Following the Path of the Universe: Annalee Jackofsky (Lefty Oracle Spotlight)

I am delighted to introduce you to Annalee Jackofsky who I've known for many years through her goddess studies, yoga teachings and now, as a Lefty Oracle Deck intuitive reader. Enjoy!

What originally got you started as a healer, intuitive, spiritual guide?

I feel I was born with the natural ability to do hands on healing. I didn’t know what I was doing when I was younger, but it felt natural to me. When I was 21, a friend of the family, who was a Reiki Master, invited my mom, sister, and myself to take a Reiki 1 training with her. Over the next 4 years, I would take Reiki trainings with several different people, finally getting my Master/Teacher training at 25. I was also born an empath with the ability to feel other’s emotions, which helped with being a healer. 

How does the Lefty Oracle Deck fit into your healing/spiritual/intuitive work with yourself and/or with your clients? What do you like best about this deck? How do you use this deck in your readings?

I like to use the Lefty Oracle as a clarifier and for advice in a reading. I use other decks to get the situation, but then use the Lefty for advice as to what to do in order to move forward from the situation.

How has the Lefty Oracle Deck helped you develop personally and/or professionally?

Even though I’ve been using tarot cards for 24 years and Oracle cards for 8 years it wasn’t until last year, when I bought Kathy’s Lefty Oracle, that I began reading the cards more seriously. Trusting my intuition when reading the cards without relying on a book's definition of the cards — the Lefty Oracle opened that door for me. 

Spiritually, intuitively, or creatively, who has inspired you the most, and why or how?

I’ve had many spiritual leaders over the years. Years ago, when I was just starting my spiritual journey after having been in a bad relationship, I took a goddess empowerment course with Kathy Crabbe. That course really inspired me and helped me a lot on my journey. Also, the spiritual and written works of Sharon Gannon and David Life, the founders of Jivamukti yoga, have been fundamental in showing me how I can live my yoga. Combining my spiritual beliefs with my physical practice also inspired me to become a vegan. Lastly, my yoga teacher, Jackie Incorvia Corrigan, who I work privately with. She helps me connect mind, body, and soul when I start to lose my way. 

How did you decide what specialty to focus on as an intuitive/healer/spiritual leader?

I’m not sure I ever really “decided” what specialty to focus on. I just follow the path the Universe puts out in front of me. One thing just leads to another. The path evolves as it goes along.

Have you ever thought about creating your own oracle or tarot deck? If you have created your own deck, tell us more!

I have thought about it, but unfortunately can not draw. Still trying to figure out how to work around that. Maybe one day! 

If you had to choose a spirit animal to describe yourself, what would you choose and why?

I have two spirit animals. The first one has been with me since my first shamanic journey when I was six: the turtle — slow and steady wins that race! The second one came to me a few months ago, also during a shamanic journey. That’s a snake, which is a symbol of rebirth: shedding your skin to grow; spiritual journey; raising kundalini. 

What advice do you have for others who are just starting to develop their intuitive, spiritual, healing side? (or, if you prefer) - What advice do you have for intuitives/healers who are considering taking it to the next level and becoming professionals?

I’m going to share a quote here that has become my motto. “Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls.” - Joseph Campbell. Have faith, take a chance. Believe in yourself. 

What’s next?

My main focus right now is studying the chakras and how they relate to everything in life. I’m working on a workshop right now on manifesting the life you want with the chakras. I’m also working on a tarot/oracle card spread to get messages from the chakras.

About Annalee

Annalee is a yoga teacher in the tantra tradition, and Reiki master/teacher in both the traditional Usui tradition and the kundalini tradition. She is also a professional musician, works in the children’s room of her local library, has a booth at the local farmers market selling homemade soap, and is an activist. You can check out her work online at annaleejackofsky.com; @the_lotus_yogini; and @athenawatersong on instagram.

To learn more about the Lefty Oracle Deck click here.
To see more Lefty Oracle Spotlights click here.

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In the Lefty Spotlight: Virginia Breaks Through Creative Blocks

Virginia and I met through The 52 Project; a 52 week art journaling event hosted by the Riverside Art Museum. Virginia was intrigued by my non-dominant hand drawing and decided to give it a whirl and here's what happened!

Virginia: I am fairly new to the art world. I started out with a mixed media class at the Riverside Art museum and I got hooked. I started an art journal in September 2015. I found that sometimes I would create a background on a page but would be stuck beyond that. Recently I repainted a page several times because I did not like what was there and I felt blocked. Nothing creative was coming out. I finally thought about Kathy Crabbe’s lefty cards and something I had read describing how writing, scribbling or drawing with your non-dominant hand helps to get you going again when you are creatively blocked. I scribbled and wrote with my left hand on this page. It was like magic! As soon as I filled the page with my lefty scribbles I was able to create again. Thank you Kathy Crabbe!

About Virginia, Mixed Media Artist and Art Instructor

Virginia Godoy retired from her career as a Wastewater Chemist for the City of Riverside after 30 years of service. During her last year in service at the City of Riverside, she discovered a love for mixed media art after taking a class at the Riverside Art Museum.  Since that time, Ms Godoy has judged several art competitions and started a new career as an Art Instructor for the Riverside Art Museum’s Art-to-go program. Ms Godoy is currently teaching art with History and Science as well as Fine Arts to 5th and 6th graders in the Riverside Unified School District. Ms Godoy occasionally teaches youth and adult art classes at the Riverside Art Museum.

