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Tiger By The Tail
September 1, 2016
— 2 Comments
Dangerous
I was born in the year of the tiger. I did not discover this until I was middle aged. I only knew what I had read on the Chinese restaurant place mats. The problem with those place mats is the use of western years to measure Chinese years. Chinese new year falls any time between January and February, so it does not coincide with our calendar. I thought I was a rabbit based on this misinformation. I never really felt like a rabbit, so when I discovered the error I was somewhat relieved. If your birthday falls in December, January, or February you might want to check your animal sign for accuracy.
The reason it is pertinent is that a very large number of people on earth use this system to make decisions. You might not personally put any stock into Feng Shui or Daoist anything, but since such a large part of the world’s population does, I find it interesting. Big bucks are invested in Feng Shui for commercial buildings in Hong Kong, one of our big financial centers. There is a grand tradition and belief in this system. I don’t really make decisions with it, but do like to study the details. I feel the same way about western astrology. It is more than superstition because it has a long history and a following. I like learning about the way the ancients thought. They thought a lot about the stars, the moon and the sun. Farmers’ Almanac confirms that there is still some thought devoted to the positions of the astral bodies. I take note of special events in the sky, like today’s eclipse, as a matter of curiosity.
Curiosity may have killed some cats, but I feel I still have a few lives left to devote to everything that sets off my curious streak. In western astrology I am an Aquarius, a sign known for being aloof. Tigers are naturally aloof except when we need to kill and eat. Both of these signs are known as free (perhaps rebellious) spirits. Both are territorial and will defend the group that surrounds them. Both can act very swiftly without warning in order to protect the homeland. Both are perfectly happy being solitary, and don’t really care what others think. Both appear calm and reserved while being perfectly capable of pouncing on dishonorable players. Neither is motivated by power or money. Bravery and unpredictability is our stock in trade.
I am a metal tiger, highly conductive and sharp. I am a walking razor. Don’t you watch my size. I am dangerous!!!!!!!!! Don’t pull my tail.
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
Pandora, What is in That Box?
August 11, 2016
— 1 Comment
Pandora and box
The myth of Pandora is a Greek creation story. Zeus ordered Hephaestus (blacksmith of the gods) to make the first woman. He did this using water and earth. Her name means all gifted because various gods gifted her with talents. She was married to Epimethius as a major prank. She was designed to punish disobedient humans. She was irresistible. She arrived with a box which was not to be opened. We know the part of the story in which she does open the box and evil and suffering escapes. In fact, evil runs rampant on earth as a result of Pandora’s weakness of curiosity. She has something in common with Eve, the first woman who just had to try the forbidden fruit in the garden.
When Pandora sees that she has released illness and evil on the earth she attempts to close the box quickly. In the original story she came with a jar (pithos). Later translations from the Greek changed the jar to a box. Either way, she managed to close the container with hope trapped inside. I feel this myth is pertinent to our world situation today. The evil, the misery, the illness has been released into our atmosphere. It is swirling all around us everywhere. Hope is often obscured, as if it is enclosed in some secret vessel.
Pandora and box
Hildegard von Bingen, Mystic of the Rhine
August 9, 2016
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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
Beach, Biker Bar, Bar Mitzvah, a Magical Trifecta
August 3, 2016
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woodie
Yogananda’s surfers
Yogananda’s koi
I am pumped, gentle readers. I am embarking on a road trip to one of my favorite destinations on earth. I love Cardiff-by- the-Sea, California. This suburb of Encinitas has everything I want in a destination…..beautiful beach, a classic biker dive bar with great rock and roll ( right across the street from the beach), and many good friends who live in the area of North County San Diego.
The Kraken
At home in Tucson I rarely go out and night and have not been out dancing for ages. The music at the Kraken usually suits me to a T, and there is no need to choose a partner in order to dance. It is not that kind of bar. It is a bar for locals, bikers, and everyone who wants to preserve 1975 for eternity…..my kind of place. I have found an Airbnb accommodation that has everything I every hoped for in an accommodation. I can park ( this is a very big deal in this neighborhood) and walk 5 blocks to the beach and/or the Kraken and walk right back up the hill to go home. I will have a balcony with an ocean view ( pretty excited about that aspect).
The big event of the weekend is a Bar Mitzvah celebration for my good friend’s son, Ben Levy. After the service we will go to a trampoline park in Vista for the party. This will be the best Bar Mitzvah party I have attended…I know already. I am really into trampolines, and not that into your typical after Bar Mitzvah party. I have attended my share, but never been offered a chance to trampoline. Go Benny, what a great decision!!!!!!! I will be very happy to share your special trope and tramp day with you and the family. California, here I come!
