new moon

New Moon in Aries – ND #114

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Graceful and Glorious Landing – Photo: L. Weikel

New Moon in Aries

In only a couple hours, we will experience a New Moon in Aries. As we know, a moon is considered new when it is conjunct, or exactly lined up with, the sun. And the sun just entered Aries last weekend.

A new moon in Aries is considered especially auspicious and powerful as far as initiating new endeavors and becoming aware of (and seizing) new opportunities. Beyond noticing what short term goals we might want to set and implement, this particular new moon, being in the initiating sign of Aries, may be especially powerful in marking the beginning of a new two and a half year project.

It’s intriguing to ponder what seeds we might plant today (Friday, April 1, 2022) that may either run their course or only come into their fullest expression by June 2024. It just feels like there’s so much volatility and potential for change all around us.

Will we manifest the change so many of us yearn for deep in our hearts?

Blue Heron & Goose – Photo: L. Weikel

Creek Visit

All of which reminds me that I only managed a ‘drive-by’ of the Tohickon today, which is where I go when contemplating time – past, present, and future. When I turned onto the road that passes within feet of the creek I immediately noticed two Great Blue Herons having a chat on a boulder amidst the flowing waters. Of course, as soon as I pulled up to the side of the road (albeit as slowly and unobtrusively as I could – in a car), they took their leave. One seemed less irritated with me, though, and seemingly teased me by only moving a dozen or so yards upstream.

It hung out with a couple Canada Geese and I wondered if it was going to try spearfishing one of those ginormous carp that – surprisingly – were still hanging out in that same spot I saw them last week. (I saw much less evidence of the snakes, though. Or maybe I didn’t linger there long enough for them to surface.)

Yes, we had a chat – Photo: L. Weikel

 

Instead of pondering my intentions for this new moon, I had a silent chat with this Great Blue Heron. It was obviously aware of me as I playfully stalked it with my iPhone. I love the shot I got of it landing on a rock a bit downstream, its wings outstretched and magnificent.

I’m thinking the message of this new moon may be honoring the need for self-reflection, which is the key concept attributed to the Blue Heron in the Medicine Cards. There are so many ways we can honor Blue Heron’s nudge to engage in this activity. I think it may be time for me to cultivate and offer new opportunities to myself and others who may want to join me to do just that over the next couple of years.

Set those intentions! And maybe even, perhaps, join me in embracing Blue Heron’s urge to know ourselves even better?

Great Blue Heron taking flight – Photo: L. Weikel

(T+114)

A Most Perfect Time – Day 1030

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XI – Strength – The Tarot of the Crone by Ellen Lorenzi-Prince

A Most Perfect Time

A new moon in the sign of Virgo occurred this evening at 8:51 p.m. Eastern Time. New beginnings. Setting new goals. A most perfect time to change things up in our lives, make fresh commitments, and start actively dreaming a new world into being.

The power of this particular new moon is magnified, of course, by the fact that it also marks the beginning of the Jewish New Year celebration of Rosh Hashanah, which began at sundown. The added ritual, prayer, and sacredness being brought to this month’s new moon precisely because of its significance to our Jewish brothers and sisters only adds to the power of this moment.

Yes, every new moon is a new beginning of one sort or another. But we’re also quite aware of the fact of power in numbers. There’s an energetic upgrade to our thoughts and efforts when we gather together to envision our future. So now more than ever it feels essential to our survival to work together toward imagining greater understanding, facilitating peace, and perhaps even seeking justice.

Spiritual Miracle Gro®

I asked for a card to serve as a form of fertilizer for the seeds we’re planting at this powerful new moon and New Year. The card that revealed itself from my Tarot of the Crone deck was Strength.

Perhaps this message can serve as a meditation or point of reflection this week:

“I am Spirit

Making a body

Is what I do

 

I am Body

Expressing a spirit

Is what I do

 

You are Primal

You are Sublime

 

You are the Strongest

When both are One

In Strength is the image of a woman arising from the belly of a golden cobra. The background is the red of healthy power and passion. Strength is enlightened flesh, the life force flowing from your heart, from your belly and from your spirit. Strength is the power of kundalini, the energy ‘snake’ that uncoils from the base of the spine and rises up, bringing healing and knowledge. This is not about spirit taming the body, or lusts of the body overpowering the spirit; this is integration; this is knowing these are not separate things. Spirit and will are not attributes of the mind alone. Emotion is not felt only by the heart. Your body holds them all.

