Obsidian (Root Chakra) Messages

Insecurity (Red): “The greatest adversary is the one living inside me.”

Energy turned within can lead to fear and stagnation. Courage is necessary if you are to be fearless and move forward. This is a message to grow up inside into a greater energy and to invoke courage from Spirit to progress.

Miraculous changes lie ahead. Life always takes a turn for the better when we face our demons. Stay on course. Trust that an ally will appear. The gift of adversity is never given without the ability to overcome it.

  Personal Inquiry: Do I listen to my fear? How can I tap into my courage? My responses to the following ideas: being courageous, facing adversity, finding tremendous power within, undervaluing my contribution, freedom, bravery, success.

  Meditation: From a place of peace, call upon two or three of your spiritual protectors. When they appear, express your fears. Allow your protectors to give you strength and assist you in becoming greater than your fears. How do you feel now?

Earth Star 1: Mother Earth 

This deck includes cards for “earth star” (below the root) and “soul star” (above the crown) chakras, and I include them as options to pull for all message sets.

    Try to be aware of times when you feel disconnected and unsettled. Take a moment to put your bare feet on the ground (or your hands, if bare feet aren’t feasible). Breathe deeply and imagine the stability and support being given to you. What do you experience? Do you notice any changes?

  Write down your experiences and what you think/feel about them.

  Affirmation: My heart beats as one with the healing vibration of Mother Earth.

Nine of Pentacles

Comfort, luxury, abundance, and sensuality. You find time to enjoy life’s pleasures, which brings a sense of contentment as you appreciate the material things you deserve [definitely relevant to root chakra!]

There is work to do in the future, but now you can recharge and reflect on your success so far. This card also signifies financial independence – the freedom to be yourself and do what makes you happy.

An additional meaning of this generous Nine is a deep connection with nature and feeling truly at home with yourself and at home in your environment. You have everything you need just now.

  In what ways does this message ring true for you? If there are ways in which you feel your life doesn’t yet reflect this card, imagine/describe what those aspects of your life will look like for you when they do manifest 9 of Pentacles energy.

  Affirmation: I take the time I need to nurture myself.

LIII (53): Sun’s Splendor

Keywords: generosity, health, abundance

    Two actions to do while using this message set:
       1. Express gratitude to someone different each day. 
       2. Do one act of giving each day.

    Record how these actions make you feel or anything you experience that you feel is connected. If you’ve been struggling with a consciousness of lack, has there been any shift in that perspective? 

    Reflect on “The Sun” painting by Edvard Munch

    One day and one ray at a time, I am shining my light with the radiance of the sun.

Gate 45: Distribution

Challenges:

• To share and use your resources for the greater good of the whole. 
• To learn to manage resources judiciously so that they benefit the most people.
• To teach as a pathway of sharing

Mastery:

• The ability to understand that knowledge and material resources are powerful, and to know how to use both as a path of service that sustains others and helps others grow their own abundant foundation. 

Expression when unbalanced:

• Diva energy
• Selfish leadership that is rooted in lack and showing off
• Holding back
• Overcompensating for a lack of self-worth with narcissism
• Fear of not being seen as a leader and reacting by being controlling or bombastic

    I am a teacher and a leader. I use my resources, knowledge, and experience to expand the resources, knowledge, and experiences of others. I use my blessings of abundance to increase the blessings of others. I know that I am a vehicle of wisdom and knowledge. I sense when it’s right for me to share who I am and what I know with others.

    Resiliency Keys and Further Contemplations:

• What needs to be healed, released, aligned, and brought to my awareness for me to fully express my authentic identity? To prevent or heal from burnout? To trust my leadership energy more?
• Do I like to share? What do I have to give the world?
• How do I own my right leadership? Am I comfortable as a leader? Do I shrink from leadership? Do I overcompensate by pushing too hard with my leadership?
• Do I trust that when the right people are ready, I will be pressed into action as a leader and teacher? 

Shadow Work: 2 of Wands

Light aspects: planning your future, making progress, activation, possibilities, the choice between your comfort zone and new adventures

Shadow aspects: insecurities, fear of taking the next step, being stuck in your past, feeling worried about your abilities, opportunities for alignment

While using this message set, observe how light or shadow aspects manifest for you. If you notice the shadow aspects coming up, provide love and reassurance to your ego. Use the affirmation below to help shift your perspective to the light aspects.

    Affirmation: The world is filled with opportunities for adventure and I welcome them into my life with planned action.

    Record your experiences with expression of light and/or shadow aspects and with using the affirmation and loving your ego for shifting toward light aspects. What outcomes and/or changes do you observe in yourself and the world around you?

