Sunday, January 26, 2014

Ancient and Forever

Doctor Who, The Family of Blood, 2 June 2007:
Because I've seen him. He's like fire and ice and rage. He's like the night, and the storm in the heart of the sun. He's ancient and forever... He burns at the center of time and he can see the turn of the universe... And... he's wonderful.
What fantastic writing!
At first read, the phrase "ancient and forever" appears redundant. Especially since the tone and tense of the statements remains in the present. Ancient generally implies the past, but clearly not in this statement. It's about a being that has been alive for a very, very long time. Forever implying that this being will continue on for a very long time as well.

I know that this particular quote came from a Doctor Who episode ~ yet it can describe any being from any mythology with an eternal presence. Ancient and forever ~ past, present and future ~ one who is everpresent in the conscious world.

That's why the writing is so glorious! Paul Cornell, the writer of this episode, captures the essence of the eternal being in mythology. The obverse is that this being is also ageless.... and capable of changing appearance!

What do you think of when you hear the phrase "ancient and forever"? How important is an eternal being in your life?

Saturday, January 25, 2014

Extreme Moons of January



©MLMonroe
The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines PERIGEE as "the point in outer space where an object traveling around the Earth is closest to the Earth." What we refer to as Super Moons happen when the moon is at its perigee. It looks closer and larger than it does at other times.

In January of 2014, there are two Super Moons; two times during the same month when the moon is at its perigee. Both of those times are New Moons so the size of these moons is not observable to the naked eye. The first of these moons arrived on January 1st; the second will arrive on January 30th.

The opposite of PERIGEE is APOGEE, defined by the Merriam-Webster online dictionary as "the point in outer space where an object traveling around the Earth is farthest away from the Earth."

And in January 2014, there was a Mini Moon, the moon at its apogee, on January 16th. This Mini Moon was the first full moon of 2014; it was at its farthest point away from the Earth.

Extremes and somewhat unusual occurrences to be happening not just once in a month, or even twice, but three times in one month. What do you think that promises for the year of 2014?

Friday, January 24, 2014

Janus & Resolutions

Janus, the god for whom the month of January is named, is the guardian god of transitions. A fitting god to guard the transition from one year to the next. Because he looks both forward and back, the possibilities are all seen by and available to him.

January is the month for considering changes and new beginnings, which is the very reason for making resolutions.

The simple fact that Janus stands firmly in the present moment gets overlooked as the duality of his vision grows in focus. Looking at all the possibilities and options available does not mean leaving the reality of Now.

The above image shows Janus's two faces as being old and young. This is one view, probably coming from the same imaginative place as the old Father Time and the diapered Baby New Year images. It's easier for us to think of him this way... yet we still miss the Now when we do.

What do you see when you look back on 2013? What do you see when you look forward to 2014? How is your vision of Now influenced by looking back and looking forward?

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Make Mistakes


Read this quote from Neil Gaiman.... then read it again. And again, so the message truly reaches you. What an incredible thought: MAKE MISTAKES! Every mistake we make brings us closer to ... well, to being fully alive and human. It's the only way to learn. If you're afraid to make mistakes, you're really stuck.

In the interest of full disclosure, I find myself challenged when it comes to making mistakes! It's not so much that I want to be perfect as it is that I don't want to look bad. What's strikes me as the oddest angle is the simple fact that I often snitch on myself when it comes to doing things incorrectly or incompletely or perhaps not knowing how to do something.

Mostly, it's the inner critic, the voice inside my head, the worrier part of me that is afraid of making mistakes. She acts as though she can see the future and knows what and how it all turns out. In truth, she is as ignorant of the future as I am. That's where the first mistake gets made: listening to her maddening voice.

Do you make mistakes? Do you learn from them? Do you have that inner voice that urges you onward toward perfection? What response do you have to it?

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Smallest Moon of 2014

Happening now! Tonight!
Wait ~~ isn't the moon always the same size? Maybe, but it doesn't always look the same size in our perception of the night sky. With good readon. The MiniMoon is at its apogee ~ it's farthest point away from the Earth. Just as the SuperMoon, which is at its perigee, appears larger, so the MiniMoon appears smaller.

Go outside and look at the night sky ~ take a good look at the moon. If you hadn't heard that it was a MiniMoon, would you have noticed the difference? Really?

http://www.space.com/24300-smallest-full-moon-2014.html
This is the difference if you put two versions of the moon next to each other .... and who can do that in the night sky?

Is the comparative size of the moon significant to you? Why? Does your body or do your emotions respond to the moon? Differently when it's closer or farther away? If you don't know, pay attention tonight and next month and compare!

