A Life Of Symbols: Purple, Crows, Honey and Gold

This Months Life In Symbols:

Purple, Crows, Honey and Gold

Pattern Seeker

I see life through symbols. Though I am not comfortable with labeling myself with much, I feel comfortable with calling myself a pattern seeker. It's not so much that I seek meaning as much as I feel meaning presents itself to me with everyday objects, words, colors, life forms, people, and so on. I think life speaks in this language to all of us. Some of us may be more exercised in it from a younger age than others, just like some folks innately have a keener sense of body awareness. I am not one with keen body awareness on the outside. I am fairly slow and often clumsy in physical activities that require stealth and coordination, ha.  My mind on the other hand is fast--not so much like a genius as like that of a flighty bird or squirrel. 

A Symbolic Lens On Life

I've held this lens of the world as far back as I can remember. As a child I would say things to my older sister like, "You are like a cat, what animal am I?". She would respond with answers such as "platypus" or "armadillo"; possibly to leave me with an equal amount of satisfaction and worry. In my twenties she gave me a silver pendant with an armadillo on it, it cracked me up, but, by that time, she had completely forgotten that she told me that I looked like one a decade and a half earlier...

My preteen years hold my strongest memories of when I began associating people with colors. In high school, my three closest girlfriends were baby blue, lavender, and orange. The majority of my dearest and lifelong friends are a shade of turquoise to a teal or aqua. Over time, I found I have a bit of this color myself and that makes me feel pretty good. It shines through most when I am open to just being me--with love, open in heart, words, expression, and goofiness. 

Opening up 

I have decades of journals full of language inside of language: meaningful encounters, symbols, synchronicity, and patterns that I feel are as vivid as any conversation as with any human being.  I have a few close friends to share with, and, I keep an eye, heart and ear open to the lessons from the world and  in between.

I wanted to share this past month's conversation, as, I have found that other people around me are encountering, or at least talking about similar symbols in their daily life. I have a close friend who I share a lot in common with. We met to have tea together and were laughing because we were both wearing purple and gold. We both also coincidentally were carving honey. Just that day I received a newsletter that was about Honey, and the list goes on. 

Shedding Light On The Objects

 I really wanted to create a visual image of all the symbols that came to me multiple times, and, in multiple forms this past moon. I say the moon, as it began around this past full moon in October. The symbolism was amplified at the Scorpio New Moon, and I feel at this point it is sinking in. 

So, above is the photo collage I came up with: Purple, Crows, Honey, and Gold. The paint chips I did intentionally pick up yesterday from the hardware store, as, that is when I realized it was time to manifest my photo collage idea. I think about creating photo collages often, but, I am a hands on person who has a hard time operating my Picasa web album on my computer. I don't know why I have not created an image via real-life object collages before!  It feels like a big relief  knowing that I can express myself without too much technology. 

In Darkness and In Light

These lessons have been leading up to this month---and I think also speaks of the energy of this year. So, I consider this my new years affirmation in a way. The lessons I hear lean towards this: Cultivating balance, accepting, and embracing that there is a  balance of darkness and light; Trusting my intuition, and honoring the divine in us all.

During my work sessions in my practice the past few weeks, the balance of light and dark energy has presented itself very clearly to me. It has made me wonder into a realization that my work is about transformation. I mean, I always knew that--I always could verbalize that I loved to make old things new again--to revive my mothers with a warm bath; to restore old furniture I picked up on the side of the road; to re-decorate and organize a tired and stagnant room; to rejuvenate a client with a bodywork and an aromatherapy session, and so on.

To Balance, Inspire, and Transform

My life passion has always been about renewal, transformation, and balance. Only, I think I was missing something. I have not always recognized that I simply shuffled up energy--helping to integrate darkness and light, the old and the new, the past and the present. 

So, I think that with this, I have found new meaning in my work once again. I think that it is important that I share with people, the knowledge that it is okay to be yourself in your darkest hour. To know that there is beauty in that, and that it will help to create an even more brilliant light-self. It is just important that we integrate the two, and embrace them equally.

So, I wanted to share below some of the synchronicity and symbolism that visited this past month and that  inspired that photo collage. I am wondering if even more people out there than I have encountered are also experiencing similar patterns.

Accomplishment, Light, divine feminine and the Honey Bee.

This moon, beginning a few days prior to my birthday on October 26th, a few lively images came so clearly. I think I purchased some of what is the most luxurious smelling blocks of beeswax in the world. It was mid October and I was hoping to use it for herb and candle crafts. Because its aroma is so dreamy, I thought about shaving a bit for a sachet to put under my pillow. It truly smells divine; light, sweet, deep, and soft. Unlike most beeswax blocks I have encountered, the sharp scent of Propolis is dim. 

Honey Bees For My Birthday

The month started out cold, and the day of my birthday I encountered three different honey bees in my bedroom and living room! They all buzzed against the windows, seeking a way out. The wild part was, none of my windows were open, I have no idea how they got in! I immediately though of "worker bee" energy. I had been up since 5:30 am, as I didn't want to miss a day of my birthday and I had vowed to fill my day with only things I love to do. I made perfumes, cleaned the house, put up shelves to decorate, and went on a magical hike with a good friend. When I read about the bee in the Ted Andrew's book, Animal Speak, the concept of "queen bee" and fertility came up...something I never thought of with bees.

My birthday day I purchased a bar of honey soap that I kind of want to eat. I have been craving  honey with my mint green tea since late summer; when honey bee symbolism began to seep its way into my life. I feel honored because it's not a symbol that has come up a lot in my life, but, feel it feels very special. The other day after work I came home to my partner who was listening to Van Morrison's album Tupelo Honey. It didn't dawn on me until I sat down and heard the lyrics to the song in which the album is titled after, "You can take all the tea in China, put it in a big brown bag for me, Sail right around the seven oceans, Drop it straight into the deep blue sea, She's as sweet as Tupelo honey, she's an angel to the first degree, She's as sweet as Tupelo honey, Just like honey from the bee...".

