Ordinary Brillance

The Healer and I spoke early this morning. I had made this session a while ago. Perfect timing as ever.

We spoke of Greatness and how it is often disguised as Ordinary. All that glitters is not gold and all that jazz. Too often we wait for the strike of lightening, the rainbow and the orchestra. It doesn't come that way. It comes in sunny days, a perfect coffee. Friends, shared meals and roses. Cats sitting in morning sun, on stone walls and trains running on time. Chance meetings that are actually coordinated by the Stars. Music that takes you away. Beauty in old wrinkled faces and young chubby legs.

Transformation is the same. Before and after, you still have to chop the wood and carry the water.

I am the same but different, as you are too. Moving towards who we were when we were born. Once we were perfect. Our whole life we are trying to get back to that place, that state of being. being the knowing, without praise or judgment. Just being.

I am.

Looking forward

Discussing with The Good Doctor yesterday our ability to predict peoples pregnancies through dreams. Interesting concept. I thought I was mad for years but now I just accept it. It's what I do and now The Good Doctor does too.
It is a nice dream to have, better than predicting world events that end in tragedy. The trauma of seeing a plane crash or fly into buildings but not being able to do a damm thing about it would be almost too much to bear. What is the point of such a gift, you would wonder?

I dream about lovely things, mostly. Orange trees in fruit the night before my sister got the all clear from her cancer. Last night I dreamed I sold 300,000 books! Wow!
I will let you know if that happens.

Meanwhile, nice little article on precognitive dreamers guilt here.

P.S Grand Trine completes this morning. So use it to finish some tasks that are still waiting for your attention.
I will be writing the strategic plan with Gandalf for the biz this morning and being all about the future.

'Precognitive planning' of sorts.

Happy hour

Why on earth would anyone start a project that 1) requires funds and 2) buy a house when Saturn is squaring Jupiter for 9 months. Well, this is what I did! I have 2 projects that require money and time and with this transit, it is as easy as climbing Mt Everest with a can of coke and a big stick as my only supplies.
I think this transit is all about time delays.
I have the ideas, the text, the confidence and self esteem. The Universe has not yet caught up with my beliefs that anything is possible.

On one hand I have Jupiter, the Lord of all expansion and possibilities, and on the other hand Saturn, Commander of the Fun Police. Right now, I am juggling the balance between faith and secularism. Optimisms and realism.

It also does not help that Saturn is Square Neptune as well, so I have no idea as to what is real and what is imagined. Not my best transit of late.

I am trying not to whine, instead see I would like to see it differently. What am I supposed to learn from these transits? Astrology is a tool that is best looked at with your hindsight spectacles planted firmly on your nose.

I suppose I will have some wise persepctive on it when its all over, meanwhile. I ask myself, 'Can I have some cheese with my wine?'

Anyone for Cluedo?

Full moon in Scorpio this weekend. Great for workings around self promotion 101, work, secrets and sex. Great for a working to try and get pregnant, if not trying, then be a safety officer and practise safe sex.

Full Moons are all about wishes. The Full Moon in Scorpio is all about secrets. Here's an idea! what about you drop an emotional net into your heart and drag up the long held, secret, the one thing you have longed for. Admit it!

I am sitting here writing, while my littlest changleing shows me his marble collection. I have to stop every few words and hold the little glass balls up to the light. I have the small puppy on my other side asleep and life is pretty dammed peaceful. So, I can't think of any dark secret I want in my life, beside a little light from Lakshmi on the business at the moment, to help us into the flow. However, I trust that things will work out the way they are Meant to. They always have in the past.

Looking deep into yourself to see what it is that you really, really want can be confronting. I recently heard a tragic tale of an emotional and violent act directed at the self by someone who spent too long denying what was inside them. Denial is like a volcano bubbling inside you, one day its gonna blow and the mop up will not be easy. Trust.

