Autumn Equinox 2017

The Equinox is all about equal time. Not surprising that it leads us into the sign of Libra, the Balance. Harmony. Focus. Collaboration. Compassion. All of the aspects of the balancing sign of Libra.

One month ago, we were in the midst of the energy of the Solar Eclipse. Was that truly only one month ago? It seems like a lifetime has evolved in the interim. That eclipse touched at least 14 states in the US ~ maybe more, if counting those that were beyond the 90% totality mark.

Between then and now, several hurricanes, earthquakes and wildfires have touched even more lives. It's almost as though the corona of eclipse lit up more than the sky. And here we are, at the moment in the year where we can almost hear the wheel crank toward autumn. Before it fully clicks into place, we hang in the momentary balance of Light and Dark.

Although we call this day both the final day of Summer and the first day of Fall, neither season moves quite so precisely into the next. Yes, the tilt of the Earth is at its farthest reach. If the sky is clear enough for us to see the Moon, we will also find Jupiter close by, but only in the dance of light before sunset. At least until the 25th, when Saturn steps closer to the Moon.

Fall is the time of year when we switch our goals from expansion and growth to the harvest. Reaping what we have sown. And it signals a general slowing of the pace. Not quite to full relaxation, but certainly to a more mellow pace. The light begins to lessen and the dark and quiet pervade our world. Hopefully, we find our rhythm syncing with Nature's. We feel the cyclical time pulling at us. Quiet ourselves and listen.

What goals and intentions that you planted in the Spring are you reaping now? What are you going to turn under, plow into the soil, this Fall? How will you slow your pace? How do you feel the rhythm of Nature? Where do you find harmony? What in your life needs to be balanced?

March Equinox

Equinox ~~

[from Latin, meaning 'equal night']

1: either of the two points on the celestial sphere where the celestial equator intersects the ecliptic
2: either of the two times each year (as about March 21 and September 23) when the sun crosses the equator and day and night are everywhere on earth of approximately equal length.

~ Merriam-Webster online dictionary 

The wheel of the year is divided into either four or eight segments, depending on how often you want to recognize, ritualize or otherwise celebrate the changing of the seasons. Since as far back as we can figure recorded time, humans have noticed and marked the passages we call the Equinox. Stonehenge, Chichen Itza, Angkor Wat and the Sphinx are all equinoctial markers.

Besides its delineation of daylight's increasing or decreasing, the Equinox is a balance point for the Earth's axis pointing neither toward nor away from the sun. For me, it is a spiritual time as well, revealing how everything finds balance on the eternal journey through the cosmos. My reflection on this Equinox is directly informed by the notion of balance.

At this time of season's change, poised astride a sliver of time where all rests balanced, I pause. In this place of balance, I dream of the direction the coming season will take. Allowing the dreamtime its intuitive flow, I breathe in the creative energy and breathe out what no longer serves. With my dreams and discoveries in heart, I adjust my movements into the season to come.

What does the Equinox mean to you? How do you define your balance point? How does it define you? What dreams are the Equinox presenting to you? How will you open to its creative change? What form is the new season taking for you? What support will you need as you move forward?

Balancing Paradox

n the midst of everything else going on in our world today ~ all the craziness, every mundane context, individual moments ~ I find myself turning inward and finding a safe, quiet place within.

When I lift my head out of those moments of slipping away, or more precisely, diving deep, familiar words find their way into view. The quote from Frederick Buechner was one. I find myself reading it, breathing it deeply into my lungs, letting it fill me up. I live, we live, in that world where "beautiful and terrible things will happen." Often, both of those extremes can make us afraid. We exalt in and love the beautiful, yet fear that it will go away, that simply having it and acknowledging it will curse it into nonexistence. Yet we most need to remember to let go that feeling of fear. Understand that these things will happen.

The terrible things leave us wary of anything new ~ or of the news itself. What next? Where will the next quake hit? What's happening in the arctic? How long before the disease (whichever one it may be) takes Auntie or Grandpa? So much opportunity for terrible things. Again, along with our best efforts to allay or avoid it, we have the same need to let go of the fear. It takes us out of being present to the moment.

Another quote that flowed easily into my view was this one by Parker J. Palmer:

The spiritual life is lived in a balance of paradoxes, and the humility that enables us to hear the truth of others must stand in creative tension with the faith that empowers us to speak our own.

