A Loss for Words – Day 558

Posted on May 23, 2020June 21, 2021 by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment

A Loss for Words

I know. With everything going on in the world, how could I possibly be at a loss for words?

It’s true though. Sometimes no words are appropriate.

I feel as though the weather outside is mirroring both my feelings and my outlook. Having just taken Sheila out for her evening ablutions, I know it’s murky. Rain poured out of the sky earlier, but now the air just seems to be still and thick. Oppressive.

Gray Day

I took a good long walk today, veering a bit off my beaten path to make it by foot all the way down to my beloved Tohickon Creek. This was before the rains came, so she seemed to be running a bit low. Her bones were showing.

No fish jumped out of the water to snag a bug just above the surface. Come to think of it, I don’t know that I saw any insects. Not a bird could be heard in the treetops, or the fields, and the only ones I actually spied in my nearly six mile walk were two red-tailed hawks sitting in a dead tree two fields away from me and four turkey vultures coasting lazily aloft.

Today felt distinctly different than yesterday, or really any of the other days this week. I’m trying to put my finger on it, and it may just have been the malaise of the weather. Could be.

Summer’s Here

Maybe it wasn’t our country realizing that summer’s unofficial start kicks off this weekend – and absolutely nothing about it is normal.

No matter how angry anyone gets, we cannot tantrum ourselves back to life the way it was six months ago. As every day ticks forward, chances grow – exponentially – that we will know someone who gets sick with Covid-19. Hopefully, they’ll recover.

I needed to be by myself today. I needed to walk. I needed to just be alone in the stillness.

If the forecast for tomorrow is to be believed, I may have to dance between raindrops if I’m to get even the shortest of walks in tomorrow. At this point, I guess, all I can do is keep my eyes open and hope.

Have a wonderful Saturday.

Hope – Photo: L. Weikel

(T-553)

Pollen Fog – Day 557

Posted on May 22, 2020May 22, 2020 by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment

Goldfinches? Or are they chickadees covered in pollen? – Photo: L. Weikel

Pollen Fog

Oh my. The trees are in full bloom here and the chartreuse layer of tree sperm covering absolutely everything outside, especially the glass top tables on my porch, is putting me in a pollen fog.

And the weirdest thing is, I’m (luckily and gratefully) not experiencing too terrible of allergy symptoms. That’s to say, my sinuses are ok so far, my nose is only running a little, and my throat doesn’t hurt.

But I have to say, my appetite is insatiable, and it’s making me nuts. Eat nuts, that is. I really don’t think it’s simply the stress of the pandemic, either. I’ve blamed that for a variety of oral fixations, including an uncontrollable tendency to eat more peanuts in a sitting than I cram into the ‘peanut coil’ I use to dispense legumes to my feathered friends.

Indeed, I was really controlling myself and my peanut fixation after I ate too many and lamented about it in a post. I was doing really well until, well, just tonight. <<sigh>>

Sad Start to Second Half

I don’t know what came over me. I was sitting here with the tv turned off, the sound of the whole house fan thrumming the air and drawing in some major cool breezes that just taunt me into wanting to crawl under the covers and go to bed.

Instead, I was sitting here trying to think of something new or different that I could write about, even though I could feel myself succumbing to the land of heavy eyelids. So what did I do? I caved. I mowed through a bunch of peanuts. I finished up a half pint of Owowcow Cashew Carmel ice cream. I even broke into a Salted Almond chocolate bar for good measure.

Goddess help me.

New Moon

It’s as if I made it halfway through my 1111 Devotion and I’m suddenly dropping the ball and coming up dry again.

Tomorrow is a new moon. As I’ve encouraged a million times over, it’s yet another opportunity to start fresh, plant new seeds, take up a new charge within our lives.

I’m going to once again step away from the peanuts and get myself up to bed. I have lots of things I actually would love to write and chat with all of you about.

Perhaps tomorrow will be a better day. I hope it is for all of us. No matter how super fantastic a day you may have had today, I hope tomorrow is even better.

Plant those seeds. Be careful out there. Don’t risk being a silent spreader: wear a mask. Maybe it’ll even help with the pollen!