Whatever shape your body is in right now, it’s time to celebrate its life. Know that every breath you take feeds your power and infuses you with goodness and inspiration. Every breath you take is a victory over the forces of destruction. Feel how each cell of your body is an entire endless universe and how al of it, all of it, belongs to you.”

A Thought

It occurs to me as I share these words of Ellen Lorenzi-Prince (creator of The Tarot of the Crone) that this specific interpretation of the Strength card could not be more perfect for the times we find ourselves in.

Given the misogynistic ‘law’ passed by the Texas legislature ripping power over women’s bodies away from women themselves and handing it over to random religious zealot vigilantes, I have a feeling we’re going to see the Power of Woman rise up. It’s going to be a new day in Texas and this country.

Women will not knuckle under to this fear-based oppression. On the contrary, now that the stakes have been set, and the gauntlet thrown (thank you, Supreme Court), we will rise up from the belly of the cobra – precisely like the woman in the Strength image. It is a most perfect time for us to do so. Our bodies hold our spirits, will, and emotion. And I guarantee we will not relinquish our power to the fear-based minority (the forces of destruction) who quake at what they do not know or understand.

(T-81)

All These Ones – Day 1001

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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)

New Moon Approaching – Day 967

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New Moon Approaching – Photo: astrologyally.com

New Moon Approaching

As we allow this post-holiday second week of July to play itself out, I’m reminded that there’s a new moon approaching that will arrive this Friday evening at 9:16 p.m. EDT. As always, because a new moon (also known as the dark moon) is exactly conjunct the Sun, then whatever sign the sun is in, the moon is too. Thus, this will be a Cancer new moon because the Sun is in Cancer too.

Please forgive me if my explanation is too basic for you. But for the longest time, I never really paid attention to the technicalities of what makes a moon new or full, or what a conjunction, opposition, square, or trine of planets (and the luminaries: Sun and Moon) means. And even after all the books I’ve read, readings I’ve had, and podcasts I’ve listened to, I still need to stop and think about it. So when I’m moved to write about astrological stuff in my posts, I like to explain it as best as I can so you can visualize it.

Thus experiencing a new moon this Friday evening means both the Moon and the Sun are in the sign of Cancer. And among other attributes, Cancer is the sign in which the Moon is very much at home. It’s a sign that is intimately connected to our emotions, nurturing, care and compassion – and the concepts of family and home.

As with all new moons, it marks a new beginning. The time of a new moon is the best and most powerful time to plant the seeds of new ideas or ways of being, start new jobs, begin new projects, strike out on fresh new adventures, and set powerful intentions.

Other Players, Too

As I’ve written about a number of times already (and linked to a number of astrologers who’ve explained it a lot better than I can even synopsize), this year’s theme, if you will, has been centered on Saturn ‘squaring’ Uranus. In point of fact, these two massive planets exactly square each other three times in 2021. The second of these three exact squares was on June 14th, and the final square will occur on December 23rd.

Saturn is the planet associated with rules, foundations, laws, patriarchy, the ‘way things have always been done,’ and structure.

It’s also associated with shame and ‘shoulds,’ which kind of makes sense. If we don’t follow the rules or do things the way they’ve always been done (or the way we’ve been told), then those in a position of power to punish or judge us can heap guilt or shame on our heads. It’s important to note here that we hold the power of shame and guilt over our own selves – just as much as any external authority can wield it against us.

In the wider world, Saturn can represent the foundations of society, our government, ‘The Law,’ hierarchies of power, etc.

As I mentioned, Saturn is squaring (or another way of looking at it is challenging or provoking) the planet of Uranus pretty much all year, but we had a direct ‘hit’ on June 14th and we’re still feeling the effects of that because these outer planets move so slowly. Uranus is associated with radical transformation, sudden illumination, explosive shifts or changes in perspective and is often depicted in association with lightning. When these two planets are in square aspect to each other, it’s not hard to see where this could lead.

My Feeling

I have to laugh when I write ‘my feeling,’ since the sign of Cancer is all about feelings. But it feels to me as if this new moon is asking us to acknowledge those places in our lives where some major shaking of foundations has taken place – and to decide how and what we want to start building anew. What seeds do we want to plant that will replace those old structures, foundations, beliefs, or stories that we told ourselves (and based our lives upon) that have essentially been shaken or, in some cases, struck by lightning and blown up.

It feels really important that we all give ourselves the chance to sit quietly, take stock and honestly look at what has left us or fallen down or away in our lives over the past six months (representing the first two of the three squares of Saturn and Uranus).