Scorpio Moons, new or full are times for reflection and admission. Last night I gave a dinner party and with the light of the moon, I freely admitted to the table that I did not cook at thing at the table. It was all bought. Instead of slaving over a stove, I spent the afternoon playing in my new garden. Nobody cared, everyone ate and I was happy. As an earth sign, who is a pretty good cook, I was surprised by my lack of guilt over not nourshing my guests with my own food. I didn't care a whit. I didn't need adolation or acclaimation for my food, people came to see us and our new house. In fact, I enjoyed the dinner more. It was yummy, Syrian chicken and rice and salad. Sticky date pudding, icecream and a lovely Róse from one of the guests.

Then cups of tea and Zoolander on the couch.

Admit it Dreamweaver, I am a lazy hostess. And I loved it!

Grand times

I am deciding to decide that I am moving forward as though all my wishes will be fulfilled.
We need a few things to fall into place at work, so instead of freaking out about it, I am determined to act as if everything already is. It is beyond positive thinking. It is putting myself in the future. Positive Futuristic Summoning or PFS. I made that up, I know, it's a bit lame but its what I am working on. What I am really trying to do is bring the 'greenlight' flow into my work.

All of this activity is supported by the Grand Trine. The Grand Trine is when 3 planets can easily flow the energy between each other. The Trine at the moment is between Mercury, Pluto and Saturn. The rockin' thing about Trines are that they don't need you to do much to activate the energy. But...... if you know about the energy then you can get it to work with you. That is what I love about astrology, knowing the energy, the tone for the day, so to speak.
I wished there was an astro report along with the weather every morning. Imagine the weather girl said, "Today, there is a Grand Trine which will enable all sorts of fabulousness to happen. Stay alert, say yes to everything and do something out of the ordinary."

My out of the ordinary was to buy my changelings a tiny little puppy. A phonecall to Fishgirl gave me the perspective I sorely needed and when I saw the little fellas face I knew he was the one (see above).

The Grand Trinefecta of sorts. A new dog, a new house and a new attitude.

The magic continues, finishing end of Monday with new intentions and supported by the Sun entering Taurus, a fertile ground indeed, for turning blueprints into concrete.

Make the most of it Grand Poobahs and have a Grand Trine of a weekend.

Cleaning the windows

I have been in and out of the business for a few weeks, with school holidays and moving etc. I came back Monday and struggled with the ball of string that needed to be untangled.
Then a day off yesterday with a sick changeling. Back to it today. I pushed through the fog and when I left, I had some clarity. I know where I stand, what the score is, where I need to be. Now I can get down to work.
Nothing like a Moon in Virgo to get you into looking at the detail.
Errant blogger will back soon when the fog clears a little more,

Smile for the paparazzi!

In at work, Moon is in Leo and I am struggling to keep my head in the game. I keep reminding myself to remain present. It is hard not to bring your personal into work. Almost impossible in my case!
I have lots to do, some interesting, some not.
I will leave the fun things to do this afternoon, do the boring/difficult things to do this morning.
Leo is a fire sign, thus major masculine energy.
The animal magnatism of the Leo combined with the fertile feminine energy of the Moon can make a powerful forces. Literally Yin and Yang coming together to make a big bang, so to speak. The shadow side of the Moon being in Leo is that we can become self indulgent, manipulative and perhaps even cause an uprising. The light side of the Moon in Leo is hooking into out leadership skills and owning our fabulousness! Wearing our badge of courage proudly and smiling nicely for the paparazzi.

I feel out of the groove work wise, I trust in the flow, though.
I am in the flow right now in my personal life. Just gotta get into the flow in my work-life.

I will am going to do a little working tonight to get the business balance flow working. The trick to remember about business magic is that you have to be patient. Since the reach is larger than other more personal spells, then it can take longer.
A simple mixing a of a few choice herbs- I like lavender, rosemary, ginger and then writing your three goals onto a piece of paper and burning all the herbs and paper together to go into the air to start doing your work for you is great.

And remember to smile for the Moon in Leo peeps!