Everything that is most important to us rests on the balance point of those paradoxes: hearing the truth of others and speaking our own truth. We move forward too quickly and we stop listening to others. We stand still too long and we stop voicing our truths. We are here, in this world, with these beautiful and terrible things happening, to face each other and help each other through the most profound Darkness and the most resplendent Light.

This is a time of facing our rebellious, passionate natures. This is a time of honesty and clarity. This is a time of living in and through our truest and deepest selves. This is not about being meek in the world. It is about being aware and truthful alongside being loving and strong. It is also a time of owning our own personal Darkness as well as revealing our brightest Light. We are not only balancing the paradoxes, we are the very balance point of them.

How do you speak your truth? How do listen to the truth of others? What is your passion? What do you fear? How do you view the beauty in our world? What terrible things are in your life now? What action will you take to refute fear? How are your practices working? What paradoxes are you balancing?

New Moon in Capricorn 2016

Yesterday was the peak of the first New Moon of 2016: the January New Moon in Capricorn. This Earthy New Moon is about reaching for our dreams, bringing them forward into the new year, and grounding them. It also brings forward balance ~ like the Mountain Goat that Capricorn represents. The ability to walk upon the Earth in a steady manner will be important in the coming month and year. Be aware of, and honor, what creates structure in life: buildings, families, heritages, education, employment ~~ whatever aids by providing form and strength.

With the other forces bubbling up at this time, balance is a big watchword in play. Where do we need to relax our freedom? Where do we need to grasp that free choice and step into our power? When do we need to leave our power in low gear? What clues us in to the timing?

The New Moon in Capricorn encourages behaviors that follow the structure of life and the universe ~ including duties, rights, virtues ~ all choices made by determining what is needed in the moment and what best fits the structure of the situation as well as personal internal resources. Within that structure also lie consistency and constancy, necessary to keep the structure solid and grounded.

This is also the time to do reality checks and face any issues and out-of-balance places in relationships, monetary situations, integrity and values. It is about creating solid, whole foundations for moving forward into the year ~ and into life.

What foundations are in need of repair in your life? What are you willing to do to repair them? How will you balance the variety of choices in your life? What dream are you hoping to manifest this year? How will you form the foundation to sustain it?

October New Moon in Libra

Wow! It's been a long time since I've written in this blog. September was a wild ride month. Anyone else experience that? Lots of energy buzzing and zapping around with the eclipses, the equinox and Mercury retrograde. It's good to be on the other side of that.

Now there's a New Moon in Libra ~ which is all about relationships ~ and that will be greatly assisted by being past the wild and wacky energy of the past month!

Now is the time for balance. Settling in just enough to make me recognize my own need for self-care in all areas: mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. It's also the time to honor communications as the leading edge for growth. Listen with an open mind. Speak from the heart's truth. Remember to express gratitude.

Continuing on the path of change, making big plans and keeping track of the details finds support at this time too. It's about Choice: tension or release? movement or stagnation? healing or rage? being awake or staying asleep? owning what needs to be healed or projecting it on others?

Personally, I'm being challenged to be more centered and reflect what is being mirrored to me by the world. I continue to learn to use ~ as well as to rest ~ my voice, speaking clearly from my own truth and expressing my feelings. If I believe in my purpose and myself, I can stand in relationship with those around me without causing harm to either myself or the other. I am also working through and with balancing the Divine Feminine and the Divine Masculine. For me, this balance has been going on for years. It's a dance I enjoy having.

I recall something one of my former teachers said: "Each time you let go, each time you learn a lesson, it will come back to you in the old way again. Only the next time, you will go deeper to release it. And so it will go until you are done." Learning the lessons, evolving to the next level, continues in a spiral, looping back over and over again so the mastery can get deeper and deeper.

What lesson are you learning? What is the truth that is seeking you? What change is poking itself into your life? How do your relationships support you? How do you balance it all?

Emotional Flow

Oracle of the Dragonfae by Lucy Cavendish

From the guide book:

"... From time to time, I have found my own sadness overflow, and it is at those times that I need to return to water, to commune with that element's wisdom until I am calmed, soothed, and refreshed. ... Know that simply by going to a body of water, this can be your bath, a lake, river, pond, puddle or even oceanic majesty, you will be soothed. ... Your life swirls and flows like water...keep moving too, to avoid stagnation in sadness. Sensitivity is yours for this lifetime, ...allow your sensitivity to flow,..."