(T-554)

Unexpected Opportunity – Day 528

Posted on April 23, 2020April 23, 2020 by Lisa Weikel 4 Comments

Last Night’s New Moon/Lyrid Night Sky – Photo: L. Weikel

Unexpected Opportunity

When I woke up this morning, I never guessed I’d be presented with such an unexpected opportunity. But there it was – a text message, asking if I would be willing to be interviewed for a segment on ‘Spirituality in the Time of Covid-19.’

The sheer fact that I was given the chance to voice my perspective is surprising enough. But on KYW Newsradio? (Yes, all of you from the tristate area surrounding Philadelphia, say the jingle aloud with me: “KYW, Newsradio…1060!”)

Nope. I have to admit it; I didn’t see that coming.

But when I received that text message this morning, I immediately flashed to the fact that today is the new moon. New beginnings. A perfect time for planting the seeds of what we want to create in the future.

My Passion

I love the world that has opened up for me over the past 35 years through my studies of, and experiences in, shamanism. Embracing my relationship with Mother Earth and the interconnectedness of all beings, and exploring the different realms that exist around us, changed the course of my life.

My passion for this perspective on life and my direct experience of astonishing shifts in both my relationship to life as well as those of my family, friends, and clients, strikes a chord in me that is difficult to shush once you get me going.

Pretty Low Key

Nevertheless, overall, I think I come across to most people as pretty low key when it comes to my relationship with ‘the spiritual realm.’ I don’t shout from the rooftop the nature of my work. I don’t try to persuade people to ‘believe’ anything in particular. But I do love introducing people to our inherent ability as humans to access information from and establish relationships with unseen forces and archetypal presences that want us to remember and recognize that they have sentience.

Whew. That was saying a lot. Luckily, I didn’t wax quite so rhapsodic in my interview.

Speaking Out

Given that I tend to mostly only speak of this passion to my family, friends, and clients (and to those of you who care enough to read this blog), I have to admit, when I was invited to participate in the interview today, my first inclination was to say no.

But I do try to ‘walk my talk.’ And given everything I’ve been writing about lately, the choice seemed clear and unequivocal – even if it did make me really nervous.

So I just wanted to let you all know that I planted the seed of one of my intentions today. And I’m so incredibly grateful for the unexpected opportunity to do so.

I hope you planted some as well.

Maybe you’ll catch the segment if you tune in tomorrow.

Photo: L. Weikel

(T-583)

New Moon and Lyrids – Day 527

Posted on April 22, 2020April 22, 2020 by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment

Photo: Travelandleisure.com

New Moon and Lyrids

I know; I’m sorry. I should’ve written a day or two ago about the Lyrids – the meteor shower that is peaking tonight. I’m hoping you may have seen their arrival mentioned on social media. But if you didn’t, and if you’re actually saner than I am and therefore sleeping as I write this, take heart. Even though they’re peaking tonight, there should be a fair number continuing to streak through the sky over the next few days.

And if you happen to be an extremely early bird (you know who you are and I know you’re out there!), it might be worth your while to nip outside in the pre-dawn hours of Wednesday the 22^nd to ‘see what you can see.’

The good news is that, since we’re in new moon territory (reaching its fullest darkness at 10:26 p.m. EDT tomorrow), the stars – and any passing meteors – should be brilliantly apparent to our searching eyes.

New Moon in Taurus

Before I even read this thoughtful essay by Chani on tomorrow’s new moon, I was feeling a palpable shift. It’s weird (in a good way) when all of a sudden you just sense a difference in the way things feel. Sort of like a weight has been lifted or a blockage removed. Believe me, I’m hoping those feelings persist.

And while it is true I know only a smattering of astrology, I must admit that the conjunction of tomorrow’s new moon with Uranus (and as I said, in Taurus), makes me feel as though the stars are predicting that new ways of being and living here on Earth are demanding to be ‘unearthed.’

We keep hearing that people want to ‘return to normal.’ And if you’re like me, you see articles and essays and advertisements all over the place demanding us to decide whether we even want to return to normal (whatever that is or was) and perhaps even more importantly if we can return to that so-called normal.

