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Pygmalion Revisited
September 16, 2016
— 1 Comment
I subscribe to Hulu for a month at a time, then put the subscription on hold for the maximum time, 90 days. This means it is only in the home 4 months out of the year, which is perfect for us. I binge down on different new shows, and by the end of the month I have seen everything I care to watch. This month I have watched a lot of very well produced series. I have focused on comedy, seeing at least 10 stand up comedy specials. I also found many comedy tv series that make me very happy. My favorite, now that the month is coming to a close, is Selfie. This modern day version of Pygmalion is hysterically updated to show characters typical to our times. This social satire hits all the notes.
Eliza Dooley, the same archetype represented in My Fair Lady by Julie Andrews as Eliza Doolittle, has a modern twist as a self obsessed social media star. The romantic comedy takes a satirical look at workaholics, socialnetworkaholics , and corporate hierarchy. It is set in a children’s pharmaceutical company where Henry Higgins, the British snob, is thinly disguised as Henry Higgins, branding expert. The plot and characters are instantly recognizable, but the story unfolds in ways I could never have imagined. All the parts are extremely well played, but the writers and producers get major credit. This script makes me laugh for every reason, from physical comedy schtick to sophisticated satirical commentary woven into the whole story. Some of the smaller parts are the very best because they have such extreme personalities and dialogue. I will not give away more than that. Just watch it if you can.
The story of Pygmalion comes for the mythology of Greece. It is based on a god who fell in love with one of his own sculptures. In 1748 the story was presented at the prestigious Paris Opera House. This production, written by Jean-Philippe Rameau, was staged as a one act piece. Since that time this story has been told and retold, including the popular musical version with Rex Harrison playing the stuffy and rude Henry. The story has the same punch line every time.
Greek god Pygmalion
Sun,Mars, Chiron and Pisces Lunar Eclipse
September 14, 2016
— 1 Comment
“We could be heroes” today as Sun squares MARS and opposes Chiron in PISCES. this aspect is perfecting this week.
How Many Art Supplies Does One Woman Need?
August 25, 2016
— 7 Comments
As I go through my possessions in order to eliminate the items no longer useful to my life, I have discovered the “art supply” hoarder in me. I knew that I was a jacket and costume freak, and own way too many pieces of dress up clothing. I have discovered that I am equally attached to a whole bunch of stuff I can’t bring myself to eliminate. The largest category, other than books, is art supplies. In each and every room and cranny of my home I find items I have stashed because I believe I will someday make art with them. Some of this stuff has been here for a decade without being moved. The list is ridiculous and much longer than I imagined.
I own:
- all manner of crayon, watercolor, pencil, pen, chalk, etc.
- enough fancy journals of special paper to choke a horse
- pads of every kind of paper, graph, watercolor, drawing, and handmade
- enough fabric and sewing gear to open my own fashion house
- specialty buttons I purchased in exotic places around the world
- vintage and modern sewing patterns
- two sewing machines (you know, in case one breaks down)
- two iPads
- two iPods
- three laptops
- two kindles
- one working 35 mm camera, and a bunch of dead ones
- tons of unfinished art projects
That is not even taking into consideration all the crazy fancy exotic groceries I collect because I believe I am a culinary artist all the time. I own some spices and tea I hauled home from Europe years ago…this is not something to hoard..it is intended to be consumed. My big issue is just to go ahead and use it. It must be done.
I can tell this as gotten completely out of hand and I must take some action. I need to discard some stuff, but more to the point, I need to use it. I have found a class that is offered at the Tucson JCC, where I enjoy my Silver Sneakers membership, in drawing and painting. It is held twice a week on a drop in basis. One buys a punch card and uses it at one’s own pace. The best part of this class is that you bring your own supplies. Hallelujah!!! I will take supplies for my own work, and perhaps be able to share (read unload) some of my excess with my fellow art students. I think this will help me come to terms with my artist archetype. Am I an artist or a hoarder with artistic illusions? We soon shall see, gentle readers. Do you have attachments to things you keep for making art?
Sun in Virgo, Time to Organize
August 22, 2016
— 12 Comments
Virgo constellation
The sun has just moved into Virgo for the transitional month between summer and fall. In just a month’s time it will be equinox. This month is perfect for cleaning and clearing space, time, and clutter of any kind. Virgo month is also the ideal time to upgrade daily health and fitness regimes. I have returned to a study that requires intense reading, meditation, and writing. I had fallen out of the discipline needed to finish the course, but now I am enjoying the material and looking forward to doing my homework. Virgo is all about discipline, order, and maybe a little bit of fussiness over details. This is the right time to take up journaling and daily meditation in order to ground body and mind. This is the month to put everything neatly in order, and keep it that way.
