may want to explore your personal call to responsibility.  Ask yourself where does your responsibility begin and end?    What is your contribution to your life, to those of others?  Have you been shirking some responsibility or avoiding your awareness?  Perhaps you need to reevaluate your responsibility in some matters.  Are you carrying the burden of responsibilities that are not yours?  Is there something you are aware of that needs a response?

© 2011 Leslie Helen Bambic Ciechanowski

Every week I shuffle and draw a card to write about and represent the week ahead. If you would to like purchase or view the full deck visit www.fuzionhealingarts.com/products

Soul Navigation Card of the Week: ABUNDANCE

Definition: a more than adequate quantity or supply; a great amount; plenty; overflowing fullness; sufficiency; profusion.

When we have an abundance of something, we have more than enough to meet our needs. Our cup is not simply full, but overflowing. When we feel there is plenty, and believe there always will be plenty, we more easily engage in generosity of spirit. Abundance is not about how much we have, but rather having more than enough to meet our needs.

 When people speak of abundance they are often referring to money - perhaps because in our society, money provides us many ways to meet our needs. Abundance, however, can refer to any area of our life, whether it is friends, opportunities, activities, food, work, time, feelings, or affection.  When we feel abundant there is an appreciation for all we have, an alignment with our desires and beliefs, and an expectation that life will always provide for us. Some say there is always enough of all that we truly need at any given moment, and that when we are in alignment, we are taken care of.

If we turn our attention away from appreciating what is, and start comparing and focusing on what we do not have, we can quickly move into a place of scarcity and lose touch with the abundance around us. If you are having difficulty finding abundance in your life, it may be worth examining the inner position you may have about scarcity. When needing plenty is motivated by scarcity and fear of not having, it promotes greed, hording, and moves us out of alignment with abundance.

The appearance of this card suggests that the qualities of abundance may be important for you at this juncture.  It may be a confirmation of existing abundance, abundance coming to you, or it may be a deeper reflection on the meaning of abundance for you.  Where do you feel abundant?  What would have to happen for you to generate an abundant flow in your life?  Are you noticing the abundance around you? What type of abundance would you like to have? Is there a time when abundance is too much? How much do we need to feel that there is enough in our lives?

 

© 2011 Leslie Helen Bambic Ciechanowski

Every week I shuffle and draw a card to write about and represent the week ahead.

If you would to like purchase or view the full deck visit www.fuzionhealingarts.com/products .

Soul Navigation Card of the Week: FIRE

Definition:  an event of something burning; the act of firing a weapon; the process of combustion; once thought to be one of four elements composing the universe (Empedocles); feeling of great warmth and intensity – ardor, fervor; a severe trial; intense adverse criticism.

Throughout history, fire has been seen as such an important element that many myths have its “dwelling place” with the gods, from which it came to be used by humans through expert thievery by demi-gods, or heroes, who often paid dearly for their hubris. Fire was seen as sacred. On a physical level fire keeps us warm, cooks our food, and, through the sun, brings us the light of day, sustaining life.  In Alchemy, fire was seen as a catalyst for both initiating and completing a process.  Fire represents transformation, energy, spirit, all things electrical, the sparks of inspiration, and the energy behind change. 

Our language reflects how we experience the element of fire. We often say someone has “sparked” new interests, or, when they are fully inspired or impassioned, they are “on fire” or have a “burning desire”. Fire also refers to adverse situations such as when we are in the “line of fire” under intense criticism, or when we are “fiery” mad, or “breathing fire” when angry. The experience of anger in our body is often felt as heat that can be explosive and that “fires us up”. 

The appearance of this card may suggest that the qualities of fire may be important for you at this juncture. It may be a confirmation that some fiery energy within you or around you is helping to transform your world. Or, it may be an indication that you need more fire in your life.    

If you have pulled this card, you may want to reflect on the meaning of fire for you. Ask yourself what you are on fire about. Is your fire at a steady flame or are you burning out of control?  Do you need more fire and inspiration in your life?  If there is too much fire, what would it take to bring you back to balance?

 

© 2011 Leslie Helen Bambic Ciechanowski

Every week I shuffle and draw a card to write about and represent the week ahead.

