April 22 Earth Day
Thank you
what a wonderful gift to celebrate the beauty of the Earth today.
I published the wonderment on when might i hear the arrival of the hermit thrush and that day, and the following morning, the trilling notes of the thrush sang by my home. All feels well in the world when I can hear the thrush
And the Earth brought in the magic. Every day, the change is palpable with magician skills- using the tools we have seen before and bringing out new tableaus of beauty. New beauty to lead the way to growth within and without.
Happy Earth to you and all.
April 14
I await, listening in the in between hours, knowing that any dusk, or any dawn now, I will hear my first Flute like song of the thrush. The spring rains fall, the streams run, all creating a perfect ecosystem for their arrival. Now, that the finishing touches of a ray of warmth has arrived, all there is left to do is wait.
And listen, with anticipation, expectation of their return.
april 4
up early, to hear the snows land gently on the canvas roof, to listen to the winds gather in the woods playfully, to feel the simmering fire, crackle and snap with contentment, to drink in miraculous tea and feel it soothing warmth over my lips tongue and down into my chest, to watch my small jaguar sprawl with mini groans of pleasure near the cascading warmth ~
these are magic moments
these liminal ineffable moments gift me with a twin experience of finite and eternity, with a paradoxical sense of embodied divinity.
march 30
the end of march, the beginning of spring
the end of Lent, the beginning of garden season, bird nesting and collecting of herbs
the waters have blessed us and the moats have returned and frogs will add their songs to the chorus of Spring
happy Easter friends
Dripping in consciousness
~
there is a beauty we seek that restores balance within us and in our psyches
a beauty that reminds us of our own sacredness
like the crystals hanging in the trees
march 22
put a little time aside,
for you, for me
for pausing, for noticing
for loving
march 19 ~ Equinox
There is no jailor strong enough to hold Spring in.. nor exhaustive enough to contain nature
march 17
more and more, birds arrive
the air is full of their songs
igniting me with magic
i only need to listen to feel their joy
March 16
The sun begins to peak through the clouds and flood the earth with spark of new life
The energies shift within as well, flooding us with creativity.
This light, this energy, they feel like stem cells for the soul
I am so grateful
March 13
Bird songs fill the days now. Today, the flocks of varying species came to the feeder at noon. I guess they were eager for lunch just like me.
March 12
I went on my first of the year's wild flower hunt.
The waters run free now. Burbling and babbling over themselves to run through the stones and marshes and glades, eager to reach parts unknown. Joyfully, gleefully mingling with the rays of light that shimmer into infinity with the joy and love they share
I did not think I would find any spring bloom as the landscape looked like this :
Then I found these early risers
March 1
cold nights
Warm days
Sap runs
Buds burgeoning
the cold air is wet with the moisture of running waters, and feels crisp on my face. I call to the streams, knowing the waters hear our thoughts. let’s speak to them as lovers welcoming them home to our hearts and homes
I breathe this mist
Feb 23
The birds are singing the messages of the universe to you
February 6
I walked my new route after sunset today, watching the stars and planets emerge slowly as I meandered. I spotted the largest planet Jupiter first. Soon afterward, the constellation Orion emerged from the glow, first the impressive belt and then the shoulders.
My companions on this excursion were the burbling sound of the stream and the dark silhouettes of the trees. I found that recognizing the species of each tree helped me to feel at home among friends ~ locust and maples here and large lanky adolescent oaks there. I wasn't walking tonight alone, I was walking among friends.
I look up at the end of my journey, to acknowledge the stars and see Venus shining right above me. And then to the east, the big dipper. The Big dipper looks enormous from up here on the hill top. with the handle tilted down to earth. I look up at Venus again and spy the elusive Pleiades. So many companions gathered here tonight seeing me standing on Planet Earth
February 3
I started a walk in the brisk February wind today. And felt it would become my new devotional path
To see how the turning of the seasons shifted and changed this path through the hills. Today, on the day after Imbolc, the first day on sun in no less than 2 weeks, the rivers ran strong. The snow seeped into the earth, the trees loomed tall and bare and the wind whipped reminders of winter's strength, despite the warming sun. The cold hollows felt bitter and dire. The sun welcoming.
After I finished my walk, I paused to see the black and white stillness and my eye caught movement in the brush. A blue bird. Brilliant blueness with a spot of red for boldness on the breast. The flock graced me by moving one at a time across the road and into the neighboring field. Today's pilgrimage
February 1
Happy Imbolc, Happy halfway point between Solstice and Equinox, when the light is changing. I heard an owl call yesterday morning and once again last night. I hear the melody of water every where I walk in these hills, The water will up and out like magic. Not to be contained. Light brings the changes and the Earth, the elements and creatures respond.
January 24
I love this quote from Thoreau "Grow Wild, according to thy nature."
January 16
Today, I woke before dawn, and heard the owl calling his mate. I waited, and then heard her respond. I stayed awake after that to listen to their conversation.
Yesterday, I saw a robin fly into the shrubbery. And a few days ago, I heard a mourning dove begin the mating coos. The song stopped quickly, for now. Soon, we will be singing our songs boldly.
January 15
While gazing into the forest, I see the sun making prisms of color. The sunlight guilds the tree with rays of brilliance. With colors i can not describe. Are there new colors in the light spectrum now?
January 14
Yesterday, was a special day for me, a day to celebrate the birth of a dear friend who will continue to inspire me to push the envelop in the name if creation. I continue to celebrate Jonas Fricke today and cheered when I heard the first mourning dove sing his love song at the day's start.
we may experience storm squalls, and raging winds, and still our inner song burns bright.
12/26
The fog crystalized into rain last night
I have heard and read, that water responds to attention and responds. This implies that we can have conversations with water. Some are beginning to see water as particles of God consciousness. Therefore, when the the skies drenching the land in fog and mist, I felt surrounded by God consciousness. Embraced and enveloped even.
Simply. Soaked
In fact, like a plant doused with fertilizer, we may have a growth spurt next month.
12/23/23
The Raven family greets the dawn with me today. So quiet and still in this predawn hour while the light creates paintings in the sky
12/21/23
When the Sun slants sideways through the trees, I arrive.
I feel the moment of pause and intake of breath.
How Wonderous
Seeing the golden light shining gently into the dark spaces, illuminating the possible.
I find lots of need to pause and rest these days. The sun reaches down and under the surface dragging me out to play. Ahh, yes, the freshness, the earth, the damp cold, it all wakes me up out of the slumbering dreaming of long nighted days.
12/12/23
I am shooting my arrow of hope and flames into the void today.
Before I know whether the spark will return to me.
I imagine new moon spark catching magic on fire
Helping magic to burn bright in the temple of the Morning star.
11/23/23
Clouds from the east covered the sky this winter mornth
they did until southern winds arrived unexpectedly, and slowly, gently, dispersing the covering grey. Pushing it aside, evaporating, nudging it into the ethers, allowing the ever present sun to emerge. To shine warmth and light
The glowing sun reminds me of you
I thank you
11/17
The light changes so fast now. I yearn to be still and watch it unfold and then refold. I want to see if I can see the movement within the shift from day to dusk. Instead, I am busy getting things done and ready for life ~
wood in the stove, food for our bellies, art for my soul. Maybe this weekend, I can stop, be still, and watch the passing of the sun; Maybe I can catch the nearly imperceptible shift of light to dark and back to light.
11/14/23
I am feeling a calm
prayers for peace...
11/07/23
the Ravens call at dawn
bringing the start of day to the forest
the flight of their wings offering courage
drawing me forward to greet the day
and enter the deep of day
discovering the colors that paint today
i sense a day of intuition, mystery and
with their presence, protection
following their flight
bringing me home to my inner light
tonight the owl will announce the shift to night and gift of sight in the loving unknown
11/4/23
The bare bones are showing themselves. In between and over the other trees that still hold on to their leaves. These other trees hold on, swaying in the dawns light, with the wind of sunrise.
The glowing limbs beckon new arrivals to find purchase. Allowing them to have clear platforms from which they can sing their songs, offer their joy to the rising sun, and give thanks
I welcome the new perspective, from a new vantage point
11/1/23
There is a new flock of song birds that have arrived in last 2 weeks at my feeder. I know they are new, because they land on a nearby goldenrod and eye the feeder. And slowly fly in, in large ups and downs of wobbling flight. I am calling them “my winter bird tribe.”
The appear to also be new flyers, sometimes missing their aim only to land nearby the desired object rather than at the feeder. Where are the elders? to lead them to the feeder? They know each other. And they fright easily, not with the neighboring chickadee, but by their oopped them off here to play and learn in safety while they flew off to find additional food sources. I look forward to meeting these elders. Who have guided so many young safely.
It is fun to have their delight outside my door, so fun to see them clearly in fl
glee to find ways to eat from a new food source and all while training for flight.
10/27/23
I notice how easy it is to point my finger and declare, "there is the problem."
In times of change, how do we look within to see the change is within ourselves? How do I look within the deep well of my being and discover the resource and solution there?
I pause in these tumultuous times to listen.
10/23/23
It is the time when the edge of living turns toward the release and decay. Life and death sit side by side in the Fall. I liked this quote ~
"To live life well, we must know death. To be at ease with your mortality and to release what is dead and decaying. New life will grow, nourished by the bones of the past. Life is a constant process of birth and death, the endless seasonal round, spring to summer to autumn to winter. Energy doesn’t die, it is just transformed. To know when to let go is to find your power. Face your fear to rise again."
Face your internal blindnesses.
10/20
The quality of light changes so much in October
It is soft, muted and sober now.
It make shining boldly, and loudly, hard to drum up
Instead, I shift into cozy, slow, curious, contemplative
My inner stream still burbles with ideas, and projects; I catch on much more slowly now.
October 18
'The Sight Of An Autumn Leaf
Brings To A Pilgrim
The Sudden Revelation
Of The Mystery Of Life And Death.’
The above quote is from the sabian symbol of 25 degrees of Libra. I am not very versed in neither degrees of astrology nor in Sabian symbols. I quote it because that sentiment is what I feel these October days. I have felt the exquisite beauty of the brevity of life and the cycle of death. Of how the passing of beloved ones draws me to deeper grief and how the gift of grief allows me to accept the quintessential mystery of being human, being alive.
Grief and the sharing of it with our fellow travelers offers a gift of connection. Of deep inner intimacy with life. I am know some people fear the images of decline and age. I find great beauty and grace here.
September 25
I've come to the mountain top to hear your songs of summer blessings and to hear you sing of Autumn treats on our doorstep. I have come here to hear your songs and rustling waves, to feel your breath across my face and the the music of leaves before they sail on the winds as they rejoin mother earth
The leaves rejoice with the winds tonight. I know we have days, maybe weeks, before the trees become bare to the winter winds. I have come tonight to sit on the mountain top, in honor of you. Namaste amazing trees, Namaste healing mountains, Namaste beautiful souls everywhere.
I sit on the mountain tonight loving the mountain and her songs.
September 13
My cat awakened me at 6:30 this morning, to watch the pink orange glow fill the sky and mist. The mist was heavy enough that I could not see the actual sunrise; instead, I watched her reflection in the mist change hues.
An ephemeral vision made even more elusive. As it turns out, my eyes can see the colors at dawn, my camera cannot. It could see neither the mist, nor the hues she held. There is a daughter of Titan, sister to Helios and Selene named Eos. She is the rosy-fingered goddess of the dawn. It is believed that she rises from the ocean at the start of each day, and with her rays disperse the mists of night. She arrived this morning while the mist slips through her sublime fingers, letting my vision mingle, for a moment, with hers.
September 2
Towering presence
Aug 8
Today is halfway point for the Venus’ retrograde journey. Digging in the deep of our psyches within, and absorbing as much light as we can. Heart math institute reports that the heart can transmit 60x more electromagnetic force than the brain. I want to use that energy to be transmitter for love and heartfelt change change
August 6
Following trails in the dark, without compass, or preconception. That is my path. While here, I try to remember self-care tools : rest, good food and good company.
July 27
Life has had a full plate and I have not mentioned the muse of this page, Venus, is diving under the world for a 42 inner voyage. This planet's hiding for 42 days has been likened to many goddesses’ voyages to the underworld - Persephone, Inanna, Isis. The dive into the inner worlds started on July 22 and continues until September 3.
This is a cosmic call for an inner journey allowing us all time to reconnect with our essential spark, the god-spark within.
I am finding it has given me time to really feel my connectedness to the hearts of other humans, and their stories. Discovering ways to be vulnerable while discovering ways to be present to what I and others are feeling. It offers a chance to heal, a chance to discover more about who you are and what you like, or don't like.
The voyage offers a line of light leading back to the heart.
July 9
I have had a few interactions with plants recently that struck me as so beautiful that I wanted to share. I am growing chamomile in abundance. I was harvesting some flowers in a break of light and felt deep calm. Aha, the energy of chamomile is calming! Not just the brew!
That felt like such a revelation to me
Then, another day, when I stared out a window at work, I spied the glorious elder at the edge of the farm field. I love traversing the field to harvest these flowers.
But with all the rain... would I get there this year?
When I heard ~ more flooding predicted tonight ~ I knew it was now or never.
No matter how muddy or swampy the field.
As I donned my Boots, I felt very brave ~
this is no small pond to traverse, this is mud sucking boot losing field turned into swamp water 💦.
I followed the edge of the pool and persevered even as the water rose up toward my boot tops
With glee, I made it and shook with joy.
i guess elderflower inspires courage and adventure
July 8
I have been noticing pink varieties of flowering herbs.
Pink yarrow, Pink fleabane and pink queen's lace.
I saved seeds of a glorious a pink queen from last year. Thing is I couldn't remember where I had sown them. I worried about that last night. And breathed in self-forgiveness. I found this young flower today. How miraculous! Dyed in pink!
I researched the meaning of pink queen anne's lace and in the language of flowers, it mean security and sanctuary. As an flower essence it stimulates the development of clairvoyance and telepathy, opening the crown chakra and calming the mind.
I know that pink yarrow helps to protect the crown chakra from overwhelm of of other energies. Perhaps the pink aspect of this flower adds extra protection to this gift of clairvoyance.
July 2
Today is a lovely gentle raining in day
I am watching sunflowers grow tall.
June 27
we have started Vermont monsoon season
deluges of rain and air so humid it floats away all thought on its own wave
Pam Gregory offered a lovely prayer
Find stillness
Find bliss
Find joy
Find simplicity of birdsong
Smell the damp Earth
Celebrate, celebrate the Spring green leaves
laugh, hug, dance
June 3
Happy June to you dear friends.
The rains arrived last night, and all the land relaxes and flourishes with relief
May your dreams bloom this month with all the abundance of the season.
May your love burn bright and that you feel the Spirit holding you tight
May you and your land flourish in health
~Namaste, So much love~
May 31
I read this beautiful list for late Spring's peace of heart:
- Moving from being ... To being:
- Reactive ... Patient, responsive
- Drawn to crisis and drama ... Grounded, peaceful, calm
- Controlling, demanding ... Gracious, generous
- Preoccupied with others and their motives ... Centered in own values
- Addicted to complexity ... Able to enjoy simple pleasures
- Condemning ... Appreciative
- Resentful ... Forgiving
May 27
I discovered a stowaway in my drying violets. A shell of a snail, a small being, fragile and desiccated, Or so I thought.
I held the small shell that once held life in a bucket of water and to my surprise and delight felt the tiniest bit of suction on to my hand. Aha! A second discovery ~ even the driest looking shell may hide life, waiting for the rain to provide hope, life and renewal. I am very happy to help resuscitate these stowaways.
Here, in this photo, are two snails recovering from a long period of drought on a fresh piece of parsley
May 20
Elders of herbal medicine tell us that plants mast when the call arrives for the medicine they hold. This year, the plant of choice is dandelion. The Flowers are in bloom in abundance. Everyone is noticing the blooms in every nook, crack and cranny. Calling out loud with their antidote of sunshine, courage, detoxification, vitality and grounding. Bright and welcoming. Thank you dandelions!
May 6
the sun emerges after two weeks of inclemency
the effects of the newborn light magnifies every line and and fills the heart with the beauty
I hope you find many moments today to pause in gentle wonder
April 30 ~
Happy May Day dear friends
So Much rain has covered the lands here
it feels like a blessing
I also feel grounded
I hear there are places like Mt Shasta that are witnessing amazing northern lights
All this feels like something is being said, but what the call or information is, I don't know.
I hope I can wake up enough to hear.
I share photos of light on the Heart to Eye page
and to see more photos of flowers, see Seasonal Happenings
April 25 ~
Further musings on the topics brought up by the eclipses, and more insights on the nature of harmony in face of discordance.
A friend suggests that the challenge one has is opening to the great silence, the Silence profound that one can feel in the Earth. Deep spacious Silence. Whale size Silence.
MY challenge is Holding that silence within, all while holding the anger, or the pain, or the sadness, the shock, the confusion. Some spiritual leaders would use the word, "Presence". I like the term, The Great Silence ~ that term better encompasses all of space, time and breath in one word.
I ask myself, can I hold that Great Silence even during times when the outside of my being tune feels discordant?
April 20 ~
What does it mean, "to show up for yourself"?
The strong pull of this eclipse creates vortices of self-assertion in the bald face of wounded oppression. Demanding attention from the chords of our being. In face of the tensions, what does it mean to show up and say no to the matrix of apathy and self-illusions? These are the questions that linger for me today? Since this is a new beginning, I think they portend a taste of what we all will be asking for the eclipse seasons to come.
Here is my first attempt to answer ~
rather than blaze the path ahead with fury that wells from the discord of centuries, try to stay present to pain, yours, mine, ours. Say to the inner cry for justice, "I see you,"
Speak up with compassion for the young, the beleaguered, the glimmers, the shimmers,
the pink, the color, the hope, the Unseen,
the unspoken, the unknown
the hopes and the fears, the balance and the sunrise.
That is my first answer. Not knowing much about how that will work.
April 12
This morning ~
The leaves blow playfully today in strong gusts of wind . Dancing in circles and figure eights. I asked my intuition, what is the meaning of this wind on this bright sunny day?
My intuition, or maybe it was my heart, answered ~
Be as light as a leaf, carrying not an ounce of baggage, and let the wind uplift you
April 9
The Juncoes are singing their Spring song, the Pileated is creating their summer homes, the spring breeze sings of warmth The snows melt and my heart turns to peace.
This Spring breeze whispers softly in my ear, of change and hope and forgiveness and possibility.
The breeze whispers to my heart
Thank you, I am grateful to have met you on the path today, and have cried, laughed and danced with you. Peace to all, peace to your path, may your path lead you home.
March 30
Cold wind and hot sun today. The extremes don't seem to the birds, who laugh gaily out my window
The birds are such good company today.
March 21
I remember now, that I used to avoid making a date with grief, then would wonder why grief came like a conquistador into my home, with a wrecking ball! Throwing tantrums and all without warning, zapping me of any joy and belief in the possible existence of happiness. And I would feel resistant, wondering, "what is she doing?! Why is this happening?"
Now, I welcome her. I do. I make dates to open wide my arms; I look forward to feeling her relief.
Years, it took, to notice the tenderness on grief's fingertips, or the package of love at the bottom of her basket. A package that always felt more precious for the journey of mourning on which love took me.
Now, in invitation, I crack a window in my home, to welcome her and her wisdom in. I make it clear, I welcome her treasures that consume and level the playing field of my heart to a fluid consciousness of love, for now I know that in the end, the experience, is deeply relieving.
I knew tonight, when your song came on my playlist, that the moment had arrived. I knew I must immediately put my paint brush down, and let the wave arriving on these musical notes, wash over me, and swamp me. Indeed the spatterings of her waves on my window were starting before much else could happen. In response, I opened my door wide, I lay down, and wept.
Now, when I sense the arrival of grief, I do not resist her waters. I hardly pause.
Now, I say, "hello, welcome, let's keen together, and soften the edges of this container called life and love."
I know the results will feel like a Spring washed morning. I will feel more alive and relieved with the healing waters. I will see the sparkle of life with its many hued mysteries more clearly and brightly.
It is a relief to welcome grief, letting her be praise for life.
