Month: August 2021

Wildlife – Day 1003

Posted on by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment
Cutie – Photo: L. Weikel

Wildlife

I’ve had three surprisingly close encounters with wildlife in the past 24 hours – and that doesn’t even count the eight fawns (two of which popped out of the brush beside the road to scamper in front of my car – twice) and 5 does I passed.

I only managed to get photos of the first encounter. But as you can see, s/he was a cutie!

Hard to call this WILDlife – Photo: L. Weikel

First

This little raccoon was on the side of the road as I was driving home last night after taking my photos of Jupiter and Saturn. I may not have succeeded in seeing any Perseids, but – what was that? As I passed by several clusters of leaves littering the side of the road, I caught sight of what looked like a small cat-like creature scratching its ear with its hind leg. I was tired and realized it may have been just another clump of fallen leaves, but I turned the car around in a driveway and headed back for another look.

As my headlights washed a broad beam onto the side of the road, I could see that it was indeed a small animal. My window down, I pulled up slowly to see if I could snap a photo of it before it ran away. Well, didn’t this little creature come walking right up to me? It looked lost and a little like it just wanted to be held, to be honest. (Yes. Of course I was talking to it the whole time. And no, I had no intention of holding a wild animal.) But it bothered me that it had moved into the road as it responded to me.

I drove down the road a piece and turned around yet again. I hated having my headlights trained on it, but I needed to be able to see it and hoped it would want to retreat from the lights. In fact, that’s what happened. S/he crossed the road in front of me and descended into a culvert.

Next Encounter

I was sitting in my car following the tremendous thunderstorms that went through the area early this evening. Half in and half out of the car, my right leg was inside the car and my left on the ground. I was looking at something in my lap when all of a sudden a squirrel ran from behind my car and almost bumped into my left leg! It just stood there on its hind legs – sort of taken aback by the encounter as much as I was. I yelped involuntarily and it ran off.

It was an odd encounter.

Final for the Night

About an hour later, Spartacus and I were taking a walk on our usual ‘walk around’ route (our shorter, two mile excursion). He’s getting older and it shows: he’s developed cataracts and his hearing is not what it used to be either.

Thus he missed the coyote that loped across the road about 20’ away from us. What a gorgeous animal! At first I thought it was an adult fox, but the tail had more of a look of a dog than the fluffy, sticking straight out tail of a fox. And its coloring was more brown and dark gray as opposed to the usual rust-colored fur of a fox. Needless to say, it didn’t ‘say’ anything to us as it passed!

Spart may have missed it as it crossed, but as we approached where it disappeared into the bushes, his nose got him all sorts of excited. And historically, he has not had quite the same reaction to foxes. So, again, my sense is that the creature that padded across our path was definitely a coyote.

What a wonderful day, filled with close encounters with the wildlife that share our habitat. And just as I write this, a screech owl serenades me just outside my door. Wow.

Hopefully heading home – Photo: L. Weikel

(T-108)

Perseid Meteors – Day 1002

Posted on by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment
Jupiter and Saturn taken minutes ago – Photo: L. Weikel

Perseid Meteors

Over the past few nights, the sky has been exquisitely clear in my neck of the woods, especially around midnight. In spite of conducive conditions, I’ve yet to catch a glimpse of any Perseid meteors streaking across the sky. I’m hopeful, though. Maybe tonight will be my lucky night.

Technically, the Perseids last until August 24th but they are at ‘maximum streaks per minute’ across the sky later this week.

Of course, as I looked up into the moonless sky last night, thinking about the Perseids and how happy I am when they arrive every year, I was distracted by a few other bright celestial objects calling out to me.

Jupiter & Saturn right now – w/horizon – Sky Guide app

Jupiter and Saturn

First and among the most prominent are Jupiter and Saturn.

