Meditation

Tarot Tuesday: Clarity

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PlayshopBanner Hello again Tarot Enthusiasts, Healers, and Those in Search of Healing!

I have a little practice offering this morning in the Playshop!

This weekend I drew the Seven of Bottles (or traditionally Cups).

IMG_0436This card holds so much meaning for me both in it's classical interpretations and in The Collective Tarot's poignant queer imagery. The Seven of Bottles or Cups reminds us to get "grounded within when making choices." It is aware of the many choices that are presented to us-- some based in reality and some wrapped in illusion. It invites us to take a breath before moving if we need to. However, it also reminds us not to get overwhelmed and subsequently stuck in inactivity.

Clarity Practice

Essential Oils: Sage + Mint

You can either use a diffused spray version or dab a bit of diluted mint and sage onto your wrists, underneath your nose, on your temples, and on your third eye.

Pull the Seven of Bottle/Seven of Cups from your deck. Take a moment to sit with the card. Send awareness and attention towards decisions presenting themselves in your life. This may be a singular point of focus or just general querying around life journey movement.

Take some slow twists. Lying on your back with knees into your chest and then falling over to one side and the other allows you to be grounded to the earth as you twist out new space. However, any twists that your mobility allows for can be utilized here. In this way internal organ body and rest and digest system are engaged in your practice.

Next find a position that allows for the deepest and clearest breath. One of my favorites, supported savasana, is shown: here. This pose allows for open breath and open heart while also supported and grounded from underneath. Giving heart space to this practice is open but receiving heart space is kept safe. Some options for those with lower back sensitivity are to bring the soles of the feet to the earth with knees bent, walk the feet away from each other, and let the knees fall together gently. Alternately, if one doesn't have lower back issues, the soles of the feet can be brought together while knees fall outward (reclined butterfly or cobbler's pose). Care should be taken that a heart opener can intensify when paired with a hip opener. Our hips hold our powerful water energy that can help us sink fluidly into change. However, our hips also hold a lot of our emotional memory and can be a great source of vulnerability for many.

{Image Credit: http://playarunners.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Michelle_Yoga_Poses_588.jpg}

Again, any heart opening exercise should be done safely and with compassion for oneself. Choose one that feels good to you!

Once in your chosen position, start to take some deep breaths. Create balance for yourself by finding an even count on inhalation and exhalation. Take in the sage and mint to clear and uplift your consciousness to a bird's eye view of the decisions at hand. Allow yourself to view your potential movement with neutrality and equanimity. Once you feel like you have a good scope on the situation focus on taking your breath down into your core and making any decisions from this deep centered space.

During the process attempt to keep your breath even and flowing. Notice if your thought process starts to draw up anxiety and your breath becomes shallow. Draw your breath down and even it out. It's also helpful to be aware that many of us rush through our days without breathing very deeply. The depth of your breath in itself may create unfamiliar sensations in your body.

While this is a relatively safe practice, always follow your own internal guidance and take care of where you're at. Pause for breaks if you need to. Decisions don't have to be solidified all in one session.

After you feel your practice is completed, engage some sort of folding/turning in practice. If on your back you can draw your knees into chest and repeat twists. You can also fold forward over your knees or even lay on your side in the fetal position. Take some time to see how your decision feels in this less conscious portion of this practice. Note if you start to feel more settled or if it's difficult to let your decision sink into the rest of your body.

Hopefully this practice is helpful! Know that you can do it for as little or long as you wish. If you're someone that has a difficult time staying still or is dealing with a particularly long to do list, set a timer for an amount of time that feels right to you in your schedule so you fully focus on your breath practice and don't have to keep checking in with a clock throughout the process.

IMG_0428Wishing you clarity,

Traci

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Traci {She|Her|Hers|They|Them|Theirs} is a yoga teacher, therapist and amateur tarot enthusiast! They try to believe in the power of their inner Magician, stay inspired by the Fool’s spirit, understand struggle through the lens of The Tower/Disaster and always stay reminded that, “The Star Awaits…”

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There are photographs in this post that were borrowed lovingly from the internet and do not belong to us. All are linked and credited to the best of our abilities in hopes of attracting more traffic to the photographers and websites who have blessed us with this imagery. The inclusion of a photograph here should not be interpreted as an assertion of the subject’s or artist’s identity or beliefs. If there is a photo included here that belongs to you and you want it removed, please email compassionaterevolt@gmail.com and it will be removed promptly, no questions asked.

 

 

COM|PASSionate Events

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Happy Friday REVOLUTIONARIES! Life has been busy. Master plans have been made, re-made and tossed aside. We've been meditating on the importance of staying grounded and the magic healing power of getting swept away.