Grief, she is a wise midwife.
March 20
Happy Equinox
Gather satisfaction, pleasure and appreciation and paint magnificent shimmery dreams
Watch for birds arriving who fly in secret mystical patterns,
their mystery awakening your pineal gland with showers and sparks of light
Listen to the songs of Spring and ignite your future dreams.
Breathe in and out,
imagining your breath blowing with the winds, traveling the cosmos
March 11
more prayers from these march days.
one more shift, and today, i open my hands to receive what blessings this day brings.
i hear the wind sighing in the trees, where i sit, on this cliff
i feel snowmelt drip onto me from the hemlock above my seat.
i see the moss growing evenly on all sides of the trees
i notice a dog barks
i will look for signs of you in the spirit,
watching, as the wind rises out of the valley
two redtails fly overhead, in figure eights
reveling in their return.
I weep to see them.
These tears, and the water and salt they bring are a gift too
Thank you.
For you, in memory of you, I will try to sing my song
as best as i can,
i will sing, for you, dear
dear one.
Dear, dear cosmic friend
March 10
what am i letting drift away? thinking, i let go of thinking ~
thinking I know what this life is, thinking i know the answer to the question of what, why, or how.
i let go of having an answer or even a question, i feel these things drifting through my fingers as i spread them in supplication and grief.
i let go of understanding a framework for this moment that is called alive, of what it means to "be", of the dance between you and me. i can only breathe in and out, i can let go. only that.
i watch the stars, the light, the snow and wind. i breathe and know only this
February 28
Myth can also be known as legends from our ancestors, telling stories of creation. What stories would you like to bring into creation? What would you like to create. Story telling as an act of creation. Let's tell the story we want to hear, and see.
February 15
The trees are waking
Little clues suggest that they feel the call of Spring. There is a spring in their limbs, a lighter tone in their coloring. And there is sap. Sap rising to prove what I see with my eyes. The trees are waking.
February 14
Many say Autumn is the time when the veils are thin ~
To me, Spring is the time when the veils are the thinnest. To me, there are moments when the veils, lifted by the hands of Spring are gone, and we can walk into the ethers of no time, like Spirit flying over the waters, with dreams as our footsteps.
February 9
This question runs through my mind
since Imbolc when the gift of light seems so still and violet,
How would it look to grow stillness?
And how would it feel if there was never too slow?
I like that, it makes me feel all the time in the world to be still, and pause and watch.
I set the intention this season, to grow slowness
with the gentle anticipation of enoughness.
January 29
How would it look to grow the capability of enough-ness?
How would the world and our days feel if we sensed slow is Just right?
How would it look, if "better" or "more" was not on our next list of tasks to achieve, or to-do's to quarry?
Maybe we would be like my cat, pleasantly asleep in a bed of clouds, creating dreams to last his life-time.
♥️
January 24
I have had this idea in my mind since the new moon (January 21), that I worry about esoteric concerns. And that maybe I needn't always share them. Then I made myself laugh, so here is the latest ~
I worry about the health of the wild. Wild within and without. Is it thriving in me, in you?
Are we acknowledging it, welcoming it into our lives adequately? to pulse with vibrancy?
Or, will the wild go "underground" and pathologize its expression? And in doing so, will she have to find strange underground conduits for her expression, travel deep diving paths that contort and fray her natural effervescence.
Will she be put into chains by the every demanding focus on the needs of the collective vs individual expression? Will her and my vitality endure....
And then I saw, in this new moon, the torch held out strong and shining far to light up the gorgeous wild. I saw, and knew that I need not ever doubt that the wild can ever be successfully contained, chained or defined with in the limitations of outside interpretation.
Indeed, ever will the wild find expression of her glorious self,
shining her inner light.
Shine on dear wild, shine on, and lead us to that place of possibility and alchemy.
Lead on.
Shine Wild
January 18
“ Take me to a quiet place
with earth under our backs,
cradled in a forest glade.
There we will point out
things we see and
acknowledge those things
we do not. In solitude
we take in the wisdom “
January 6 ~ Full moon seen through the trees ~
January 11
Happy 1/11 to you all. The astrologers have been saying, the psychics have been saying, the inner yearnings have been hoping, that the momentum for new would start picking up pace, fast pace in this year. Following the compass may become intriguing if not illusive.
Inner heart song is my choice for a compass in these coming months. And with that looking at the shadowy attachments I may make and laugh with the realizations of them.
Here is a quote from Christine Clemmer that I enjoyed this morning ~
"We must be willing to see ourselves in action, loving ourselves through the misaligned shadows as they uncover, and find the alignment through these “in-the-moment choices”. Those choice points of Love – in action – make all the difference, and unlock hidden potential in the moment that otherwise might slip by unnoticed."
January 4
As mentioned in the post Blues and greens, the water elementals have been very present these early January days, with all forms, snow, sleet, rain, fog, cloud, ice. The air is thick with moisture. I move more slowly. I pause and watch the browns of winter drip with the moisture. Fascinated that it is riveting to watch. I do miss the snow, and I know it will return soon.
January 1, 2023
I notice today, that just as we entered the New Year, the planet Venus joined Pluto, the shepherd of shadows, in the sky. I wonder what conversations they held together, in preparations for the New Year.
Later, in the day, the moon had tea with Venus, and then Mercury. I felt those tête-a-têtes. Before the moon could make any clarity out of the discussions or consolidate the the new information, Venus moved on, changing signs, leading the way for us, into the sign of Aquarius.
What this shifting and shadow work means for the collective in the coming year, we will soon discover. What it may mean for the individual, well, I sense it may mean that the heart is getting the information first, and the muse, Venus, is one step ahead of us all.
So trust your guidance, we may need it.
🌟✨
December 26
Here is a beautiful quote from Nadijah Gilcrest
Today supports your efforts toward spiritual practice and attempts to forgive and transcend old traumas
if your focus leans towards the past , you can easily drift into an addiction. Set your devotion with clear intent - aim for cleansing, healing and the release of old shadows.
December 25
Merry Christmas, here’s a thought ~
”The hopes and fears of all the years have met in thee tonight”
interesting thought when I change the direction of the focus from outward, to inward.
December 23
Here, we move from temperatures in the teens, to an overnight snowstorm that move fluidly into rains, and then at dawn 4 strong bright lightening flashes through the sky, lightening the world followed by the accompaniment of thunder. Meanwhile the temperatures rise now to the 50s only to drop again soon. What a flexible weather system.
All in the course of one day.
I enjoy the flow
December 12
A poem from Nell Aurelia
GOBSMACKED
"Listen, I intend to be gobsmacked
By the beauty of blossom
In every spring I live for
Bewildered by the majesty of the sky
Transformed by the light in my friend's face
Let me tell you
I am not going to be serious when playing is allowed
I have come through too many dark places
To waste any time censoring what is permitted
To bring me joy
I got here on knees and on wings
With a heart
Surprised daily
At its elastic greatness
Somehow, I made
Straw into gold
Coal into diamonds
Pain into fuel
Because I pledged to
Keep Loving
This crazy world.
December 5
Night time comes earlier, the senses seek out the color in the sky, in the fading grasses, the night time dreams. Little lights that comfort and remind us of warmth within.
December 3
“Sometimes it’s hard to acknowledge the little voice that says, ‘I’m not happy.’ Likewise, we can fill our days wall-to-wall with endless to-do lists that stop us from tending quietly to what most needs attention. The body knows what is good for you. Reconnect. Come back down to Earth. If your thoughts are all over the place, put your hand on your belly and breathe. Focus on small”. Lua
on small steps, small pebbles in your hand, small waves beneath your feet, small gestures that nourish
November 20
Winter arrives softly, bringing little gifts here and there, like waking up to a snowfall, which brings so much beauty. And today, a snow squall at the end of a peaceful Sunday, arrives with another gift of the season. The roots are tucked in, cozy under the ground and ready for the winter sleep. I will sleep more too, under winter's soft blanket.
November 13
Surprising gifts show themselves, as the world slows to winter in the northeast, like the smiling faces in the below. I go outside to greet these gifts.
"Life sings now, even, in the human heart," Visions, K Carey
"We can be human only together." Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Mission Joy
With this vision, we move from slaying dragons to loving hearts, loving what is possible.
November 10
One learns about the earth's elements by being in them. Rain, snow, sleet, sun, night, winter, summer, mountain and ocean. Each carries a different healing song for you.
November 1
Inspired by a quote from another philosopher ~ I realized that I am learning to fall in love "with my tender, vulnerable, wounded humanity,
just as it is, in all its glorious ambiguity"
I am falling in love with the surprising expression of this experience we call life. I am learning to find new ways to better play in the expression of each day.
Some days that feels easier than others. Still, I get to rest and try again each day.
I see the long line of ancestors supporting our unfolding of this opportunity and laughing to see what may come next with us.
October 23
There is a solar eclipse early in the morning of the 25th. This represents a culmination of releasing of old patterns while beginning to dream of what you wish to invite into your life. What old patterns or belief systems would you like to let go of?
What words no longer make sense to use in your lexicon.
What fears or stories represent an part of you that you no longer wish to read anymore?
I am so glad to have this transformative fire that will dig deep to my soul so new growth can emerge. The growth may take 6 months before popping up above the soil of my inner garden. All the more precious. After a winter of deep dreams.
October 19,
Here are a few questions that the Sun in Libra inspires for me ~
How to live and walk in place of inner truth gracefully, even when it goes against the current norm? Or current social acceptable? Even if it means, you won't be liked, or accepted, or welcomed?
How to have inner vision and strength to walk a path of beauty and harmony even if it is a contrapuntal to an outside tune?
How do we create beauty by the focus we hold? What if the only game we played was standing, talking and walking in our truth?
October 11
I've been drinking deeply from the world of riotous colors.
Orange and reds, yellows, green and golds. I have discovered, after so much color, I become so tired from the feast. Is it my body is not accustomed to being drenched in the depths of the rainbow? Am I lulled into quiet with the summer abundance of green?
Or do all the fiery colors ignite in me something never before seen? A vibrancy that has been hidden under the easing of green? Just as the tree leaves true colors have been hidden beneath the depth of their working chlorophyll. And, maybe like the trees I am basking in the world of splendor in present moment to moment, shifting the cellular nature of my body as I do. Relishing in wonder of beauty.
(See seasonal photo page for more photos.🍁🍂)
October 8
When the winds blow fast and raise the falling leaves in all directions, as they do in the woods when seasons change, my energy roams with the tumbling winds, and asks my mind to keep up. I try to jot the impressions and thoughts down as I roam, as the ideas are all wanting to have expression, all at once. Impressions given voice like sentient beings. What if the energy that we experience as Spirit, Nature, Gaia, is a verb, not a noun? An expression in motion, the ineffable, that like a verb in motion, is non graspable and ever evolving to adapt to need of the moment.
The leaves fall fast with trees surrendering their expression of their growing season to the shift of seasons. This act blesses us with indescribable magic, color, smells and light - grandeur. The trees extend this gift of immeasurable beauty to us, and as one sentient being to another, I feel calle to attend the performance of their dance. To marvel at the abundant grace of release, motion and light.
To attend to this ever changing performance, I spend these October days seeking, noticing, watching and marveling, Walking within the circle of earth my feet can reach and swooning in the presence of Spirit in motion.
In essence, walking to be, in concert with the trees and elements, in a dance of love.
October 1
The winter birds are arriving at my feeder and singing their songs to each other. I find when I hear them, I get up to look, investigate.
What if, instead, when I heard something that intrigues me, what if I closed my eyes to savor. What if I tiptoed away to merge with the feeling evoked and let all defining, understand or explanation disappear, not needing any proof, simply allowing into the feeling of hearing.
September 28
I've been taking opportunity to say farewell to the leaves of the trees along my favorite walks. I see the red maple, and oaks, the beeches and birches, the locusts and hickories. Young and old alike, I notice their resilience and congratulate them on a fabulous year. I will see you again next year.
September 24 ~ I liked this quote :
"Drop the tyranny of correctness- you'll get it right when you stop trying.
This energy can be a bit sad and suffused with longing for something that never was today. Go with this and see where it takes you. Be gentle with yourself. Sometimes you need to drink from that wistful cup because the goals of constant happiness and ferocious optimism are brittle."
I would add, the tyranny of constant happiness create a feeling of brittleness. I prefer to feel the sadness of loss and weep with the change. It is a relief.
September 17
A late summer gift
while meandering in the and through the brush, following my kitty, I spied a patch late season raspberries. Gifts from the summer are still here even as the nights grow cooler, daylight decreases and hawks migrate south.
I savor both the treasures of late summer and the signs of the changing seasons.
This afternoon, I’ll lie on my back and watch the clouds to see what gifts they shall bring
Sept 13
A quote from Christine Clemmer ~
The practice this week is seeing from the heart. Find moments throughout the week to close your physical eyes, and engage the other senses. Feel the texture of energy, resonance, and vibration. Notice sounds, patterns, smells, and sensations that move you, that stir your curiosity, that elevate your lens of consciousness, or stimulate your awareness. Learn to see beyond the physical dimension, in order to access the truth that lives within all things, including yourself. Practice seeing the world as music, as art, as beauty, as Love…and honoring the divine current flowing through All.
Seemed to help me find my breath today. When I close my eyes, I can remember the All that is enveloping me in love.
September 10
For those of you who check in but have not received posts, I am having server questions... So eventually, I hope to fix the subscription process. Until then, I suppose a possible solution is to keep checking in to see what is new here.
And that reminds me of what I read this morning, that sometimes going nowhere is exactly what is the gift of the present. Sometimes standing still when the world turns faster and faster is exactly the medicine I need. Especially when the way seems confusing, or foggy.
So until the next step is clear, I will stay still and watch, intently.
August 31
Signs of changing seasons. The chickadees come to the feeders. The blue jays sing an Autumn call, the sunlight shines sideways through the trees at 6:00 PM! The shadows are also long across the road and field at that time.
The Bees scurry around to find late blooming goldenrod.
August 26
I did a rain dance today. The clouds darkened. The thunder rolled. Yet no relief graced us yet. I turned the music up loud and danced and danced thinking who knows what information I add to the overall turn of the cosmos with my dance. The rains soon fell hard. Phew. Thank you.
Heart math has done a lot of research showing the capabilities of the heart to send messages with just the use of intention and breath out into the ethers. We may not knowingly understand the way that system works
Yet, to trust that messaging system matters.
Follow me down to the ocean, no need to gather your silver and gold
Just swim in the emotion and forget all the you’ve been told
Follow me to the mountain top, no need to carry your worries and woes
step, by step, don't stop
And just forget what you think you know.
Deep night, Day light
Round we go again....
Follow me deep in the swarming crowd,
no need to pick up sticks and stones,
We are all the same, just looking for a place called home
follow your heart and you can't go wrong.
Trust your voice, Sing you song, Find your light and let it out.
Ryan Herr and Autumn Skye
August 24
"The heart is a powerful generator of Truth, Wisdom, and Love. The truth sets us free, and the heart is the gateway of infinite freedom and authentic expression. As we awaken the high heart, we walk in the embodiment of Light, both in the spotlight and as the spotlight. It takes courage to walk the planet with an open heart; and it takes courage to reveal the divine light within, uncensored, unapologetic, and unconditional. When the heart is open, the heart broadcasts the spotlight of Love, as a generator of Light to the world. "
Christine Clemmer
August 23
Ahhh, the rains came at last.
How dry my being felt before it arrived. On a marathon course of breathing, in my own dust. I am relieved. With the rain comes the tears to clear my own dust. As though I had been holding my breath. I tried not to... I dreamt of higher beings reminding me to breath in this dryness while imagining moisture. I did not know, until the rains came, how much my heart would need the downpour to feel her contours , before I truly breathed deeply into the sore areas, feeling the grief, and allow them to bleed into the ground with the gift of the tears, the tears that heal, me, you and the Earth.
Now, the above paragraph wasn't what I was going to write here, today. I was going to write about the poetics of the land. Of how we are missing the song of thrush in the woods now ... and that the beloved companions of summer have ended their weavings in the waves above and below. For now. They do linger nearby, with brief reminders of their presence by chortling in the deep woods. I love those reminders
Still, the forest beings and I will remember their presence while they are gone. The forest reminds me of resilience. That within the change lies other strengths like cricket sound baths. And quieter days. And, they add, "know your roots, and know your branches."
Good advice in times of shiftings.
When the winds blow, when the adornments we love fall away, when all else seems to blow in the winds of time ~
know your roots,
and know your branches
That is enough.
August 17
The thrush are quieting to nearly stillness these days
They prepare for their moving time. I notice the quiet at dawn when I wake. I hear a peep and feel gratitude, for the gift of knowing of their continuing presence.
The trees notice their quiet too. We bond in our love of the gift of the thrush song, waking us in morning and quieting us at night to rest. Quieting us to stop and listen, to listen and to listen even more.
I also feel the gift in this camaraderie of quiet. And in response, to my extending a hand to the trees in solidarity, as they prepare to say good bye o summer gifts, the trees wave back in the wind. They seem so happy to wave their leaves at me in the rising wind. The wind that that draws in freshness. I am grateful also for the freshness that blows in these winds, that blows through our limbs, lifting us skyward as a leaf free. The waving trees lift my spirits, helping me transition, and welcome autumn life.
Happy Lion's Gate ~
August 10
The energies of August have moved me like a river. And whenever I became fixed, stuck on any particular difficulty, I felt pummeled by the currents. Better to find the way to let go, let go and drift with the stream. Yet, how to find center, plumb or lode stone in these changing fields and dynamics? I am finding my breath is an anchor in an of itself
Breathing brings me back to my plumb and North Star that lights me from within
August 8
I saw circles in the puddles today
And knew God
The widening circles emanating out from the center,
Was enough
Enough for everything.
Raindrops in the puddles is enough
Sometimes I awake with the feeling of confusion reigning in my mind and being.
This confusion seems to hold until I can gain perspective of the bigger view, the wider lens of perspective. To find this perspective, I try for stillness, I attempt a belief that in the stillness, another perspective can emerge, a faith that the universe dwells within me, and has left clues for the path to my heart, to my dreams.
So this morning, I try for this stillness, waiting for the light of the moment to reveal itself,
and when the light does emerge, the vision can too.
I breathe into the confusion. The meditation looked like this ~
Confusion .... Breath
Confusion .... Breath
Breath is an infusion of peace
Confusion ... Breath
Confusion ... Breath/Peace
Confusion ... Peace ... Peace
Confusion and Peace Lie side by side in this jungle
"There is a light that shines,
When there is nothing left to fear.
Then the light can pour through."
August 6
We are in a cusp moment, a transition place in life. When the universe is providing an opportunity for the big letting go of outdated and helping us move into something new. Dream big, Write poetry into your life, give service to the world, by giving starlight rainbows to you.
August 3
All wisdom way pointers seems to suggest this truth: that everything and anything we seek lies within.
The answer within may indeed be to ask for help. To acknowledge what I fear, to acknowledge the inner three year old who seeks help or someone to hold their hand through this journey ahead. On the new path before them.
Sometimes a little extra support helps us as we’re wobbling forward into and up the mountain.
August 1
The Uranian energy is electric today. I ground and ground some more.
Dive into my soul essence, breath space within the inner space.
Noticing all the space and lighting a fire that illuminates my inner space
Peeking into the shadows and corners to awaken the untried dreams of love and life.
The parts rising to this moment offering blessings in their path.
July 31
When the moon was in Cancer, just a few days ago now, on the way to the Leo new moon, she received some information from Venus. They met in the wee hours of the night when only night owls and early early risers saw their conference. I confess, I slept through the moment. Yet, she got the low down on the way down to her dark rest. I awoke knowing that all is well and that her contentment in the new information and path she weaves can be my contentment too.
That I can rest in the path and follow the thread she weaves through each of sign and on into life.
These messages are here for every one. And the Leo new moon, which guides the month ahead, is about sharing all this newness from the heart. It is about being in your heart resonance with a fierce authenticity.
