GYPSY CAFE

Relationships in clearer Light

2012-03-09T05:24:00.001-05:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! Yesterday's cards spoke of staying calm and not acting in haste. They told me to expect imbalance, confusion and lack of clarity, and to stay strong in the face of these difficulties. And I did just that: I continued with my work, talked to people I needed to talk to, finished my tasks one at a time, expected nothing and let my day end peacefully. And as the afternoon rosary mass ended and I was coming out of church, my dad met me and handed me a small bouquet of freesia and ivy to celebrate me as his little woman. I go to rosary mass every single day. Offering our prayers to Mary is particularly comforting to me, and I especially enjoy the feminine energies of that mass. I find great relief in celebrating and praying to Mary who I know understands my heart as a woman and has sympathy for my unique pains. Most of the time there are only women in these masses, and I let the peace, the acceptance, the repose and the strength permeate me completely. The rosary mass renews me, and I draw upon this peace outside those heavy oak church doors, surrounded by the challenges of life.

Today too, I am asking the cards about the energies around me. Having shuffled the major arcana of my Angel Tarot deck, and as I was shuffling, these three cards fell out: Lovers, The Hierophant Rx and the Hermit Rx. I regard them as the cards I need to see today. The combination is telling me that today, some unconventional relationships will show themselves in a clearer light. Those who have gone through an period of introversion will resurface again to begin a period of extroversion that will help them stay in balance. As I know how I need others to respect my oscillating phases of self-absorption and sociability, I too will respect these phases in others. Like the father respected these phases in his prodigal son who left the family home to withdraw and find himself and came back to open himself up again to fatherly love and understanding. Of course, this is only a very simple angle of the richly multilayered story, but nonetheless it is an angle relevant for me today. We all oscillate; our soul's needs are never the same, and respecting the flows and currents of others as we want them to respect ours is important.

You must be getting ready for your office. Remember to respect not only the physical but also the spiritual needs of others. In order to remain in harmony, all aspects of ourselves are important.

For your daily dose of angels, go to Angelic Compass.

To read about miracles and becoming inspired, go to Divine Rose Cafe.

Doing my Things, expecting Nothing

2012-03-08T04:58:00.001-05:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! Yesterday's message was about keeping my steps cautious in order to free myself from destructive thought patterns. And I did just that. I did not jump into anything, waited where I could proceed and turned inwards for answers, trying to connect with God and hear what He has to tell me. Slowing down in my tracks was important, I feel, as at times, when I act too fast, I end up questioning the wisdom of my decisions, and when my wisdom yields disappointing results, I lose faith in myself and become discouraged and disoriented. Thus, by waiting and not jumping ahead of myself, I avoided negative thought patterns and now, with a fresh perspective I can start my day and make decisions from a balanced and harmonious state of mind.

Today is International Women's day, remnant of the socialist era in Hungary, even now celebrated with great devotion. As I see all sorts of people taking advantage of the opportunity and sell flowers on the streets, I am taken back to times so long ago, when even as little girls we used to get small bouquets of snowdrops and violets for just being little women. Even today enthusiasm lingers in the air, and we all wait whether a small bouquet will find its way to us. Just seeing all these flowers on the streets, I feel nostalgic, and this sort of socialist version Valentine's Day fills me with hope and spring, and belief in love and kindness stirs my heart. I just love these traditions where the gestures are simple; one stem of tulip or Iris will speak volumes today.

Today too, I am asking the cards about the energies around me. Having shuffled the major arcana of my Angel Tarot deck, I drew the Moon Rx, the Justice Rx and the Strength cards. The combination is telling me that today, I will have to be strong in the face of imbalance and lack of clarity. Things will be hidden from me today, and this will cause delays and frustrations.

So now that I know this, what will I do? Like yesterday, I will stay cautious today and will not act in haste. I will not jump to conclusions, I will not act, as it seems that by not knowing what is hidden from me, my open and heartfelt actions could be easily misinterpreted. I will stay strong and just do my things without expecting to accomplish much. I will let the day roll by, expecting nothing but welcoming everything that will come my way.
You must be getting ready to go to the office soon. If you can, stop by a store today and by something small, a small flower or a piece of pretty chocolate for a special girl in your life; to a great friend, a wonderful colleague, a sister, or a caring neighbour. Your gesture will bring a ray of sunshine into her life.

For your daily dose of angels, visit Angelic Compass.

For miracles that warm our hearts, go to Divine Rose Cafe.

Taking cautious Steps

2012-03-07T02:32:00.001-05:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! Yesterday I followed, as much as I could, the cards' advice, and I opened myself up to people. Not in an intimate way, of course; I did not stop them on their tracks just to tell them about my secrets; but I did indeed enquire about their business, listened to their stories and encouraged them in their endeavours. Indeed, I made some initial steps to do that, but unfortunately, I feel that I did not make as much of an effort as I should have. In the back of my mind, I still felt how much I liked to be approached, and the experience felt a bit foreign to me. For some reason, I find it hard to build mutuality with the same intensity as others. I must train my heart to open up more, to turn to others with more warmth in my heart, to make them feel loved and needed. Although I feel how beautiful it would be to do that, something deep inside me blocks me from abandoning myself to such openness just yet, but I am working on it, as I know that it would help my internal harmony.

Today too, I am asking the cards about the energies around me. Having shuffled the major arcana of my Angel Tarot deck, I drew the Emperor Rx, the Fool Rx and the Devil Rx cards. All the cards are reversed. The combination is telling me that today I will not feel in control, and therefore, I will be very cautious in my dealings with others. This cautious approach will help me become unchained from destructive thoughts and patterns, from letting doubt and despair win over at times. This is a beautiful message that cautions me to go slowly today, to not jump into conclusions because jumping into pessimistic conclusions surely chained me to destructive patterns in thinking.

You must be slowly getting ready to go to your office soon. Remember: everything is always in a state of development; do not jump into premature conclusions. Let things flow where they need to flow to find their more definite shape.

For your daily dose of angels, go to Angelic Compass.

To read about daily miracles, visit Divine Rose Cafe.

Opening myself to Others

2012-03-06T04:45:00.002-05:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! Yesterday's cards spoke of my being torn between imbalance and internal harmony while still proceeding on the rocky path of eventual fulfillment. I kept this message in mind, and whenever my faith shook a bit and I started to see the world through dark lenses, I reminded myself of the path I am on, my long-term journey which is difficult and trying on one hand, is filled with opportunities for cleansing my soul and thus getting closer to God and hearing His voice more clearly. I kept on reading my book and did all the spiritual exercises it asked me to do. I looked deep into the layers of my soul, noticed the cobwebs and the dirt, and proceeded with my spiritual spring cleaning. The cleaner we are on the inside, the more clearly we hear God's words to us. Suddenly, His signs are more visible, His advice more audible, His guidance more clear. I find it so fascinating that no matter how much we cleanse our soul, from time to time, God stops us in our tracks and points at a new dirty corner we have not see before or a new spot of mud that has escaped our attention. Cleansing our soul is a never ending process; becoming saintlike is our lifelong spiritual project.

Today too, I am asking the cards about the energies around me. Having shuffled the major arcana of my Angel Tarot deck, I drew the Lovers, The Hierophant Rx, and the Judgement cards. The combination is telling me that today I will be called to approach relationships in an untraditional manner, or at least a manner untraditional to me. As I have always been the one who likes to be approached, today, perhaps I should be the one to approach others, to show the initial interest in their affairs. This approach would create balance not only within me, but also within my relationship with others. I have always known that my being too reserved can send off the wrong message: that I am too cold, unapproachable, uninterested and certainly unfriendly. However, nothing could be further from the truth; I just like to be approached first, and I have always admired people to whom, opening up comes so naturally. Today is the day where I can try this too, and I will use these energies to reassure others of my interest in their world.

Slowly, you must be getting ready to go to your office. Remember: balance within will result in balance without. The more balanced you are inside, the more balanced your relationships will be.

For your daily dose of angels, go to Angelic Compass.

For daily miracles and stories to help you strengthen your faith, visit Divine Rose Cafe.

Keeping on the straight and narrow

2012-03-05T04:47:00.003-05:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! My weekend was peaceful, and I read most of the time. Now I am reading books that teach me how to discover hidden emotions in the deepest layers of my soul. Getting to know ourselves in such an intimate manner is a form of soul cleansing, a form of ascension. It is very liberating to know what lurks deep inside us, and only by bringing them to the surface will we become free of our shadows and get closer to God. Our goal is to become saintlike, like He is. Facing ourselves as we are is a lot of honest work; admitting our shadows, and placing them into God's hands and forgiving heart will bring us closer to Him, and in a cleaner spiritual state our prayers gain favour with Him. Lately, I have been very interested in what helps our prayers gain favour and be answered favourably. Shadows in ourselves are an impediment to this, as darkness and sin separate us from God's loving heart. Therefore, cleansing our soul, freeing ourselves of dark ideas and intentions will help us build a better relationship with God, who will listen to our prayers more intently and grant our wishes lovingly and without reserve. No other relationship is more important in our lives than that with God. He is the only love constant in our lives, and will stay most loyal to us when all else has failed.

Today too, I am asking the cards about the energies around me today. Having shuffled the major arcana of my Angel Tarot deck, I drew the Temperance, the Magician Rx and the World Rx cards. The combination is telling me that today I will be torn between patience, balance and impatience and imbalance, which will make my journey of coming a full circle rocky and difficult. It seems that I still have a long way to go on the path of soul-cleansing. I must remember: cleansing my soul will lead to releasing my shadows, which now are holding me back from my full spiritual potential, from my becoming saintlike, like God wants us to be. I will keep this in mind when impatience and lack of faith assails me, when I am tempted to believe what I see and not walk in faith instead. I will keep on the straight and narrow.

You must be getting ready to go to your office soon. Remember to attend to your soul too, not only to your body. Cleanse it and bring it closer to God.

For your daily dose of angels, go to Angelic Compass.

For beautiful miracles to strengthen our faith, visit Divine Rose Cafe.

On the Path to a Full Circle

2012-03-02T07:54:00.001-05:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! Yesterday's cards spoke of stubbornness, rigidity and negativity. I am happy to say that I experienced nothing of the sort. True, there would have been an opportunity for a mini-disagreement with a friend, but I held myself back, kept my temper at bay, and thus, harsh words were not spoken, and tension quickly subsided. I did remember to keep the day serene and soft, and I let myself be filled with gratitude instead for the cast being finally taken off my face and for the wonderfully healthy results. I also let myself feel gratitude for the wonderful friends and family who had supported me beyond expectation throughout this minor intervention. Feeling so loved left no room for stubbornness and disagreements and general disharmony. With awareness, we can counteract the energies the cards indicate.

Today too, I am asking the cards about the energies around me. Having shuffled the major arcana of my Angel Tarot deck, I drew the Hanged Man, the Chariot and the World Rx cards. Interestingly, I drew the Chariot and the Hanged Man cards also yesterday, although both were reversed. The combination is telling me that today things will proceed harmoniously, and in balance. Open mindedness will reign. I am on the path to happiness and things will come to a full circle, but slowly and with some difficulties. So now that I know this, what will I do? I will be patient and will not rush things. I will do my things and let events around me unfold, this showing my faith in divine planning and timing. I will remind myself that just because I cannot see results yet, it does not mean I am not surrounded by slow developments; at the right time all solutions will be shown, and dreams will materialize.

You must be getting ready to go to the office soon. Remember to stay open minded today; it will speed up any process. Do not fight with others, but rather give them the comfort that you understand their views and difficulties. They will remember your sympathy and kindness and will be grateful for your support.

For your daily dose of angels, go to Angelic Compass.

For daily miracles in our lives, visit Divine Rose Cafe.

Fighting Stubbornness

2012-03-01T03:03:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! Yesterday's cards spoke of exiting a phase of imbalance and entering a new phase of harmony in my life. This may indeed have started already, as after a period of introversion, while nursing my poor casted nose, friends came to see me yesterday and asked me for help in organizing a few of their documents in English. Although at times I drag my feet about being interrupted in my daily routine, in the end, it always gives me pleasure to help friends, especially when it is about as important as documents for their future careers. I felt not only needed, but also honoured that they trusted me and my insights into their business. But of course, this should not be about me; helping them is about them, their happiness and advancement in their lives, and I am only a conduit of information to lead them closer to their desired goals. But I was back into the bustle of life again, and as much as I like to complain at times, being pulled in several directions again did feel good.

Today too, I am asking the cards about the energies around me. Having shuffled the major arcana of my Angel Tarot deck, I drew the Chariot Rx, the Judgement Rx and the Hanged Man Rx. All these cards are reversed. The combination is not promising me a great day. It is telling me that today I will be surrounded by imbalance and confusion, unwillingness to listen and to see the world from a new and more mature angle. This message is not at all encouraging; in fact, it is downright discouraging, and I hope that these stubborn energies have nothing to do with my appointment at the hospital for taking the cast off my face. All this does not have to come true, of course, and I can counteract these stubborn energies; in fact, I will stay very calm today and be very open to everyone's suggestions and advice. I will accept the challenge of listening calmly, considering their viewpoints, forgiving their mistakes and seeing the world through their eyes. I will fight the urge to provoke and argue and prove my point at all cost and any cost to others.

Of course, it is also possible that these stubborn energies will be present in others and not me; in someone else towards me. If this is the case, I will not challenge their viewpoint but will try and see it; I will not enter arguments and let them project their confusion on me. I will stay calm and kind, and wait for their bad mood to pass.

You must be getting ready to go to the office soon. Remember to stay tolerant today. You may be facing challenging moments when you will be called upon to show a great deal of self-control. Just think: nothing good will come out of intensifying a tension already present. It is time to back off and forgive yourself and others for their stubbornness. It happens to all of us.

For your daily dose of angels, go to Angelic Compass.

To read about miracles in modern lives, visit Divine Rose Cafe.

Being guided to new Balance

2012-02-29T03:48:00.002-05:00

Dear Friends! There is only one more day until the cast comes off my nose. I must say: despite my efforts to stay philosophical and patient, not being able to breath through my nostrils yet is driving me crazy. I am in no pain, but the discomfort is certainly trying. I am staying calm, embracing this discomfort, reminding myself that it was my choice, and remembering those who face dire challenges just to fight for their lives. Yesterday's cards spoke of being guided, through paths unclear, to new beginnings and happiness. Because I did not leave my home, there were no situations when I felt guided. Despite its absence, I kept reminding myself to trust in God's helping hand that finds me in all situations at all times. In fact, I do not have to leave the house to feel guided; I do not have to be put in challenging situations to feel guided; guidance reaches me through time and space regardless of where I happen to be and do. In fact, staying at home allowed me to read and research information that may serve as a guiding light at some later day in my life. Therefore, although yesterday I did not receive direct guidance, God's loving leadership was undoubtedly there, directing my heart and focus towards the goal He already set out for me.

Today too, I am asking the cards about the energies around me. Having shuffled the major arcana of my Angel Tarot deck, I drew the Justice Rx, the Hermit Rx and the Star cards. The combination is telling me that today I will find my way out of imbalance and introversion. We all go through periods of introversion that are balanced out by periods of extroversion, and I believe that we should be left to swing between these two phases naturally, unforced. When our soul is given the freedom to live through the phase most appropriate for its development, we are in balance and at peace with the world. Today the cards are telling me that I will exit a period of imbalance. I will be guided back into the world, which by now needs my attention. This does not surprise me at all, as tomorrow the cast is coming off, and I can think of little else. I will let myself exit imbalance and enter a new phase of harmony.

You must be getting ready to go to the office soon. Remember: the Hermit card reminds us to respect our own need for periodic introversion and extroversion. And if we can respect this need in ourselves, we must respect it also in others. Do not block the need to withdraw or to shine in others. Balance is a delicate thing made up of complex details. Respect everyone's journey to get there.

For your daily dose of angels, go to Angelic Compass.

To read about new miracles, visit Divine Rose Cafe.

Happiness follows me around...

2012-02-28T02:34:00.003-05:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! Yesterday's cards spoke of keeping things conservative, conventional and traditional, and so I did. Not that staying at home nursing my healing nose presents me with a lot of challenging situations, but I thought that this time, I could keep my relationships with people on a conventional level. In fact, I kept up with conventions by not challenging anyone, by going along with what they wanted to talk about, adapting to their pace, rhythm and state of mind, leaving decisions up to them, allowing them room to move, finding their voice and path all on their own. Leaving people well within their comfort zones was my conventional approach; I was a source of peace and comfort and not a challenge that rocks their boat. As a result, the hours passed peacefully and harmoniously.

Today too, I am asking the cards about the energies around me. Having shuffled the major arcana of my Angel Tarot deck, I drew the Star Rx, the Sun and the Death Rx cards. The combination is telling me that today, although my path will not be clear, it will lead to happiness and new beginnings. And since my path will not be clear, my faith will be tested: no matter how I will be lead, I must trust that I am lead in the right direction towards wonderful outcomes and beautiful new beginnings. Again, these are wonderful news. As lately I only received encouraging and positive messages, I feel hopeful about my future, about where I am being transported. I also have been having beautiful dreams lately: they are filled with positive and happy feelings. I am in a good place now; hope and happiness follows me around.

You must be getting ready to go to your office soon. Remember: we go through phases of positive energies and phases of difficulties. Appreciate both, but especially recognize and appreciate the blessings coming from above. This is what I am doing now.

For your daily dose of angels, go to Angelic Compass.

For miracles in our modern lives, visit Divine Rose Cafe.

Keeping Things unchallenged

2012-02-27T04:38:00.003-05:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! Finally I am at home, recovering with a cast on my nose. Although I am in no pain, I feel irritated by the pressure of the cast, the taped off nostrils, the purple bruises on my face and my swollen eyes. I have not had a chance to blow my nose since Thursday afternoon, after the operation, and the built-up pressure is driving me insane. The good news is that the cast will be taken off and my nostrils will be cleaned this coming Thursday, and all this will be over with and behind me. This extreme discomfort is a good test: I keep thinking of sick people who have to go through so much more than I do at the moment, and I force myself into a more tolerant frame of mind: my elective operation and resulting discomfort is nothing compared to what others have to go through perhaps even to stay alive; so I had better stop feeling irritated and get into a grateful mindset and bear my chosen cross with more patience and dignity. Rather, I focus on being grateful for the success of the operation, for the good health of my body that has managed to support successfully this intervention, for my rapid recovery -the signs of which are visible every day-, my supportive family and friends. I have all I need to feel physically fit and spiritually grateful and in awe of God's loving care for me.

Today too, I am asking the cards about the energies around me. Having shuffled the major arcana of my Angel Tarot deck, I drew the Hierophant, the Sun and the Magician cards. The combination is telling me that today conventional thinking and acting will help me get ahead. It is not a day for innovations or unusual ideas, daring words or unexpected approaches. Today, conventions and conservative thinking will win, and it is in my interest to keep this in mind. This will not be too difficult for me, as I am a great believer in ancient archetypes, and I happily acknowledge their power. Archetypes teach us about the power of cultural conventions, which at times we challenge but never disrespect. Today, however, is not a day for challenging them. Today I will defer to their power, to their guidance, knowing that they hide great wisdom that for centuries has stood the test of time.

You must be getting ready to go to your office soon. Remember to respect conventional behaviour at times. Challenging conventions my not be to your advantage all the time. Like with everything else, this too has its appointed time and place. Chose your challenges wisely; not all innovations will be to your advantage.

For your daily dose of angels, go to Angelic Compass.

For miracles in our lives, visit Divine Rose Cafe.

Into my operation...

2012-02-22T15:09:00.001-05:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! Today I am going to go into hospital for an operation, to get my deviated septum finally fixed. It will not be a big operation, and I am not afraid or anxious. I will be back home on Friday, and will resume my posting as soon as I can peek out of the bandages.

Today, I spent the whole day in hospital for the preop preparations, and this is why you did not hear from me today either.

You take care of yourself, and I will see you soon. I am sending my best wishes to you from this still snow-filled land...

Resisting Conflicts

2012-02-21T02:28:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! Yesterday's cards told me that soon I would be guided to new beginnings. Of course, it is a slow process filled with tests of faith, even against unfavourable backdrops, or rather, especially against unfavourable backdrops. But you know my views on patience by now: all things will come at their appointed time, and appointing that time is not our job. So, while new beginnings on the horizon is encouraging and certainly joyful news, I am sitting back and waiting for God to give the green light for things to start; until then, I am grateful for the heads-up I am given, the indication that tell me about the energies in my life.

Today too, I am asking about the energies around me. Having shuffled the major arcana of my Saints and Angels deck, I drew the Hierophant Rx, the Strength and the Temperance Rx cards. The combination is telling me that today I will have out of the ordinary, unconventional strength in the face of conflict. This, of course, is not the best news, as I would prefer to avoid conflict altogether, but if there needs to be one, I am happy to know that self-restraint and calmness will help me hold myself together.

Now, the question is: would conflict be at all avoidable? I think yes, definitely. Now that I know that the day may hide a few minefields, I can choose to tread carefully; I choose to keep my eyes open, recognize traps, and certainly choose not to enter them, like I did yesterday, when someone, knowingly or unknowingly wanted to pick an argument by throwing a topic out there he thought would surely provoke me. But as I kept on sipping my protein shake with continued calmness, the topic never had the chance to develop to the heights he hoped for. Today too, I will be watching out for those hidden traps, and keep my cool if I happen to walk into one.

You must be getting ready to go to your office soon. Remember not to react to every impulse sent your way; other people's unresolved issues do not have to be your problem, even if, unknowingly, they are trying to make them yours. Don't be a buyer for everything sent your way. The good news is, the snow is melting, and we all feel the hopeful breeze of spring.

For your daily dose of angels, go to Angelic Compass.

For miracles, and how they colour our lives, visit Divine Rose Cafe.

Guided to new Beginnings

2012-02-20T03:43:00.001-05:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! Friday's cards spoke of guarding my faith, and I tried to do that indeed both on Friday and on the weekend. I spent the weekend seeing old friends, and perhaps, at times I forgot to listen to the cards and spoke about myself and my internal world a little too much. When this happens, I always feel regret: opening up is hard for me as it is, and when I do that spontaneously, I always fear I treaded too fast, said too much and did not think enough. I think and rethink about the impression I made, the words I said, the feelings I may have elicited. I doubt the usefulness of my openness, and I vow and vow again that next time less will be more. Perhaps I should be working more on my ability to open up to people more, to not be afraid of becoming a bit more personal, of fully accepting the expression of my personality. I feel a bit disoriented now; the cards did say I should have guarded my internal world a bit more carefully. Next time, I will try and remember. Feeling out of my comfort zone now is a clear indication of having overstepped my natural boundaries.