To me the honeybee is rich. Yet, it has integrity, and has to work hard to create the fruits of their labor. The sign of the bee also tells me that the results of labor may soon be apparent. The sweetness of honey is nourishing, it calms the spirit, and for me it slows down and deepens thought. 

Honoring My Own Voice, Ancestral Wisdom, Darkness, and Crow

The day after my birthday I went to visit a store to purchase a book. As I got out of  my car a crow landed in a tree above, looked right at me and "cawed" with a focus at me similar to the focus a dog would have when barking from their home. It startled me; it was not scary, it was just amazing how deliberate this crow was with its speech. It was wise. I knew that I would see more crows. As the last time crow came to visit, I was traveling in Maryland in 2004 and crow made itself well known through street signs, imagery, songs, and so on for weeks on end.

This month I have ordered a CD online, not knowing it's cover. It shipped from Europe, and its envelope was decorated with a stamp that read "royalty" under the bust of a crowned woman. When I opened the CD, I giggled; the album was covered in crows. The week prior I receive a magazine in the mail whose back cover portrayed a giant crow in a pine tree. I have seen countless crows as well over the time, and, I feel they are very comforting. They speak of change--deep change that may include a time of darkness. But, I believe that near every shadow, there is light. 

The Crow Is Calling

The crow reminds me that in us all there is an inner wisdom and knowing that we must honor. Not all inner wisdom is sunshine and roses. Some of that wisdom comes from painful life lessons. Darkness is not evil, it is not bad, it is a part of life, a part of the cycle of the universe, a part of you and me. 

Uncanny Updates: Since this post many manifestations of these symbols have continued to flow in. So many that It just seemed normal to encounter a bee in the beginning of winter in Kentucky. I have seen countless crows, particularly in flight displaying a surprisingly massive wing spam at moments where I am thinking of something very important. But, there have also been some pretty uncanny coincidences ...here are a few that I found particularly memorable:

Gifts of honey 

5Lbs of honey?! Upon arriving to my office last week I discovered that my office mate had gifted me a 5lb container of honey, "just becuase"! She had not read this blog post, I had never shared sentiments of honey with her, it was just another serendipitous gift. 

Most Magical Honey Ever

Back in October, when I acquired that luscious beeswax for craft making, I initially contacted some local city  bee keepers, 5th Street Apiary.  They did not have wax for sale at the time, so I had intentions of purchasing their honey instead, which, I had yet to try. Coincidentally, one day later, my partner came home with this once full jar of their honey. I have tried some pretty magical Kentucky honey, but, this is by far the most magical. I can't explain it. I had hoped to write them a review since the day I cracked open this jar..but, until then, this will have to suffice. We just finished this jar last week, otherwise I wish I had an image of the beautiful amber color.

Apiary Fairy

Last weekend I heard from a good friend how she had found a ticket to this Christmas concert that I hoped to go to, and, that had been sold out. When I arrived at the show, the woman to hand me the ticket was the local apiary woman whom I had been in touch with, but, had never met in person. I was happy to be able to share how much I enjoy their craft in person.  It was an uncanny coincidence. 

Gift of Amber Colored Stones 

Last Monday, I had an appointment with Sandra Humfleet at Pilates One Studio. I love this studio...I have a lot to say about it that I will save for another post. The difference between classical Pilates at this studio versus the grueling and self-defeating classes I attended in the past with friends...is immense. 

Sandra gave me the piece of amber that is closest to my finger tips, after my last session.  Color and crystal therapy is amazing! The orange/yellow/gold tones in this amber speak clearly to me the past few months. There is a sense of standing my ground in my truth, and remaining confident no matter what life throws my way. I see this more in my interpretation of the honey and gold. They help me to take time to enjoy the sweeter things in life, to appreciate the outcome of hard work, and to know there is more to come!

The oval stone in the palm of my hand came to me the very next day. It is a worry stone that a friend gave me with impeccable timing. I am heading towards some big shifts in my life this coming year and have noticed some subtle physical signs of stress.

 I received a message from that same friend, oracle card reader, energy worker, and crystal wise woman, Lori-lynn Hurley,  During her Monthly Oracle. The message was that I should take a moment to figure out what would help to bring me peace of mind. I have so many new projects that have been underway for years...but, only now coming to the surface. This has been a little nerve racking, but, also, very exciting. 

I realized one aspect of peace that night--I should remove all caffeine. I was drinking a cup of caffeinated tea or coffee most mornings. I found my mind racing, a trembling behind my eyes, and a slight internal shakiness. Though, my upcoming changes are all positive, they are also very new to me. My nervous ticks were humorous but a little unsettling.

I love how the deep Citrine color is meddled with a shade of  pale violet.. touching on both the themes of purple and the golden shades of honey. This stone came to me right when I needed it. During a time where I must remain focused, continue to work hard, and remain strong in my beliefs, above and below.

Piecing it all together with Indigo, Amber, and Black

These are color oracle cards that SaColorndra at Pilates one used on Monday, they helped to inspire her gift of amber. I love these cards! Color is a language  we can all learn from. This reading in particular made perfect sense. This is funny, but, I have always seen as more purple than blue. The same goes for the color of blue violets...they look purple to me, not blue! I think I may be partly color blind, ha.

I am not going to go into the meaning of this reading right now, but, I just find it amazing how these cards reflect the colors in this Life in Symbols post...black night of crow, purple and the amber and gold of honey.

Life is magical.