Author: Raine Shakti

Raine Shakti believes in living her life cairn by cairn and in helping others learn to do the same. Her day job is in the training and communications field and her best professional experiences are when she is able to empower people. She has spent the last few years reclaiming her life and her inner warrior. Part of this journey was becoming an ordained priestess with the Fellowship of Isis. Her Matron deities are Nephthys who has helped her become a true virgin woman, the Morrigan who has taught her what it means to be sovereign, and Yemaya who has taught her the strength in having a loving heart.

Daily Draw: Death

First Impressions: Change

Book: Death is the ultimate transformer, sun is foretelling a new beginning, positive change, transformation, renewal, a new life awaits you

Guidance: Feel liberated

Journaling

The death card is a reminder to let go of what is holding me back and embrace change. Interesting card as I reflect on yesterday. I was so scared driving on route 1. I kept being afraid I was going to plunge off the cliff. It was much better driving back when I was on the inside.

I need to take care of myself or the death card will come true. I’m going to start by giving up bread, then soda. I’m hoping if I lose weight and quit sugar my numbers will go down.

I also saw a dead sea lion on the beach this morning and that made me so sad, but thanks to the circle of life I remembered that this is just what happens. We are born, we die

December 30, 2018

I did not do such a good job giving up bread. It did not help that I ended up at a project at King’s Hawaiian and got coupons and free rolls. What I’ve realized is that I have to come to a balanced position with bread. I’m going to make homemade bread one weekend a month and that will be it. I can give up crappy, substandard bread if I get homemade bread once a month. I’ve also mostly given up soda by changing out the ritual. Now the ritual is to go and buy the Bai instead of soda and it is actually working. I think the problem with trying to switch to water is that I missed the ritual aspects of it. I missed the going to the store and searching for it. That made me savor it more. I still have some of that with Bai as they don’t always have my flavor.

I’m also really worried about this thing on my arm. I don’t think it is cancerous because it is pretty symmetrical, but there could still be something there. I will just pray that I am taken care of.

Daily Draw: Five of Pentacles

First Impressions: Feeling left out, empty inside, bereft

Book: In distress, hope and healing, lonliness

Guidance: Analyze your limitations, there is solace in companionship

Journaling

I pulled this card as I sat at the beach watching an amazing sunset. It feels apt because I was so lonely. Everyone else was there with other people, but I was alone and it hurt to not have anyone to share this beautiful sunset with. I feel more alone than I have in a long time. I’ve always taken being alone in stride, but today it just feels lonely.

December 29, 2018

It’s so funny to reread this now as the memories that I have of that beautiful and amazing day are not of how lonely I was, but of how connected I felt to the others on the beach. I was one of the most spiritual moments of my life to sit there and watch something as ordinary and as miraculous as a sunset. I was so pleased and amazed that so many other people took the time out of there day to watch the sunset. As I reread my post and how I pulled the cards, it made me wonder if I was lying to myself or if the loneliness dissipated as I felt myself surrounded by the larger crowd. I’m going to choose to believe that the sense of connection outweighed the lonliness.

Here is what I posted on Facebook that day:

Raine Clara Shakti

April 13

I had one of the most spiritual experiences of my life tonight surrounded by about 50 strangers. I drove down to Carmel after work and spent some time wandering around. After an amazing dinner of fresh caught seafood, I wandered down to the beach.

There were about 50 people there, some quietly playing, others sitting and watching the water, and others just wandering around. Pretty soon, the most amazing show on earth started as Sul began to journey down to touch Mama Yemaya. Her bright light laid down a glittering trail upon the water.

As she sunk closer and closer to the waves, people got more and more quiet and everyone turned their faces toward the sun. As she slowly faded, a sense of oneness filled the crowd as we all watched the golden orb sink beneath the waves.

It was only when we could no longer see her that people began to gather there things and walk away with the reverant hush still filling the air.

I found it pretty amazing in this day of movies, TV, and all the other technical distraction that 50 people gathered on a beach on an ordinary Friday afternoon in April to watch the sunset.