Shadow Work: Worthy

Though the lifespan of the ladybug is relatively short, she makes the most of her life by allowing her beauty to shine for all to see, never doubting her worthiness.

“Your mistakes of yesterday don’t define who you are today.”
                                                                                      ~Unknown

Light aspects: admirable, enough, esteem, self-love

Shadow aspects: loathing, contempt, self-hatred, malcontent

While using this message set, observe how light or shadow aspects manifest for you. If you notice the shadow aspects coming up, provide love and reassurance to your ego. Use the affirmation below to help shift your perspective to the light aspects.

    Affirmation: Each and every facet of me,  even the not-so-shiny ones, bear witness to the person I am today.

    Record your experiences with expression of light and/or shadow aspects and with using the affirmation and loving your ego for shifting toward light aspects. What outcomes and/or changes do you observe in yourself and the world around you?

38: The collective field is impacting you. Unseen forces in action.

    Divine Assignment: Patterns from your family history, your lineage, your DNA, and your ancestors could also be blocking you. Sometimes habits, patterns, thoughts, perspectives, and beliefs are passed down through the generations. It can be difficult to know if your past is affecting your present and therefore shaping your future. When you have no sense of where your patterns or emotions come from, you may be acting from a place of your ancestors’ patterns or those of your family of origin. You may feel like it isn’t your pain, and you are acting on autopilot. You can balance your emotions by going into meditation or simply asking your higher self for clarity.

    Hold your hand up to your heart and repeat this meditation mantra: I release all need to control my situation or push through to create a specific outcome. I surrender to the healing that wants to take place, and I trust the journey. I trust that everything that happens is always for my highest good, and I feel into what I need most. I return to my center by practicing self-love and compassion.

  How can I relinquish the feeling that I need to control the situation that feels blocked?

Surrender to Nonaction

    Now is the time to be still and not act. Simply breathe and focus on your own power. Let others come to you.

XIV (14): Integration

    When Osho speaks about the two minds that became one, he’s referring to the ego/shadow and higher self/light, and this entry discusses their integration. Where do you experience yourself being in the integration process? How do different areas of your life compare to each other? Are there situations or environments in which you find yourself struggling with integration? Ask Spirit to help you identify how to heal the wounded parts of your ego that still experience strong triggering and to support your efforts.

3 of Pentacles: Atomic Structure

Combines great vision with sound planning: follow your dream whilst paying attention to the fundamentals.

An atom is a grouping of different subatomic particles, a nucleus of protons and neutrons (which are themselves made up of quarks) orbited by one or more electrons. The simple, elegant structure of the atom can teach us much about building a solid and suitable foundation [root chakra!] for our creative endeavors. The 3 of Pentacles takes the exciting vision of the 3 of Wands and makes it into a concrete plan of action.

    What plan are you putting into action? In what ways could your energy be more positively aligned to create a solid foundation before moving forward?

Spirit Keeper of the West

    Divine and Spirit want you to know: In the medicine wheel, the west is the direction that symbolizes the fiery setting sun, autumn, the waning moon and the time of harvest, and the tumultuous years of teenager in the human cycle. Out of the chaos arise illumination and transformation. In order for the new to ignite in your life, it’s necessary to let go of the old. Sweep away debris. Remember to slow down your rapid growth and harvest what you have attained. In the autumn, leaves are burned to make way for new growth. Release the dross in your life to make way for new growth.

    Stand facing the west and the setting sun. Imagine that all limitations and blockages in your life are flowing from your heart into the sun; as the sun sets, it carries with it your cares and concerns to be transformed by its purifying energy.

    Affirmation: I am harvesting what I’ve attained. I’m letting go of what doesn’t serve my highest good to make room for new growth.

2 of People: Family

    How does the energy of this card and its various aspects resonate with you?

    Affirmation: More and more, I am bringing an attitude of playfulness to my life. I love and nurture the child within.

Release

    What unwanted energies do you want to focus on releasing?

    I have the ability to give over unwanted energies to the loving forces of the Universe.

Beaver

Hard worker, loyal, tireless, family first

In balance: happy, meaningful work; providing a home and financial stability for family

Out of balance: feels useless, worn out, resentment if service to others does not feel reciprocated

To bring into balance: physical labor, selfless service (i.e., done from the heart rather than for what we expect to receive in return)

    What aspects of the Beaver personality traits do you see in yourself? Do they feel in balance or out of balance? How can you balance this energy as part of the theme of balancing/aligning your energy before moving forward with plans for stability/security?

33: Integration

This card embodies the goal of these message sets and this website as a whole, so it’s a beautiful sign of confirmation that it showed up in the first message set.

    Write about any experiences you have with strengthening your inner voice/higher self and progress toward integration.

Safety: In the hurricane of life, a strong foundation will keep you safe.