Today too, I am asking the cards about the energies around me. Having shuffled the major arcana of my Angel tarot, I drew the Temperance, the Tower, and the Star cards. The combination is telling me that today the balance between elements will slowly stabilize, and I will be guided onto the path of new beginnings. I will have to be patient, as various energies will effortlessly glide together to form a new beginning, and I will have to accept the guidance sent to me to navigate successfully on that path. This is wonderful news, and I will be patient and accepting of all things today, knowing they are all a piece of mosaic of a larger picture. It is always encouraging to be reminded that nothing happens in isolation, but all things have a propelling force to push us further towards a happy outcome, our ultimate happiness. We should always remember this when painful things happen to us: they are all part of a larger picture; they are only stepping-stones to our ultimate happiness.

You must be getting ready to go to your office soon. Remember: all the hardships you may encounter today are just small challenges that will, in a strange way, lead you to the successful outcome you desire. So, take them in stride, think about their meaning, and know that they are here only to serve as a stepping-stone to something great in the end.

For your daily dose of angels, go to Angelic Compass.

To read about miracles and to gain a little inspiration through them, visit Divine Rose Cafe.

Guarding my Faith

2012-02-17T07:45:00.001-05:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! Yesterday's cards spoke of happy new beginnings and wishes fulfilled. Now that I know this, I am even more upbeat and optimistic than my usual self. Although at times I have sad days, like we all do, I can say that generally I am happy, and not too many things can bring me down. I am patiently waiting for my dreams to manifest, knowing that patience and a strong faith are key to arriving to our ultimate happiness.

Yesterday I took a little tour with a friend in this snow-filled city. I even went to visit my favourite church, where I was baptized. As another snowstorm was about to come any minute, the light was especially eerie, and in this eerie light all things around this little church gained significance. Somehow I felt the power of faith, the strength of divine authority above, my smallness and the fleeting nature of our lives, all against the backdrop of divine permanence and unshakeable weight. It was a rare moment of beauty, and I felt overpowered and vulnerable, and more importantly, inspired to listen, obey and serve. I felt I was one with that church, with what lives in that church, with the lessons, with life, and it suddenly occurred to me that the best thing we can hope for is, indeed, the love and the mercy of God.

Today, I woke up for more snow, and now, a bit ahead in my day already, it is snowing again. I love the peace the snow offers. Time seems to slow down and noises quiet down. We turn inwards and feel more rather than know more, and believing in wonders when a wonderland is around us has just become easier.

Today too, I am asking the energies around me today. Having shuffled the major arcana of my Angel Tarot deck, I drew the Hanged Man Rx, the Justice and the Magician cards. The combination is telling me that today I will have a hard time seeing balance in situations and seeing that all elements will pull together in perfect harmony. In other words, today my faith may be weaker, and I may feel discouraged a bit. Perhaps my impatience is getting the worse of me, despite what I know and what I believe in. Now I must be vigilant and make sure that I do not engage in discussions that are pessimistic and focus on hopelessness and human misery. When I feel that my faith is fragile, I try and not weaken it further. Faith is fragile and keeping it strong is hard work. I usually like to draw into my world and read books that inspire me, or talk to friends who I know are always on my side.

You must be getting ready to go to your office soon. Remember to guard your internal world. When you feel down a bit, surround yourself with uplifting books of friends. Faith is a hard-earned thing; do not waste it.

For your daily dose of angels, go to Angelic Compass.

For miracles and uplifting stories about answered prayers, go to Divine Rose Cafe.

A Happy World

2012-02-16T14:26:00.001-05:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! Last night, after what seemed like a snow-filled interminable journey, I finally arrived to Pecs, Hungary. Of course, I spent the whole day today running around, running errands, getting into the rhythm of things here. Although it is already Friday tomorrow, I am planning to spend the day fully active, according to my well-established Hungarian routine starting the day with working out in the gym, then going to my florist's whom I commissioned today to create three beautiful flower trays for me; something beautiful to look at against the white backdrop of the snow. Like a true Libra, I always need beautiful things to surround me.

Today I went to my favourite bookstore, where I picked up a few really good books that were just released. While I was there, I also asked if they had a small St. Therese statue. Unfortunately, they did not have one, but then, Andras, the salesclerk who over the years has become my good friend, said that he had one, a broken one that he glued and did not have the heart to throw out, hoping someone will have the heart to take it, broken and beaten up as it was. Well, that heart is beating right in my chest, I said, and so he started to rummage around the millions of boxes under his stairs and produced a small, dusty, glued-together, chipped St. Therese. My heart went out to the little statue, and I said immediately that my home will be her home. To these words Andras's heart melted, and he quickly wrapped up the little saint, who right now is on my window sill on my small altar. I am very happy that she is here home with me.

Although it is a bit late in the day, today too I am asking the cards about the energies around me. Having shuffled my Angel Tarot deck, I drew The World, the Star and the Death Rx cards. The combination is telling me that something will start anew and with time, it will come a full circle. The Star card is speaking of guidance that will lead me to new and hopeful beginnings, fulfilled desires and wishes that will come true. This is a wonderful message indeed, but again, let us remember: things may not happen today; the perfect manifestation of these happy tendencies may take some time, but knowing that it is to happiness that I am being guided is good enough for me.

You must be knee deep in work at your office already. Remember that things always take time before they materialize. Do not lose patience, but keep your faith, against all appearances. God will give you what you expect of Him. Of this, be sure.

For your daily dose of angels, go to Angelic Compass.

For miracles in our lives, visit Divine Rose Cafe.

See you soon... until then: do not force the hand of love!

2012-02-14T12:16:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! Yesterday's cards urged me continue to be inspired by my faith and my work. Although yesterday I did not continue with my regular daily work, my beliefs stay with me all day long, regardless of what I am doing. Yesterday was a day of packing, as tonight I am flying to Europe again. I go there quite often, and although I have lived in Canada most of my life, happily and most contented, I am grateful that I have so many opportunities to nurture the European side of me too. I am happy that I can keep up with my childhood friendships and can stay loyal to an important layer in my soul.

Today I am not asking the cards about anything because I know exactly where my energies will be: tonight, I will go to the airport and board that plane to Europe. You will not hear from me tomorrow, as it takes a day to get to Pecs, Hungary, but I will try and continue with my postings later in the week. I so hope that this trip too will open my eyes to new things, to new miracles, to new hopes. If anything noteworthy happens, you will know about it, I promise.

Enjoy your work today, and if you celebrate Valentine's Day, have fun. Remember: should you be lucky to receive anything, be thankful and gracious, whatever it is. Keep this day light and fun, and do not fill the day with expectations; that would paralyze good energies and blossoming attractions. But certainly, and without fail, believe in love. Just don't force its hand!

Be good, and I will see you soon.

For your daily dose of angels, go to Angelic Compass.

For miracles in our lives, visit Divine Rose Cafe.

More Perseverance in Belief

2012-02-13T10:53:00.003-05:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! Friday's cards spoke of immersing into my research and finding angles that show the depth of my points. Following the cards' advice, I worked all Friday, but once the weekend rolled around, I had no more mental strength, and I spent the weekend doing other things than research. At times, in order to gain more perspective, I have to distance myself from my work a bit; although I can never shut it off completely, at times I just have to let it hum in the background, while in the foreground my mind is occupied with something completely different. What may seem a complete disinterest is, in fact, the opposite: it is a slow burning of ideas in the back of my head, which, -while I do a million other things-, slowly configure into solid structures, attract new ideas or repel old and defunct ones, and arrange themselves into a logical system of thoughts. So, when you see me watching a movie or reading a romantic book, I am, in fact, still working, despite appearances. And this I can prove, because the end result of my deceptive multitasking are the books and the articles and the millions of other projects I still manage to complete. And this is the soothing oil for my guilty conscious for not having typed one word over this weekend.

Today too, I am asking the cards about the energies around me. Having shuffled my Saints and Angels deck, I drew the Confidence, the Learning Experience and the Believe cards. This combination almost completely recalls the message of the cards in the posting Persevering in Belief (February 7, 2012). Today too, I am asked to have confidence in my research, in what I know, in education and in my faith. I feel that this message encourages me not only about my work, but also about my life in general. Each day I ask a lot of God, and each day I ask Him to teach me how to give Him back more. My requests of Him are serious and many; dreams that take God's miraculous power to materialize. And the bigger and the more our requests are, the more faith we need to have in God's love and power to give them to us. This combination is telling me to keep on believing and relying on what I have learnt so far: God has given to me every single thing I have ever asked of Him. At times He gave them to me immediately, and at times He made me wait for them for a long time, but there is not one thing I have ever asked of Him that He denied me. My past pattern with God should give me confidence for the future. At times, we all need reminding of this.

You must be in your office already. Today, it being Monday, it is important that you work hard. They way you work today will set your work rhythm for the entire week. Use every minute wisely.

For your daily dose of angels, go to Angelic Compass.

For miracles, and how to make them happen, go to Divine Rose Cafe.

Going Deep

2012-02-10T13:03:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! Yesterday's cards spoke of accomplishing great things and progressing with my work. Energized by this message, I set out to do my things, and although I was distracted a bit by my pain on my ankle (result of too much working out), I still managed to do what I set out to do. It took me a bit longer because feeling sorry for myself slowed me down a bit, but in the end, I am happy to say that I am on schedule. A tough and time-consuming part is still waiting to be cleared up: I will have to make a coherent, lucid and well-presented argument from a messy document whose style suited a web site, but I doubt it would for the book. This is the part where I will have to produce miracles and package the nothing into something brilliant. And I have become increasingly good at that. Before I draw the cards, I am expecting a day of work ahead of me. A day of transforming an incoherent mess into something enlightening.

Today too, I am asking the cards about the energies around me. I am curious if the Chariot card will come up again. Having shuffled the major arcana of my Angel Tarot deck, I drew the Fool, the Hierophant Rx, and the High Priestess Rx. No Chariot this time. The combination is telling me that today I will have an unconventional approach to something and go deep underneath the surface and behind appearances. I hope that this has to do with my work. I like it when my work covers important details and shows a unique approach that offers important insights, instead of just staying on the surface. Of superficiality we have so much in this world already, I don't need to add to it. Of course, smaller works can not not always reveal earth shattering information, but I like my big projects to be substantial. And today is the day when I must create a lucid, deep and coherent document out of a research that still lacks a solid bone structure. I will spend my whole weekend whipping that document into shape.

You must be in your office now. Try to use every minute today to complete your work. Do not leave anything for Monday. It will only preoccupy you during the weekend.

For your daily dose of angels, go to Angelic Compass.

For heart-warming miracles, visit Divine Rose Cafe.

Accomplishing Great Things Today

2012-02-09T11:33:00.000-05:00

Dear Gypsies! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! As yesterday's cards spoke of balance coming back into my life again, I decided to help it along a bit, and to offset all the hard work I have been doing lately, I relaxed a bit in the afternoon. I spent some time enjoying a eucalyptus steam bath to clean my head, my pores, my sinuses and to just enjoy the heat in this cold and grey winter. I really needed this warm softness to surround me. Losing myself in the warm cloud, feeling my body and mind relax felt so very different from the pressures of work I lived through lately. I needed to feel the soft side of life, the luxury of a forgiving and mellow schedule and that of time spent with thinking of nothing at all. Doing something so different from work helped me feel more balanced to face the challenges ahead. There is nothing better than starting a new day from a balanced position; our perspectives are clearer, and we focus on the big picture and leave our worries about the small things behind; all things will be attended to in good time. Invigorated and cleansed of the dross, I am excited about sinking my teeth into my work today.

Today too, I am asking about the energies around me. Having shuffled my Saints and Angels cards, I drew the You are a Leader, Blessings of Abundance and the Move cards. The combination is telling me that today my work will be rewarding. My work through which I lead and inspire others will help me move towards blessings of abundance. I will be happy to see the progress I have made and to know that my project will make a difference in people's lives. My blessings of Abundance will come in many forms: a sense of accomplishment, new friends, open hearts, and even money, let us hope. This message helps me march further on the rocky road of work for the next eight hours or so. I am planning to accomplish great things today.

You must be in your office by now. Try and do things from passion today. Forget about the money today, and do things because you believe that your work will help make our world a better place to live, for all of us.

For your daily dose of angels, go to Angelic Compass.

For miracles, and how to make them happen, go to Divine Rose Cafe.

A Reinforced Massage about Balance...

2012-02-08T10:06:00.002-05:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! Yesterday's cards told me to persevere in belief, and it was a wonderful message for me to hear during these times when every moment of my day is spent working very diligently and efficiently to meet deadlines before I go back to Europe again in a few days. I noticed that when I am rushed and under a tight schedule, problems multiply and small uncleared problems not only surface unexpectedly, but they trail along other small problems with them, and the more problems there are, the less time I have at my disposal to finish my work. These are the perfect times to give into worry, cut corners and lose control of my original intentions. But yesterday's cards spoke directly to my heart: I must believe in my education, in my research, in my diligence, and I must persevere in that belief. Hildegard of Bingen's encouraging words came at the time when I needed a fresh and calming perspective the most. I made lists, I set up orders of priority, calmed down and continued with my work, slowly and precisely, so that even if I do not get too far, I know that what I have done is correct. I will do the same today.

Today too I am asking the cards about the energies around me. Having shuffled my Angel tarot deck, I drew the World Rx, the Fool and the Chariot cards. The Chariot appears again in the combination, although I shuffled and mixed the cards for a long time. Apparently, it is a very important symbol for me at this time of my life. As I was shuffling, I was actually thinking how funny it would be if the Chariot came up again. And lo and behold, here it is.

The combination is telling me that today my energies will continue on the bumpy but promising road to balance and completion. The World Rx contains a future promise of positive resolutions, although the road there is far from smooth. This combination is very similar to the combinations I had before: they all speak of my journey towards light and balance, even if the path that leads there is challenging. Again, this may not happen today; things may not come to a full circle today, but knowing that my energies are headed the right direction is good enough for me to know.

You must be in your office by now. Keep in mind that at times our dreams manifest slowly and unexpectedly. So, do not get discouraged if the visible world around you now seems in complete contrast with your desire. One day, the clouds will part, and your dream will be right in front of you. Even if by then you will no longer want it.

For your daily dose of angels, visit Angelic Compass.

For miracles, visit Divine Rose Cafe.

Persevering in Belief

2012-02-07T10:23:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends! Yesterday's cards spoke of balance on the horizon. Naturally, again I will stress it: just because things did not happen yesterday, it does not mean that they are not in motion. It takes a while for the physical world to catch up. Shifting matter around to bring about manifestations does not always happen overnight. At times, we have to wait, but knowing that we are tending towards the light is encouraging and helps us be patient. We have to wait for the perfect time for our desires to manifest. Indeed, I am no longer discouraged when I have to wait before my wishes are granted. I trust divine timing, which is a lot wiser than mine; I trust that God will grant my wish when He has finished shifting things around in my life to create the perfect circumstances to show that He has listened all along and is finally ready to show his generosity. He needs to create room to perform His miracles, and I have learnt to give it to Him. Now I know that He is working, ceaselessly on restoring that balance He promised.

Today too, I am asking the cards about the energies around me. As I was shuffling my Saints and Angels deck, I noticed that there was a card, face up, peaking out, while all the others were face down. I just knew that this card was going to tell me the message I need to hear, so I looked at it, and it was the Believe Card, that has the beautiful face of St. Hildegard of Bingen on it. She is actually a saint I admire for her high education and perseverance to overcome her self-doubts. This card sums up perfectly what I need to hear: believe that you are watched from above, persevere and educate yourself.
Nonetheless, I proceeded with drawing the three cards I usually do, and this time, I drew the Confidence, the Learning Experience and the Higher Education cards. These cards perfectly express Hildegar's spiritual essence, which is also her message to us all: have confidence in higher education and your experiences. Higher education does not only come from an academic setting; in fact, our passion about something can lead us to high levels of accomplishment. Persevering and believing in our passion is the key.

It feels as if this card reinforced yesterday's message about balance soon coming onto the horizon.
Although I cannot see it yet, I believe it will happen; I believe that God's healing power will bring everything into harmony again. All I have to do is rest in that belief, do my work and know that God is working on the perfect timing for all things to manifest.

You must be in your office already. Work hard today, and do not get sloppy. Proceed slowly but precisely, so you will not have to spend tomorrow with correcting today's mistakes. Pray for precision, understanding, and patience for details.

For your daily dose of angels, go to Angelic Compass.

To read about miracles, visit Divine Rose Cafe.

Balance on the Horizon

2012-02-06T07:59:00.001-05:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! I spent the whole weekend working, looking deeper, staying isolated from the world and at the same time, active, just like the cards told me to do on Friday. And because of this unbroken perseverance I got a lot done. Not as much as I thought I would, -as I am a little behind schedule-, but the unexpected delays were not caused by distraction; rather, by my perfectionist nature who had to double and triple check a few things, the annoying process that, although produces a thorough work, does eat into my time, always. I am proud of myself for buckling down and really sticking to doing this arduous work even in the face of weekend temptations. I find that going against my own desires for comfort does me good: it is a form of sacrifice, a spiritual exercise. I make this easier by offering my comfort, in my heart, theoretically, to someone who would need it more than I do now. Knowing that somewhere in this world, by offering my own comfort up to sacrifice, I helped someone who desperately needs it makes me feel good and even more resolved to continue with my work. Well, this weekend, someone who was not even expecting it, got two whole days off. I hope that my unexpected gift really helped them and brought them the rest they needed.

Today too, I am asking the cards about the energies around me. Having shuffled the major arcana of my Angel tarot deck, I drew the Chariot, the Devil Rx and the Lovers card. The Chariot, again! The combination is telling me that today relationships will tend to becoming more balanced as stubbornness and negative thinking will slowly lift. Arguments and bad feelings, shame and misunderstandings will slowly clear up, and we will no longer be bound to them. Knowing that aspects of my life are moving towards light and lightness is always good news, especially when I have to work as hard as I do these days. At least, I can work in peace and use my brain without having to worry about my heart.

You must be in your office already. Offer something to the world today, by staying away from it. Send your comfort or the sweets you could eat to someone who would need it more. This is what I will do today.

For your daily dose of angels, visit Angelic Compass.

For miracles, go to Divine Rose Cafe.

Test in Perseverance

2012-02-03T11:23:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! Yesterday's cards spoke of interest in worldly distractions, and I must say that I had to keep remembering the card's message to make sure that I complete my assigned work successully. Distractions kept calling me, my mind meandered, the phone never stopped ringing, and once I answered, I was tempted to chit-chat, of course, which had to be cut off before it started so I could focus on the tasks ahead of me. It was difficult to get through the day, but I managed to finish what I set out do to. There is a lot I still have to do today, putting the finishing touches on my new book, and I hope that work would flow more smoothly. With the workload and the pace it requires, I really have no time for distractions now. I will work though the weekend as well in order to complete everything for the deadline. In a sense I am rushing the completion of this book, as I was sitting on it for far too long, and since I have already started other projects that would need my full attention, I feel that I need to conclude my involvement with this one. Having an unfinished project in the midst is excess weight that needs to be shed, and to get it our of the way successfully, I need focus and determination now, for the next five days. Thus, I hope that distractions will come my way after.

Today too, I am asking the cards about the energies around me. Having shuffled my Saints and Angels deck, I drew the Look Deeper, the Retreat and the Activist cards. At first, this combination presents a contradiction: how can I retreat and stay active at the same time? But I feel that perfect sense can be made of it: I must retreat from the world in order to be actively involved in my research and my work now. I must look deeper into things, be more thorough in my work, and I can only do that if I retreat and I am free from distractions. This message makes perfect sense to me today; it completely confirms and responds to my need. The cards are encouraging me to work on my book, and not give into distractions. It is a test of perseverance for the next few days, and I am happy to say that one thing I am good at is persevering until the bitter end. So, off I go now and keep on track today.

You must be in your office now. Although it is Friday, remember to stay on schedule with things. Work as much as you can, use every minute. At the end of your day, you will get up from that desk feeling good about the week's work. And then you can have a few drinks to celebrate your perseverance.

For your daily dose of angels, visit Angelic Compass.

For miracles, visit DIVINE ROSE CAFE.

Worldly Hindrances

2012-02-02T11:39:00.002-05:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! Yesterday's cards were about the importance of childlike faith in my life. I followed their advice and spent the whole afternoon working and feeling in complete peace with myself, knowing that I am taken care of, that nothing can hurt me because I am loved and protected by my divine team. If we think about it for a moment: only children are capable of completely abandoning themselves to the providence of their parents. It never occurs to them to worry about not being picked up from school at the end of the day. They take parental love and care for granted, knowing that the help, the consolation and the solutions their little lives demand will always come, right on time. As we are becoming adults and separate from our parents, doubts creep into our hearts and minds and shakes our childlike belief that things will be taken care of by a power higher and more intelligent than us. We forget that just because our relationship with our parents changed, our relationship with God did not have to. In fact, He is still very much with us, as He has been since our birth, He is still looking after us, but we have forgotten about Him and have given into chic philosophies about making it on our own, women run the world, men crate wealth, unfounded self-empowerment and exaggerated sense of entitlement. And the more we focus on ourselves and our perceived and imperfect strength, the less room we leave for God to exert His perfection in our lives, and eventually, having marginalized Him for so long, we forget about Him completely. And if we forget about Him, if we do not invite Him to participate in our lives and to intervene with His godly powers to clean up the mess we made of things, He will not be able to help us. He will sit at the sidelines, patiently waiting for us to call Him for specific help. Sure, He will give us the basic necessities, after all, we are His children, but to get the specific help we need, we have to call Him specifically, like a child would call a parent when they are in trouble. So, yesterday afternoon, I was thinking of all things, and as I kept working in my warm home, letting the wind howl outside, I felt grateful to be looked after with so much love. It is wonderful to release all that control at times, and just feel like someone's child.