Daily Draw: Four of Swords

First Impressions: Resting, waiting, taking care of myself, respite

Book: Rest from battle

Guidance: Take the time your body needs

Journaling

I needed to pull this card as I’ve been pushing myself way too hard and I need the reminder to rest. I sometimes think I can push and push and push myself, but it doesn’t work. I just end up exhausted and then the universe steps in with messages to slow down. I also know that working myself too hard isn’t productive either as what I produce ends up being garbage.

April 14, 2018

I heeded the four of swords guidance the last few days. On Thursday, I visited the Redwoods after work and it was amazing to be there and feel the energy of these amazing trees. Yesterday, I took off at 2 and drove the 17 mile drive. It was incredibly beautiful. The surf was so wild and it felt calming and refreshing all at the same time. The sound of the see hitting the rocks is so meditative and restful.

December 29, 2018

Working yourself into the ground is one of the lessons that I learned from my Daddy. He worked seven days a week to provide for us, but he still worked hard to make sure we had a relationship. However, when I step back and look at things objectively, I see that there was a lot of ego involved in his choosing to work seven days a week. Once Tony and were older, he could have encouraged my mom to get a job, but instead he lived by the creed that it was the man’s job to support his family and the woman’s job to take care of the house. If he would have let go of his pride, we all could have had more balance in our lives.

I’ve learned that it does not behoove anyone to work myself into the ground to support the kids. I make enough and I am also working to start encouraging the to pay for bills around the house. I don’t always pay them back if they pick up groceries because I think they need to learn to be resposible.

Daily Draw: Two of Wands

First Impressions: Waiting, patience

Book: Holding the world in his hands, disappoineted, waiting for news, courage, embarking on new endeavors

Guidance: Set goals or you will fall into depression, situation requires patience, be careful how you use your status

Journaling:

The two of wands to me is a card of planning and waiting. It says I have the world in my hand and I have to decide which course of action to take. I feel that sometimes I feel like I’m looking out at my future and not knowing which direction to take. Maybe I’m waiting because I haven’t set my direction since I’m waiting for the world to come to me instead of setting course and going for it. The problem is I’m not sure where to go.

December 29, 2018

Like all things, I needed to ask for help and for guidance to be directed. I really feel like I was directed to this program at Western Michigan and that it is the next right thing for me. I also know that there are going to be times when I am going to feel frustrated and overwhelmed, but that this is the right course and I just need to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

Daily Draw: Nine of Wands

First Impressions: Waiting, battle weary, fortress

Book: Ready to face opponents, resting before returning to fighting, determination, courage, strength through adversity

Guidance: Time to rest and collect your thoughts, success is the only possible outcome

Journaling

One of the messages I need to take from this is that I need to pick my battles. Not every battle is worth fighting! Wow! That was pretty prophetic as someone online really pissed me off by posting a long interpretation about a post I’d made. I wasn’t looking for any interpretation, I was just putting my thoughts out there, but this moron proceeded to give me his interpretation. I then thanked everyone but him for their comments and he got pissy and said I won’t reply to your stuff anymore. I really wanted to reply and say, “Good!” However, that would have been petty. I’m just going to let it go and not disrupt the peace of the board. I’m not sure why some jackass felt the need to post and interpret my cards, but I don’t need his response and if I could delete it, I would. Not responding is such a difficult thing to do. I love to have the last word, but some people aren’t worth it and he wasn’t worth it.

December 29, 2018

In retrospect, maybe it would have been worth it to post and remind him that I didn’t not ask for comments and that I was perfectly capable of interpreting my cards myself. One of the things that I have learned this year is that I need to start evaluating whether I am not speaking up and defending myself because I want to keep the peace or because I am afraid of conflict. My response to the jackass in Chicago who commented on my body made me feel so empowered!

I know that in the past, I would have pulled my coat tighter and scurried off like a little mouse because I was afraid. I would have been seething and angry inside, but I would have been a) afraid to provoke him, b) afraid to hurt his feelings, and c) afraid of what people would think of me. All of those are totally bullshit responses. My mother conditioned me to put everyone else’s feelings ahead of mine and I would have done that even with this worthless piece of rude shit. However, no more. His feelings were not more important than mine. He was a worthless piece of shit with no manners and my speaking out was the right thing to do. Even if he thought I was a bitch, that didn’t matter. What mattered is how empowered that I felt.

