Journaling prompt:
What life circumstances have led you to develop your inner strength? How are you expressing your inner wildness? How does joy make you strong?
Your Strength Spark:
Invite animal medicine into your life.
This may take the form of spending time with an animal companion, like a dog or cat. It might mean being on the lookout for animals that appear “out of the blue” in your daily life, and going into a meditative space to ask the animal what s/he has to teach you.
Once an animal has caught your attention, even if you don’t know why, try doing a creative project with its energy — perhaps a painting, or dancing the animal into your body.
Response:
"According to Celtic Astrology you were born under the Ivy moon, it is a time for focusing on your well being and improving your flexibility and resilience. Ivy is known to strangle trees and therefore is a symbol of death, rebirth and spiritual growth. Its ability to cling to anything and climb high made it a symbol of strength and determination.
Being an Ivy person you have the power and strength to overcome the many hurdles that present themselves on your life’s path. Your competitors may try to suppress you with their stifling tactics but you are Ivy and will smother anything that stands in your way, outliving anything that breathes. Your roots are ancient and your life has been lived time and time again suggesting you are everlasting and can never be totally eradicated."
I have been through a ton of shit. Physical abuse, sexual assault, attempted rape. I have thrown away love and friendships. I've been betrayed and cheated on. I've been suicidal, struggled with eating disorders. I almost ended up in jail twice. I suffered a miscarriage of a pregnancy I never meant to have.
And most people who know me, up until reading this entry, will know about...10% of that. I don't let my problems define me or control my life. Learning how to handle my shit without dumping all over everyone around me was a skill I learned early on, because I simply had no one to depend on but myself. There was a definite "If you aren't on fire or dying, you're probably fine." mentality in my house growing up.
I think I did a pretty good job of being my own therapist, but I know that anger is an issue for me, one that I thankfully now have a better handle on. I used to rage. I used to get mad and violent and drink til I couldn't see straight. Partying and sex used to be my escape. Eventually I learned how to harness that fire and put its energy to good use. I'm fiercely loyal to my friends, wildly passionate about my husband and intensely protective of my child. My inner fire has become a tool instead of a weakness.
I have recently found my spirit animal, the lion, which fits in perfectly with today's card. The lion tells us to "own our power". To find balance, share our wisdom and release our fears. And that's definitely where I'm at in my spiritual path; I am the Lion.
Photoshop project of mine from about a year and a half ago
Magick is how I celebrate my inner wildness right now. Connecting to the Ancient Power and the Old Gods makes me feel alive and primal. Connecting with Dionysus as a patron deity has brought balance to my life; I don't always have to be the dutiful mother and the doting housewife. I am a woman and I have many sides. If I feel like having a drink and staying up til 4am to seduce my husband when he gets home after work, I can do that. If I want to snuggle with my coven under the stars, sharing wine and laughter and stories, I can do that. It doesn't mean I'm a bad mom or a bad wife, it means I'm human. We need to stock up on those good times when we can get them so that when life knocks us down, we have a little shimmer of something to hold on to. To remind us that it's not all bad times to be had. That there are things worth having, things to make us smile and keep us strong.
Briar.
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