Monday Mettā
Mettā: Loving friendliness, goodwill, and kindness directed both inward and outward.
Things are always working out for me.
Whether you can see it or not, things are always working out for you. Think about the last time you “failed,” or jumped into something without thinking. How did your built in safety net help you out? How did your attitude open doors? How did your failure lead to an interesting and great new opportunity?
This is a loving-friendliness statement from an old friend. More, below.
✨
So glad you’re here.
Intuitive Tarot Card Reading
Use your intuition to guide you to a specific card below. Choose the card with the crystal on it that calls to you. At the end of this newsletter, you’ll see the cards flipped over, with a reading for each one. The card that you choose here will have your reading for the week.
Choose your card, then scroll down to the bottom of the newsletter for the reveal!
Card 1: Citrine Choose this card for matters of financial abundance.
Card 2: Peach Quartz Choose this card for a message on inner calm.
Card 3: Rose Quartz Choose this card for matters of the heart.
Everything is Always Working Out for Me
A friend of mine gave me this statement a few years ago, which at first I didn’t believe but used anyway. And it’s funny how words have power. Though at first I didn’t believe it, I said it enough to believe it. I began to believe that almost everything is in my best interest, with enough hindsight and faith.
And in small ways and in giant ways.
Last week, I celebrated Litha and the solstice by the sea and under the bright California sunshine. The trip was lovely. I wandered through lavender fields, visited farm stands, clambered up and down ocean cliffs, and dug my feet into purple sand. It was cool and windy in most places, and I felt very lucky to be there.
(Luck is a funny word. It is defined as a force that causes good or bad things to happen. When I consider “good” luck, I often think about it in hindsight. “How lucky that this, this, and this happened in that sequence that allowed me to experience THIS!” As in… things are always working out for me…)
One evening, we drove west to the small town near where we were staying. Its 4 block business district was packed. With cars, with people, dogs, everyone out in their best coastal-casual outfits. Even the dogs. Parking seemed impossible. As we drove by the restaurant, we realized we’d done the right thing by arriving 20 minutes ahead of our reservation. It would take us that long, or longer, we assumed, to find a space.
Not knowing the town at all, I drove through every street, well out of business district range, getting completely turned around. I could have gotten frustrated. I could have turned back to the hotel in a panic. But instead I said a little wish for parking and assumed the best. After about 15 minutes of driving, a spot appeared. I had no idea where I was, but I grabbed it! “Ok,” I said. “Where’s the restaurant from here.” A quick consult of the map and an even quicker raise of the head had us laughing. We had found a spot directly in front of the restaurant. What luck!
Things are always working out for me. I truly believe this. The parking spot is but a small, and seemingly inconsequential, example. But it isn’t actually inconsequential. When we pay attention to, and show appreciation for, these little moments, the big ones don’t seem so unattainable. In fact, they seem perfectly reasonable—of course things will work out. And though this example had me realizing my good luck almost immediately, other experiences show themselves weeks, months, or years later.
This summer, I had grand plans for space and time. Instead, I grabbed on to opportunities that have complicated my schedule. I remain steadfast in my belief: everything is always working out for me, and later, I’ll find out how my overstuffed life has benefited me. For those of you who have been following me for a while, you know that about six years ago I was scared, confused, and in a lot of pain. I wrote and hiked and learned my way through it and I can now look back and say. “I’m so lucky that happened. It all worked out, even better than I anticipated.”🤎
Workshops, Classes, and Ways to Connect
How would you like to bloom?
This September, I’m holding a mini-workshop called Aligned Possibility. Two packed, live, group sessions on how to bring to bloom an idea, goal, or dream. Basically, it’s a workshop on manifestation, lead by someone who generally refuses to use the term :)
The workshop is highly personal, and will focus on your own goals or dreams, with clear and connected ways to move towards them. You will work with me and each other to gain perspective, new ways of thinking and speaking, and powerful processes you can take with you and use over and over again.
The details:
Wednesdays, September 10 and 17 from 6-8pm eastern time. Bring dinner!
Both sessions will be live and neither will be recorded.
The cost is $200.
Interested? More to come. Email me with any questions or …
Miraval Berkshires: You can always find me in real life at Miraval Berkshires: I teach weekly in-person workshops on how to read tarot and how to practice using your intuition, as well as a weekly yin yoga class and a Thursday evening class on the soul. I’d love to see you there! Respond to this email to learn more.
Would You Like to Listen to Me Instead of Read Me? If you’re looking to hear more from me, here are a couple of recent podcasts to check out:
With Gratitude,
As part of my loving-kindness community, here are three beautiful ways you can support this newsletter:
🌱Make a micro-donation or become a paying member of this Substack. Subscribe to pay for this newsletter for $5/month or $50/year. Paying subscribers have access to my entire archive.
(Alternatively, donate any amount below.)
🌻Book an intuitive or tarot reading with me or learn more at alignedandawake.com
💌Forward this newsletter on to anyone who might want a little love! Ask them to subscribe! Tell them you love them!
Thank you thank you!
Much love and gratitude,
Rachel xo
PS! I make a great gift! Interested in gifting a private yoga, a tarot or an intuitive soul reading to a friend? Simply respond to this newsletter!
Your Tarot Reading, Revealed!
Card 1: Citrine // Knight of Wands
The Knight of Wands asks you to move forward with a creative project that you’ve been mulling over or one that you have just started. It will be a (mostly!) positive experience that leads to financial abundance. This may not happen immediately, but stay committed to yourself, your creativity, and your spirit.
Card 2: Peach Quartz // Nine of Cups
There’s a satisfaction that comes from knowing you are in the right place at the right time! You are! Let that calm you down for a moment. If you are feeling kind of meh, or overwhelmed, this card says that you’re actually doing the right things. If you’re feeling VERY discouraged, this card reminds you that you are always being looked after (the cups behind the seated figure can often represent your “team” or guides or mentors).
Card 3: Rose Quartz // Six of Swords
Your heart is yours to take care of, and this card is a reminder of that. Think of yourself as the boat rower and the two figures sitting. It is your job to carefully take your heart from one place to another. What part of your heart needs balance? What part of your heart needs clarity? What part of your heart needs to go on a journey? You’ll need to take all three of those parts into account as you go forward. Stay the course with your heart in mind.
Rachel Barker's role as writer and intuitive is to facilitate the reader’s introspection, awareness, and reflection. Whether to make a particular choice or take a particular action is entirely the responsibility of the reader.