full moon

Of Course It’s Cloudy – Day 306

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Of Course It’s Cloudy!

It’s so frustrating how often it seems to be cloudy outside when a full moon, an eclipse, a meteor shower, or any other such celestial event is taking place.

Mind you, I’ve witnessed some very cool atmospheric and ‘cosmic’ events. So many, I suppose, that I really have no standing to complain. But hey – it’s Friday the 13thand the last time a full moon will take place on this date until I am 90 damn years old.

I would like to have seen it, documented it in my journal, perhaps even made an, albeit woefully inadequate, attempt to snap a shot of it for posterity. But no.

Now I have to do my best to cling to this mortal coil for another 30 years, just so I can point to this cranky-ass blog post and say, “See? I was aware of the last one, and I hung in there another thirty years just to finally SEE this one!”

Another Score for Journaling

One interesting little vignette, though: I checked and found that I did, in fact, make an entry in my journal back on Friday, October 13, 2000. And the very first sentence I wrote was: “FULL MOON (in Aries, no less).” (The ‘no less’ comment was because my sun sign is Aries. Therefore I obviously felt that full moon might be tweaking me a bit more powerfully.)

I didn’t make any reference to the fact that the full moon was also falling on a Friday the 13th. This was early internet days, definitely pre-Google and pre-FB, so the heightened awareness of occurrences like these (and perhaps even more relevantly, their relative either commonplace nature or rarity) were much less well known. I probably didn’t bat an eye at the confluence of these two events. Indeed, had I known that it would not occur again until this day, one month shy of 19 years later, I would have mentioned it in my journal – and pondered what my life might be like all those years in the future.

Twenty Years Ago

I was entering the final stages of publication of Owl Medicine. Good grief, that’s depressing. To think – I published my book that long ago and still haven’t followed up with the sequel(s).

In that entry, I also discuss creating my website, which I initially set up under www.sagebearpress.com. (If you click on that link, you’ll see I’ve kept that name and simply reroute visitors to my Owl Medicine site, which, back then, I was only toying with setting up as a website.

My Reward for the Day: A Reminder

As I’ve found happens more often than I can say, once I went back and started reading my entry for October 13, 2000, I was drawn into indulging my curiosity over what else was going on in our lives and occupying my mind at that time.

And that’s when I discovered quite a surprise.

A week after that Friday the 13th full moon co-incidence, I’d apparently found a bit more time to write in my journal and therefore covered a lot more ground in my entry of October 20th than I had on the 13th.

As background, a year or so earlier, I had scaled down my law practice to a substantial degree in order to focus upon the final stages of writing, editing, and publishing Owl Medicine. Given that OM was nearly ready to ‘hatch,’ I was contemplating my full-bore return to the workforce, and I was weighing whether I wanted to reinvigorate my private law practice or branch into some other (as yet unknown) area.

Without going into the somewhat maudlin self-assessment I was engaged in that day, I have to admit I was astonished to read that I considered “…the stuff I (…) do ‘best’ is listening.”

Of course, I lamented at that time that I probably could never get paid enough to contribute meaningfully to our family’s well-being by just ‘listening.’

Listening – It’s Been the Theme of My Life

What I guess I’m surprised by is how listening has been such a persistent and critically important aspect of my life for so many years. Actually, it’s the underlying theme of my life. And yet – I’m always surprised by how important it’s always been to me.

I wonder why I’m surprised?

All I know is that on this full moon, on this Friday the 13th, I’m deciding to take my love for and commitment to listening to the next level.

(T-805)

Inspiration for this Full Moon – Day 305

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Inspiration for this Full Moon

Tomorrow (Friday, September 13th, 2019) a full moon will occur. It’ll also be, obviously, a ‘Friday the 13th.’ Astrologically, the fact that it is ‘Friday the 13th’ has no bearing on anything. Indeed, in my opinion, the whole ‘Friday the 13th’ frenzy and superstition that occurs is unwarranted.

Personally, I’ve always liked the number 13 and don’t consider it to be unlucky. It’s a number often associated with Goddess energy, as there are actually 13 moons in a year. And my eldest son, Karl, was born on the 13th– albeit not on a Friday. Then again…I suppose an argument could be made… No. I’m not going there.

A Rare Occurrence

Having a full moon, which so many people associate with wacky behavior, increased sensitivity, ‘lunacy,’ etc., land on a Friday the 13th is a pretty rare occurrence. Apparently, the last time it occurred was on October 13, 2000, and the next one won’t occur until August 13th, 2049.