And we need to ask ourselves: what do we want to plant after we clear away the rubble? It feels especially important for us to pay attention to our emotions as we engage in this reflection. What do we want to feel as we move forward? Who will we consider to be our ‘family?’ What do family and the foundations family represents mean to us moving forward?

I’m mentioning this now because the new moon isn’t until Friday. I don’t know about you, but I need a few days to really sit with this and make some choices.

(T-144)

A Worthwhile Endeavor – Day 948

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Waxing Moon 16 June 2021 – Photo: L. Weikel

A Worthwhile Endeavor

I listened with interest the other day to an Astrology Hub podcast discussing the transits for this week. In that Weekly Weather podcast, Anne Ortelee suggests an exercise that feels both intriguing and powerful to me. In fact, it feels like such a worthwhile endeavor that I thought I’d mention it here.

All of you know that I’m no astrologer. At best, I flirt with the tiniest bit of knowledge, which is always a dangerous thing. But in my beginner’s mind innocence, I also harbor enthusiasm for the insight the macrocosm can provide to each of us as a unique microcosm.

Of course, I’m providing the link to the specific podcast here. It may be a little confusing, but I’m finding the best way to learn this stuff is to listen and apply it to my own chart. I suggest you do the same. In fact, there were even more interesting insights in this particular podcast that I’m following up with for myself. But see for yourself, if you’re interested.

One great thing about Amanda Pua Walsh, the founder of Astrology Hub and the host of the Weekly Weather as well as the Cosmic Connection (the program with Rick Levine that I’ve linked to occasionally) is that she asks great questions. Not only does she summarize what’s been said by the astrologer, but she also seems to get confused when I do – and asks for clarification when I need it.

Weird Clouds at Sunset – Photo: L. Weikel

Planting Seeds for the Long Haul

The exercise that Anne Ortelee suggested in this week’s Weekly Weather podcast has to do with the new moon that occurred last Thursday morning. You may recall that the new moon was also an eclipse of the sun. And to add to the intensity of that astrological lineup, it just so happened that the new moon and eclipse both lined up with the “Nodes of Fate.” The Nodes of Fate are the Moon’s Nodes – something I’m not equipped to get into describing at the moment. Suffice it to say, the Moon’s North Node conjuncted (landed in the same sign and the same degree as) the new moon and the eclipse.

I’ve written a number of times about the new moon being a fertile time to plant the seeds of new ideas or goals. These generally may come to fruition in a month, or in longer time frames such as 2.5 years. Well, precisely because this new moon took place conjunct the Moon’s Nodes (specifically the North Node of the Nodes of Fate), at an eclipse, a 19 year process was set in motion.

Since it’s only been a week since that powerful conjunction, the moon is still just beginning to wax and grow the intentions set during that time. In other words, it’s not too late to plant those seeds – particularly for the long haul of what you would like to manifest over the next 19 year phase of your life.

Interesting Exercise

If you even just indulge me in this and allow yourself to ponder what you would like to be experiencing in your life 19 years from now, you’ll see that this is a worthwhile endeavor. For one thing, it is fascinating to look back 19 years from this moment and ponder just what you were thinking, doing, and dreaming back then.

Did you have an accurate assessment of your present circumstances 19 years ago? Is the life you’re living now anything like the one you were living then? Are you living a life now that you fully imagined then?

Simply reflecting on the changes in your life over the past 19 years is fascinating. At least I found it to be so. And realizing that I had no idea then that I would be doing what I do now for a living makes me realize just how much everything can change in 19 years.

The most important thing to remember in contemplating this exercise is to focus upon what you want to feel in 19 years. The specifics can be filled in by Life Itself. But the most important activity we can do right now is set the intention of what we want to feel. Do we want to be surrounded by people we love and who love us? Will we be living in a home that’s secluded and in the country or within walking distance to the most important things in our life? Do we want excellent health? Children? Do we want to be living with a person who loves us and shares our passions? Do we want to own our own company or head a non-profit?

It’s the Passion

What’s most important in writing out these seeds that we want to plant/goals that we want to create or manifest in our lives is how deeply and passionately we want them. It’s not as much in the details; it’s the passion. Often the Universe (or Spirit or God/Goddess, whatever you want to call Creator energy) will give us something even better than we could have imagined.

“This or something better”

The truth is, we go a long way in getting the ball rolling by tapping into what’s in our hearts. And let’s be real. How often do we honestly sit down and contemplate what would I like to be experiencing 19 years from now?

