Blog ~ Ruffled Feathers

Thoughts, ideas, perspectives, ruminations. If we make it through life without ruffling a few feathers, have we really lived?

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In the Thick Of It – ND #34

Posted on by Lisa Weikel 4 Comments
IV. The Emperor – The Brady Tarot

In the Thick Of It

It seems we’re in the thick of it all. Everything we’ve sown is preparing to be reaped. Good or bad; I guess it’s in the eye of the beholder.

As I sit here feeling the frigid North Wind arrive, chilling everything it touches and stealing my breath, I ask if there is anything we should be aware of or contemplating as we take refuge from the harshness ‘outside.’

I decide to ask for a message from a deck Karl gave me for completing my 1111 Devotion, The Brady Tarot. This deck is comprised of images (hand-colored linocuts) created by Emi Brady and is accompanied by a guidebook written by the renowned author and master tarotist Rachel Pollock.

Besides the exquisite artistry, I love how this deck is dedicated to the biodiversity of North America, and a portion of the proceeds is donated to some very worthy causes (Earthjustice and the Indigenous Environmental Network).

The Cards

I chose the way I usually do, shuffling the cards with both hands and holding my question in my mind. In this instance, I simply asked what we’re learning or need to be aware of unfolding in our lives.

I chose the Emperor card with the 5 of Roots underneath (ha – at the ‘root’ of the selection).

IV. The Emperor – The Brady Tarot

IV. The Emperor

“Rules, structure, authority, Father figures, including one’s actual father, but also anyone who fulfills that role. Some mothers are more Emperor than Empress. Dominance, control, but also the security that comes from structure and rules. In a conflict, the Emperor, as you, can tell you to stand your ground.”

There is much more descriptive information contained in the guidebook. Simply viewing the image, though, and using our intuition is instructive and illuminating. Plus, it’s not as though the ‘theme’ of patriarchy hasn’t been coming up in all sorts of contexts over the past several years.

5 of Roots – Scarcity – The Brady Tarot

5 of Roots – Scarcity

“Difficult times, hardship. This is one of those cards people do not like to see in their reading. It shows a time when we cannot avoid suffering, but must carry on, with the hope of better things to come. At the same time, the figures are not alone. They help and support each other.Thus, the card can indicate a relationship in which people become closer. But what will happen if their lives improve?  Will they reap the benefits of that closeness they have forged, or will they drift apart without the glue of hardship?

(…)

A family of moose trudges through the snow of a New Hampshire winter. (…) Winters are hard for moose, for they have nothing to eat but bark and twigs. The father seems to stand alert, while the bedraggled mother leads her child on the quest for food.

(…)

The mother looks particularly ‘ghostly,’ with the father less so. What we can see of the child looks healthy.

Even in such hard times there are signs of hope. Below the ground, still not accessible to the hungry family, five grass seeds have begun to sprout. Things are bad, the card tells us, but if you carry on and help each other, change will come.”

My Take

Our ‘emperors’ – those who have been in power and have no intention of giving it up easily – or even sharing it – are front and center in our experience right now. There’s been a lot of conquest to achieve power ‘over’ hence the top of the mountain) and heads on spikes are a good indicator of that ‘taking,’ as is the clenched restraint of the eagle. Allowing the eagle to fly free and unrestrained is not an option that’s going to be willingly offered by The Emperor.

The struggle around us is going to become more stark and the refusal to cede any ground more adamant.

The ‘Scarcity’ represented by the 5 of Roots is an apt, if unfortunate, foundation. But really, does this come as a surprise to any of us? No. The result of the struggle that’s playing out in the effort to bring more equality to the situation (topple the Empire – um, I mean The Emperor) is taking, and will continue to take, a harsh toll on all of us.

Ultimately, we will be asked to work together, in community, to overcome the oppression. We’ve planted seeds of concepts that can nourish us and make our country and world stronger. Before they truly take root and flourish, we’re going to have to help each other find nurturing and sustenance where we can.

As has been told to us by so many of the oracles we’ve consulted:  realizing that those in power retain their power by dividing the rest of us and pitting us against each other, and choosing instead to work together to survive and create a better world is what will save us.

The Old Way of power over is unacceptable. Those holding that power will, sadly, do everything they can – including not only hurting us but even going so far as to ‘sacrifice’ us – to remain in control. But working together, we can save each other and ourselves and create something far better.

(T+34)

In a Daze – ND #33

Posted on by Lisa Weikel 2 Comments
Is that a light at the end of a tunnel? Photo: L. Weikel

In a Daze

I’m in a daze this evening. The fact that I didn’t walk today is partially to blame. But the more significant cause of my malaise is the six straight hours I spent in front of our computer painstakingly recreating our Quicken records for the past nine months. And I don’t even have the job halfway completed.