I wonder if I noticed anything particularly difficult or outlandish happening in the world at large or personally 20 years ago. I should check my journals!

A Lot Going On

Astrologically, however, this full moon has a lot of aspects that make tomorrow and the next few days hold a lot of potentially challenging aspects. That’s because the moon is opposite not only the sun (which is what makes it, technically, a ‘full moon’), but it’s also opposite three other planets that are hanging around quite close to (considered ‘conjunct’) the sun.

There are other things going on as well – aspects that, considered together, as I said above, could make things quite challenging.

Believing as I do that forewarned is forearmed, I’m going to once again provide you with a link to the most recent Pele Report. As usual, if your eyes glaze over when the position of planets and their aspects to each other are discussed (which may have been triggered simply by reading my paragraph, above), I strongly encourage you to just be patient and wait for Kaypacha to speak directly to the camera. What he has to say in this report is pretty fascinating and definitely worth considering – not only how it applies to your own life, but also how it plays out in the larger world.

The Past Coming Up…to Bite Us?

All full moons ask us to consider what has come to fruition in our life, reached its fullness, or is perhaps reaching a point where it needs to be shed. At the very least, a full moon asks us to notice whether intentions we set at the new moon have borne fruit.

Obviously, sometimes seeds planted take longer than two weeks to germinate and even begin to grow. So the light shed by the full moon may not be illuminating the product of seeds we planted only two weeks ago. It may be reflecting the culmination of ideas or intentions set at a new moon that occurred months ago. (Yet another resoundingly excellent reason to keep a journal.)

This Full Moon In Particular

But this particular full moon seems to be calling up major lessons from the past. Karma, if you will. Asking us to clear out the accumulation of repercussions of things we said or done in the past, shed it, let it go, surrender to it, so we can move beyond the weight of the past to something entirely new – and much more free.

One major gift we can give ourselves to help us navigate these times is silence.

I encourage you to give yourself the 30 minutes or so it will take to listen to Kaypacha’s Pele Report. He also provides some links to help us all ground the energies that are bombarding us so we can navigate these times without losing our balance.

To be clear, it doesn’t matter that you’re listening to it a few days after September 11th. He discusses aspects that are occurring over the course of several days. And for some reason, when I listened to it today, I got the strong sense that I should share it with all of you.

I hope you have an amazing Friday the 13th, filled with insight and illumination, magic and manifestation of your dreams. Go out and howl at that full moon! Maybe we’ll hear each other.

(T-806)

Full Moon – and Jupiter! – Day 218

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Moon and Jupiter – Image credit: Juerg Alean

Full Moon – and Jupiter!

Man, the light of tonight’s full moon is brilliant and powerful. It’s shining in my living room window at the moment, casting blue shadows on the trees and grass across the road.

Tonight I happened to be driving around the countryside at around 9:30 p.m. and I was astonished to see how huge and obvious Jupiter was in the night sky. It’s in the southern sky, and when I caught sight of it this evening, I knew immediately what it was, as it was the only object within a great swath of the sky.

Sky Guide Pointed Me In the Right Direction

To be honest, when I first started reading last week about how close Jupiter would be over the next several days, I ‘cheated’ and enlisted the aid of my favorite astronomy app, Sky Guide. Karl and I were taking a walk and I was describing how Jupiter was going to be so close to us that its four moons would be visible to us with only the use of a set of binoculars.

For some reason, I thought the planet would be hanging out more in the western sky. So I was surprised when I located it just under the horizon to our south. That stood me in good stead, though, because I knew where to look tonight, when the sky became surprisingly clear – at least for a moment.

I was headed south as I was driving home, so it wasn’t as if I had to crane my neck or even hardly take my eyes off the road, particularly when I got within about two miles of our home. I was driving on a stretch of road that is elevated and provides a remarkably unobstructed view of the sky. And I saw it immediately – it almost looked like a plane coming toward me, it was so bright. But in spite of the illusion of ‘twinkling’ that the atmosphere causes, the object did not move; that’s how I knew for sure it was Jupiter.

Caught Without My Binoculars

Unfortunately, I didn’t have binoculars in the car or I would have pulled over right then and there to see if I could focus in on its moons.

Our moon was not yet up (or it was so low on the horizon that it was obscured by trees and I couldn’t see it), so its brilliant, reflected light was not detracting from the brightness of Jupiter.