Old Normal

Probably the first thing we need to do, if we’re honest with ourselves, is figure out just what in the world we consider to be ‘normal.’ That’s the ‘old’ normal, which we can figure out by describing (in a journal or wherever you routinely catch random thoughts and wrestle them into submission) how our lives used to play out on a daily basis.

And when we write out the details of our old normal, it’s essential to pay attention to how we feel. How is our body reacting to our description of our old normal? With warm fuzzies of affection? A knot in our stomach? Dread? Sadness? Anticipation?

New Normal

After we’ve described what our lives used to be like, it’s important to describe what we crave, deep down, to truly have return to our lives. (Perhaps, if we’re honest, for the first time.)

Tomorrow, and the next day, are especially powerful days for us to envision what we want to create in our lives and plant the seeds in our consciousness and intention to create that new reality.

If we don’t dream big now, when will we allow ourselves to envision our new normal? When will we ever have another opportunity like we’re being offered right now? Almost everything has come to a screeching halt. We’re seeing the precariousness of so much that we believed was a juggernaut of indescribable power.

Things are changing. It’s up to us to make up our minds that we’re not going to go back to business as usual. It’s a new moon; let’s dream a new world into being.

(T-584)

New Moon in Aries – Day 498

Posted on March 24, 2020March 24, 2020 by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment

Signs of Spring – Photo: L. Weikel

New Moon in Aries

In just a couple of hours the moon will be dark, obscured from our sight because it won’t be reflecting any of the light of the sun. Technically, we’ll be experiencing a new moon in Aries.

As I’ve mentioned in other posts, the new moon is a particularly fertile time to plant the seeds of ideas, intentions, or commitments we want to set into motion in our lives. One way of looking at it is to think of the dark moon as representing rich, dark, fertile soil that’s a perfect medium for nurturing life and growth. So it is a perfect time to plant those aspirations we hold for the coming days, weeks, and quite possibly beyond.

It’s interesting to read how interpretations of the particular alignment of the planets and moon reflect the challenges we’re being called to face in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. (Because this is a new moon, the sun and moon are ‘conjunct,’ or sitting at the same degree in the same sign. Thus, as you probably realize, the sun is also in Aries, having entered that sign at the equinox, which took place on March 19^ththis year.) Chani gives a thought-provoking description of the aspects influencing this particular new moon, and how these influences speak directly to our current experiences here.

Introspection and Hard Questions

As I’ve mentioned a number of times lately, this self-isolation we’re being urged to do (or in more and more cases, ordered to engage in via so-called ‘stay-at-home’ orders) is an unprecedented opportunity to take a deep dive into figuring out who we are and what we value at our core. It’s a chance for us to reflect on the choices we’ve made in our lives. And it quite possibly is a time in which we contemplate making new choices.

It occurs to me as I write this that we are seeing the stark truth of this reflection on what we truly value play out right in front of us on the national stage. Will we choose to continue to self-isolate if we think we may have been exposed to the virus (or simply to avoid the possibility of exposure or being exposed)? Will we choose to withdraw from social interaction and physical contact in order to protect each other and ourselves? Or will we decide that ‘getting back to work’ is more important than the very real possibility of saving lives?

As many are pointing out, a ‘dead’ economy can be revived. A dead person cannot.

Choosing Our Values

In signaling today that we may be urged to ‘return to work’ next week if we have no symptoms (the ostensible end of the 15 days of social distancing begrudgingly advocated by the federal government), we are being given a clear indication on the macro level of just what is of most value to our so-called ‘leaders.’ Indeed, I saw a clip just this evening of the Lt. Governor of Texas saying that grandparents would be happy to give their lives to provide a healthy economy to their grandchildren.

That’s an utterly absurd and appalling ‘choice’ for our government to be suggesting we make. And it’s not even true. (Surprise.) Choosing to knowingly risk even greater spread of this virus would only serve to kill more people and crash our economy even further. It would be the height of cratered and craven values.