Ritual of Fire: Runes of power, with candle and flame, in sacred fire I make wisdom your name. Carry opal or amber for inspiration and shamanic journeying.

Trust: Transformation occurs through acceptance. Once you accept the current situation, it will automatically transform.

Reflection: See all aspects of yourself through the reflection of the one who mirrors your hidden Self.

Anyone to whom we have a strong reaction – positive or negative – is mirroring something we have (or want to have) in ourselves. These people present a valuable opportunity to turn our attention inward and see what we can learn about ourselves. If you can’t think of an example in your life, consider the ways you reflect the Divine (or want to).

Friendship: A friend needs your help; your kindness and excellent counseling skills will put them back on track.

Wait: Take time to think about the matter at hand. Don’t be tempted to rush.

“Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.”

“He tends His flock like a shepherd. He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart.”

8: Love Who You Are

  Affirmation: I am divine, delightful, and deserving of the wonderful things life has to offer.

  Explore the details in the imagery of this card and see what speaks to you.

    In what ways do these “mini messages” tie together for you or apply to your life situation, specifically? How do they fit with any of the other cards above for you? How do they contribute to the guidance of this set for you?

  Meditation: Mastery over time is built into you.

  Affirmation: I can live as if I have all the time in the world.

Advanced Practice: Light

41: Knowing Without Knowing

I have been here before
Aromas open the doors
I walk through knowing

~Richard Cohn

28: Sisters of the Spring Swallow, Good Fortune Granted

It is time for new light and new life to flourish. Springtime is upon you now. This is a sign of hope, new life, and fresh starts. What has been cut back is now going to spring forth into life. As you move into the springtime of your soul, there shall be much joy, energy and life returning to you.

    What new growth do you see sprouting in your life from seeds that were previously planted? Consider sprouts that are in alignment with your higher self and highest good whose growth you want to encourage in continued growth, as well as sprouts that are not in alignment and will be much easier to pull out and discard now before the roots have taken hold.

    Reflect on the different life cycles of different plants: the best times to plant them vary, their developmental rates vary, and their time for blooming and harvest vary. Each plant has ingrained timing and working with that timing instead of fighting against it or trying to control it allows the plant to reach its full potential. Envision the field of your life from this perspective, with each aspect of it having its own Divine timing that serves your highest good. Consider how going with the flow of Divine timing allows you to reach your full potential. 

    Your higher self sees everything from the standpoint of eternity. It joyfully embraces the beauty of everything being perfectly planned to serve our highest good. It feels no need to rush or force anything. It understands that it’s a great blessing that we’re able to receive guidance that shows us the way to the perfect outcomes, resolutions, and bountiful harvest.

    The Healing Process:

(You can replace any of the entities addressed in these prayers with the terms that are the most meaningful to you.)

Place one hand on your heart. Say the following:

“Mother Earth, in her wisdom and generosity, blesses me with abundance. In gratitude, I offer this gift of my love. Thank you for all that you give to me so freely. You are a Divine mother, encouraging life and supporting all Divine destinies.”

Imagine love flowing from your heart to the earth. The earth receives your love with sweet pleasure. Then say the following:

“I accept the opportunities that come to me now with detachment and gratitude. I accept the protection, mercy, and help of Spirit and the Divine, who loved me without condition, as they guide me to trust absolutely in the unfolding of my life journey. The winter is behind me, summer is in my future, and now the springtime of my soul awakens. I am so grateful for new life, for pleasure, for sweetness and nourishment.”

Place one hand on your heart and relax for a moment. You have finished your healing process.

Advanced Practice: Shadow

21: Isolation

The image, as explained by the guidebook: The artwork was originally painted by hand by Teal Swan while deep in trance states. Each card acts as a berth for a specific Sigil. The difference between a symbol and a Sigil is that a Sigil is not representing anything. Instead, the Sigil itself is like a body for a specific essence, entity, or Spirit. Each Sigil has the capacity to influence you (like a teacher or guide) and make you aware relative to the specific blind spot it has chosen to be assigned to. You are asked to invite the special essence of the Sigil into your life in order to help you.

    Write about any ways in which the messages in the description resonate for you, as well as how a sense of separateness impacts you compared to having a sense of connection.

    While using this set, see if you can identify when the shadow thoughts included in the card’s description come into your mind. When that happens, let your higher self comfort your ego and remind it of the truth:

    When we recognize the interdependent connections we have with one another, we also know that these connections are permanent; since they can’t be lost, there’s nothing to fear. When we remember who we are and our sense of self is no longer dependent on others’ behavior and choices, it becomes much easier to love fully, connect freely, and maintain healthy boundaries. Living this way actually feels much better and safer than the supposedly protective isolation created by our fear.