Today too, I am asking the cards about the energies around me. Having shuffled the major arcana of my Angel Tarot deck, I drew The Fool, the Devil and the Temperance Rx cards. The combination is telling me that today a new feeling may surface within me. My energies may become disturbed by thinking too much of things that tie us to this world. This is not good news at all, as I am about to put the finishing touches on my new book that is all about angels. Too much connection with and interest in the vices of the material world may thwart my efforts to convey abstract ideas on ethereal beings. I must watch my obsessions today; they may prove to be a serious hindrance against my work that will have to be finished on time.

You must be in your office already. Try and not give into your obsessions today. I know how comfortable it is to log onto Facebook or YouTube just to take a peek now and then, but these occasional glances could cost you unexpected delays because of the time you will need to refocus. Stay on track today; temptations today are stronger then ever.

For your daily dose of angels, go to Angelic Compass.

Childlike Faith to Lead

2012-02-01T12:35:00.001-05:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! Yesterday's cards were a reminder that internal peace and harmony do not always come easily. At times I have to stay patient and take the rocky road ahead me as it comes: I cannot avoid it, but I can embrace it with faith and a desire to open my mind to what it is trying to teach me: go slowly, trust in the perfect timing, see where the imbalance lies and what I can do to tilt things back into symmetry. Of hardship and obstacles introspection may be born, an opportunity to see myself from angles undiscovered until then. At times God needs to slow time down for me and place hurdles along my path, so my soul can search for new ways to gain peace and understanding. And none of this comes easily or fast. Attaining internal harmony can be hard work.

Today too, I am asking the cards about the energies around me. Having shuffled my Saints and Angels cards, I drew the Emotions, the Child and the You're a Leader cards. The combination is telling me that today childlike emotions (and not childish) may lead me during the day. To me, this means a willingness to abandon myself to the events that come my way, open my mind and heart to new and unexpected things, assuming the best, and approaching all things with anticipation. It will be a quiet day today, as I do not have to go to the gym, and I have already come back from all my appointments. With such a quiet day stretching ahead of me, I can immerse myself into my work that is indeed about believing in divine forces to whom I always try to abandon myself with childlike faith. It was not always like this, of course; in fact, it took a lot of internal work and a lot of defeat for me to realize that I had no other choice, but to accept my lack of control over many things in my life and embracing the flow that God sent my way.

It will be an easy day today; all I will have to do is ride the waves.

You must be in your office by now. When you can no longer come up with a solution and your earthly resources are exhausted, let complex situations resolve themselves. Let a childlike trust take over as you hand your problems over to a higher power that is only too happy to get to work on your behalf. After all, that is why they are there.

For your daily dose of angels, visit Angelic Compass.

A Rocky Road to Harmony

2012-01-31T10:55:00.002-05:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! I followed the advice of the cards yesterday, and I was patient and very calm with everyone. I also gave everyone more time to unburden their heart, and I listened to them intently and took my time to give my opinion with sympathy and consideration. Although I had little time and much to do, I did not make them feel I was rushing through our conversation. Exercising 'my kind of generosity' consciously is always a trying experience, and rightfully so. If it came easily, it would not really be an act of generosity. Yesterday was not the only time I did this, of course. I try to offer the same to the people around me every day, with more or less success, depending on my day.

When I succeed, I always feel I accomplished something great, after all, giving something of myself that I have little of,

Today too, I am asking the cards about the energies around me. Having shuffled the major arcana of my Angel tarot deck, I drew the Chariot Rx, the World Rx and the Lovers cards. The combination is telling me that imbalance will delay the fulfillment of things. The road to eventual success will be bumpy and filled with disharmony. However, the promise of success is definitely there: after many trials, relationships will clear up through angelic guidance. Misunderstandings will disappear and imbalances will turn into harmony. I am happy to have received such a hopeful message, as I only feel completely balanced if my relationships are happy and harmonious. Animosity and misunderstandings weaken me, and make me lose sight of the goodness within me. To restore balance, I am always ready for heart-to-heart talks that clear the air and compromises that bring love back into hearts.

Just a quick note: Chariot Rx is still following me.

You must be in the office by now. Stay away from sugary things; you may be invited to go to an event this coming weekend, and preparations to look good must start now.

For your daily dose of angels, visit Angelic Compass.

My kind of Generosity

2012-01-30T12:19:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! This weekend I did nothing but relax and read books that inspired my spirit. It was wonderful to immerse myself into a world of hope, beauty and tenderness; in fact, it was the direct continuation of the Mary cards that brought me so much balance the week before. I am still under the calm and reassuring influence of those beautiful Marian messages: I am loved and protected, always looked after and never forgotten. And while I was reading my beautiful books, I marvelled at how God, with all the things He has got to do in the universe, still has got the time to take care of my most minute problems and work on my heart's desires, and how Mary, with all the work She has to do in the universe, still has got the time to know that her soft arms and tender heart are exactly what I need, to send for me personally and to make sure that my heart is turned to Her. We are watched over, kept track of, accounted for and barcoded; as I said at some point, we are safely ticked away in God's filing cabinet.

Today too, I am asking the cards about the energies around me. Having shuffled my Saints and Angels deck, the one I like the most nowadays, I drew the Generosity, the Look Deeper and the Activist cards. This combination is telling me that I am strongly encouraged to look deeper into being generous, to give more of myself to others. Let us just think for one second about what generosity is. There is a beautiful passage in the Bible about generosity that spoke to my heart not too long ago. In Mark 12, 41-44, Jesus watched the people as they put money into the temple treasury. There were many rich people who offered large sums, and then there was a poor widow who only put two very small copper coins into the treasury. The value of these coins amounted to very little, but to this poor old lady who had nothing and lived in extreme poverty, such an offer was a significant sacrifice. Seeing this, Jesus says to His disciples: "Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth, but she, out of her poverty, put in everything - all she had to live on."

These words got me thinking about generosity, and they made me understand that real generosity is about giving something we only have little of. Giving from a lot is also nice, no question about it, but it may not be as much f a sacrifice as giving from little.

So, what will I give to others that I have little of? I have little time and, often, little patience. At times I have little sympathy (although I have gotten a lot better), and I may also have little modesty. I have little tolerance for certain things, and little attention for things that do not concern me directly. Therefore, my generosity towards others would manifest in giving them more time, patience and sympathy. I should be more tolerant of their faults and more attentive of their needs, and perhaps I should also be more modest and humble. Giving all these things to others would be the true mark of my generosity.

I have been aware of this already, but today's cards just brought this important reminder back into the forefront of my mind.

You must be in your office already. I know that, it being Monday, you must be swamped with things to do, but when you have a chance, think: what do you have little of? What form would your generosity take?

For your daily dose of angels, go to Angelic Compass.

Mary's Love

2012-01-27T14:37:00.001-05:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! Yesterday's cards told me to turn to Mary like a child and trust Her with my problems. This message is not new to me; in fact, it is just one of the promptings that I have received in these past few months about getting closer to Mary. And because I do listen to the cards' advice, advice that is aimed to bring harmony into my life, I spent a few hours yesterday afternoon to pray and talk with Mary. It was wonderful to be able to talk to her, to get close to her and to place my problems into her hands too. I am already used to placing my problems into God's hands all the time, but now that I am so encouraged to confide in Mary, I placed my worries in Her hands too. It is not up to me to question why I had to do that. I was invited to turn to her, and now I do. I have learnt not to question divine guidance any more; I just go along with it, trusting fully that it is in my best interest to do so.

Today too, I am asking the cards about the energies around me. Although, having wasted the entire morning, half of my day is gone, I am still open to receiving a message that will bring harmony into my life. Having shuffled my Saints and Angels deck, again, miraculously, I drew the Child, Mother and Sweetness cards. This is a lovely combination, and I am moved. It tells me that Mary has listened to my prayers yesterday, understood and sympathized with my heartfelt pleas and welcomed my love. In fact, she finds my love for Her and my turning to Her sweet, and I am encouraged to pray to her more. I feel that the cards are telling me that she definitely heard me and that she will intercede on my behalf and pray to God for my safety and happiness. It is a wonderful combination, and today too, I will spend some time to pray to Her and offer my heart to Her.

You must be in your office now, and the weeks is soon coming to an end. Enjoy this weekend. Try and and go to a quiet place for a little while where you can be undisturbed, turn inwards and feel at peace with life. Know that things will get better, even if it is hard to believe it now.

For your daily dose of angels, go to Angelic Compass.

Mary to bring Balance

2012-01-26T10:51:00.001-05:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! Yesterday's cards spoke of balance and harmony coming back into surrounding situations. However, they will not appear clearly as efforts will be made to conceal the end of internal division and newly-found revelations. At times, people go to great lengths to hide their spiritual progress; their ego prevents them to admit that they gave into an elevated way of thinking, that their old ideas lead nowhere, that the spiritual influence they were exposed to actually did change the way they were thinking. Although it is very human to be ego-driven, and at times it actually protects us from getting into situations that would weaken us, it is important to know when self-protection turns into stubbornness that works against us. Not admitting to a spiritual progress, in my opinion, is just one of those cases.

Today too, I am asking the cards about the energies around me. Having shuffled my Saints and Angels deck, I drew the Child, the Mother and the Commitment cards. The combination is telling me that today I should be like a child who commits all her problems to her mother, in this case, mother Mary. It is a very interesting message to me, as during the Christmas period, when I was in Hungary and praying in my little church, the church attendant suddenly walked up to me and gave me a Miraculous Madonna medal, and told me that it was God who sent this medal to me. This medal was an invitation to me to pray more to Mary, to trust her more with my problems and my life. Praying to Mary would bring balance into my soul. Although I pray to her regularly and most reverently, I never asked her to intervene for me, to intercede on my behalf, to resolve the problems that plague my life. This combination today reenforces the message that the medal carries: I am Mary's child, and she is waiting for me to turn to her with trust and complete abandon. She wants me to act like her child, to open my heart to her. Apart from saying beautiful prayers to her, she is waiting for me to realize that she is my mother and I am her child. And this I will do.

For a more complete account of how I received the medal, visit the article at the Divine Rose Cafe.

For your daily dose of angels, visit Angelic Compass.

Chariot moving towards Balance

2012-01-25T11:48:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! Yesterday's cards spoke of internal division where equal but opposite forces try to overwhelm a situation. Seeing this combination was great help for me; indeed, it shed light on a lot of things that were kept hidden for me for a while, and knowing this information helped me revise my approach to certain things. Interestingly, the Chariot Rx concept, not always as a card, has been shown to me this week, which tells me that I definitely should be aware of the theory it symbolizes. It is funny how I have never before been shown this sign; it is definitely not something I am shown every day. When something is shown to us so obviously, we had better listen; wisdom is hidden in the symbols.

Today too, I am asking the cards about the energies around me. Having shuffled the major arcana of my Russian Tarot deck, I drew the Tower, the Chariot and the Judgement Rx cards. The combination is telling me that today, the energies around me are moving towards a more balanced place. Change towards harmony is in sight, but it will not be easily accepted, although it will be unavoidable in the end.

This is a great message to me, one that again lets me gain insight into a situation.

You see the Chariot again? It is the fifth time that it appears to me this week, although today, finally, it is right side up.

You must be in your office already. Learn to tailor your expectations to what can be given to you at this time. Once you do that, events will flow more easily, and solutions will present faster, even if they have to be gradual at first.

For your daily dose of angels, visit Angelic Compass.

Hidden Internal Division

2012-01-24T12:31:00.002-05:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! Yesterday's cards spoke of things becoming clearer and layers that hid the truth slowly disappearing. I am happy to tell you that through some signs, I have been given insight into a situation that I have been wondering about for quite some time now. I do believe in signs from above, and ask for them often, and when we ask for signs that will help clarify confusion, we will receive them too.

I have noticed that I receive certain signs over and over again in times of crises. One of the signs I receive often is ladybugs. The first time a ladybug was sent to me, I immediately understood that it was a sign. Although it was an ordinary ladybug, the time and the place of its appearance was so dramatic that I instantly knew God sent it to me to tell me something. In fact, God knew that I would look up this little creature's meaning in an animal totem dictionary, and when I did, the His message made sense completely: "wait, wait, wait... your wish will come true in good time." These words resonated with my impatient self and reenforced what I already knew about the lesson I am always and continuously in the painful process of learning: do nothing, place your problems into God's hands to resolve, and wait for His solution to manifest at the right time. I receive ladybugs only in times of great dilemma and never when my heart is at peace, and their appearance is dramatically well-timed. This is how I know it is a sign.

Although I receive ladybugs, signs can be anything, in fact. In your heart you will know when you receive a sign specifically sent to you. Suddenly, you will feel connected to it, and you will know it is personal. You will draw meaning from it, even research it, write about it, make it yours and relive the experience all over again. You will tell your friends about it, cherish its inherent wisdom, listen to its message, and you will just know that it was personally sent to you from above. I indeed keep a diary for signs, and when I write them down, I see patterns and connecting threads even more clearly; when I write them down, I realize that they are systematic instead of random, intended instead of accidental, personal and not general. They are sings sent for me, exclusively, from above.

God needs tools to communicate with us; dreams and signs are certainly part of His divine toolbox.

Today too, I am asking the cards about the energies around me. Having shuffled the major arcana of my Robin Wood deck, I drew The Emperor Rx, the Chariot Rx, and the Moon cards. The combination is telling me that today imbalance, internal division and loss of control lie behind what is visible. The cards speak of great struggles that remain hidden but manifest themselves disguised as something else; they do not appear clearly in the light of the day, only distortedly if at all, as objects appear in the dark under the moonlight. This message is more like an insight into a situation than a forecasting of a specific event.

And just that you know: the Chariot Rx concept has been presented to me for the fourth time this week. It is a definite sign.

For your daily dose of angels, go to Angelic Compass.

Masks falling...

2012-01-23T11:43:00.001-05:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! I spent the weekend reading and relaxing. It was so cold outside that I wanted to do nothing else. Also, Friday's cards combination told me to surrender to the divine rhythm of things, and in my case, this means slowing down instead of always wanting to do something even when I mean it well. For people like me, who are always on the go, it takes effort to slow down and accept that in certain situations we have exhausted our human resources, and it is time to place things in God's hands. Placing them there is not so much the problem; leaving them there it is, when the temptation to bypass the slow and natural unfolding of events to bring about a speedy solution strikes. I must realize where Esther ends and God starts and when it is that I am standing at the border between heaven and earth, and our hands touch as I place my package of my current unresolvable issue into His hands in a "here is the package, please fix whatever is in it" way. And then I must turn around, walk back into my world and do my own happy and relaxing things and let God show His greatness to me by one day knocking on my door and handing my mess back to me all ironed and smoothened out, starched and straightened up. Until then, I should just relax. Or find the next thing to worry about.

Today too, I am asking the cards about the energies around me today. Having shuffled the major arcana of my Angel tarot deck, I drew the High Priestess Rx, the Strength and the Tower Rx cards. The combination is telling me that I am moving into a phase when facades, mine or that of others' will fall, masks will shatter, and what has appeared one way will soon collapse. Situations will become more clear, appearances less confusing, comprehension will become stronger and communication will become easier. All this I am happy to hear as I am not known to interpret confusing behaviour with ease, and the ensuing confusion weakens my confidence. This clarity may not come about today, of course; nonetheless, it is comforting to know that I am heading towards clarity, light and radiance.

You must be in your office already. Mondays can be complex and hectic, and you are called to do many things while running the risk of accomplishing nothing. Stick to your guns and do one thing at the time; otherwise you will be correcting mistakes all day tomorrow.

For your daily dose of angles, go to Angelic Compass.

Feeling the Divine Rhythm

2012-01-20T11:05:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! Yesterday's message brought peace and strength into my heart, and feeling that I matter and that my prayers are received and not disperse in the ether, I even took some time to relax and read a romance. The snow outside also put me into a calm mood, and it was hard to resist my soft bed and my favourite wool blanket; they just kept calling me to give up work, curl up and finally let myself be taken into a world of romantic fantasy. I rarely give in to this sort of temptation especially in the middle of the day; my sense of duty and the strength of my perseverance in my research and work in general at times even stuns me. But this time, the cards' messages calmed me to the point that I felt at peace with placing all my worries and work into God's hands and take a break for the afternoon. I am learning to trust more and fret less; there is strength in letting go.

Today too I am asking the cards about the energies around me. Having shuffled my Saints and Angel deck, I drew the Marriage, the Play Music and the Believe cards. The combination is telling me that discipline and the right timing in relationships are important for the perfect flow of events. I must believe that the flow of events are carefully orchestrated, and thus I must keep the rhythm assigned by divine powers. This is a message I definitely need to hear, as I am not known for waiting patiently for events to unfold. I have a hard time staying in sync with the natural rhythm of things, and as a result, I am either too early, or too late, too little or too much. The Play Music card perfectly illustrates the importance of staying in sync; without following an assigned rhythm, harmony would collapse. It is the same in our real life situations: some situations are assigned a slower and some are assigned a faster rhythm, some a simple and others a more complex beat, and adjusting our internal flow to that divine wisdom is crucial although difficult at times. God, in His infinite wisdom chooses the rhythm most perfect for the successful development of a situation, and our faith lies in accepting His decision. Instant gratification is the product of modern society, and many of us have fallen victims of its alluring theories of self-entitlement, privileges with no grounds, inflated independence and power. This combination is reminding me how little we are in control of the flow of events; our job is to feel or find the internal rhythm of things, keep our fingers on the divine pulse and allow our soul to adjust to it. A dear friend of mine would call this a way of letting go.
This is not easy, I know. Many times I have to hold back or push myself to go faster to keep up with what my divine team dictates. But once I find the right flow and manage to swim with it, things unfold beautifully exactly at the right time.

You must be in your office already. This weekend, do not fret and do not worry but try and feel the divine rhythm of events around you. It will pay off, trust me.

For your daily dose of angels, go to Angelic Compass.

An Encouraging Confirmation

2012-01-19T10:31:00.002-05:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! Inspired by the association that my friend made the other day, and which prompted me to think of the Chariot Rx card immediately, I now feel inspired to pay more attention to the pictures that emerge in people's minds and which they tell me about during our conversations. It is interesting to see how our collective unconscious works and how the same or very similar images spring to our mind when confronted with a situation.

I am slowly falling into my routine here, and I even find the cold refreshing. I have learnt to fully immerse myself into the life of a the country where I am and not to look for something that another may offer. Seeing the variety in the different approaches to life's challenges has made me unexpectedly multilayered and unexpectedly flexible. I welcome more than one solution to a problem, more than one way of seeing a situation, more then one way of digesting what lies ahead. As a result, falling back into routines has become easier and easier with each trip completed.

Today too, I am asking the cards about the energies around me today. Having shuffled my Saints and Angles deck, I drew the Peaceful, The Heaven is Watching Over You and the Confidence cards. The combination is telling me that today I should be at peace. I should not worry or fret because divine powers know who I am, they are listening to my prayers, and of this I must be sure. I must be confident that my words are reaching heaven and that my divine team is working on finding a solution to my problems. This is not only a wonderful and encouraging message to me but also timely. At times, when solutions take so long to unfold, I get discouraged and my faith weakens; I get confused whether the favourable signs I see around me or my communication with God and His loving response are only figments of my imagination or reality. We pray, we hope, we wait and we know that solutions come slowly, but knowing this gives us little consolation amidst the challenges we face every day. And we cannot let our faith weaken, because it is when the waiting gets tough and giving room to God to do His things becomes difficult and the idea of taking control and doing it all our own is almost irresistible that our faith needs to stand on even stronger grounds. After all, it is easy to have strong faith when things are perfect and events unfold easily. We are not tested then.

Messages like I have gotten today are comforting, and they confirm the living God in my world; the one who listens, understands, guides, interferes and above all, communicates with me all the time. And now He is telling me that in spheres invisible things are happening even if I cannot see them. Things are unfolding, and the physical world, where the particles are slow and heavy, is yet to catch up with what has been divinely designed. Manifestation on earth takes time.

You must be in your office already. Trust that divine powers are working on finding a solution to your problems even if no solution is visible just yet. Ask and always ask; it not only helps you crystallize what you truly want; it helps you turn to divine powers with confidence. Stay away from sugary things today. You know it is not good for you.

For your daily dose of angels, go to Angelic Compass.

The Elevator Dream

2012-01-18T10:09:00.001-05:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! Yesterday's cards spoke of finding my way to symmetry and peace by getting a chance to speak my truth, to voice my side of the story. Well, yesterday this chance did not come, but as we know, at times events unfold slowly, and the cards often indicate only the direction our soul is going instead of a specific event at a precise place and time. So now I am in a state of flux, in a state of slow motion toward internal balance, as it is so beautifully illustrated by the Move card. I am patient and waiting for the opportunity to ripen.

Today I have decided not to draw the cards but to speak of a specific card instead. The other day I was talking to my friend and we were talking about dreams in general. He asked me if I have ever had the "elevator dream", the one I believe we all have had at some point in our lives: the one where we are trapped in a fast moving elevator that has a mind of its own and goes up and down and sideways, fast and furious and out of control. Mine is also tilted for good measure to make the ride even more terrifying. So, I told him that of course I have had this dream, many times in fact. We both agreed that the "elevator dream" comes from our subconscious that is warning us that we are not in control of events in our lives and that we are not holding the reins like we ordinarily would in times of balance and harmony. The dream tells us that events around us may be happening too fast, too unexpectedly, and we are not caught up but rather legging a few paces behind. How we respond to this warning is our personal choice, of course, but dreams appear to help us restore our internal balance or balance in a situation in which we are immersed.

Having agreed upon the meaning of this dream and its universality, I asked my friend what types of "elevator dreams" he reckoned people had before elevators were even invented. He thought for a minute and then said that he suspected people may have dreamt being on perilious carriages and dragged and drawn by wild horses, trying to hold on to dear life. This was a very interesting answer as my friend knows nothing about Tarot cards, it not being his area of interest at all. Of course, I immediately thought of the Chariot Rx card, and was amazed at the strong archetypal message it symbolizes: going too fast, being out of control, need to slow down and regain leadership. In addition, it also symbolizes internal division as two different horses pull the chariot with what looks like equal force. The message of being dragged by wild horses is so strong in our culture that the perfect symbolic representation needed to be born, and it made its way into the arsenal of 78 archetypal symbols, as the Chariot Rx card.

I love these discussions with friends. When such free association and accidental allusion to the deck they do not know happen, I feel the power of the archetypes upon which the cards were based. From now on I must keep my eyes open for more of these incidental associations; they will only strengthen the meaning of the cards within me.