But Here We Are

What seeds do you want to plant today? Where do your deepest values reside? What is most precious to you and how do you intend to express your devotion to it/them?

This is where we find ourselves. Our current way of living is unsustainable – on so many levels.

But we can do this. We can make the choices that will enable love, caring, and compassion to flourish. If that’s what really matters to each of us.

Crocus – Photo: L. Weikel

(T-613)

New Moon – Day 469

Posted on February 23, 2020 by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment

Dark “New” Moon – Photo: nasa.gov

New Moon

Today the moon and the sun were conjunct in Pisces at 10:33 a.m. EST, meaning it was a ‘new’ moon.

You may or may not personally experience differences in how you feel or how you perceive yourself or your surroundings during the various phases of the moon. It’s helpful, if you can, to keep a journal and record your feelings and the various interactions you have with people on any given day.

Of course, I make this recommendation because it’s really easy to lose track of these types of things if we don’t write them down.

Everyone Is Different

And let’s face it: everyone is different. Not all of us are as tuned into the moon and its phases. And even when we are tuned in (i.e., we’re pretty cognizant of when it’s a full moon, when it’s a new moon, and when the moon is waxing or waning), we may not be fully aware of how the moon impacts us personally – or even whether or not it does.

The world is full of anecdotes about the effect a full moon has on sensitive people. Thus, it is not surprising when there are increases in potential mental health issues or even certain crimes during a full moon.

On a more mundane level, we may feel a yearning to complete a project or find ourselves sensing that a relationship or a business partnership has reached its fullest potential around the time of a full moon, and realize it’s time to let it go.

The same can be said for new moons – although new moons are more about having reached a place of emptiness. A new moon is usually experienced as a time of enthusiastically beginning something new, planting some new seeds, or celebrating a sense of openness to the potential of embracing something completely new. I’ve written about the time of the dark moon on a number of occasions over the past 469 days, here, here, and here (this one being especially relevant, since it also mentions Mercury being retrograde at the same time – which is also the case today) – just to link to a few.

Your Rhythms

It’s easy to dismiss the effect the moon might be having on you, your moods, your life experiences, and your decisions. Many of us find it just so easy to scoff at the old ways of trying to make sense of our world. It’s much easier to pretend to have ourselves and our world all figured out such that we simply are not influenced by something as mundane as the phases of the moon.

But again, this is the exact attitude that begs to be invited to keep track. Notice, in writing, how your energy shifts, ebbing and flowing throughout the month. You just might come to learn more about yourself and how influenced you may or may not be than you ever realized. And sometimes, if you keep accurate notes, you may come to realize that certain people with whom you interact on a long term basis actually seem to react differently to various situations depending upon the moon’s phase.

Again – once we start keeping track, we may learn more about ourselves and others who are in our proximity than we ever thought we could or would. Just remember: knowledge is power. If you’re too busy glibly dismissing the validity of tracking the moon’s phases or astrology in general without trying it, you may be missing a wonderful opportunity to know yourself better.

A Lovely Journal

Of course, you can always keep track of your feelings and experiences and how they track (or not) with the phases of the moon in a simple, spiral bound notebook from CVS. Or you can opt for something that keeps you more in direct awareness of the moon. A great journal for this specific work is produced by my dear friend Karen Ward, of Moon Mna, in Ireland. Check out her website and see if her journal piques your interest.

Notice whether you’re being drawn to bringing in a new attitude, starting to plan for a new phase in your life, thinking about applying for a new job, or maybe even contemplating starting a family. There are a myriad ways in which the start of something new may be knocking on the door of your consciousness.

Pay attention! Keep track. What can it hurt?

Men Too

Just because women are particularly connected to the moon throughout most of their lives, it’s really important to realize that men, too, share a connection as well. Our bodies consist mostly of water, and the moon exerts a great a deal of influence over water (hence the tides). There’s not that great a difference in the water content between men and women. As a result it just might come as an even greater surprise to men, if they start tracking the moon’s influence over their lives, to realize just how much they are affected by that great orb in the sky.

Again: knowledge is power.