Obviously, the main photo I’m using tonight was not taken tonight, since the moon in the photo is not full. It was actually taken on January 22, 2013. But it’s such a cool photo, and the four moons of Jupiter are so clear, I thought I would include it. This only reinforces my resolve to put a pair of binocs in my car so I have them when I need them – perhaps even tomorrow night!

Everyone Seemed to Be Tucked Into Their Homes, Unaware…

As an aside, I took particular notice of how few cars were out and about on this Monday evening after the sun had set. It made me realize just how much of our population rolls up their sidewalks and puts themselves to bed every night, remarkably oblivious to the amazing phenomena that occur above our heads all the time. But this made me all the more certain that I would write about this tonight and urge you all to get yourselves outside tomorrow night to take a look!

Check that Jupiter out – and if you have binoculars, look for its moons. What a cool opportunity to expand our horizons.

Perhaps tomorrow night I’ll give you a taste of the astrological aspects that this Jupiter, transiting Sagittarius, is bringing to our lives.

In the meantime – again – I urge you to get the Sky Guide app! You won’t regret it!

(T-893)

Full Moon and Invasive Species – Day 158

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Full Moon and Invasive Species

I took the photograph above as I walked out of a meeting this evening about the Spotted Lanternfly. It’s a cool photo, I think, because not only is the moon shining in all her glory, but a car was driving by at the time, its headlights illuminating a path (a choice?) facing all of us.

The moon is going to be full tonight (actually, 7:12 a.m., EDT tomorrow morning), and is obviously illuminating and bringing to fruition a number of items, both great and small.

There is the release of the (redacted version of) the Mueller Report, shedding a great deal of light on the intricacies of the conclusions reached by the Special Counsel after interviewing something like 500 witnesses and examining documents and other evidence over the course of the past 22 months.

I’m not one to routinely or voluntarily read 400+ page reports, but I’m actually considering reading this one for myself. Somehow or another, I feel like it is something I need to read and see with my own eyes in order to both believe and reach my own conclusions.

There’s so much at stake in what has been investigated, particularly with respect to the astonishingly effective and pervasive ways in which Russia interfered in our 2016 elections (although they apparently began their calculated efforts to influence discord in our system in 2014 or even earlier). This is incredibly serious and I’m almost wild-eyed with disbelief that we have not come together as a nation in absolute outrage at the idea that, basically, our country has been hacked by a foreign power.

I simply cannot fathom that this infiltration and manipulation of our country and its pride and joy, its claim to fame – our free and fair elections – is not uniting us.

To say I am dismayed and heartbroken barely covers it.

More Than One Invasive Species…

And speaking of invasive species (or countries), there is the Spotted Lanternfly, which apparently arrived in Pennsylvania in 2012 on some imported landscaping stones. Since it has no natural predators here in the U.S., it flourished and was first reported as a problem in Berks County, Pennsylvania, in 2014. Pretty much the entire area of Southeastern Pennsylvania is now under quarantine.

No matter where you live, you should check out what these critters look like so, if you see them, you can report it and get rid of it. We must protect each other by making sure they do not spread into any other counties or states. So those of us who live where we are under quarantine must educate ourselves and do what we can to prevent them from hitchhiking on us, our cars, our produce, etc., to other areas.

Right now, for instance, it is also important to notice egg casings and destroy them. The way these creatures practically inundate trees when they swarm is awful and disquieting.

So it seems this full moon is revealing the existence of invasive species of a couple different kinds.

The truth upon which we will succeed in ridding ourselves of both (or all) is working together.

(T-953)

Full Moon Bath – Day Ninety Nine

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Some mesas keeping warm by a fire – Photo: L.Weikel

Full Moon Bath                

Nope. Not for me. It’s frigid outside. (And contrary to what a certain someone might have you believe, I’m not  a Fridgit.)

I’m sitting here in my living room, a fire making it so toasty and cozy that it’s hard to keep my eyes open. Because the sole thermostat for our entire home is in this room, the rest of the house takes on a noticeable chill when we have a fire going in the winter months. But it makes for great sleeping.

As I sit here on the couch, I can see the brilliance of the imperceptibly not-quite-full moon shining in the front window of the dining room/library. Without being able to see the moon itself from the angle where I’m sitting, I can nevertheless see her glow bouncing off the limbs of the trees in the neighbors’ front yard across the street.

It’s the glow that’s calling to me.

Or perhaps not.

