jealousy is a bitch

Depending on who you ask, jealousy and envy are either exact synonyms, totally different words, or near-synonyms with some degree of semantic overlap and some differences. It is difficult to make the case, based on the evidence of usage that we have, for either of the first two possibilities. 

Both jealousy and envy are often used to indicate that a person is covetous of something that someone else has, but jealousy carries the particular sense of zealous vigilance and tends to be applied more exclusively to feelings of protectiveness regarding one’s own advantages or attachments. 

At the funeral of a controversial contrary cousin, I sat surrounded by her life stories. Regaled by relatable reminisces from our relatives. What was recalled, repeated or remembered according to whoever was telling it. 

nothing linear

When you have the privilege and heartache of accompanying someone to the door of passage, time is something else entirely. It's a universe - it's endless, it's infinite, its all around. 

Time as guide and ally – a portal into endless eternity. 

calling our energy home

There’s a sense that the person you love is made of time and is being returned to another time - an infinite time. The realization of what this vessel that each of us is, becomes all prevalent. 

8.8 oracle reading

Aquarian Tarot three card draw.

seven cups, The Sun, two cups

Seven of Cups Reversed Meaning

Reversed, the Seven of Cups suggests the fog is beginning to lift. You may be narrowing your options, committing to one path, or realizing that a previous fantasy doesn't fit who you are anymore. Good job, babe!

Alternatively, this reversal can point to emotional paralysis, decision fatigue, or a refusal to make a choice at all. Is it possible you're actively refusing to see clearly? If you're waiting for a "perfect" option that doesn't exist, the card says, "Choose something. You can course-correct later, but not if you stay stuck in analysis mode."

Seven of Cups Advice Position

Just because you can imagine it doesn't mean it's meant for you. Sift the fantasy from the truth, the want from the why. What does your heart actually need - not just crave, but require - to feel nourished? Make decisions from that place. And remember clarity is a form of care and respect.

The Sun Reversed Meaning

When The Sun shows up reversed, your light might feel dimmed. But don't worry - it's still there. This card can point to self-doubt, burnout, or joy that feels just out of reach. Maybe you're not celebrating your wins. Maybe you're waiting for the "perfect" conditions before allowing yourself to be happy.

This reversal can also reflect unrealistic optimism, the choice to ignore problems in the name of "good vibes only." The message here? Be honest about what's blocking your brightness, but don't forget it still lives inside you.

Even a cloudy day doesn't cancel the sun. It's just waiting to come back out.

The Sun Advice Position

Let yourself feel good. Celebrate your growth. Share your success. The Sun wants you to embody joy, not as a reward for perfection, but as a practice. This is a reminder that genuine confidence isn't based on ego -- it's all about alignment.

Whatever you're working on or dreaming of, this card means you're probably on the right track. Keep going. Keep glowing.

Two of Cups Reversed Meaning

Reversed, the Two of Cups can suggest imbalance, misalignment, or connection that's out of sync. Maybe one person's leaning in while the other's leaning out, or maybe the emotional labor is only going one way. This isn't always a breakup card, but it is a "let's get some clarity" card. Something needs recalibration.

A reversal might also point to inner disharmony that's impacting your outer relationships. Are you abandoning yourself to maintain closeness? Are you avoiding hard conversations for fear of rocking the boat? Take this as a gentle push toward truth, even if that truth comes with growing pains.

Two of Cups Advice Position

Meet others where you want to be met. Offer the truth of who you are and be brave enough to receive the same in return. Real connection doesn't require performance, only presence. Choose the people who choose you back. And if you're still waiting for that? Start by choosing yourself.

empty & open

Many religious or spiritual practices believe that the hand that comes empty, leaves empty. This can either mean, not entering a place of worship empty handed or that we come into this world with nothing and leave it with nothing. 

Advent season 2024 started on December 1 - with the first Sunday of Advent celebrating hope. The first Advent candle symbolizes a shining light in anticipation of the coming of Christ. 

hope shines bright this first Sunday of Advent

It is usually a purple candle called the Prophecy Candle - representing God's forgiveness of humanity's sins. Purple is traditionally the most important of the Advent candle colors - reflected in liturgical garments used for vestments. It is associated with prayer, contemplation, repentance, and hope. 

An apt way to close the year - hope in a time of transformation. How best to manage times of radical change? We find hope through accumulated years of observation and wisdom gathered from times. cultures and people all over the world. 

Through our shared experience we collect tips, timing and tools for navigating life. There is solace in not taking it all too personally - in knowing we are moved and moving with the rhythm and flow of ever spiraling change. 

Inevitable and divinely orchestrated - an eternal dance, an unfolding revelation, an illuminating liberation. At times unsettling - in its release, we are forever changed. 

May we all glide gently through this holiday season - buoyed by hope and comfort in the ebb and flow of that which is so much bigger than ourselves. 

Over and over – always has always will, no matter what. 

passion & drive

Art has always been a powerful tool for social and political change. In our backwater banana republic corruption ruled long before the birth of our nation. For the rest of us not born to the 1% our only recourse is to get creative while working ourselves to the max.  

From the earliest cave paintings to contemporary Street Art, artists have used their work to express their views on society and the world around them. Escape artists that we are, dreaming big, wild, bold was our means of opening up a bigger, wider, braver world than that most of us were born into. 

Giant Picnic at the US-Mexico border wall - Tecate, Mexico & California

Typically created in response to social or political issues, the bane of our brutalized existence - we protest, rebel, revolt. Better to be bathed in blood than buried in deep, dark silence. 

republic vs democracy

November 5 is a double whammy personally. It is voting day in the USA - my alternative homeland. And back in the island of my birth - Cinco de Noviembre marks a defining time in our nationalistic history. 

A golf buddy of my dad once hilariously claimed, "high tech, low tech - basta abtik!" That is the famous Bisaya mindset encapsulated in a nutshell. Blast them with bravado, coated in self-deprecating charm. Abtik is a Bisaya term that means all of these - agile, nimble, spry, quick. 

historical holiday celebration

Alive, agile, active, audacious. Definitely not one to sit back and be passive or invisible in the background. Bold, brazen, blatant, brave. You get the gist - no need to complete our alphabet. 

festival of light & life

As we celebrate All Hallows Eve and the veils between worlds thin - folks around the world, according to varying practices, beliefs and cultures - prepare altars for our ancestors. This is important work that has been passed on through generations. 

Now more than ever, we can all use that supportive energy - as we recall and honor our ancestors who have paved the way and supported our survival. I celebrate an accumulation of 38 years - from when I first started my shamanic practice and apprenticeship all those years ago. 

clay diya lamps - © Uma Shankar sharma

It is also the festival of Diwali (Deepavali) - when myriad little clay lamps (diyas) light the way to remove darkness from the face of the earth. The dharma of fire illuminates wherever it falls - giving light and warmth.