Yes, this is all my fault.

As you may recall, back when I was rediscovering the reality of ‘zoomies,’ the pups accidentally snagged the charging cord on my Dell laptop, sweeping the machine clear off its table like a magician performing a tablecloth trick. Only the laptop was the tablecloth (not the china), and it dropped with a swoosh onto the rug.

Alas, in spite of an initially optimistic diagnosis by the local computer repair shop, it was pronounced deader than a doornail about a week later. Specifically, something broke in the hard drive, rendering it unreadable without investing a couple thousand into an attempt at recapturing the information (i.e., no guarantees).

Even though I was proud of myself for having intermittently backed up both laptops on an external hard drive, it seems my sense of timing is a bit skewed by the pandemic. (At least that’s my excuse.) Turns out it’s been a lot longer since I backed them up than I realized. Seven months, to be precise. And since I’m only just now getting around to reconstituting all the financial data I kept in Quicken, I’m now tasked with entering nine months’ worth of entries. And not just our personal stuff, either.

A Perfect Day

The dismal, overcast, gloppy weather today lent itself perfectly to putting my nose to the grindstone. I became lost in my task, barely taking time to even get up from my workspace until well after dark. Looking out the window as the hours ticked by failed to distract me from my task. All it did was make me sad because I knew I had no intention of walking in drizzle.

I think Karl feared what I might concoct for dinner after such single-minded focus on figures, so he ran out for pizza without even telling me ahead of time. I’d planned on making a stew with dumplings, but he assures me a cold snap later this week will make the stew even more welcome a few days from now.

As frigid as the temperatures were last night (it was 18 degrees at 6:00 p.m.), judging from my most recent visit to the outdoors with the pups, the air feels weird tonight. It feels warmish out there and that doesn’t feel right to me. All of which exacerbates my sense that I’m in a daze.

But since I know I’m going to be toiling over this data entry for at least a couple more days, I just want to preach from the mountaintop: back up your data regularly and often. Preferably more often than every seven months.

(T+33)

24 Hours – ND #32

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

24 Hours

It’s hard to believe sometimes that I can live an entire 24 hours and not unearth a single interesting thing to write about come the end of the day. It’s sad, really. But it’s the truth.

I was just sitting here contemplating what I might write about tonight when my eye spied a hint of yellow packaging barely visible peeking out from under a smooshed roll of paper towels beside the couch. I recognized that yellow packaging and aggressively told myself to ignore it. No good would come out of unleashing that evil.

Alas, I was struggling, yearning for a topic that was not just another excuse to post additional puppy pics. Although I have to tell you, I caught some especially cute moments today that warrant sharing. And who am I kidding? We all know they’ll come out sooner or later.

But I digress.

Evil Seeds

The packaging that originally whispered my name was now starting to taunt me. “Come hither, Sweet Thing,” the evil seeds lurking within their yellow party bag cooed. “I’m not sweet,” I thought. “You’re the sweets. Shut the hell up.”

I’m not proud. I can be pretty rude and abrupt when it comes to foodstuffs, especially those that offer no intrinsic goodness whatsoever. But these nasty nuggets are especially egregious, for they render me powerless. I’m one of those people who cannot eat just one.

So here I sit. If I’m honest, my tummy is starting to hurt just the tiniest bit; I’ve eaten far too many. Compulsively stuffing them into my mouth, these evil seeds are designed to forever tease satiety but never actually provide it. Instead, they taunt. “Just one more handful. We need to be eaten. What are you going to do, throw us away? That would be such a waste.”

Ugh.

I Blame Santa

Since I never buy these (ok, rarely ever), I’m sure they must’ve dropped out of Santa’s sack. If that’s the case, it would be a tragedy to waste them. And having traveled in his sack, surely they must have a little bit of magic to them. Don’t you think? Maybe that’s even why I can’t stop eating them! It’s not that I have no willpower! Eureka!

They’re enchanted. And – poof – look at that. A blog post magically appeared. (I regret to inform you that some evil seeds remain. To be ingested another evening, I’m sure…)

(T+32)

Finally! A Snowstorm – ND #31

Posted on by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment
Post Snow-Walk Snuggles – Photo: L. Weikel

Finally! A Snowstorm

Finally! A snowstorm! Until today, we’ve barely even had flurries. It’s hard to believe this was the first appreciable snowfall of the fall/winter season. I’d say we got about 4” – which was just right!