Jupiter is pretty hard to miss in the Southeastern sky. It’s obvious why this massive planet is deemed to be a ‘benefic,’ or planet that brings good fortune to us when it makes aspects in our charts. Jupiter is the ‘biggest’ planet we can see with our naked eyes, the one that unexpectedly draws our eyes toward it and say, “What’s that?”

And once again, I must confess, I cannot gush enough about my Sky Guide astronomy app. I love how it tells me exactly what I’m looking at – and even shows me what’s going on below the horizon. The Milky Way dazzles on this app – and only makes me ache to see it again from a place with little vast stretches of open sky and little light pollution.

I was thinking about all of you last night as my heart kept opening wider and wider. I was on my back on top of a picnic table, entranced by the night sky and the accompanying cadence of crickets and katydids. The ethereal music the app creators added to the Sky Guide is truly a perfect accompaniment to cosmos-gazing.

Jupiter & Saturn – just minutes ago – Photo: L. Weikel

Shooting ‘Stars’

I’m almost always amply rewarded for my determination to celebrate our planet’s annual trek through space dust – a/k/a the Perseid Meteor Showers. My only worry is that it’ll be cloudy on Wednesday (11th) or Thursday (12th) night, when ideally they should be peaking.

Believe me, I know how hard it can be to drag yourself outside once you’ve settled in for the evening. But the magic inherent in drinking in the vastness of the visible universe borders on the indescribable, and I want all of you to remember to indulge if you are so inclined.

It seems to me that we so easily and so often forget our relative unimportance in the grand scheme of things. It’s essential, in my opinion, that we remind ourselves of that insignificance every once in a while, especially when we’re on the brink of trashing this beautiful blue planet and potentially rendering it uninhabitable.

Are we truly incapable of raising our game and actually becoming thoughtful stewards of this planet? I’d like to think we’re still redeemable, but my hope is dimming.

Another view of Jupiter & Saturn with a bit of the Milky Way; Sky Guide app!

(T-109)

All These Ones – Day 1001

Posted on by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment
Ripples – Photo: L. Weikel

All These Ones

Holy cow! With all these ones surrounding us tonight and a powerful new moon to boot, how could it not be a time for fresh starts, planting seeds of creative intention, and contemplating the new stories we’re ready to begin weaving in our lives?

In case you’re puzzling over exactly what ‘ones’ I’m talking about, it’s the “Day 1001” above and the “(T-110)” at the end of this post. Ones galore. New beginnings. And since many of you have been faithful compatriots over the long slog that’s brought us to yesterday’s milestone – now with only 110 left to go! – I dare say each one of you is undoubtedly standing at the cusp of something new in your life, too.

Perhaps it’s a major life decision, such as selling your home, pursuing a new field of study or expertise, opening your own business, or adopting a baby. Or maybe it’s something on a much smaller scale – or perhaps only seems so in this moment – but may end up changing the major trajectory of your life.

Flow and Bubbles – Photo: L. Weikel

So Much Going On All Around Us

With all the static and confusion, the rancor and fear that’s swirling around us, I challenge us all to find one new little twist we can add to the story of our lives right this moment. Even if the new thought or activity only changes five minutes of the story we tell ourselves, what will happen if we think it and then act on it?

Where will those new and different five minutes of our lives lead us? That new thought or choice might seem to shift the strands of our destiny a single degree from where they were otherwise headed. But over time? Wow. It could lead to a transformation of our reality.

I’m sharing ‘all these ones’ with each of you. If you weren’t reading my words, then they wouldn’t matter in the least.

And so I invite you to embrace this opportunity to add a little spice to our stories. And ok. If you’d rather sweet instead of spice, I say, “Go for it!” Either way, or even another way entirely, recall the tantalizing anticipation that comes with starting a new book or movie and imagine feeling that way about your tomorrow.

(T-110)

Major Impetus – Day 1000

Posted on by Lisa Weikel 2 Comments
Prize for Reaching 1,000 – Photo: L. Weikel

Major Impetus

Is something magical going to descend from above and cover me like a blanket of feathers* after I hit the ‘publish’ button tonight? Will my attitude toward my 1111 Devotion – or my writing in general – undergo a transformation once I hit the 1,000 club? I ask these questions because a major impetus behind my decision to embark upon this Act of Power was a blog post I read by Seth Godin.

