Medicine cards – Raven & Butterfly, Power of Now

Yesterday, in the morning I saw a butterfly fly and land right in front of me.
At dinner, on my friend’s patio, a raven came and landed in a small tree right beside me. I saw lots of birds, a beautiful cardinal, blue jays, etc.. but the raven seemed to come right to us and sat there while we ate.
I have a deck of Jamie Sams medicine cards – for animal wisdom and guidance. http://www.jamiesams.com/medicinecards.html

"Medicine", according to the Native American way, refers to methods used for improving your connection to all of life. This includes healing of the body, mind and spirit, as well as gaining personal power, strength and understanding. You can learn to move through life in perfect harmony with the Universe. To accomplish this, we look to our fellow creatures, the animals. They exhibit habit patterns that send messages of healing and power to anyone open enough to observe their lessons on how to live. Their precious gifts of true Medicine are Free. When you call upon their power, you are asking to be drawn into complete harmony with the strength of their essence.
From: http://www.serenityhealth.com/medcard.html
You can get a reading and see cards at this site also.

I looked up the Butterfly and Raven in my cards.

#16 – Raven – Magic

Raven is the bringer of magic. It is positive, and only negative if you are dealing with black magic.. most likely if you are playing with magic of which you have no knowledge or if something backfires. I think it would be negative only if you have bad intentions.
Raven is a messenger of the void – and gives you courage to enter the darkness of the void, the great Mystery, where everything lives before it comes to form.
Ravens signal a change in consciousness. You will see and experience a little more of life’s magic.
“In Native teachings the color black means many things, but it does not mean evil. Black can mean the seeking of answers, the void, or the road of the spiritual or non-physical. The blue-black of raven contains an iridescence that speaks of the magic of darkness, and a changeability of forms and shape that brings an awakening in the process.”

#9 – Butterfly – Transformation

You are in a cycle of transformation. Observe and discover where you are in this cycle.
1- Egg stage – are your plans as yet a thought or idea?
2- Larva stage – do you need to make a decision?
3- Cocoon stage – are you developing or doing something to make your plans a reality?
4- Birth Stage – are you showing your completed idea?

Butterfly helps you clarify your mental process, organize and take the next step in your plans. The main message of the butterfly is that you are ready to undergo some types of transformation.
Both Raven and Butterfly are about change and courage. Courage because change can be difficult – to step out of old habits – to leave the cocoon. A new reality awaits. ‘This new world demands that you use your newfound wings – and fly!’


Thoughts excerpted from The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle:

“Remember that your perception of the world is a reflection of your state of consciousness”
“Nothing is what it seems to be”

The world you see may seem important, “even a vale of tears”, but it is how your consciousness interprets and interacts with the molecular energy dance of the universe.

“We are not separate from our world, so when the majority of humans become free of egoic delusion, this inner change will affect all of creation. You will literally inhabit a new world. It is a shift in planetary consciousness. The strange Buddhist saying, that every tree and every blade of grass will eventually become enlightened points to the same truth.”

“Your primary task is not to seek salvation through creating a better world but to awaken out of identity with form. Then you are in touch with something infinitely greater than any pleasure, greater than any manifested thing.”
“Then you don’t need the world to be any different than it is.”
“It is only at this point that you can begin to make a real contribution toward creating a different order of reality.”

“Only those who have transcended the world can bring about a better world.”


pic from http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i276/photowebs/pictures/butterfly/transparent-butterfly2a.jpg