My new morning ritual is to listen deeply to the messages coming in. And those the messages will be curated by others, on the way to the heart, like mercury adding a little mischief and laughter. Or Mars giving some inner drive and passion. Or Saturn creating sobriety. It is fun to feel all the colors arriving.
And well, the moon did meet with Saturn, and they have yet, when she is in Leo, managed to see eye to eye. That Saturn, in Aquarius has not found the path to understand the Leonine fury for love.... yet. But I maintain hope.
July 11
"To understand water isto understand the cosmos and the marvels of nature, and life itself. It is the mirror that shows us what we can not see. The blueprint of our reality, of now and that that now can change with one positive thought. All it takes is faith, if you are open to it. ~ Dr. Masaru Emoto
July 5
I used to think of July as the color yellow and orange, when all the yellows of the sun burst into the flowers. Today, I realized that is later in July. Early July is blue, the borage opened today, and the chicory too. Also the little unknown flower in the following image. So precious and small. All this blue, makes me feel the energies of water, ebbs and flows of my heart's yearnings.
June 26
“June is such nice company”
June 21
Thrush song bookends the days,
squash plants revel in the light that infuses us all.
Stillness.
It is not hard for me to sit still, listen, and breath,
not when I have fireflies or thrush as my companions to witness and
breath with.
June 19
Solstice eve and the sun sure feels still and all light pouring into our nooks and crannies, with every intent of swilling around a good brew of heaven within. And while we are on the subject, What is your favorite flavor of heaven?
For me, today, it consists of warmth on my back, beauty before me and around me, feet and hands on the earth, and plans to go for cool dip, shivering, in the deep clear pools pouring down from the mountains.
Tonight, the thrush sing celebratory suites to the fading of day which happens later and later. I suppose they don’t catch up on their sleep until August, because they are the first ones to wake me at 4:00 AM. I love sharing the magic of solstice with them, as the light turns blue in the coming of the night. No other song so reflects and modulates the changing of light as well for me as the Thrush.
Well, I suppose I better go to bed soon, as daylight will wake me so early. And I will welcome that new light of day.
May 27
A raven flies overhead, a hummingbird drinks deeply and then zips away, I sit still, listening
My ear is partially tuned to my internal beat, listening to that rhythm, noticing
Noticing the colors and rays and the angles they make in me. Some of this peeking into my inner closets is uncomfortable, some sweet. I want to hold it all and find the patterns that speak the music and then sing it.
May 14
Sunshine in a glass
To chase cold on a winter day ~
May 10
Hello, I notice a theme in many people's lives... Allowing yourself to feel empowered enough to know that you have a voice, able to use it, and feeling that it Will make a difference for the better. I wish us all to feed the soil that supports that inner voice that believes we can make a difference one voice at a time. It also sounds to me as though Pluto and Eris have a role in teaching us to feel this empowerment.
I start today and by believing in my vision.
"I wasn't born a fool. It took work to get this way."
--Danny Kaye
May Day!
Happy May Day everyone. I hope you had a chance to revel in the beauty and bounty of this Earth today. I found the sun and the colors and the breezes intoxicating. May the winds bring you to your dreams. Much love.
Here are some photos of my day.
Spring ephemeral ~
April 24
Here is a beautiful prayer from Celia Fenn
May your Energy Signature be Light and Pure.
May you be the Holy Grail that carries the Golden Light of the Christ Consciousness.
May your Sacred Heart be alive with Passion and Compassion.
May you Be the Sword of Balance and Truth.
April 17, Easter
A Full moon celebration yesterday, leads to a release. And now, we can celebrate the small and large steps of Resurrection where we are, here and in now- It is a Spring morning here: soft clouds leading to snow showers that will probably change once more later to full Sun. Everything is present for the day and for you.
Blessings to you, love you so!
“Notice a feeling of presence around you, silent helpers directing you to real world angels. All is healing. All is love. It cannot get any simpler than that. Sink into the love. Allow space to think. Ask for guidance. Mentors and teachers are everywhere.“ Leah Whitehorse
April 13
"Each time you engage in the drama of a situation, you weaken your energy field and lower your vibration. The power of peace is the ability to transmute negative energy with your light and your heart resonance."
April 7
The trees have committed. Their energy has risen and responding to the season of growth. The sap has moved to the upper tiers in order to feed for new growth. The early buds burgeon with untethered energy, in preparation for unfolding into their new form. What has been hidden for months, hidden within a tiny shell of a bud, is now stretching and pushing outward under the bud's skin. Soon the bud will shed that skin and truly unfold as a new expression.
We too have a new expression waiting below the surface ready to burst forth when all is ready to say yes. Yes, to the possible, yes to the fire of life, yes to the rising Sun, yes, to love,
Welcome, welcome new life below the surface. Show me your true nature, reveal your new treasures of beauty. Show all your light.
April 4
When we see ourselves, and unconditionally Love the wholeness of ourselves,
we become Love in Action through every circumstance, increasing our creative potential on behalf of All.
~ Christine Clemmer
April 1,
Happy New Moon to you, and Happy April
Oh my goodness, this following quote from Mack Budd said it so Well, I quoting it here for you ~
Aries New Moon Mantra ~
"say what we mean & mean what we say,
self-start our individual healing journey,
& become more healthfully independent."
March 30
Dawn ~
Turkeys walk the road,
owls welcome the moment to rest,
we shake our feathers and stretch to the coming day
“Offer your emotions a cup of tea, bow to them, sit with them, let them have their space. And then they move away.” Krishna das
Spring is an opportunity for new life in all levels. Why think small? DREAM. DREAM BIG.
This Spring bounces in with vitality to magic away old ideas about who you define yourself to be - roles, methods, labels, careers and alliances. And then, we begin to open to the infinite possibilities of who we could be now. Let’s paint the most colorful picture we can. And then update this picture regularly
Here is a quote from Lorna Vevan to ask yourself~
“Which early psychological bargains and soul compromises have I made in order to be loved and to be accepted that have expired?”
March 20
The dusk of Spring lends a special caliber of light to the ends of the day. The night approaches, the cold descends, and the tree sap follows suit.
When all returns to stillness, a deepening Quiet descends too.
Soon, soon, the frogs and the insects will arrive and fill the night air with vibrations and notes so loud we hardly sleep.
For now, when the dusk arrives, when a chill is still in the air, a stillness can move in, like the mist of melting snow.
Then, the chatter of the day stills and the minds quiets too, listening.
I like these moments
March 19
The Equinox, when the earth is half way between the solstices, when the change of light begins to happen so quickly, that we can not measure it in minutes anymore, nor in notes on a page. So much light that our bodies may even feel stressed by all the swift changes pouring in. Ride the tide, I tell myself, Flow and bob with the change. Pam Gregory notes that there is some research to show the amount of light that planet Earth receives exponentially increases historically in March, and that suggests to me that the greatest evolutionary changes on planet earth have happened through history in March.
Let's ride this change with Whoops and aha's! Wheeeee
March 13
Dreaming time, that is how one indigenous poem referred to Winter, is winding down here. And yet a few more precious snow storms and chilly nights have returned to the land the sense of dreaming.
I hope to create in this dreaming time the sacred space that holds us all well.
May gentleness
Blossom on our earth,
and justice dawn
like new-born light
~ Weston Priory Brothers
February 16
I awoke early this morning and saw the Venus brilliance in the Eastern sky.
I felt the inspiration of her light all day.
February 15
One grain of Sand
one leaf of grass
One lonely Star
One Little you,
One little me.
One drop of water,
One drop of you and me.
Adapted from lee Jones song, One grain of sand
February 10
Here is a beautiful piece of encouragement from Leah Whitehorse. A piece of heart mind that I can always use to hear ~
"Embrace whoever or whatever helps you to transcend
your current perspective of the moment, to help you see through the eyes of the heavens.
"You are only limited by your imagination. Mould and reshape yourself as you wish.
You don’t need to conform to names and labels, your identity is your own.
Give yourself permission to dream. You are a glorious spark of creation – Shine."
Feb 4, 2022
Snow fall with presence
Mingling with and extending the awakening of Imbolc and new moon.
A quiet, with presence.
The wind tosses the tiny
snow crystals in eternal dance
ever unfolding in new paths.
Energy pouring forth into creation.
How will this creation appear?
How will energy of the crystals of your vision land on this earth?
What beauty does it embrace?
January 30
Imbolc, or Candlemas, starts on the evening of February 1, and ends February 2nd.
It is halfway point between the December Solstice and the March Equinox. Here, where I live, it holds a deep magic, when we feel the cold of winter and a bubble of hope, a warming in our souls, if not outside. Just as the Earth is beginning to feel a warming to bring Springs of life up through all tendrils to the surface.
In the Celtic tradition, little gifts would be tied to a special tree or near a sacred Spring to welcome new intentions, give gratitude for all the abundance and leave prayers of hope and joy.
Honoring the warmth of the fires that burn within, and without. Honoring the rivers that nourish us. Envisioning an earth in full bloom basking under the glorious sun.
Intriguingly, this day, this year, is also the new moon. A time to honor the dark that has taught us and create intentions for the next month.
This year, I hope to find sacred waters, give gifts of gratitude and prayers for new earth to bloom in health and joy.
I hope you too have a new start on this day with your own ritual of choice.
Much love
January 29
So many animal tracks crisscross the woods today. I found them when I went for a walk early in this beautiful snow day, before the snow covered them. I wonder how have so many animals passed behind my home without me hearing anything?!
Jambala, the cat that shares my home, must know. I often see him sitting on his perch by the window staring out into the night. I thought he was catching the early dance of mating owls. Now, I think he must occasionally be rewarded for perseverance with wondrous views of magical creatures out into the night. How patiently he waits to witness the passing through of those who share this forest with us.
January 28
"How good is your night vision?
Can you train yourself to see in the dark?
Light can be blinding
Keeping shadows in hiding." Sophia Faria
New moon approaches, the dark of the. moon.
Enter the dark.
Allow for Dark,
Create space For the dark
Rest.
The emptiness found there can feel frightening, at first. Yet, emptiness holds space for everything
January 25
It's about seeing, and seeing again.
Hearing and hearing again.
What we think we see,
initiates an opening,
if you let it.
And then we can see again this time. With new vision,
Maybe star vision, tree vision, snow vision, ocean vision, beach vision, desert vision.
An opening is not a conclusion.
A tug from the universe, from your soul is a suggestion, an invitation ~
Infinite choices and options, paths and vistas.
What we think we know, or think we think, is an invitation to view again. And see anew.
: )
January 23
Mercury Cazimi today. I love that word.
I do not truly know what it means, but for today it means the messenger meets the Sun, has a conversation of things beyond our knowing, then comes to our consciousness as knowing. So for today, dream, listen, stargaze, hope and trust in the great love that is unffolding
Here, in the Northeast, we have a lovely reprieve from the cleansing cold that has been our companion. We stretch , marvel. The birds congregate under my feeder, sharing their beauty and knowledge.
so much love to you 💕
January 22
"The Sun, she calls us to rise,
Remember warmth in the dark of the night." A;exa RoseSunshine
January 20
Change is in the winds. First it starts internally, Where we realize areas that no longer fit our joy, our growth, our soul. Now, the internal is getting ready to be external. Notice the dust bunnies that you long to sweep up, notice the places, behaviours, and mindsets (mental dialogues,) that keep you in a place of limbo, and discomfort. Release, release, release and flow toward your joy. Flow toward your heart passions, visions, dreams. Believe in the impossible.
Be wild.
January 17,
Deep mystery in the changing Full Moon tonight. When it is okay to acknowledge the emotions and need to nurture and nourish yourself with hugs, and coziness. When exhaustion reminds us that we are unraveling and rest is needed. When we are not alone in our feelings
January 15
Venus and Mercury will soon rise as morning stars. Bringing in gifts in their illuminated position of ushering in the Sun. The Sun will soon be in height of winter magic in the Northern Hemisphere. The magic of the winter elementals brings a new flavor here. Hard to articulate. And so welcome.
Lovely and love all in one.
January 7, 2022
A haiku from L.R.
"Every evening, dark descends
Every morning, dark takes leave again."
December 19, 2021
Venus goes retrograde tonight. And now, the work of uncovering our hidden stories begins anew. Astrologers say is Venus internal passage is a time to re-evaluate what matters most to us in our connections. Interestingly, the passage takes 40 days. Other events in history that take 40 days often involve water. Maybe we will be awash in our saltiness, our inner waters.
Catherine Urban said so beautifully ~ "Love is an altar of vulnerability. Love has the power to heal all, but it can also break us open....we embark on a journey of forgiving the teachers of the past and finding wisdom and strength in the present – so that we may embody our vision for the future. This Venus retrograde will help us link our present reality with the deeper kinds of connection we crave – but first, we must we willing to explore our hurdles. This Venus retrograde calls for radical honesty. It’s a dance of vulnerability and strength"
The quest of finding soft inner strength with self-love, and self-trust
December 10,
I have been cozying into my home with a sense of sleepy dreamtime mingling into and with the ever earlier dark. Stories, music, laughter, chasing my cat in circles, (yes, we play "chase-chase" around and around after each other. Of course, he wins,) and puzzles all entertain me. Sometimes though, as it has this week, the dark seems to enter my brain and cells, creating a sense of fog in which I feel the inability to hold onto center.
The loss of center... losing control, losing understanding, all those things are wonderfully uncomfortable.
In the unseen realms of the unconscious place, I find I tend to want to hold onto center, to help me navigate, orient, and find meaning from my present. Maybe sometimes it is best to let go of center in order to find a new one. Maybe it's best to let go of points in order to obtain new ones. Maybe we all are releasing so much that we require the fog in order to help us emerge anew in the brilliant light of the sun bouncing off the vapors or bouncing off the snow or water. There, in the new light, we can find ourselves emerging, like a new flower and there in a totally new center.
I look forward to that emerging; Until then, I will breathe, wiggle, chase my cat, breathe and rest with hope for the new center, new earth, new wonder, new light.
Many people have said to me this week, More times than usual actually, "Almost solstice!" Implying, we will "Get Through" and "We must just hold on" until the sun stands still and returns once more...
I, mmm, though I understand how the discomfort overwhelms, I want to say to them ~ Slow down, be in this dark. Relish, Even Revel in this moment of unseen, unknown, unmaking to allow for the deep ancient magic to seep deep, deep into your bones. Find rest here and let it nourish your soul. Find the pause within that this season offers. Find the inner quiet of wonder and not knowing. Allow for miracles and magic.
Blessings to us all.
November 26
"Attend the banquet with loving focus
The outer and inner worlds open to each other
oneness of vision, oneness of heart:
Sutra 50 from Radiance Sutras by L Roche
The feast of life, and the banquet of celestial movements intrigue me. I find the approaching New moon, which will also be a full solar eclipse, slows my outward going energies, pulling me inexorably inward. A slowing inward spiral
I find that my body is both subtly and profoundly affected by the movement of the planets. At first, I think, well, of course the light of the moon affects me; it is the luminary that flows in and guides my waterways. Then, there is Mercury, that oh- so-clever-quick-silver planet, so elusive and so captivating, who knows the right message at the right time. That planet affects my ability to communicate which is one of my passions, so no wonder, I feel it. Then there is Venus, who has been the inspiration of this page. So I include that planet in what affects me... not to mention Jupiter which is such a large planet that of course we feel the pull from that body... The list seems to continue. So while I initially imagined it might be a short list of influential gravities, I find it is an ever expanding one.
And perhaps the power of the influence reflects the amount of attention I give to it. Such that the amount of power something has in your life is directly proportional to the amount of energy you give it? Or is it a case of devotion and that in devoting energy to something or someone, in observation and study, one creates a bridge. A link that allows for a third energy to be present, the divine spark. The spark of creation which changes you, the viewer.
Lorin Roche writes, "a bond of relationship is a "tendon" a bridge. And that this bridge is a pathway to the soul."
Find something so enchanting to behold
That you are transfixed-ravished
Allow yourself to be captivated
Gaze upon its form
With the eyes of wonder.
Attend to details-
This shape, texture, these colors....
How can something so beautiful possibly exist?
With a steady gaze, melt into
The field of space embracing that form.
At once,
be at one with the Creator, who is
looking through your eyes, into creation.
Sutra 57
November 23
It takes courage to be less than perfect
It takes courage sit in the unknown of imperfection. And Feel. So much arises in that void.
I ride the wave of this sensation There are days when we have the opportunity to see how our old belief systems are no longer working. They limit us to a treadmill of fear.
Today, I step off the known into new territory;
I step on to a different path clothed with the gifts of wonder, hope, belief in magic and abundance. I step into the arms of Mother Earth. With so many new trails to explore!
November 19
When the moon met the shadow of the earth, the clouds and snow and rain were covering my section of the earth. I felt that was part of the magic.
And now, tonight, the moon plays with those clouds like an artist exploring a medium.
November 13
November winds are arriving blowing the cold to my doorway
My skin feels tighter, my breath feels taut
This quote from Krishna Das gives me relief ~
Surrender is dissolving into love
ahhh, I can breathe again, releasing the fears these winds blow in.
November 10
Today is the last official day of the hawk count on the local mountain. The mountain had a record year of hawks sited, and noted ~ 18,649 as of today. I watched the last counted Redtail migrate south this afternoon, as well as a turkey vulture, while raven children chilled in the late afternoon blustery wind. They won't migrate, don't need to. They have their homes here.
It has been an honor to see even a few of the hawks that passed our homes on their way south to Summer homes. I will continue to visit the mountain and cavort with the ravens.
November 8
"To be able to walk in different realms, and other dimension does not necessarily mean the ability to leave your body. That can lead to confusion and feeling lost.
"The true ability to travel in other realms is the ability to stay grounded, to the eath as you allow yourself to be expanded, go where you need to go, walk the paths you need to walk and return to the body because the body stayed grounded and you stayed in awareness of this connection.
Until the body is activate and holds the information of the heaven realm with in it, it means nothing.
The body and the mind, the Shen and the Zhi, the yin and the yang, they come together and work together, when you can marry them, you can awaken to your original nature inside of you."
Laurie Herron
November 7,
From Visions ~
The Eternal One Is.
Behind all manifestation is the All.
One face of the Eternal One is ever formless, the other face appears as Two.
These Two, between them, are the source of all created things.
Two lovers, two friends, between them, the universe lives suspended.
And so, the Eternal One knew form
through the crystalline structures of Truth,
and energy through the sun and stars.
The stars loved matter. And matter loved the stars.
Great was their exchange,
enjoying the passionate transformations of matter into energy,
and the elongated forms of planetary interaction.
Eons elapsed, and then....
Ken Carey
October 31
I made a bouquet today
From the burnished bee balm that you and the hummingbirds loved so.
From the autumn dried raspberries that I put in my tea.
From late blooming asters so sweet, vibrant and hardy
From golden rod flowers scenting the air as they dry ~
All reminding me of the summer and our dreams,
and of love eternal that holds my heart
I will dry this bouquet to remind me of this day and of your sweet beauty.
To remind me of the beauty of the fading colors of the day.
To remind me that love, and the eternal now is ever near, and ever present.
As are my memories of you.
October 25
An awesome "nor'easter" bringing delicate rain and not too much wind yet. On its wind, has arrived the misty qualities of Autumn and the soul searching self-reflection I often find myself in.
Here are some musing and beautiful quotes that brought a smile to me ~
"What does it feel like being a unicorn and living your whole life terrified to find out you’re made up?" (Eeek!)
"So we expend lots of energy in an attempt to control what others see and think" to help us feel real...
At times, I feel more wispy misty, than substance real.
"The self has only one job. Pretend this is real. Don’t let on, that we have questions and doubts to reality...."
And in response, wonderful Alan Watts answers ~
“What you are basically, is simply the fabric and structure of existence itself. And you’re ALL that, only you’re pretending you’re not.”
Phew.... So glad some one knows
October 24
The trees are unveiling themselves and becoming bare.
A nice guide for us to remind us to unveil in order to reveal who we are, even to ourselves.
Stripping down to the bare spark of life.
Stripping down to see under the covers of our masks and personalities.
Happy voyage into the unknown
I once described myself like a magpie or crow who holds on to treasures found on an autumn day.
I still do, hold on.
