Category Archives: Good For The Soul

My birthday is at the very end of the month (Aug. 31) so as a kid it was a long, excruciating month. Then there was the excitement of back to school as well so August, for me, has always been a hurry up and wait month.

As an adult not much has changed in that respect except I no longer head back to school but August is a lazy, relaxed month for me. Astrology will tell me it’s because my old solar year is winding down so I should use this time for reflection and review in anticipation of the new solar year arriving. Kind of like how most people act at the end of the calendar year in anticipation of the new year.

So I thought I would share with you a couple of  games, for lack of a better name, to enjoy this August, or anytime really, that may offer up some personal insight but if nothing else, will pass the time with a little bit of playfulness and nostalgia of summer afternoons when we were children, bored to distraction and your mom would kick you out of the house to go out and play and maybe give her a moment or two of peace and quiet.

Did you ever lay out on the grass or on an old blanket in your back yard and play this game? A fluffy clouds floats across the sky and you and your bestie, or sibling – if you had to hang out with them because your bestie was on vacation with their family doing something totally fun while you where stuck at home – and try and make out an animal or image out of the cloud? Did you notice that the more you worked at seeing some sort of image in the clouds, the more images you would actually see?

I’m going to suggest that you once again play this little game. Okay, maybe not lying on the ground, although this is an excellent way to ground your energy with the earths energy. A lawn chair and a tall glass of ice tea will do just fine. But before you gaze upon the washed out blue of the August sky in search of an errant cloud, ask your guides, or your higher power, to send a message in the clouds for you. A good question to ask is, “What do I need to know right now?”

Now gaze up to the sky and pick out a cloud. It my be the first one you see or it may be one that attracts you. What do you see in the cloud? Can you make out an image? An animal?

Once you have your image within the clouds, use your intuition for a gut reaction as to what it might mean in regards to the question you just asked.

Have I  lost you yet? I mean how does that dog you just spied in the clouds have anything to do with the question you just asked? Well think about what a dog represents to you – loyalty, friendship, obedience. Could the universe be asking you to use those traits more in your life? Or perhaps it’s warning you about loyalty or friendship in regards to someone else. That is were your intuition comes into play as odds are you are aware of a situation where you need to apply caution. If not, then perhaps this is an area where you need to be more vigilant with your awareness.

Still confused? Google the symbolistic meaning of the image you just saw. There are great resource websites out there with amazing explanations that may offer you more insight. Whats-Your-Sign is my favourite. But if all else fails, asks the universe more clarification. Remember, the universe is constantly communicating with us in the form of signs and symbols. We need only pay attention and align ourselves with the language it uses and our intuition is the best tool for the job.

So you are out in the yard, ice tea in hand but there are no clouds, now what. Well here is another little game you can play with the surrounding nature that may work instead.

Close your eyes, ask your question for the universe to answer, then open your eyes. Make note of the first 3 things that your eyes focus on. This works best if you are in nature but a backyard with lots of natural features will work in a pinch.

So for fun, let’s say you saw a dandelion, a crow in the air and a maple tree. As in the cloud game, what does your intuition say? The first gut reactions tend to be the closest to the truth so the more you practice this, the more in tune you will become to the messages of the universe. But for explanation sake, let’s use these meanings.

Dandelion – tenacious, sunny, wishes (when blown to the wind), healing properties.

Crow – intelligent, trickster, resourceful, connection to the spirit world.

Maple tree – seasonal, tapping inner knowledge (tapping maple sugar), rooted, colourful (in autumn), protective (shelter and shade)

Now make up a story for yourself that will connect these 3 images.  Something like: Get out in to life and shine. Don’t give up. Use your personal gifts that the universe bestowed on you for this lifetime but stay grounded to your surroundings and know that the universe has your back.

Now you try.

August is meant to be a time to enjoy life. Living is easy and mother earth is at her most fertile.  So get out and play. Connect with nature. Connect with the universe  but take life less seriously. There is plenty of time come September to hunker down, get back to schedules and harvest what bounty there is to be had in anticipation of a winter not far off.

Enjoy my little games of imagination and intuition. Who knows what messages the universe is just waiting to bestow on you. Because if you don’t ask it, you may never know.