Call of the Khuyas

I thought it was the glow calling to me, but I actually think it is my khuyas. Khuyas (pronounced koo-yahs) are stones contained in my mesa, my sacred bundle. Khuyas are the integral cast of characters in my mesa who work with people to effect healing, in whatever form they may require.

I would say khuyas start out as simple stones or crystals, just regular Joe Schmoes who’ve been hanging around in and on the earth for millennia. But I don’t feel that’s true. Sure, perhaps some of the stones or crystals that end up in mesas are newbies, meaning this is their first gig as a team member in a healing mesa. But I truly believe most of these beings maneuvered their way into being discovered by, or coming into the hands of, a person who is called to learn these ancient ways because it is their service.

These stones know what they’re doing. They carry knowledge and experience accumulated over millennia; vast stores of hidden knowledge and wisdom. And they are remarkably powerful.

Regardless of whether they have been carried in mesas of generations of healers or this is their first assignment working with the human realm, these stones have a unique and treasured relationship with their people. (And by ‘their people,’ I mean those who bundle them in sacred cloth and work with them on behalf of their own healing and, in some cases, the healing of others).

From as early in my life as I can remember, I’ve delighted in noticing and picking up stones that have caught my attention. (Same with feathers and other treasures I’ve discovered in nature.) But stones! I think I have stones from every place I’ve ever visited. (And believe me – when I was backpacking around Europe as an 18 year old, this meant I had to exercise immense discernment – and restraint.)

Who Initiates Whom?

But none of those or any other stones I collected over the years could technically be called a khuya. Not until it worked with me on a soul level, one-on-one, and developed a personal relationship with me. Indeed, when I was first building my mesa, the initial set of stones I worked with ended up being initiated into the Q’ero tradition I was learning before I was. The Q’ero elders and those who had been working with and had received rites of initiation from them made a point of initiating the stones– making them khuyas – before even considering initiating me.

But as I have done this work through the years, I have wondered: Did it take an initiation by a human to shift a stone or crystal to the status of a khuya? Or do they know Who They Are and, as I mentioned earlier, present themselves to (or allow themselves to be discovered by) a person when that person is on the path to be initiated by them?

I’m perhaps heading off into the weeds a little here; possibly contemplating the origin of my sacred allies in ways that might not interest a lot of people. I can tell you, embracing the consciousness of my khuyas has brought me immense joy, which I guess is why I love just chatting with you about this stuff.

And all of this originated with my observation of the moon’s glow as I started to write this post.

Yearning for a Full Moon Bath

That’s because, as cold as it is outside (and I can hear the wind causing the chimes on my porch to clatter and clang in more of a cacophony than usual), I hear my khuyas calling me. They’re asking to be set out in the moonlight tonight. They’re nearly giddy with the thought of being exposed to the brace of freezing temperatures and the kiss of a stiff breeze, perhaps even some snow flurries. Most of all, though, they’re yearning to bask in the light of Mama Killa, Grandmother Moon, and be cleansed and revivified in the process.

Yikes. Now that I’m tuned in, I can hear them bitching at me a little bit. They’ve been doing some amazingly powerful work for quite a while and I’ve not been as devoted (there’s a word!) to them as they would like. I’ve neglected them by not allowing them the cleansing serenity of a Full Moon Bath in far too long. And yes, this is true, even if I have cooed over them, kumayed them with florida water, and expressed my gratitude every time I’ve opened my mesa.

So I am off to open Sacred Space, unfold my mesa, and set her out in the glow of tonight’s full moon. May my khuyas dance and be joyful!

(T-1013)

Solstice Intensity – Day Forty

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Solstice Intensity

I had quite an unexpected and emotionally fraught ‘moment’ in a grocery store parking lot today. Nothing like celebrating the Winter Solstice with intensity, I say.

I was checking my text messages and emails before running in for a few items, when all of a sudden a grocery cart rammed into my car door. The loud whomp, which physically jarred me and felt like it surely had dented the entire side of my car, scared the heck out of me. Then, in an eye-blink, that fear turned to rage.

I jumped out of my car (there were two empty handicapped spaces to my left, and beyond those, the driving lanes and then the market itself) furiously looking for the culprit who’d carelessly sent the cart careening into my vehicle. Let me note here: I’m expressing how I felt, which might generously be called…hyperbolic?

Anyway, as I say, I jumped out of my car looking for my transgressor. The only person I saw anywhere near me was an older man who had parked his car facing mine, but one space to my left. His car was pulled up to a handicapped-only parking sign which was affixed to a substantial metal pole about 4” in diameter and 4’ high. I glimpsed him as he was folding himself into his driver’s seat.