I am no different now, only understand now, that the life I hold in my hands is oh so precious and unfolds in endless moments of letting go. Releasing itself to itself. Life unfolding and becoming with the mystery of itself.
For that, I can have gratitude.
October 13 ~ Happy Birthday Steve!!!
Birch Leaf falling day is today in southern Vermont! I commemorate it (and wrote a post about it last year ~ "A golden Embrace") because the falling of golden leaves, that happens both spontaneously and mysteriously, is a magical experience. It is hard to describe the swirl that surrounds you, and helps you pause to watch and listen and marvel.
So, I note it again that today is that magical day, several weeks later than last year, yet magical and sublime still
As an after thought, I think last year it happened just prior to a full moon too. Interesting.
October 8
Heart of the path ~
"What passions are in your heart to be discovered? Take a moment to breath into your places within that feel tense. Breathe into those places and feel them release. Now, find the place where the river of love flows and sing to it as it finds its way to every cell in your body." Until your river of love nourishes all of you. (from the Akashic Oracle deck)
October 6 - tomorrow -
A new moon like no other, preparing us for a whirlwind 3-4 months, occurs at 7:30 in morning of the 6th (EST). Hold on to your hats, hands, and hearts. We are in a period of shifts and changes
I shall try to hold a "don't know" mind, too, as best as I can
Blessings for your new.
October 3
I've been musing on how to take the middle ground in face of one's own inner wounds. One astrologer quoted that with Chiron involved, the medicine is IN the wound. Can we as a society face that? Can we find the middle ground for peace, in the middle of the wounds of injustice? (perceived or otherwise). Can we find the middle ground of speaking one's truth in the middle of so much unknowns? Can we find our solo paths in the midst of collective peer pressure? Can we express our own individual song, even if it seems to clash with the rhythm and the tune of what surrounds us?
I hope so. I like hearing your song. I like singing mine.
I like knowing you are there singing as best you can, on a path with the divine as your playmate
September 30
Loneliness manifests when we go away from ourselves and forget to tend the inner fire. Come home.
Leah Whitehorse
Sept 26
Ahh, the gift of the stars join the efforts of the seasons to pull us inward and into self-review this month. We will likely ask ourselves and each other questions that do not have answers. When maybe the best answer is wonder and waiting, and being with the ones that bring our hearts to love and ourselves to our hearts. Always wise, if hard advice to Be with the questions, allow for the mystery of life and death, wonder with the beauty of paradox.
And... See the eternal, breathe in self- nurturing hope and hold hands with the divine.
Sept 20
There is a Full Moon tonight. It makes for interesting pulls in our psyches. On one hand, the season, the weather, the Sun all ask us to prepare, organize, detail, and... well, control. But that is a dangerous path to follow too closely. So the moon reminds us to hold the feelings, believe, trust, know your inner truth, know your inner light. Pause. So if we err on one side or another, we may regroup to seek the balance. And it may all feel uneasy for now.
And seeking balance is also emphasized now, due to the Equinox on the 22nd, when the number of hours of daylight and night are roughly equal. While the preparations for season change, which can make us feel busy, the Equinox reminds us to spend equal time in luscious rest.
In response to this push - pull, I find I am feeling anxious and vulnerable. How to balance it all?! In response, I try to soothe my self with accepting what is and more importantly, in self-acceptance, allowing for the fear, the anxiety, the loneliness and whatever is being pulled out of the shadow. I am reaching out for connection.
And another quote from Leah Whitehorse helped:
The art of happiness is self-acceptance, and the key to healing is bathing your fears in love.
Sept 16
I liked this reminder from Leah Whitehorse ~
When it is hard to believe that peace or happiness or miracles are possible ~
Keep your sense of wonder alive
Do you not who you ‘should’ be.
Yours is a holy heart, give it some love!
Optimism combined with practical experience keeps you grounded and growing
Create opportunities for your abundance and believe in you.
Sept 14
My neighborhood has a lot of young ones for such a small area. There is a yearling cub who used to roam by herself for much of the summer. Now, she has a new friend in a much younger and smaller cub. Mmm. I wonder if they will stay friends.
There are the fledgling catbirds, the grackles that rove in the woods for longer than I expected. I am grateful.
And there is the baby owl. This one is still practicing ki's call, day and night, the call is almost a hoot... I have seen her/him. He/she kinda ducks when you spot her/him (I won't know 'til the call is matured whether male or female. ) I hear the parents from time to time.
And then there are the teenage Ravens. They don't mingle as much as they used to. Instead, they practice their acrobatics now, so they can compete with the eagles on the airways trails. That would be a fine sight. Eagles and Ravens dancing in the sky. Tumbling together as friends.
September 12
It has been a while since writing here. I have felt both the exhilaration of the season, and the internal contemplative pull. I saw a hummingbird migrant today as I photographed a monarch (see photo section,) and she made my day. Wow, How blessed to see two migrants in one spot, intermingling without fear... But that is another subject.
Some days, I hear the birds shifting to the demands of Autumn and I admit, feeling sad for their departure. I do miss the summer residents.
The other day, I felt like Katharine Hepburn gazing over Golden Pond in a movie from so long ago, pondering the changes of life, of the Fall approaching, of the colors becoming so gold, the birds flocking together practicing murmuration, all in preparation for departure.
I watch as the clouds lay low in the hills, and the sky reminds me of more change. I watch and breathe into the passages of time; I breathe into the beauty and distilling. I prepare internally, and know soon the seasons will make new demands of me.
Change is upon us again. I know it will brings demands that we can meet with grace, strength and peace. I watch and stay in my heart.
Departure. Temperance. Impermanence. All different. All present for me
The birds prepare for their departure and their journey south
And I prepare in my heart for the journey of soul
September 2
Fall has arrived. I have been hearing it come in the changing sound. The thrush trills mingling with Bluejay concertos. The catbird call replacing the chickadees Heelooo. Above the mosquito filled fields fly magnificent acrobats of the nighthawk. The buzz of crickets echo through the night. I notice migrants visiting, with gratitude for food and rest and a determined look in their eyes to keep their eyes on their journey ahead.
And I put on extra layer this morning.
Hurricane season brings these shifts every year. The rains increase and the birds decrease. I miss the birds so very much when they slowly depart to their summer realms. I hope the land and beings there welcome my friends with open arms and lots of food. I hope they make space for safe havens for all the immigrants to rest, relax and re-feul. I shall miss them while they perform their southern patrols. May their passages all be safe and beautiful. May the migrations inspire and expand their life and love.
Meanwhile, I have the comfort of the owls and their young ravens who stay year-round. The fledged owl is still practicing her call, and raven teenagers are soaring in the fall breezes with exhilarated expression of freedom. I watch from the ground and soar with them in my heart.
August 24
A few observations, and a muse~
August in Vermont offers a different perspective on summer. The gardens lay full of weeds and yet I feel more inclined to watch how these tall flowering plants draw the flying insects than to disturb them.
Even more notably, quiet descends thickly causing even my cat to want to be still and watch. Maybe the quiet is from the birds beginning to congregate for migration, and singing less for procreation.
They are still here though, which makes MY heart sing.
Or maybe it is an energetic quiet that eludes description.
The most prominent sound this hot day, is the orchestra of crickets that in the hazy heat of late August verges on the edge of pandemonium. The bounty of insects is a feast for insect eaters and and pushes one's understanding of surplus.
A Raven croaks in the forest and then the depth of quiet descends again. In the ongoing observation of duality, I wonder, Do I choose to hear and focus on the presence of stillness, or do I focus on the loud but constant ongoing background of noise making crickets? Can I hear both ends of the cosmos simultaneously?
Then in the meditative silence I hear this muse offered to me ~ how wonderful it is that there is more to investigate in the Rightness of now, as Gifts of the Now drip from the flower of life eternally. OOH, yes, and thank you.
I hope you too can find the gifts being offered to you even in this very moment.
Much love
August 23
It is good to be patient with yourself as you unfold like a flower, all while giving yourself permission to drink from the overflowing nectar of the heart. (my memory of a quote from Feifei Song)
August 22
Happy Full Moon dear friends. I took a picture of it last night before the winds of hurricane blew layers of cloud cover. I tried to upload it but the program does not like my images of moons... Who knows why.
So, I want to share another image, draw one with my words. A cloud hung low in the garden a few days ago. Everywhere I looked, out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw pink. It was a pink cloud... or at least it seemed that way. ... just a hint of pink.
I began to muse on what would it be like, if we only could see one color? As glowing, warming and rosy a pink glow would be... I think we would begin to miss the rest of the spectrum.
Still, it was quite fun to imagine
I think I like the full spectrum too. And the moon, the moon, it glows in a many spectrum light and moves through the magnificent clouds, asking us to see things in new perspectives and to try on new experiences.
August 16
Voices of kindness and compassion~
"We have to learn to grieve with one another, we have to listen to one another, to hear the pain of their predicament, because the minute each of us is heard and feels heard, we are freer to let go of that predicament, and that identity. When we are freer, we can meet behind those identities and begin to play. But we're not going to let go, until we are heard. I would like a world in which people can hear each other. " Ram Das
August 5
Birds are readying for migration, they are in the early stages of dancing their summer homes adieu.
Watching birds fly and dip anywhere gives me joy that transfixes all other senses. This is particularly true when I watch them over the ocean. When I see them swoop, dip and fly over the waves, their flight invites me into a biome that I sense yet cannot quite see, thrill to yet cannot quite grasp.
In their movements there is an interweaving of attention and flow. Of music and freedom. Of waves through moving air, land, and sea. A movement that is like the light, both particle and wave~ guiding, suggesting, participating and gliding in an united expression, a dance of love.
A love that can not defined, contained, refrained or restrained. An ineffable love that can be neither grasped nor comprehended . As sun rays land on an ever widening path, the possibilities for the expression multiplies in endless fractals outward, upward, and inward.
How else to describe this wave other than love? Or passion? Or Joy? Love of the beloved. And what could the answer to the beloved's call be other than unremitting, boundless joy. Joy that in expression is both liberation and response. It offers and receives. It flies free as these birds before me coasting, dancing, soaring and lifting me and my heart.
Heart math says that to increase our heart resonance and coherence we need to feel love, joy, peace, compassion, gratitude and appreciation, and in doing so we increase our own heart field which in turn benefits our own health and the health of the collective.(Global coherency initiative)
Hurray! I'll keep watching the birds.
July 24
It takes courage to be you and shine as brightly in the day as the Sun does. In fact, doing so, may make some shadows!! The contrast, as we have found, is So Very Welcome
It takes courage to keep an open heart in the midst of those shadows, and practice trust in the wonders ahead.
We are in a magical window of great energy beaming down on us. Soak in its elixirs
Practice gratitude for what feels amazing, and also gratitude for the current challenges and interruptions. Every moment is a gift, and every situation contains a blessing ~
For the courageous visionaries walking the planet with an open heart, going against the grain of the social norm, committed to channeling Love into the root system of our planet ~ Christine Clemmer
July 21
Two years ago, there were cascades of monarchs hatching from chrysali in preparation for heading south.
Last year, we searched eagerly to see even one or two fluttering among fall blooming flowers.
This year, matriarchs and patriarchs have made it this northern outpost to lay new seeds for the future. Who are these magnificent prodigy that against all odds including near monsoon weather, they flock to milkweed they've never seen? They dry in the warming sun, and give us hope for a new generation of super Monarchs to make it all the way home this winter, to start the cycle all again.
I don't know how the miracle works, but it does. These are children of children of the ones that left two years ago;here they drink in the nectar of milkweed, dry on their leaves and flutter from post to post laying the hope for the future. Thank you great wonder! Welcome spirit of the butterfly for your joy, determination, magic, transformation and mystery.
I am breathing more easily now that you have returned and fly overhead, even after all the heavy heavy rain, they still fly free.
The one above looks like it has traveled from very far
July 20
Petrichor- the scent of rain that has fallen on dry earth
July 16
"We can not face the Great Void before we have the strength and the greatness to fill it with our entire being. Then the Void is not the negation merely of our limited personality.. it is like the womb of space in which the light moves eternally without ever being lost." from The Way of the White Clouds by Lama Anagarika Govinda
July 16 Some more quotes
"By letting go , we can fully experience the alchemy of purification and transformation" C Clemmer
Alchemy, a union of opposites does seem to require a leap from some known point into the unknown to alchemize something new. Any leap, any shift, requires a letting go of the ground beneath my feet to reach the new.
I Leap
Like a lion
Leap
July 14
We grow wise with intimate contact with Nature
Mark Coleman
I am divine
I am love
I am loved
I love
The birds have vanished
The last remaining clouds have faded away
We sit together the Mountain and me
Until only the Mountain remains
Li Po
July 6
All the little wonders in the world of outdoors seem so infinite, that I wonder whether words could capture the image of them: the raven babies lifting off the back woods road in a small gang, or the teenage kitten who never let her sibling leave her side more than 2 mm, and when she did, she would hop again so close. And how they both hopped, skipped and prowled after dragonflies. Seriously, I wondered at how they managed to walk, they were so close to each other.
Or the 4 days of rain that made the slugs So Very Happy. And the mud so grandiose.
Those slugs will be sad when dry season returns. For now, they seem as content as could be that here, in Vermont, sometimes, the land magically turns into a temperate wild rainforest.
I like it too.
June 29
A little wonder happened yesterday in my garden.
The wonder is that St John's wort and the Evening Primrose bloomed their first flowers on the same day! Well, on either side of the same day, actually. One in the morning and one at night. I really do love these wild flowers. I wonder if the definition of a weed is actually a perennial that can bloom for weeks and weeks... Unlike other perennials.
I almost did not share this muse as I am having a sabbatical from my phone, which also is my camera... So I apologize - no pictures of these plants. Nor of the grass bouquets that I bring in. Nor the shining cloudscapes that bring both thunder and light. So I hope, that my simple description helps you feel the joy they brought. And that you feel their light, shining in your day and night.
♥️
June 24
I wonder at the prevalence of flowers this year. The daisies, yarrow, and milkweed are bountiful. The Bounty of June comes in these bouquets
My daily vespers is to bring in a bouquet. A bouquet a day. Yesterday ~ delicate grass, so tender and spritely, sparkled in morning dew like dancing fairies kissing the air. Today, Greater Campion shined bright.
I know that June is known for her roses. To me, born in June, I keep noticing and love the "Common" flowers of the field. I love to gaze on and smile with the Buttercups and grass of the fields that wave in the gentle breeze.
Beauty rides us to our destination, beauty buoys us when other stories may cloud our vision. Beauty lifts my spirit. I sit with these friends today.
June 20. ~ Solstice ~
The Sun is at its height in the northern hemisphere, and the Earth has tilted its closest to pointing to the sun. It feels like a day of celebration and of pause, a Day of reflection. A day of healing. The Sun pauses; we do too. Perhaps this pause will help you see the blessings blooming in your life, home and world.
I read today about the symbolism of Starfish. Among its characteristics, it symbolizes infinite divine love, to tuning into intuition, and guidance. Also about regeneration. Certainly, today, with the BRILLIANCE of the Sun so bright here in the Northeast, guidance is present.
I hope, today, that you find an inner knowing of the hope for regeneration, and hope in the miracles in the small. I hope that the day brings many blessings and healing to you
So much love.
June 19
My first thought when taking the above photo was, "Crescent moon conjunct maple, sextile the wild thrush. " ☺️
Sounds like a hopeful geophysical influence to me!
I sure welcome hope and have had the need to buoy my spirits these days. As if all the extra light, pouring onto Earth, as lovely and welcome as it is, is scouring me out of debris, dust and detritus. IT can feel quite tiring and depressing! Still, I feel a deep knowing that these waves, as choppy as they feel, are riding us to Magnificence.
Imagine... What might your magnificence look like?? Mmm
So here's to hoping and wishing
for you to find inner strength to grieve as life asks, laugh when you can and Dance Dance Dance. ("swing, swing, swing"...)
To meet life with a delicious sense of humor and quirkiness that surprises even you.
And to manage a firm focus on the center of your heart
So, while the days feels full of light, Happy Solstice, and afterwards, still a blessed Solstice to you
One of my favorite sayings right now is, "there is nothing wrong with the Sun in the night."
Namaste
LOVE YOU ALL
June 16
"Incarnation is vehicle for liberation" Ram Das
When in quietness, inside you, you begin to hear, perceive the unique role you are playing in the universe. You begin to see that you are much more than you previously understood, or were taught, or conditioned to understand. You are a unique spark of the universe.
June 8
The above wild creature, found by a friend, flies in June to dance, mate and then rest. (Often on screen doors) Soon after this pursuit of life and love, the creature leaves his or her physical form, trusting life to continue the cycles. Oh what a life of beauty, faith and shimmering evanescence.
That I may live my life so fully, in the days given to me
To fly free, dance in the evening breeze, and pursue that which I love.
What unknown mystery may blow in today, on the scent of the evening breeze that may lure me to my joy?
May 31
The quality of light has changed as we approach June. In the morning dew, and today after the rains of the week, droplets of water shimmer on the edges of the trees, leaves, bush, and grass in a rainbow of colors.
When I see this, I always, say, welcome, 'cause I know, when the fairy lights of color and water shimmer on the edges of the forest after a rain, I know the fairies are dancing, and laughing in playful love. Thank you rainbow light I that shines so bright it bounces in the morning light.
Wishing you the glimmer of fairy light that calls to you today and throughout the magic of June
May 28
Hello, what a wild ride this week is with eclipse and now mercury stationing ~ That eclipse was a jumping off place, or a portal, to a whole new realm of possibility. We may only have begun to see the wonders that will begin to be possible. Let your dreams, even more, let your fun and joy guide you. "Tap out of seriousness, and into sincerity." (A Watts)
I find that fun feels like taboo, at times, a serious crime against the norm. You might be seen laughing.... in bliss, in a childlike moment of" all is right in your world." Is it truly safe?
It is, and it is true.
For some, it may feel as though monsters still rumble in the undertow causing anxiety to ripple wide in its wake. But watch where your mind takes you. Pay attention to those gremlins and come instead, from the heart, breathing in what is present now, and then take one step at a time focusing on and doing what you know you can do~ wash the dog, or take a bath for yourself, (if you have a tub.) Take time for you.
What is the kindest choice you can make for you?
And if you have found that bliss, and the dolphins are jumping alongside your boat today ~ Halleluia! This is True. May your heart and mind find a way to hold hands and smile.
May 25
It is a powerful day, the day before the eclipse.
Here is my prayer~
Oh, from these depths
I gaze to the treetops
praying for perspective,
That I may fly high
and from there
See the beauty made in the tapestry here.
Oh, Dear Spirit, guide my hands today,
Help me to bring solace
To bring a balm of
deep relief.
The relief of Love
And to bring it from the deepest waters, to quench this thirst.
Oh dear Spirit, help me to play in these winds
To dance and sway in your branches
May 19
The Hummingbird siblings are back!!
Last year, I referred to them as "The Siblings." They would jostle and twirl over each other and then make their zoombing retreat up to the trees.
I know they are the siblings because they have the same quirky squirting playful noises when they encounter each other.
And they rejoice in their freedom by leaping up high to the tree tops in less than a second. They know these trees as old friends. I can feel it.
My heart dances in their spontaneous unpredictability and delight. I twirl with them
I heart sings, "they made it, they made it through the trials of winter"
They returned
Safely and together.
May 11
Today, the moon follows the trail of the Sun and by the afternoon they will have tea and share news. The Sun helps the moon start a new cycle and helps her disrobe and become the dark that blesses.
Tomorrow, the moon will begin anew. And then bring her sliverest self to Venus who has only recently arisen from the underworld herself. Tomorrow night, they will share their stories of the dark, and find mutual growth and blessings. They will share their inner fire and wisdom.
Neither of these beings shy away from the dark and its treasures, nor the beauty found there. They dive deep. They welcome what both the shining and the unveiling can offer.
Today, I pause with the deepening and quieting moon. Shh, I listen. I will ride this deepening wave into the depths. Soon, the moon will meets with the Sun, and also Lilith, another "beckoner" to the void. Before then, I hope to listen to, and consider the blessings of the the unknowing, and the Void herself. The void, a place where I can unlearn, unknow, unveil, unsee.