So mote it be

I am in my new house. It is gorgeous. better than I ever imagined. Of course I had imagined the worst, considering we had looked at the house for a total of 7 minutes before we bought it.
Not the best decision but still it has all worked out best. I am writing this in my new study. Divine light, a few into the garden and a new rug on my floorboards. A prosperous life, indeed.
Of course I want to do everything right away. Gandalf and I have quote a list building of what we would like to do. All I have done so far is plant some Japanese windflowers. One of my fave flowers, that make me incredibly happy.

I would play all day at home, doing small jobs and then reading or writing in the study, though I know that it is time to reenter my responsibilities. Back to work tomorrow, to attack my plans and goals. I have a new spring in my step though and a gorgeous nest to come to.
I will buy a few candles today and rub my house blessing oil that I bought in honor of this moment. I already have saged the house.

A little working to get rid of negativity in the home and keep it away.
Mix cumin and sea salt together and scatter clockwise around your property. This keeps the dark energy at bay.

Out damm spot, out!

So close

I have been inching things over to our new house today.
Body and mind sore.
It is momentous.
Maybe off line for a few days.
Wish me well.

Rumi says it best

These spiritual window-shoppers,
who idly ask, 'How much is that?' Oh, I'm just looking.
They handle a hundred items and put them down,
shadows with no capital.

What is spent is love and two eyes wet with weeping.
But these walk into a shop,
and their whole lives pass suddenly in that moment,
in that shop.

Where did you go? "Nowhere."
What did you have to eat? "Nothing much."

Even if you don't know what you want,
buy _something,_ to be part of the exchanging flow.

Start a huge, foolish project,
like Noah.

It makes absolutely no difference
what people think of you.




Rumi

I am

I saw in the New Moon today, with a lengthy walk around my neighborhood. It was restorative in every sense of the word. The last few months for me have been tough, stressful and required me to give more than I had in me. Today I lingered at times, admiring beautiful gardens and then lurched forward with new spirit as I set off down the roads with a spring in my step.
I mentioned to Gandalf that there was new moon this afternoon in Aries, one of the changelings, eavesdropping, asked me 'What happens to the old moons?'
Bless.

This New Moon in Aries gives us the opportunity to start again. As Aries is the youngest sign in the zodiac, the energy from the childlike Aries gives us hope and fresh eyes.
Maybe it's just me, but I thought last week was tough. Pluto going retrograde gave us wind storms, death and for many, from the rise of the red dust in the storms, a nasty case of pink eye.

I love the New Moon in any sign. I love the idea of being able to start again. The yoga breath. Every time you breathe in you are confirming that you are here to stay. With this comes the responsibility to make it count.

Drink in the new moon energy my friends. Make your new moon wishes and make a vow to start again, every moment.

Breathe.

Sleep Interrupted

I have a necklace that I have had inscribed on the front that says, 'somnium', which means 'dreaming' in Latin.
I should get it inscribed instead with 'insomnia', which means 'monkey-chatter' in my language.

Now, I have no excuse for my 'monkey-chatter', a phrase I stole from the Blessed Seraph.
Everything is coming together in my life as it should, I now in the habit of not getting back to sleep once I am awake. I have felt this week, like one does with a new baby. Sort of foggy and in twilight.

I have decided to accept it. What other choice do I have? I, like the new born baby, will eventually train myself to get through a whole night asleep, in the meantime, I think and I write.

Louise Hay writes that metaphysical reason for insomnia is not trusting the process of life. Fear and guilt. The affirmation is, 'I lovingly release the day and slip into peaceful sleep, knowing tomorrow will take care of itself.'

I blame my dreams. With a Pisces moon, I am a prolific dreamer. I get tired from dreaming sometimes. I had dreams tonight that woke me, not sure what about, but enough to get me up. As soon as I awake, my mind is whirling again and so here I am. Awake. Blogging. Awake.