For your daily dose of angels, visit Angelic Compass.

Letting Love work within Me

2012-01-17T09:37:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! My Christmas in Europe was wonderful, but as I said earlier, it was very different from what I had expected. I was looking forward to arriving to my snow-filled town where I could enjoy some quiet days away from the pre-Christmas bustle of this big city. I was looking forward to days of reading and long walks in the forest, and instead, I was caught in a social whirlwind stronger than I had ever had in my life; friends kept popping up from everywhere, wanting to see me, wanting to hear my stories or tell me theirs, wine, tea and coffee kept flowing, sausages and traditional Christmas cookies kept leaping out of ovens, merriment abounded, and it felt like I had a revolving door that with each spin produced a new set of friends from the past. I soon had to adjust my expectations from calm to clamour, and once I made peace with the flow of events, I opened my door and heart to others; to their love, their life, their happiness and pain. Giving myself was my gift to them this Christmas. Although at times it felt I did not have a moment to myself, and surely I felt tired and rushed, I felt good about opening my world to them. Opening up like I did and letting them into my life felt cathartic, clean, genuine and very healing. These people have known me since the beginning of time, and their acceptance of me, the way I am, is a precious gift not many have in their lives. Feeling loved and wanted with my imperfections was a very important gift to me, and now that I have received it, I am eager to give it to others, so they can also feel loved and wanted despite all their imperfections. I will let love work within me.

Today too, I am asking the cards about the energies around me today. Having shuffled my Saints and Angles, deck, I drew the Move, the Peaceful and the Speak Your Truth cards. The combination is telling me that today, I will be moving towards peace by finding the words to express my feelings, by perhaps even defending myself and my position, which at times can be difficult for me. Moving towards love and letting love work within me means not only expressing love for others, but also for me. According to the cards, an opportunity to do this will come my way sometime soon, perhaps even today. If I use it wisely, it will bring symmetry into situations that may have had me at a disadvantage for some time. Symmetry and harmony means a lot to me, and I am happy to know that I am moving towards an opportunity to invite them back into my life.

2012-01-16T16:22:00.001-05:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! After a really long winter holiday in Europe, I have finally arrived back to Canada last night. I have spent the entire day today to try and carve a new groove for my daily life here, and as you can imagine, having been away for a month, finding my rhythm here is not easy. However, as of tomorrow morning I am resuming my regular writing and staying in touch. I hope that you will still be with me as I try to find my way through life and just generally navigate amongst the new year's challenges.

See you here tomorrow :)

Have a Merry Christmas!

2011-12-22T10:22:00.001-05:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! I am in Hungary now, and of course, have no more time to myself then I had in Canada. Happy distractions keep me away even from posting my daily blog. Friends tear me apart, want to reconnect, want to see me; and we all want to immerse ourselves in the Christmas spirit, which is this small town of Pecs is not hard at all; in fact, being here feels just like being in a fairy tale: small stores are fabulously decorated, everything is shining and glittering; traditional vendors who bring old times back in mind are selling their goods while soft snowflakes are gently falling on our shoulders. With various drinks in our hands at various locations under fabulous Christmas trees friends want to tell me their stories and see what I think. It is this constant swirl of well-wishers who have kept me away from posting, writing, reading and researching, which at first I did mind a bit as I, who write so much about God and saints, do not have the time to honour the birth of Jesus at least with a short blog.

But now I think differently: I am eternally grateful that so many people from all phases of my life remember me and make time to see me. God is sending His love to me, again, through the love of these lovely people around me. It is overwhelming, but so it is God's love. Once He shows, He shows big. And in my life now, there is an overabundance of feelings, of love, of everything that is sugar and spice.

Amongst the never-ending stream of visitors and general socializing, hairdresser and gym appointments, I did make a point to pick up and deliver beautiful flower arrangements to my favourite church and place them at the altar of St. Rita, Mary and Joseph, my lovely helpers, my faithful channels of eternal love and inexhaustible source of help.

I also dressed up my apartment here: after so long, I finally have a tree, and beautiful flower arrangements adorn every corner of my place. They lift my soul and despite having no time to seriously meditate on the meaning of this season, they make sure that the tenderness of these days reaches the deepest depths of my spirit.

Although I planned to read a lot during this Advent to connect with God in an intimate and meaningful way, I feel that this Advent has called me to a rather different and new challenge; I feel I am called to show my love for God and take in His for me in a practical way: through showing my love and support for people and soak up theirs. I have never felt such a deep and heart-felt reciprocity of feelings between my friends and myself. The Circle of Life has truly shown itself to me here and now.

I no longer mind that this Advent has not turned out the way I planned it. No quiet nights, no long hours of reading, no immersion into faithful thoughts or spiritual revelations. I am caught up in a wave of love flowing around me, pulling me into newer and deeper directions, and I go freely without reservations because I know that the kindness that my friends speak to me really is the kindness and the love of God.

Have a wonderful Christmas. Know that in whatever way it will come about, it is how it is meant to be.

In case you are wondering

2011-12-14T18:15:00.002-05:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! A few minutes ago I was just talking to my sister about how I do not have the time for anything these days. Although I promised to myself that I would keep things simple this year and would spend my time doing enjoyable and wintery things to soak up the atmosphere of the season, I find myself running around all day long, preparing to go to Europe this Saturday (it is Saturday I think), packing and unpacking, organizing and reorganizing, returning and exchanging, remembering people and buying just that one bottle of wine or candle or chocolate that I know we agreed we would not, but I still do because it is only a thought after all.

And so, despite this collective agreement of keeping things fresh and simple and focused on love and kindness and not on the tricky commercialism of this season, I am trapped in this crazy hunt for the no-gift gifts, but at least, I am strict with sticking to candles, chocolates and wine. And I am strict with myself too when I am asked about what I want: candles or chocolates or wine. First, because these can be shared with others; they are mood enhancers and can enhance the mood immediately at the moment of receiving them. Secondly, because I have everything I need already, consumables are the most welcome gifts for me.

But here we are, evening almost, and I have been up since the early hours in the morning, and as I look back on the day, I can say with all certainty that I have run around a lot and accomplished very little, despite my effort to maximize every minute. And first I thought it was my fault, but now I think that it just can't be helped. I truly maximize my time wisely. I write lists, plan routes, drop off and pick up on the way, calculate, estimate, project and determine time, distance, speed and force, leave no room for the unexpected derailments, and yet as the day progresses, my best laid plans turn into a race against the dying of the light because that unexpected derailment that I truly did not expect derailed me after all. And it was unavoidable and urgent, and it had to be dealt with right then and there because if I had waited or rescheduled, you probably would not read this blog now because the world would have collapsed.

So, you can only be thankful to me, really, for having yielded to the unexpected derailment that in the end caused me to fall behind on all my plans. At least there is a tomorrow when I can start it all over again.

And yes, this is why I have not posted a blog for two days now. In case you are wondering.

For your daily dose of Angels, visit Angelic Compass.

Balancing Act

2011-12-12T14:54:00.001-05:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! This weekend, among many different things, I went to the gym to a group exercise class called Body Flow. It is a combination of yoga, stretching and tai-chi moves, designed to move your muscles why promoting relaxation; the music is calm and tender, the gym is clean and the girls are kind. And this is my point exactly: the girls. I cannot tell you how wonderful I felt in the company of women, finally. Most of my time is spent with men, from personal trainers to best friend, from hairdresser to dermatologist, and various experts I draw into helping me with my projects. They are men, and until this weekend, when I finally made time to change my routine with my personal trainer (man) to a group class other than Body Attack and Body Combat or other fascinatingly masculine idea of mental and physical regeneration, I did not even realize how much I needed to be in a soft and feminine environment to rebalance myself. As I moved and stretched with the other women in the class, I turned and craned my neck only to catch a glimpse of shiny long hair in ponytails, manicured and pedicured limbs and soft contours. My classmates spoke kindly, considerately and sottovoce and did not yell inarticulately; they put things into a positive light and did not put things down; they smelled nicely and did not reek, walked gracefully and did not trample or elbow while whacking the less fortunate with a wet towel for good measures. I felt cocooned in this fragrant energy of collective kindness, acceptance and quiet, and slowly my hardened up animus softened and morphed with the music into an emotional mess saved only by our Namaste. Funny how hardened up I must have been, without realizing it of course, that it only took a few songs and a short dip into female energies to tip over; indeed, from extremely hardened up I sprung instantly to limp and fluid, balancing out in the end, and when the turmoil inside me calmed down, I felt rebalanced, refreshed and calm, so much so, that at home, not wanting to break the spell, I turned my phone off, took a hot shower, put my fat pants on, curled up under a wooly blanket and read a really good book, and did not talk to anyone until lives depended on it. It was great to feel weak and limp, soft and tired, in agreement with the world and removed from it too like nothing matters. I should do this every weak.

Today too, I am asking the cards about the energies around me. Having shuffled the major arcana of my Robin Wood deck, I drew the Strength Rx, the Death and The Sun Rx cards. The combination is telling me that today weakness and unclarity will come to an end. This is wonderful news, as lately I have been feeling weak and unclear about a few things in my life. We all go through phases of weakness, and I am happy to hear that this one in my life is drawing to a close. Until a new set of problems present themselves, of course.

You must be in the office already. Remember to find the way to balance out when you feel overwhelmed; It may take as little as going to a group class where you can soak up the energies that your soul so desperately needs.

For your daily dose of angels, go to Angelic Compass.

Taming my Ego

2011-12-09T08:22:00.001-05:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to GYPSY CAFE! Yesterday indeed was a day of harmony; the hours passed peacefully, inspiring me to honour this calm within me with relaxing music in the background and a pot of special tea while I was working at my desk. I listened to the cards' advice and stayed calm and patient in my correspondences; my e-mails were gentle and inquiring when in reality I only wanted to get to the bottom of thing fast and know the answer to a yes and no question. The cards however advised me that yesterday was a day when a little patience and slowness would go a long way. So I stayed patient and slow, casting my net and waiting for the fish to bite. Time will tell if they really did.

Today too, I am asking the cards about the energies around me. Having shuffled the major arcana of the Sweet Twilight tarot, I drew the Hanged Man Rx, the Emperor and the Lovers Rx cards. The combination is telling me that today my ego will be perhaps too strong to express passion. My ego will protect me and draw a wall around me, and what lies in my heart will stay invisible. My ego is there to protect me, but when it is working overtime, it perceives danger when there is none, an abyss where there is a bridge, ravaging fire where there are only fireworks. Keeping my protective ego is important; if I allow it to build stronger walls around me than what are needed, it may take over my reason, and I will run the risk of losing out on a lot of wonderful things in life; I will stay walled off of things that could be good for me on many different levels.

You must be getting ready to go to the office soon. Keep your ego in balance; danger is not everywhere, and not everyone is out there to trap us into their own games. Expand what you are willing to see. At worst, you will not like it in the end.

For your daily dose of angles, visit Angelic Compass.

Peace of Heart

2011-12-08T12:50:00.001-05:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! The friend I had some tensions with responded kindly to me yesterday, so I am happy to tell you that the cards did not refer to that particular situation. However, there were some tense times with another friend, and all my wisdom about keeping calm and philosophical during this holiday season flew right out of the window, of course; I just could not keep calm and carry on, but had to defend my own sphere when I felt attacked, and I defended it with good old attacking back. Of course, this only evolved into a vicious dance of throwing verbal punches, and the zen garden I had in my head soon became a subtle battlefield. The two glasses of wine that I ended up consuming during this duel did not help, of course, as my senses were either dulled or heightened, I am not certain, but they were out of balance, surely. Most likely, it was this tense meeting that I could not really control that yesterday's cards were referring to. Of course, all is well now, the battle-scars have healed, and all has returned to its proper place. Balance is restored, and nerves have calmed down. I can't help but think though how little it takes for me to stray from the path of peace I promised I would keep on. Our hearts are corrupt, and our memories are short. It is easy to make promises when nothing goes wrong, but it is difficult to keep them when our patience and tolerance are tried.

Today too, I am asking the cards about the energies around me. Having shuffled the major arcana of the Sweet Twilight tarot, I drew The Fool Rx, the Sun and the Temperance cards. The combination is telling me that holding back, proceeding with caution instead of jumping into things will bring clarity, happiness and balance to a situation. The cards are telling me that harmony will rule my heart and soul today. This is wonderfully welcome change, as lately I have been tense and impatient. I am glad that this may be the sign of harmony to come.

You must be in your office already, trying to make the most of the day. Remember that not all our days are filled with peace and sunshine. But when one comes along, acknowledge and celebrate it at your desk with a special cup of tea, spa music or a scented candle; these would draw your attention to the peace of your heart. Peace of heart is rare and elusive, and when it is finally near you, celebrate it respectfully.

Staying open-minded today

2011-12-07T08:04:00.001-05:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! Yesterday indeed I stayed the glue, and I successfully avoided all kinds of confrontations that slowly were flowing my way. I will keep this in mind for the entire holiday season, as I know that more are bound to float around. Despite the occasional rabbit punches floating around in the air, it was a quiet day for me: I worked and started to write the mountain of Christmas cards to friends and family. Although it is tedious work, I love doing it; while I write the cards to people, I really think of them, and I also think how many others must also think of them, and this thinking of each other fondly during this season is actually very good for us on an energetic level: channels of love are directed to us, and this has a loving and healing effect on us. This is how prayers work too; through them we build channels of love that reach up to God, and He uses this channel to dispense His gifts back to us. During the Holiday season, a lot of these channels are built, and although tension may be in the air, love does float around more than at other times. We all want to be loved, but our desire is stronger then our finesse of expressing it.

Today too, I am asking the cards about the energies around us. Having shuffled the major arcana of my Angel Tarot deck, I drew The Sun Rx, The Chariot Rx and the Hierophant Rx cards; all reversed. The combination is telling me that today something unusual and unclear will happen, something that will be beyond my control, and may even make me feel that I failed at something. I can't say I like the sound of this, because at this point, there are a various things in my life that could take the wrong direction. For instance, upon the urging of a friend yesterday, I wrote an e-mail to another friend with whom I have had some tension lately. While I hope that a favourable answer will be sent to me, the cards indicate that perhaps I should give more latitude in all my situations. Whatever happens, I will stay open-minded and accept all that will come my way today.

You must be in the office already. Remember: our wisdom lies not in controlling everything but in accepting everything that comes our way philosophically and with faith that all is for the best.

For your daily dose of angels, visit Angelic Compass.

In the Holiday Spirit

2011-12-06T11:50:00.001-05:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! As you can see, I have opened up a new blog, DIVINE ROSE CAFE, where my articles of more spiritual nature will appear from now on. Here at GYPSY CAFE, I will continue with my postings on the cards and what the combinations are telling me about myself, the day ahead of me, or about a unique situation.

Today too, I am asking the cards about the energies around me. Having shuffled my Saints and Angels deck, I drew the You are the Leader, the Generosity and the Marriage cards. The combination is telling me that today I could be the glue to hold friendships together. It will be my turn to show generosity of spirit in these tension-filled preChristmas period when people tend to be anxious, needy and generally tired. These are sensitive weeks during which many feel let down by expectations not met, love not shown, words not spoken in the proper tone and time not made for each other. During this season of love, it is difficult to show love when our obligations remain the same at work, and on top of the usual professional duties we also need to prepare for the holidays and participate in special get-togethers. Showing love now is work, work and more work. Sensitivities and tempers are flying high, and everything we say and do now could be taken as proof of what lies in our hearts. We feel unfairly accused, and the holiday spirit may soon become holiday bitterness unless we hold our breath and perhaps with gritted teeth, remain philosophical and understanding.

So, today it is my turn to channel my soul into a philosophical and understanding frame of mind, to be the calmer person with a profound insight into these difficult times and to glide over nicely-wrapped packages of provocation disguised as loving words and affectionate care.

By being the glue, relationships will stay loving, family will not not get a stab at a festive probing of my private life, and friendships will remain warm and fuzzy; they will all fit like a well-worn wooly mitten, which just for once will not have a sprinkle of holly hidden in it. This I will remember today.

You must be in your office already. You too, remember how sensitive these times around the holiday are, and know that it is your turn to make sure that peace is well preserved, at all cost and any cost.

For your daily dose of angels, go to Angelic Compass.

St. Rita to the Rescue

2011-12-05T05:25:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! There is also another saint who has helped me greatly in my life, and to whom you can turn with confidence: St. Rita of Cascia, who lived during the 14th century, in the height of Renaissance Italy. She is the patron saint of hopeless cases, the saint of impossible situations, the one who intercedes when all hope seems to be lost.

Many years ago, I was confronted with difficult and sudden change in my life, and the world around me turned upside down. Although I tried hard, I could not accept the direction my life was suddenly forced to take and the emptiness that descended upon me with all its cruel weight and force. First I crumbled, and then, slowly getting used to being in pieces, I became num to the world. Like an automaton I walked and did what I had to do, but joy no longer lived in my heart. I switched to survival mode, streamlined my life to the bare minimum; at night I waited for the sun to rise, and during the day I waited for it to set. I desperately wanted my old life back, filled with the joy I was used to but obviously did not appreciate. Of course, back then I was not aware of my ungrateful spirit; only later did I realize how unaware I was of the good things given to me, of the comfort of a safe heart, of a life uncomplicated and untainted. And then the bomb was dropped, and it exploded, and sharp splinters pierced through the soft veil of my cushy existence. The deeper I sank into darkness and tears, the more I knew that only a miracle would save me; human powers could no longer lift me from the despair I spiralled into. All day long I was theorizing about what had happened to me; hundreds of interpretations swirled through my head, my thoughts like fragile branches, reached out to a million directions only to hook on to one terrifying conclusion: I was no longer loved. I was like a scavenger crawling along the sandy bottom of the sea, away from the light of the world, feeding off scraps left behind by other, happier creatures.

And then, one night, in a rare hour of sleep, a dream came to me. In this dream, I saw a golden and shiny disk hovering above my face, and in a language I do not recall but could only telepathically understand, it said to me: "things are not what they seem". Startled, I woke up immediately, and I just knew this was no ordinary dream; this was a message from above. Someone in divine spheres realized that I reached the limits of despair, took pity on me, and decided to send me a ray of hope. It was little to grasp on, but I started to build my existence around this one divine sign. Of course, later I learned that one divine sign is all we need to know that our future is about to change. As to when, that of course I did not know; timing is, as always, in God's hands.

I would love to tell you that soon after this dream my life changed, misunderstandings cleared, the stars aligned, and everything fell back to normal. But it was not the case; there was no sign of change at all. Of course, my life went on, but no resolution presented itself to my aching soul. And during these years of emptiness I realized that the miracle I needed must come from above, and so I turned to God. No one else would have understood me, and certainly there was no one could perform the miracle I so craved. My dream of the golden disk was my invitation, and as I had no choice, I opened up like a flower and soaked up all that God allowed me to see of Him. I studied Him, spoke to Him, looked for Him and buried myself into His love. Yet, still there was no change, and God stayed silent.

Well into the second year after my dream, I spent my summer in Hungary where each day I went to my favourite little church where there is, to this day, a small shrine to St. Rita, the saint of impossible things; just the saint for me, I thought. One day, when I was completely alone in the church praying to her, always for the same thing, never giving up, I suddenly felt I was enveloped in a strong scent of roses. It felt strange; I was alone and this divine scent, strong and delightfully rosy, just descended upon me like a cloud, wrapping me into its soft folds, comforting me and bringing tears into my eyes. It lasted about a minute, and as suddenly as it came, it went, leaving me alone in the musky church, pleasantly confused and tearfully hopeful. I did not know what it was back then, but I sensed that it must have been a sign, a divine agreement, a propitious herald that soon my life would change. I felt that St. Rita had heard me, and her intercession, after so long, finally gained favour with God.

Again, I would love to tell you that soon after this rosy scented minute the pieces of my life suddenly fell into their proper and most auspicious places. Yet for long months still there was no change, and God stayed silent. I came back home and continued to pray to St. Rita to make sure that she kept me in her favour and kept interceding on my behalf.

By the third year after my dream, I learnt a lot about God and His divine systems. I researched Him day and night, and the more I knew about Him and the more efficiently I prayed, the stronger my faith grew. My life became solid and happy again; I rebuilt myself into a weaker version of earlier times, but nonetheless it was a version liveable.

In my third year of faithfully praying for the same thing, when my faith grew stronger and my life was much more solid and happier, suddenly, in the most ordinary of moments, my wish came true. When I least expected it, God granted my wish and wrapped it in circumstances so favourable that exceeded all my expectations. My desire materialized, and solutions I could never imagine were presented to me. After testing me for so long, God decided to come out of the clouds and show His divine face to me.

This was many years ago, and since then I have learnt a lot. I have learnt that He waited for my faith to grow strong before He would grant my wish. He wanted me to feel the impact of His love and generosity to make sure it became the guiding light of my life, the pivot of my existence and my work. He made sure that my experience became life-changing to me, so that through it I would change the lives of others. He expected perseverance in faith and unconditional love from me, growth in spirit and understanding of human conditions. And when He felt I was transformed into a loving receptacle of His will and ready to receive and see His divine face, He gave and gave generously, perfectly, more than I expected, and perhaps more than I was ready to handle. I also learned that the golden disk in my dream was the Holy Spirit who descended onto me with His divine message.

Years after my rosy scented minute in that little Hungarian church, I also learned that St. Rita on her deathbed in the convent of Cascia asked for a rose and a fig to be brought to her from her garden at her old home. This was a strange request in the middle of January when all the gardens were covered in deep snow. Yet, the saint's cousin went to the garden and found one single rose in full bloom and one fragrant and ripe fig which she quickly brought back to Rita. Since then, roses and the scent of roses in impossible places tell us that St. Rita is present and her intercession for us was successful. St. Rita shares this lovely symbol with St. Therese of Lisieux.

Although my wish was not granted to me immediately, now I know that that rosy scented cloud in that small church was indeed a divine sign sent from above: And the Lord spoke: "you have gained my goodwill, and I know you by name." (Exodus, 33,17).

It was a sign that God never breaks His promise to us: ask and you shall receive.

You must be getting ready to go to work soon. Remember, you also have St. Rita on your side in times of trouble and desperation. Persevere patiently; even with making you wait for a long time, God has His divine purpose that needs to be fulfilled.

For your daily dose of angels, go to Angelic Compass.

Feeling lighter, flying higher...

