If a boat is not going to drift out to sea and needs to stay put for the night an anchor is dropped. This anchor grounds the vessel to land to its temporary home.
That is how an anchor word works for me — it tethers me to home base — connects me to a solid footing which is where my inner wisdom and sacred Source reside.
In this series I have shared how words feed us with life depleting and life giving power — it is up to us which words we use and which stories we tell ourselves. I also told the birth story of the Anchored Card Deck — revealing the origination of how it went from a private daily ritual to a mindfulness tool for others.
In this final part of the series I reveal one more way to use this card deck and invite you to consider words as another way to connect to the answers you seek, the guidance you long for, the direction you crave.
One teenager who was experiencing drama with her boyfriend pulled the EMPOWER anchor word one morning. She reported the next day that having the support of drawing that particular card gave her the strength and confidence to break up with her boyfriend. She told her mom that she saw the break up as an opportunity for growth and not the end of the world. From her perspective if she hadn’t anchored herself to the power, strength, and resilience that was already within her she would have been taking the end of their relationship differently. The simple act of choosing to attach to a word that adds positive guidance can most definitely be the difference between seeing something as an opportunity or the end of the world as this young woman experienced.
Another teenager drew STRENGTH which gave her the push to talk to a teacher. Another story revealed to me made me dance with joy. A young girl starting her first day at a new school last month drew COURAGEOUS which gave her the push she needed to go for it, walk boldly and trust. It is so encouraging to hear how families with teenagers are using the cards before sporting events, school speeches, friend problems, decisions, to calm their nerves and ease their anxiety.
The cards work in a “funny” alignment clients tell me and I experience first hand when used for a specific question or struggle. Last week I had a challenge with one of my kids and the same old cycle of drama was returning so I went to the Anchored Deck. I shuffled the deck three times while holding the intention of receiving guidance of what to do with my current child challenge, where to focus and ultimately to get anchored in what was most needed. I pulled PRESENCE. This made complete sense for me as I breathed a sigh of relief. When I am focused on the future, worried and concerned about my child this energy spills out toxically. My kid notices and feels when I am emotionally, mentally and spiritually ungrounded, disconnected from the present moment, spinning in another dimension and understandably this creates greater disconnection and chaos. I was being invited to simply be present to my kid, to stop worrying, and to focus on the moment in front of me. This kind of support is more than a “funny coincidence” it is synchronicity, divinity in action.
My invitation to you — whether you own an Anchored Deck or not — is to choose a word that stands for how you desire to feel in a particular situation. Tie yourself to possibility when faced with a challenge. Tether yourself to a life giving word. Come home to the answers waiting for you — get anchored to what matters so you don’t drift away from what already exists inside of you.
Cheers, Jenny
If you are curious about how the Anchored Deck works and you want to purchase your own mindfulness tool — click on the Get Anchored Link at the main menu of my website, www.mamaneedsarefill.com.