Temperance and deep breaths, friends. Temperance and deep breaths seems to be the ticket.

We hope you take time to get lost in dreamland and scrawl some love notes to yourself. Whether your love notes are a yoga class when your to do list is growing, a pause to switch on a lamp and journal when your day is dark or childlike chalk doodles where there could be neat clean sidewalk we encourage you to write with abandon! Place your love notes out in front of you, breathe them in, scatter them carelessly around your heart space and check in with which ones make you soar the highest... when you find them... write those love notes three more times.... scatter again.... repeat.

{http://iammorley.squarespace.com/}

EVENTS

Get out, take care of yourself and heal in community!

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Don't forget there's lots of upcoming ways to get involved!

RECOMMENDATIONS

Feeling like some quiet time at home is what you need? 

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In solidarity,

COM|PASSionate REVOLT

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*Events are put on by the CR Community/CR Community members. Other events are by friends of the CR Community or of interest to the CR Community. Feeling a little nervous about getting out and involved? Email us and if we can we'll make some introductions so you have a friendly face to say "Hi" to when you get there!

**Most of these events will be local to Southern CA (unless we notice an event that sets us off into road trip dreamland.) If you want to do a COM|PASSionate event round-up for your local area let us know!

***Are you an individual, meet-up or community group that has some COM|PASSionate events of your own? Email us for details on how to submit your event to our calendar!

compassionaterevolt@gmail.com

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There are photographs in this post that were borrowed lovingly from the internet and do not belong to us. All are linked and credited to the best of our abilities in hopes of attracting more traffic to the photographers and websites who have blessed us with this imagery. The inclusion of a photograph here should not be interpreted as an assertion of the subject's or artist's identity or beliefs. If there is a photo included here that belongs to you and you want it removed, please email compassionaterevolt@gmail.com and it will be removed promptly, no questions asked.

Slowing down...

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Good morning COM|PASSionate REVOLUTIONARIES! We  hope that you had some time for self-care the past couple of weeks and that you feel rejuvenated and/or recovered from the winter holiday season.

We've been meditating on slowing down.

There's been a lot of movement over the past year. We set our intentions high and seeing some of those intentions actualize into fruition is pretty amazing. Some of them have manifested in ways that are recognizable to the seeds of intention that were planted in our mind's eye. Some of them have taken on a life of their own. Plans have been made, re-made and scrapped. Around mid October we realized that we had fallen into a productive but frenetically energized wind tunnel. It took us until mid November to realize that it might serve us to set our sights on getting a bit more grounded. We didn't feel like we had started to find our footing again until a couple of weeks ago.

So we've been meditating on slowing down.

We're still saying yes to movement. Especially, movement towards this amazing healing community we're starting to see actualize. However, we're doing so with a grounding breath of gratitude so we don't miss everything there is to be grateful for already in existence all around us.

If you're also coming back and sinking into the schedule and present-ness of the new year we'd like to offer this meditation to settle in and slow down.

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Meditation on Slowing Down

Find a comfortable grounded seat. If you're fortunate enough to be able to find some warm outdoor space like us in Southern California or can find a quiet place to bundle up and enjoy the winter chill we highly encourage you to take your practice outside.

We've been loving a winter warming hibernation oil mix that we made for this meditation. It contains Orange to cheer and lift any seasonal lowness, Pine Needle to clear and open ourselves up and Cloves to warm and comfort.

Get grounded. If accessible actually on the ground but any comfortable seated or standing position will do. If utilizing oils place some underneath nose, on temples and heart space.

Palms up on the knees or open forward (if standing) is always a little bit more receiving. Palms down or near sides is always a little bit more grounding.

Start to take deep full breaths stretching your capacity for prana or life force. Find the edges of your breath- the biggest inhalations and fullest exhalations you can take. Feel your breath come up against the edges of your body container. Then return to a grounding count (i.e. an inhalation/exhalation count you can hold for the same amount of time.) Start to concentrate on your edges against your clothes and then transition focus to where your clothes or feet meet the earth.

Feel it solid beneath you. Draw breath up from abundant earth into body. Sit up taller with each breath or if standing let soles of the feet root downwards, arms become engaged by sides and crown of the head pulls up towards the sky. Radiate.

Enjoy this grounded radiation good for settling in, practicing being present and being open to the coming moment for as long as you'd like. When you feel sunken in and refreshed. Invite your breath to gently return to it's natural meter and softly open your eyes. It's completely normal to find that your breath's natural meter may be a bit more expanded than when you started your practice. Stay seated or still for at least five breaths after you have opened your eyes before returning to normal activities. Take time to process after if your mind wishes. This can be done via conversation, art, journaling or within community sending us a comment here!

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In present COM|PASSion and Gratitude,

The REVOLT