As the title of that particular post implies (“The first 1,000 are the most difficult”), Seth maintains that reaching the milestone of writing 1,000 blog posts can make a huge difference in how a person perceives themselves. Understandably, this shift in perception can also significantly impact how a person approaches their concept of themselves as a writer.

My Attitude

I will admit that hitting the 1,000 mark is a bit of a stunner. It’s amusing to me that 995 posts ago, I wrote an explanation how finding Seth’s post about ‘the first 1,000’ felt like a message to me. I’d asked how I could honor Karl’s life, and in particular his creativity, and this showed up in my face. The weird thing was, I hadn’t even read it when it first arrived in my email a week or two earlier. I only saw it that morning because I accidentally clicked on it in my email.

Suffice it to say, it seemed at the time that I was getting a major nudge to wake up and pay attention to what was (and wasn’t) ‘working’ in my life. And if I found my attitude or circumstances wanting, then I needed to change my story.

Celebrating 1,000

In reflecting upon the impetus behind choosing to write 1111 consecutive posts as my ‘devotional’ Act of Power, I looked up the entry in which I described how I arrived at that number. (I remembered the part about the power of 1,000.) What I forgot, though, was the appearance of the other Seth Godin post: the one that spoke of the power of changing your story.

I feel yet another change in my story approaching again. Perhaps I will plant that seed in some way tomorrow, both in honor of attaining the dramatic 1,000 mark and also to take advantage of the powerful new moon in Leo. This 8th day of August 2021 promises to be a powerful day of manifestation.

It might behoove us all to contemplate our stories. Do we wish to change them? Now might be a great time to begin.

A Prize From Above

Finally, as Spartacus and I walked this evening on the freshly macadamed road along our usual path, something beautiful caught my attention.

The way in which this feather was standing at attention in the midst of tall grasses, its shaft gently nestled amidst the new pavement was curious. I don’t know how I caught sight of it. But there it was.

I’ll take it as one of my beloved signs. I’ll trust that perhaps the time is coming to change my story yet again.

What a ‘Random’ Gift – Photo: L. Weikel

*I just realized: I DID receive a feather! Ha!

(T-111)

What a Number – Day 999

Posted on by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment
Stars Through the Forest – Photo: L. Weikel

What a Number

What a number I just typed into the title line, above. Could I really be writing my last three-digit post tonight?

Numerologically speaking, this feels like an ending, even if I’ve not yet arrived at my goal of 1111 consecutive posts. Nines are completion. Three nines, no matter how you look at them, sort of hammer home the concept of completion. Beyond the simple fact of three nines comprising the number, if you add the nines, 9+9+9 = 27 and then 2+7=9. No matter which way you look at 999, it reduces to a 9, and thus it represents a wrapping up, a conclusion, an end to something.

Not My 1111 Devotion

The number 999 may signify completion of something, on some level, but it does not mean I intend to quit my Act of Power before I reach my goal. No; there remain 112 posts to write, and I intend to write them, Goddess willing.

It represents the end of three-digit posts. That’s pretty lame.

Honestly, I don’t know what – if anything – reaching this number signifies, other than I’m plugging along, doing my thing, honoring my word.

Day after day (technically night after night), I blow a quick kiss to my eldest son when I hit ‘publish’ and whisper, “I miss you so damn much. I remember you every single day. And I do this one little thing each night because I said I would. Because I love you.”

And although it’s a little thing, sometimes that’s the best I can do.