It’s a most intriguing question. And depending upon your age, it can feel a bit unsettling or daunting. If we can overcome our initial uneasiness, though, the power of our imagination can be utterly life changing. And a worthwhile endeavor no matter how you look at it.

Waxing Moon in Virgo Flirting with Clouds – Photo: L. Weikel

(T-163)

Today’s Solar Eclipse – Day 942

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Today’s Solar Eclipse (as seen in Boston) – Photo: S. Weikel

Today’s Solar Eclipse

I can’t decide. Should I write a little more about the creature that was in my bedroom the other night and what it means when Moth shows up in your life? Or should I follow up on today’s solar eclipse?

Sadly, I did not get a good look at the eclipse this morning. But my son Sage did! He and Sarah got themselves to a beach, bright and early, near where they live in Boston. And wow – I just had to feature the photo he took with his iPhone. It’s spectacular! And Mother Nature very kindly provided them with just enough of a filter that they weren’t at risk of hurting their eyes, yet the eclipse could still be seen through the wispy clouds.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, although I didn’t witness the eclipse myself, I did contemplate it. (I looked out my bedroom window and couldn’t see anything. I will admit, semi-ashamedly, that I did not hop into my car and drive to my usual celestial viewing spot. I was sure, when I went to bed last night, it would be too overcast to see anything by morning. And while it sort of looked that way from my bedroom window, I have a feeling I succumbed to hasty decision-making.

Consolation Visit

While visiting my sweet Tohickon Creek is never a ‘consolation prize’ (although it is at once both a consolation and a prize – discuss*), I noticed what might be a metaphor for this eclipse.

I was sitting in my car with the windows down listening to the competing conversations of the rushing current of the Tohickon and the cacophony of cicadas in the deciduous trees lining the Tohickon’s banks. I won’t lie: it was heavenly. But as I sat there and wrote in my journal, contemplating the eclipse, I got a glimpse of a fascinating potential metaphor:

Tohickon Flowing at Capacity with Poison ‘in the Past’ – Photo: L. Weikel

The focus of my gaze was before me. The torrential rain from yesterday afternoon, and steadier rain into the evening, translated into a reasonably brisk flow of toward its destination, the Delaware River. The pace of the water passing before me wasn’t excessive, but it was powerful. And truly, it felt like it was reflecting the desire in my heart to move forward.

I feel motivated and excited to catch a rapid (and perhaps a little raucous) ride as the current moves downstream on this new moon. And then I shifted my perception to my rearview mirror and was astonished.

Wow. Sitting right there in plain view was a massive poison ivy plant in the midst of overtaking an entire tree. The tricky part is that the poison ivy is so prolific that it has become gargantuan. Its leaves and hairy vines are significant players, and I have to wonder how many fisher-people and tourists have come home with a nasty case of poison because they didn’t realize those leaves brushing their face from above were poison.

The Metaphor Was Clear

Leave it behind. Put the poison (no matter how big it is) that was revealed by the eclipse of the sun in the rearview mirror and don’t look back. Head downriver where the water runs clear and cool. Ride those currents and embrace the reflections of both blue skies and high white clouds.

This new moon was and is more powerful than most precisely because of the solar eclipse. May we all take advantage of it and sow the seeds of some seriously powerful dreams over the next several days. Dreams that will support and nurture us for the next twenty years or so.

Heading Toward the Future – Photo: L. Weikel

*Warning: Throwback SNL reference

(T-169)

Eclipse Season Continues – Day 939

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Solar Eclipse in India 2020 – Image: Times of India (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)

Eclipse Season Continues

As I mentioned in this post, the first ‘eclipse season’ of 2021 began with the lunar eclipse on May 25th, 2021. During that eclipse, the full Moon was in Sagittarius while the Sun was at the opposite side of the zodiac, in Gemini. The eclipse occurred when the Earth moved exactly between the Sun and the Moon, causing the Moon to gradually become engulfed by the shadow of the Earth (and then gradually come out of that shadow). This coming Thursday, June 8th, eclipse season continues.

Eclipses always come in pairs (two weeks apart, the lunar taking place at the full Moon and the solar taking place at the new Moon) – and occasionally three in a row can occur. In fact, almost exactly a year ago we experienced three eclipses in a row: June 5, June 21, and July 5, 2020. (Go figure, right? And somehow it’s unsurprising, too, that there were six eclipses last year.)