After a healing session with a friend, I drew this card from the Oracle of the Dragonfae deck. The commentary, from Andelle's point of view, aligned well with the healing session. Sometimes I am, if not precisely sad, certainly out of kilter with my most centered, calm and productive self. At these times, I find myself drawn to bodies of water ~ from hot tubs and soaks in claw-footed bathtubs to Lakes Michigan, Trillium and Union to the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Sometimes even a walk in the rain is calming. Having always been sensitive, even to the point of empathetic, I have learned to use the water to assist in allowing for, as the card suggests, emotional flow.

Since recently returning from a trip to the Ocean, I feel more in that flow than before I left. I feel more awake to my own emotions, more aware of the subtlety of actions and reactions in others, more alive.

Much of what I do in my life involves supporting and listening to others. Setting personal boundaries and protecting myself from being emotionally hijacked by their lives, actions and stories, is vital to my own health and well-being. I am grateful for healing sessions with friends as well as for the diversity of divination decks that remind me of the importance of balance and flow.

What do you do to keep your emotional flow balanced? How do you recognize when you need to readjust yourself? How often do you need to realign? Is it a constant timeline (for example, every other month or daily) or is it fluid, triggered by specific or particular events? What assistance reminds you to be grateful?

Strength for the Day

My focus when drawing this card was strength... uncovering a particular attribute. Balance fits impressively well... I am grateful it showed up.

Message: Things are happening so suddenly and quickly that we must stay on guard and grounded at all times in order to handle the coming changes. If we do not remain as such, then all chaos will break loose within ourselves which will then manifest to the physical surrounding us. Be calm, stay balanced, remain grounded.

My plan: begin the year with strength ~ with love, grace and joy too. For Balance to arise as the focus this early gives me hope and makes me grin. Remain grounded. Yes. What a powerful New Year message.



What attribute do you seek as 2015 begins? How do you stay grounded? Is that important to you? Which of your values point you to that focus attribute?

Meaning in Life

"If you want a meaning in your life, find a meaning and bring it into your life, but life won't give you a meaning. Meaning is a concept. It is a notion of an end toward which you are going. The point of Buddhism is This Is It."

~ Joseph Campbell, Myths of Light

Though I wouldn't call myself a Buddhist, I willingly acknowledge This Is It. This moment is truly all I have. I plan for the future: what I'll wear tomorrow; how soon I can pay off my credit cards; dinner plans with a friend. That keeps my mind's eye pointed in that direction. What I have, though, is NOW: the clatter of dishes in the sink, the people around me talking, the music playing over the radio..... and what's most alive in my soul.

What is it that's alive in my soul? In this moment, it's gratitude: for a warm place to sit; for the technology on which I am typing; for the tea I am drinking; for the people in my life, individually and collectively; for my employment.

For me, the most difficult part of This Is It rests in letting go of the plans, of the chatter of my mind about what more needs to be done, of the itch to tap the next screen and read the next text. I live and breathe our fast-paced, overwrought world. Besides that, I'm an information junkie ~~ in certain arenas. I love reading, learning, discovering. Those things keep me focused on the future, on tomorrow or, at the very least, on the next moment.

For now, I'll take a deep breath, let my fingers rest beside the keys rather than on them, close my eyes, and let the breath flow out of me.

How do you stay focused on this moment, the one you are in? Do you believe This Is It? or do you believe there is more? How do you balance yourself between the Now and the Then?

Llama Stability

Animal Wisdom Tarot

Elements: Air and Earth

Qualities: Steady, Patient, Practical, Receptive, Balanced

Llama's messages:
Center your body, free your mind. Stand firmly and securely on Mother Earth. Climb slowly and carefully. Do not rush. Persevere when the going is difficult. Accomplishing dreams takes effort and hard work. Be aware of subtle changes in the atmosphere. You can adapt to any situation and manage any loads you are carrying. Focus on yourself. Priortize your personal growth and connection to spirit. Follow your heart rather than your ego.