Fire Sprite Rising – Photo: L. Weikel

(T-112)

Hunker Down – Day 998

Posted on by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment
Arf! – Photo: L. Weikel

Hunker Down

Is it just me? Or are you guys feeling it too? Lately I can’t even walk into the grocery store without feeling an edginess in the air that’s unlike anything I’ve felt before (especially in the grocery store!). Even when the pandemic was first starting to rear its ugly head back in March and April 2020, I didn’t feel this level of anxiety in the general populace. If you ask me it’s time to hunker down again.

OK, I’ll admit it. That’s coming from a person who probably would choose ‘Hunkering Down for $200, Alex.” In all honesty, I’d choose it for free.

The last thing I feel like doing is getting into a discussion with someone in the produce aisle who’s on a hair trigger over the fact that I’m wearing a mask. And believe it or not, I felt the possibility of that happening twice this week. I nearly fell over.

No to the Boston

And then another time this week, I saw a person walking across the parking lot I’d just entered with a cute little Boston Terrier on a leash. Well. You can all imagine how I swooned. Ooooh, how this puppy reminded me of Sheila when she was just a girl.

I jumped out of my car, whipped my debit card in and out of the meter to throw some money on it and turned to speak to the Boston and her daddy. “Your Boston is adorable!” I called out with a big smile. “I have two!” (never fully admitting to myself that Sheila is really gone).

Neither of us were wearing masks (we were in the great outdoors), and I asked if I could pet his pup. “Aren’t you concerned with…” he asked, waving his free hand in the air.

I stopped in my tracks. We were a good 20 feet away from each other. “What?” I was genuinely puzzled. Surely he knew I had no intention of getting anywhere near him. I just wanted to say hi to his pup.

“Covid,” he responded. I was taken aback. Honestly, it had never even occurred to me that I wouldn’t be permitted to pet a dog on a 10’ leash. You don’t get Covid from pet fur. Or even from surfaces. You get it from aerosols in the air; hence why it’s wise to wear masks when indoors.

“Oh,” I replied. “Would it bother you…?”

“Yes, it would, as a matter of fact.” Ugh. His tone. It had turned so…icy.

Backed Off

Whoa. OK. Of course I immediately stopped in my tracks (still about 15 feet away from the dog dad and five feet away from the Boston, which had of course had immediately responded to my high pitched hello to it and headed my way). I felt like I’d been smacked.

My reaction was silly, I suppose. But his abrupt attitude took me by such surprise.

It’s hard to know where anyone stands anymore. Or how they will react to many of the circumstances we used to consider mundane.

Makes me just want to hunker down in my own safe place. I haven’t a clue as to how people feel about anything anymore. And the enormity of that almost brought me to tears.

Spartacus in Repose – Photo: L. Weikel

(T-113)

Annual Cicadas – Day 997

Posted on by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment
Annual Cicada – frontal view – Photo: L. Weikel

Annual Cicadas

Have you noticed recently the scratchy, long-lasting, insect-screech coming from the trees? If you stop to think about it and actually pay attention to the sound, you’ll realize it’s completely different than the weird whirring space-ship sound of the 17-year periodical (Brood X, in our neck of the woods) cicadas that emerged in late spring. What you hear are annual circadas.

Indeed, if you pay attention, you’ll not only realize it’s a completely different call than the Brood X cicadas, but you’ll also recognize it as a reliable and comforting sound of summer. In fact, these little buggers who show up reliably every single year when the summer months are at their hottest and muggiest are also appropriately known as dog-day cicadas.

When I was growing up, this was the sound that heralded lazy, hazy days so hot and muggy that the best thing to do was find some shade, secretly snag a couple pillows from the living room, and lose yourself in a good book. A tall glass of iced tea (Nestea instant tea, back in the day) added to the perfection.

Yes, the signal for embarking upon such a literary adventure was the distinct sound of the annual cicadas. They’re shy guys, it seems. They mostly seem to ‘ghost’ us with their light brown shells, left behind when they shed. It’s much more rare to see an annual cicada than the hordes of 17-year cicadas we just enjoyed (or endured, depending upon your perspective).