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In the Lefty Spotlight: Diane "Annie" Mathias - How Left Handed Writing Changed My Life

I remember when the hand specialist spoke those dreaded words, “You won’t be able to use your right hand anymore.”   At first his words were foreign, spoken in a language I didn’t understand.   What?  What was the doctor saying? How could I, a writer and an artist, NOT use my right hand?  But my right hand, complete with a surgically inserted pin, pain and many months of healing time, was not responding.   In that moment my life stopped.

I did not know how to now to live.

Slowly, at age 45, I began to understand what this would mean.  I began to realize that I must become left-handed.  I must learn to use my left hand for writing and all fine motor skills.  There wasn’t a choice if I wanted to continue on, to re-enter the job force after this injury and to go from here… I felt overwhelmed. Depression came over me like the night.

I knew that somehow I had to find a way out.  I began to learn “left hand”.  I picked up a spoon and missed my mouth.  I had trouble with just about everything I tried to do.  I was the klutz.  My children cringed when I held a knife to chop vegetables.

I began to re-learn how to write using with fat crayons, the kind I used in kindergarten. I wrote each word, taking up two lines on the paper instead of one.  After a few sentences I became tired.  That was enough for one sitting.

I was a child again, learning my letters, but this time I chose colored pencils and crayons.  What eventually came out upon the page astounded me.  Anger and frustration spoke from my left handed, less dominant side.  Sadness that had not had a voice in my right-handed world began to speak.  And eventually, a poem began to emerge; growing each time I practiced my writing.  One day the voice of the hidden me stood up and said, right there upon the page, I’m tired of trying to paint like Sally Waterman.  

I read these words and looked around, wondering who had written them.  Where was this reaction coming from?    I decided to follow my left-handed muse.

The teacher always held up Sally’s work as examples of good art. The rest of us looked in awe at our classmate’s masterpiece.

And then down at our own attempts.  We covered our work first with our hands and then with our shame.

It was a simply written piece about the comparing critic, the voice that tells us we aren’t good enough, pretty enough or smart enough.  The writing of I’m Tired of Trying to Paint Like Sally Waterman, published in 1999, was life changing for me.  I realized that I needed to honor who I am.  I needed to allow my own voice, my own authentic voice, to come forth and stop living how I thought everyone else expected me to live.  I began to understand that I am enough.  This radical way of thinking was foreign to my upbringing.  A deep shift began; I began to give myself permission to embrace the creativity that was repressed within me.

I decided to turn this writing into a little book and illustrate it myself, yes with my left hand.  The drawings were simple and child like. They are not incredible art and yet so many people relate easily to them.  I now use this book when I teach writing classes to explain how we are not on a comparison journey and how our inner critic works to keep us from expressing ourselves. I often hear students state, “I had a Sally Waterman in my life too...”

My left-handed journey taught me many things. The inner work that came as a result of “the accident that changed my life” was a tremendous gift, even though I didn’t think so at the time.  In this process, I began to listen and understand my deep passion for the creative arts that I had repressed, changing my life work as a result.  And then, over the next year, my right hand began to heal.  I was delighted to surprise the doctor, even though I had made my peace with being left-handed.  I am now an ambidextrous writer, blogger, teacher and artist who learned to honor the abilities I have been given.  I learned that I don’t have to paint like Sally Waterman.

Diane "Annie" Mathias

Resources for Uncovering Wonder

Diane “Annie” Mathias, MA writes, blogs, teaches and presents about the creative arts. In 2010 Mathias founded a 501 (c) 3, Resources for Uncovering Wonder, www.R4UncoveringWonder.org which utilizes the creative arts for education, healing and transformation.   Her website, www.DianeAnnieMathias.com displays more of her own work and her one-of-a-kind books,  Her blogs are available on both sites. Please contact her at AnnieMathias5@gmail.com to purchase copies of this book.

Lefty Spotlight on Free Spirit Janene

Lefty Spotlight on Free Spirit Janene

I made a new friend on Facebook the other day and her name is Janene. She told me that my lefty art had popped up on her computer screen three times in one day – kismet! So we met and she told me she’d really keyed into the left handed aspect of my work. It inspired her to give it a try too and she loved it!

Janene had been struggling with some tough emotions and creative blocks along with the chaos of too much going on and was just now getting back into art-making. At age fifty, she was finally making time for herself and for her art. Janene had recently discovered zentangling and was drawing a lot of faces but was frustrated at her lack of perfection.

Janene has drawn her whole life; it was her main outlet when, as a child she endured many surgeries.. As she grew up she pretty much dropped art-making until having children. That’s when the urge to create really left her. She was creating a whole new kind of art now.

“Its time,” Janene said “to get back into art-making. What a gift, it was like I never realized I could use my left hand. It was like having a new toy. I’d been trying to open my mind in different ways to help myself out of a slight depression and get my true self back again and this helped!”

Non dominant hand drawing allowed Janene to slow down. She discovered that her frustration over being perfect stopped too. Here’s what Janene painted…wow! She hopes to give it another try soon and I sure hope she does too.

About Janene Christman: Janene is a positive minded, loving, free thinker whose never-ending pursuit of creative living has lead her into loads of chaotic messes and good times often ending in a much needed nap.