My phone has been ringing at night, late at night. 12.30am-1.00am. Just silence on the end of the phone. I was awake when they rang tonight. Scared the shit out of me. Never good when the phone rings at night. Bad news comes when the phone or the doorbell rings at night.
My heart raced. I wonder what message I am being sent. Lucky I was up to answer it and not have to wake the whole household.

Years ago, I was trying to have an appointment with a healer that Goddess Bookkeeper had recommended. These would take place by phone. The first time we tried to contact each other for the session, the time we had organised got messed up. I sat at home waiting but she never rang at the designated time. I rang her and we had totally confused the times we had booked. We made a time for later in the day. When we started the session in the late afternoon, my doorbell rang and there was policeman at the door who came to see of I had heard anything as the house next door had been robbed. The healer wondered if there was not some difficult energy that was stopping us from connecting.
I wonder now if the Universe had made me stay at home to protect my house that day and that is why the times got confused.

I wonder all sorts of things at 2 in the morning.

Nigh Night Lovers.

Sweet and Sour

Monsieur Pluto has gone retrograde in Capricorn, which basically means, 'Stop denying the transformation!'
Too bad, so sad and suck it up my friends. Whatever is changing in your life or deep within you, then own it. Get a slogan on -t-shirt and tell people where you are going. Remember, it's for your own good. Don't freak out though, Mercury has gone into Aries, which means everything we do we will be infused with the energy of enthusiasm and creativity.
Thats nice huh? Plutos sourness, offset by the full flavoured sweetness of Mercurys.
I finally slept last night after 5 nights of insomnia. I wrote a lists of all the was worring me then wrote the flip side of the catastrophe and what would be the best outcome if ever.
Did the trick. Changed my thinking, worth a try is Pluto is busting your hump today.

Dreams and plans

Last night I dreamed of swimming pools and movie stars. Literally.
I have dreamed of swimming pools a few times in the last few weeks.
Swimming pools represent the way we experience relationships or connect with other people. They also represent our inner pools of magic and fantasy.
I am living a halfway life at the moment. Not at work but not truly at home. The changelings are on holidays, hence me trying to do what I can, when I can.
Not in either home, surrounded by boxes in this house and staring forlornly through the gate of my new home, waiting, waiting, waiting for permission to hang my hat.

I have decided to solve my haphazard existence by writing a fairly detailed and extensive personal action plan.
The best year I ever had was when I wrote and followed a plan for a year. I managed to do all those pesky little things that you can easily put off and achieve a few big goals.

So by the time my life has moved from the foggy into the focussed, I will be ready to hit the ground running and will know exactly what I want to do and how to do it.

I am a student of Domonique the Wonderful, who taught me these valuable skills. She too loves an action plan, I can't say enough about how great they are. Try one for a month and see what happens. It can't hurt.

A nice link here for the uninitiated to the ways of the action plan.

The sun is so in Aries, can you feel it? Ergo, the action plan.

Praise Venus and Fortuna

April Fools Day was a celebration by ancient Romans to celebrate the combo festival of Fortuna Virilis, one of the many aspects of the Roman Goddess of Luck and Chance, Fortuna. Her title means "Manly" or "Virile", and it can be supposed that she made boys into men by making them strong and robust, and watching over them through the difficulties of puberty. She was connected with the Love-Goddes Venus(who also "makes boys into men", albeit in a rather different way), and She was worshipped with Venus at the festival of the Veneralia. and Venus Venticordia.

The Veneralia was a holiday of Venus Verticordia ("Venus the Changer of Hearts") held on April the 1st, the date of the founding of Her temple on the Aventine Hill, in which rites to Fortuna Virilis seem to have played a part. Perhaps the two taken together were meant to inspire and protect young men as they began to take an interest in sex and/or girls as they grew; and further evidence of a link between the two Goddesses is found in the fact that a shrine of Fortuna Virilis was located besides an altar to Venus of the Basket, though exactly where in Rome they were located is unknown.

Basically, the Romans would play tricks and muck around with their high jinks. Wearing their clothes backwards, a lá Kriss Kross, was quite popular and they would generally crack themselves up with their Roman style gags and laughs.