As I shuffled and drew the card, my question was: What quality or qualities will I need in the coming week or two? I wanted to know what would serve me best and what I could count on to strengthen how I walked in the world.

For me, Fall is a time of new beginnings and renewed energies. The playful warmth of Summer draws to a close and the preparation for Winter propels a new kind of movement. In this busy environment, it's good to be reminded to slow down and focus on what's truly important, on what arises from my heart. Even though I have lived with the reality of my ability to adapt and to persevere, I often forget in the midst of activity.

I appreciate the stability of Llama showing up in my life. That no matter the rocky slope or the thin atmosphere, she is steady and sure-footed. She brings me back to the remembrance that at the core of my own stable being is the Divine undergirding my world, catching me as I slip and slide in my spiritual practice. I am grateful for the reminders.

How do you approach Fall? What is your sense of the season? How do you deal with the rocky slopes of life? What undergirds your sense of stability?

Destiny Orientation, Part 2

Orienting ourselves in the direction of our destiny begins with openness. Having an open mind. Having an open, willing heart. Living with and in the open-ended.

In the Northern hemisphere, the basic orientation is toward the North Star, true north. In the Southern hemisphere, the orientation is toward the Southern Cross. Either way, there's a star, a constellation, something in the night sky, that directs our path. Something that shines through the darkness as a guide for us to follow.

Then there's the gyroscope. Wikipedia defines it as "a device for measuring or maintaining orientation" even when the orientation is not fixed.  I believe we each have an inner gyroscope that also guides us, especially when our orientation seems off kilter, out of focus, wobbly. That inner gyroscope orients us toward our future, our destiny. It balances us.

What we need to do is trust ~ which is often the toughest thing to do. It appears that some spinning thing with a heavy mid-section certainly can't balance us on the head of a pin, as a place we so often feel we're perched. Or on a tightrope strung across Victoria Falls or the Grand Canyon. If we trust, if we lean into its spinning and allow that inner gyroscope do its job, we find ourselves back on track, balanced once again.

When have you felt your inner gyroscope? How do you find the courage to trust its spinning? When was the last time you had to find the bright constellation in the night sky? How did you feel when you found it? Did you trust its direction?

Remember the Magic

There are many sights around me that take my breath away. My blossoming calla lilies. The cat answering my question with what sounds like 'yes'. The beginning crescent moon after a new moon. A heron standing in the wetlands. A deer hopping over a hurricane fence. I could continue on for a long time. Oh, and the Northern Lights.

I get busy during my days and weeks and often forget to look, really look, at the world around me. I am always in awe of the magic I see when I actually open my eyes to it. It's as though I have my eyes open, but my mind is so completely focused on something else ~ my upcoming work day, what I need at the store, who I need to email or call, so much 'stuff' packed into my thoughts ~ that I miss what's right in front of me.

Don't get me wrong. Having the capacity to plan or review my time is an incredible gift all in and of itself. But there must be a balance. There must be time given to ~ and taken for ~ remembering the magic that exists in the world around me, around us. Without it, we/I miss the awesomeness of the world. Then it becomes easier to slip into that space of anxiety or depression or simply 'the blahs'. And I don't want to be there.

What magic do you see around you? What takes your breath away? How do you wake yourself up to seeing it? Do you experience the magic regularly? Why or why not?

Five Herons in Two Days

With two days of rain in the area, the ground's wet ~ around here that means a near-reclaiming of the wetlands. On the patch of grass next to the on-ramp, there was a heron standing there watching traffic pass by. There were two herons in another low spot that often turns to swampland this time of year. Two herons stood in a field ~ also reclaimed wetland. There may have been another one or two that I saw as well; these stayed in my memory.

In the Animal Wisdom Tarot, the themes for Heron are Inner Vision, Trust, Timing, Balance and Resolution. The message of Heron is "Take time to feel deeply and choose wisely."

Most notable in the inner vision of the herons over the past two days is their absolute Presence. Each one stood solo, looking around, awake, aware. The sense of Presence and Balance and Rightness was tangible with each one. They reminded me of my own need to stand in balance and presence. Like the heron, I am called on to stand alone even when with others, to be aware of and awake to my own dance and my own path.

What animal has crossed your path recently? What message is that animal speaking to you? How do you manifest the power and gift of that animal?

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?