If you would to like purchase or view the full deck visit www.fuzionhealingarts.com/products

Soul Navigation Card of the Week: MAGIC

Definition: the art of influencing events or producing marvels; any art that involves supernatural powers; possessing or using supernatural powers; mysterious power; occurrences unexplainable by empirical evidence.

Magic engages us in the unexplained wonder and mystery in all aspects of life.  It is where “coincidences” appear as though planned by some unexplained order and where synchronicities abound - if we have eyes to see. 

To the “magician”, magic is the end result of mastery of his or her craft that hides the mechanism of the constructed illusion. Every move is orchestrated to enhance the illusion. To be our own magician is to be aware of and be able to move within the flow of life’s mysteries, to know how we are creating the world around us, and to be open to the wonder and mystery of that which we do not always understand.

Sages over the millennia have tried to decipher the mysteries of this magical life. Some say that one cannot understand this magic through the mind but rather through the eyes of the heart. It is through the heart where one can experience and appreciate wonder as through the eyes of a child. Others say there is a “Master Plan” put in place by a greater power named God, Allah, Great Spirit, Source, Great Creator, while some say we are all together part of this Source.

When our lives become magical, however, we are not living at the level of illusory tricks of a magician’s sleight of hand, but touch the numinous and the mysterious in our own magical selves. We tap into the place where we are connected to all of creation and life, and our eyes open to the mystery and magic around us. Expect magic. Entertain the mystical. Dance in wonder.

If you have pulled this card, you may want to ask yourself if you are living and experiencing from your magical self? Are you connected to your point of mystery and wonder?  What would it take for you to live all aspects of your life with magic?

 

© 2011 Leslie Helen Bambic Ciechanowski

Every week I shuffle and draw a card to write about and represent the week ahead. If you would to like purchase or view the full deck visit www.fuzionhealingarts.com/products .

Soul Navigation Card of the Week: CREATIVITY

Definition:  The ability to create; bring into existence; engaging in an activity of an artistic nature; originality; expressive nature.

Creativity is the ability to generate something new through skills of the imagination.  Feeling creative is often experienced as a richness of ideas and feelings, which can generate original thinking and urges for expression.

One’s creativity may take the form of an artistic project, a new solution to a problem, or an innovative way of thinking.  To approach something creatively usually requires flexibility of mind to innovate and combine things in ways they may not have been combined before.  We benefit from being able to think outside of the box and in some ways be able to - as a child in play - transform objects from one thing to another, and see with fresh eyes.

We usually think of artistic pursuits when we think of creativity; however, creativity is important in all areas of life.  From our daily routine, to various fields of study - architecture, economics, science, or art, creativity infuses each area with innovation and expands possibility.

Humans have often been described as “co-creators”.  One does not have to look far to see civilizations the human species has built – past and present.  Metaphysically speaking, some say we create our present and future from the very thoughts and feelings we entertain. In either case, we are responsible for our creations, both as individuals and collectively, which requires us to pause and ask what we are generating in any given moment.

If you have pulled this card, you may want to ask yourself where in your life are you experiencing creativity. What would it take for you to increase creativity in your life?   Is there an area of your life that would benefit from innovation?  Perhaps you are feeling a surge of creative expression.  What are you creating now?

© 2011 Leslie Helen Bambic Ciechanowski

Every week I shuffle and draw a card to write about and represent the week ahead.  My only rule is that if I draw one that I have already written about, I draw another.  In this way I am using the spirit of the cards themselves.  If you would like to purchase or view the full deck visit www.fuzionhealingarts.com/products .

 

Soul Navigation Card of the Week: PEACE

Definition: Harmonious relations; freedom from disputes; the absence of mental stress or anxiety; serenity.

Peace is often described as the absence of war, strife, conflict, or struggles of any kind in our internal or external world.  We all long for peace – a state of ease and harmony – and wish it for others as well: in their homes, their countries and in their hearts. Inner peace is felt as calm, harmony, and a sense of ease deep within our being.  When one is at peace with the present moment, nothing needs to be added to or taken away.

