full moon in Gemini Archives - Owl Medicine: Shamanic Healing

Self-revelation

I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m not cut out to be one of those people who can bring things together in a seamless fashion and make it all appear effortless. I’m just not. What, you might ask, has tipped me off to this self-revelation that surely has been apparent to everyone living in my vicinity for – oh, I don’t know – at least the past 40 years?

Hmm. Let me think. Maybe the fact that I was steam cleaning our rugs this afternoon, when I actually have a list of time-sensitive obligations that deserve and demand my attention?

Granted, there are few activities more satisfying than steam cleaning a rug. In my book, it’s akin to mowing the lawn. Perhaps that’s because I perform both tasks in long, straight lines and the transformation as I progress is decidedly obvious.

Visible Confirmation

Every once in a while, I need some tangible proof that I’m accomplishing something worthwhile. If not worthwhile, at least visible and useful or pleasing in some way.

With the arrival of the puppies, the need to steam clean our rugs was becoming more and more of a pressing necessity. The result of today’s effort is pleasing and oddly liberating. But it also ate up a ton of time.

Orange Rising – Photo: L. Weikel

And Then There’s the Moon

The full moon appeared enormous to my eyes as she rose tonight, bursting with such a deep orange hue I wouldn’t have been surprised to see the word ‘Sunkist’ stamped on her surface. Her draw was mesmerizing. When I first noticed her majestically gracing us with her presence above the tree line, my heart leapt into my throat and I felt overcome with reverence.

And yet, I feel like there’s an air of obliviousness about. I read the articles on the transmissibility of the Omicron variant and I am gobsmacked at the throngs of people I see maskless in stores. And then I wonder what the hell I’m doing in those stores myself. I so rarely go anywhere other than the grocery store or the pet food store. (And yeah, I use Chewy, too – but I had a purpose in going to the pet store recently!) I will write about that soon.

I’m all over the place in this post. I keep losing track of what day it is. No, I’m definitely not one of those people who has her act together. And I’m definitely not one who can fake it.

I AM Solstice Symposium

I wanted to invite everyone to watch the I AM Solstice Symposium, which begins tomorrow (today, Monday, when you’re reading this). (The above link will take you to the page where you can buy the recording of the entire event, but down further on the page is a link to join the live presentations on Facebook, which will take place on the Wind Clan FB page.)

Of course, you can still sign up to enjoy the programs. You can jump in at any time, but if you wait, you might miss a talk that could be just what you need to hear and don’t even realize it. And there’s an impressive lineup of cool people speaking.

Truly, I’m honored to be included.

My presentation isn’t until next week (Tuesday the 28^th) at 2:00 p.m. EST. But seriously, you’ll be missing out if you don’t sign up first thing tomorrow. It’s free if you watch it live. It’s hopeful. And you might gain some self-revelation that’s way cooler than mine!

And it’s never too late to engage in the devotional act of tending the solstice fire in your home and your heart.

(T+12)

Nearly Full – 28 Nov 2020 – Photo: L. Weikel

Race to the End

Here we are, approaching the eve of the final month of this seemingly relentless year. In an undeniable display of the paradoxical nature of time and our perception of it, few would disagree that this has been one of the longest years in recorded history. And yet in some ways, it feels like we’re in a race to the end.

Is the election really over? Has that major quadrennial event in our country’s life cycle taken place? When did that happen? Did I miss it? I feel like was aware of it, yet it also feels like it has yet to take place – it will, but in the future. Not because of some sad in ability of some people to face the truth of the election but because the election that did take place feels like it happened about three years ago or so.

Thinking back to January of 2020 feels like a snapshot into, oh, I don’t know…2017? And here we are, one more interminable month to go.

Every day enough happens in the news to merit a month’s worth of back stories and investigative reporting.

The worst part is that, deep down, most of us – if we’ve been paying attention – know that all of December and the first 20 days of January hold the potential for some seriously calculated mayhem. What could possibly add to the maelstrom of self-inflicted harm at the highest levels of our government?

How ‘bout Those Eclipses?

The moon, our closest and most intimate luminary, reaches her fullness at 4:30 a.m. Monday morning. Thus, some of you earliest of risers (or those of you who stay up even later than I do!) may find yourselves not only witnessing the fullest expression of the moon but also looking at the darkest phase of the penumbral lunar eclipse occurring at that very same time.

Because it’s a penumbral eclipse and not a total eclipse (an easy scientific explanation is here), the moon will not appear that deep, blood red color of a full-on total eclipse. It will, however, appear darker. (The moon will enter the penumbra – shadow – of the Earth at 2:29 a.m. ET and finally exit that shadow at 6:56 a.m. ET. The moment when the moon is in the greatest amount of the Earth’s shadow (and will thus appear darkest) at 4:42 a.m. ET.

So if you’re an early morning riser – willingly or unwillingly – you might as well check out the astronomical phenomenon that’s ‘kicking off’ the final eclipse season of our most beloved year of 2020. This lunar eclipse occurs in the sign of Gemini (because the moon, being full, is opposite the sun, which is in the sign of Sagittarius).

And as I’ve mentioned before, eclipses happen in pairs. So the fact that tomorrow morning’s eclipse is a lunar one means that two weeks from now (on December 14^th, as a matter of fact) we will experience a total solar eclipse.

Is it me, or do you think this celestial phenomenon may have an impact on the final casting of electoral votes that’s supposed to take place on December 14^th?

Time will tell, I guess.

In the meantime, here is one astrologer’s, Chani Nicholas’s, discussion of the next two weeks’ worth of planetary aspects and how we might interpret them in our lives.

We Can Do This

The long and short of this post is that we’re not out of the woods yet. This year still has some tricks up its sleeve and these final four weeks hold some seriously profound influences that would challenge us in the best of times.

I dare say, these are not the best of times.

But knowledge is power. And solidarity is too. The more we can pay attention and try to understand what’s going on (not only in the minutiae of the workings of our government – for those of us here in the States – but also the much greater, more comprehensive view of the evolution of our country, our species, and our planet), the better able we’ll be to navigate whatever we’re asked to adapt to as we encounter unforeseen and possibly totally unexpected circumstances.

It’s a lot. But we were born for these times. A huge key is sticking together. Communicating. Sharing our fears (so they are halved), but even more importantly, sharing our vision, our hope, and our compassion. We have each other’s backs.

We can do this.