2011-12-02T05:28:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! The week is winding down, and I hope you are too with it. It was an intense week for me, with a few changes and ensuing disappointments, which I have come to accept as part of life. Change and my having to reinvent myself to adapt to new circumstances is a challenge that I face often. I have managed to get to the point when I look beyond my anger and know that God allowed and may have even organized the change and its implied challenges for a wise reason, a higher purpose which will become clear to me only later when more mosaics of the picture will come together, and until they find their proper place, my job is only to accept. God organizes, and I accept, and I even say thanks for His divine plan and for loving me enough to have a plan for me.

It took me a long time to learn how to be completely honest with myself. What helps me the most is talking to someone about all that is on my mind and in my heart without the fear of being judged, preached or laughed at. And that someone to me is God. In fact, I talk to him regularly and even informally not only while I pray but also when the mood strikes me. And as I share my secrets and try to verbalize all the things I am sad or happy about, and as I tell him my most bizarre wishes, most selfish ideas and most impractical solutions to impeding problems, I start to feel lighter, more clear-headed, and certainly more accepting of myself. I know that He listens and knows exactly where the roots of my feelings are.

He knows how difficult it is to be human, to be me, to be good. He does not rub my mistakes into my face, and tells me I told you so. He does not hurry me, does not analyze me but lets me take my time with my words and let's me analyze myself. His love let's me drag my confused heart to the surface and admit to things that make me blush. His love allows me to not hide from myself and to not bottle up until my chest becomes congested with shame and pain and begins to harbour a mass of distorted cells to press down on my organs. I am who I am, and I belong in God's filing cabinet. I am accounted for, barcoded, and to Him very predictable; nothing I say scandalizes Him. All is expected, and all is known.

To others I can lie, and quite easily so, but to myself, I no longer want to. Only when I reveal myself to God can He work with me and find solutions for my problems. Only when I reveal myself to me do I feel the gravitas of my intentions and can I become acutely conscious of the directions I should take. While I bring my hidden layers to the surface, I realize all that works and does not work in my life, and I thank God for the state of things, as all the frustrations, sadness, worry and happiness are part of His divine plan. The way things are now are exactly the way they are supposed to be in the interest of a better future. Challenges are not permanent, only an evolutionary station in the journey of my soul; the solution will come, and until then I praise God for the evolutionary stages filled with tears and frustrations, happiness and hope. I wait thankfully, gratefully and patiently.

Knowing I am in a state of flux, and that with each day I am closer to seeing His divine solution to my problems fills me with optimism even in hard times. While I am not happy about circumstances, I am happy that I am not abandoned but only going through a stage of His divine plan for me. I become small and leave room for Him to act and organize, to coordinate and compose, modify and settle the mosaics of my life into one healthy whole, His version of my wish.

The more I open up, the less weight I carry in my Heart. I feel lighter and fly higher, change faster and feel stronger.

You must be getting ready to go to the office soon. Please keep away from sweets. Although it is winter, what is under the clothes, still matters.

For your daily dose of angels, visit Angelic Compass.

God's Inventory

2011-12-01T05:26:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYSPY CAFE! Another day of running around in the city has dawned, but while I will be waiting either in waiting rooms or in line somewhere, I will be thinking about what to write next. Writing about divine love, signs and symbols has become my life as I intensely live through them each time they come my way. The stronger my faith grows and the less fearful I am of my future, the more God reveals His divine face to me. Then again, it is possible that He was around me all along, but I was blind to His divine presence; now, however, because of my deep involvement with Him, I am more sensitive to the way He expresses His love for me. I notice Him more, especially in times of crises when I need reassurance and comfort and at times even rescue; he comes before I call on Him.

The more connected I am with Him, the more I see His glory and the miracles He grants for me in my life. Those whose faith is weak, live in darkness and do not see His protective love and providence, and do not sense His loving guidance. Instead, they often feel abandoned and see their situations hopeless. They do not hear His calling to a better life, to a different way of thinking, and they ignore His invitation to place their troubles and worries into His hands. Even my friend chose to suffer needlessly with her husband for years when finally St. Therese, like the mountain to stubborn Mohammed, had to come to her and almost startle her into placing her problems into the saint's hands, problems that my friend could not have resolved on her own, and divine intervention was urgently needed. (A Mysterious Prayer Card, November 9, 2011).

God is calling us, and He is waiting; he is waiting for when we will finally ask Him to lovingly arrange our lives, untangle the messes we created and smoothen the waves we made. He is waiting for us to realize finally that we really do need Him, that our human powers are finite as we are separated by that thin but real border between heaven and earth (The Border between Heaven and Earth, October 28, 2011). He can only be God to us if we recognize that He is God, turn to Him and accept the miracles He gifts to us as sign of His love and infinite greatness. For His miracles, we will love Him more and more, and encouraged and strong in faith, we will turn to Him more and more, and through this virtuous circle He can be God to us ever more. St. Therese, with her roses is a small link in this faith generating chain; through her roses, a window to divine spheres opens up to us.

The more I read the Bible, the more I see how events and theories there are mirrored in my own simple life. It is not a book that tells stories that happened in a vacuum, outside of reality and human grasp; indeed, the Bible talks about our lives, our organic human experiences and our innate intimacy with God even if many do not want to see it or accept it. The Bible points out where men fail: in not accepting being created by Him and in resisting His fatherly expectations of them, His children.

I know I cannot escape being God's child, and it is becoming more and more clear each time I stumble upon a biblical passage that echoes the events in my life. When that happens, I am reminded that I am part of Creation, that I have a definite place here on Earth, that I am accounted, inventoried, itemized, catalogued, barcoded and filed into God's heart and His great divine filing cabinet, and that the episodes in my life, as strange as they may be at times, are really only variations on the theme of Creation. I am a lamb in His herd, and He would be sad and upset if I went missing.

With these thoughts I am off to start my day, which will only be a variation on the theme of Creation; no matter what happens, it will not be new under the Sun.

You must be getting ready to go to the office soon. Keep to your diet please. No sugary things today. Every day you abstain matters.

For your daily dose of angels, go to Angelic Compass.

Ask, and you shall receive...

2011-11-30T09:04:00.001-05:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! Today is my day off of my workout regime, and I have a great amount of time on my hands to just do what I feel like doing. I love Wednesdays, when nothing pushes me and nothing pressures me; a restful day mid-week is a true blessing. I clear my mind through writing and connect with a beautiful world that I created in this blog, and I let my heart and mind meander on paths that may even surprise me in the end.

Yesterday, as I was lying on my bed reading, the answer to a question that I had been wrestling with for a long time suddenly came to me. This happens to me at times: an enlightening dawns on me suddenly while I am doing something ordinary like watching a DVD or just making my breakfast. Of course, as we never shut our brains off, my subconscious keeps on spinning and churning in my head, reaching out for answers even when I am completely unaware of it. I also noticed: the more I pray and connect with God, the clearer the answers to my questions become. I remember just how I used to struggle with theories and grasp in the dark for clarity; everything seemed complicated and beyond my comprehension. But then, slowly, as my faith grew, so did my understanding of how God operates. The more I trusted Him and abandoned myself to Him, the more He revealed of Himself to me. Of course, the bits I am allowed to understand are only bits that He considers appropriate to impart to me at this time. I am happy for each rare pearl that He decides to cast my way; each reassures me of His vigilant love and wisdom and that He never breaks His promises to us; He is the only constant thing in this world.

So, yesterday afternoon, as I was lying on my bed, a long awaited answer struck me: for a long time now I have been wrestling with the question whether God really gives us everything we want. In the Bible, He clearly tells us: "ask and you shall receive", and I certainly have been given everything I have ever asked for: big and small, serious and capricious. From my own experiences, it is clear to me that God never breaks a promise He made to us; He never breaks His covenant with us. Yet I often hear from people who tell me how they asked and asked but were not given. They tell me how discouraged they feel and how they gave up on praying for their needs and try and rely on their own strength, rather, to try and get what they want. Hearing this, I can't help but think that something must have gone awfully wrong when they thought they were asking: impatience and lack of faith reared their ugly heads, confusion set it and hearts got divided. All in all, the process was sabotaged.

In a previous posting (What is on the Cards? November 4, 2011) I spoke of how much strength and perseverance we truly need when we ask God to grant us what we want. We cannot ask for things with heart divided, weak faith and wobbly trust. Indeed, Jacob in his First Letter tells us clearly: "But let him ask in faith, without any doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed. For let that man not think that he will receive anything from the Lord. He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways." (Jacob, 1, 5-8) Yet, many, deep in their hearts, do not trust that God will give them what they want, and when they should persevere the most, they decided to give up and retreat with weakened faith in His love and power.

But many do not realize that God never promised a time-frame within which He will deliver our desire. Yes, He will give us what we want but on His own time, when He in His infinite wisdom decides that we are ready to receive. And that time-frame can be stretched out to years and years, and with each passing year our faith should grow and become stronger, as He reveals other signs of Himself to us; signs that may not be pointing at what we are praying for but certainly speak of His presence and love for us. And if we receive signs of His presence and love, then we should know that He is listening, and it is only a matter of time before He makes the circumstances in our lives favourable for us to receive our desire. But if we think that He should operate according to our flawed schedule, and when He resists we sulk and give up, we only show to Him that what we thought we desired is not important to us after all: our enthusiasm has faded, our faith has weakened, and our fever has gone. Yet again, the process is sabotaged.

Indeed, the concept of timing is of supreme importance even when we explore perhaps the most important question: what if we pray for something that He thinks is not good for us? Will He give it to us anyways?

My answer to this is a definite yes. Yes, He will give it to us, even if He thinks that what we ask for is not to our advantage on the long run. Naturally, from our human perspective, we only ask for what we think is good for us, but from His divine perspective things may look completely different. Nonetheless, He promised He would give everything to us as long as we ask for it from Him, and He never breaks this promise. But the key is in the timing. In these situations, God, in His wisdom masterfully kills two birds with one stone: if we persevere in faith and do not doubt His power even when circumstances seem adverse and set against us, He will grant us our desire when we will no longer want it and no longer gravitate towards it, so it can not harm us, while increase our faith in His love and constancy. In other words, while showing His divine face to us, He also keeps us safe from our own misguided desires. Of course, He forgives us for asking for something from a limited perspective; after all, He created us with a limited perspective.

One last thought: many also tell me how much they prayed for a sick loved one who ended up passing away despite all the spiritual efforts. I too used to pray for years for friends who were sick, but when they died, I painfully realized: no matter how much I prayed for their healing, if the sick do not pray themselves and ask for and believe in God's healing power, there is little we, friends, can do. We all have to express our faithwith our own words and trust in our own hearts; we all have our own spiritual responsibilities, and we are all loved individually.

So, these were the things I was thinking about and the answers I was given. Answers come slowly and with time. As we connect more, we ascend higher and see more.

You must be in your office already. Ask and do not give up asking for what you truly want. Trust that it will be given to you.

For your daily dose of angels, visit Angelic Compass.

My Father to the rescue

2011-11-29T05:33:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! You must have noticed that the content of my postings have changed. While I still write about the cards, I often talk about St. Therese and her wonderful and very real intercessory power, which I feel is very important that I share with you. I know how successful I have become by turning to divine powers, by placing everything into God's hands, by letting Him take me where He thinks is the best for me to go, by asking everything I need and want from Him, by sharing with Him my most secret dreams, by entrusting Him with my human fragility and imperfect soul and tender love, and by asking St. Therese to advocate for me, to express for me in a way pleasing to God what I so ardently desire but cannot bring about on my own. My real success lies in becoming small, very small, as the smaller I have become, the more room I have allowed for God to act in my life. He is the director of every aspect of my life, and the more I strengthen my faith, the more I see His glory and how He is present in my life. I see how Jesus is not a person who lived only in the past and performed His miracles so long ago; in fact, He is very much present now, lives among us, and the stronger my faith becomes, and the more I abandon myself to God's plans, the more I see both Father and Son and their protective love for me.

There are episodes that bring tears in my eyes, like the one that happened to me in Turks and Caicos only a few days ago. One day, early in the morning I went down to the beach, just for a walk. TCI is a safe place, and I have seen lots of people on their early morning walks when the day is just beginning, the sun is not too strong and the warm salty air is soothing. I began my walk, and I noticed that there was a lady walking behind me, also enjoying the warm morning. Although we did not walk together, knowing that she was there gave me comfort. As I was well into my walk already, I suddenly noticed that there was a group of men ahead of me on the beach, just playing in the water. I was still far away to see them clearly, and they did not see me either, but immediately and instinctively I switched into self-protective mode. Not that I automatically assume danger, but walking on a deserted beach with thick vegetation close to the water, in a bikini, on an island, could be an invitation to troubled minds. Although the lady was walking behind me, I did not know if she would return the same way with me, and at some point back home I needed to go and possibly pass that group of men on my own. So, I stopped in my track and assessed the reality of my situation, my geography, my loneliness, the noise of the crashing waves, the strangeness of the land, and suddenly I saw all that was against me, and the words of a wonderful friend of mine came into my mind: don't look for trouble, trouble will find you.

Even if the likelihood for some terrible surprise to happen was probably none at all, I did not want to find out, so I decided to turn back and walk back to my house.

As I was walking back on that morning beach, suddenly an erie sensation enveloped me. While I had never seen the beach a threatening place before when I was with others, now that I was on my own, in a bikini, so close to the thick bushes that walled my path, I started to get scared and was constantly turning my head around to sniff out predators. Agoraphobia started to play tricks with my mind, and every noise of strange shape startled me, and i felt I was being watched. My senses were alert, and although I did not change my pace for fear of letting my anxiety show, I counted every quick step on the sand that would get me closer to home.

And then, suddenly, when I most needed comfort, I felt something brushing up against my right leg. My heart jumped, and I looked down to find a big black dog beside me, walking along with me on my right. A second later another black dog brushed up against my left, and at that point, I did not know what to be more afraid of: the deserted beach or the dogs. I had no idea who these dogs were; they seemed to have materialized out of thin air, as despite turning my head in all directions before, I could not see them at all before. But I saw that their coats were shiny and cared-for, and that they had pretty collars on their neck with tags; thankfully they were not wild dogs. I let them sniff my hands, petted their head, spoke to them in a calm voice, and along we walked like they were my bodyguards, flanking me from each side. Although they made me somewhat nervous, I suddenly felt very safe with them; with them by my side, no one would approach me, or would try and hurt me.

Along we walked, like we knew each other for years, and deep in my heart I knew right then and there that these two black dogs were sent from above to protect me, to calm me down, to make me feel less vulnerable and more confident on my way home. They accompanied me all the way home, and then, mission accomplished, they continued on their own along the beach, disappearing as mysteriously as they appeared.

I admit that they made me nervous; they were not my dogs, and I did not know what to expect of them. But having them there, as strangers as they were to me, made me feel safe. Now that I look back, it is clear to me that they never intended to scare me. They were clearly sent from above to stay with me during that trying walk home. And who knows after all? Perhaps there was danger out there; perhaps all was not in my head. I will never know, and it is good that it was not my destiny to find it out.

I pray a lot to my Guardian Angel, Aniel. He works closely with God and is part of my divine team. Sadly however, I failed to call upon God in the moments of panic, but He again, showed his great love for me, by knowing what I needed and sending help before I could turn to Him with my own words. This time I truly experienced God's words: "Before they call, I will answer; while they are still speaking, I will hear." (Isaiah, 65, 24)

He came to the rescue, and I am touched how He remembered me, saw me and comforted me. I am touched to see how I matter to Him, how He is always beside me, and I am so grateful He showed His divine face to me again. I am His true child, and He is my true Father.

I feel that telling these stories at this stage of my life is more important than writing about the cards. Each time I write a story like this, my faith grows as I hope yours does too.

You must be getting ready to go to the office soon. Remember that you are never alone.

For your daily dose of angels, visit Angelic Compass.

A Prayer for the Sick

2011-11-28T05:28:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends! Here is a miraculous prayer to St. Therese, the Little Flower which has miraculously helped a little child of a friend, who suffered a terrible accident a few days ago: by some unexplainable and terrible accident an old-fashioned 80 lb TV set fell onto the child's head, and he suffered terrible injuries as a result. He had a full ear-to-ear fracture at the back of the head (and I mean ear to ear, literally). As you can imagine, the prognosis was dire, and the future looked bleak, but as he was laying in hospital battling for his tender life, many of us, strangers, were praying for his recovery. To help him, I chose a prayer from my book of prayers to St. Therese. It is a prayer that requires some imagination, as when you say it, you are saying the words of the afflicted; essentially, you are praying on behalf of the sick person.

We prayed this for this little boy's recovery, and I just learnt that after a miraculously fast recovery, he was released from the hospital in good health a few days ago. Of course, there will be lots of follow-up appointments, but he is safe and with his family again.

So, here is the prayer that I translated for you from Hungarian. Please say these words to pray to St. Therese for someone who is fighting for their life.

To Little St. Therese:

O, look at me, Little St. Therese! My face is covered in tears. I remember the blissful days of spring when my carefree soul sang happily because there was no illness to break me down. Now I am lying on this bed, broken in body and spirit, and as I look around me, I am afflicted by pain. I despair: why all this? Others with an evil soul run around carefree, chasing their dreams and sins. I want to work, but this terrible pain breaks me down; this illness, this monster with its dry hands forces me to bed. Why? O, painful suffering, o, immeasurable affliction!

But despite all this, I trust in you, Little St. Therese. I know that until now I have been standing only under the cross. Now God, in His infinite mercy, has given me the opportunity to climb onto the cross. And because I know that He loves me, I do not fear. He forced me into bed, so that I do not leave His warm nest. He lets people go on their ways, so He can wait patiently for them to return to Him.

I ask you, therefore, Little St. Therese, to attain for me the blessing of patience and strength! It is with a patient and strong soul that I want to bear my cross. When death comes and wants to remove me from it, I want to resist, so that my body and soul, healed, may sing gratitude to God and to you, my Little Saint. If however, God wills that I end my sacrifice on the cross, then may His blessed Will prevail. I know that only what is within His Will can happen to me. And He always wants what is best for me. Blessed be His name! Little St. Therese, pray that He grant me a happy and strong soul! Amen.

St. Therese in the Driver's Seat

2011-11-25T05:29:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! Faith is important in our lives, especially when we are waiting for miracles to happen, for the dreams we have been praying for to finally come true. It is during this waiting that we feel weak and vulnerable; we need signs that tell us that we are on the right track, that God hears us and understands us, that we got His benevolence and that His army of saints and angels are watching over us and working for our ultimate happiness; we need to know that the signs we received were true and not only inventions of a mind that is tempted to read into everything to find comfort and relief. It is during these times that we are most open to hearing stories that bear witness to the intercessory power of saints; we gain strength from knowing that if good things happened to others, it will also happen to us. If they were heard, we are also.

For this reason, I am telling you yet another story that shows to us the loving intercession of St. Therese of Lisieux. My lovely friend who miraculously found the St. Therese card in her drawer a few weeks ago (A Mysterious Prayer Card, November 9, 2011), came to me today with more tears in her eyes. These were tears of joy, of course, as since the day she started to pray to St. Therese, her life changed. For years, she has been having terrible difficulties in her marriage; the animosity between her husband and her have made her life difficult not only on a spiritual plane but also on a practical one. Arguments turned into senseless revenge, and scenes from the War of the Roses came alive in her life. For months she could not drive, as her husband had taken the licence plates off her car and hid them, and she had to take the train, the bus and the streetcar to get around this big city, a tremendous waste of her time. Solutions eluded them, deafness and blindness prevailed, anger brewed and nerves became frayed.

Then, my friend found the prayer card and understood that St. Therese came to her, called her to turn to her, to trust her, to let her pray to God for a life easier and more dignified. And my friend accepted St. Therese's kind invitation; she has prayed to her every day since she found the card that carried that mysterious message. She told St. Therese of the heartbreaking difficulties she was going through, of the revenge and the poison that paralyzed their hearts and minds, and of her husband's senseless cruelty of taking away her car.

And then in happened. Although my friend did not get any roses, her prayer was heard and answered. A few days after she had started to pray, she got up one morning and got ready to go to work. Her husband already left for work, and she was alone in the house. She came downstairs to put on her shoes, when she saw her licence plates on the mantelpiece at the entrance. They were just there, with no note or explanation. After months and months of feuding about it, her husband placed them on the mantelpiece. She could not believe her eyes. She got a screwdriver, took the plates to her car, fastened them on, and after long months of not having been able to access her car, she drove away.

There was no conversation with her husband to ask for the plates. After months of trying and failing, she was too frustrated to bring it up again. There were no requests, no arguments, altercations, rows or scenes, only a solution; the plates were given in peace, in silence and in calmness. They were given voluntarily, as if a glimpse of goodwill emerged in this swirl of anger and bitterness.

Although there were no roses sent for my friend, St. Therese listened and came to the rescue. Roses tell us to wait; our dream will come true at the perfect time. My friend, however, needed a solution now; St. Therese understood that there was no time to waste. Roses, as romantic and hopeful they are, were secondary in this situation. She needed a fast solution, and it came. By giving my friend her licence plates back, St. Therese put herself into the driver's seat of this situation.

My friend's life has changed. She has found a true friend in St. Therese, and encourages all her friends to turn to this lovely saint in times of pain and crisis. St. Therese found her, and how we know why: she knew that she could give my friend the help she so greatly needed.

You must be getting ready to go to the office soon. Please do not forget: you have a lovely companion in St. Therese. Turn to her with all your heart, and she will always listen to you.

For your daily dose of angels, visit Angelic Compass.

Capturing Divine Harmony

2011-11-24T05:26:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! Although it is taking me a long time to get back into my city routine, I enjoy being here very much. This surprises me, as I used to be more rattled and shaken after trips, wishing I was elsewhere but at home. Now I come back here, and I feel that my little place is a big hug, receiving me in its protective arms, embracing me with love and warmth. But then, I realize: this peacefulness and harmony really comes from me, as my place only soaks up my own energies. In essence, I give my energies to my home, and when I come home after a long trip away, I really come back into myself, my own harmony. And I am addicted to harmony in the midst of my chaotic life, my internal divisions, doubts and frequent changes of heart and mind, and I do a lot of things to make sure I offset the confusions inevitable when living in a big city.

