Lifestyle
Recycle Your Blessings This Winter Season
As we approach winter in the northern hemisphere, let us be inspired by the seasonal change. Look around and observe nature as it prepares itself for a period of dormancy that leads to renewal and rebirth in the spring.
Change is the catalyst for growth in our lives. Some choose to think of winter as an unpleasant, ‘lifeless’ time, but in truth it is a golden opportunity to connect with the deeper realms of our mind and soul.
Embrace the profound stillness that this season offers and use the longer nights as opportunity for conscious self-reflection. Sit with this stillness and claim your majestic place on the sacred throne that was created solely for you.
Take back your personal power from the turbulence of the outer world and allow the chatter to grow quiet. Trust that in the midst of your most pressing thoughts and that which nags your soul, there is the Divine right path to oneness, healing, balance, peace, reconciliation, spiritual recognition, and soul empowerment.
Along with the obvious holiday cheer, this is one of the many gifts of the winter season; connecting to the eternal flame of the universe that shines on each of us.
As I ponder the personal changes I wish to embark on, I am reminded that nothing new can happen without letting go of the old. Many years ago, a dear friend implemented an annual winter ritual of clearing her closet of personal items she no longer desired. This is always performed just before the New Year.
I recall asking whether she was maybe acting too hastily in letting go of some of her prized possessions, as some of the discarded items were relatively new. She responded that she was creating space for new gifts to enter her life, while passing the old on to others who might be blessed by receiving it. My friend essentially spoke of recycling her blessings, a concept that was new to me at the time. And in doing so, she created a special karma for herself that opened the path for new delights to enter her life.
Astrology Forecast November 22 – 28, 2021
This week we are officially celebrating Thanksgiving in the USA, but a sense of gratitude and appreciation are also likely to be felt globally all week long as the Sun moves deeper into Sagittarius.
Suitably, a Cancer Moon today and tomorrow, makes our main focus home, family and tradition as we prepare for the upcoming holiday on Thursday. Preparing for the first official holiday of the season will likely be more gratifying and joyful than the event itself, so feel free to dive right into creating the perfect backdrop to Thanksgiving gatherings.
Mercury will move into Sagittarius on Wednesday, just in time for the festivities. Communication, self-expression, reconnecting with loved ones from afar and general sharing of past memories will be a theme from now through the end of the year.
Wednesday’s Leo Moon square Uranus in Taurus can cause some of us to be unpredictable, restless and fickle, which can lead to unnecessary disruption in our personal life and romantic relationships. To make matters worse, the Leo Moon opposite Saturn in Aquarius can cause us to be dissatisfied with life in general, melancholic or even depressed. We could easily feel lonely and abandoned.
The Leo Moon will also have some people shopping the sales this week, while others choose to focus on self-care and regrouping after a hectic week. That’s a good idea too, because the weekend unfolds under a Virgo Moon, where we’ll be busy making plans for the holiday season ahead. Lists and more lists will be the order of the day, but in between all that planning, be sure to stop here and there to smell the roses and give thanks for the blessings in your life.
Balancing Sun And Moon Energies
The Sun and Moon have very different metaphysical energies and we are strongly affected by both. For example, a circumstance or event that might make you sad during the day, may completely wipe you out emotionally at night. This is because our hormones shift at night.
I worked for many years teaching prenatal Yoga and helping expectant moms. Their emotions typically ran very high at night. Their concerns about labor was latent in their thoughts during the day, but at night they would sometimes become terrified. Most women also go into labor at night and give birth during the day.
Things become surreal at night. I believe our hormones, the Moon’s energy, and a lessened ability to see in the darkness all greatly affect us.
At night, the right side of the brain is dominant. This is our spiritual, intuitive, subconscious, feminine side. During the day, the left hemisphere of the brain is dominant. This is our practical, thinking, productive physical, masculine side.
The left side of the body is controlled by the right hemisphere of the brain and is Sun-based, while the right side of the body is controlled by the left hemisphere and is Moon based. The Moon exudes feminine energy. The feminine rules the right side of the brain, which is the maternal, emotional, creative, dreamy side. The Sun rules the left side of the brain, which is the paternal side which rules logic, production, protection, and work.
When you are having difficulty sleeping it is usually because the left hemisphere of the brain has kicked in when it should be inactive. This is when you start thinking about all the things you need to do the next day, or the stressful challenges you faced the day prior.
Astrology Forecast November 15 – 21, 2021
This week should unfold in a pretty steady manner until Friday when we discover that change is in the air! A Taurus Full Moon and Lunar Eclipse on Friday will be the first of two major astrological events to mark this change that will create a major shift in focus and direction for the next six months. Eclipses come in twos, about two weeks apart, approximately every six months.
The Taurus Full Moon this week, also called the ‘Beaver Moon,’ speaks to the idea of a physical change. As an earth sign, its purpose is to direct our attention to the tangible things in our lives; money, health, and security. New awareness and change will be a theme until the next eclipse on December 4th, particularly in these areas.