Peace in the world begins within each individual. When we let go of our internal conflicts over what is right and wrong, what is best or worst within ourselves or others, and when we drop the constant comparing, competing and judging of the mind, we silence the mental chatter and can drop into the depths of our hearts.  By breathing deeply from the heart we may able to let go of the mind’s story and move into the moment where peace resides.

Peace is not something we can wait for our leaders – be they political or spiritual – or anyone else to find for us. Peace is arrived at and created by dropping attachments to our “perceived reality”.  Forgiveness, awareness, and kindness further expand the peace that already dwells within us.  Peace is always with us – like a still-point of a spinning top – even when you feel that it is light-years away.

If you have pulled this card, you may want to ask yourself where your peace is.  When do you feel the most peaceful?  How do you come back to peacefulness?  What would have to happen for you to create more peace in your life?  Perhaps this card is a confirmation of the peace that you are currently experiencing or that is coming to you. 

 

© 2011 Leslie Helen Bambic Ciechanowski

Every week I shuffle and draw a card to write about and represent the week ahead.  My only rule is that if I draw one that I have already written about, I draw another.  In this way I am using the spirit of the cards themselves.  If you would like to purchase or view the full deck visit www.fuzionhealingarts.com/products .

I Love Questions!

It seems that I always have…I asked a lot as a kid, and still do.  Questions – mostly open-ended ones – are very much a part of the work I do.  They are like flashlights helping illuminate our lives and taking us on adventures of explorations of self and the world around us.  Wonderfully, there are more questions than answers.  If you have run out of questions you may want to ask yourself “What am I not seeing here?”.

I once heard a Nobel Peace Prize winner talk about what influenced his journey to get where he was at that time.  He thanked his mother whom he said asked him every day after school not what he learned, but whether he had asked any good questions that day. Though someone can assist you with your questioning, ultimately questions are your creation, and an opportunity for exploration bringing you to your own deepening.

 In this video, I present to you a magnificent teacher’s discussion of the importance of “big questions” for herself and her students.  She is an amazing expert facilitator of learning and questions. Even better, she is my sister! You can connect to her wise musings on her blog at http://yourlearningcurve.com.  I am sure she would love any questions you have for her!  Thank you Daryl, for your inspirint work in the world.

 

 

Soul Navigation Card of the Week: YES

Definition: Affirmative; affirmation of assent or approval; an expression of great satisfaction.

When we say “YES!” wholeheartedly, every part of our being opens up, and we accept and affirm that which we are saying yes to.  At that moment, there may be a sense of expansion in spirit and soul. If we could see our body’s response when we are experiencing a congruent and enthusiastic “YES!”, I imagine we would see our very pores and cells open up to receive!  When we fully engage, affirming what is happening in the moment, we enter a state of allowance and are able to overcome resistance. 

Often, however, we have been trained to say yes when it is not congruent with our being at a particular time, or in general.  We say yes for multiple reasons: out of obligation, social conformity, so that we don’t hurt another’s feelings, or perhaps to make ourselves feel better.  Worse yet, we may even be forced to say yes through manipulation or other abuses of power; this can create challenges not only in trusting others, but also in experiencing our own “felt sense” of yes.  It is important when we say yes that “all parts” of us are in accord, otherwise we move out of integrity and out of our own deep listening.  When one’s “yes” is half-hearted and not fully engaged, it does not bode well for what one is saying yes to.

Scan your awareness through all the levels of your being, without thinking but rather through sensing and careful noticing.  Do your body, mind, spirit and soul all feel consensual? Feel the difference when you embrace your experience with a “YES!”.  With yes your openness and willingness to embrace what is in the moment and in your life expands all possibilities.  Explore saying yes over and over again to the moment, to all that is happening around you, and to your very being.  Notice how you open up to the world in a huge, positive embrace.

If you have drawn this card, you may be embracing your life, or something in your life with enthusiasm and positivity.  You may be exactly where you need to be at this moment! All systems are go! What are you saying yes to?  Do you say yes when you mean no?  What would it look like to say yes to every moment?  How do you know when your whole being says yes?

© 2011 Leslie Helen Bambic Ciechanowski

Every week I shuffle and draw a card to write about and represent the week ahead.  

If you would like to purchase or view the full deck visit www.fuzionhealingarts.com/products .