|
|
Hey Everyone,
I'm off visiting my family in Maryland. I conveniently forgot about the
humidity. It hit me in that brief moment
of stepping from the plane and through to the corridor that takes one into the
terminal. Ah yes, I have not missed the
humidity.
There has been a lot of rain recently, so everything is
lush. There is a lot of deciduous
trees here, still at the height of greenness.
I love how the wind rustles in these trees. When I take walks I listen very intently to
the tree leaves. It is some of the best
music in the world.
I am also remembering how different the wind is here. The warm wetness of it makes it feel more
gentle and embracing. I think that is
the difference - the dry versus humid wind.
So maybe I do miss humidity a little bit after all. When I was a child, the wind was one of my
good friends. When I went outside I
would put both arms up into the air as high as I could and I'd call out "Hello
Friend Wind!!" and it would come and swirl around me, blowing my hair every
which way and then whoosh away. And yes,
Winnie The Pooh and the Blustery Day was my favorite Pooh story. One of my favorite words as well - blustery.
A hearty thank you to those who made it to my very first
teleseminar. True to form, mercury
retrograde stepped in and muted everyone as they arrived so for the longest
time I thought no one had shown up. Big
lesson, even if you think no one is there, there is. My most deep felt apologies to those who
heard me talking to my interviewer wondering if anyone was going to show up and
such. I am sure I will laugh about it in
a number of years. Right now I am
thoroughly embarrassed. Below I talk
about this being the season to do forgiveness rituals. I am definitely doing one for myself about
this. Overall, except for that snafu, my
feedback about the teleseminar was that it was informative and clear. I will be posting a link to the recorded
version in October.
May the rest of September be joyful and fun for you.
|
|
September 18 New Moon in Virgo
This new moon carries the power of the opposition that
happened on the 15th. The sun
and moon are exactly conjunct Saturn (tried and true) and opposing Uranus
(change and innovation). Mercury and
Pallas Athene are also conjunct Saturn.
Conjunct means the planets are right near each other, so
their energies combine. This is
considered a harmonious aspect.
Opposition means the planets are opposite in the chart. This is considered a hard aspect. Usually, 9 degrees apart is allowed to create
the aspect. When an aspect is exact it
is within 1 degree next to or opposite the other planet(s).
With the Sun (core purpose), Moon (emotional self), and
Pallas Athene (strategic thinking) in this configuration, it could mean a major
cultural leap. Unfortunately, retrograde
Mercury (perception and communication) could drag us back for a few
months.
The Virgo new moon is asking us to simplify even more. To evaluate again what is necessary and
important in your life and what can be jettisoned. I feel like this has been asked of us since
the first eclipse on July 7th, and here we are, being asked to do
more. Re-evaluate your disaster
preparedness kits and strategy, get a friend to help you see where you can get
rid of more things, write or update your will and powers of attorney. You'd be surprised how much the process of
writing your will can help you clarify what matters most and it requires you to
do an inventory of all your stuff. Complete the things you've had on your "to do" list for months or take them off the
list.
Autumn Equinox - Corn Maze Fun
Tuesday, September 22 is the Autumn Equinox. In some traditions it marks the peak of
autumn and in others it marks the beginning.
It is equal day and night and in autumn happens when the sun enters
Libra. Time to acknowledge what you have
harvested this year and what still is ripening for the fall.
A great activity at this time of year is to go to your local
farms and enjoy playing in the corn mazes.
One place I went to had a sunflower maze, it was amazing. Some even have moonlight corn maze
walking. A fun way to support your local
farmers.
United States:
Just corn mazes: corn maze america
corn mazes, hay rides and pumpkin patches etc.:
corn mazes, pumpkin patches and more
Great Britain:
UK Corn Mazes
Canada:
corn maze canada
Canada Corn Mazes
It is also a time when CSA's (Community Supported
Agriculture) and farmer's markets have special events. In researching this I found a great website
that I'm going to return to often. It
has directory's for CSA's, farmers markets, co-ops, health food stores,
etc. You can search by category not just
area. It also has blogs, newsletters,
forums and events. All sorts of great
information. Find it at:
Local Harvest
|
Heart and Lungs: Living Together
I wanted to talk about the importance of supporting the
lungs and heart in the next few months.