(T-642)

Heart Strike – Day 444

Posted on January 30, 2020January 30, 2020 by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment

Photo: L. Weikel

Heart Strike

I was unable to watch any specifics of the impeachment trial today. But based upon my somewhat cursory catching up on what I missed, I’m finding myself approaching despair.

The argument currently being put forth by the president’s counsel essentially posits that the president can do anything – ANYTHING – that he believes is in the ‘national interest,’ including doing whatever he can to get himself elected (because, of course, what president would not think their re-election would be in the national interest?), and it’s ok. “If the president does it, it’s ok.”

We were stunned at the hubris (and obvious disregard for the existence of the other two equal branches of government and the concept of separation of powers) when Nixon said it some 46 years ago, and we should be even more troubled by that concept now.

This argument strikes at the heart of our country, at the heart of what has made us unique in the world – and a beacon of hope and moral authority in the world.

Snatching at Hope

At this point it seems all we can do is watch in horror.

So I’m going to post a photo of the setting new moon that I took a few days ago. It’s lovely. And new moons give me hope.

And quite frankly, I need to snatch at hope. I need to allow myself the luxury of going to sleep this evening hoping that enough Senators will put common sense and the future of our country over their political expediency.

If they don’t, we will be ceding our sovereignty to a bully. This bully, and any other bully who wants to use gobs of money to buy the presidency. Because with no check on their power once they’re in? Who knows what they’ll change to retain that power. Term limits? Scratch. Not if it’s in the national interest. Polling intimidation? Gotta get the job done ‘for the country.’

No.

I have to look at the new moon. And hope our Senators come to their senses before it’s too late.

(T-667)

Binge-Eating – Day 441

Posted on January 27, 2020 by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment

The evidence – Photo: L. Weikel

Binge-Eating

You caught me.

I don’t know what’s come over me as I sit here trying to think of something to write this evening. But yikes, it’s not pretty.

I’ve been sitting here on my couch, contemplating the thoughts parading through my head, writing a sentence here and a paragraph there. Then deleting them, one after another.

I’ve written about Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna. I’ve written about a crucial fact that we all live with, but barely any of us acknowledge truthfully and head on: in spite of our best laid plans, it can all be over in the blink of an eye.

I’ve been sitting here thinking about Kobe’s wife and other daughters. How when they woke up this morning, none of them knew their lives would be changed irrevocably, forever.

True For All of Us

But let’s face it: that’s true for all of us. At any moment, everything could change for any one of us – or for all of us, for that matter.

And yes, many of us have already experienced nightmarish events in which everything has changed in the blink of an eye. But that fact doesn’t make it any easier to witness it happening to someone else. Just because I’ve felt the horror of receiving the phone call we all dread doesn’t mean I’d wish it on anyone else.

Indeed, it makes me grieve all the more for the survivors. It makes me think of the families of the people who were killed on that Ukrainian airliner that was shot down a few weeks ago. Those people have to deal with the utter senselessness of that tragedy.

It makes me wonder what we’re going to witness when our greatest hopes are challenged by our worst fears later this week, when weak-willed people potentially fail to heed the call of our future ancestors to do what’s right instead of what’s politically expedient for their own selfish ends.

So I Binge

I hold out hope that those representing us in Washington will seize this time of the new moon and think beyond themselves, beyond their fears of getting primaried, beyond their fear of being bullied and ridiculed by the least among us (who also happen to hold the most power at the moment).

And since I can only hold fast to my hope that the people who’ve been elected to the Senate have a deep and abiding love for our system and for the solemn responsibility they hold to all of us, I embody that hope by imagining them digging deep and holding strong to our collective core values.

I hold that vision. That, and binge-eat peanuts.

I don’t know about you, but I consider peanuts in the shell to be terribly addictive. Worse than potato chips.

And so I pound them down. (I should never succumb to that first one. Therein lies the key.)

Eating. It’s such an essential aspect of life and living; an affirmation that we’re still here. And as long as we’re here, we must hold fast to our hope. For ourselves and for each other.

New Moon and Venus – Photo: L. Weikel

(T-670)

Welcome, Year of the Rat – Day 439

Posted on January 25, 2020 by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment

Photo: Livescience.com

Welcome, Year of the Rat!

