The memo: No matter who or what you worship, or what you do or don't celebrate, the holidays are unavoidable. (So you might as well go on & be happy.) But everybody didn't get the memo. And if they did, everybody can't see. And if they can, everybody can't read. What's obvious to you might be invisible to others, but oh fkn well. This month, you are to sit only at tables where love is being served. Which is pretty much everywhere, except the home of the hungry. So when you show up already full (because duh, they weren't about to feed you & or recognize issa blessing that you came), don't bother explaining where the food is. Cus if you tell them, they can't hear you, & if you lead them, they'll turn astray. Where you're going, they can't follow (& and they wouldn't if they could). (To each, their own)
0 Comments
We are grateful that our ancestors & spirit guides have blessed us with wealth and wisdom, yes? And we agree that you cannot protect the former without cultivating the latter? Good. Because this month we are being tested again (& always). The topic of the exam: Boundaries, & what to do if someone crosses them. We may have had low self (read: net) worth in the past but as we've upgraded, so has our idea of ourselves. This is not to say we're big headed, only that our perception is no longer distorted. Our head really is that big. We stand finally at our full height, which of course, seems larger the closer you come. Those who found us funsized at a distance might find us too much to handle up close.
This month, it is your peace that keeps you whole & distance is the grace that gives you peace. Distance, because those who cut you down have to do it at arm's length. Distance because otherwise it's finna be a problem. Your whole self is a treasure & treasures must be protected even if the protector is also you. Did you know it is justifiable homicide to kill an intruder, i.e. somebody trying to rob you? Some tests (especially boundary tests) are, unfortunately, kill or be killed. For the next 30 days, self-respect is self-defense; if they cross the line, it's off with their head. tldr: fuck around & find out The real tea this month is, the devil stole your stuff. Try not to be too mad about it- we're not victims, we're opportunists. Your ancestors are using this sleight of hand to seed your new beginning. Now, I'm not gonna lie- you will miss your stuff. But, just like how Jesus says to wash your face & anoint your head with oil while fasting, you are being cautioned against looking like what you're going through. This is 'fake it till you make it' territory, where bravado is king & silence is golden. Thou shalt persevere & not complain.
Otherwise, as soon as you make it known that you're sick about it, the devil is going to come & sell you a cure for what ails you. i.e. your stuff. And trust me, it will be an offer you can't refuse. It will cost everything you have, which is (for now, anyway) nothing. Which means your stuff, once it is returned to you, will also be worth nothing, since that's what you paid for it. Hopefully, recognizing this inevitable checkmate will keep you from even playing this particular game. In fact, not playing is the only chance you have at winning. But if you're able to wait on the Lord (or karma, or whatever you believe in), defying the devil's expectation that you'd be attracted to his trap, sooner or later he'll slink by with a more lucrative lure. The bible says if you resist the devil he will flee, but he'd rather risk it all before before stooping to run from the likes of you. & The very reasons the devil doesn't respect you- your goodness, your kindness, your fairness, your love- is exactly why he feels comfortable dangling his very real riches in your face. He expects you to do what you've always done- turn the other cheek, grin & bear it. Take it. And that's precisely what your ancestors set it up for you to do, thus burying this fool with his own shovel: TAKE IT. Take it all. This month, the message is pretty simple: Eat where you are fed. Perhaps you've waited & waited on a certain thing you were promised- but for reasons that have not-a-damn-thing to do with you, the thing ain't coming. When that happens, it can be hard not to take it personally. Yet, we are tasked with holding the space; with continuing to wait patiently for what we know we deserve; granting ourselves permission to grieve the fact that it won't come when or how (or from who) we thought it would; & refusing to let the delay diminish our self-esteem in the mean time. It won't be (& ain't been!) easy, but it will be worth it. (Because we are worth it.)
tldr: a watched pot never boils This month is a final exam of sorts, after a very long season of lessons. The trick question (& also the most important) asks whether or not you've graduated. Matriculation means advancing to the next level after completing the required number of courses. It doesn't matter how your teachers feel about you either; if you get the grade, you get the credit; if you get the credits, the diploma is yours.
To extend the metaphor: In the School of Life, you've taken the hardest classes & completed the most difficult tests. And it doesn't matter if you didn't get all As- or any As for that matter- since perfection was never required. Is, in fact, impossible. Plus The School of Life doesn't give grades anyway- the rubric is pass/fail- & if you're on the upside of underground, you passed. You live to fight another day. With each battle, you advance in this holy war. & If you feel like you're not advancing- now we've arrived at the heart of the matter. Here is our riddle, the crux of our quiz. Your refusal to exalt (read: promote) yourself is your only obstacle. You're waiting on outside approval for the feats you've accomplished; but you'll never level up until you give YOURSELF the credit. And after that, learn how to celebrate yourself too, since your arrival in a new element will not be marked by fanfare & praise. Your elite new classmates ('cus actually its not lonely at the top...) are too busy being great to state the obvious: YOU MADE IT. (Now act like it.) “Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it?" - Isaiah 43:19 I have an entrepreneurial spirit. I'm self-motivated, a hard worker & an eternal optimist. I know that hella work is required to build any worthwhile dream. I don't mind putting in late nights & early mornings before glimpsing a reward. A hustler at heart, I'm gonna do what it takes to get the job done. If you resonate with these words (or any others I've sent), you're the same as me: Team Grind.