Assessment of the Situation Made

I immediately surmised that he’d shoved his cart into the space in front of his car (and beside mine), perhaps thinking it might get hung up or wedged in place by the parking sign pole, obviously not thinking twice about the consequences. I assumed the worst.

I knew he’d heard the cart smack into my door. It created a very loud bang. And the way he was getting into his car, he just looked guilty to me. Like he was avoiding making eye contact.

With barely a thought, other than a consuming wave of indignation and the sense that I was not going to just pretend it hadn’t happened, I grabbed the cart and looking directly at that man, who by this time was sitting in the driver’s seat and looking at me through his windshield, shouted how ignorant that was. “What the hell? What is wrong with you that you think it’s OK to do that?” I yelled, not really looking for an answer. I slammed the cart into the parking sign post in front of him. While I was tempted in my fury to smack it into his car, I didn’t. Obviously.

I could see him yelling – or at least mouthing – something back at me, but his angry face made me not want to get into this any further. So I sat back in my car and tried to decide whether I just wanted to leave or whether I would fulfill my marketing mission. I decided to go in.

Moving On

Watching him out of the corner of my eye, I deliberately took the cart from where it still stood ‘parked’ against the post and walked across the lanes of the parking lot and into the store. I noticed he was still sitting in his car, looking down, perhaps texting someone himself? I didn’t trust him…

Entering the store, I snagged my hot peppers (which in retrospect I probably didn’t need!) and onions and returned to my car. A quick trip.

Nevertheless, I thought it odd that he was still in the parking lot. Was he going to confront me? Ugh.

I left the offending cart up with the other carts beside the entrance to the market and returned to my car. Feeling a little stalked, I glanced toward the man with a dirty look, warding off any bullshit. No luck. He opened his door and started yelling at me.

Confrontation

I’d already started getting into my car when he started yelling, so I tossed my veggies into the passenger seat and stood up, turning toward him. All I heard was, “…your fucking car…”

“Excuse me?” I said, dripping snark and attitude, but trying to be the calm one (now).

“Did you think I pushed that cart into your car?” he demanded.

I turned to look at him square in the eyes and said quietly, “Well, yes, I did.”

He looked a little surprised, perhaps that I answered quietly? I don’t know. But he responded, still defensively and a bit aggressively himself, “Well, I didn’t. I heard it hit your door and – ”

“I am really sorry,” I said, interrupting him. There was something about the way he said what he said or the look on his face or something, but I immediately believed him. And I immediately and unequivocally felt ashamed. I felt awful.

A Total Shift in Energy and Attitude

Absolutely everything about this man’s energy shifted right before my eyes. I could tell he believed me, too, and trusted my sincerity.

“Yes,” I continued, “I assumed you’d done it because you were the only person anywhere around when I jumped out to grab the cart.”

By this time, I’d walked over to his car, where he had the door slightly open and his window down, his left hand resting on the bottom of the window frame.

“No,” he said, shaking his head. “I returned my little cart over there,” gesturing to the cart return coral in the row across from and behind his car, “and was just getting into my car when I heard that one slam into your door.”

“I am so terribly sorry,” I repeated, touching his hand. “I was a jerk. I really was. I think the bang of it startled me so much that I over-reacted, and then I just assumed you hadn’t cared because my car is old…”

“No, I didn’t do it,” he repeated, probably just confirming out loud one more time what he’d been saying to himself the whole time I was in the market. “But thank you for speaking to me.”

“Thank you, too,” I said. “Again, I’m really sorry.” I looked him in the eyes and smiled. “I hope you have a really nice holiday and I’m glad we cleared this up.”

“Me too,” he said, smiling back.

Reflection – and Gratitude

As I drove away from that incident I contemplated how the entire situation had completely transformed in a way I never would have expected.

I’m so grateful it did. I have no idea what that man was thinking or experiencing. Perhaps he is lonely, or grieving. Perhaps he is facing a dire diagnosis – or someone he loves was just taken from him.

I thought about the compassion of yesterday and how quick I was to anger today. (Which, I have to say, was really weird in and of itself. I am not one to usually react like that.) It made me realize just how little we know about how anyone, at any given moment, is perceiving something that we, too, are experiencing. And how easily it is to misunderstand – or be misunderstood.

I’m so grateful this gentleman and I were able to transmute that moment of darkness and turn it into light.

An intense solstice experience indeed – probably exacerbated by the full moon!

(T-1071)