For Pacha and Brutus it was their first encounter with the fluffy white stuff. The adventure began last night, when I took them out for their last-chance, just-before-bed, relief opportunity. They both seemed perplexed by the white globs of cold stuff falling on them as they did their business. But the extra nip in the air provided by those flakes simply hastened their single-pointed focus to return to the house and dive under the covers.

This morning, however, their vastly different personalities were evident. While both were tentative at first, Pacha quickly reveled in prancing through the white stuff, kicking it up with her feet and burying her snout in the piles she created.

On the other hand, Brutus’s distaste for the whole cold, wet affair was obvious. With a little coaxing from his sister, he grudgingly scampered about for a few (very few) minutes. (Maybe not even a whole minute, to be honest.) But he quickly made it abundantly clear that, no thank you, he’d much prefer snuggling in front of the fire.

“This is SO FUN!” (Pacha) – Photo: L. Weikel

Indulging Both

Not wanting to play favorites, we let them snuggle in front of the fire and dragged them out for a walkie in the white stuff.

Neither one of them balked at taking a walk this afternoon, though, which surprised us. It’s not uncommon for us to have to coax them for the first hundred yards or so, just because they tend to be sticks in the mud – especially when it’s cold out. So we thought for sure that walking in the snow would prove to be even more of a hassle, but we were wrong.

There was a bit less lollygagging and sniffing at the weeds along the way. But all in all, even Brutus seemed to have a good time taking a walkie in a winter wonderland.

And when all was said and done, the Grinch and the warmth of a fire awaited.

“Let’s go home and snuggle in front of the fire!” – Photo: L. Weikel

(T+31)

What Happened Last Year – ND #30

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

What Happened Last Year

I don’t want to write about what happened last year. It seems like all the words have been used up and there’s nothing but actions left to define who we are and what we are becoming.

At this point, nothing matters if we don’t ensure voting rights for every citizen in the country. I say that because there’s no way we will get anything accomplished on climate change if our democracy is shot. Indeed, there’s no way we’ll discover the truth about who was involved in planning and implementing last year’s attempted coup, either – not if we haven’t learned it already by the time the midterms roll around. Because as appalling as it may be, it’s all but certain that Republicans would kill any investigations into the January 6th attack on our capitol as soon as they came into power.

While I know this is true, I want to run and hide when I hear it stated.

How can it be that Representatives and Senators would actually – willfully – choose to torpedo an effort to get to the bottom of an outright attempt to thwart the will of the people?

Good Question

That’s a question that bounces around in my heart and soul every day. It’s hard for me to wrap my mind around the fact that the Republican Party is so in lock step with Donald Trump (Donald Trump! Think about that!) that Representative Liz Cheney (with her father at her side) was the only serving member of that party to attend any of the events that took place in Washington D.C. today.

From honoring the Capitol Police who, blindsided and left unsupported for hours, risked their lives to protect all members of Congress to solemnly marking the historic significance of the terrorist attack that took place at the hands of fellow Americans last year, the Republican Party was AWOL. The disrespect and dishonor is palpable. How dare any of them ever utter the words “Blue lives matter” or “We support the police” again.

I’m disgusted with my Senator (Toomey) and my Representative (Fitzpatrick). Their hypocrisy is inexcusable and the breach of their oath of office egregious. As they circle their wagons and protect their own, more and more are exhibiting complicity in the attempted overthrow of our government.

We must demand accountability. If we don’t, it’s likely we’ll lose everything we thought we stood for and realize that, in truth, we never were quite the beacons of democracy we thought we were.

Get involved. Use your voice. We must not remain silent.

(T+30)

Touching the Sacred – ND #29

Posted on by Lisa Weikel 2 Comments
Last night’s crescent – Photo: L. Weikel

Touching the Sacred

As I mentioned last night, the moon has been stunningly clear (and uncharacteristically photogenic!) on our walks the last few evenings. And walking beneath the vast and attenuated winter sky overflowing with brilliant points of light gives us the sense that we’re touching the Sacred.

I am trying my hardest to steer clear of writing about ‘out there.’

And by ‘out there,’ I mean pretty much anything that’s happening outside of our own direct experience and personal lives, but especially the myriad dramas playing out around us.

Tonight’s Waxing Crescent, Jupiter, and… Photo: L. Weikel

Another ‘Out There’

But now that I mention it, there were a few intriguing moments this evening that felt more connected to way far away ‘out there.’ The photo below, for instance, seems to depict a somewhat dull object (neither self-illuminated nor affixed with lights) underneath and slightly to the right of the moon. In every other photo I took of that same area of the sky, that object does not appear.

Waxing Crescent Moon, Jupiter (above), and… Photo: L. Weikel

‘Blink and it’s gone.’

Experiences like this do make me wonder just how much we miss every day.