I believe that habits require 40 days to become a part of life. After the equinox I need to be vigilant and orderly with my newly established practices in order to secure them. Before the equinox I plan to do a major purge and tidy program in my home and garden. By cleaning and clearing space I will also clear some time for myself. Less stuff requires less maintenance. I am convinced that I will be happier owning far fewer books, pieces of clothing, papers, and personal mementos. I am going to listen to the joy of tidy book again because I still have a month of audible for free, and I think I need to hear it all one more time. I know the author is right about junk representing unresolved issues form the past. Physical space has a direct impact on physical as well as mental health. Clearing closets has the effect of clearing cobwebs from the mind.
To honor the virgin of the harvest in my own way I will use her energy to:
- clear and organize my home
- clear and organize my barn full of stuff
- keep a daily journal
- do daily homework
- keep regular gym and fitness schedule
- record data on the fitbit dashboard
This will be an excellent jump start to the fall season. Establishing healthy habits and clean clear space is a gift that will go on giving through the end of the year.
Full Moon in Aquarius 18 Aug, 2016
August 18, 2016
— 1 Comment
State of the Moon is a semi-regular, bimonthly check in with the universe. This is my first post that focuses on the moon, on astrology, on how what’s happening in the heavens impacts us on earth. I am still learning about astrology, but I process information through writing. I will also include links to blog […]
via State of the Moon: Full Moon in Aquarius — Northern Lights Witch
Being Authentic
August 16, 2016
— 8 Comments
I am hearing the same message from all the books and posts I read these days. In a world that conforms all too easily it is essential to be particularly true to one’s self. My teacher Chris Brogan just hit me this morning with some excellent thoughts on what is lost when one fits in with the crowd these days. Popularity and authenticity are not the same thing, and sometimes are completely opposed to each other. Our politics reflect a chaos and lack of discipline that runs through society. Mob mentality seems to be taking over our thinking in America.
I wonder if we can step back and take individual action to change the crazy status quo in our country. I wonder if we can stand up for law and order and for justice at the same time. We have reached a tipping point that demands we be awake and aware of the reality we are creating. What do you think, gentle reader? Obviously vote. What else can we do?
Hildegard von Bingen, Mystic of the Rhine
August 9, 2016
— 4 Comments
art by Hildegard von Bingen
Hildegard von Bingen
Hildegard von Bingen
“Even in a world that’s being shipwrecked, remain brave and strong.”
Hildegard von Bingen, mystic, visionary, polymath
Hildegard was born in 1098 in Bermersheim vor der Höhe, County Palatine of the Rhine, Holy Roman Empire. She died on17 September 1179 (aged 81) at Bingen am Rhein, County Palatine of the Rhine, Holy Roman Empire. She is venerated in Roman Catholic Church (Order of St. Benedict), Anglican Communion, and Lutheranism. She was canonized 10 May 2012 (equivalent canonization), Vatican City by Pope Benedict XVI. Her major shrine is Eibingen Abbey in Germany. Her parents gave her as an oblate to a Benedictine order when she was a child. She had visions before being enclosed in in order on All Saint’s Day, 1112.
She learned to read and write, wrote three books of visionary theology, and preached throughout the Rhineland during her lifetime. She was exceptional for her time, and her work still shines as poetry inspired by divine mysticism. She wrote music, created a written language, and was the author of what might have been the first morality play. Her place in history remains because of her prolific recorded work. She left us 70 poems and 9 books. She wrote music and was an accomplished artist. She recorded medical and pharmaceutical texts that are consulted and studied today. I know of pharmacies in Europe that offer her original formulas today. She wrote letters to popes, bishops and nuns that survive. We are lucky she learned to write, a rare privilege for a woman at that time. Her profound teachings apply to us now more than ever. The world needs mystics and visionaries to lift us out of this material rut in which we find ourselves. We all need to learn to be feathers on the breath of God. We are too dependent on the earth, and have forgotten to look up to the heavens for eternal blessings. What did she say about this?
“Listen: there was once a king sitting on his throne. Around Him stood great and wonderfully beautiful columns ornamented with ivory, bearing the banners of the king with great honor. Then it pleased the king to raise a small feather from the ground, and he commanded it to fly. The feather flew, not because of anything in itself but because the air bore it along. Thus am I, a feather on the breath of God.”
Hildegard von Bingen
baby Hildegard von Bingen
What is a Paddleout?