The eclipse occurring this coming Thursday will peak at 6:53 a.m. EDT. It happens to be an ‘annular’ eclipse – meaning the Moon will come between the Sun and the Earth, but because of the varying distances of these celestial bodies from Earth (due to the elliptical orbits of both the Earth and the Moon), the Moon will not totally block out the sun, even though it will pass directly between the Earth and the Sun. Rather, because the Moon will be furthest away from the Earth, the Moon will appear smaller than the Sun (from our perspective here on Earth). Thus, at the height of the eclipse, those at the right place on Earth will see what’s known as the “Ring of Fire” as the Moon comes between Earth and the Sun.

The Astrological Perspective

Of course, all of the above is the astronomical explanation of what we’ll be experiencing on our planet this Thursday.

The potentially juicy impact upon human behavior and experience is the bailiwick of astrology. In order to help us understand how this could be influencing circumstances we encounter on either a personal or societal level (or both), here’s a link to Chani Nicholas’s assessment for the week (once again, it helps to know both your sun sign and your ascendant or ‘rising’ sign).

For a more comprehensive look at the entire month (which I actually recommend, given the assortment of major aspects occurring this month, the solar eclipse on Thursday being only one), I recommend Rick Levine’s perspective. It’s fascinating (to me, at least) to observe how the larger patterns playing out celestially are uncannily reflected in our experiences here on Earth.

As always, my purpose in providing this information is simply to offer food for thought. Listen. Look around. Make your own observations. Pay attention to what’s happening in your own life and the lives of those around you. Allow for the possibility that unseen forces may be influencing events or reactions. Take a breath before reacting.

Keep your options open. We’re in this thing together – and knowledge is power.

(T-172)

Galloping – Day 854

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Cave Painting Cloud Horse – Photo: L. Weikel

Galloping

New, new, new. Saturday was a new moon and this coming Saturday is the Equinox – heralding a new season and, in many traditions, a new year. On our walk early this evening, Karl and I were once again buffeted by the wild March winds we’ve been experiencing of late. Drawing our jackets close and looking to the east, the place of the rising sun and birthplace of each new day, we watched as the clouds shifted before our eyes into the form of a horse galloping into the future.

Perhaps I’m indulging my inner Cloud Whisperer. Indeed, I’ve felt a bit of a lull in that department of late, so the appearance of this singular conglomeration of water vapor in the midst of gusting dry winds caught my attention. To me the Cloud Horse was immediately reminiscent of prehistoric images such as those in the Caves of Lascaux.

But the fact that an image is primitive doesn’t diminish its message. In fact, in some situations I’d argue that the more basic the representation, the greater the visceral impact.

Connections to Ancestors

The way this particular Horse reminded me of the images found in the caves of our prehistoric ancestors felt like an affirmation of the fascinating experience of those who’d just participated in today’s Sunday Wagon of the Shamanic Caravan project. It felt like a continuation or validation of the thread that began when the participants shared their journey experiences.

Having set their own unique intentions and of course having no occasion to discuss those intentions ahead of time (or even afterward) with each other, the fascinating theme weaving throughout their experiences was that they encountered and had conversations with their ancestors.

An Astrological Tie-in

And so it felt significant this evening, just before I began writing this post, when I noticed a link to an astrological site I respect, posted by a friend on Facebook. Upon reading the overarching message reflected in the sky above for this week, the sense that our ancestors are especially close right now was yet again reinforced.

This feels like a week ripe for reflection on what is truly closing out in our lives and what yearns to be born anew.

If the relentless urging of the gusting March winds is any indication, there’s some seriously sludgy, old stuff mucking up our systems that needs to get blown out once and for all. And our Ancestors are all for it. In fact, they’re cheering us on and even sent a Horse to help us send it galloping off into the sunset.

(T-257)

New Moon Reflections – Day 851

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Dragon in Repose (Patient Dragon?) – Photo: L. Weikel

New Moon Reflections

We’ll be experiencing a new moon this coming Saturday morning at 5:21 a.m. ET. This new moon will, of course, be in Pisces because when a moon is ‘new,’ it occupies the same sign and degree as the sun, just as when the moon is ‘full,’ the sun and moon are in signs opposite each other on the wheel of the zodiac. As the cycle of the last new moon (which occurred in Aquarius) comes full circle and reaches completion, it’s time to engage in new moon reflections.

The new moon in Pisces is almost always a particularly fecund one, since it’s in the sign of Pisces and has all that dreamy, creative, just-shy-of-spring energy associated with it. With the new moon occurring early Saturday morning, it’s an especially good time to seriously contemplate what aspects of your life yearn to burst through the ground like a seedling singularly focused upon reaching for the sun. What new growth yearns to be given life through you and your skills or passions?

