At the crossroads of Creativity, Nature and Spirituality is Transformation.

right livelihood

New Moon in Virgo: Creating a Bountiful Harvest

by Joanna Powell Colbert on September 7, 2010 · 4 comments

in Art, Money Mindset, Right Livelihood, Soul Work, Spiritual Practice, Tarot Tuesday

Since the New Moon in Virgo is tomorrow and Autumn Equinox is only two weeks away, I did a reading for myself that focuses on the theme of Harvest.

My question is: What do I most need to know about creating an abundant Harvest in my business this coming autumn season? (And by season, I really mean the next three months, even though this reading takes place on a New Moon.)

I’m using a simple, 3 card spread, just like the one on the Gaian Tarot Oracle page: Opportunity, Challenge, Resolution.

For this reading, I decided to choose the cards face up instead of shuffling and randomly selecting the cards. (I was inspired by techniques taught by James Wells and Shari Smith in recent Gaian Tarot Circle teleseminars.) I did this because I want to create my outcome consciously, through the power of intention and action (known by some as magick!).

[click to continue…]

{ 4 comments }

Serenity & Productivity: Living the Canoe Card

by Joanna Powell Colbert on August 31, 2010 · 3 comments

in Nature, Personal Growth, Spiritual Practice, Tarot, Tarot Tuesday

Last week Craig and I took off for a canoe-camping trip in the North Cascades wilderness. It was probably the best vacation I can remember having in a long, long time. We whittled our needs and activities down to a basic few: pack up the gear, unpack the gear. Make meals, clean up meals. Paddle from one campsite to another. Enjoy Mama Gaia, enjoy each other. We were completely unplugged and out of cell phone range. We encountered only a handful of people on the remote north end of the lake. The weather couldn’t have been finer. And so we sweetly paddled our way into that mythical land called Slow Time.

In the Gaian Tarot Circle, one of the threads in the discussion forum is about the Gaian Tarot’s penchant for being literal in readings. (For example, someone who pulls the 4 of Water with its imagery of Chalice Well might “coincidentally” be planning a trip to Glastonbury, where the Well is located.) As I paddled for several hours each day at the lake last week, I would think about the Canoe (Chariot) card, and the meaning I assigned to it. I wrote this in the Gaian Tarot companion book:

When you get this card in a reading . . .

This is a time to stay focused on your path, and to exercise self-discipline as you work towards your goal. Set aside anything extraneous that would dis- tract you or keep you from completing your task. What is your goal? What do you want to accomplish? This may apply to your life in the everyday world — pursuing a course of study, a career goal, a fitness plan, a creative project. It may also apply to your inner life; perhaps you are in a recovery program or are healing from a trauma. Whatever it is, set your intention, take your first steps, and your guides and allies will be at your side to help you on your way. Be of great courage! No matter how hard it seems, you have what it takes to succeed.

However . . . what I discovered is that paddling a canoe is not always about being focused and self-disciplined and distraction-free. In fact, it can be a fine way to meander and flow and enjoy the journey rather than the destination. I found myself constantly distracted by colors, shapes and sounds as we paddled along: the intense underwater shades of jade and emerald; undulating, sinuous roots and branches; a raven’s croak and chickaree’s chatter. I was invariably distracted by Beauty.

[click to continue…]

{ 3 comments }

The Gardener: A Business Vision (or, “Your Ideal Day”)

by Joanna Powell Colbert on August 19, 2010 · 6 comments

in Art, Personal Growth, Right Livelihood, Soul Work

In the Gaian Tarot Circle, we’ve been studying one Gaian Major Arcana card a month. This month’s card is the Gardener (aka the Empress). Even though I created this card a few years back and know it intimately, I’m finding it has new and timely messages for me. A couple of nights ago, a group of us from the GTC had a conversation about the Gardener card on a teleseminar call.

The key insight that emerged for me during the call is that the Gardener card is my exact model for how I want my business to be. There's clearly been an enormous amount of work done — look Ma, no weeds! — but the Gardener has co-created with the nature spirits and with Mama Gaia Herself to create a lush, fertile, abundant garden. And . . . she is relaxed, happy, healthy, and enjoying the "fruits of her labors"! And she is pregnant with her next project . . .

I’m a Capricorn and a triple earth-sign to boot, so I have a tendency towards overwork and work-aholism. Sometimes I feel guilty for taking an entire weekend off. (I know, I know . . .) So I’m very excited to have this card as a model for how I want my business to be. Abundant, prolific, lots of hard work done . . . and I’m taking time to relax and enjoy it all. Oh yeah!