I travel to the Caribbean to enjoy the warmth of the sun and the silky caress of the ocean, the cleansing of the salty water, the minerals of the exotic mud wraps and the soothing herbal steam of the Zareeba. Immersed in laziness I feel the worries leave my body, my mind slowly emptying itself of the superfluous and complicated, of the entangled mess that after all means nothing and has no bearing on my future. What was big is suddenly small, what was sharp is suddenly soft, what was distorted is suddenly beautiful, and I am forgiving and loving, knowing that in this untouched exotic world am small, insignificant and simple. And this small, insignificant and simple me is trusting and unquestioning, confident in God's gentle and loving will that guides me always to where I need to go, and allows me to feel what is good for my heart and my soul.

And to preserve and bask in this harmony that God has granted to me, I do my own fair share to cherish it. I scatter lavender-filled pillows on my bed, and I put a lavender-filled sachet on my forehead when I wish to rest. I even have a lavender-filled silk mask for afternoon naps. I put a few drops of soothing essential oil in warm water and inhale it before I rest, or when I wish to let go of tension. I exercise every day to let go of the pressures of life and to keep my body supple and my muscles strong. I pray every day, at times even for hours to centre myself and to remove myself from this world. I connect with the divine world whose energies are infinitely more gentle and pure than ours. I have no TV, and thus I am saved from the filth of reality shows, and I only play spa music on satellite radio; I eat only organic food and eliminate carbs, and I drink no caffein. I have no clutter at home and I decorate with a lot of natural items, such as stones, wood and shells. I burn candles and I always have freshly cut flowers in a vase.

All this is a lot of work, but it has become a lifestyle that helps me capture the divine harmony we all naturally love and crave. Of course, I go out too and have fun, but even when I do, I know that I belong here, to this warm and calm nest that will be waiting for me when I tire of the noise outside.

I cherish the harmony that God wants to give us all. It is us who ruin it with following our own mind instead of listening to His wisdom; in fact, in the confusion we create around ourselves, we barely hear His words or feel the touch of His loving hands. We pile layers and layers of commotion and chaos upon His crystalline love and on the pure world He gifted to us, and only rarely do we open our eyes and ears to His wise fatherly message. And when we do, it is usually already too late, and we wish we had heard His voice earlier while we were suffocating under the pile of rubbish we created of our lives.

So, I try and keep my world clean, as God intended it for me. Of course, my human nature interferes, always, and it corrupts my purest intentions. But I keep on battling my own crimes and my ignorance in hope that one day my life will be purer, and there will be more of God and less of me in it.

You must be getting ready to go to the office soon. Streamline your body and soul, simplify where you can, and make more room for the pure, the slow and the loving in your life.

For your daily dose of angels, visit Angelic Compass.

White Roses; a Message from Heaven

2011-11-23T05:30:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! As you know, I am already back, and with each day, I am getting deeper and deeper into my routine. But not even the fast and strict routine can force St. Therese out of my mind, my lovely and communicative saint who showed herself to me again, with a shower of roses.

Not too long ago, again, I started a novena for St. Therese, and this time to let me know that my dear friend, Karen, who passed away on September 14th of this year, is in heaven, happy and healthy and well taken-care-of. This time, to avoid confusion that usually comes when St. Therese sends her shower of roses down to me, I asked her to let me know of Karen's happiness in heaven by sending me a white rose, while all the other roses she decides to gift to me during this novena should symbolize God's favourable answer to an earlier request of mine.

A while back, I was going around the city to buy a few items for myself for when I would go to Turks and Caicos. As I was browsing the isles, I was also thinking of my sister who would come to the islands with me, and went to the section that sold clothes of her size. I picked a pretty t-shirt for her, paid for the things and went home where I put everything into my closet and did not give it another thought until the day to pack my luggage came. And when it did, together with all my things, I also packed the t-shirt for my sister.

Then I started my novena, and on the fifth day into it, we went to the islands. As there were still four days left of my prayer, I was not worried that my lovely saint had not shown a petal of rose to me yet. But as the days were going by and still there was not a single white rose in sight, worry rose within me: what if this novena will be the first when my lovely St. Therese decides not to shower me with her lovely roses, when God decides not to grant my wish, and I will thrown into doubts and panic and will be tempted to reinterpret our previous communication, and emerge with a shaken faith, a confused mind and collapsed theories? I know that not receiving a rose should in no way shake the foundations of my faith; after all, it only tells of God's decision of not favouring my request; it does not cancel out previous miracles and loving generosities. But I also know myself and know how fragile my faith can be, despite my best intentions, and how hopeless and desperate I can feel when God hides His face and understanding from me. The last thing I wanted was to start questioning and doubting: does the absence of a rose simply mean a divine "no", or can it be the fallacy of this lovely novena altogether, and my previous shower or roses were mere coincidences, and hence the hope I received from them should now be forgotten and replaced by the harshness and coldness of rational thinking? This of course, all points to my faith being weak and conveniently reliant on signs that one with a strong faith would not need at all. But even knowing all this, I wished, fervently, that God will not withhold His loving face and kind heart.

The morning of the ninth day came, and I was painfully aware of it. Then, suddenly it occurred to me, that it would be a good time to give the t-shirt to my sister. Off I strutted to the closet, took the shirt out and laid it on my bed to fold it up nicely for her. And then I saw it. I was the sign: the shirt was covered with white roses printed on it, against a grey background, intricately hidden in the folds. To this day I do not understand how it is possible that I did not notice it before, but it is true: I did not see the roses when I bought the shirt, and neither did I see them when I packed the shirt from one closet to another multiple times. Yet, I had never seen the roseson it before. I may even be inclined to say that the roses were not there atall, until this ninth day of the novena. St. Therese is capable of deliveringmiracles, of that I have no doubt.

The funny thing is that only later did I notice thateven before the ninth day of the novena, St. Therese did indeed give me a sign:the first night I arrived to the island, on November 6, the table was laid witha beautiful white table cloth with the damask pattern white on white: whiteroses on white background. But again, I was blind to such details, and onlylater, a few days after the novena did I notice this bouquet of white roses.

During this novena, I also received a beautiful red rose made of paper from a friend. According to my agreement with St. Therese, this rose was sent to me that a previous request I have made to her has not been forgotten but will come true when the time for it is right.

This time too, I received my shower of roses. St. Therese has never left a novena of mine unanswered. My white roses are bringers of wonderful news: my friend is in heaven and has no desire to come back to her painful existence here on earth. She is loved and happy on a higher plane; and also, heaven really does exist.
Since then, I have received no roses. They only seem to come to me during my novenas to St. Therese. I am eternally thankful to my lovely saint.
You must be getting ready to go to the office soon. Please do not forget to pray to St. Therese whenever you feel you need help with something, may it be big or small. She is always there to listen and pray on your behalf.
For your daily dose of angels, go to Angelic Compass.com.

Zareeba to find Divine Love again

2011-11-22T05:32:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! I am home now, back in Canada, after my glorious two weeks in Turks and Caicos. Although I should be thinking about pulling my life together and following my strict routine, in my heart I am still there, sitting in the sun, fighting the waves of the ocean, walking on the thick grass and crushing little shells with my soles. As my time there was drawing to the end, I was desperately trying to immerse myself into the Caribbean mode, to feel the intensity of that different world, to feel God's most generous love and most loving providence, and in the end, after searching for so long and playing hide and seek with the highs and lows of energies on this trip, I have found the perfect place where my heart felt loved, and I rested in the folds of my God's softest mantle.

I came across a wonderful Caribbean spa treatment, called Zareeba, an island herbal steam cleansing and detoxification ritual developed by Caribbean herbalists. Zareeba means enclosure, an area protected by thorn bushes and all kinds of thick plants indigenous to the area. As I was so in the mood for a ritual, I immediately signed up for this treatment. A ritual was exactly what I needed to calm my nerves, to feel a strong connection with divinity, to centre my turbulent soul and to come back inside myself. I was looking forward to be steamed, soothed and softened by the healing herbs of wise Caribbean herbalists, experts at taming the agitation and the angst of the perturbed, and then to be massaged for a hour to release the restless energies that have held me hostage of late.

After about half an hour of sipping green tea on an outdoor patio while I was watching the tropical rain and resting my weary head on soft lavender pillows, someone took me by the hand and led me to a small hut deep in the foliage where a man was already busy preparing my soup of steaming hot herbs in a large clay cauldron. I was lead inside the hut, decorated with orchids, candles and the most beautiful seashells and starfish. Inside this small hut there was an even smaller hut, a private little Zareeba, or enclosure, where the man brought and carefully placed my herbal soup. I had to disrobe and sit on the little bench inside my Zareeba, the curtains around it were drawn, and suddenly I was alone in the dark only with the candles to guide me.

The large cauldron was in front of me, and I was asked to stir the soup, as the more I stirred it, the more intensely it would release its aroma into the air, around me, into my lungs, sinuses, pores, my restless heart and mind.

And stirring naked in the candlelit darkness I did. They left me alone with my thoughts, my herbal soup, and the world outside ceased to exist. I heard the rain beating down the roof of my hut, the sound of it washing away my troubled thoughts, and in this soft calmness I called out to God with the beautiful words of Haziel: "Grant me solitude and relief, so I may soak up your Essence, and my eyes may begin to see what you hide from profane glimpses." And then, in this vulnerable silence I suddenly felt the greatness of God and the smallness of me; suddenly everything intensified: I felt the intense beauty of my simple gestures, the power of the herbs, my pouring sweat that now carried all that was toxic within me. I felt God's love for me in these unusual gestures, in His generosity to allow me to experience something so movingly authentic in my life, so rare, so exotic, so deeply caring and cleansing. In that little Zareeba I was alone with Him, the way He wanted me, sweaty and naked, in a strange land under the tropical rain, stirring an herbal soup to let go of the dross and the low.

Half an hour later a lady drew up the curtains of my Zareeba and led me to the massage table. She put orchids in my hair, oil on my skin and massaged away all that the herbs brought to the surface. Her gentle touch put peace back into my body and love into my soul. She channeled God's love, and her caring hands massaged my turbulent heart and soul into a harmonious whole. I left the spa refreshed and at peace with myself and the world.

I needed my own Zareeba, my own little enclosure. The world was getting too intense around me.

You must be getting ready to go to the office soon. When the world gets too much to bear, think of a little Zareeba, all for yourself, a protected enclosure where you can be alone with God, centring yourself and bringing harmony back into your soul.

For your daily dose of angels, go to Angelic Compass.

Sympathize or Disagree; Thoughts from the Caribbean

2011-11-18T07:43:00.001-05:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! I am sorry about the sporadic posting but Internet connection here is often intermittent when it is overcast, and I have been struggling to get reception. The days are lazy, and I often feel they are wasted. Interestingly though, my feeling of time being wasted is not because I am not working or scurrying around all day long following a strict routine and the demands of a fast working day, but because I do not feel the depth of the peace and the quiet this island has to offer and how lucky I am to be here through the love and grace of God. Internal strives in our small group, disagreements on principles test my loyalty to myself and to all that I believe in: will I be friendly and nice when I am called to support a situation that I wholeheartedly disagree with to show my supreme understanding of human conditions? But then again, just because I understand human conditions from an emotional perspective, it does not necessarily mean that I agree with the plan to proceed. And when despite my understanding of human emotions, pain and deep-seated desires I still disagree with the plans proposed, I am running the risk of being considered not so understanding after all, not so sympathizing: traits unpopular with suffering friends, who expect not my insight into trouble but rather my unconditional support for whatever whirlwind they are planning.

But I feel that compartmentalizing my feelings and beliefs is important. Seeing clearly the division between my sympathy towards an unfortunate and unexpected human condition and the principles that the divine world I hold in such precious regard has taught me. And the more I am thinking of this dilemma, the clearer the solution and the side I should be taking becomes: I got the most from God, and my absolute loyalty must be with Him. It is with Him and the miracles he allowed me to see and experience. Human love is fragile, imperfect, selfish and dries up. He is forever, has been forever, and will be forever in my life when everyone is gone, perhaps even betrayed and abandoned me.

I sympathize, but I disagree. I feel, but I choose not to support. I am loyal to my fellow men in feelings, but most loyal in principals to God.

You must be in your office already. Have a wonderful day, enjoy the feeling of Fridays, keep your weekend open for miracles to come.

God is calling; Thoughts from the Caribbean

2011-11-15T09:49:00.001-05:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! Finally, the sea is calming down a bit here in Turks and Caicos, and we are able to enjoy its soothing waves a bit more comfortably. It looks like we no longer have to track to the alternate beach on the other side of the island where we have had to go to enjoy more quiet waters. The waves are calming down here too, and I am also calming down with it. It is interesting that here, where I am so connected with nature, my moods are also so in synch with nature: angry winds on the shore agitate me, and I become impatient; loud and crashing waves awaken irritation within me. Nature definitely leaves its powerful imprint on my soul.

Yesterday I really did try to show kindness and generosity. I feel how important it is for me to dig deep, unearth and bring to the surface the less turbulent and more gentle layers of my personality. Slowly, as nature calms down, I will become softer myself.

Today too, I am asking the cards about the energies around me. Having shuffled my Saints and Angels deck, I drew the Sleep, You are a Leader and the Pray cards. The message is clear to me: I will need to relax today. I can give up controlling things and others around me. That part of my personality will have to rest now, to make sure it does not start to work against me. The Pray card is also important: I must spend some time in prayer today. I am ashamed to say that in these past few days I have not been speaking to God directly; surely, I spoke to Him in my thoughts, felt my gratitude and love for Him, enjoyed His kind generosity, but I think I have been selfish: I did not make time for Him, did not slow down and sit down and turned to him with direct words; and I know He is missing me. Today, I will definitely answer His calling, as in no way I would like to make Him sad.

You must be in your office my now. Enjoy your day, and remember how deeply nature affects you. If the day is cold and gray, light a candle to counterbalance. It will do you good.

Reconnecting; Thoughts from the Caribbean

2011-11-14T09:11:00.001-05:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! The ocean is still rough and the wind is still strong here on Turks and Caicos, but not event these unexpected atmospheric conditions take away from the beauty of this place. Paradise is paradise after all, and I am thankful for each minute that I can spend here. God's love for me is yet again shown; He took me to this magical place, pampers me with the most exquisite food and drinks, takes away all my worries, warms my body with the sun, cools my skin with the ocean, puts me to sleep in the softest bed, and gently wakes me up with the warmest sun and the lulling of the waves. He is my lover in deep love, my most selfless and generous father, my most protective knight in shining armour, my caring and sweet friend, who in return only wants to be loved back, intensely and with full trust.

Today too, I am asking the cards about the energies around me. Having shuffled the Saints and Angels deck, I drew the Reward, the Look Deeper and the Generosity card. The combination is telling me that today my generous treatment of others will be rewarded. Achieving this generosity will come with looking deeper into myself, with bringing to the surface a more lenient, forgiving and patient layer of myself, because to be honest, I do miss those layers, as deep in my heart, I know those are the most real parts of me. The dross and the roughness are only deposits from this world, manmade nonsense that blocks and hides the way we are meant to be. It is time to shed these deposits before they fossilize, and I can no longer feel the tenderness and the gentleness of what lies beneath. Today I will ask God's help to help me connect with my true self. And I know He will listen.

You must be in your office already. I am sending you a big hug from this lovely part of the world.

A Tough Message; Caribbean Thoughts

2011-11-12T08:57:00.001-05:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! The days just keep on crawling by on this lazy island, and I am getting filled with sunshine, peace and calm. The ocean is still a bit rough on my side of the island, and we still have to go to the alternate beach where the water is a bit calmer. Once I am in the water and I feel the warmth and the vastness of the ocean, I feel small, I mean smaller than usual; it is the perfect setting for feeling our own weakness, smallness and helplessness. I am in an environment where I am so obviously no longer boss.

As to being good, I am really trying, but it is difficult sometimes. For some reason, perhaps because I am far from the city where rules and etiquette are more stringent and limiting, I feel that my emotions are closer to my skin; I praise and encourage surely, but feelings of being territorial, controlling and commanding surge with unexpected and vivid force. It is a raw environment here on this untouched island, and I feel raw myself, as if my soul wanted to blend into this island's raw and windy atmosphere.

It is strange to feel my rawness with such intensity, and I can't say I like it; on the other hand, it is an opportunity to see how much tension and human rawness is still within me despite my best intentions of being good.

Today too, I am asking the cards about the energies around me. Having shuffled my Saints and Angels deck, I drew the Look Deeper, the Practice Makes Perfect and the Steady Progress cards. Interestingly, the Steady Progress carries the spirit of St. Therese of Lisieux. The combination is telling me that today I will have to start looking deeper into my life, into what I want, into the things that I do that take me far away from what I want and those that bring me closer to it. We are all fragmented on some level, and so am I; I am torn between my desires and the practical, my dreams and what presents itself as reality, and I know that a heart divided really speaks of a lack of trust in God's power to give me what I truly want. With a heart divided between visions and compromises I cannot make progress, as my visions are stifled by fear and compromise. St. Therese is asking me to look deeper into myself and bring my heart into unity. Naturally, this is a difficult task as my human nature, the one filled with fear, is always ready to settle before dreams may come true. In that sense, I am my own enemy, the block that prevents, the reason that muddles the clarity of a dream.

This is a tough message to digest, surely, but at times we do need a wakeup call. Divine guidance can be strict, but it is always and unfailingly loving.

Being Good; Caribbean Thoughts

2011-11-11T05:00:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! The ocean is still rough a little here in Grand Turk, and finding a more peaceful place to swim in this turquoise water can be a challenge. But just being here is a wonderful gift, and I often think of divine love, so providing and so knowing of our hearts' desires, that allowed me, again, to be here and be immersed into the wonders of nature.

Even while I am here, and the days are pretty much alike, my time divided between the ocean and the pool, reading or just lounging with friends, contemplating and thinking up new ideas for research, I am still asking the cards about the energies around me. While we think nothing noteworthy may happen, on an invisible plane things do happen, and we are always evolving and always carried to places that will present themselves only later.

Having shuffled my Saints and Angels cards, I drew The Activist, the Heaven is Watching Over You and the Animals cards. Again, the Activist card is inspired by Mother Teresa who took here name after St. Therese of Lisieux. The combination is telling me that today St. Therese may be watching over how I will be behaving with my friends. This does not surprise me at all. With all the good intentions I have, I find that it is so difficult to follow the footsteps of the Little Flower who was so filled with love and so ready to remember, see, presume and expect only the good in others and forget all that is irritating and bothersome in others. It is so difficult to rise above the little things about others that drive us crazy, but I have learnt to welcome them in my life, because without them, I could not focus on rising above them, on making the choice for love and peace. In other words, without them, I would not be inspired to follow the footsteps of St. Therese, because if the bad did not come into my life, I would not have the opportunity to choose the good. I would not have the opportunity to see my own weaknesses, my own stumbling at wanting to be good but never really being good, not like St. Therese was. Now that I watch the opportunities I am given and what I do with them, and I know I have such a long way to go before I can say that with no reserve I keep on making the right choices and that I can rise above my own human self. Until then, I can only hope that St. Therese and God will accept my intentions of being good.

You must be in your office by now. Remember to see behind the bothersome; see the emotional struggle, the seventh room behind the wrong words, the wrong gesture all delivered at the worst time.

Being able to do that is the first step towards being as good as you want to be.

Caribbean Thoughts: A Mysterious Prayer Card

2011-11-09T09:14:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! I am sorry for not having written for two days... I at the beautiful Turks and Caicos, in the middle of the Caribbean sea, for two weeks. I arrived on Sunday, and the first two days was spent about settling in and reconnoitring the area. Although I have been here a few times before, the island, Grand Turk always shows a new face to me. Naturally, St. Therese has accompanied me here too, and there have been evidence of her love for me here too. Signs of her soul-prints, not foot-prints, are everywhere, and finding her here too, in this remote island makes me feel loved. Divine love never abandons, never lets us down, and always comes at the perfect time.
In fact, last Thursday, my lovely friend came to my place with tears in her eyes. I was shocked to see her so perturbed and asked her what had happened. You have to know that for quite some time, she has been having difficulties, and each time she told me about her problems, I listened and encouraged and told her to invite St. Therese into her life, to open to heart to her, as this wonderful saint so loyally intercedes on our behalf. My friend, however, has never followed my words, and this, of course, is perfectly all right with me, as everyone has the right to approach events in their lives in their own way. But then, last Thursday an interesting thing happened that shook my friend at her core. She was about to exit her house to go to work, and the last minute was rummaging in one of her drawers for a birthday card she wanted to write to a friend. She often uses this drawer to store things she needs every day, and as she reaches into it almost daily, she is quite familiar with what is inside. So, this time, she reached into the drawer and took out the pile of greeting cards she had in there, and as she was looking through them to pick the nicest one, right there amongst the other cards a St. Therese prayer card was hiding, waiting for her fingers to find it. And of course she found it. And the moment she did, her heart almost stopped, she said, as she had no idea how this card got into her drawer, or better yet, in her home. She never prayed to St. Therese, did not know much about her, and certainly did not remember anyone giving her this card. She would have known if she had it, and she would have known it even more as she found it in the drawer she rummages through almost every day. But to her, the sudden appearance of this card is a complete mystery. All the more so considering how often I, her friend, asked her to pray to the saint. Why not another saint's card turns up so mysteriously? Why St. Therese, whose love I advocate so much to others and to her? At that moment, this was the only thing that occurred to her: that she had never listened to my prompts and had never reached out to St. Therese, no matter how bad things became and how many times I asked her to. But now, she felt that it was St. Therese who, after waiting for so long, decided to come to her, to offer her help to a broken heart, to encourage my friend to believe in her love and powers. My friend fell down to her knees, and started to cry. She was emotionally overwhelmed, and instantly understood the message: St. Therese is calling her, offering her love to help heal all that has gone wrong in my friend's life.

Since last Thursday, my friend has not missed a day to pray to St. Therese. She is taking her prayer card everywhere with her. She feels it gives her peace and hope, something she has not felt for a long time.

I feel that perhaps with my constant encouragement toturn to St. Therese I may have sent this lovely saint to where she is sogreatly needed now. I am very happy that St. Therese found my friend and thatmy friend did not shy away from her this time. Now, with all my love in my heart, I will continue my day here on the beach of Grand Turks. It is a bit windy, but I hope it will calm down. In my heart, I am happy and very hopeful about all the good things that will unfold in the future.

What is on the Cards?