Aprils 1st is also the start of the celebration of Ceres - the Goddess of Harvest. This goes on for 10 days finishing with chariot races and releasing of foxes into the Circus arena with flaming brands attached to their tails. Those whacky Romans! Bunch of jokers, the lot of them.

The drink of celebration was milk and honey with the poppy flower pounded into it, trippy, I am sure.

I am the walrus, I am the eggman.

A happy day to you, whatever you are celebrating.

Getting positive

I have a lot of 'stuff' in my life. Since I am about to move house in 9 days, I am letting go of my 'stuff'. Setting myself the goal to only taking with me, what I truly love and need.
This is proving to be cathartic. In letting go of my 'stuff', I am also letting go of the emotions that wrap them.
I have made a choice that I am only going to live in the positive in my new home.
We are often in the negative in our lives. Negative habits, negative relationships and negative thoughts. I was watching the news while I started this post and realised how much of the information we receive throughout our day is focussed on what is wrong and must be righted. The heavy assignment for fixing the world, is placed on our shoulders, 'Stop watering your garden, turn your lights out, don't drive your car. And if possible, stop breathing.'
Enough.
I cannot and will not, live in the frame of mind that we are all doomed and it's all my fault.

The moon is moving from Capricorn and into Aquarius tomorrow, just after midnight. The energy from the Moon in Aquarius can make us selfish, caught up in our own airhead thoughts. It can also encourage to use our brilliance for good, not evil.
For those of you who practise pagan ritual or cast magic then this is a good time for sorting out any issues you may be having in your coven. Always good to deal with any small niggles such as not washing out the cauldron out properly and making sure there are nice biscuits to have with the ambrosial wine or the post magic cup of tea and catchup.

Positive thoughts peeps, positive choices, positive lives.

Later.

The Yin and the Yang of it

I listened to a man in a doctors surgery today, trying to placate his 3 year old by explaining exactly what the doctor was going to do to her when she went in for her appointment. Eeeekkk! He thought by explaining what was going to happen, he was lessening the fear. It was not working for this scared, tiny little person.
As a mother I wouldn't have gone with the explanation. I would have talked about what we were going to do afterwards. Perhaps tell her the little known secret, that the best toys are not in the waiting room but are, in fact, in the doctors office.

It made me think about the fundamental differences with men and women communication. Men are Yang, like the Sun. Women are Yin, like the Moon.
The key is to maintain the balance. We all have Yin and Yang inside us, we just need to learn which energy to plug into at the right time.

In astrology, every sign is either Yin or Yang.

Aries: Yang
Taurus: Yin
Gemini: Yang
Cancer: Yin
Leo: Yang
Virgo: Yin
Libra: Yang
Scorpio: Yin
Sagittarius: Yang
Capricorn: Yin
Aquarius: Yang
Pisces: Yin

Look at your Sun, Moon and Ascendant sign and see whether it is Yin or Yang. The combination of these elements give you an indication of how you express yourself in the world.

I am all Yin, through and through. Which means that I am über expressive, perceptive and depressive at times. I am a card carrying member of the 'Sensa', the society for the abnormally sensitive. I am a pin cushion for human emotions, due to the high levels of Yin in my life.

I need more Yang in my life. Apparently it is best to connect to Yang energy and eat yang foods in the 3 days before a new moon. Yin foods are fish and chicken, Yang foods are red meats, grains, steamed veg.

Balancing the polarities is the quest. Through balancing evenly between the Yin and the Yang, then we become whole.

So Yang on, here I come!

Moon in Scorpio

The moon is in Scorpio, hence the guilt, the dark thoughts and thunderclouds on my side of the world. I always have a hard time when the Moon is posing my Taurus Sun. The Yin and Yang and all that jazz.
Moon in Scorp is always intense and today was no exception. And did I finish anything? Nope! A veritable horses tail of lose ends is waiting back at the office. So back to it tomorrow with even less hours as I am on the road picking up changelings from the scary country town. I swear the town does not have any young people in it all. Spooky beyond belief. Like an Arthur Rackham picture. See above.