Daily Draw: Nine of Swords

First Impressions: Nightmares, anxiety

Book: Despair, sorrow, nightmares, grief, death

Guidance: Prepare for the worst situation, could not have been avoided, are things as bad as they appear?

Journaling

I always view this card as a reminder that nightmares happen. It does not mean that they are reality. I need to let go of my fears and worries and focus more on what I can control. I can’t control what Darshan does, I can’t control what Gadino does. The only person I have agency over is me. I spend so much time worrying about what other people do and say when in reality there is nothing I can do to control others.

December 29, 2018

I needed this reminder today. I am all swirly over John when in reality there is nothing I can do. He is no longer my problem. His health is no longer my problem. His financial issues are no longer my problem. Absolutely nothing that he does is my problem and I need to let go and let whatever happens happens. Maybe

Daily Draw: Strength

First Impressions: Triumph of love over anger and animalistic side

Book: Pure intent, strength, courage, love over hate, joy of becoming strong in one’s actions

Guidance: You have what it takes to triumph, take care of your body

Journaling

I love this card as it has turned up several times recently. As with all cards, there are so many nuanced meanings. For me, the meaning that resonates most right now is to take care of my physical being. I have spent years neglecting my body’s needs and that needs to stop. I need to treat my body as a cherished friend intead of something to be battled and subdued. My body has needs that I neglect because they are not convenient or because I don’t like the messages that they are giving me. I need to do a better job of taking care of myself.

Dearest ones,

Please help me to do a better job of caring for my body. Please help me to be kind and gentle instead of angry and helpful. Please help me to approach my interactions with my body from a place of love and not anger.

Blessings, Raine

December 29, 2018

This is another one that I have actually made a lot of progress on. I’ve decided that the Dog Tarot is the voice of my body and I check in with her on a regular basis. Maybe not as regularly as I should, but much more regularly than I have in the past. I think I am going to make checking in with Willi part of my Friday routine. It will be an awesome thing to do after I’ve had a bath and am relaxed and in a good space.

Daily Draw Temperance

First Impressions: Balance, creating something magical

Book: Eternal rainbow linking heaven and earth, mastery over water and earth, uniting of conscious and subconscious, the path to enlightenment, adaption,

Guidance: By cooperating with other people, you can achieve great things, work on improving yourself

Journaling

This card is about balancing and adapting. I have not done such a good job of that this week. I’ve let myself be pushed into things that are not in my best interests, like giving up my poetry night. I’ve also not had the time to myself I’ve needed. Cam has chosen to go home instead of go to class and that’s meant I haven’t had the peace and solitude that I crave. Maybe the message here is that I need less solitude and ore time with people.

What I really need to do is to find and embrace my tribe. I’m not there yet and I don’t know how to get there. Making friends is really hard for me. I don’t think I’m alone in that as suburbia makes it hard and working remote doesn’t help.

December 29, 2018

One of the things that I have realized lately is that I do have my tribe. They might not be close, but they do care about me and they are there to listen to me and to help me. Maybe that is what is right for me. I do know that I have been opening my heart and asking the universe to help me find my tribe. I just need to have confidence that when it is right, it will show up and it will be great.

Temperance: Internal and External

One of the best things about Tarot is that the cards are so multidimensional and can be read on so
many levels depending on the circumstances. I got a first hand glimpse of that today when I pulled Temperance for my daily reading.

Internal

Since moving to Cleveland two years ago, I’ve struggled to make friends, in part because I work as a consultant and generally travel during the week and a lot of social activities are on week nights. However, when I’m really honest with myself, I use work as an excuse to keep from meeting people because deep down I’m terrified of letting people in and being hurt. However, the cards have been screaming at me for the last few years that I need to take down my shields and start letting people in.

When Temperance showed up in my reading today, I knew it was about achieving balance in my life by taking the various components of my life and adjusting them to find the right mix for me as what I’m doing right now isn’t really working as I cycle between extrovert and introvert and I’m getting burned out. During the week, I am in pure extrovert mode as I spend my days advising clients, doing presentations, and other extroverted work. To counter that, I go into introvert mode when I’m at home and have no desire to interact with anyone other than my family.