I do not say it is comfortable. No, actually, it feels as it is called~ a Void. To allow for the treasure, I must also allow for the discomfort. Today, I will relish in time to listen. Then, if I am still holding on to the wave that brought me deep, that same wave will bring me upward, and skyward where, I shall find perspective and gratitude. There, I will take a deep breath and find a new robe for my new days of this month.
Until then, I breath, listen and embrace the unknown.
May 8
I wrote once to myself about the idea of faith.... and what could that word could mean to me. I asked myself, What and who do I believe in just for today? Right now? Am I willing to let go of my ice grip on fear to allow for the possibility that this mystery we call life, that surrounds me and everyone like a gigantic ocean, has our back? What if I could relax into a support system of Love all around and in that love, there is a great ocean of possibility that awaits everyone of us.... And what if those possibilities just might be aMAZing?
What and how would I feel then? Like maybe I could Dive in.
May 2
"The Longing itself, is the gift from your heart, from God/Goddess to yourself. The Longing is what saves us. That is how we experience being pulled from within ourselves to our true Self. Without Longing, what would you have? Nothing."
Krishna Das
He adds that the longing is the response from the divine to your prayer for connection. It IS the connection. It may not be so comfortable, nonetheless it does pull us out of our small understanding of "Me". It brings us further to our true Self. It makes me think of something that I have heard described titled the "the Agony and the Ecstasy...." and of Martin Prechtel's work describing raw grief, Real Grief as praise, for the Great Spirit.
April 27
This Photo humored me, making me think of a day of "Spring Rapture," in all senses of that word~ when the old life is left behind with little effort, and the new explored without baggage.
These feet, not seen above, moved out of their confinement to meet the earth and explore the cooling soft mud~ to explore This Earth beneath us. These feet emerged from the old path and are discovering new ones. Discovering that This Earth rises to meet us, with each step we take, discovering that the Earth Meets us Here and Now.
We are so brave, stepping forward, despite the nightmares of our dark times, we still step out to in hope of new adventures. It takes so much courage to hope for new, and to trust that this precious Earth indeed is here, now to embrace our feet, to welcome each step. Belief in what we can not know is a revolutionary and radical act.
The Earth is not inanimate, and un-responsive. The Earth responds to our longing for home by encouraging us forward. With each step, the Earth reaches out, reaches up, encouraging us on,
"Keep going, keep going, the nectar you seek is so close, just a little longer now,
just around the corner,
Keep believing. I am here, now."
April 21
There is a kind of Rain, that comes today that happens in April or May that massages my bones into butter. I melt with the weight of the atmosphere and relinquish all resistance. Resisting its insistence is not really possible. Releasing into the embrace of this weight turns me into a formless puddle. My body rests a deep rest of fluidity and Earth. Upon waking, I am mutable and careful.
Still the rain pours on today, as if to say, "stay formless." Allow the heat of the woods stove pour into your sinews and heal the old hardness. Where the melting can untie the bones from the hard stories, allowing the historic matters to drift away with the rivers of rain.
As I relinquish to this embrace, a wave of relief and a deep breath fill me. The goddess herself blows her life into my life.
Still, sometimes, more rain is needed, for the historic knowns to melt away and allow for miracles to arrive. So for now, I drift in this melting, and let the past melt away.
April 19
Here is a rambling of some inner musings and observations. Putting these thoughts into questions feel the most poignant way to describe these mulled droughts~
How do we allow our world to feel beautiful? The key word is Allow, really allow the beautiful to enter our awareness? And Where am I placing my awareness? There is a metaphor that is attributed to indigenous wisdom of a person having 2 wolves within. The recommendation is to eed the one you want around; which "wolf" do I find that I feed, is it the one I want?
Here's one that popped into my awareness yesterday~ How is it to wake up from the dream of illusion to the remembering that all is Love? When I do, I wonder how I ever forgot...
When do I stand in my truth and allow the boat of expectations of other's to rock? And when do I resist rocking and instead recede like the tide of the ocean and let the pebbles lay where they will lay? Some people feel these times demand that we stand and Resist. But when does that perpetuate the suffering?
The last question for now, how can my life be an expression of my truth and focus? And that indeed may be enough of a challenge by itself.
Musings that comes and go for your pleasure
April 10
Here are two sentences that wise women spoke to me of their experience in their now - moving me to eternity as well. I hope I can capture their presence with these quotes and offer that to you.
"The feeling of healing sound is like coming out in the Spring morning and witnessing a bud that has just opened."
And another~
"When I put my mind to it, I can bring myself back to the sound of home, I can still hear the sound, and then I can rest."
April 6
I like the word regeneration. Growth emerging from the the eternal cycle of life.
I am not sure if my grandparents, and theirs, knew that word, much less believed in it. If they did, maybe belief only arrived in the Spring when earth shows us undeniably the healing power of life, when the whispers in the wind re-kindled their hopes and dreams. And the spirit of life re-entered their streams.
Surely, if they had believed in that word, they would have allowed and accepted the beauty of diversity and difference; They surely would have marveled at the power of the river to restore. They would have known all is well Always and nothing is missing. They would have remembered they were enough and just fine.
So for them, for the children, for me~ I will hold faith in what I know deep down~ I believe in life, I believe that nothing is broken or lost, nothing is amiss. I believe in the path before me, in miracles, in potential, in growth. I believe in wonder and opportunities.
I believe in love.
April 4
From Shimshai's music "All that I am:"
"All that I am, All that We are,
Shining in Love
Like an infinite star.
"One with the All, all becomes one.
All has been here since Creation's begun
"Break down the walls of illusion and Fear,
Seek for the truth and the Truth shall appear.
All that I am, all becomes one,
Shining in love like the infinite Sun...
"So follow the path that lies where you go.
Look for the truth in the things that you know.
Seek with Ja wisdom so high, so pure,
Carry it with you through all that you endure.
"All that I am, all that we are,
Shining in Love like an infinite star."
March 31
A few beautiful wise ones have inspired me to breathe light in and through my heart, as a gift. Breathing in and out, and into all the sensations in between. Breathing this way appears to change the imprint of Story, of genetics, of inherited stories, and allows/opens eyes to new possibilities. Breathing and breathing, I Breathe light into my heart, feeling how, over time, the breath does lighten my heart
So this all leads me to think about how our breath, sound vibrations, our imagination and our hearts in collaboration, gift us with recalibration system that can changes cellular memory. Ahhh!!! Is that what Excalibur, the famous sword of King Arthur was all about? How's that for miraculous?! Breathing new life into our hearts with our intentions, with Light and with prayer, can shift or transmutes cellar memory and experience, restoring clarity and wholeness- creating a round table of all our parts in collaboration. Like a sword of truth cutting through the untrue... Allowing us to offer ourselves acceptance and unity.
Christine Clemmer also offers the advice to practice self forgiveness and compassion this week, welcoming home all parts of yourself back to wholeness and to the Love that you are. We need each other now to awaken ourselves to our unique individuality, our unique beauty. That seems like good advice for any day and any week. I hope you are embracing all of you today, the "ouches" and the prizes as all a beautiful unique contribution to life, and to me.
Somehow the clouds in this image seemed appropriate to today's clouds. Namaste
March 28
Today, the Full moon in Libra, conjunct the wounded healer, Chiron, brings opportunity for deep healing, bringing "a fiery kiss that burns away the hurt.... when we can find the beauty in the scars, and the courage to love" (Leah Whitehorse)
Meditation is helpful these bright burning days. More beautiful quotes from Lorin Roche~
"Meditation is a courtship. You are romancing the intrinsic divinity of life...
I open my arms to this divinity and open my heart to this goddess of life, who is "more ancient than time and younger than Springtime, who is concerned for you, and has come from beyond Eternity to care for you, and to fill you with her shining energy, lighting you up with her laughter."
Happy Passover, and Palm Sunday. Shine on, Shine on, like the beautiful Full Moon shining a path in the night sky.
March 25
Somehow, the fact that Venus entered her underworld phase of her journey, escaped my awareness!!! The planet that originally inspired the writing of this Venus Muse Page has been in her underworld stage since February 13!! So if relationships have felt murky, uncomfortable and unclear, you have one cause. I thought it was the watery imaginal influence of Pisces season. She reemerges May 3 when we can see her as a Evening star.
The underworld phase is likened to Inanna's descent into the underworld to heal and align herself after her first voyage there, in this cycle, in Fall of 2020 when she loses precious things to her, going deeper and deeper until at the end, she meets death where she is transformed.
The Underworld dates are also the time that Venus is no longer seen from the planet earth, as this planet is behind the earth on her way to meeting the Sun. The meeting of these two luminaries is early in the morning on March 26, tomorrow.
According to those who study the Venus cycle, this planet spends 260 days as a morning star. After which she travels with the Sun to regain her tools and realign her chakras.
Cayelin Castell describes the alignment that occurs during the waxing moons after re-emerging as an evening star. I would put the link, but my copy function is not working. I will add it tomorrow. This page is very interesting and helps to think about each chakra and our relationship to them.
Venus and the Sun's meeting feels intuitively like a reboot, a gift of renewed clarity after so much unknown and murky waters. I certainly welcome that. Maybe this meeting will bring new passion and laughter in our interactions and play. Maybe this meeting will also teach us new ways to engage in community and connection respectfully and richly. So much has changed. As we come out of our bubbles relearning to interact with each other sometimes feels like fumbling in motion. Here's to Spring and new growth.
March 23
Robins song trilled me home tonight
The return ....more than words can encompass
March 20, 2021
Happy Equinox! Here, in Vermont, the Earth moves to Spring Equinox bringing bubbling up energies, moving us forward into newness. Either side of the globe the Equinox brings us to our center, to ground now, to find inner balance, from which we can then transfer new cosmic information down in through our receptor system to the Earth.
My prayer to the Earth, to the directions to the heaven on this auspicious day~
"May I bring balance in my days and life to this moment, to the community and to the Earth
May I bring newness and breath to all I do,
May I release the past with all the stories and weights,
May I follow my passions in this coming season,
May I fly like the Eagle seeing both the here and the beyond, uniting them in my vision,
and May I bring the love of the divine to the Earth, in my work and play."
March 14
Here, Now
"You are always here even when you Forget to remember that you're here.... Chanting trains us to be in the moment, and not Gone, arriving to the love that we are," Krishna Das
"Take a deep breath, and dare to dream. The universe awaits to assist." Shelly Leal
March 12
New Moon in Pisces tonight, well, tomorrow actually, at 5:22 AM EST. I always blur the edges of moon-time so that anything within 12 hours of the exact event is close enough for me. So for me, tonight And tomorrow are both the New Moon. The pause, the quiet space between exhale and inhale. A vital time, according to neurophysiology experts to reboot your body's systems too.
This New Moon helps us regroup and listen to our soul song. First, we must allow for that non-time space, and the emptiness to hear it, to allow for change, "flux", the room to shift vision and dreams. When that all feels too scary, as it sometimes can, tune into your heart, and breath there, the light of the heart sees one through the hardest of passages. Christine Clemmer (I know I quote her a lot) wrote that "when we can't see things clearly, stay tuned to your heart, where we can ride the waves (with a modicum of equilibrium.) If we can't see yet, then it's not time yet." Trust, hope, faith. Another friend said, fill the empty space with love thoughts to help buoy you through. (I liked that idea and imagine painting with colors that soothe me, breathing color with the unknown.)
"The energies are fluid, going this way and that, flowing like tiny tributaries from a creek, go where they lead." Kathy Biehl. This energy is transforming us indeed, whether we know it or not.
Soon April will come with the fires of Spring, asking for energy, projects, momentum. First we have the new moon. Pause, wait and listen to the soul. Allow for the dreams to gestate, a little longer, in this womb of March.
March 9
New moon arrives soon. I quote Christine Clemmer today, so near the dark of the moon. The time when I am so deep in my inner ocean, I do not yet find words yet to describe the mystery that is this life.
In this Piscean season of March, which could be described as "swimming in the ocean of possibilities," she suggests that "The only way to navigate the infinite ocean is to ride the waves and float. And the way to harness limitless potential is to allow the waves to carry us as we rise up, fully awake, from the heart.
"There are peak moments of exhilaration, when we feel on top of the world and at our best….and then there are moments of rest, sometimes even fall, when we integrate higher wisdom while nourishing and restoring ourselves from within...
"We're either believing in possibility from the heart, or buying into a limitation from the lower mind. Now is the time to believe, full throttle, from the heart...then let go and open to the magic."
March 6
I dance in the morning to root deeply into the light of hope. Hope, "believing that support is already present," (Kyle Gray,) holds me steady and true, holds me plumb and steady in the storms that blow at sea in this time, in many times.
In these seas, we float, feeling the change all around us. Releasing worries to the waves. The waves of this sea bring change in on the tides. I submerge in the waves to change my visions, narratives, even my skins. I dance in the mornings to flow and mold alongside these changes, where I seek to release layers of dust that obscures my vision, my breath and joy. Where does this dust come from?!
I dance and dance, and then dance some more until I can laugh once more. Laugh with life and its joyful unfolding.
These waters in which we all swim have ki's own wisdom, own timing. The waters move us along a path, we may not see or understand to places we've yet to dream of. We may aim for a destination or shore; other times, surrender is what the waters require. Surrender and release. Allowing the tide to carry us to our future, in her own time.
Not knowing, where or when I will land, or where this tide leads, I let go and surrender, surrendering to the water that carries and hold us all~
I shed the weary stories,
the weary beliefs,
allowing for something new and indescribable to rise to the surface, unhindered
Unhindered by narrative, by weight, by past, or by hundreds voices that would distract me. I let it rise and like
the bubbles of hope and freshness, it does Rise.
Here is my hope~ I hope one day, soon, we will dance together in these waves. And there play and laugh until we find hope rising in us like the bubbles of the sea.
Let's be as Children diving into the incoming waves knowing without a doubt that the arms of this sea will lift us back up to the surface on the other side of the wave. There we will shake our heads, clear our eyes of the streaming tears and then laugh. Laughing at the play, the place and the embrace.
Come come let's play, let's laugh together.
February 27
Healing arrives when we allow room for Grace.
Healing arrives like Spring, in a surprising morning, when it unexpectedly comes fresh on the gentle winds.
Yes, healing does also come when we allow room for all to co-exist within~ the joy, the tears, the grief, the anger; still the deepest inner peace and transformation occurs suddenly for me, not with cognition, nor understanding alone. I find, the inner peace miraculously arrives when I surrender to the possibility that something beyond me and my understanding exists and surrounds me and the situations I find myself in. When I surrender to the grace of Spirit, to the third force which is both within and without, that is when I feel the deep healing wave emerges.
So today, Grace, Spirit, Spring. Breathe it in.
Allow for the breakdown, the tears, the fears, and then also allow for the Grace of Breakthrough. This grace is the guide, my guide, through the passage of the great unknown to the other side of the river Styx, to the joy, and hope and songs I crave.
Embrace this wild unknown and its possibilities for transformation. Embrace this unknown and the fertile shadows it offers, not the security and its comfort , but the gnarly, disruptive and discomfort of messy moments, of feelings of being shattered, of the uncertainty of the unexpected. Breathe in dear ones, breathe
Breathe in that Space, that space of the infinite, breathe it in and into your Now, and breathe in the Grace that comes with it.
*~*
February 21
On the subject of Love, of loving oneself, I offer some beautiful quotes from Christine Clemmer, Ken Carey, and DJ Tax Rashid (some a little paraphrased by me.)
"Write yourself a Love Note, Acknowledge what is unique, diverse, and original about you.
Express Love (in it)
for your current physical body, your emotional body, your mental body, and your spiritual body.
Explore,
and relate to the Whole of you,
For only through the Lens of Love can you see yourself clearly, awakening to the divine truth of YOU"
Everything,
And I do mean Everything, else... Is Illusion."
"Everyone, Everyone heals with Love." (DJ Taz Rashid)
"Love is the frequency that calibrates the universal lens of cosmic vision, the eye of God. If we want to see through that lens of Love, we must eliminate anything at all that’s NOT Love. " (C Clemmer)
"Therefore, offer fear, doubt, scarcity, separation, and unworthiness all to the Divine; Tell the Divine your fears and doubts, and allow the relaxation that allows the currents of love to flow through all that you are~ healing, refreshing and blessing" (K Carey in Visions)
: )
February 16
Quiet times for me as Mercury is pulling into station, slowing down before the planet will appear to return to directness. This turn around is in a few days, 20th to be exact. I rest, read and watch my cat. Today, I watched him commune with a spider. This exchange lasted a couple of minutes until the spider decided to walk toward my kitty - And THAT was TOO much; he got up, and I assisted the spider to safer quarters.
February 11
It is the New moon today. The tide has changed to some new horizon. I feel we have all bravely left the known shore behind and are reaching the open waters of the ocean. I hope when we explore these new vistas that we can leave our expectations, and preconceived notions of right and wrong behind. I pray that we may greet the new with curiosity of a child, and embrace what is with tenderness.
One way to stay open-hearted on the path Is to find the blessing in the path you travel. There always is one. It also helps me to remember that we always have help if we remember to ask. The angels come in many forms.
Happy sailing for us all.
Here is a picture from this morning~
February 2
I discover, recently, on my paths through the woods, small pinetwigs. Their beauty astounds me. They look like little bouquets or rosettes. I cherish them home.
Today, I found one on a road where I rarely walk. There it was~ clear and pristine. I accepted the gift and stowed it in my pocket with the other treasures there.
The first one that presented kiself to me, felt clearly a promise of health, from a tree friend, intended for another friend. I cherished that gift and put the rosette on my altar of stones and petals. The others, well they appear to be more direct gifts to me.
Mmm, what might they be saying? Perhaps they tell me to ingest some of their essence. Maybe they ask me to send them across land and ocean to you, for your health too. I do not know.
In gratitude, today, I send them in my dreams and prayers to you, to imagine you imbibing their good health as I do. I won't take it in all at once, as it might be too bitter a medicine if taken in great quantity, (like turpentine) . But slowly, sinking into its medicine, allowing it to unfold a little at a time. That will be quite fine.
January 26
Oh, I must share this news, I only recently heard. There is a river in New Zealand that has been "designated Real Personhood." Oh I am so happy to hear that news.
Real, and Personhood.
Personhood ~ When will our rivers, mountains and forests be seen as Real and as Persons? Both. The realest experiences I know are with the river, the forest, and the mountains. And there, the kindest comfort of kin that I know.
"The agreement recognizes the river and all its tributaries as a single entity, Te Awa Tupua, and makes it a legal entity with rights and interests, and the owner of its own river bed" How wonderful to have language for the possibilities. Ahh, Keep dreaming, keep dreaming what may soon be possible in our hearts, and then indeed it may be possible in the world. Use language to dream the world to true
Here is a quote I read~ with more to come~
"For many a young Maori, a journey on the river is a journey for the soul."
And so it is for me too, Blessings, and thank you.
January 23,
From The Radiance Sutras by L. Roche, 83
Everyone knows, there is me,
and then there are all these others.
This is common to all.
Lovers know, there is me,
And the source of this me
Is ever mysterious.
Lovers know, each contact with another
Is a spark of the divine.
Lovers move through this world
Awake to intimacy,
Each touch a revelation
Never to be repeated."
And from another sutra, s-93:
"...Walk through this world, see every situation
As an expansion of the mystery,
Savor the tremble of recognition-
The God in you is touching the God out there."
January 16,
After a day of snow that covered all the nooks and crannies of Mother Earth today, the fog has rolled in. Lingering in all corners and surrounding the trees and humans alike in her mist.
A nourishing, nurturing mystical mist that surrounds and embraces.
It blurs and softens,
Lifting and shedding the memories of past, present and future.
Inviting and allowing us all to rest in her arms, where we remember the divine that is our very life,
and her magic.
January 12, (New Moon at midnight EST tonight)
A day in the dark of the moon today.
Offering uncomfortable inner reflections and revelations
That go "ouch" in the light.
Revealing ways we can better choose responsibility for our lives.