But tread carefully under the Taurus Moon as it does have a tendency to make us irritable, short-tempered, restless and moody. It is known to create a climate for disputes and family drama. Focus on keeping your cool and staying centered and grounded, especially towards the end of this week.
Then on Sunday, the Sun will move into the sign of Sagittarius, setting us on a four-week course in search of balance, fairness, and resolution. The combination of these two events in one week should generate more determination as well as faith in our movements well into the new year.
Note that both of these events occur under a Gemini Moon, so you’ll notice a lot of buzz in the air as people become more vocal about the changes they are preparing to make, as well as how they plan to go about it. The Moon in Gemini also stimulates our appetite for adventure and novel experiences and it is a good time for communication and learning.
Transitioning With Grace
Autumn always awakens my awareness of transitions. Not only does the entire scenery change color, but each individual leaf on every tree is in a constant shift of shades of greens, golds, yellows, oranges, and reds. With every shifting shade and combination of them, the pattern of the palette continuously alters too.
Then, of course, there is the falling of the leaves – the gradual transition from tree to ground, from full foliage to bareness in various new measures day by day. The rise and set of the sun, and the length of the night and light incrementally inch through their own thresholds as well.
Like the changing season, life is full of transitions. From the moment the soul enters the womb, an endless sequence of them begins. The body develops in a rapid succession of changes, then carries the soul from womb to world.
In the world, the embodied soul then undergoes transition through various ages and stages, growing from infant to toddler to child to adolescent to adult, until gradually winding down to leave the body behind and proceed to the next one or world.
In between, you and I – the embodied souls – may face a multitude of additional transitions in relationships, careers, residences, levels of consciousness, and more. Such transitions – even the best of them – are not easy. They naturally incorporate intervals of instability in the liminal spaces between here and there. Transitions entail shedding, releasing, letting go of the old that was, and then birthing and rebirthing the next and new phase that will be. They empty us out and fill us up, again and again. Transitions are not easy; they may even make us feel queasy!
So, how can we move through the endless array of life’s transitions gracefully? As with all things, there are probably as many ways as there is individuality among people. What I share are simply some of the ones I have found especially helpful.
Astrology Forecast November 8 – 14, 2021
With most planets in direct motion now, with the exception of Uranus and Neptune, there’s nothing standing in the way of us reaching for our goals and getting things done before the year’s end! We’ll be able to power through anything still waiting for our attention under today and tomorrow’s Capricorn Moon, as well as setting the wheels in motion for new goals.
The Capricorn Moon sextile with Mars in Scorpio will support us this morning with resourcefulness and increased willpower and courage to take a action and start the week on a high note.
This afternoon’s Capricorn Moon trine Uranus in Taurus will sharpen our determination and attention to detail, and boost our ability to be persuasive and inventive. It may be a productive afternoon for sales people and dealmakers!
Expect a change of heart, mind, or direction as the Moon dances through Aquarius on Wednesday and Thursday. No worries though, as the changes are just what we need to finalize and secure our dreams for the future.
A more spiritual tone overtakes us on Friday and Saturday, so let’s give ourselves permission to step back for a few days and let things settle in our minds and hearts. Regrouping is always important to be sure we’re operating at our best, so take advantage of this lull in the action to do just that.
Sunday’s Aries Moon will revive our energy, but the focus should be on home, family, and finances. Schedule in time to take care of the things that have been left on the back burner and restore some order to your personal world.
Bittersweet Is The Fall
Bittersweet is the fall in Maine. Literally. We have a vine here known as the ‘asiatic bittersweet’ (celastrus orbiculatus) that produces attractive red berries. They are yellow at first, but as they mature the outer shell cracks open to expose a magnificent crimson berry with a yellow coat.
Crafters here in New England traditionally use this vine to make holiday wreaths and decorate their homes. It also adorns the roads of Maine with the combination of fall leaves and green of pine trees.
But the bittersweet vine does its name justice in both sweet beauty and bitterness, life and death, because it is not only adored for its versatility as autumn décor this time of year, but it is also widespread, severely invasive and destructive. It suffocatingly twines high up around trees and sprawls over lower plants and vegetation.
It is not a native plant to the region and was originally brought here as an ornamental plant. As the vine begins to spread and grow to the top of trees it becomes the vine of death for the tree as it covers it completely. A bitter vine.
The fall is indeed a bittersweet time of the year. The natural cycle of life and death. The bittersweet time of year is the time to harvest food for the long winter ahead. Get our homes ready for the snow, darkness, and ice of winter.
In Maine the old timers say ‘button up the house’ for winter. The sweet part is people are thinking of the holidays ahead and gatherings with family and friends. There are traditional recipes. Who will make the best pie? Everyone has a favorite. Whose gravy is the most delicious? It’s a time of gratitude for everything that is good in life.