2011-11-04T05:00:00.000-04:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! You must have noticed that I no longer read other than angel cards most of the time. Of course, occasionally, I too read a tarot deck and my gypsy deck, but most of the time, I crave the high resonance and the gentleness of the angel cards. Do not get me wrong; I do like my other decks as well, but I find that angel decks have the most gentle energies, as they are no longer representing the minute occurrences in our lives but guide us to see truth and wisdom that is beyond and above us. They turn our gaze upwards towards limitless possibilities and heavenly spaces where energies travel in wide and large waves and where, with the help of divine powers everything is possible. And this is exactly my point. There is a reason why I do not read the cards to know about the future any more: it is because I believe that reading the cards about what the future holds for us may actually work against us; it limits our possibilities. The future is what we want it to be, and I am not asserting this in a new-age sense, but rather in connection with God.

We can be given anything and everything we want as long as we ask God to give it to us. The bigger and more miraculous it is the thing we want, the more justified it is that we turn to Him since He is the only one who can make miracles happen. Not the local fortune teller, not the charlatan in the next corner. If we know that we can have anything and everything, provided we have the strength, the perseverance, the faith and the love to ask God for it, for years if we must, there is no need to ask the cards about the future, because the future is what we ask God to give to us.

So then, what do fortune telling cards tell us? They must tell us something, after all, people do go to card readers and ask about their future or the unfolding of a situation, and after all, I too wrote a book about them. When card readers look at the cards, they see energies, tension and various forces at play. They see how we are pushed around by our instincts, how we gravitate towards or become repulsed by energies that come our way. They see how we, uncontrolled and unaware, are being pulled, tugged and hurled in all directions by our instincts, in other words, by our karma. Karma is instinct; it is because of karma that we fall in love either with someone who is good to us, or with someone who rejects us, or we stay in situations that are self-destructive. The cards show the raw, unedited and uncontrolled war between energies that we receive and emit to others. And most of us, after a reading, stand up, and encouraged or devastated by the information just received, don't realize that the cards showed only the karmic forces at play, and karma can indeed be transcended; the future does not have to be karmic, and instincts do not have to play out their destructive roles to the bitter end. And if karma can be transcended, then the future can be shaped exactly the way we want it. But to do that, again, we need the miracle worker, and that is God.

Allying with God and asking Him that with His divine wisdom He direct events around our wish, placing all our trust and faith into His hands, retreating and giving Him the room He needs to align events around our desire to his liking is in fact the only way we can transcend our karma. The more we gravitate towards God, the more we step back from wanting to direct the events around our wish, the more we allow Him to be the director and the coordinator of events, the more successful we become at transcending our karma and getting what we have asked for in the end.

Therefore, when I read the cards for others about a situation, and they ask me to see what lies in another's heart or mind, I decline. These are questions that only fragment our view of a situation, while what we truly need is an integrated view, a wholeness that gives us the most complete answer without telling us too much that would only cause us to walk away in confusion instead of with confidence. So, the right question, I believe, is whether there is any message for them now at this point in their situation. I usually ask St. Therese of Lisieux this question, my trusted source. And I know that whatever message St. Therese will give through the cards, it is based on her knowledge of what lies in the heart and the mind of all concerned. It is based on her knowledge of the emotions and the dilemmas at play, which we do not need to know in detail; we only have to trust her judgement on those forces and go with her advice, knowing that it will help us along the path that leads to the fulfillment of our wish. One question, one answer.

But I am meandering, although necessarily, to give you a complete picture of why I no longer read the cards to explore what the future holds; because the future is what you ask God to give you.

Of course, perseverance in prayer is not easy; the long wait is there for you to grow spiritually in prayer, to soak up the full taste of what you are asking for, to filter your desires and see if you really have got what it takes to wait until God responds exactly how you want Him to. Will you really pray until you get your wish, or lose faith and hope and abandon it midway? Will you believe even when nothing seems to work and you feel that God has completely turned His back on you, and even when all things seem to conspire against you? Will you still believe that His ways are not ours, and that His ways are above ours? Indeed, Jacob in his First Letter tells us clearly how to ask: "But let him ask in faith, without any doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed. For let that man not think that he will receive anything from the Lord. He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways." (Jacob, 1, 5-8)

Asking God for all your needs, big or small, is a lifestyle. It starts with first making peace with and then taking comfort in our smallness and weakness, knowing that the smaller and weaker we are, the bigger and stronger He is within us. It starts with forgoing our free will and accepting His will in its stead, and it culminates in always and everywhere accepting His wisdom and greatness above all else, especially above our own. And when all this comes naturally, miracles begin and karma will lose its grip.

So now you know: the cards show our unedited and raw karma, what we need to resolve, and what stands between us and our desire. Undoubtedly, karma can be very interesting to know, and the cards are an excellent tool to get a glimpse at it; but know that with God you can transcend it. And karma we must transcend.

For your daily dose of angels, go to Angelic Compass.

Confused by the Shower of Roses

2011-11-03T05:00:00.001-04:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! These past few days were a whirlwind of St. Therese. She was everywhere in my life, so much so that at some point I even asked her to help me establish a exact system of communication, so I will not get confused in her shower of roses. Indeed, I ran to my altar and presented to her a clear but complex system for interpreting the roses, a deformed idea born of a desperate mind. What confused me for a minute or two was that now a person who knew about my devotion to the Little Flower sent me a rose. A Digital one, yes, but it is still a rose, and I grew angry at them for playing the role of St. Therese, as they knowingly sent me the sign that means so much to me. St. Therese's shower of roses is very important to me. It is through these roses that she communicates with me; the roses are the only tool I have to understand her divine message, and I find that when people knowingly assume the role of this saint and act on her behalf, my channel with her becomes corrupted, and I get confused about what to believe. But having uttered my harsh words, I immediately grew ashamed of myself for lashing out even if it was only to protect this clear channel.

I grew ashamed because different thoughts started to occur to me: how do I know that St. Therese did not use this person as her tool to send me yet another message even if this person knew that roses had a special meaning to me? How do I know that it was not St. Therese to inspire them to think of me when they saw that picture of a rose? Who am I to limit St. Therese's divine expressions? How do I know that in her great love for me she just did not want to please me more by sending me more and more roses? After all, she promised a shower of roses as a sign of her love for us. So what am I complaining about when it is here? Does it really matter from where they fall?

Now that so many know that these roses are important to me, will all who know about it be suddenly forbidden to even mention the word "rose" in my presence? That is just unreasonable, small-minded and most of all ungrateful, and I don't think St. Therese would want me to follow this ill line of logic. In fact, it does not matter at all that so many know that roses are important to me; what matters is that I have never told anyone when I have been doing a novena or when I have made a request for a sign. That is private, as it is the colour of the rose I have requested to be the sign.

So, I ran back to my altar again, apologized and told St. Therese to forget the clear but complex system I tried to force upon her earlier, and to just send me her roses at any time she feels I need them and through anyone she pleases, the more the better, but together with the roses, to send me also a clear feeling that tells me that they are from her indeed. And I know she will do this for me. She would not want her devoted admirers to become confused and obsessed with all the roses they see. She always has been and always will be clear about her roses; her timing is always impeccable, her message is always clear, the impact is always emotional, and her message is always unmistakable. She is never ambiguous. It was I who, with my human brain and desperate attempts to systemize and secure a divine system, overcomplicated things.

So now, will I accept the digital rose I got yesterday from someone who was aware of my devotion to St. Therese and my enthusiasm for her roses, as a rose from St. Therese? Yes, I will. I will because this rose came at the perfect time, only an hour after I had presented something to St. Therese. Of this, the person did not know. In fact, it was the very first digital rose they have ever sent to me.

I am only sorry I had uttered the harsh words even if it was out of desire to keep my communication with St. Therese clear. I spent a long time apologizing to her for my insensitivity as well as to the person who I so wrongly called an impostor. I hope that St. Therese will forgive me and will continue to communicate with me in her loving way. As I hope will my friend.

I asked for a shower of roses, and it still keeps falling. Now, I must give it the freedom it needs to fall and forget all the systems that I was tempted to impose on these divine messages. Thanks to God, my small-mindedness cleared up in a minute or two.

For your daily dose of angels, go to Angelic Compass.

Moving towards Forgiveness...Again

2011-11-02T10:10:00.002-04:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! These past few days I caught up with a million things I had to do here. It has been a long time since I felt so inspired to continue with my research, my work and my writing. Since St. Therese came into my life, I have been feeling more focused, more enthusiastic and more driven about my work than I have been feeling for a long time. Her presence and shower of roses have been a tremendous inspiration for me in my life in general. I no longer worry or obsess, I no longer let my thoughts run around in circles, but knowing that her shower of roses is a sign of great things to come and for divine perfection to reveal itself soon, I am calm and relaxed and enjoy every moment the day brings. I focus on my work and friends, and most importantly, enjoy this peace that permeates my life all through and through. I have never felt so close to God, so loved for who I am, in my smallness, weakness and imperfections.

Today too, I am asking the cards about the energies around me. Having shuffled my Saints and Angels deck, I drew the Safe Travel, the Sweetness and the Forgiveness cards. The combination is telling me that moving towards forgiveness will help me lower my defences, will help me become sweeter and lose my hardened up shell. If we think about it for a minute, this is very true: the more we forgive, the less we feel we need to defend ourselves against the harsh words or actions of others.

Forgiveness is knowing that the hurtful words were not hurled against us intentionally; that they only crept to the surface from that hidden room where we all hide our frustrations, fears, manipulations and other rattling skeletons. And when we know that the hurtful words and actions are only the representations of the fears, insecurities and the dark thoughts inside us all, that they are the distorted projections of one's true nature, we also know that they are not real; that they do not represent the person fully and truthfully. And if they are not real, there is no need to defend ourselves against them. Then, forgiveness comes more easily, because what we forgive is the other's weakness and fear, insecurities and dark thoughts, of which we also have our own fair share, and which given the opportunity, will spring to life and show themselves in their full and shining glory. At times it others who hurt us, and at times we hurt others. We cannot escape having our shadows, our dark room, our dark side. But one thing is sure: again, I am asked to love with Agape, without which the heart is only a heart divided.

You must be in the office already. Remember: hurtful words are a projection of the other's fears and dark emotions inside. Everyone has a spot where they suffer, even you. Forgive yourself and others for being so imperfectly human.

For your daily dose of angels, go to Angelic Compass.

Divine message on my Phone

2011-11-01T05:16:00.000-04:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! On Saturday, darling St. Therese gave me a sign again, and this time it was one filled with her wonderful sense of humour. On Friday, a certain thing happened quite unexpectedly, a thing that looked like the beginning of the divine answer to my novenas to her earlier, the novenas she honoured with the roses earlier this month. In fact, all my novenas to her were for this one wish only. So, on Friday, it looked like things were starting to unfold in the right direction, but of course, as at the vague stages of all beginnings, I had questions: was this really part of the divine answer or only a random occurrence with no consequences at all? Was the answer to my prayers beginning to manifest, or did this event have no bearing on the future at all? In other words, was my darling Little Flower behind it, or was it just a chance happening? In my heart I felt it was St. Therese who, with God's permission, put the wheels in motion for me, but still, she must have sensed my hesitation, as she felt she needed to give me another sign. And my hesitation was not because of a lack of faith and trust. Far from it, indeed. We all hesitate for a minute or two, because after praying for so long for something, signs of hope may just seem just too good to be true. But only for a minute or two, of course. Well, even my short hesitation was something that St. Therese hurried to remedy, and on Saturday morning, as I was drawing the curtains of my window, I heard the familiar beep on my phone that signals the receipt of a text message. I opened it and to my surprise, there was a message that someone wants to be my friend on Facebook. Of course, that was not what surprised me. Lots of people want to be my friends on Facebook. What surprised me was the name of this person. Her name was the answer to my questions. Her name was Little Rose. I am not joking. I looked at my phone, and it said: "Little Rose wants to be friends on Facebook." Little Rose.

The name was in Hungarian, Kiss Rozsa, and I am giving you the literal translation here. We Hungarians, just to be different, invert the order of names: our last name comes first, so even in a grammatical sense, the message made complete sense in Hungarian: Little Rose is Little Rose.

Even more interestingly, at first, I did not know who Little Rose was, and only when I went onto her profile page and looked at her picture did I remember who she was. I think that in all my life I spoke to her about four times, and the last time I saw her was about ten years ago. According to her profile, at the time she requested my friendship, she only had fourteen friends, so by my accepting her kind invitation, I became her fifteenth friend. Now, why would she, someone I barely know, choose me so early in her process of building her community of friends on Facebook? But of course, I know it was not her who chose me; it was St. Therese who picked Little Rose, or rather her name to send me her divine message. Little Rose only responded to an urge, and it was indeed only an urge, as after I accepted her friendship, she never contacted me, never said hello, never acknowledged my acceptance. And of course, she did not; she did not have to; her mission was concluded; she lent her name to become the carrier of an important message from above; she was my divine messenger, and she does not even know about it.

As for my darling St. Therese, who knew she was so tech-savvy? And who knew she spoke perfect Hungarian?

These signs never cease to amaze me. I always say: divine signs, solutions, plans surpass all our expectations; you expect a rose to come from a friend, you may just get it through your IPhone.

Of course, there is no doubt in my mind that the event on Friday was the beginning of the divine answer to my prayers, and that it was St. Therese, who, with God's permission, put the wheels in motion. I am only sorry she had to go through the trouble to reassure me; but I so love her sense of humour. Knowing that she is such a modern girl, makes her all the more real.
For your daily dose of angels, go to Angelic Compass.

Catharsis

2011-10-31T05:30:00.000-04:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! The other day my dear friend and I were talking about miracles, and what miracles really are. Most of us think of miracles as out of the ordinary experiences or occurrences that burst into our lives to awe us, to bring us to our knees, to overwhelm us with their power and shiny presence, to reveal divine dimensions we have never seen before. My friend and I, however, see miracles in a much simpler light. To us miracles are the perfect solution to a dilemma, the perfect answer to a problem that comes at the most opportune time and surpasses all human expectations in its configuration. It is something we always desired, but because of its perfection we never really knew we desired it. It is an unimaginably perfect solution that the human mind could not design and human logic could not coordinate. It is the perfect alignment of events, the perfect words spoken at the perfect time by the most perfect people in the most perfect places. It is the flow of life in the perfect channel, the culmination of events into one perfect focal point that contains the answer that is final, all-encompassing, permanent and absolute. It is the answer that is here to stay, and that is stable and strong, so we may rejoice in it with full abandonment. It is in these perfect solutions that God shows Himself and His divine perspective and wisdom. He sees everything at the same time, knows of past, present and future, and if we abandon ourselves to His divine eyes and wisdom, He will weave the threads for us in ways we never could to create the tapestry of the perfect solution where all aspects of our dilemma are woven into the pattern, and no threads are left hanging; nothing is left unresolved, uncovered, unanswered. All is complete, and we can move on with our lives.

Today too, I am asking the cards about the energies around me. Having shuffled my Saints and Angels deck, I drew the Believe, the Play Music and the Look Deeper cards. The combination is telling me that today, looking deeper and researching more intensely St. Therese and my beliefs will be a cathartic experience, just like when we play music. As I will cleanse myself of my still hidden limitations in thinking, my doubts, my questioning nature, my belief will become stronger.

I spent the entire weekend researching St. Therese, and as I read about her and her powerful intercessions, I have no doubt in my mind that she is behind the many miracles and the shower of roses I have received of late. Having her as a friend and as a powerful ally in the divine spheres is more than just comforting to me; it regenerates my soul, it makes me believe in a bright future and it brings me closer to God. When this heavenly messenger leaves her roses, her signature card, her sign of hope, I feel moved to tears: I matter, up there, I matter. Suddenly all falls into place, and patience takes the place of worry, trust takes the place of doubt. I know it is just a matter of time, and the miracle will be here.

You must be getting ready to go to the office soon. Remember to call upon St. Therese, whenever you need a heavenly friend. She is waiting for you to turn to her and trust her powers to intercede on your behalf.

For your daily angel message, go to Angelic Compass.

The Border between Heaven and Earth

2011-10-28T05:00:00.000-04:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! Yesterday's philosophical article prompted me to do some more philosophizing. What has intrigued me lately is this delicate border between our own powers as humans and those of God, and how we confuse what is ours and what is His, and how not knowing our place leads to all sorts of trouble. This came to my mind with even more intensity yesterday, as I was thinking so much about my seventh room in the depth of my soul, a room filled with the shadows only I know about. Apart from my fears and misguided notions of right and wrong, this room is also filled with my manipulations, and it is these manipulations that I would like to talk about today. Not mine only, of course, but about manipulations in general.

I always say that in a given situation, we do what it is humanly possible to achieve the goal we have in mind. We are nice, we inquire, we take interest, do the research, invest, discuss, problem-solve, call, e-mail, stay open, communicate, invite and accept, give and take, encourage and suggest, advance and retreat, wait and observe, speak and shut up, listen and advise, remember, forgive and forget. All this is possible within our human limitations, and we happily use all these tools to progress our dreams and get closer to our desires without brushing against God's divine powers. But suddenly, one fine day things just go pear-shaped, and all seems to be slipping out of our hands, and suddenly, instead of realizing that our human tools are no longer powerful enough to resolve the problem at hand and that our human capabilities have reached that delicate border beyond which we should not venture, we do not stop. We want to extend our authority and see into people's heads, extort information, change their hearts and minds for them, change the course of events, reverse time, rearrange lives, force and pursue just get what we want at all cost and any cost. Essentially, we want to do what only God can do, and here it is where we brush with his authority, arrogantly try and assume his divine powers to rearrange the life of others and make miracles happen all on our own.

This is the point where manipulative ideas rear their ugly heads, and we begin to pretend and lie and we show ourselves as weak martyrs or heartless giants, none if which are our true selves but rather rooted in a heart divided between true desire and heavy pain, in our fear and in our ego that is desperately trying to protect us from hurt. And of course, this is the point where we should realize that our powers have come to an end, and it is time to delegate our situation to God whose powers and wisdom are infinitely greater than ours; in fact, He is the only one who can make miracles happen, not us. When the desire to manipulate arises, it is in fact a sign that we have reached the border, and we should ask God for help, the only one who can help us beyond this point. Venturing beyond this point will only bring more confusion and trouble; from a safe human place we will slip into a dark dimension, into our dark room where we will devise imperfect plans, and then choose the wrong words and say them at the worse times in the most unfortunate places. We simply do not have the wisdom and the perspective to navigate safely beyond our human limitations. God wants us to turn to Him and place our problems into His hands, and once we do that, we can rest assured that His plans, words and timing will be absolute perfection. So now knowing this, and of course, having learnt this the hard way, I now make a mental list: this is what I, as a human, can do; this is what is within my human limitations, and this is where I stop and place everything into God's hands; here is the line I cannot cross, and this is the moment beyond which I trust Him to make it work for me. And then, I retreat, and wait for His loving intervention. And I do not fret and worry, but sit back and enjoy my life and trust His perfect timing.

Remember: when the temptation to manipulate strikes, know that your human powers have reached their limit; going further following your own mind will only lead to trouble. This is the moment when you must make a choice: who do you trust with the perfect plan? This is the moment to remember our place, and the border between Heaven and Earth.

Again, this article is long enough for today. We will leave the cards for the next time.

For your daily dose of angels, go to Angelic Compass.

Bluebird's Castle

2011-10-27T06:26:00.000-04:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! Yesterday I thought a lot about forgiving and Agape. Forgiving each other is so important, as we are also forgiven for what we do to others. Since we are also forgiven for our own mistakes, we should hardly be judging others. Just think about this: Bartok's opera Bluebird's Castle, the story of which is based on a French fairy tale Bluebeard, talks about a hidden and forbidden room in the castle where no one is allowed to enter. In this room Bluebird has all the shadows of his soul: his lies, his cheats, his manipulations, his fears, all the darkness and the secrets of a human soul, that he does not want anyone to see, especially not his new wife, Judy. Now Bluebird can be anyone, of course; we all have this seventh room in our soul, the messy and dark room, grown over with cobwebs, filled with cracks, dirt and grime, cheats, lies, fears and dark secrets. I too have a room like this, filled with my own shadows, and because I know I have it, I must let others have it too in the depth of their own soul. As others forgive me for my room filled with skeletons, I must forgive others for their room as well. I must understand that the door of the room opens at times and shadows spill out to the light, making us say words without thinking, act in hurtful ways, hide the truth and go left when we really want to go right.

Of course, cleaning this room would be what we all would need to do, but to do that, first one must be aware of its existence, and most of us are not. And although I started to work on the cleaning of this dark room, I must forgive others for not cleaning theirs, as it is work that requires strength and stamina, and above all time and dedication, luxuries most of us do not have. I am not even sure if getting this room squeaky clean is even possible; shadows will always be part of the human soul, and complete healing takes a very very long time. But being aware of the room's existence in all of our lives certainly makes forgiveness easier; being aware of human weaknesses and shadows sheds light on our miserable flawed state, but through knowing that we all are flawed, forgiving seems natural: I forgive you for your room because you and others forgive me for my room.

So, I spent yesterday thinking of this, and instead of anger, I started to feel a lot of sympathy for the people whom I need to forgive; if I struggle with my skeletons in my room, and as I do, so must they. Life is not any easier for them, and when they seem blase and at ease at hurting me, I know that they are not, and that all the hurtful words and acts are spillages of shadows from their dark and forbidden room, as my hurtful words and actions directed to others are spillages from mine.

Cleaning this room is beyond our human powers. We are made flawed and transcending ourselves is only possible with the help of God. So, pray to Him to open the windows and let some light into this room and help you clean it. Our cleaner room will not stop others from hurting us, of course, but it will help us see where their hurtful words and actions come from. Knowing that we all are flawed makes forgiving easier and even possible.

Forgiving comes with practice; it is a learning experience that we will never be perfect at, as yesterday's cards say: it is a Learning Experience, that will be rewarded.

This posting has become long enough, so I will leave the cards for tomorrow.

For your daily dose of angels, go to Angelic Compass.