And likely at some point (if you're the same as me), your work ethic was taken advantage of because you thought everyone was like you. It's taken me years to learn (& I'm still learning) that some folks (us) believe in hard work & delayed gratification, while others (them) believe in minimum effort & immediate rewards. Like a counterfeit Gucci, it's hard at first to see the difference between the two- real & fake, us & them. Confused, innocent folks might have chosen them over us, since their slapdash produce was immediately available, & our consistent quality takes awhile. Yet, the defining factor in the battle of quantity vs. quality- which cannot be hidden & will always be revealed- is how well things hold up over time. This is true for business as well as relationships. Over the next 30 days, folks who judged our path as too difficult are now realizing their detours were shortcuts to dead ends. If they actually want to get somewhere, they'll have to circle back to the beginning. Nor can they follow our footsteps any further, since we've earned the right to be still. (Wander.) June's energy is like-
Y'all ever watch the Golden Girls? It's the show about four retired ladies living in Florida: Rose, Blanche, Dorothy & Dorothy's mother Sofia. Little known fact: in real life, the actress who played Dorothy's mother Sofia was actually younger than the other actresses. To successfully suspend this reality, the producers costumed her in a white wig, wrinkles, old lady glasses & asked her to walk slower & more gingerly than her costars. Like they say, you gotta dress for the job you want. Golden Girls was on air from 1985 until 1989, & Estelle Getty (the actress who played Sofia) didn't have to deal with fame the same way her costars did, because she wasn't as recognizable outside of her costume. Folks might have thought she looked familiar, but they rarely put two & two together. When the show was over, she was able to audition for characters outside of the Golden Girls universe, since her disguise was protection against the career fatality that is typecasting. This month, folks might be looking for us to play the role we've been playing, but the act is over, the show is cancelled, production called it a wrap. There won't be a sequel or a spin-off either. This means that those who confused our camouflage for real attributes will look right through us when we show up as ourselves. They'll say we're acting out of character, but we're only keeping it real. But to the rare ones who can put their preconceived notions aside & embrace us as we are: Thank you for being a friend. This is oddly specific but some of you raised yourselves because your mama was too hurt/angry/wild to do it. You were a very good parent to yourself... & then you weren't...& now you are back on the job. You've come full circle. You could be hesitant to move into the next phase; almost like allowing you-as-your-child off punishment after disciplining yourself back on track. You are highly protective of your new energy. You'll cut somebody over your baby tbh (& by baby, I mean yourself). As you should.
This month, Mercury turns retrograde in Gemini. In the tarot, Mercury represents the Magician (personal power) & Gemini represents the Lovers (twins / duality). This energy finds us searching our mirrors to reflect upon whether we truly see ourselves (or not). Perception determines reality; are we focused on how far we've come or how far we have left to go? Do we see who we've become, or who we used to be? Spiritually speaking, it's as if we shed a ton of weight but we're still walking around in the same baggy clothes. Its time to invest our resources in showcasing our hard work, instead of using them to hide what we no longer need to be ashamed of. Once we clearly see ourselves as being 100% that bitch, we'll feel confident enough to take the next steps. Some might think we're headed in the wrong direction but part of being a baddie is successfully doing exactly what folks say we can't do (especially when what they really mean is we're doing something they can't do). Tough titty for them, but your mama ain't raise no fool (& by your mama, I mean you). Happy Mother's Day! Springtime is ripe for new adventures. But like the old folks say, the places you're going now, everybody can't go. Sensing this development, we may have distanced ourselves from those destined to spend a season with us (but not a lifetime).
Except maybe we did, once upon a time, promise our undying love. It's not uncommon to do so when you couldn't imagine ever feeling any other way than you felt. But, people change. Like the old folks also say, keep living. Plus, it's kind of like we honored the until-death deal, since the person who promised is dead & here we stand in their place with a drastically different perspective than our former self. But you best believe these re-routes come with (sometimes dramatic) repercussions. Especially if after pledging no allegiance, we stake our claim in a shiny new life. There are blues songs written about this very thing. Also court transcripts from sensational trials. 'Cus people don't take kindly to being left behind. So this month, if folks are throwing a tantrum in your rear view mirror, keep your peace. Those who cannot have your love will do anything for your attention. Maybe you can't help but notice, but don't you dare look. (Resist the devil & he will flee.) It pays to leave the past in the past, even if the past was as recent as last month, last week, five minutes ago. Time waits for no man (or woman), & that includes the stories we tell ourselves about what folks can do. About what folks are capable of. Oxford Dictionary defines the word underestimate as: to estimate (something) to be smaller or less important than it actually is. Also, an estimate that is too low.
I, personally, love an underdog. Take Malcolm X for example- an orphaned ward of the state, a gambler, a thief, a hustler, a blight. And yet he became, as Ozzie Davis put it, "a prince- our own black shining prince!"; an icon who still, all these years after his death, serves the most potent example of honorable black manhood. Even so, those who knew Malcolm Little might have had a hard time accepting the transformed Malcolm X because some folks are too lazy to change their sheets, let alone their mind. Over the next 30 days, folks may want to treat you (see also: pay you) based on who you used to be, what they used to know or what folks used to say. It's going to suck but you can't worry about all that. In fact, you shouldn't worry about anything except honoring who you are right now, appreciating how far you've come & seeing how you can be a better bitch tomorrow. You can't lose when your only competition is yourself. And if, in sublime recognition of who you've become, you feel compelled to spread the word about yourself, save your breath. Folks who knew you on the bottom won't want to hear you talk about being on top. They won't want to know they've underestimated you. They won't want to see you get out of your place. Again, that will suck but you can't worry about all that. They'll come around as soon as it benefits them to tell someone else they know you. You better believe they'll come around when it serves them. And when that happens, don't you dare make the same mistake they made & underestimate the lengths to which they'll go. They'll confess they were wrong about you, but deep down inside, they just want to prove, close up, that they were right. Even if they have to take matters into their own hands. Their schemes won't hurt you but prepare to be appalled. Let the side show begin. |
by OubriaA monthly message, alchemized/ channeled from tarot cards, seasoned with intuition and life experience, served with love. Archives
December 2022
Categories |