The planet Jupiter, naturally, proudly shines forth just above the moon. It’s hard to miss. And astrologically, Jupiter tends to make everything ‘bigger,’ and usually ‘better.’

It doesn’t feel like that’s the case lately. Well, bigger maybe. But better?

I’m left feeling like there’s a lot left that’s being unaddressed. Everywhere.

(T+29)

Colossally Distracted – ND #28

Posted on by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment
Twilight 4 January 2021 – Photo: L. Weikel

Colossally Distracted

Yikes. How could I have been so colossally distracted as to neglect to comment on the new moon we just experienced this past Sunday? Here we were, celebrating the beginning of the next cycle of the Gregorian calendar, and I didn’t even notice that the moon was new as well?

I hang my head in shame.

But you know what? Luckily for me, the moon herself reminded me of her recent ‘new’ status by revealing just how lovely her crescent self is becoming. She revealed herself in such utter beauty tonight, it was impossible to complete our walk without stopping over and over again to try to capture the beauty that seemed to only build as the night progressed.

Macro Meaning

As you all know, my natural inclination is to focus on setting our own personal intentions and aspirations at the new moon. Obviously, they may or may not coincide with the intentions (or ‘resolutions’) you declared for the new year. But the coincidence of the new moon happening so close to the turning of the calendar increases the power of anything you set your mind to in these intense times.

It’s interesting to contemplate the ‘macro-meanings’ of outer events and their timing, too. For instance, I wonder if there will be anything new – any new investigations – announced in Attorney General Merrick Garland’s speech tomorrow afternoon regarding the insurrection. Will we be surprised and relieved? Or will we continue to be lament the fact that not a single ‘mastermind’ of the attempted coup has been indicted.

Only time will tell.

But I think I speak for many of us when I express my fear that my faith in justice will remain unrequited if those who plotted this slow moving coup are not held accountable.

Before Our Eyes

We all know what we saw unfold before our very eyes last year. That was no ‘tourist visit,’ and to even suggest that ‘spin’ on those events with a straight face is insulting. Shame on the Representatives who tried to float that narrative.

I keep coming back to the idea that we all watched it unfold in real time – right before our eyes. And now we’re starting to get an idea of just how deep into the inner circle of the Administration the plotting took root and flourished. I for one would love to see some Justice Seeds get planted this week.

New moon, new year. Yeah, fresh accountability would be a great complement to these energetic patterns of hope and new beginnings.

Tonight’s Newly Waxing Crescent Moon – Photo: L. Weikel

(T+28)

 

Spectacular Sunset – ND #27

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

Spectacular Sunset

I realize I’m jumping on the bandwagon tonight, but seriously – how could anyone witnessing this evening’s spectacular sunset resist taking a photo (or 10)? I saw so many photos of this very same sunset on FB tonight. I tried to talk myself out of sharing my photos, but here I am.

What I love is how so many of us chose to revel in the astounding beauty that unfolded before our eyes. The colors and incredibly variegated forms of the clouds made me feel like I was living in a Cloud Appreciation Society video. Round clouds resembling giant medicine balls (remember them from high school? talk about useless) gave way to swooshes that resembled mares’ manes.

And the colors. As rich and vibrant as they appeared one moment, they miraculously took on even greater resonance moment by moment.

Then – just like that – the entire tenor of the spectacle shifted to a still lovely but far less fiery demand of our attention.

Same Sunset – Moments Later; Photo: L. Weikel

A Sense of Quiet

Our walk, while visually captivating, was also remarkably quiet and still. Was it the sudden blanket of cold air that seemed to mute the landscape?

Perhaps it’s just the approaching anniversary of the insurrection that has me feeling a little uneasy. I dare say, it’s on most of our minds.Something unsettling is in the air, and I’m not quite sure what it is.

Maybe it’s Covid and the ultra contagiousness of the Omicron variant.

Photo: L. Weikel

All It Takes Is a Moment

I spoke to someone I care about today who contracted the virus over this past weekend. Triple vaxxed, extremely careful, she spent the evening with a single, solitary friend who is equally cautious. Just the two of them escorting 2021 out the door in the comfort of her friend’s home.

As the night unfolded, her friend started to feel weird. Rapidly, she felt worse and worse. My friend started feeling the effects last night and tested positive this morning. Because she has some rather substantial risk factors, I’m hoping she’s a candidate for monoclonal antibodies. During Delta’s surge, that probably wouldn’t have been an issue. But given the explosion in number of infections with Omicron, that therapy is now in short supply.

All it takes is a moment for everything to change.

