Leonids Archives - Owl Medicine: Shamanic Healing

This and That

I’m not feeling an abundance of inspiration this evening, so I’m just going to offer these two snippets:

First is that I deliberately wrote and published my post earlier than usual last night because I wanted to go outside and watch the Leonids I’d just written about streak across the sky. Alas, I saw one meteor.

One.

Yes, I was disappointed. And I continue to be bummed this evening for the same reason. Actually, tonight’s even worse. I didn’t see even one single meteor tonight. The plus side is that I gave myself the opportunity to walk through the woods in the dark – twice – and then nestle myself on a grassy embankment that affords an enormous view of the night sky.

Double bonus? It was relatively mild out (especially compared to the bitter cold and then snow of last week).

But again – only managed to catch one shooting star.

A PSA

On a totally different topic, I thought I’d pass along a snippet of information I discovered today that just might save someone a lot of money and probably a ton of hassle. And I feel this is particularly relevant now that the holidays are approaching.

For anyone who flies anywhere these days, you know how much of a relief it can be when you’ve finally made it through TSA, repacked all your stuff, stopped to score another drink to quench your dehydrated soul as a result of all the TSA hassle, and found your gate. Only then do you realize that your phone’s battery is precariously in the red.

Cue the angels: you hear their bountiful chorus as you spot one of those really convenient ‘free charging kiosks’ that are popping up all over the place inside airports.

STOP RIGHT THERE!

Don’t give in to the temptation! Step away from the charging station!

Seriously, I just saw this article this evening before I sat down to write and it occurs to me that this is an important thing for people to know. What a scam.

Notice that they suggest taking your own charging cable to plug directly into a wall socket. Or alternatively, bringing along a portable charging brick.

I guess the primary lesson is: Don’t be fooled. And the secondary lesson is: be prepared to charge your own battery. Don’t rely on the airport to provide you with a ‘safe space.’

As I said, not the most inspired post. But I’m sleepy, and I can’t believe it’s the 16^thof November already. Thanksgiving is around the corner. 2020 is barreling toward us like a herd of bison.

We need to be vigilant, especially when we travel.

Finally

Luckily for all of us (depending upon your perspective, I guess), there will be yet another opportunity for us to turn our faces heavenward this week. So if your search for Leonids was as fruitless as mine, take heart. I’ll be writing about our next chance in a couple days.

(T-740)

Leonid Alert

In case you didn’t realize it, the Leonid meteor showers will be taking place this weekend (Saturday and Sunday evening, November 16-17^th, 2019). Had I realized it before this evening, I would’ve written this post last night. As it is, this won’t get automatically sent until 1:00 a.m., which I suppose could still work to provide a heads up for some of you.

When I first began this 1111 Devotion, I didn’t imagine my posts becoming a harbinger of meteor showers, but that’s apparently something that’s evolving out of this practice. I’ve written about the Delta Aquarids, Capricornids, and ‘advertised’ the Perseids. And now the Leonids.

I’m guessing it’s because looking up, increasing our awareness of the cosmos, promoting our realization that we inhabit an incredibly vast universe (and even that – my use of the singular ‘universe’ – feels limited) all feel deeply important to me. It feels important that we earnestly begin expanding our awareness of ‘reality’ (even more accurately, realities) sooner rather than later.

And That’s Just the Physical…

It’s amusing, I guess, that I consider watching the skies for ‘shooting stars’ to somehow be a gateway for us to consider other realities. Why would this be so, when they’re clearly part and parcel of this shared physical reality?

I guess I’m enamored with meteor showers because they have the ability to both confirm the physical fact that chunks of debris (from exploded planets and massive ice chunks and who knows what else) careen through space and burn to a cinder when slamming into our atmosphere – and also remind our spirits that we can experience astonished delight by simply witnessing a hoped-for but totally unpredictable point of light streak through the sky above our heads.

Why I Rant

I was out walking in the dark this evening, weaving my way along the stones and across the logs traversing the springs that bubble up along the path. The trees, having only recently lost their leaves, looked a bit naked in stark relief against the midnight blue of the star strewn sky.

But their nakedness allowed me to look up and actually see the bazillions of stars that are visible in places where light pollution barely exists. My heart cannot help but expand beyond all boundaries when realizing I’m staring into the Milky Way galaxy from my single little spot on Mother Earth.

When I look up and feel that vast sense of expansion, I yearn for everyone to stop what they’re doing and look up. I yearn for everyone to turn off the lights and look up. I yearn for everyone on Earth to stop for a moment and remember there’s so incredibly much more to life than what occupies most of our minds and consumes most of our thoughts.

Indulge the Magic

I’ve written about a couple different meteor events, but this is my first post about the Leonids. So tonight or tomorrow night, around or after midnight, turn off your lights. Go outside if weather permits and, if possible, spread out a blanket and allow yourself the luxury of both connecting your back (literally) to Mother Earth and your spirit to some magic.