August 6, 2016
— 2 Comments
Surf culture is unique and specific to the location. Surfers know each other by hanging out on the same breaks. Today I saw a circle of boards out beyond the break. My friend told me this was a paddleout, a surfer funeral. As we walked down the beach we saw many others people in attendance for the service. There was health food catering, Hawaiian music, flowers, leis, and a special place of honor for the deceased guy’s grandmother. I had never seen anything like this. The people gathered with a reverence for nature as well as for their dead friend. The ceremony involved gathering on the boards, perhaps setting a lei or some flowers out to sea. They may have dropped his ashes. Then the surfers spread out to catch waves in to the shore to join those on the beach. It was beautiful. This was a fitting tribute by his surfer friends, and a perfect way to honor his life.
Surfers are focused. They just don’t mind the hassles or the schlepping it takes to catch a wave. Some devote their lifestyle completely to the sport. Most need to make some money on the side so they can afford to surf the rest of the time. There is a strong sense of community that keeps them all afloat. I feel lucky to have witnessed this sweet and meaningful goodbye. It contrasts sharply with the typical funeral home event. I am considering learning to surf just so I can have one of these when I go. This sublime symbolic gesture says more to me than any religious ceremony could offer.
Cardiff Beach
surfer memorial
tribute
New Moon in Leo August 2, 2016
July 31, 2016
— 2 Comments
The best feature about New Moons is the feeling of starting anew, a fresh start, a new beginning. Although the New Moon data is not as popular as the Full Moon, the dates are sought out by many people who know just how meaningful the New Moon event can be. The August 2 New Moon […]
via New Moon August 02, 2016, Filled With Abundance — Cherokee Billie Spiritual Advisor
Two Tigers and a Dog Psychic Protection Agency
July 25, 2016
— 4 Comments
Judge Celina
suiting out
Judge Ardell
Judge Donna
A few years ago I went to California to take a workshop from a group called Tribal Truth. I was invited to go by a good friend who flaked out after I had paid for it. I decided to go because it was taking place at a hot spring I like in SoCal, so I figured I would have fun at the hot spring at least. We were assigned roommates to share dorm style accommodations. The lady assigned to me was a working Jungian therapist who told me right off the bat she had always been a “good girl”. She was relatively sophisticated…I mean, she did actually have a practice in Jungian therapy…but her “good girl” had been blinded by the light. I think her dad had been a preacher. She and I discussed the events of the first night and had different opinions about them. I thought the whole thing was bogus because the meditation they used was plagiarized from Carolyn Myss without crediting her, and they seemed generally lame.
I don’t remember how I found Celina and Donna, my rebel with a cause soul sisters, but we met and conferred about the nature of this Tribal Truth business. We had all paid a lot, and they had driven down from the fabulous east bay to make the most of the weekend. Donna had a lot of experience in the physic realm, along with some bad experiences with a “psychic” cult. She was instantly against the ethics in the room because she was sensitive to the use of so-called truth to control, rob and manipulate others. I didn’t like it because of the plagiarism and this idea that these leaders were somehow gifted, holy, and tribal. Celina is an osteopathic manual practitioner who is highly attuned to dishonesty too. On the first night in the conference room we were given our assignment for the weekend. We were to make up an imaginary business and pitch it to the crowd, like a start-up generator run by plagiarizing glitter fairies. Donna was born in the year of the dog. Both Celina and I were born in the year of the tiger. We decided our business would be the simplest of business plans. Our company, Two Tigers and a Dog Psychic Protection Agency would just sell stickers to put up on any home or business. The stickers would say “This building protected by Two Tigers and a Dog Psychic Protection Agency.” That’s it. We laughed uproariously.
When we told the group we were dropping out because we were all finished with our assignment they went crazy. They tried to shame us into “not breaking the sacred circle”. They made us stay to do something stupid with this circle concept, so I stood up and said something like “sacred, my ass”…and the three of us left to spend our day at the hot spring having fun. Two Tigers and a Dog had so much more fun than those who struggled to identify themselves with these bogus sprit guides. The Jungian therapist moved out of my room because I was a heretic to the tribal situation. This was the best because my room then had 3 beds for…two tigers and a dog to have slumber parties. We partied on, then parted.
We got together years later in the Mission District of SFO with my friend Ardell, a long time friend and personal healer. The federal government had been closed by the Zodiac Killer (Ted Cruz), but we were invited to visit the 9th circuit court of appeals building, probably the most elegant building in the city. We felt so lucky to see the building and meet justices. Then we all got to wear my friend Peter’s robe for a photo shoot. If I knew how to photoshop I would make that sticker for the protection agency, with us all dressed in Peter’s robe. Ardell is a snake, but that can be scary too. Two Tigers, a Dog, and a Snake Psychic Protection Agency is a thing. If you see these women on a sticker….just leave that property alone..don’t take a chance. We are watching you. You never know where we might be.
in chambers
Pamela the Persuasive
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