Annual Cicada – Photo: L. Weikel

Bird Issue Update

All of this talk of cicadas reminds me that there seems to be some connection being drawn by ornithologists connecting the periodical (17-year, Brood X) cicadas with the sclurge that’s been afflicting songbirds.

Luckily, it sounds like that nastiness is starting to abate. The birds that were getting sick and dying seemed to be located within the zones where the Brood X emerged. Was it caused by the birds eating cicadas that were harboring the zombie-creating cicada fungus?

It’s a mystery I think we’re close to cracking!

(T-114)

Lighten Up – Day 996

Posted on by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment

Speaks for Itself – Photo: L. Weikel

Lighten Up

One thing I’ve always been able to count on my sons for is a well-timed poke to lighten up. Of all three, though, Karl was the raw and uncensored (believe me) comedian. He had an impeccable sense of comedic timing that came through for all of us time and again. Sometimes it perked his father or me up or helped his brothers see the absurdity of a situation. Usually he was being irreverent but at the same time scathingly truthful. He had a knack for finding the humor in the weirdest situations.

All of which leads me to a discovery I made this morning.

It could be said that perhaps I’d gotten up on the wrong side of the bed. That’s at least one perspective. The details are unimportant, but capturing the crankiness of the moments leading up to my discovery is essential.

I was foul. That much is indisputable. I looked at the state of the world on my phone and wanted to chuck it across the room. And when I brought my attention to my own little microcosm, I felt equally irritated. Well, maybe not equally, but I was definitely unhappy with a lot of little things all around me.

Cleaning the Catbox

I was actually in the perfect mood to clean out the catbox. In fact, that is an activity I was perfectly suited for in that moment. Sometimes cleaning up another creature’s crap can inspire you to clean up your own. Meh. Maybe. I tell myself that, though. And I do take pleasure out of leaving the litter pristine and ready for Tigger to jump in and re-christen it, which he invariably does within five minutes of it being cleaned out.

This time, though, there was a sign. Ha! A rainbow turdlet.

Pointed Message?

We’ll occasionally find rainbows arcing across our walls – often in intriguing places that almost seem to be aimed onto a specific object like a laser pointer.

I have to admit, though. This was the first time I’d ever found a rainbow in the catbox.

“Mom. Lighten up,” I could almost hear him saying. Just barely. And I had to admit, he’d managed it again. He made me laugh.

(T-115)

Portals – Day 995

Posted on by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment
Two of Wands – Rider, Waite, Smith deck – Photo: L. Weikel

Portals

A friend asked me the other day about the concept of portals and the number 11. After I mentioned the connection between the two in a recent post, she wondered whether the connection between 11s and portals is consistent between astrology, numerology, and shamanic work (where traveling between realms is an essential aspect of the tradition).

As an artist, she could easily see how the number 11 resembles the two sides of a doorway. But her question plumbed far deeper than the superficial observation.

In my experience, two pillars, but possibly two of almost anything depending upon context, often evoke the energetic desire of the observer to go through or between them. There’s an etheric barrier implied, an energetic tension between the two columns, that beckons to be pierced.

Maybe it’s the tendency for us humans to be fixated on duality that fosters this sense. We tend to see duality all over the place: in/out, up/down, male/female, black/white. So of course if there’s a threshold in front of us, there’s the tendency for us to think in terms of here/there.

Where?

A doorway intuitively leads us from here to there. So it’s a significator; it announces to us that we are leaving where we’ve been and entering new or different territory.

I can’t remember where or from whom I first learned that 11s are portals. I think it was probably more of a symbolic association than anything else. But as soon as I began my metaphysical studies almost 40 years ago, I realized how prevalent is the consideration of 11s as something special.

Tarot

As I’ve mentioned in other posts, it took me a long time to feel comfortable exploring the tarot. But once I realized its value as an amazing means of accessing psychological and spiritual insight, the symbolism – when I gave myself permission to free associate – seemed to just fall into place intuitively. Although when I reread that sentence, I wonder if it was the development of my confidence in my ability to intuit symbols that finally helped me appreciate the value of the tarot.

