On my awakening journey, I have been exploring many different avenues of connecting to the Divine and of receiving spiritual guidance from the higher realms.

I have found that I resonate strongly with shamanism, and many Nature-based practices and traditions. Spending time in Nature is for me the equivalent of what I imagine going to church is for a person who is religious. Deep in a forest with the trees, barefoot in a field, windswept on a mountain, or by a body of water are some of the places that I feel closest to the Divine, to Spirit, to the Universe, to God/Goddess, All That Is. Often on my journeys I receive messages, some I ask for, and some come to me as gifts that I didn’t know I needed. They are always helpful and filled with love and wisdom.

Sometimes, I explore further with a drum journey meditation, where I visualize spending time with the animal spirit that has stepped forward in my awareness and they too offer me much comfort and wisdom to navigate my way forward in this life. Being a writer, I naturally note these messages in my journal, with as much detail as I possible, so when I revisit these pages, it is like returning to that moment in time. Depending on what is going on in my world at the moment, different parts of the message may stand out to me, and offer a new perspective to consider. I have been keeping this to myself, feeling that the messages were meant for me alone, and feeling unsure if my friends and family would understand how sacred and precious these practices and messages are to me, and how they have been helping to light my way thru this world.

Recently, as my self-love and acceptance has been growing, along with my love and acceptance of others, the call has come to begin to share these messages. I am reminded that even if it doesn’t resonate with everyone who reads it, at our core, we are all One and the messages that help and support me, can do so for others as well. So, this is the first of these messages I am called to share with you. May it bring light, or comfort to guide you along your way.

The cardinal spirit has been visiting me for months. I notice a flash of red, often preceded by a sweet trill, and I understand, eventually, that my attention is called for. In my drum led visualization, I enter the ground by the base of a tree that I am connected to, spiralling downward along her roots on dancing white light. I travel deeply into the ground and come to a large wooden door with black cast iron hinges. On the other side of this door is a wonderful nature scene, unbelievably vivid, rich, fertile. I am standing in a marsh, up to my thighs. I wade in the tall aquatic grasses and see dragonflies, water beetles, ducks, swans and geese. I make my way to the shore and find myself standing before a heavily wooded forest. It is lush, green, smelling of earth, sweet rotting leaves and rain. I notice a small path that winds thru the woods, so I decide to follow it. I am listening for birdsong, which leads me to a meadow filled with wildflowers. I hear chickadees and stop to listen for the Cardinal. It takes awhile, so I decide to lay down in the meadow with my eyes shut just listening. Maybe I doze off a little while and wake up to a happy, sweet, familiar song. I look at the branch above me and see a Cardinal with his mate. I greet him. He sings for awhile and I listen. It is so lovely.

I ask him from my heart, “Cardinal, you’ve been visiting with me for months, what message do you have for me?”

He answers, “Thank you for listening to me sing. Do you know the secret to our song?”

I shake my head, no.

“We cardinals mate for life. Our hearts are very pure, and we love very long and hard. Even if our mates die, we continue to love them and sing our love for them everyday of our lives. You have a heart like a cardinal. You love like we do, hard, long and deep. You are also very loyal. However, in the human world, relationships are not meant to last your whole life. They are chapters in your life story, very rarely does one stay by your side your whole life and that is how it is meant to be. Therefore, you must be loyal, not to the relationship your whole life, you must be loyal to Love. Be Love, speak Love, breathe & sing Love everyday of your life. One lover will come to you, drawn by your song, by how you express your Love and you will share appreciation for this Love until one must go and that song comes to an end. Then you let them go and continue to sing and express your Love, the Love That You Are. The next lover will come, and the next, and the next. All gravitating to you by the authentic, pure truth of the Love That You Are, that resonates with the Love That They Are. You will never lack Love, Love is You, You are filled with it and made of it. Do not be shy or afraid to sing and express how much you Love, to share it with the world. Embody Love. Share your voice, share your Love. Speak up for Love, defend Love, Be Love.”

I thank him for this beautiful message. He then suggests that we sing together, so we do, I am singing a made up song and he is trilling and singing so joyfully until it is time for me to go. I thank him again and tell him I love him and how magnificently he sings. We part ways, I run on the path to the marsh thru the forest, wade thru up to the large wooden door, where spirals of white light under me propel me upwards through the earth to the roots of my tree friend, and I emerge from the ground at the base of the trunk. I give her a big hug, and tell her I love her, and the whole forest too. I am filled with Love.

Thank you Cardinal.

the lily and rose

This article is written by Tara Dawn Blanchet and shared exclusively to CrystalWind.ca via email. 
If you would like assistance receiving messages from an animal spirit/guide, please contact

Author Bio: the lily and rose blog has taken a long time to come into being, and I am so grateful and proud to finally be able to share it with you. The simple fact that you are reading these words right now, is amazing to me, after so many months of procrastination, self-doubt, and paralyzing negative self talk which just about had me ready to scrap the whole idea. The loving angel whispering in my ear, who prevented me from walking away from making this wish come true, is the namesake and inspiration, my lovely departed grandmother: Lillian Rose. So in her honour, this space is intended to be unique & quirky, drenched in light, love, authenticity and acceptance for all. Here I will share thoughts, musings, questions, perspectives and anything else that inspires or intrigues this curious and open mind. Feel free to share your comments, questions and/or suggestions along the way, as we are all teachers and students of and for each other.

Posting on CrystalWind.ca © 2024. All rights reserved. Please do not reproduce any content without written permission. The article's title was crafted by CrystalWind.ca.

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