Temperance is telling me I need to find a way to balance the introvert and the extrovert so that I have the emotional energy that I need to find friends and to build an emotionally satisfying life. As I was pondering this and the usual excuses came to mind, my guides told me that I could have it all, I just had to let go of my all or nothing mentality. As I pondered that, I realized they were telling me that I could sign up for book clubs even if I knew there was a chance I wouldn’t be able to make some of the meetings. No one is perfect and if I made the meetings I could, it would be enough.

External

Interestingly enough, Temperance provided another more immediate lesson today at the Dog Park. The dogs were all happily running and playing when a man brought his trained attack English Shepard to the park. The English Shepard started running and all the other dogs chased him thinking it was just a fun game. However, anytime another dog came close to him, he growled and went for the dog’s jugular. One by one all the dogs ran away except for our dog, who thought it was still a game, until he got too close and the English Shepard went for his throat. Luckily, Clark got away without serious injury, but he was pretty shaken up.

My daughter, Cam, went into Mama Bear mode and she got into the dog owner’s face and told him he needed to take his dog and leave because his dog was attacking others. He said the other dogs were attacking his dog, then went on a verbal attack. My daughter refused to back down and it got ugly. We, along with the few remaining pet parents, took our puppies into a fenced off area meant for smaller dogs, but the guy continued to yell insults.

We eventually left because it was too stressful to be around the toxic energy. On the ride home, we were both a little shaken, but we agreed that after the initial shock of such a negative encounter at a normally peaceful place, we both felt sorry for this man and his dog because they were both so filled with anger that they could not accept or experience friendship or love. We both said a prayer for the man and his dog and thanked spirit for bringing him into our lives as a reminder that sometimes the best thing you can do is walk away. It was right for Cam to speak her peace and remind this man that vicious dogs are not allowed at the dog park, but once it became clear he was not going to listen, we could choose to stay and escalate or leave.

In this instance, leaving was not giving up or giving in, it was choosing to walk away for our own peace of mind. And the lesson from temperance goes back to the word’s original meaning: “moderation or self restraint” was that sometimes it is necessary to restrain our anger and our desire to have the last word in order to have peace.

All in all, it was a magical day that lived up to the meaning of temperance.

Daily Draw: Ten of Cups

First Impressions: Emotional stability, peace, family harmony

Book: Happy, family, contentment, lasting happiness, perfect love, card of the heart’s desire

Guidance: You have gained great joy from life

Journaling

I’m not sure what this card means for me as I’m not satisfied with my life and it feels empty and lonely. I mostly like my job, but am annoyed about certain people’s attitudes. Joe pissed me off today. Why should we do training material when they are going with someone else for OCM. That is ludicrous. If they want all our materials, they can damn well pay for it. There are days I get so frustrated at work and I feel as if I’m swimming upstream. And I have to admit that there are days I wonder if it is even worth it.

Maybe this card is a reminder to keep the faith that I can have what I want. I just need to trust. Trust is so hard for me. I always assume that people have the worst intentions. Maybe I need to start trusting that people do have my best interests at heart.

Dearest Ones,

Please help me to open my heart and trust. Please help me to believe that people have good intentions instead of always assuming the worst.

Blessings, Raine

December 29, 2018

Wow! I completely missed what this card was trying to tell me. It was telling me that I have an amazing family and that I am truly loved and that instead of focusing on what is wrong with my life, I should focus on the positives. I have been doing a lot better at doing that lately and I know that it is because I write down my gratitudes every day, I do a weekly recap, and I pull a card every day. I also know that a lot of it is due to the fact that I have been reading a lot of spiritual literature. I’ve been working to focus on the positives in life and in the world instead of getting weighed down by the negativity.

However, even though I am seeing the positive changes, I also know that I still obsess and I still spend a lot of time focused on the negative and on what is wrong with life. I need to let go of the negative and start really focusing on what’s right in life. I need to let go of my anger and angst over John. What he does or does not do is really none of my business. I need to let go and let him succeed or fail on his own. I also have to trust that I have provided Sean with as much guidance as I possible can and that he will ask for help and guidance if he needs it. It is hard to let go, but that’s really what I need to do in order to be happy in my own life.