The Weekly Vibe
This week I explore meditation, and consciousness. A “Where Experience Happens” meditation, the spiritual energy of the week in Astrology, tarot, oracle plus the state of the world through divination.
A lot of people think meditation is about trying to stop thinking, become calm, or escape life for a while. But the older I get, the more I think meditation is about something else entirely.
Meditation isn’t about escaping reality. It’s about becoming aware that your experience of reality is happening within consciousness.
That may sound like a strange idea at first, but sit with it for a moment. Cross your legs and notice where they touch. Immediately, your mind says, “My legs are touching.” But are you actually experiencing your legs? Or are you experiencing sensation? Pressure. Warmth. Tingling. A feeling.
And where is that feeling happening? It’s happening in consciousness.
Your body is sending signals. Your nervous system is processing information. But the actual experience of that sensation is taking place in awareness.
The same thing is true with sound. You hear a bird outside your window. You hear a fan running. You hear a car passing by. Your ears are detecting vibrations, but the experience of hearing is happening in consciousness.
The same thing is true with sight. You look around and see a room, a chair, a tree, a wall, your phone, your hands. But what you’re actually experiencing is a visual field appearing in awareness.
This doesn’t mean the world isn’t real. It doesn’t mean your body isn’t real. It simply means that your experience of the world is happening through consciousness.
That’s a very different thing.
Most of us spend our lives focused on the contents of consciousness and almost no time paying attention to consciousness itself. We’re focused on the sensation. The sound. The thought. The memory. The emotion. The worry. The story.
Meditation invites us to turn our attention toward the space in which all of those things are appearing. When that happens, something interesting begins to occur.
Instead of saying, “My legs hurt,” you notice sensation. Instead of saying, “That noise is annoying,” you notice the sound. Instead of saying, “I’m overwhelmed,” you notice thoughts, emotions, and reactions moving through awareness.
For a moment, you stop identifying with everything passing through consciousness and start noticing consciousness itself. That’s where a certain kind of freedom begins.
Not because your problems disappear. Not because life suddenly becomes perfect. Not because you’re pretending everything is okay. But because for a few moments, you’re no longer feeding every story your mind creates.
You can let a thought be a thought. You can let a feeling be a feeling. You can let a sound be a sound. You can let a sensation be a sensation. And you can rest as the awareness that is observing all of it.
Most of the time we’re not just experiencing life, we’re reacting to life. Something happens and we immediately build a story around it. Something hurts and we immediately start fearing what it means. Something reminds us of the past and we’re suddenly reliving it.
Meditation gives us an opportunity to notice the difference between what is happening and what we’re adding to what is happening. That difference matters. Because once you notice that difference, you’re not quite as trapped.
You may still have bills. You may still have grief. You may still have stress. You may still have a body that hurts. But for a few moments, you’re not completely lost inside those experiences. You’re aware of them.
And that’s not the same thing.
One of the reasons I find this so fascinating is because it starts to change the way I think about consciousness itself.
Every night we enter a dream state. While we’re dreaming, entire worlds can appear. We talk to people. We visit places. We experience emotions. We have bodies. We walk, run, eat, fly, laugh, cry, and sometimes have conversations that feel completely real.
Yet while all of that is happening, our physical body is lying in bed.
Most people never stop to think about how strange that is. In the dream, there may be a body, but it isn’t your physical body. There may be a world, but it isn’t the physical world around your bed. There may be experiences, sensations, and emotions, yet the entire thing is occurring within consciousness.
When you wake up, you realize the dream was happening in awareness the whole time.
I’m not saying dreams are proof of the afterlife. I’m not saying dreams and the spirit world are exactly the same thing. What I am saying is that dreams show us something important.
Consciousness is capable of generating experiences that feel completely real.
We already accept that every night. We just don’t spend much time thinking about it.
For me, meditation and dreams point toward the same mystery. Both invite us to become curious about consciousness itself. Both invite us to question the assumption that the physical world is the only reality we can experience. And both remind us that consciousness may be far more fundamental than we normally assume.
From my perspective, this is one of the reasons people become so interested in spirituality after they begin meditating regularly.
As the mind becomes quieter, the idea that consciousness extends beyond the physical doesn’t seem quite as foreign anymore. Not because you’ve proven anything. Not because you’ve adopted a belief. But because you’ve begun observing the nature of experience directly.
You’ve started noticing that sensations appear in consciousness. Sounds appear in consciousness. Thoughts appear in consciousness. Memories appear in consciousness. Even your sense of being a separate person appears in consciousness.
And once you begin seeing that, a larger question naturally arises. What exactly is consciousness?
I don’t think meditation is ultimately about finding an answer to that question. I think it’s about becoming comfortable enough to sit with it. To observe. To explore. To wonder.
And maybe, just maybe, to realize that consciousness is far bigger than the thoughts, emotions, and experiences passing through it.
That’s why I meditate.
Not to escape reality.
But to become more aware of the mystery that’s been present all along.
David Hanzel
To find out more about my work and readings, They Whisper to me
A meditation for noticing that the body, thoughts, sounds, breath, and emotions are all being experienced within consciousness. This practice helps you step back from the grip of the physical world, not by denying what you feel, but by seeing where the experience is actually happening.
This Week’s Vibe
June 29 – July 5, 2026
The Energy This Week
We begin the week deep in Cancer season, and emotions are running closer to the surface than logic. Cancer energy asks us to pay attention to what feels genuine, what feels safe, and what deserves our care.
This week also carries the energy of the United States Independence Day holiday. Whether people celebrate it enthusiastically, quietly, or not at all, there is a strong collective focus on questions of identity, belonging, community, and what people want the future to look like.
