Kestrel the Druid

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  • Today’s meditation

    Today’s meditation

    Today’s meditation took a very dark turn. The subject was of death. I was asked why I was afraid to die. My response was that I was not ready to die yet. I felt that I had not prepared my soul correctly for death at this time. I am working on preparing my soul. I was told that I had many years before I would cross over. And that until then, I would grow and evolve continuously. I will have many ascensions or leveling up. And that by the time I was ready, my soul would be prepared.

    I feel like I’m on the edge of something big about to happen. I worry that this may be a bad or tragic event. I am also hopeful and excited that the coming days will bring good things. Things like growth, development, abundance and eventually peace and calm.

  • Signs From Nature: The Hawk Feather and Dream Insights

    Signs From Nature: The Hawk Feather and Dream Insights

    It has been an exciting weekend! First, I found a hawk feather during a walk on Saturday. Not 100% sure, but I believe it is a red-tail hawk feather. It was sticking straight up as if it was purposely planted for me to find. Or as if it simply grew out of the ground itself. Hawks are often messengers or symbols of a message that will soon be coming to you. They can also be a sign that you are finding your true life’s purpose. Everything I have read about them says they are good omens if they have somehow entered your life. I hope this is a sign that I have finally stopped wandering aimlessly and am now on my correct path.

    Last night was interesting for my dreams. I dreamt of storms and bad weather coming. The meanings of this are endless. Everything from upcoming challenges to unexpected luck. It could be a sign of cleansing or a sign of destruction. Like I said, endless. The main takeaway from my dream was that I was working to protect three animals, 1 cat and 2 dogs. I was also not panicked but concerned. My biggest take away came from the end of the dream. I remember that we were expecting very destructive weather. Still, by the end of the dream, the storm had passed. And nothing was damaged. I took this to mean that something scary will be happening in my life soon. But don’t worry, be calm. Everything will be fine in the end.

  • What Dreaming of Ducks and Chickens Means

    What Dreaming of Ducks and Chickens Means

    I dreamt of chickens and ducks last night. I was in my childhood home’s basement. We had chickens and ducks. We were trying to figure out which were the chickens, and which were the ducks. They both symbolize good things to come. It was very interesting because we were surprised that we had ducks in the mix. Also, the birds kept multiplying. Could that mean that good things in my life will increase soon. Things like relationships improving, a good crop this year. The possibilities are endless. And I look ahead to whatever the universe has in store for me.

  • Beginner’s Guide to Meditation: Tips and Techniques

    Beginner’s Guide to Meditation: Tips and Techniques

    What is meditation? Meditation can be anything that calms, relaxes, or de-stresses. I have a quiet spot where I go sit and try to empty my mind of thoughts. This is easier said than done. I often find my mind wandering and drifting. Like I’ve said before, it takes practice. However, there are many ways in which to meditate. And what works for me, may not work for you.

    If you’ve never meditated before, a good place to start is with guided meditations. There are several apps out there that I’ve had good results using. Medito and Serenity are two that are free to use. Insight Timer is another one that I enjoyed using. There’s also Headspace. Youtube has many good channels that can also provide guidance. I say try many and see if you like one or more.

    Probably the most difficult part of meditating is getting out of my head. I keep finding myself having a dialogue with myself. I’ve been counteracting that with my mantra “Slow the breath, quiet the mind, relax into peace”. It helps to keep me focused and prevent daydreaming. Guided meditations can help with this also, by giving you something to focus on. Some people use a focal object like a flower or crystal to hold their attention.

    What have you tried? Was it successful or was it a failure. (Failure are not bad, simply learning tools). Leave a comment to tell me what focus tools you’ve tried and how they worked.

  • Practice Makes Perfect: Meditation Tips for Persistence

    Practice Makes Perfect: Meditation Tips for Persistence

    Today was not my best day. I am starting to be more disciplined about my meditation. But today was full of distractions. My little red squirrel friend came back to chat. And the insects were determined to get my attention (especially the mosquitoes). I kept catching my mind wandering. And I could not focus. I managed to have 5 minutes of peace and calm. This was out of the 20 minutes that I was trying. I have read that this is normal. That a good strong meditation takes time and lots of practice. Even though I’ve had a few bad days (yesterday was worse), I will not give up. I can feel myself getting better each time I make the effort.

    If you feel like you’re not getting it. Keep trying. It will get easier as time goes on. And every time you practice, you will improve. I believe in you! I love you!!

    Please comment with any difficulties you have had during meditation.

  • Get Ready for Meditation: Journals and Tips Coming Soon!

    Get Ready for Meditation: Journals and Tips Coming Soon!

    It’s been a few days since I last posted and didn’t want everyone to think I forgot about them. I’ve been working on setting up my donations page and starting to create meditation journals. I am planning on starting some meditation mini-classes, with tips and tricks to start a meditation practice. Please keep on visiting and share this site with anyone you think may benefit from it. Love you all!!

  • Healing Through Meditation: Embracing Emotions

    Healing Through Meditation: Embracing Emotions

    Today’s meditation was a difficult one for me. It started out with being angry at my circumstances, which led to blame and regret. I blamed myself for being separated from my adult children. I felt guilty that they were going through there own struggles. I blamed myself for not being closer to aging parents who desperately need my help. It then turned to sobbing. I miss my grandmother who died decades ago. I miss my father-in-law, who died last year. For the first time, I let myself feel those negative emotions. I let myself cry until I felt I had gotten it all out. I would usually try to comfort myself by saying, it’s not my fault, or I’m where I need to be. But this time, I let myself feel everything with no excuses. No trying to push it down or hide it in the shadows. Let myself actually feel the pain. It can be very healing and liberating. I was feeling quite ill earlier today, nausea, headache, fatigue. After today’s meditation (if you can call it that), I feel more energized and my upset stomach has disappeared. This type of reaction happens occasionally during my practice. It can be quite upsetting and uncomfortable. But if you let it happen and ride it out, you will come out lighter on the other side.