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
Livin’ La Vida Alexa
July 14, 2016
— 4 Comments
Amazon Echo with back up band
I swore I would not buy an Echo from Amazon until I was in a wheelchair, or somehow disabled. I have never spoken to Siri, the voice inside my phone and iPods. She leaves me cold. Amazon’s voice robot is Alexa, but her priorities and capabilities are different from Siri’s. She is naturally equipped to shop Amazon by voice command, but she does so much more. The Echo arrived at my house yesterday after I was convinced by Prime Day sales to go ahead and buy one. I have now entered the world of magic voice command control of my audio life. Alexa knows all and can find any song in Amazon music in a split second. She is also pretty good as a DJ, selecting a radio station I liked off the bat. She speaks only when spoken to, and projects absolutely no drama. I now can’t imagine how I lived my life without her. I bought the full version that plugs in and uses the wifi at home. There are new portable units, but the stay at home model is right for my needs. I have just started to investigate what she does. I don’t think I will tell her to go shopping on Amazon. I will still do that in person. Right now she is playing all the Grateful Dead in Amazon music and later she will read me a book. She is talented and versatile. Most of all, she gives me no attitude. If she can’t answer a question she just makes a tiny electronic noise and shuts up. Try to find a human who will do that every time. She is polite to a T. I have no idea why I hesitated to bring her into the living room.
I have always been an early adopter of all things electronic. I resisted this new phase because I believed it was going to make me lame somehow. It is really super good for those who truly have mobility issues because Echo will handle lights, thermostat, etc, once you set up the reciprocal systems at home. Alexa will happily have all your needs delivered to your door if you can’t make it out for some reason. She is a real pal. She will create shopping lists for you even if you want to shop yourself, the old fashioned way. You can tell her that you want to make a certain kind of cake and she will create a list of everything you need. She is no slacker when it comes to data. I understand she can call Uber, so today my goal is to set that up because that will be a power move. “Alexa, call me an Uber” will be a very magical thing to say once I know how to do it.
Do you have an Echo, gentle reader? What is your favorite part of Alexa’s many charms?
Minimalism and Joy
July 11, 2016
— 5 Comments
life changing magic book
I have been listening to the popular book by Marie Kondo, the life changing magic of tidying up. She is an expert in this field who has a very specific way to approach all possessions in consideration of the happiness of the objects, as well as the joy of the owner. Her technique is being adopted all over the world, but she is from Japan, a country where living space is much smaller typically than housing in the US. She has been kind of obsessed with organizing and tidying since she was a very young child. Her overview of the practices as well as the pitfalls of common elimination and storage strategies is brilliant. Formulas, as she demonstrates, must be simplistic, or they backfire.
addicted to junk pick up
She has helped me see the light about my yo-yo decluttering habits. Exactly like yo- yo diets, the system that does not holistically evaluate the perfect items to keep as well as the way to permanently let go of objects will end in rebound to the status quo. In the exact same way people buy weight loss products rather than making a permanent life style change, some of us buy organizing and storage products rather than just trimming down the volume of what needs to be stored. She has my number. I am addicted to the concierge pick up service offered by Big Brothers Big Sisters organization. When they call I always gather a load for them to pick up in front of my garage. Since I began this practice I have significantly reduced my total volume of items that I own. It makes me feel accomplished every time. However, this temporary feeling of successful lightening of the load is always…I can admit now it is always….followed by more junk that creeps back up and fills my office desk, my closets, and sometimes my garage. I am too old to allow this to continue. This is just mastery over my space, so I am not sure what is so difficult.
I love systems, and think the end result must be heavenly. She promises that if you go through each and every item as instructed your breakthrough to minimalist living will be complete. I am sure she is right that dealing with your stuff is dealing with your past. If you only deal with part of it, you will never be finished. One of her points really hit home for me: You can deal with your stuff right now, later, or never. Right now is the only one that does anyone any good. The stuff contains that “emotional baggage” about which we hear so much. When you have properly dealt with the reasons you keep stuff, you have fully examined the past and put it to rest.
Do you struggle to stay tidy, gentle reader? Or are you a natural?
Mind the Gap #NoJustice
July 8, 2016
— 5 Comments
There are gaps of understanding between the citizens and the police. This has always been the case. Today we face an ever growing divide that makes everyone in the United States vulnerable to senseless violence and hate crimes of all kinds.
We have a new police chief in Tucson who has come to teach us neighborhood policing. When he held up a hashtag sign in his former town of Richmond, California, he was criticized widely across the nation for betraying cops. The Police Union in Tucson soundly rejected his bid to become chief over this sign. Thank goodness they lost the battle and Chief Magnus has started the very serious task of bringing our cops together in unity not only with each other but, for the first time, with the community. He has reorganized the department, focusing on more stable local assignments so the cops learn more about the same area all the time. He has eliminated some of the “specialties”, as recommended by the DOJ’s 21st Century Guidelines for Policing, in order to make each cop more full service and user friendly. He knew he was moving to a much bigger city, but I don’t think he could have imagined how much we needed him down here in Tucson. This will be a very big job for him, but I am glad he has started it.
Chris Magnus
Welcome to Tucson, Chief Chris,”357″,Magnus. You are just what the doctor ordered.
Happy 240th Birthday America! — Cherokee Billie Spiritual Advisor
July 2, 2016
— 3 Comments
“America, God shed his grace on thee and crown thy good with brotherhood…from sea to shining sea!” Happy 240th Birthday America! “The cost of freedom is always high, but Americans have always paid it. And one path we shall never choose, and that is the path of surrender, or submission.” President John F. Kennedy Freedom […]
via Happy 240th Birthday America! — Cherokee Billie Spiritual Advisor
Patriotic Poetry by the Man in Black, Johnny Cash
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