I’m mentioning this now in order to give us all a day or so to consider the goals we wish to set or the projects we want to initiate. (Or maybe, quite literally, the seeds we wish to plant in the Earth!)

Reflection and Assessment

This is when I remind myself (and all of us) to check in on the ideas, goals, or projects we began at the last new moon. The last new moon was on February 11th at 2:06 p.m. – and it was in Aquarius. If we launched a new product or idea on or around February 11th, has it blossomed by now? Have you taken the steps required to manifest the vision you had? If it hasn’t reached its fullest expression, was it a project that will more likely take six months to realize tangible progress on?

It’s important for all of us to remember that some things take longer cycles to come to fruition than others. It can be helpful to check to see whether your longer-term projects are progressing.  You might, therefore, want to check back in your journal to see what dreams or intentions you held and you set in motion six months ago. Are they close to reaching their fullness?

Cycles and Patterns

Nature is incredibly precise in so many ways – and yet almost reliably subject to chaos. There’s a paradox, huh? When we take the time to look deeply at life, it’s hard to miss the many extremely predictable ebbs and flows. Some of the longer cycles are harder to notice than others, though. Mostly because they’re so long, we forget what it was like when they weren’t precisely as they are now.

Speaking of cycles and patterns, tonight on our walk I saw a Dragon on the horizon.

I just did a search of my posts to find out when the last time was that I saw and posted a photo of a Dragon in the sky. Lo and behold, as I sit here and write about monthly cycles and six month cycles, didn’t I see a spate of Dragons six months ago? Yes, indeed I did; when the sun was in Virgo (the opposite of Pisces).

Cycles and patterns. Everywhere we look, there are cycles and patterns.

Dragon from afar (looks like it’s casting a shadow!) Photo: L. Weikel

(T-260)

Some Nights – Day 823

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Sirius & Orion – Photo: L. Weikel

Some Nights

Some nights it’s really hard for me to come up with anything to write about that doesn’t bludgeon our sensibilities with thoughts and emotions that are unrequited. That’s especially true when two circumstances collide and rob me of my inspiration: (1) when I’m constrained by my sense of civic responsibility and passion for our system of law and government to avidly watch the Senate impeachment trial; and (2) when I fail to get myself outside to take a walk.

Yes, I’ll admit it. I become consumed by the writhing gyrations our country is going through. I feel helpless as I watch it struggle to either give birth to a new, more diverse, passionate, and unified version of itself or die as it reverts to its fearful, racist, hateful, and disrespectful roots.

Indeed, those roots are the undercurrent that streams throughout our perceptions of the Senate trial we’re witnessing this week. Those roots are the source of the trauma we’ve endured and seen perpetrated in our name, the violence we’ve seen stoked since the very first rallies took place, the desecration and madness that was unleashed on our elected representatives and sacred symbols of democracy on January 6th.

Not Light and Airy

Believe me, I’d love to write about something whimsical or fanciful this evening. My usual go-to sources of a higher perspective, Mother Earth and her myriad creations, don’t feel as readily available to me when I fail to take make the effort to get outside my cocoon.

And perhaps, if I’d managed to wedge in a walk this evening, I might have received the gift of a distraction. But I didn’t. So I’m relegated to musing over the unsettling way my heart feels like it’s taken up residence in the pit of my stomach.

I don’t know if any of you heard it, but at least twice in the arguments that took place today on behalf of the House Managers, the word resilience or resilient was used to refer to our democratic ideals. For obvious reasons, if you’ve been hanging with me this week, you’ll understand that the word jumped out of the television at me.

Crumbling Institution

We’re going to find out over the next few days just where we stand. If there is a conviction, there will be fallout. At least, I imagine there will be disappointment and at least some outrage felt by those who have fallen for The Big Lie. Hopefully, the backlash will be muffled and subdued, because deep down, hatred is unsustainable.

But if there is an acquittal…ah yes. That’s the situation that will test our resilience probably more than it’s ever been tested in our history. Even more than the Civil War? Yeah, probably. Because an acquittal will give legitimacy to the very same factions that incited the Civil War and were allowed to flourish under a veneer of invisibility and distorted respectability.

But that veneer has been ripped off by the actions stoked by DT and perpetrated on our nation. An acquittal will force an eruption, because the ideology of those who desecrated our capitol is unsustainable.

Some nights, like tonight, I hang on to the idea of our resilience by a thread.

Dark Moon – Photo: NASA

(T-288)