Today’s Focus Friday Card was pulled from the Mystical Shaman Oracle by Alberto Villoldo, Colette Baron-Reid and Marcela Lobos (Illustrated by Jena DellaGrottaglia)

Please take some time today and/or over the weekend to look at this picture and read the messages from the oracle deck and the message and exercises I suggest. Take what resonates!

Card: #8 The Circle 

The Essence: Unification, interconnectedness, and a sense of continuum is what this card implies. The Circle reminds us we are all One – dancers in a unified continuous inclusive circle. This card reminds us of the cycles of life and the evolving self, ever changing, and always connected: human, Spirit, Nature, the cosmos, all intrinsically connected.

The Invitation: When the Circle appears, it reminds you that you are connected to everything and everyone, including to Spirit. Spirit’s essence beats in your heart and inspires you to co-create your world, knowing that you count, that you have purpose in this world. Imagine even a smile to a stranger can change the course of a life. When the Circle invites you to a dance in the sacred steps of life, know that your work, your love, your service, brings greater value than you can know. Stay the course; keep dancing, and all will be well.

The Medicine: When the Circle comes as your medicine, you’re meant to come to an understanding of the importance of decay and letting go, the importance of dying to an old form and being reborn anew. If you are faced with the challenge of loss or disappointment, remember this: in the Circle of Life, nothing is ever wasted. Love will seek itself again, prosperity will come from a new idea or opportunity, and Spirit always waits for you to find your place in the dance again.

Jenny’s Message and Exercises: I began doing shamanic journeying circles close to two decade ago, but never delved deeper into shamanic practices until my mom passed, almost 3 years ago. I was having “grief dreams” and waking up with the same intense remorse I felt when she left her body. It was truly agonizing and not restful in a time where my waking life was also filled with grief. I contacted a friend who is a shaman (who also became my teacher) for a session, in the session my mom and grandmother came through – with significant messages. My mom (if you knew her – you’ll appreciate this) – said she was trying to loosen things up where she was, that it was like “funky town” (a song we danced to often together when I was growing up) there and a lot of people were serious.. I tell this story because shamanism reconnected me with the LOVE I felt from my mom and after that session, I did not wake up from grief dreams. She asked me to let go of that pain and to use my sleep for the much needed rest I was missing.

When I began to study Shamanism – it reminded me of my connectedness to everyone and everything – rocks, wind, fire, water, earth, animals, plants, trees, clouds, the sky, and every single living being on this planet. I know the last few years we have truly felt disconnected in so many ways. We were isolated, we had to adapt to new ways of being and I don’t know anyone who has escaped without some kind of loss, grief and lots of challenges. The fact that we HAVE all been through it – the planet, the people, the animals, the landscape… is even more reason to feel into that connection. To offer love where we can and also to receive. Yes, we do have differing views than others… but we all come from very different backgrounds too and what information truly informed our beliefs stemmed from that. When we move to love and working on ourselves, instead of judging or worrying about what others are doing – it opens the door up to healing and that connection. When we return to the simpler ways of BE-ing, instead of always running around and DO-ing, a new peace can birth within us, a serenity that connects us and allows us to live from a heart inspired place (instead of fear).

I want to offer a few different exercises – please take and try what resonates and leave the rest. 

1. GET OUTSIDE and connect with nature. I know no better way than to affirm we are connected. Whether you are in a park, out in the woods, in your backyard.. pick an element or a Being in nature to connect with (or more than one) maybe it is Earth, maybe it is looking to the sky and seeing what the cloud shapes look like to you, perhaps it is a silent walk by the water, or watching a stream… Commit to 10 minutes at least to connecting in some way with nature.. not judging, trying to stop the inner narrator and simply listening. After that time, see if you feel calmer and if any inspirational ideas came to you.  
2. Get quiet, shut off all noise, get into a comfy position and close your eyes. Place your hands on your heart and recall a happy memory with every single sense – it could be a simple time in nature or cuddling a pet, or it could be a significant life event – you choose – whatever it is – bring in the sights, ways you felt, smells, tastes if there were any and the emotions and energies involved. When you feel that peace and love in your heart – I want you to now imagine a bubble growing in your heart and pulsing filled with that love – almost like you are inflating a balloon with it. For a few moments, picture and feel into this bubble of light in your heart that is filled with that love. When you have a good feeling of that now imagine strings going out from that circle.. strings reaching out with love to your pets and loved ones in your home, strings reaching out to neighbors and your block (or area you live in), strings reaching out to your neighborhood – and it’s almost like these string are caressing and dancing with whoever or whatever they touch – blessing each and everything with love. There are millions of these strings coming from your heart.. picture them traveling further, throughout your town/city, into and all over your state, throughout your country, out into the stars, the oceans, and touching each and every being on the planet. See those strings moving out further and further and bask in the love you are feeling from every being and element also being included in this love circle. When you feel like all your feelers are “out there” sit for a second and again, contemplate all the places you sent love and feel an appreciation for yourself for sending that love. Now feel those strings slowly coming back with the gratitude from each thing/being you touched for the love you sent… so the love you sent out is now coming back to you.. see the strings retracting back into your heart. Feel them coming in and feel all the love you are receiving with this. Give thanks to yourself and for every being, element and aspect of this world that you touched with love and that gave love back to you. When you are ready open your eyes, you might want to write down what you experienced. This might take a while the first time you try it – but after a few tries you could do this exercise in a few minutes and feel totally different afterward.
3. Get quiet, shut off all noise, get into a comfy position and close your eyes. If possible, do this outside, if not, somewhere comfy inside is okay. You are going to simple LISTEN… listen and see if you hear the wind, a ticking clock or running water, try and listen harder and harder (or softer and softer the way you look at it) and allow your consciousness to invite in more and more sounds. There are always more going on than we acknowledge. This is one of my favorite ways to meditate as it connects us with more outside us than we recognized, but was always there. Stay in this space for at least 5-10 minutes and notice how many more sounds you heard than usual. You might want to write it down and if anything else came to you as you did this.
4. Commit to doing an act of kindness.. that can be as simple as a smile to someone in the grocery store, letting someone ahead of you in traffic, or it could be reaching out to someone you haven’t communicated with in a while or someone you know can use some help. It could be making a gift for someone or paying for a cup of tea for a stranger.. there are countless ways to pay it forward with kindness and this truly does connect us deeper and often the person you touch with reach out to help someone else and you will feel super good for being aware that you can in fact make someone’s day a little brighter!

We all are so connected – to each other and to so much more. We all have so many distractions that take us away from this knowledge. The more we connect, the more signs and guidance we can receive. The more we connect – the more connected we will feel instead of isolation. It begins with US and everyone benefits when we take a few moments to get quiet and go within. Sending you all so much love and wishes for a beautiful weekend ahead.

If you would like to know more about my shamanic work – please check out my energy healing and mentoring page. If you have questions, please email me at jennifer.mannion@gmail.com or jenny@jennymannion.com. I am happy to offer a free consult and to see how I may be of service.