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Pilgrimage

Pilgrims are persons in motion - passing through territories not their own - seeking something we might call completion, or perhaps the word clarity will do as well, a goal to which only the spirit's compass points the way. Those who pass over thresholds aware of their need to be changed. Listening to this counsel, we recall Merton's meditation that in us God wanders as a pilgrim too.
Richard R. Niebuhr, Parabola Magazine, Volume IX, Number 3 - Pilgrimage

Wandering through the wilderness ... is that what pilgrimage is about? Taking on the ritual and rites of those who have passed through these territories before? Finding oneself in new, creative, perhaps challenging places?

I believe that pilgrimage is about going deeper into the trust and truth of the Ineffable One. Finding our leading edge that connects with that Power. Learning to feel the depth of our link to God/Spirit/the Universe/Goddess. 

Merton's meditation about God wandering in us as a pilgrim fascinates me. My mind is cracked open ever so slightly more because of it. Imagine it: God/Goddess/the Universe/Spirit wandering the world within us as well as amongst us. Breathtaking!

What do you think a pilgrimage is? Where would you choose to go if you had the opportunity to take one?

Sunday, January 12, 2014

Scavenger Hunt

It's easy to find a variety of quotes describing creativity. Many of them are repetitive or droll or cutesy. All of them intend to be creative in and of themselves. When I read Liz Gilbert's definition describing it as a scavenger hunt, I knew I'd hit the jackpot. My personal jackpot. 

Creativity is an essence that often seems evasive. It might feel as though it's hiding, it's playing a game of hide-and-seek. Creativity is that segment of our personal psyche that shifts. Every time that happens, every moment of shift or hiding, cries out to be noticed, to be noted and heard.

Can you feel that tweak when you discover a clue? Is your creativity solely alive in one area? or are there multiple divisions to where and how you are creative?

Friday, January 10, 2014

Good Madness

I love Neil Gaiman.
He's one of my favorite literary geniuses
 ~~ or would it be genii? 

May 2014 bring you Good Madness! What in the world, or out of the world for that matter, makes madness good? Societal norms suggest, or state most implicitly, that madness itself is an anomaly and should be avoided at all costs. And yet.... and yet... perhaps it's about allowing yourself to be different. Allowing yourself to respond in ways that maybe aren't quite, yet possibly close-but-no-cigar truly true to yourself. Even though it might not be so in the eyes of those around you.

Good Madness is also about believing in Magic and Dreams and the incredible possibility, or even likelihood, that someone out there thinks you are wonderful.

Can you imagine your coming year filled with art of all sorts: visual and literary and auditory? Your home, your space overwhelmed by color and design and light. Wow! What a year is heading your way!

What do you plan to do with it?

Monday, January 6, 2014

Shaman of Courage


The Shaman's Oracle ~ J. Matthews & W. Kinghan
As I focused on the coming week, I asked the question: What do I need for the coming week? What quality would serve me best?

And so I drew Courage. One facet of a Shaman's being is to dream the world into existence. Those dreams take courage. Courage to move forward in time. Courage to release what is no longer needed. Courage to step into one's power. Courage brings many, many gifts with it.

The image on the card is like a shadow dancer. It has hands that are over-sized to capture and to defend. From its hip comes what looks like another hand ~ or a weapon. On its head are horns. It is wavy, tall and strong and looks as though it could carry one into the future.

What need do you have for courage? What are you willing to let go? What is calling you forward? How will you dream your future?

Saturday, January 4, 2014

Go With the Wild

Rose is a Rose comic for 01/01/14:

When this comic caught my eye, it really hit home. I've been wavering between impulsively shifting from my current job to ... well, something else ... and something with not as stable an income or staying with the current structure. Internally, it's been a focus of the past several months. There are many reasons for the wavering. I've had the structure of my job for many years. Not the specific job, but the role of being a teacher within a public school structure. It's one of the most stable positions around. And yet ... there are many questions about the direction of public education. Questions of outcomes; questions of accountability; questions of the basic stability of the system itself. More than that, I sense that the time has come for the younger educators to really take charge. I want to write, to work in other realms of education, to share other facets of my learning and knowledge in other ways.

So, as Rose ponders her choices, I continue to ponder my own.

What in your life could benefit from living impulsively? What needs structure and stability? Is there a way to balance the two?

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

New Year's Super New Moon

Happy 2014! Today begins a bright new year. It's thrilling to feel the page of the year turning....

This morning, at 3:14 a.m. PT, there was also a Super New Moon ~ one of three happening this year. Super Moons occur when the moon is at its closest to the Earth.

Maybe because the New Moon is about letting go, maybe because the New Moon is about beginning anew, maybe because the three days at Oceanside deeply connected my body with the tides of Mama Ocean.... at the time of the Super New Moon, I was awakened by my rumbling tummy.  It seems my body decided it needed to purge. Every orifice at once. Within 10 minutes.

No fever. No achiness. No more issues. Just one 10 minute extreme release. Wow.

I'm excited to begin the New Year cleansed in my body, more awake in my mind, more aware in my soul.

What are you releasing this New Year's New Moon? What are you willing to purge?