Perceiving in the Darkness

from the Ostara Tarot, here on Amazon

No matter what our experience level, our Spirits challenge us when we do work in the Otherworlds. We learn basic journey skills in order to discern greater meaning in our lives, to go on fact-finding missions, and to strengthen our creative problem-solving skills when dealing with upcoming issues in our past, present, and future.

However, journey work is never simple, and our Spirits will challenge us many times. We are constantly provided with "tests" that help us to more effectively perceive Truth, metaphor, symbolism, and grow our emotional intelligence. These comprise the symbolic language of the Otherworlds, and help us to become more fluent in "heart-seeing" versus visual perception.

Sometimes, our Spirits will block our perception of something until we are ready. Some information is so profound, so awe-inspiring, that once we learn of it, it can give us the catalyst necessary to inspire change, transformation, and growth. We are always trying to prepare ourselves for Change by making ourselves ready, willing, and able to adapt to new circumstances in our lives (see Miller & Rollnick for more information about creating motivation to change). 

Our "blindspots" can provide the information (or lack of understanding) needed to discover what is blocking our own health & happiness. Because blindspots are mostly unknown to us, our work with Spirits helps us to creatively discover the gaps in our self-knowledge and knowledge of the worlds. There are many ways to creatively perceive things when meditating and journeying:

• Looking at something (a symbol or "blank space") straight on
• Looking at something with your peripheral vision (looking at it sideways, out of the corner of your inner eye(s))
• Flipping a symbol or a scene around, rotating 180 or 360 degrees (using spatial relations to perceive the backside of an object)
• Merging with your Spirit and asking to perceive something through their spirit-eyes
• Asking your Spirits if you are missing a Truth that you have hidden or buried away from yourself
• For example, sometimes hidden truths will wear emotional baggage or imagery like armor, and it is up to us to peel back the layers in order to determine the core of the Truth)
• Sometimes, a price or offering is needed to make an energetic exchange. Ask your spirits if you need to offer something of yourself in order to see Truth.

There are journey prompts that can help you to perceive things in the Otherworlds, especially symbols that are shrouded in darkness:

1. Visit with your helping spirits and ask to be taken to a place that has Hidden Truth(s). What do you perceive? Do you need to make an exchange in order to see something in its true form?
1. Is it something you fear?
2. Is it something that upsets or vexes you?
3. Is it something you have forgotten?
2. Ask your helping spirits to take you to a representation of an old wound, one that still slightly hurts, but enough time and space have passed that you can perceive it objectively. Ask to be shown a symbol or metaphor involving a different aspect of the issue or situation. How does this new perspective (seeing past your own "blindspot") create healing?

For those who are not able to drum or rattle for themselves, I have a 15 min video to help you ground, center, and Journey to answer your questions.