There’s nothing more powerful than a clear vision of how you want your life and your business to be. If you don’t know where you’re going, how can you possibly get there?

Many moons ago — well, back in the early 80’s — I read a book that had an enormous impact on my life. That book was Wishcraft: How to Get What You Really Want by Barbara Sher. I still have my original copy with all my notes scribbled in the margins. I don’t think I did all the exercises in the book, but the one I did do (more than once) is the “Ideal Day” exercise. This was incredibly powerful for me, because it allowed me to dream about what I really wanted for my life. Back in the early 80’s the highlights of my “Ideal Day” were:

[click to continue…]

{ 6 comments }

What Does “Right Livelihood” Mean to You?

by Joanna Powell Colbert on August 12, 2010 · 11 comments

in Right Livelihood, Soul Work, Spirituality

Last week I asked my newsletter readers and my blog readers to answer a few questions about the content for the “right livelihood” e-course I’m currently creating.

One question I asked had to do with the term “right livelihood.” I was interested in how people responded to it as a possible name for the course.

I found it quite interesting that a number of people didn’t seem to realize that the term is a Buddhist one. It’s part of the “Noble Eightfold Path” — eight precepts that all begin with the word “Right.”

never assume . . .

I assumed that most people who are spiritually-minded would recognize the term, but I was wrong — and we all know what they say about assuming!

“wrong” livelihood?

A number of people objected to the term as they felt it implied that there is a “wrong” way to earn one’s living. And actually, according to Buddhism, they’re right. (I’m not a practicing Buddhist, so please correct me if I’m wrong here.) The Eight-Fold Path directive is to earn your living in an ethical manner, that does no harm. Specifically, there are injunctions against: trading in weapons; trading in people (slavery or prostitution); trading in meat (including breeding animals for slaughter); trading in alcohol or addictive drugs; trading in any poisonous or toxic product.

All of those would constitute a “wrong” livelihood. We could make our own list of injunctions which, in this day and age, might include things like trading in products that require a huge carbon footprint.

earn your living with great joy and be of service to the world

The connotation of “right livelihood” today, especially to those of us who came of age in the 60's, is about more than finding an ethical way to do business (as important as that is). It has more to do with earning your living while being of service to the world. And, for me, it assumes that the thing that gives you the most joy is the way you can best be of service to the world. In fact, if something does give you great joy, that’s a significant clue that it is the unique gift you have to offer the world. And the world is waiting for what you have to offer.

“Vocation is the place where your deep gladness meets the world’s deep need,” wrote Presbyterian minister Frederick Buechner.

What does “right livelihood” mean to you?

(Image above is a detail of the Gaian Tarot Six of Earth.)

{ 11 comments }

Right Livelihood or Soul Work Secrets? questions for you . . .

by Joanna Powell Colbert on July 29, 2010 · 11 comments

in Personal Growth, Right Livelihood, Soul Work, Spirituality

Dear Readers,

I know I'm not the only person out there who wants to make an abundant living doing the work they love. Most of you know that my life changed pretty dramatically this past year, as I made the change from doing my "heart & soul work" part-time to doing it full-time. I have a fabulous coach in Elizabeth Genco Purvis, and I've studied marketing and business techniques from other teachers as well.

I believe that each of us has a unique gift to share with the world. I know from first-hand experience how frustrating it can be to not have enough time or energy to put into your soul work because you're too busy making a living at a "real" job. (Of course there's many of us who love our "real" jobs. I'm just talking to the folks who'd like to try their hand at being a "spirit-rich entrepreneur," as Elizabeth says.)

So I'm in the midst of creating an e-course on "Right Livelihood" for those of you who either have a dream about pursuing your soul-work as a business, or who are already doing it part-time and want to take it full-time.

If this is something you're interested in, I'd love it if you could help me create the curriculum for this course by answering a few questions in the comments section.

Do you need help clarifying the vision for your soul-centered business?
Are you clear about the kind of work you are called to do, but don't know how to start getting your business off the ground?
What do you see as the biggest obstacle(s) to moving into your soul work full-time?
What is the biggest challenge you have in taking your business to the next level?
What do you most need help with?
Do you like the name "Right Livelihood" for the course? How about "Soul Work Secrets"? Any other ideas?

Thank you! I appreciate your help so much.

{ 11 comments }