To help us clean the mirror of our hearts.
To help us accept the Love that resides within,
And then encouraging us to commit to our light.
Can we breath that it in, deeply?
That shining light?
Can I/we invest in myself/ourselves and in our path?
Can I invest in my joy with a fierce and loyal commitment?
What does it look like to invest in that joy?
Like I matter?
What golden egg is ready to hatch for me and you?
Something so precious it unfolds as a muse?
Leah Whitehorse states about the chart of this New Moon~ "No, today is not an easy chart. BUT Acknowledge what needs to change WHILE resisting any urge to beat yourself about it! There’s a big difference between a quiet, powerful resolve to take responsibility and berating yourself. Consider what small step you take today to lay the foundation for a better future or to create greater stability in your life. Don’t be afraid to start again from scratch if that’s what it takes."
I pray for courage to commit to those steps, my life and to my joy, my purpose. I pray we all do and that we remember those steps, our individual lives path matter. In these times, our own life, our own joy, our own hearts matter dearly.
??
January 7, 2021
Well, I have been thinking about so many topics that it is hard to keep this muse focused. So if I ramble, it is the channel to which I listen to today.
The sum of the musings comes as a few questions ~
How to live love as a verb not a noun?
How to live as a verb, a flow, not as a finished project?
How to respond to stimuli regardless of situations, holding my heart by the hand, as I would a dear love, knowing the outcome is not an ending, but a process?
How to float happily and flexibly in the tide of change?
These are some of the questions riding with me in my day. I hope they bring inspiration to you.
In these interesting times, I want to paint, dance, and sing my world, not fix, And all the while, use colors that I didn’t even know existed.
January 7th
I add on here one more thought as I wanted to write a muse yesterday in honor of Epiphany.
Did you have an moments of Aha? Sudden gifts from the wise ones?
I hope you did, mine came in the form of support from the unseen as well as the seen. To be seen.... another muse for another time.
December 31, 2020
My last muse of 2020. I admit it has been a skin- scraping, bruising spiraling tunnel of days, weeks and months that evolved into a year. I admit that I emerge out of it with hopes for a lighter heart, for deep easeful breath, for peals of laughter, for gatherings with friends and music and dancing.
Yet, honestly, I also feel gratitude for the ripening and chiseling of my being. I feel grateful for the way it has helped me to become closer to the soul-truth of me.
Christine Clemmer, who I quote from time to time said it well, ~
"While it might be easy to say “good riddance” while stepping out of a painful year or passage of time, it’s wise to remember that the darkest of days contain the most fertile soil, a profound facilitator of alchemy and transformation."
Or I also like to say ~ "We make really good compost for the coming growing season only out of the really good smelly organic waste." I have had lots of compost this year to stir for my coming garden.
It occurs to me that to wish for something else, or an easier manuscript is to defy the magic that is me, or you, to transform, and alchemize the inner lead into gold. Alan Watts said, " the Destination of life Is this eternal moment"
Ahh, now, now, now....
So to you (and me), I wish that this eternal moment brings us home to our heart. That there, we may hear the call of the unknown; there we may Plant a garden of reverence, letting it grow resilient, strong, soaked in Spirit, humility, gratitude and joy.
I wish for you to feel ease in your thoughts and laughter on your lips, and yet if you do not, that you feel that yearning as well, for that is grace calling you and pulling you within, to your heart, to your very being. Where you may hear the whispers of Spirit. The longing is the gift bringing you Here, to now, to your being. Where we, by grace, surrender to the call, to the tears that purifies and then clean the mirror of the heart; there resides the wonder and love that is us.
~Peace, Namaste and so much love~
December 21, Solstice ?
A wondrous miraculous day today.
I went to my swimming hole today, to see how winter visits it. There, I discovered a miracle!
A branch, with ki's own intuitive wisdom, had grounded in the formerly deepest part of swimming pool causing a divergence of the flow of water, and creating new eddies.
As a result of this new tide, a pebble bridge had formed, linking one shore to the other distant one. A bridge that now hovered just below the surface of the water, now allows me to walk from one side to the other.
On this bridge I walked today. In wonder that I could walk on the very ground that had held space for swimming in warmer months. I walked feeling as though I walked on water to a distant shore that otherwise would have been inaccessible. I walked today to gain perspective; I walked for all who seek that distant shore, and hope for that very bridge to lead them, I walked for all who feel separation from their dreams due to countless impossibilities.
I walked today, on a bridge that had not existed before, connecting two sides, divided by fast moving water. This bridge creates possibilities for all of us, to possibilities that felt previously unattainable~ creating an open meeting space for connection.
I walked out onto this bridge of wonder, this bridge of small pebbles placed slowly over time, in awe. I did so, to say Yes, yes. Yes! To this Solstice wonder. Yes, to the heavens, Yes, to life and Yes, to the gift of the dawning of a new age.
Yes,
Let us meet in the middle,
where all truths can merge and have space to flow. Let us meet and create together a new way of peace and collaboration, here on a path of possibilities made by very small steps and very small stones.
This is my gift today, that I share with you.
December 20
Reprinting an image from Stephanie Azaria's page showing the meeting of the two planets on the 21st path~
I muse that perhaps the rings of Saturn presently overlap with the Moons of Jupiter... Already. What a celebration must be occurring for these celestial gatherings of royalty. Imagine the music on the dance floors, and the food!!..... What a festival of lights and movement.
December 18
The gift of the solstice arrives on the morning of Dec 21 on East coast time.
As many have heard, on that very same day two planet will meet in the sky overhead where they will appear as one big Light to shine the way for us to the future. How ever you perceive it~ as a portend of the Three Wise Sages following the path, or a moment of ecstatic beauty, its energies are here to light our way to the next evolution of our path.
I shall close my eyes and surrender to that Gift. Knowing that light surrounds me now, you, all of us. Surrounding us all, at this amazing moment in time, helping us to take our baby steps forward. Come light, Come new energies, and Welcome, Welcome. Show me the way to live, breath and share the gift of life from my heart.
December 15
From Mary Oliver
The Gift
Be still, my soul, and steadfast,
Earth and heaven both are still watching
though time is draining from the clock
and your walk, that was confident and quick,
has become slow.
So, be slow if you must, but let
the heart still play its true part.
Love still as once you loved, deeply
and without patience, Let God and the world
know you are grateful,
That the gift has been given.
December 2
I love the word, "foolish". It holds so much possibility and emotion. I love how the word inherently suggests both madness and sanity, irresponsibility and the risk needed for growth. Being foolish is not "sensible!"
Yet to me, the word conjures the image of the foolishness that leads to serendipity, madness that leads to wisdom, surrender that leads to grace. Here, in a word, one remembers the angst of experience, and the wisdom gained from it, the falling out of comfort, and the adventure felt. In one word, we feel both the fall, and the hope for rebirth. Once you have embarked on the path of the Fool, you just may gain that pearl of wisdom indeed.
When I imagine the word "Fool," I see curly cues of whimsy and the circles that emanate from a stone dropped in a pool of water, the gifts travel far.
Foolish, Fullness and Fool all come to me when I say this word; the root "Fool" is so powerful~ it was in Shakespeare that I learned it was from the mouths of fools that the kings could hear Truth. In Tarot, the fool "represents the perfection of nothingness and the unlimited potential we have when we start out on any path." (from "Incandescent Tarot") "Far from being frivolous, The Fool shows us that we are our most receptive when we approach new things with a healthy sense of wonder and play." The Fool moves through life with the “beginner’s mind,” In following her intuition, her inner guide, she learns from new experiences on the path of life and the understanding of one's own light.
This December, it feels that we have emerged from the cave of the heroine's journey, that was much of 2020, ready to surrender, surrender to what is, to what may be the next adventure, to life. And as such, we begin a new cycle, with less baggage, ready for the new.
So today, feeling a lightness of being, I embark on the adventure that life presents. Feeling ready to jump into the unknown as The Fool, willing to be "foolish."
Here is one of my favorite quotes that implies the fools path in which we let go of responsibility....
"When we go back to Falling in love and say, it's crazy- falling. Taking this ghastly risk... Yet, you do so in an act of faith. Any undertaking in a relationship...what an act of faith! You have given yourself up.. surrender, total abandon - That is quite mad, letting things get out of all control. All sensible people keep things in control..... Vigilance!"
" Actually, what is really is sensible is to let go, to give one self up, and that is quite mad, and so we come to the strange conclusion that in madness lies sanity.
"There will be failures and disasters as a result in taking these risks... it's a gamble.... the alternative is much worse than trusting.... Giving up of control is a lovely irresponsible state of being." ~ Alan Watts "Falling in Love,
November 29
There is a Full moon in the wee hours of the morning of 30th.
This moon is also a partial eclipse and allows us to see more sides of ourselves; the eclipse helps us to let go of unneeded aspects of ourselves.
It is like a spiraling vortex, perhaps like a centrifuge. The best way to travel in such forces is to let go, surrender and flow with the unseen, Allow.
The energy of the moon will be with us for a few days.
I pray, now, for assistance from my team and all of our teams to help us let go of the unneeded and to aid us all in this process that is the path to the new.
So much love to all
November 27
Here is a conversation, that I thought you may like, that I had with my cat this morning~
"Let's talk about Love, I love you, you love me; I love me, you love you, and I love when you love me and also when you are mad at me. This is one circling cat-dom of love. I could even try the possibility of loving me even when I am mad at me, as I love you.... Mmmm, it is harder to access that love when we enter that sense of separateness and pain ... Self anger makes the awe of love more mysterious and more about control. Mmmm, I think I will go back to loving you, knowing that together we make the circle of love complete. "
Here is another beautiful quote from Christine Clemmer about love, which is much more profound than the above ditty to my cat. Even if I kind of meant the same thing (HA!)~
"When the heart awakens, we are truly at one with the universe, as Love. When the heart awakens, we remember our true nature, our blueprint, and our purpose. And when the heart awakens, we realize that everything in this universe is harmonizing to support the greater awakening of all beings to the realization and embodiment of Love."
November 22, 2020
I have a vision which begins to seep in, in between the edges of my soul, and through my thoughts, to lift my heart. The path brings me here, I feel a hope near. Knowing the path leads on... Seeing a way to meet on the other side, where, when we meet, we meet in a world closer to our hearts. This is the vision that is beginning. Vision is the beginning. "When we meet again, I pray the world has changed into the world we are imagining together"
From Keep going Song, by Bengson's ~
"Let’s bring some joy into the room. Why not?
We could try it. We could try it
Or some rage
And some grief
And relief
I hold my rage
I pray my rage is a fire
That cleans my mind out
And makes me ready to listen
I pray my pain is a river
That flows to the ocean
...
And I pray, I pray my happiness is like pollen
That flies to you and pollenates your joy,
Oh boy is that possible?
I don’t know, I don’t know
We are making this up as we go
We have to make this up as we go
The keep going song
The keep going on song
And I pray
When we meet again
That the world has changed
Into the world that we are imagining now together
And I pray that the world has become
The world that we’re planting inside of ourselves
For each other
For our ancestors
And for our kids"
Amen, Aho. Amen.
November 18
After reading The Messenger by Mary Oliver, I did two things, I went to the library and brought home a book of poems as company for winter nights
And wrote this to myself, as a reminder~
“Wonder Is my work.
Though other stories impinge and crowd on my world,
in this present framework, I dedicate myself
to the everlasting presence of Wonder”
Hoping you are finding deep truths that feed you in this shifting times
Love
November 14
The New Moon travels with the Scorpio Sun today. I land on the planes within and feel deep questions.
Ram Das tells a story of a woman meeting with the Guru saying, "my life has been all suffering." The sage reply was, "I love suffering, because it brings me closer to Ram"
Remembering that response brought me to tears this morning~ change the story and embrace the void of suffering as the opportunity to connect more deeply within, and the divine, the divine from which compassion, true compassion flows, through you and in you, to all of creation. To the All. With an undivided force of Love. The flowing through you is the miracle, a Grace, and the healing.
For you and for all of creation.
A gift of Living.
November~
A quote from Christine Clemmer seems apropos of the path~
"We're entering the realm of highest manifestation, and anything is possible. Now more than ever, it matters to trust the process, find the inner equilibrium of the heart, and allow the unfolding to occur. The heart leads the way, and the body follows into brand new territory, inspired and fueled by Love.
"The heart is the alchemical mixing bowl..... Love is the tuning fork that alters the resonance of the observer and the container..."
November 10
Some thoughts in these November days when light feels misty and as if through a veil~ I notice that it feels as if we have moved farther on the journey outlined in the diagram below. I copy it here again.
It feels as though I walk deep in the initiation stage. My path brings me to embrace an aspect of my psyche formed by society, by family, by my personality. I feel a reckoning with my past and how paternal ancestral forces ask for healing. Perhaps that is only my personal work, but as Amma said, if we want to heal the division we see without, we must heal it within.
That inner work is where my thoughts run today.
November 8
While contemplating a checklist for billing at work I suddenly switched into a imagined world in which I could have the following as my “do list”~ I would ask myself, did I create any of these today?
Magic
Alchemy
Laughter
Joy
Play
What joy that would be, indeed! What if my task list reflected my actual values~
Expanding and Pausing
Conscious love in action
Flowing
Celebrating
Music making
Creating
Experiencing Joy
Gratitude
That is my do-list today
?
November 3rd, 2020
Words from the Dalai Lama, in response to the question are you happy, come to mind ~
"The Chinese took everything, slaughtered millions of my people, forced us to live in exile, and now, should I let them take my Peace and happiness?"
Finding the inner tools to feel present, calm and to practice who I want to be is my task. And for me, that comes from focusing on the blessings of the here and now, the ones that surround me ~ The wind that blows, the birds at the feeder, the smile on a face, the food I can eat, even the fact that change exists, these are the things I focus on today. These are the things that help me breathe in now. Today.
When I find that place of authentic gratitude, I remember I have a precious life to co-create with Spirit. And THAT brings joy. Here, now, seeing and feeling gratitude brings so much joy. Not with power to change, but the power to be, to surrender to now, to trust and allow for life to find its course.
October 31
More suggestions that help me calm the energies of these days comes from the Full Moon ~
The Taurus Full moon is bright in the sky. Taurus energies are like a tree that roots deeply into Gaia to nourish the physical and reaches tall as it is ready to, for the manna of heavens, connecting the earth and sky.
Christine Clemmer suggests that on this Taurus Full Moon we plant ourselves in the sacred space of our hearts.
Finding solid ground there.
Regardless of how things may seem around us,
Moment to moment, we always have access to the solid ground within, to our hearts, and to Spirit within and without.
October 26
I am back, Mercury turns direct next week so, I may not catch my typos, but I am beginning to feel words returning. People have shared, or I have found so many beautiful quotes these last few weeks, encouraging me onward. I want to share some, without much explanation..
Here are a few for today~
Trees live to be ancient. Ahhhh.... (Peter Wohlleben)
You are the means by which God loves Creation ~ L Roche
Love which created me is what I am ~ Course in Miracles
I look forward to writing more so soon~ so much love.
October 6
Any change can be seen/felt as scary, and yet this changing time is an initiation that expands and brings us to new places within and without. This passage we are in, that expands us beyond old limitations, is blessed and sacred.
Sometimes a fear comes to me, and feels a little like this~
"I may not be doing the right thing, nor
in the right moment
in my right now."
And I answer this fear today with ~ "All is well, in all manner of things, all is well."
When you are Here, in the ever moving Now, right now, You are Right.
~*~
Mercury goes retrograde next week. When that occurs, I find that my mouth and inspiration are not always working hand in hand. As a result, this page may be quiet for a couple of weeks.
Blessings to all of you on your path during the sacred now. ♥️??
September 28
As mentioned in the last post, I do believe the journey calls us deeper into the shadows, or the belly of the whale. Mercury has entered Scorpio, a sign that is superbly placed to dig deep into shadows of one's psyche. And, Mercury will go retrograde in this sign prolonging the gifts of this work
I tried to find another metaphor, and this one came to me~ perhaps this time is like digging for hidden treasures in the gardens of our minds, that is, if we can keep seeing outer circumstances as such golden opportunities to find those golden prizes .... if.
In the words of one astrologer ~ "Mercury in Scorpio is great for investigating, sharing about profound fears, yearnings and the recognition of death. But when distorted, this transit encourages paranoia and conspiracy theories.... the hunt for “truth” can take people ever deeper into the labyrinth of their own minds, fears and hatreds."
So, to that end, I remind myself that the shadow I want to put out there, the lecture I want to give to my cat (!, Yep, I confess it to be true... I admit, I have fallen that low....) is what I fear to be true about myself. It is about where I failed or feel I am struggling. Facing these shadows means seeing them for what they are, as shadows of being a human. So, today, I embrace my perceived shortcomings, remind myself that I am doing the best I can, give myself a hug and keep on digging.
Krishna Das reminds me that the moment that I land back in the now of me, the moment that I end the craziness of running from me, is a moment of Grace. That moment, that caught me off guard, that flipped my switches and helped me see my fears in my words, is Grace. Mercury in Scorpio may have many such moments of Grace.
So, to shadow work and the Grace to recognize it as our own treasures when we see it in the mirror.
September 20
I am noticing the image about the heroine's journey that I placed on this page is not as intricate as another one that I have that also happens to not be as politically correct.
It came to me to look at the chart because I was wondering, in this time of times, where am I, in the journey of that path of the heroine?
Here is the other chart~
We are most likely all in different aspects of that path. (As a reminder, the suggestion that we are on such a journey came from Stephanie Azaria because of Mars retrograde journey through its own sign of Aries.) I feel/intuit that I am still in the Departure aspect... not quite in the Belly of the Whale, but I sure do sense it coming.
How about you?
And... It is Equinox time now. The official date is Tuesday morning. Nonetheless, I already feel it, and the push now to find my inner balance. So much to muse on with that, so I will save it for next entry. If I do not write about it before Tuesday, Blessed Balancing Equinox to all of you and to All.
Love, Catherine
September 15
I wish to share an insight a wise friend wrote in response to the questions below. So beautifully channeled~
"When you act out of love, both for yourself and other, even when there is no perfectly middle ground for the outcome, then I guess you have to flow with the it [I add here, flow with the tide that the action has created]. And not to hold on the to passing rocks and the branches that could stop you from flowing.
"And we can't control how others react. They too have the choice to flow, no matter how turbulent it gets." Aho
OH WOW. Thank you. And I find that the flow is EVER so much more pleasant, joyful even, if I embrace it with gratitude. Thank you
September 14
I observe the tensions rising easily this week. Even as the moon wanes to dark. My internal system asks me to turn inward and quiet, and yet the collective noise turns up to loud.
Here are questions I meditate on and I offer to you:
Can we listen to/respect ourselves AND another person simultaneously?
Can we find a way to respect the divergent value systems present?
How to co-create with Spirit for the best outcome, even if it means giving up on a preferred choice?
How to co-create with the people in your life for the best solution in the face of polarization?
How to choose loving compassion in face of disagreements?
Much conspires to help us to choose a new path these days, not the one we have done before... I am not sure I have... I hope I have... The well known quote defining insanity as "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results" comes to mind.
I wonder, perhaps it is only Grace that can help me respond, not react. Perhaps, it takes practice. Perhaps it is practice to voice my values with respect and open heart. I hope this practice brings loving and welcoming interactions helping the world choose peace.??
Sept 9,
One more beautiful quote for this day
One that I found on Stephanie Azaria's site
It is a cup of tea in itself~ ?
“It is a kind of love, is it not?
How the cup holds the tea,
How the chair stands sturdy and foursquare,
How the floor receives the bottoms of shoes
Or toes. How soles of feet know
Where they're supposed to be.
I've been thinking about the patience
Of ordinary things, how clothes
Wait respectfully in closets
And soap dries quietly in the dish,
And towels drink the wet
From the skin of the back.
And the lovely repetition of stairs.
And what is more generous than a window?”
"The Patience of Ordinary Things" by Pat Schneider
September 9
Ahh, little things have distracted me from posting. HA! And some of those distractions are the lessons teaching me the challenges of LETTING GO. And I Woke up this morning.