Hmm. A thought for another time.

All I can say at this moment in time is that pondering this question has made me pull out a bunch of 11s in just one tarot deck. I want to use them as examples of how they lead from one state of reality, understanding, awareness, or experience to another.

But it’s taking me down a rabbit hole and I realize I don’t have nearly enough time to explore this and have some fun with it.

11s

Suffice it to say for the moment that I have a special relationship to 11s. Not only do I have 11s showing up for myself numerologically, but of course Karl died on 11/11/11. I’ve always felt he couldn’t resist all the portals that showed up in front of him – so he went through and didn’t return.

For now, I’m just going to comment on how the Two of Wands, pictured above, shows a person on the brink of moving out into a whole new world. He just needs to go through the doorway formed by the Wands on either side of him. It’s his choice. The world is in his hands.

And there’s a lot more for us to explore.

(T-116)

Among Us – Day 994

Posted on by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment
First Glimpse – Photo: L. Weikel

Among Us

It stands to reason that animals in the wild must be watching us and keeping an eye on our unpredictable movements a lot more often than we realize. They’ve lived among us long enough to know that we’re the dangerous ones. Deer, for instance, have been hunted in our area for untold generations.

Yet deer around here are almost considered pets to some people, while others continue family traditions of hunting and keep their stand-up freezers filled. I imagine it must be confusing for deer. Do they trust these noisy two-leggeds? Or should they bolt, leaping their way to safety?

It’s a decision they make at their own peril.

I think a deep preservation instinct is actually more prevalent in those animals that are a step or two on the wilder side than deer. They’re the ones who only rarely divulge their presence when we’re near them. I’m thinking about the coyotes, foxes, and bears – not to mention owls and eagles.

All Eyes On Me

During my recent walks, though? Oh, my goodness. I’ve been aware of so many pairs of eyes on me! It’s almost felt as though Spartacus and I have been receiving escorts all along our route. Over the past week or so in particular, I can confidently state that I cannot walk more than 100 yards without being able to look carefully around my surroundings and spot a pair of eyes locking with mine.

Just this past week I’ve had at least four extended conversations with young bucks, their budding antlers covered in fur. I could tell by their behavior that they know they’re ‘big boys’ and probably shouldn’t fraternize with the two legged. But it’s my experience that we’re all hard-wired to crave connection and communion.

It’s a delicate balance.

First Glance

Tonight, in spite of the rain that continued to fall sporadically throughout the day, I managed to get in a quick two mile walk. I was surprised to see ‘greeters’ all along the way. I almost felt as though many of them were turning their heads toward me and then gesturing to see if I was still coming along.

A couple seemed to literally play hide and seek with me behind a large tree. That was adorable, but I didn’t manage to get a photo of how ‘off’ they were as far as their body awareness.

Another pair, though, seemed to come into focus for me as I stared at a field I was walking past. As you can see from the photo at the top of this post, one deer was just barely visible to me as I walked past her. I don’t even know what caught my eye, but it did.

She seemed to be torn. Part of her trusted me. And yet…

Coming Into Focus

The second time I raised my iPhone to take her photo, I realized there was another deer standing quite close beside her. Neither one moved a muscle. They knew I saw them, and I knew they knew. As a result, neither they nor I moved a muscle. (What amazes me is what a good boy Spartacus is.)

It felt good for me to discern their presence. In a way it reminded me of looking at one of those engraved photos that reveal other images in them when you look at them long enough.

I may only very rarely catch a glimpse of a coyote or a fox or an owl. But the deer play with me.

While it’s sometimes disconcerting to sense that eyes are on me, watching me, from one moment to the next, I’m mostly comforted by it. I feel as if we humans are mostly woefully oblivious, and my compatriots along our walkway are simply training me to be a better neighbor.

Bingo – Photo: L. Weikel

(T-117)