Happy New Year!

Late this afternoon, Friday, January 24, 2020, the new moon occurred at 4:42 p.m. EST. Because it was the first new moon to occur after the first full moon (which means it must be occurring between 21 January and 20 February of any given year), that means today is the start of the Chinese New Year.

As you may recall, last year I waxed rhapsodic about the Chinese New Year because I was born in the Year of the Boar (Pig), and thus felt a particular affinity for the year that was arriving.

Year of the Rat

In Chinese astrology, the Year of the Rat is the first sign of a 12 year cycle. I must confess to knowing very little about the qualities of people born during a Rat year, and thus found this link quite interesting. (Thank you, Marie!)

Given that the Year of the Rat is the first sign of the Chinese Zodiacal Calendar, it just seems to add momentum to the energetic heft of the times we’re experiencing right now: new year, new decade, and new 12 year Chinese astrological cycle. Combining all these new beginnings with the Saturn-Pluto conjunction that was exact last week (but because both planets are so slow moving, the influence of this conjunction will last longer than most), as well as a couple other challenging aspects thrown in and you can see how everything we’re experiencing not only in our personal lives, but also as a country and, indeed, on a planetary scale, is so momentous.

There are a lot of old paradigms, institutions, ways of thinking and being that are being challenged and, in fact, appear to be crumbling under their own weight.

Photo: bbc.com

New Moon in Aquarius

Aside from this new moon being the harbinger of the Chinese New Year, it’s also sounding like it’s bringing in a lot of energy that’s shaking things up. I find Chani’s take on it interesting.

It’s fascinating to me when I read these various interpretations of the planetary influences and cycles and I watch events unfold in our nation’s capital. These are most definitely incendiary times. The decisions our Senators will be making in the coming days will impact our lives in extraordinary ways – for good or for ill.

While it boggles my mind to contemplate it, we are actually on the brink of entering a time in our country’s life when everything we’ve stood for: the rule of law, our system of checks and balances, the concept that no one is above the law, the sanctity of our elections and peaceful transfer of power (just to name a few) may crumble because a majority of Senators are not willing to stand up for these fundamental principles.

Worries and Hopes

My worry, I guess, is that we’re going to have to go through the pain and agony of losing it all before realizing just how much we’ve relinquished. And then? I guess we’ll have to wait and see if or how we ever reclaim what we’ve so willingly allowed to slip through our fingers.

My hope is that enough Senators will dig deep and find the moral courage to keep us from teetering over that brink. So very much pain can be avoided if they choose to set aside those ugly whispers of greed and fear and stand united against corruption.

Whatever happens over the next several days is going to be momentous. I’m pretty sure we can all feel it percolating just under the surface. So much is written in the stars – except our choices. Ultimately, those always remain ours and ours alone.

Happy New Year.

(T-672)

Interlude – Day 410

Posted on December 27, 2019December 27, 2019 by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment

Solar Eclipse 26 Dec 19 – Photo: timesofindia.com

Interlude

Lest you think I’m going to regale you with yet another post describing tasty morsels of baked goodness, fear not! Before we proceed to a kiffel debrief (which I hope to provide you tomorrow, but you never know), I offer you this brief interlude from above.

Today’s Eclipse

Today we here on Earth experienced an annular solar eclipse. That means that the distance of the moon (new to us, to we could not ‘see’ it) was such that when it progressed to the point where it appeared to be exactly between us and the sun, it didn’t quite block the sun entirely. Instead, there was a ‘ring of fire’ visible around the edges of the moon.

Unfortunately for us here in the United States – and even western Europe, etc. – we couldn’t see it happening. It was visible in the area of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, etc. But we have photos.

So not only can we enjoy the astronomical majesty and breathtaking beauty of this eclipse via posts on the internet, but we can also listen to the astrological assessment of how this eclipse may impact us now and into the approaching year.

Kaypacha’s Pele Report contains some important doses of reality that we’re almost certain to encounter. I encourage you to take a listen. It’s always better to be forewarned.