Yes, I woke up. At last. And I realized that the path of distraction was another fancy Story of what I, (that I is self, with little "s",) needed to fix, monitor, clean up. Yikes, all this practice to go within, and release resistance and then along comes a lesson that grabs everyone of my dangling threads of belief systems up in one fistful, and gives an almighty tug on my psyche, on my emotional body, on my prior belief systems.
Come on, it taunted, surely, you must notice MEEE. I sure did indeed. I noticed; I worried, I tossed and I stamped my foot with self determined self-righteousness.... And I was fairly off my center (rocker?).
Sigh, then along came this quote~
"Each time you engage in drama (story) of a situation, you weaken your energy field. The power of peace is the ability to transmute negativity with Your Light and Your Heart..." Judith K Moore
The Light of my heart and your heart provides a harmonic frequency in which peace abides. That is the power of your heart, and it, indeed is the living power of peace.
So, I surrender. I dissolved into not knowing the answer and now asking and allowing for Great Spirit to bring the best outcome for all involved. I relinquished control of Trying to make it to fit my estimation of Right. This surrender has returned me to freedom and to actually Feel that the solution is indeed right through the gate before me, even if I can not yet see it yet. Ahh....
Here is another quote from Stephanie Azaria~
Soon, soon enough, "glimpses of hope will become visible. Just know they are there and let the rest unfold."
Allow with an open heart, for solutions and peace
I hope this little vignette brings peace to you
August 24
I've been pondering the journey of the soul, seeing this experience of life as spiritual experience toward enlightenment. I found this quote today and it rings a note on my path.
"Everything is a Portal... especially the things you find most uncomfortable.
Dissolve into it.
The Truth you long for lies on the other side of your resistance.
Awakening is a series of Softenings.
So SOFTEN.
Just Surrender to it all and see what happens."
~ Naela Rose
August 23
With help, I found my glasses yesterday, after 2 months of doing my best without them. A wise person said, perhaps it means it was a time to look within, since without, without glasses on my eyes, is fairly blurry. So I did and do ... listen within.
Another wise teacher reminded me that turning within is where we find the source of ourselves. That self and Source are the same thing. I think I can understand this concept if I frame it that turning within finds us back to our passions, our joys, our Self with big S. It's always, ALL ways, about going back to Self.
When I focus on me, when I take the time to go within myself, I recharge my spirit, I realign with my inner Truth, and yes Source. When I have done this, I find I can then move forward integrated.
This alignment is a process. I think of balance within the body ~ it is moment by moment to create the magic of homeostasis, balance and health. No one tool, word, or thing is the answer at every given moment.
So, for me, I listen, adjust, listen again, and respond. I have discovered that listening is the actual Call. The call to adventure, the call to Self to emerge into fuller form. The Call to Spirit and Catherine
At times, that call is uncomfortable, and to keep listening is Grace itself.
Ahh, Grace, and emerging into that Grace ~ a whole other beautiful topic for another day. I hope your call to your journey ahead brings you the Grace needed to respond resoundingly with, yes. ??
August 20
"You Are Invited~ Feel the gentle tap on your shoulder, the golden ticket in your hand, leading you to your destiny.
"You have been invited to the party with your unique gifts, talents, experience, perspective, humor, joy and sense of adventure. On this hero's journey, you are the honored guest.... Even if you stumble , it will be into the ecstasy of expansion." From The Hero's Journey and oracle
August 15
Christine Clemmer wrote this week about empty space and the start of something new ~ that everything contains empty space, that we can surrender to this emptiness, and release what we think we know, in order to see what we’ve never considered before, in that same space. When we do, we awaken to a whole new perspective within.
"Everything contains empty space, and within that empty space, there are miracles, works of art, expressions of Love, life changing inventions and solutions that bring us to new ground. Discovering a whole new world that already exists, right in front of us, we begin shedding the attachments to with what we’ve identified," and to our STORIES.
Stephanie Azaria, wrote today that the stars are inspiring just such a journey, calling it the hero/heroine's journey. Starting late this summer, we have an opportunity to step out onto this path, to Depart. It will last for as long as it needs to last. (The steps in this journey are mapped in a beautiful diagram below, created by Joseph Campbell in his studies of mythology. In the following diagram, the picture cut off the Step 1, which is stepping away from the ordinary world. I like the symbolism of 12 steps.... Such a mystical number. (And the words at the bottom of the circle are "approach the innermost cave."))
The first step is hearing the call for a new life and adventure. I have an oracle deck with a card named "Journey" This card encourages me to listen to the call offered by Spirit, to take the most daring journey of all, the journey into the Unknown.
The essence of it is an invitation to step Outside boundaries of known, ordinary life, into the unknown, embrace the experience as a pilgrimage into the unknown where "there are no maps to the territory you will be exploring, no marked paths or road signs.... You will be led true, even when you are not sure of where you are going. It is the departure that is most important. "
At the start of any adventure, we may feel excitement or fear. However we feel now, that is bound to change as the diagram suggests. It is not so easy to leave behind the old form to embrace a new. It requires a phoenix death. Well... I guess, still, I will say yes to this call, and step out on to this new path, like the Fool in tarot~ Here goes. To the unknown!
August 10
I found this quote that seems so timeless, I share it here now~ (From Lua Astrology)
"Priestess Vesta quietly steps into Leo's golden palace and goes straight to the Eternal flame, blowing on it, gently, breathing life into it. So, our hearts begin to warm as we focus on what we love. Vesta knows that when you concentrate on what is sacred to you, Magic happens. Consider what is one practical step I can take toward my joy today? We are co-creators with life, blessed with the gift of divine spark."
I can not add to that beautiful reminder to fan the fires of love and joy in our hearts to bring more light to our lives. What we concentrate on grows. Feed the "wolf you want," is another good reminder~ feed the belief you wish, the hopes you carry, not the fears or stories you were told.
I choose to see with the eyes of love.
August 5
Hello~ Venus, our guide on the path to our hearts, has a few more days in the sign of Gemini, the locus of multiple in one, the experience of diversity in unity, the wisdom to see from many perspectives. Today, she meets with the north node of the the collective. The node that points us in a new direction and whispers our soul's desire to us.
It may come as insights, sudden awareness of new perspective, new use of words, or understandings, or a gentle breeze. Notice and mark it on your awareness. It comes as a gift.
Blessings to all on your path to the heart.
August 2
The still days of August, when the crickets sing louder than the birds have arrived.
I sat near the bee balm this morning and heard who I though was the mama hummingbird arrive. She came very close to me to watch and wonder at this featherless being so close to her banquet. Soon she returned to drinking from the flowers' nectar. Surprisingly, a second hummingbird came and sat on a flower to also contemplate the phenomenon of me. Then tore after the other in a dance and play, never stopping to drink. They flew slowly and deliberately...
Suddenly, I realized, these two were siblings! And sure enough, soon after, the mama came to the same flowers, ignored me and went on her business of consuming as quickly as possible. Not dawdling to gaze at anything other than the essentials. And Her Wings moved with electric speed
One group playing and investigating and interacting with the environment, the other single mama focused on her sweetness. All dancing in a world of beauty.
A friend asked what did you say to the baby birds when they gazed at you? Here is my answer~
"You are so brave and new. Congratulations for finding your flowers, and for being in form in this glorious world. Thank you for sharing it with me. Dance, dance and dance some more, with your life, your environment and your siblings alike."
July 18
I arose at 3:30 this morning to view Venus, the Moon and Aldeberon all in a diagonal line low in the Eastern sky. As I closed my door, my sky overhead, was clear and star filled. I wanted to reach higher ground, so I drove off to have an adventure. Soon after leaving though, I ran into fog. I had imagined the mountain would be clear... but due to the blessings of a cool night meeting a warm day, all the rest of the land was blanketed with fog.
Turning around quickly, hoping my north facing hill may still be fog free, I drove in hopes of some sort of a view, if not perfect. The fog followed me until I reached my driveway and to my surprise, the very best view for seeing morning star and other luminaries turned out be right here, in front of me, and right across from my very own driveway. I drove out on an adventure, returned only to find that true treasure was right here all along... (Fable lore all well taken in, yes.)
~Home is .... You choose the rest of that aphorism.
Here is what I saw~ The thin crescent moon faced the star Venus and in a direct line beyond that was Aldebaran, a fixed star associated with Archangel Michael. Its name means, follower (of the Pleiades) in Arabic. The overall image was stunning with the sense of the moon, open and receiving the muses of Venus and anchored by the further star as they conferred.
Words that came to me were, open, receiving, surrender, trusting, calming the turbulent waters of the moon and emotions. Little of the moon could be seen as it is waning and that added to the sense of quiet surrender to the path ahead. And all this occurs only two days before the moon reaches its fully dark phase, before it will be starting new once again. I sensed the night sky nurturing a gentle curiosity to the new that surrounds us all.
Even if we can not see the lights of these luminaries, during the day, their lights are still up in the day sky, sharing this gentleness and quietness.
Quiet
Still
Receiving, open, and
Listening...
yes.
July 14
A puzzle lies before me. Venus is about to recover her shadow, in a little more than a week, and I feel unclear about how to bring more joy into my life. Oh sure, things like more harmony, world peace and more laughter, (and more time in the water,) all sound wonderful. What is not so clear is where the path to these desires and wishes lies. How to bring more of what I value to this world in which I live? (Venus is related to values) That aspect of value still seems seem unclear to me.
Perhaps that is the point ~ I have emerged out of the shadow of the underworld, dripping with mud, happy to know I have changed, but not entirely clear what is different about me, nor how to achieve a state of comfort. I know I like to dance and laugh, yet, how to create more of that very thing which I value. I went "inward" and now... I get to... what... practice my new self "outward"?
Perhaps, that leads to the other paradox of all this, the biggest lesson I have learned over these 6-8 weeks is that (excuse me, if this is too the trite,) the love I hold within, is what I see without. The love I offer is best given from a full vessel, filled up with self-love. The biggest lesson, is that it is me, me myself I, that I must learn to value. The Goddess/God within is the God/Goddess I see without.
So perhaps, I have my answer. The paradox is, that as we emerge from the underworld with "the morning star", Venus, that shines brightly on the world, it is our very own light that we crave. The light that you crave, I crave, we crave is our very own authentic undiluted light.
We have the chance to fully shine on ourselves and help light up the world. It is me, myself, and I on whom I rise with the morning light to shine. So, while a couple of planets are turning direct in the celestial skies, helping to move us "forward," we may find the treasure within, which is also the treasure without. Mmmm. An interesting paradox. Perhaps this puzzle is best sum up by Judy Cohen who said~
"The self is contained within the vast, included in it, part of it,
Rather than the other way around.
Which, to be clear, is not to say that infinity isn’t also inside every individual box as well as outside.
Because, after all, infinity. It’s everywhere. It includes everything.
Even the seeker. "
July 4
My apologies for the long absence from writing. It has been the height of planting season and I feel the eclipse season. The energies of the moon have always greatly affected me. In fact, as Venus recovers her shadow period, and my musings on her path become less frequent, I am considering the possibility of discussing the frequent shifts and passages of the moon. For today, I will explore that topic in this piece.
A Lunar eclipse occurs tonight at 11:45 PM (EST). The precise time for the full moon will be tomorrow at 12:44 AM (EST). The moon is in Capricorn, the Sun in Cancer. We, on the Earth, will ride between them, like a mediator asking the questions before the lights go out. And then, as the celestial bodies move on, answers will come. Once heard, consciously or not, we have the chance to sift through those new luminous perspectives to see how we wish to respond.
In that moment of dark, we also have an opportunity to release unwanted baggage. I have heard it described as a "defrag" similar to what happens on a computer during its "cleaning." What is cluttering my life that I am ready, (or beyond ready,) to release?
What other questions do you have for these luminaries? The moon in Capricorn could be asking us to question the shadow side of our structures, rules, constructions, constructs of both beliefs and form; the moon may also examine how we move into the new. And the Sun, in Cancer, lover of home, experiencer of emotions, will shine light on your deepest desire for harmony in all connections, as well as the desire that these interweaving connections should flow with ease and fullness. It may ask how do we safely connect, embrace and nourish all life in these times? How do we connect, and weave the matrix of life together? The desire for connection with and for the crab is over-riding. Yet, the fountain for this impulse can, at times, cause us to push against the lines of restrictions and borders as waves in the ocean do on a rocky shore. Cancer wishes to connect and weave together the threads of life, Capricorn wishes to make the structures and form for those connections.
How will we in these times, recreate our world to support all life? How will we create new opportunities for connections that feed, nourish, support, and hold in love. Those are some of the themes of the Capricorn- Cancer axis.
Namaste, and blessed releasing
June 26
Venus stationed direct yesterday. That means, it will appear to move forward in the sky from the perspective of earth. Our desires may make some "purchase" now.
My inspiration for today's post on this page comes from Christine Clemmer. I like her language and the images it creates for me.
She wrote the following on the day of the Venus station ~ "Our hearts are the sacred womb for new creation and higher vision; our hearts are the divine portal of connection and communion with All."
I love that image. I originally called the path of Venus, "the petal path to the heart." While in the heart, we can imagine it as a womb from which our greatest inspirations grow. Right now, I am imagining myself sitting there, in that womb, dreaming. Dreaming all possibilities for inner an outer healing.
Namaste
June 23,
I have been pondering the nature of desire and preference. (Very Venus driven themes as she represents what we value and love) I was discussing the idea of desire and how that sometimes counters current spiritual practices of renunciation of ego, or letting go of the stories of me. Can we have desire and still be present? Can we be in the Spirit and in body at the same time, holding the practices of both simultaneously? Here is the quote from Lao Tzu and The Dao De Ching, that she found to highlight the paradox of desire and release. I offer it for contemplation~
"Always rid yourself of desires, in order to observe its Secrets;
But always allow yourself to have desires in order to observe its Manifestations.
These two are the same, but diverge in Name, as the issue forth.
Being the same, there are called Mysteries.
And that quote reminds me of a paraphrase from Richard Rudd~
Eastern philosophy emphasizes an empty mind
Western Philosophy emphasizes a full heart
"Empty mind and Full heart, Full heart, Empty mind
The same thing"
June 21- A gift from Sutra 109 as translated by L Roche
"Native of eternity.
at home in Infinity.
Breathing Immortality.
Let these words sing in every cell
....
Resonate with the all pervading hum of truth.
And know, every fleeting moment is
Supported by forever."
June 21
Solstice! Happy solstice everyone~
Much has happened in the last week, keeping my energies occupied. In addition to the Solstice, we also had an eclipse on the new moon in the night ~ actually Last night itself!!
Before, that meeting, just a few days ago, Venus passed over the moon. I believe this is called an occultation. What I like to think is that Venus passed her new information onto the moon just days before the moon's eclipse with the sun ~ days before the moon, herself shut the lights off, and shut them off long enough for a full reboot of my consciousness.
The mysteries and downloads of these meetings will start revealing themselves over the next 6 months. Stephanie Azaria recommends not to reach for them; just let them emerge. That way, we don't limit the unfolding of the new with perceptions of the old.
Venus is almost done with her retrograde journey. (June 25th) Now, one can see the planet in the Eastern sky, before the sun rises. There it changes its name. In this position, tradition calls her ~ light bearer, and The Morning "Star".
To some indigenous cultures, the seeing this morning light provides one with a sign of hope and an infusion of courage. Offering hope for renewal and resurrection. (I welcome that to my life and the world's) Tradition suggests that we may have seen lots in our lives that we do not like. Now, as she rises in the East, we have an opportunity to envision and gift ourselves with what we want.
What do you want to welcome into your life? What do you want to embrace? What would it take to have the courage to make these changes for yourself and make things for the better in your life?
These are some of my questions to myself these days.
Creating anything new, especially what may feel like a whole new paradigm may seem daunting. Astrologically, we have lots of support. Also, I believe, we have the support of the of stars, and unseen energies, all helping to guide us forward.
I am praying to hear and listen to this guidance, to help create a healthier me, a healthier community and climate for all of life.
Blessings to all
June 9
Between the setting sun of the West, and the dawn light of the East day
Lies the starlit night
Dazzling wonder.
Between here and there,
Between the visible knowns of perception,
Lies the infinite possibilities of the unknown
I lie here, tonight, listening
Listening in the dark
June 8
I have been busy with inner contemplation and finding balance in the wake of world news. There is some Venus news to catch up on.
Venus meeting with the Sun occurred on the 3rd. While there, the dross, the excess, the past was burned off. Sometimes excruciatingly. Nonetheless, the next morning, the purging complete, a new path was born. According to astrologers, the return trip to where she started her retrograde path is an opportunity for us to find what is our joy, what is our bliss. How do we want to engage in relating, loving, communication and our lives.
This has been a busy time in the world, a stripping away, and it does not look like we have figured out yet how to relate to ourselves and each other in peace. I pray we get there. I pray I get there.
Apparently, though I can not see it yet from my wooded path, Venus has risen above the Earth's horizon and can be seen just at dawn... (June 6th it happened). This morning star will become brighter and as the light bearer follows her return trip, she will meet again with the moon, and pleaides. That will be a great comfort.
May 31
Many liken the descent of Venus in Gemini to the Descent of Inanna into the Underworld where she is passes 7 gates and meets her death. Only to be resurrected 8 days later as the Morning Star. This myth has stories of betrayal and release. In this blog, I like to resurrect the old myths and use my own experience to bring them to a new awareness
My impression is that the descent of Venus is leading us to our inner worlds. This initiation requires a disrobing of our outer garments and contracts, and then, when we reach the Full bottom where we also meet the Sun (consciousness), a metaphoric death This imminent meeting with the Sun, reminds me of the path of the Phoenix, who will spontaneously combust prior to rebirth. I feel that Venus meeting the Sun will be like a burning all that is no longer needed, and we will resurrect like Inanna and the phoenix. We are on that path. I can feel the imminent change. I can fight it, or as I prefer, embrace it.
Yes, fear, BIG fear of the unknown and the inevitable change rises in me, Yet, I know now to trust, to trust my heart and Spirit to lead the way. There is deep knowing in this process. So, I breathe, sit in rest and awareness, awareness of the fear and discomfort and attempt a modicum of trust and faith.
Today, I lean on Christine Clemmer's understanding of astrology and one's spiritual path to help me embrace this descent that is not so comfortable. The following quote is from her Her wisdom is printed in the Cosmic Consciousness Weekly, The Cosmic Path, (May 24-31)
"Trust, surrender, and allow the heart to lead the way. This is an inward journey, and there are no rules…other than to honor the truth of the heart.
" We’ve never been here before, so we can’t possibly know the outcome or the terrain. We can trust.
"This is a time for swift action. If the heart is inclined, say yes, and don’t think twice. The opportunity is everything the heart has imagined, the blueprint of our soul’s highest design. When we learn to ride the waves, we accelerate our evolution and participate in a much grander orchestration."
“Do you know what you are?
You are a manuscript oƒ a divine letter.
You are a mirror reflecting a noble face.
This universe is not outside of you.
Look inside yourself;
everything that you want,
you are already that.”
― Rumi
May 26,
Venus will soon disappear below the earth. She presently disappears below the horizon less than an hour after sunset. I find as she sinks, my Venus muse becomes quieter. I wonder, when she is 8 days below the earth horizon if I will have any contributions.
For those who are curious~ Venus Conjuncts the Sun on June 3rd,
And, at times, in these new times, we may find our buttons pushed, our innards turned inside out and in those moments, we may find new meaning in the depth and strength of our "indefatigable spirit;" in one such moment I found this prayer lifted my spirits. (from- "Show me")
"Oh don't let me show cruelty, tho I may make mistakes
Don't let me show ugliness, tho I know I can hate,
And don't let me show evil, tho it might be all it takes,
Show me love, show me love, show me love.
Don't let me think weakly, though I know that I can break
Keep me away from apathy while I am still awake,
And don't let me think to long about what I am about to face
Show me love, show me love, show me love.
I see you, You see me...
Don't let the feeling that I am all alone
Deceive me... just let it ever ~ show me love.