The lungs - because they are vulnerable in autumn with the changes
in the weather.
The heart - because
we all have been going through a lot of instability and frustration, and with
the equinox, days will be getting darker.
The thing is, your lungs and heart are in the same cavity of
space and both are connected to the heart chakra. For many years I associated the heart with
that chakra totally forgetting that the lungs are part of it. We are moving into the Sun in Libra, which is
the sign of the scales, so keeping them in balance means a stronger immune system.
The lungs enable you to take in our life force, oxygen, and
dispel CO2 while the heart pumps the blood, which carries that life force
throughout the body. Both are constantly
in motion. As a result both are made
stronger by movement. Conscious deep
breathing from the belly, is good for the lungs. Walking or any other kinds of active movement
that is appropriate for your body's ability is needed every day for your
heart. Body needs movement to keep it
breathing deeply and to assist in helping the heart get oxygenated blood to the
brain and extremities as well as to carry off the depleted blood for
re-oxygenation.
Keeping that same principle in mind for the emotional/mental
level, forgiveness rituals of your self as well as others are good at this time. Forgiveness helps you let go of the depleted,
energy draining situations or relationships that keep you from re-oxygenating
your emotional body. Yom Kippur which is on September 28th, is a
Jewish holy day focused on seeking atonement.
It is not about condoning actions, but about releasing that which is
done and over. What scenarios or
relationship ghosts do you keep revisiting with anger, guilt, jealousy, regret,
frustration etc? "Let it go", is the watch phrase for this season.
On the emotional level, also related to the lungs and heart,
this is the season for grief. In this day and age, I need to clearly state, that there
is
a difference between grieving and depression.
They are different energy signatures. For
me, depression has a lack of movement to it; it is more of a
hopelessness and
heaviness that is stagnant. Grieving is
deep but with an active quality to it.
It energetically moves and changes, though it can take a minimum of a
year to a number of years to emerge from it's depths. Sadness is a
less deep form of sorrow. Everything I am talking about in this space
is referring to grieving and/or sadness.
It is no
accident that many of the holy days honoring the ancestors and the beloved dead
are around the end of October and early November: Halloween, All Saints's Day, Samhain, Dia de
los Muertos (Day of the Dead), etc.Partake in the many public celebrations of honoring the dead
so that you are not alone if you need the strength of others. Watch sad movies, read sad books, or listen
to poignant music to help you have a good cry now and then. For me
reading, Where The Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls or watching Lassie Come Home
- makes me cry every time. I am tearing
up now just writing about it. Know that
the energy of that emotion will be more up than usual and that is normal.
Notice I say in the above paragraph now and then. To stay
healthy honoring sorrow is great but it is important to not wallow in it. Balance it out by playing outside as often as
you can. Watch shows that make you laugh
and be with people that lift your spirits. Create space to do the things that make you happy and joyful.
It is also a time of harvest. Honor and acknowledge your accomplishments,
skills and gifts from the year.
Celebrate the good fruits and vegetables of the season: grapes, pears,
melons, squash, kale, collard greens, and yams.
Enjoy the bright colors of the turning leaves of the trees. It is my favorite time of year to play swing
the statue, kick the can, mother may I, and hopscotch. A friend of mine has an annual hopscotch
tournament and barbecue and invites all her friends to come and compete.
Here are some easy things to do to support yourself at this
time. Fenugreek is a great tea to drink
along with other herbs, as it is known for it's facilitation in helping the
body release grief. I like it with
oatstraw and spearmint. Some days I
secretly carry around a stuffed animal under my shirt. It is the perfect size. I tuck in my shirt and put the stuffed animal
in it then wear a loose jacket over it and no one can see it's there. Just remember to insure it's safety when you
go to the bathroom. Creating an alter to
honor your beloved dead brings beauty and connection into your home. Volunteering where you are interacting with
others and physically seeing the result of your effort is also very uplifting.
|
|
|