Thoughts while driving under the lunar influence

Moon is still in Libra and I spent 4 hours on the road home from Le Pagan Festival of Eastre, spent with the parents and changelings. Driving home was interesting, when the Moon is in Libra people struggle with making decisions. Not such a great influence while on the horrific accident zone, that is the Hume Highway.

I discussed with Gandalf the wise words of Deb Cox from the The Age - Sunday Magazine this weekend. She mentioned how she loves to spend time with 'women who are beyond pretending.'
I loved this phrase. I only want to spend time with women who don't pretend. Women who keep it real and tell you when its worth celebrating and when to bring out the box of tissues.
I can't pretend. People who 'talk it up' as Blessed says will always be found out. I think we all are guilty of talking it up at points in our life. The less you do it though, the more life throws wonderful things at you.
I think its important to keep things real with your friends. You have a responsibility to tell it like it is. This is where womens wisdom comes from. The information that generations of women has passed on to younger ones, by the firesides and in huts.
Se keep it real my friends, you never know when your words may help someone.

Anais Nin says that,' When one is pretending the entire body revolts.' I think it goes further than that. I think your entire Universe revolts. Your friends, your intimate relationship, your work, everything. The world wants you to connect to what is real, it forces you to stop pretending and face the facts.

I like to keep it real. Not pessimistic but real. Sure, you can have anything and everything but real life comes with stuff. Stuff that hurts and makes you tired. Stuff that makes you worry and anxious. My life, like yours, has all of this gorgeously heavy and velvety texture, as well as the sunshiney lace and the voile. I like all the fabrics in my life but I never wear them all at once. Some moments and moods are made for silks, some for sturdy cottons and denims. Choosing the right fabrics with the right moment comes with age and experience.

I have friends who are older and younger than me. I love that wherever I am in my life, I have someone who has the right words, recipe or flashlight and map to help put me on my path again. The ones who risk to keep it real.

Garder mes vrais amis!

A bunch of Pagans, the lot of you!

I headed out early on a quest for Hot Cross Buns, to celebrate the Astrological New Year with a Full Moon, the Christian Easter and the Jewish Festival of Purim.
A big weekend for all. I had a hankering for Hot cross Buns though, whatever the festival, and I had to have them.

Here is some lovely information on the Hot Cross Bun. I love reading about the origin and evolution of tradition.

The origin of hot-cross buns is said to be pagan. The Saxons supposedly ate a similar kind of bun in the spring, at the time of the vernal equinox, to honor the goddess of light, Eastre, as she was named for the direction from which the first light of the day first comes.

The goddess eventually gave her name to the Christian holiday. The term bun may have evolved from the Greek word for ox; in ancient Greece a dome of bread, like the head of an ox, came to replace the actual animal for sacrificial ceremonies. At first there were horns decorating the bread. But over time the horns disappeared, leaving only what is now familiar as a bun.

Hot-cross buns first became popular in England as a Good Friday specialty after the Reformation, in the late 16th century at the time of the Tudors.

A decree issued by the London clerk of markets during the reign of Elizabeth I in 1592 prohibited the baking and sale by commercial bakers of "any spice cakes, buns, biscuits or other spice bread except it be at burials, or on Friday before Easter, or at Christmas, upon pain of forfeiture of all such spiced bread to the poor."

In those days spices were rare and precious commodities.

In the early 17th century, during the reign of James I, of King James Bible fame, this decree became unenforceable and spice buns started to be sold throughout the year.

A hot-cross bun is essentially what the English call a Chelsea bun, a confection sold all year. The difference is that for Good Friday, a cross is traced on the top of the bun. English bakers create the cross by slashing the dough or by laying strips of pastry across the top of the bun. There is a theory that the cross was slashed in the top of the buns as a vestige of pagan belief, to ward off any evil spirits that might jinx the dough and prevent it from rising.

Happy Buns, my peeps!