    During the worst of my practice today, a white moth kept fluttering around me. When I was finished, I looked up the meaning of a white moth. It fit perfectly. White moths can symbolize transformation and spiritual growth. Some say it is a sign that an awakening or leveling up is about to happen. They can also be messengers from past loved ones. This makes sense as well, since I kept seeing visions of family members who have crossed over. Could they have been trying to comfort me? Were they trying to give me a message? Maybe they just wanted me to know that they were still with me. Maybe all three.

    My message today is that this isn’t always easy. Don’t give up if you feel you had a setback. Don’t give up if your meditation practice isn’t going the way you want. Because it is probably going the way you need it to go.

  • Symbolism of Coyotes and Squirrels: A Day of Reflection

    Symbolism of Coyotes and Squirrels: A Day of Reflection

    Today was an interesting day. It started out on my morning commute. As I was driving past a field, I saw a coyote in front of me. He ran off a little ways as I approached him. Stopped and looked back at me for several seconds before darting into the nearby woods. I couldn’t help but feel that he was trying to tell me something. Looking up coyote symbolism, I learned that coyotes often show up when taking life too seriously. They are also tricksters and can warn of someone playing games with you. Which is it? I don’t know. It could also have just been a coyote out looking for a meal.

    The second part of my interesting day happened during my meditation. I have a little clearing on my land that I like to go to for meditating. It usually remains free of all critters while I am out there. I can hear birds singing and the wind blowing but rarely see anything except the trees and the grass. Today a little red squirrel decided to join me during my time out there and was talking up a storm. He kept eye contact with me for what seemed like several minutes. At the same time I saw a cardinal in the branches of the trees. After doing some more research on these two animals, I learned that they both are associated with the number 12. Squirrels have a 12-week cycle. Cardinals are linked to 12 of anything, whether it’s days, weeks, years, etc. Squirrels warn us to prepare for the future. The cardinal says to listen to your inner feminine voice for health and creativity.

    What does this mean for me specifically? My inner voice suggests ideas for products. These products could be profitable. They might allow me to retire from my current job. But the squirrel cautions me to not be hasty. And not take on too much. Start small and slowly build up over time. I guess that is the next step with this blog. Start with one small thing.

  • The Art of Asking Why: Discovering Your True Desires

    The Art of Asking Why: Discovering Your True Desires

    What do I want? This question seems simple but can actually be quite perplexing. What do I want? I want to have all my bills paid. I want to have a nicer home. I want to eat all organic foods and enjoy the tastier selections in the stores. You get the point.

    The problem with this question is there are so many possible ways to answer. What do I want out of life? What do I want to achieve? What do I want with my career? What objects do I want? I would buy things because I wanted them. I don’t know why I wanted them. I just wanted them. This has led to debt which I am now chained to. Many items I’ve purchased are now sitting in a dump somewhere, because I didn’t really want them. Cleaning out a home of a loved one who passed was eye-opening. Knick-Knacks that no one wanted. Decades of photographs that no one looked at. There whole life reduced to stuff. This stuff that nobody cared about. Why did we store clutter for years only to dispose of it at the end? Often it is because our world today tells us we must have these things to be happy and successful.

    When I first asked myself this open-ended question, I was lost. I had no clue what I wanted. I meditated, journaled, and did other activities to find out what I wanted. I found one trick to help me answer this riddle. The biggest thing to remember is to always ask why? Why do I want this? One thing I presently want is to have solar panels installed. But why, so I won’t have an electric bill. So I can be more environmentally friendly. So I can be a better Druid. Another thing I want is to retire. Why? So I can sleep in. So I can have more time to practice Druidry. So I can take vacations. By asking why, I have avoided making purchases for the wrong reasons and save myself some money. It is starting off small. Why do I want the cookies? Because I’m hungry and they’re full of sugar (which I’m addicted to). Because they will bring me 1 minute of pleasure at the cost of my health long-term. So I don’t buy the cookies.

    Last month was a bad month. I spent more money than I wanted to. For July, I’m hoping to cut my purchases in half, if not more. Wish me luck!

  • Finding Balance: The True Meaning of Going with the Flow

    Finding Balance: The True Meaning of Going with the Flow

    What does it mean to “Go with the Flow”? I keep being told that I need to be flexible. Often times at work, the plan will change as we’re performing the task. But does that mean that I should just do whatever someone tells me and never get upset or frustrated? That is a very difficult ask. How do you allow yourself to adapt while not losing yourself in the process?

    During my meditation time today, it came to me. Much like the tall grass moving with the wind, it is more about cooperation than domination. It allows the wind to bend it, but stays anchored to the earth. If someone tells you to change, you should listen and contemplate. Even give it a try. But if it isn’t working for you, don’t keep pushing. Let it fall away. Think more like a tree bending in the wind and not like a leaf being swept away be the current. Be true to yourself and also, be willing to change.

    How to apply this concept at my job? Maybe by thinking about the change and why it’s happening. We must understand that we are all human. We don’t always have the answers right away, and need to pivot when a new solution arises. I will try to remember this lesson in the days to come. Bend to the wind, and stay rooted to your true self.