On the Path to Agape

2011-10-26T06:43:00.001-04:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! I did follow the cards' advice yesterday and I did indeed stay away from sweets and other "fillers". In fact, I even made myself a nice chicken dinner, all home cooked in a bag, just like I learned it in Hungary. Apart from watching my diet, which was quite easy as nothing tempting was a home, I also did all the running around one needs to do on the first day back. The heater is still out of order, and although they promised to call me back to let me know when they could come with the new parts that it needed, of course, no one did. But I am not upset; In fact, I am calm as zen garden. Things will get resolved. I also got my own old noiseless heater, and did not end up using the noisy one the company left behind as a sign of their mercy on my poor soul. This way, no choice had to be made between sleeping and freezing; it looks like that particular sacrifice I was not called to make after all. Today I am planning to get back into the deeper groove of my routine, starting with my morning session at the gym. Although the walk on the cold and wet streets is not inspiring, all the nicer it will be to greet old acquaintances, my gym friends, who have also become part of my life, my morning routine.

Today too, I am asking the cards what message they have for me today. Having shuffled my Saints and Angels deck, I drew the Forgiveness, the Reward and the Learning Experience cards. The combination is telling me that today I will need to embrace more the idea of forgiving both to others and to myself. Forgiveness is essential in my life, as until I forgive, my heart will stay divided between the peace I really want and my ego that cannot let go of the hurt and wishes hurt on others to validate its own pain. Agape is the word for absolute love, divine love, love that never questions, only accepts, only assumes the best about others, and is forgiving and patient. When Agape is present, the heart is no longer divided, the ego no longer interferes, and peace with another or with myself is possible. In fact, Agape is the secret to making sure my prayers are heard. Anger and a heart divided blocks God's work and keeps His loving interventions away. When I am divided within myself, I am not sending clear messages to God about what I truly want; I send confusion, and in turn He waits until I am motivated by nothing else then love, and love only. When He sees that my heart is one, that my ego is not blocking His loving plans, then He intervenes and coordinates the best plan in my life, and shows His greatness by giving me what my heart so much desires.

Agape is a difficult thing to reach, as it means that so much of our modern notions of our own rights have to be put on the back burner. But only when we can put our own needs for validation on the back burner we can really say that we truly want something. We want that thing so much that we are willing to forget about our own needs and own ego, and we do not care how weak this is going to make us look in front of others, because the only thing that matters is a heart united within itself and not a heart divided. Then, God intervenes. But until then, He lets us struggle with our internal divisions, hoping we get tired and weary, and once exhausted and our ego beaten to the ground, we become truly ready to accept what we have wanted all along. But this time, in our desperation, with our ego no longer there to taint our wish with arrogance and cockiness born out of self-protection, our wish shines as a clear crystal, and our heart, in its humble state, is finally a heart united: be as it may, this is what I want, regardless of what the world thinks; it is something between me and God only.

These cards are telling me that today it will be a day of taking a step forward in my long journey of Agape. I will devote a few hours of thinking of it, writing about it for myself, do some internal work that will get me closer to Agape. It is a path that never ends, so I do not get discouraged. I am happy with every little progress, as every small step ahead brings me closer to the day when God will intervene on my behalf exactly the way I keep asking Him to. Agape and the giving up of the ego is what shows to Him that I am truly committed to what I have been asking for. And this, He rewards.

For your daily dose of angels, go to Angelic Compass.

Asked to self-discipline

2011-10-25T12:55:00.000-04:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! I am finally back in Toronto, in a very cold apartment where the heating system just does not want to work despite multiple attempts to bring it back to life. What a wonderful welcome. It is a good thing that at least I had hot water. So, between unpacking and trying to figure out how it would be best to resume the routine, which by the way I am gradually beginning to forget, I also had to call and receive the heating technician who took a long look at the heater and told me that parts needed to be ordered, the process of which of course will take days and days and days. Bless his heart, he left two mini heaters here for me, which are so noisy that comes nighttime, I will have to make a choice between sleeping or freezing. I guess, whichever brings me to my knees first will win. Funny thought that these episodes, while in the past would have pushed me into a raving rant, now no longer bother me. No heat, then no heat. Noisy heater, then, I guess this is the best I have now. The solution will come, and all will be well at the perfect time. And I move on to attending to other things, calmly and without a care in the world. St. Therese spent half of her life in a Carmelite convent with no heat in her stone-floored and -walled room, and to sleep on, she only had a straw mattress. This time, the tiny sacrifice I am asked to make, I do willingly and happily, without anger or frustration. If this is the closest I can come to suffering today, I am doing it with a smile on my face.

Today too, I am asking the cards about the energies around me. Having shuffled the Saints and Angels deck, I drew the Healthful Eating, the Learning Experience and the Optimism cards. The combination is telling me that today I will have to start getting back to my diet, to eating more consciously. Lately, I have been indulging, often not being able to resist luxurious sweets. In London especially, resisting them is very difficult, as it is there where I have seen the most tempting pastries. The combination is telling me that I should wean myself off of self-indulgence gradually, and with optimism, knowing it is the right thing to do. Otherwise, it is the beginning of a slippery slope. As this step can be considered a sacrifice, it is also good for my soul. I bet St. Therese could easily say no to the sugary confections I am so tempted to consume.

You must be in your office already. Remember: start with small sacrifices, gradually, to train your soul. And saying no to sugar will also be good for your body.
For your daily dose of angels, go to Angelic Compass.

Encouraged to go further

2011-10-20T04:19:00.002-04:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! Today is the last day of my holiday here in Pecs. I will spend the weekend in London and on Monday, I am headed back to Canada. These last two days are extremely busy here, what with all the things that need to be put away, reorganized, updated, and winterized for the cold that is ready to burst in with full force. It was a wonderful two weeks, during which I have learned a lot and established a joyful relationship with St. Therese. Although I came here with the intention to proceed with my angel book, a cherished project of mine, little time remained for work, as other things took precedence: friends needed me, and I had to open myself to them, offer to them my support. And of course, I did it with my full love and heart; it looked like my love was needed there more than for my angel book. I also spent a lot of time searching for books in my favourite bookstore here; I could spend the whole day there, amongst all the small things they have that bring us closer to divine spheres.

Today too, I am asking the cards about the energies around me. Having shuffled my Saints and Angles deck, I drew the Activist, the Be Brave and the Look Deeper cards. The combination is telling me that I need to go further with my studies about St. Therese or with my research in general and not be shy to write more about them. The cards are encouraging me be brave and dwell into deeper layers of my research and let my postings about St. Therese reflect this new depth. I so hope that there will be more encounters with the saint, so I will have many more interesting things to write about. However, it remains to be seen whether I can do any research at all today, as it being the last full day of this holiday here, I have a million things to do. Therefore, I think that these cards are sending me a message for the future in general, not for today in particular. And again, there is the St. Therese connection in these cards today.

You must be getting ready to go to the office soon. When you feel a particular connection to something, make time to research it, be brave to dwell into deeper layers, make it yours, regardless of what others think of it. It has to make sense to you, it has to fit into your life, it has to help you along your path.

The next time you will hear from me will be next Tuesday. On Monday I am flying all day long.

Be good...

A loving Pat on my Shoulder

2011-10-19T06:56:00.000-04:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! Soon my days in Hungary will be over and I will return back home. Although it is with sadness that I will leave, knowing that I can come back at any time is comforting. As All Saints' Day is just around the corner, my cousin and I went to the cemetery this morning, to light candles and place flowers onto our grandparents' grave. It is the most romantic cemetery I have ever been to. Some of the statues on the graves are very moving, especially the ones that remained here with us from the 1930s. It was a sunny and warm autumn day, and the meandering with did amongst the stone angles was a real morning indulgence.

Today I am resuming my work with the Angel cards to see what kind of energies will be surrounding me today. Having shuffled my Saints and Angels deck, I drew the Blessings of Abundance, the Activist, and the Heaven is Watching Over You cards. This combination is a very interesting one, because both the Blessings of Abundance and the Heaven is Watching Over You cards featured in my last drawing on October 13, in the same order, as well as because of the Activist card that is inspired by St. Mother Teresa, who took the name Teresa out of great respect and admiration for St. Therese of Lisieux. This combination is telling me that my prayers are heard and are answered. Divine powers are guiding me and are watching over me and my work to inspire others to St. Therese. The cards are telling me that my St. Therese activities and my faith in her are loved and favoured. In turn I have indeed received blessings of abundance, and with this recent shower of roses, I know that my prayers are being heard and that heaven is truly watching over me. This combination is like a loving pat on my shoulder.

As the days go buy, and more and more of my little roses are starting to die, I am drying them on my window. They will be here forever, as a reminder of St. Therese's love and desire to help.

You must be getting ready to go to the office soon. Please remember to start a novena to St. Therese at any time. She is a wonderful friend to whom you can turn with confidence and unburden your heart. I know I do, and she never lets go of my hand.

A Shower of Roses

2011-10-18T11:53:00.000-04:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! I finished my 24 Glory be novena yesterday, and as a fitting conclusion to it, now I would like to tell you about what turned out to be my "shower of roses". You already know about the white rose I received from the flower lady on the market on the seventh day of my novena, and how happy I am with that. The day after, on Sunday October 16th I went to my dad's home for lunch to celebrate his birthday and my belated one. As we were getting settled, amidst the general merriment and levity, my dad comes up to me and hands to me a bouquet of red roses beautifully arranged, all ribboned up. I was very surprised, as all my life there has not one occasion that he or my step mom gave me any kind of flowers, let alone roses. Oh, no, I tell a lie: about fifteen years ago he waited for me at the airport with a bouquet of flowers, but they were not roses either. My dad and my step mom are just not the type of people to give flowers to one; they are more practical in nature and would give something useful or edifying before they would give flowers. But in the minute that followed, my surprise just got bigger. My step-mom's sister, whom I saw about eight years ago the last time, suddenly approached me with one single stem of many pink baby rosebuds on it. I cannot tell you how surprised but happy I was. I instantly knew it was my shower of roses by St. Therese, on this eight day of my novena to her.

When I was finally alone with my step-mom and my dad, I naturally followed up with a heart-to-heart investigation: who thought of the roses?; how long have you had this in mind?; what propelled you to buy them for me? And with eyes drawn together suspiciously, they answered all my questions. Apparently, it was my step-mom's idea, a highly practical and no-nonsense doctor who would gift you a set of stainless steel kitchen knives or a pair of rubber boots before she would cast her eyes upon an arrangement of roses. When questioned alone, she said that strangely, for days she could only think of roses as the most fitting gift for me. At a shop she saw the most beautiful pink roses and was determined to get them for me, but by the time she had time to buy them, they were all out. She got the shop-owner to ship in a few more stems for Sunday, sent my dad on the mission to pick them up, but being in Hungary, the shop owner did not deliver, and my dad returned with a bouquet of red roses in hand and pride in his eyes. St. Therese inspired my step-mom to think of roses when she was thinking of me, and on the eight day of my novena, on October 16, St. Therese made sure that I received her sign of love and intercession.

This is the complete story of this novena. During these 9 days of prayers to St. Therese, I received my shower of roses: a white one, five red ones, and one cluster of pink buds. The white rose I received on October 15, on Therese day. As these flowers are slowly dying off, I dry them on my window. I save all the roses I have received from St. Therese. They are a constant and tangible reminder of her love, protection and advocacy. She is a wonderful and true friend, and I only pray that she keep me in her favour forever.

Although I will rest the novenas a bit, I will continue to pray to her every day. I will include her in the events of my life and will confide in her all my happiness, frustrations and heartbreaks. I just know that she is always there to listen.

A Rose on Therese Day...

2011-10-17T06:08:00.002-04:00

Dear Friends!Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE!This past few days were the most touching and the happiest in my life! So manythings I have to tell you, but if I were to tell you everything in one posting,the article would be too long. Let us just say for now, that during thisOctober novena to St. Therese, I received not only a single rose, but a"shower" of roses. The roses we receive tell us that she is prayinghard for us and that God is understanding, merciful and benevolent towards ourwish.

This past Friday morning, on the sixth day of this Octobernovena, I went to the market. Many flower stalls offer their beautiful flowers,but of all the beautiful flowers there was one pink rose that immediatelycaught my eye. It was so beautiful and so fragrant, that I could not resist; Ibought it. The lady behind the stall told me that she had just began to sellthese types of roses and that I should come back the following day to let herknow how well the rose survived. Naturally I knew this rose was a gift from meto myself, and not sent by St. Therese. I only bought it because I loved it andbecause as soon as I saw it, it brought St. Therese into my mind.

As soon as Icame back home, I put this pink rose into the vase and offered it to St. Therese.All afternoon I was looking at it, delighting in its delicate petals. The nextday, on Saturday, when I awoke, to my sadness I saw that the rose died. As Ihad to go the market anyways, remembering what the flower lady had told me, Iput the rose into my basket and headed to the stalls. The flower lady wasthere, and I showed to her what had happened to my pink rose. As I was talkingto her, an old little lady approached the stall and said to the flower lady:"Darling, would you make a bouquet for me, for Therese day?" InHungary, in addition to birthdays, we also have name days. Name days giveeveryone an opportunity to celebrate a friend, as so many birthdays can bedifficult to keep in mind. I looked at the old lady and just to make sure Iheard her well, I asked her if today was really, truly, Therese day. And shesaid that yes, it was, and indeed she was here to get a bouquet made for aloved Therese in her life. Her bouquet finally ready, she left, and I was alonewith the flower lady. She took my dead rose and gave me another pink rose, afresh one, in exchange for the one that died so quickly. And then, she turnedto a bucket of white roses, picked one out, and with grace and kindness handedit to me. "This is for you too", she said. Happiness surged within myheart. I knew this was my rose from St. Therese. A white rose from a stranger,given to me for no reason at all, only out of kindness. As I took my roses, Icould barely see because of the tears in my eyes. I got a white rose from St. Thereseon Therese day, the sixth day of my novena, on October 15th. The last one I gotwas on October 1st, on St. Therese's feast day.

As I got home,I put the two roses into my vase: the new pink one and my white one. This timetoo, St. Therese has listened to me and has made sure that I know that sheloves me and is praying for me. Although my life is like everyone else's: amongthe wonderful and the happy, I too have my fair share of the frustrating andthe heartbreaking, knowing of the love and support St. Therese has for me, I nolonger feel the harshness and the sharpness of the bad in my life. Sadness andheartache are just episodes that I must go through, lessons in life,something God allows for my own good. So I take these episodes with grace and calm,knowing that even when I walk in the deepest valleys, there is a divine planthat will make sense in the end, and which in the end will turn all into greatjoy.

So, now, even whennothing is perfect on the surface, everything just feels perfect. I am happy for the smallest things,from the brightness of a sunny morning to the calmness of a rainy afternoon. Ittook me a long time and a great deal of struggle to immerse myself so deeplyinto God's creation. It really started when I placed my free will into His lap,as a sign that I made peace with my smallness and weakness and that I put Hiswisdom, love and greatness before anything in this world, and certainly beforemy own. It is then, when the shower of roses began...

Novena 24 Glory be

2011-10-15T10:34:00.000-04:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! Novenas are prayers that you say for nine consecutive days. On October 3rd I posted a novena to St. Therese. On the fifth day she sent me a beautiful red rose. Today I am showing you another novena, again to St. Therese. It is called Novena 24 Glory Be, which is a sequence of prayers that you say 24 times, each starting with the prayer "Glory be to the Father". We say this sequence of prayers 24 times to honour the 24 all too short years that the lovely girl lived on this world. This novena, like all novenas, can be started at any time during the year. However, it is customary to recite it starting October 9 of each year, simply because by establishing a tradition, the more people pray the same prayer at the same time, the more powerful the prayer becomes; think of it as forming with others one great prayer in common that reaches St. Therese.

If you did not know about the October 9th start date, please do not worry. St. Therese welcomes your prayer at any time and is always happy to show her help and understanding.

I did start this novena on October 9th, the appointed starting date, and today, October 15, well into the novena already, I got my rose, the story of which I will tell you tomorrow.

For now, here is the novena, please use it. St. Therese is eager to hear from you and so ready to give you the help and the kindness you right now need.

Do it from the heart...

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:

As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen

St. Therese, the Little Flower, please pick me a rose from the heavenly garden and send it to me with a message of love. Ask God to grant me the favour I thee implore and tell Him I will love Him each day more.

Repeat this two-prayer-sequence 24 times. I usually stop after the 10th and the 20th repeat to tell St. Therese the wish I would like granted. Then continue with:

5 Our Father

5 Hail Mary

5 Glory be to the Father (same as the one above)

Say this sequence of prayers for 9 days and wait for your beautiful rose as St. Therese sign of love and support for you. On the fifth day of this novena, when you finished the whole sequence, please add another 5 Our Father, 5 Hail Mary and 5 Glory be to the Father prayers. You only have to do this on the fifth day. Remember, the rose does not have to be an actual flower; it too can be a picture that you come across or that someone has sent to you.

Suggestion: again, write out your precise wish that you would like St. Therese to intercede for. This will help keep the prayer's flow as well as will give you a chance to crystallize your ideas for yourself. Also, use your rosary beads; this will help you keep count.

When Saints communicate

2011-10-14T07:39:00.001-04:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! Today, I would like to tell you the meaning of the rose I got from St. Therese on October 1st. It was an important event in my life that I also posted about on October 2nd.

Having received my rose on the fifth day of my novena, I became very curious: what does it mean when a saint we have asked to intercede for us sends us a very specific sign, the sign that we requested of them? I was really consumed by finding the answer, and I launched into an extensive research on the internet as well as in books. What I have found only confused me further. Some say that receiving the rose means that our prayer has been heard. Some way that it means that our prayer will be answered. But no one says that receiving the rose means that our wish will be granted.

I began to suspect that I was facing a dilemma of wording specific to the language of prayers. While we say "hear my prayer" or "answer my prayer", what we really request by these words is that our wish be granted. After all, we do not say "hear my prayer" because we would like acknowledgment that our voice is audible when we pray; we would like a positive reaction, the delivery of our wish, the fulfillment of our request. And this wish we are expressing with these traditional yet somewhat ambiguous words. Also, I was thinking: all prayers are heard simply because they are directed to heaven. If the rose were a sign that our prayer was heard simply because it was uttered and was audible in heaven, we should be receiving roses every day, many many roses, as many as there were prayers we said. But although all our prayers are heard, we do not receive signs when each and every of them have reached a divine ear. Therefore, I thought, receiving a rose or any other specifically requested sign from a saint probably means more than that, or else there would be little point to the sign given; our wish in the prayer must lie somewhere between having been simply heard and being automatically granted.

But where is it exactly? I kept on thinking about this divine mystery not only because I was motivated by own request, naturally, but also because I found it an interesting question in general: what do signs from above mean?

You may remember my story about the key I found on the streets of Rome, and one I found while walking around in London recently (Feb 2, 2009, Finders, Keepers). I have only found these two keys in my life, and when I did, I instantly knew they were a message from above: "you found the key to your question. The solution that you have been asking for is nearing you." And indeed, in the first case, although a bit later then expected, the perfect solution was found and my wish was granted, more perfectly that I could ever imagine. The key in London I only found recently; hence, I am still waiting patiently for my wish to be granted.

The day I arrived to Hungary, I went to my favourite little bookshop where amongst spiritual books on prayers and saints, God and angels, they also sell candles, rosaries, flowers and cards for all kinds of events. As I am mostly interested in the books and the candles, I have never even looked at their selection of cards, until now, when the strangest thing happened. As I was telling the man who works there, Andras, my interest the meaning of signs from above, and as I was relaying to him the story of the keys and the roses, I happened to glance at the stand on the wall where the cards were displayed. Instantly, my eye was caught by a card, a beautiful one that featured a keyhole and three roses. I could not believe my eyes. This card had all the signs that are so important to me in one picture. I took it out of the stand, and when I read the message printed on it, tears came to my eyes. Above the keyhole and the roses, the card said:

And the Lord spoke: "you have gained my goodwill, and I know you by name" (Exodus 33,17)

This was the answer I was so fervently looking for! Now, of course, there are translations of this passage that convey a stronger promise, such as "I will do the very thing you have asked because I am pleased with you...", but I am super happy with God's goodwill towards my request. The word goodwill here describes perfectly what the sign represents: our wish is looked upon favourably, and efforts will be made so that it may manifest at the most perfect time. While I feel that this is extremely encouraging, I do not feel that it implies an automatic gift or donation; conditions must be fulfilled, and this may very possibly include my own spiritual development, growth and perseverance in faith, and trust in the divine plan. Our wish is favoured, and we are encouraged to perfect our soul.

I hope that this helped all of you who have received a rose form St. Therese. Tomorrow, I will tell you about the new novena to her that I am doing now.

You must be getting ready to go to the office soon. Have a wonderful day filled with hope.

Retreat in inner Peace

2011-10-13T07:54:00.000-04:00

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! As you know by now, I am in Hungary again, to enjoy the fall a bit on this end of the world. I spend my days getting settled in, dealing with one nuisance after the other, starting from not having brought my computer charger from Canada and having to wait days before the one I need has finally arrived, to not having hot water today at all because the pipes in the building blew up. I am not even going to start with the shower head that exploded. Now I finally have a new one, and I only wish the hot water would come back soon. And it has been only three days. Amidst all this, of course, I am keeping my calm and focus on things that are more important. I am learning patience, I am learning to rise above.

Today too, I am asking the cards about the energies around me. I am gradually shifting towards the Saints and Angels deck. I find the cards' delicate messages soothing. Of course, despite their gentleness, they also warn and advise; if we look deeper, they can be strict and stern, so that we learn and keep to the path that is the best for us.

Having shuffled the deck, I drew the Blessings of Abundance, the Retreat and the Heaven is Watching over You cards. The combination is telling me that today I need to step back and retreat, knowing that I am taken care of and that all my needs are being met. O must rest in the notion that I have done all I could, and that the rest is not up to me but divine powers and scheduling. As I am doing another novena to St. Therese, it is nice to know that she, again, has heard me and is interceding on my behalf. My prayers have been heard and answered.

It is important that we realize when we must stop doing things, as at some point our efforts may start interfering with God's plans for us. We must do what we can and not worry about what we cannot. What we cannot do, we must put into God's hands with full confidence and trust in his infinite wisdom. We can also turn to St. Therese, our kind yet very powerful saint. And then, we must retreat and do something we enjoy doing, something that takes our minds off of our worry. It is important we realize this delicate border between our powers and those of God's beyond which is it not wise for us to go. The three cards today clearly tell me this.

You must be getting ready to go to the office soon. Remember to do what you can, and trust God with what you cannot. You can also turn to St. Therese for her powerful intercession on your behalf.