Show me love, show me love"
May 21,
There are moments when I hold, in equal measure, utter despair and a flaming beautiful hope, I suddenly perceive them as one. And it bring me to my knees.
These moments of holding the seeming opposites, of perceived despair and hope for truth and wholeness, can come to me with sudden blinding force. When these moments do come, when they comes with this fullness, it disassembles me, and I weep.
At that moment, all other realities, known or imagined, fade under the light of the intensity. When I hold these seeming opposites in one hand, hold perceived wounds of separation and perceived clarity of unity and beauty, my insides melt to liquid and I flow into a new now.
And I weep.
(Now, THERE is a description of Venus in Gemini. Happy return of the Sun to Gemini today ☯️)
May 17
I found some new information about Venus that excites me. The information comes from The Shamanic Astrology Mystery School. Comments in parentheses, italics and outside the quotes come from me.
"Venus in Gemini, (as it is in now), is the Rainbow Goddess of light
and Promise."
"Iris is a fairly well known Rainbow Goddess who is the female counterpart to Hermes
"She is also Winged (as is Hermes/Mercury)
"She is also the bearer of news.
"She is known for her ability to unify opposites, to conduct people where they need to go and act as the psychopomp or guide for souls..." She helps in case specific situations for individual initiations. Where ever one needs to go, underworld, upper world or other dimensions, either way, she can help guide. "She can also take individuals to many other realms and dimensions when called upon her to do so."
"She does not originate in any one place or dimension. She is where ever she wants to be, creatively expressing and communicating who she is,
"She is shape shifter, trickster, entertainer. She is a story teller, ... magically weaving reality into new possibilities beyond what has been previously believed possible. She stretches our sense of reality"
Wow! I love the images!
A rainbow Goddess! For many reasons, the Gemini influence brings lightness to places that feel dark and heavy within oneself ~ a lightness of being and lightness of heart. This lightness of being comes as a soft Spring Breeze, The Spring Breeze of May and early June.
And she is an iridescent messenger!
The image offers an entirely different experience on the word "news". Questions arise ~ How would a message from an irridesent being sound, or feel?
How could the infusion of news from her being change my inner world? How would it reach my body, heart, mind, and soul?
As her realms are not limited and she can move anywhere and everywhere she wants, how would following her feel? Enchanting, entrancing, shimmering. liberating....
Today, in this time, such a guide feels transformative, imperative ~ One who has beautiful access to all dimensions; one who like the spider, weaves new paths for us to travel, one who creates new possibilities, and new paradigms beyond what was originally perceived, one who can shift my perspectives into new realities that may otherwise have felt elusive, (imagine capturing a rainbow, always just out of reach...)
I created the Venus Muse page to explore the retrograde path of Venus in Gemini on her descent to the underworld where we may transform and create ourselves anew. On this path to one's Source, Iris' help feels vital, relieving, encouraging, visionary. Her iridescent dreams feel hopeful,. I look forward to dreaming what was until now unperceived, to create a new world, new dreams, and new paths. When we all emerge from this underworld, we will bring her iridescent messages with us.
I also admire this goddess, She is undefinable, one might say~ untamable, eluding description and place. Entering into her reality has already shifted so much within my sense of perception. She is herself, she is present and free, creatively expressing her essence as she is in that moment. I shall follow this iridescent one to discover what she knows that I need, to see what she reveals, and unveils, to listen with all of me to her news. I look forward to this guide on this petal path.
May 16
“The practice this week is stillness, meditation, and equanimity.... Meditation will bring you deep within the current moment, and into your body.... be present to what’s underneath the stress; get to the heart of the matter...Bring your undivided attention to this heart of the matter." Christine Clemmer
I find these words very helpful today. I breathe and notice my body; I breath again, noticing again. Every time, I do, tension held someplace becomes apparent~ now in my shoulders, or in my jaw. What is under this stress?.. why do I brace myself? And against what or for what?
Fear... fear of this now causes me to hold my breath and this tension. To help me release the resistance, I breathe into these areas, and then breathe out again, feeling the fear and resistance. When I do, I feel my shoulders lower and then I can consciously feel the vulnerability of opening my heart; I breathe again letting go of resistance to all this tension and bracing.
Breathing, Noticing, slowly as I Breath into my shoulders again and again, I notice a gentle releasing, a Trusting. Trusting that I have everything I need within the miracle of this now. Trusting this is exactly where I should be. Ahh, Spirit reminds me of this, though I forget often
Breathe in, Breathe out, surrender to this moment and to Spirit. Breathing in and out, I surrender over and over again. Releasing resistance over and over again and welcoming the life that the breath brings. In, out, bringing breath to my body. Slowly, I begin to notice the breath, like the Spring winds, brings a lightness and a freshness here and then there, a lightness that only breath can bring. In.... out.... Ahh, welcome lightness too, welcome.
A quote, the meaning of which I barely understand comes to mind as I write: "I live in the life force that is carried on the breath," (attributed to the Peoples of Hawaii.) In the gift of breathe I discover this force. I feel held in the arms of Spirit and of this now. I feel Lighter.
I end this muse with a poem (mine) that somehow feels right in the new acceptance of this now.
I am the asker and the response,
The alpha and the omega,
The longing and the answer.
The desire placed in my heart, answered long ago when the seed of the universe germinated,
This question of my heart, can only find the answer within the heart.
The Void and the form exist as One
In the Palm of the Beloved
May 12,
Venus stations retrograde! Today into tomorrow Venus will appear to stand still. The day has arrived. The beginning of traveling back to the center of the petal, back to Source, back to one's Truth and center is here. And truly, I have felt it for days. The slow down, the confusion, the remembering and reassessing started a few days ago ~ with all the nuances that statement implies.
I read somewhere that when Venus is on the descent path back to the other side of the earth, the experience of joy and bliss may feel a little on the thin side, or on hold, as we re-evaluate, reassess, and reconsider what we value and love and what brings us joy. With this frame in mind we may discover new things that bring us joy as well as find former things we don't like anymore. I suppose before landing on the treasure, a little discontent is inevitable, even if it does feel uncomfortable.
I'd like to think of this review as the soul's process for creating new sources of joy for the heart. Pockets of Joy to renew us and vitalize us; vessels of hope and contentment to aid us on our next step of the journey. Yet, navigating the waters of my heart feels confusing today. The waters feel choppy and churning, as the swells and waves rise up from the deep for consideration and review. Which is the way? Which wave do I want to ride?
My heart answers, none of them for now. None of them; let them rise and fall; let them come and go. Ride them, tuning instead to the overall tide, not the individual concern. Listen instead to the pulse of the whole ocean, and hone in on the direction of the wind. The wind will take you home. Home to your heart. Back to your Source.
I yearn for that landing home.
I hear the winds blowing now,
restless for change,
restless to start this journey.
Dear wind guide this boat,
Dear tide, guide me home
Oh brave heart. Let's go.
trust his wind and tide
trust this journey home
to your heart.
May 6
Slow, and Down.
Two words that sound good for now. Slow and Downward.
Downward into one's roots.
The image of the tree of Life comes to mind~ where I can simultaneously reach deep within and high to the heavens. Deeply diving into my unconscious and reaching to the cosmos. In a tree, each half needs the other to live. The balance is just right. Wide, deep rich roots provides nourishment for large, lush canopy. One does not exist with out the other. A beautiful balanced harmony providing support for the other.
My own inner balance is sought, found and relaxed into, deep within my soul. Deep in my home
Here, yes; It is here. Deep within my home
Life has slowed, it slows even further. Welcome home
May 2,
I wish you all a belated Happy May Day~ Beltane. ??
I hope the coming together of Beltane energies brings wonderful
new life for you ?
It seems to me, if we are to find ourselves a new path, or new solutions, we must find new questions and create new steps and new perspectives. It is OUR eyes that must change, not the world "out there." Our frames must be deconstructed to allow for new buildings... A quote from Jesus of removing a "plank" (or a large splinter) from one's own eye, before attempting surgery on another's person's eye comes to mind
So while myth may offer a frame, many myths of the Underworld are laden with antiquated perspectives. I would like to present a new perspective of one descent into the underworld. Where the descent offers riches and treasures. Where the shadows of our unconscious offers answers not yet imagined. (This rewrite owes much to J Finley and Stephanie Azaria, of The Cosmic Consciousness.)
Persephone's descent to her undiscovered Self~
Persephone, a young woman, lives at home in the company of loving parents when along comes a Beautiful and tempting "Other" (you may fill in the gender.) This other, as Hades, I quote J Finley now, "appears larger than life, radiant in his role as God, God of the underworld, and 'captures' Persephone's heart, spirit." Captures her eye, her attention, her intrigue, and curiosity. She answers the call of her heart and follows Hades. By taking this new step she is awakened to a new path within herself .
Persephone follows Hades into the Underworld. She, like the planet Venus, leaves all she previously knew, leaves the visible realm for the invisible; she leaves comforts, security, all her current Norms to live in the land of her Shadow for half of the year. And Amazingly, she does this descent voluntarily every year. Every year, before returning and bringing the radiance of Spring and new life, she embraces the unknown of her Underworld consort.
....Just as I was about to write more, musing on about embracing the unknown within and shedding one's restrictions, to discuss the option of creating new myths for one self....just as I finished writing the paragraph above, an intriguing coincidence occurred right now, right here, in my actual 3D realm. A strong Spring wind blew and slammed my front door sideways, and nearly off, breaking the bottom hinge away from the "frame"
Yes,
Indeed.
For Real.
My outside Door swings free in the wind of change, hanging by one hinge, halfway off its "normal" support system. The winds of Spring blew it open and nearly off. Mmm.....
Come, Come winds; Come, I pray. Open my windows and doors to my soul and heart. Open my heart to your new and change. Sweep away the old stones, the cobwebs, restrictions and the old belief systems. Sweep me clean so I may be as Persephone, ready to bring in the mystery of radiant new life when I return to this beautiful earth
Thank you great Spirit for your sense of humor and timing.
April 28
"Eradicate from the soul all fear and terror of what comes toward us out of the future.... look forward to everything that comes from the future with equanimity... living out of pure trust, trusting in the ever present help of the spiritual world.....Seek the awakening within ourselves every morning and every evening" a paraphrased quote from R Steiner
"The way of the heart is live! Trust life, trust everything! Trust your shadow, trust fear itself "
"Our senses is how the Divine feels, through us." R Rudd in Ecstasy of the Senses
I included those quotes above because I don't feel fearless today. I feel weighed and hungry for security. My body on the inside wants to hide, feels almost frozen. This feeling erupted yesterday in welcome tears which allowed all those unspoken feelings to thaw. The body remembers. Remembers other eras of change like this one
This frozen internal focus is a strange thing to experience juxtaposition the wonders of Spring, when flowers begin to bloom, (though it has been so cold here that my pea shoots that emerged over a week ago haven't shifted from their "poking through the soil" stage. I may include a picture of their brave attempts to emerge, in honor of Courage ~Coeur age)
So I turn to the path of Venus for metaphors to soothe. What may the petal path teach me today. I discovered that the master of beauty is at its brightest today and tonight before it disappears for 40 days. I have heard somewhere that it is when one feels most lost that one shines brightest. When we feel we know the least is when we are most open to the new.
I am ready for those new perspectives, new questions and answers. I hope to make use of this 40 day descent to find new paradigms for the future. Here are a few gifts that Venus in retrograde provides (from astrologer Kelly Beard)
to connect with your essential nature
to remember what and who are most important to you
to reconnect with all of your senses (All 6)
to renew your Spirit, faith and commitment to your path
to release what no longer serves
to renew your self-worth
to create a new way of living on earth and with others
to balance inner yin/yang or inner masculine/feminine sides
to access greater courage (Strength of Heart)
That list sounds good to me right now. So I begin to imagine that this time, prior to May 12, is when all the excess debris is shedding. Like the skin of the snake. Soon the soft underbelly will show and I will wriggle free again in the warmth of the risen sun
I also found this song helped. I include the link too~
https://soundcloud.com/alunaritualmusic/aluna-a-message-from-the-pleadians-meditative-sound-healing-journey
April 27
The heart sings in vibrations
that words do not encompass~
Birds and tears,
accompany me today,
Both in no particular order,
with no particular cause
Waves surge and crash
on these shores of my heart
of possibilities
While unforeseen Snow
arranges gently on the ground
nestling in corners and crevices,
Embraced through the windows of my home
April 19,
More on Beauty: origin: a quote found in an unknown book by and unknown author, given to me by a friend. If anyone knows its origin, I would love to know and give credit appropriately. It speaks for itself; it is beauty itself:
Beauty
"is the harvest of presence,
the evanescent moment
of seeing or hearing on the outside
what already lives far inside us;
the eyes of the imagination suddenly become a bridge
between the here and the there, between then and now,
between the inside and outside;
beauty is the conversation between what we think
is happening outside in the world
and what is just about to occur far inside us.
Beauty is an achieved state of both deep attention
and self-forgetting,the self forgetting of seeing, hearing,
smelling or touching that erases our separation, our distance,
our fear of the other. Beauty invites us,
through entrancement, to that fearful frontier
between what we think makes us;
and what we think makes the world."
Ahhh, divine: Evanescence ~ the here and there, now and then, the infinite and finite combined in a single moment. The path of presence.... Leaving fear as a forgotten memory, where other is nonexistent, "pulsing heart and infinite awareness, merging into one," releasing in a "flash" of laughter (Radiance Sutras)
April 18, 2020
Venus also goes by the name of Aphrodite, the Greek Goddess of Love and Beauty. Beauty~ What moves me, I ask myself this Spring. What feels beautiful? What makes my eyes dance with joy, my ears hum with delight and my body sing, "the body electric?"
There are more answers to that question than this page would allow. In fact, Venus blesses us this Spring with a diversity of taste, and pleasure as she journeys through the diverse sign of Gemini. Here the options for beauty abound and shift like sunlight on moving water. While in Gemini, she helps us see beauty from many angles, like multiple facets of a diamond; here many diverse subjects reveal their soul and inherent beauty to out senses; As my interests diversify, the ephemeral spring flower, the sunset of indescribable color and a child's drawing of her feelings move me equally.
However beauty finds me, when it does, I notice that I inhale quickly like a gasp and, with deep relief, exhale slowly. At that moment, when beauty brings me to its alter, all other reality disappears. In that moment, Beauty has instantaneously brought me Right into my heart. (the path of beauty is the path of the heart... they feel like one) Whatever occupied my thoughts prior to the experience disappears.
~Poof~
Anything that was "on my mind" prior to the experience becomes nonexistent. My heart pours out with tears, laughter, and simple sounds. I am changed, lifted, lighter, altered on the altar of beauty.
It occurs to me as I write all of this, that beauty may be a dimensional reality onto itself, a reality that one can step in and out of. That as with the practice of any skill, one can become more adept at entering the realm of beauty, (oh, I like that idea!!!) That all it would take to become an adept, is practice and alertness to the opportunities. I see that Venus moving through this sign of Gemini could helps us with this new devotional practice, helping us to see and respond to the sublime in the small, and the beauty within the complexities. Oh, do tell me if this devotion become easier as you practice it. I would love to know.
Until my next post~ Namaste
A Vision of the Journey (4)
April 15, 2020
Except From Radiance sutra's verses 136-138, tr. Roche~
Energy and matter reveal each other,
to each other
Individual soul and cosmic energy..
pulsing heart and infinite awareness
Are secret lovers, always merging in oneness.
When the secret slips out, there is laugher and a flash of brilliance in the air
From now on, I will put the latest additions to the Venus muse page at the top of the page. Sorry for any confusion. 🙂
April 10, 2020
Yesterday, Venus started a planned voyage toward her underworld, a source of great treasure. Her descent nudges us, as well, to dig deeper into our shadowy underworld. In honor of her courageous passage, I hope to write a short paragraph daily.
I learned that Venus travels in a uniquely distinct path that she creates in the night sky. The path is a five petaled flower that takes 8 years to form. A mystical planet that follows a mystical path. This time, the path she follows leads her from an evening star to a morning star.
I will share more as the days carry us to this descent and back. For now, here are some dates ~ Venus will appear to travel forward until May 11 at which point she will appear to slowly turn and then review her path on her return to her starting point. This entire journey, I believe, makes one petal of the flower. She will "disappear" from our evening sky on June 3rd, at which point she will be in her underworld. She reappears as a morning star on June 25th. From then on she will have recovered the path she traveled to her shadows and will then be in new star trails on August 2nd.
Venus Muse post (2)
April 11, 2020
Further musing on the present path of Venus through the sky~
Some call the planet Venus the planet associated with the heart; I am calling this path of the heart 'The path of many petals.' The path of one's heart unfurling and blooming on the path of love. As with any path, it is one step at a time
I take it slowly (with all the extra time I have in this global pause,) noticing what is here now. What feeds my joy now? What feeds my laughter and delight? I trust that what reveals itself to me is my next step. (even if that step, as it was today, is cleaning certain arcs within my home. An interesting focus before the descent to the underworld)
I remind myself when the steps feel hard, as it can with the ground in these Northern woods still thawing, that I can focus on the challenges before me, those that separate and divide, or I can look at the source that I love~ the face of the Beloved before me. When posed in this way, the choice seems obvious; the path feels clear even when the end destination remains unknown. I choose a path of joy
We are in a pause before the descent, I trust in trust. I trust my Spirit who has brought me to this exquisite specific moment in creation to experience this specific step as a part of the making and unfurling of the eventual flower. Every step, when seen as integral to this path becomes that of walking on hallowed ground
Happy path to your heart's center.
~Happy Easter, Passover and Ramadan soon to be~
Namaste
April 12
Brief blessing of hope on the holiday Sunday ~ said to be from the Apache~. Peace to all as we transform within and without
May the sun bring you new energy by day, may the son softly restore you by night, may the breeze blow new strength in to your soul, may you walk gently through the world and know its beauty all the days of your life."
Venus path (3)
April 14, 2020
"Brothers and Sisters, Here is what I know, here is what I know and it goes like this~
"In your love my Salvation lies, In your love, My Salvation lies."
Orange Sky by Alexi Murdoch
The path of Venus is The path of the heart
A few days before Venus started this particular journey, she brushed up with the Pleiades, the seven sister star cluster. In the evening in the western sky I got to see Venus just below the little cluster of stars. I have always loved this group of stars~ a magical cluster associated with a magical number.
I also have always loved that the best way to see this star community is by averting one's eyes, by seeking their home just off the actual location. I like to think perhaps, like the heart, one best sees the Pleiades when not using the glare of rational perspective or preconceived notion of place, time and form. Instead, when softening the vision, one can really See!! And humorously, when practicing this skill at night, my mind almost always jumps in and flicks my eyes back to the actual physical spot saying, "really, all that is in that cluster??", only to be rewarded with the dimmed-down version of a smudge.
I like knowing that when I widen my gaze with reverence, or indeed sidle up to any being, with honor, humility and hope that I see More beauty than is in my dreams. It feels when this happens that I see a spark of the Divine in that eternal moment ~ Will I See you if I Look from a new different angle, a different spot? What if I look here? Or here? Then will I See You??
Regarding the magic of this month's passing~Much has been written about the Pleiades, saying that they carry unconditional Love for all the earth and her inhabitants. Here is what I know, that when I lie down on this precious earth and avert my eyes to gaze under the sky's mystery, a gentleness enters my Spirit, a gentleness that does not reflect my mental chatter. It is the peace of a warm smile. I leave the moment feeling refreshed, a renewed hope and awe.
Venus passed this warm smile prior to entering her retrograde shadow this year, like a graduate being given the blessing of her kin prior to starting a new petal path; prior to her descent into the underworld. It brings scope to this journey. That even the stars are not alone. That even the stars have their kin sharing encouragement and support. ("Go team GO...")
I celebrate her, and our star kin. And Thank you for being in my life.
Love to all of you
A Vision of the Journey (4)
April 15, 2020
Except From Radiance sutra's verses 136-138, tr. Roche~
Energy and matter reveal each other,
to each other.
Individual soul and cosmic energy..
pulsing heart And infinite awareness
Are secret lovers, always merging in oneness
When the secret slips out, there is laugher and a flash of brilliance in the air