The Moon moves through Libra and Scorpio during the week before arriving in Cancer over the weekend, bringing everything back to emotional truth.
Plain terms: this week asks you to trust what feels real rather than what merely sounds convincing.
Theme of the Week
Tarot: King of Pentacles upright
Moonology: Mutable Moon
Energy Oracle: Seventh Chakra, Archangel Uriel
The central theme this week is wisdom and stability.
The King of Pentacles is grounded, practical, and focused on long-term results. The Mutable Moon reminds us that flexibility is still necessary. Archangel Uriel is associated with insight, higher awareness, and those moments when understanding suddenly clicks into place.
This combination feels like building something solid while remaining open to new information.
Plain terms: stay grounded, but do not become rigid.
Challenge or Shadow
Tarot: Six of Swords reversed
Moonology: New Moon in Aries
Energy Oracle: The World
The challenge this week is moving forward.
The Six of Swords reversed often appears when people know they need to leave something behind but continue carrying it anyway. The New Moon in Aries wants action and fresh starts. The World suggests a cycle that wants completion.
This energy can feel like standing in a doorway while still holding on to the room behind you.
Plain terms: something wants to move forward, but part of you may still be looking backward.
Gift or Support
Tarot: Two of Cups upright
Moonology: Full Moon in Leo
Energy Oracle: Angel of Strength
The support this week comes through connection and courage.
The Two of Cups highlights partnerships, friendships, meaningful conversations, and mutual understanding. The Full Moon in Leo encourages authenticity and confidence. Angel of Strength reminds you that true strength often comes through compassion rather than force.
Plain terms: do not underestimate the power of a genuine connection this week.
Weekend Energy
Moonology: Full Moon in Cancer
The weekend feels deeply emotional.
Cancer Moons often bring memories, family matters, healing conversations, nostalgia, and reflection. This is beautiful energy for reconnecting with what truly matters.
You may find yourself thinking less about achievement and more about meaning.
Plain terms: spend time with the people, places, and memories that nourish your heart.
State of the World
This week’s cards feel less focused on dramatic endings and more focused on awareness. The energy is asking people to slow down, observe, and begin drawing their own conclusions instead of automatically accepting every narrative presented to them.
There is a recurring theme of seeing beneath the surface.
Question: What may have been the reason America’s 250th anniversary celebration struggled so much?
Tarot: Seven of Pentacles upright
The Seven of Pentacles is a card of evaluation and reassessment. It often appears when people stop and ask whether the effort being invested is producing the desired results.
This card suggests that the deeper issue may not be the event itself, but whether it reflected what people were genuinely hoping to experience.
Plain terms: people may have been looking for something more meaningful than what was presented.
Question: What helps begin cleaning up the division and difficulties created during this period?
Tarot: Three of Swords upright
This is a powerful card.
The Three of Swords is often associated with truth, disappointment, grief, and painful realizations. Yet it also represents the beginning of healing because something hidden can no longer remain hidden.
Healing often starts when people stop pretending everything is fine.
Plain terms: honesty comes before healing.
Question: Are Americans beginning to see through misinformation, spin, and political theater?
Tarot: Knight of Swords reversed
The Knight of Swords reversed often points toward reckless communication, incomplete information, rushed conclusions, and narratives that move faster than facts.
In this position, it suggests growing awareness that not everything being presented deserves immediate belief.
Plain terms: more people appear to be questioning what they hear rather than accepting it automatically.
Question: What is the state of the world as a whole right now?
Energy Oracle: Goddess of the Moon
This is a fascinating card for the current moment.
The Goddess of the Moon speaks of intuition, hidden knowledge, uncertainty, mystery, and learning to trust deeper instincts.
The world feels like it is in a period where many answers remain incomplete, yet people are increasingly relying on their own inner guidance.
Plain terms: the world feels uncertain, but awareness is growing.
Question: What is the state of America right now, and where is it heading?
Energy Oracle: Victory
Victory is not always a sudden triumph. Sometimes it is the result of a long process of learning, adjusting, and moving through challenges.
This card points toward progress, achievement, and eventually reaching a better position than where things currently stand.
Plain terms: despite current difficulties, the energy suggests movement toward improvement rather than decline.
🎂 Birthday Note
June 29 – July 5
If your birthday falls this week, your year ahead centers on wisdom, relationships, and learning when to trust your instincts.
You may find yourself making fewer decisions based on pressure and more decisions based on what genuinely feels right.
Plain terms: this year is about trusting your own inner compass.
Closing Note
This week feels like a bridge between uncertainty and understanding.
Not every answer arrives immediately.
Sometimes clarity appears one realization at a time.
Trust the process.
🌟 Something Special
Why Cancer Season Feels So Different
Cancer is one of the oldest symbols associated with memory.
Ancient astrologers connected Cancer with ancestry, home, roots, family stories, and emotional inheritance.
When Cancer energy is strong, people often find themselves thinking about where they came from and what they want to carry forward.
🌙 Moon Moments
Feel, Trust, Connect
The Mutable Moon asks for flexibility.
The Aries New Moon encourages action.
The Leo Full Moon reminds you to be authentic.
The Cancer Full Moon brings everything back to the heart.
To work with this energy:
Release something you know is complete.
Reach out to someone important.
Trust your intuition before outside opinions.
Spend time reflecting on what truly matters.
The Moon reminds you that wisdom grows when the mind and heart work together.
If you ever want a quick, intuitive check-in, I do offer short $10 email readings.
You can find that, along with my other resources, here: They Whisper To Me
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