If this is indeed the quiet before a storm (or storms), let’s pay attention. Remain vigilant. Love and care for each other. And celebrate Nature’s dazzling gifts with an open heart (and a camera at the ready).

(T+27)

Massive Evergreen – ND #26

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(Eerie) Massive Evergreen – Photo: L. Weikel

Massive Evergreen

Before the season ends, I want to post a couple photos I took of a massive evergreen that’s in a yard near my home. The way this tree is decorated thrums my heartstrings. I don’t know why, either.

Perhaps it’s the sheer effort it took for the homeowners’ to decorate such a huge tree. That’s a consideration, for sure. And even though I know people hire firms to come and do their decorating using all sorts of major equipment, it doesn’t feel like that’s the case in this situation. I don’t know why – and maybe I’m totally wrong.

I think the biggest thing that impresses me about this tree is how they took the time to swoop the lights in arcs. It looks like a classically decorated old-fashioned Christmas tree. And it is simply lovely.

Spooky Photos

The neighbors who decorate this tree so lovingly have done so for a couple of years. I drove past a number of times last year, though, and didn’t see the tree lit up even once. So I was doubly delighted to see the lights back on this year.

Thus I found myself stopping completely in the middle of the roadway the other night and rolling down my window. It was rainy and miserable, yet there were no other cars approaching from either direction. I wanted to try to somehow capture the beauty of this tree to share with you, and this seemed to be the perfect opportunity.

Cue the Eerie Music

None of the photos I took came even close. But a few actually seemed especially odd. The one at the top of this post, for instance. Honestly, to me the tree looks like a phantom, with a bluish tinge that could be straight out of a Tim Burton movie. (OK, it would probably also need some huge bright red teeth or something to morph out of the center of the tree to swallow my car to be truly Tim Burtonesque.)

I tried with and without the night setting on my phone, adjusted the timing, tried other techniques, but nothing could capture the utter beauty I find whenever I look at this tree.

And maybe that’s a truth I need to sit with this year. We can’t always capture the essence of a moment, experience, or companion on film. Indeed, it’s rare. So the best gift we can give ourselves is to truly be in the moment of first-hand perception.

Why am I fascinated by this tree? – Photo: L. Weikel

(T+26)

Surreal Start – ND #25

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Waiting patiently – Photo: L. Weikel

Surreal Start

What a soggy, surreal start to 2022. The layers of fog undulating in the fields surrounding our home only added to the other-worldly, time-standing-still quality of the day. And while I know temperatures are expected to plunge to more seasonal digits within the next day or so, it was a little disconcerting to barely need anything more than a heavy sweatshirt to take a walk. The main upside to this balmy respite was the chance to spend more time outside playing with the puppies.

I’m not going to talk of resolutions or even aspirations. Not today. Maybe in a few. Maybe next year. We’ll see.

Instead, as we put a bow on the top of this holiday season, I sense the need to bring some puppy love to the party. It feels like it’s been a while since I shared any photos of Pacha and Brutus with you, and I have to tell you – they’re growing exponentially. If I don’t show you some soon, you may not even recognize them!

Waiting patiently – Photo: L. Weikel

Personalities

The personalities of these two siblings couldn’t be more different. Brutus is laid back and would probably do anything to please me. He’s sweet and sensitive and doesn’t like to get his feet wet. He’s learned a variety of commands and performs them quite well.

Pacha on the other hand is relentless yet distractible. Resembling a black and white torpedo, she zooms across the lawn with such speed and abandon that when she attempts to change direction and circle around, she’s been known to skid out a couple feet on her back or side. She pops right back up, not at all the worse for wear but for some muddy skid marks on her coat.

And while she definitely loves us and doesn’t want to make us angry, she paradoxically only follows our commands if she either randomly feels like it or she sees a benefit to herself to ‘listen.’ I’ve heard her literally bark a ‘no,’ when told to sit when she doesn’t feel like it. It borders on the creepy.

Almost! – Photo: L. Weikel

Circus Performer

But the funniest part about her personality is how I swear she could be a circus performer. If I had the inclination, I bet I could teach her to ‘dance’ on her hind legs to entertain us all. My confidence level is high because I’ve seen her do it already. The trick is to get her to do it when I ask her to – not unlike the issue I have with every other command we’ve taught her.

I did manage to get a couple of shots of her dancing for a toy today, which I’m sharing with you here. Brutus sort of sat there watching in awe as she went through her gyrations.

But I throw down the gauntlet. I dare you to avoid having the Big Top’s theme song (yut dut duddy dut da-dut dut daaah det….) run through your head when you see Pacha on her hind legs.

Trouble is, I hate circuses. Ha!

Such talent – Photo: L. Weikel

(T+25)