season
You Could Choose Peace Instead
It is the natural order for seasons to change. This is true on a macro scale in weather systems, and on a micro scale on our soul’s journey. Life is a constant ebb and flow, and it is useless to fight against the tides. Spirit often reminds us, when we are in a difficult season, that it is simply a part of the process of change and growth.
I read the Tarot, a divination system based on universal archetypes, which can be used to see the momentum of a person’s life. The Tarot consists of many archetypes that are challenging and even represent the darker aspects of the human experience. However, these experiences are not ‘bad’ or ‘wrong.’
Too often people will get a challenging message from the Tarot and they will immediately freak out. However, all of life is meant to be embraced and we all have the ability to transcend even the most challenging of obstacles.
There are two primary factors that decrease the severity of the challenges we face in life. The first is acceptance and the second is responsibility.
Becoming ‘stressed out’ over our circumstances cannot resolve the challenges we are facing. We must accept where we are and understand that we cannot change the past. We have no power over the things that led us to this moment, or to these challenges. The only thing we can do is accept the circumstances and understand that we are the only ones that have the power to make changes in our life.
Memorialize Loved Ones With A Remembrance Table
I have a remembrance table in my home where I display framed pictures of my grandparents, as well as some of the possessions they passed on to me. My eclectic collection also includes a few candles, angel figurines, some essential oils, Grandma’s favorite perfume, grandpa’s favorite cologne, as well as two trees on either side of the table, which I always decorate for the holidays.
My grandparents really enjoyed the holidays. They especially celebrated Halloween and Christmas, their two favorite holidays of the year. The other holidays were also a great time to be at their house, but Halloween and Christmas were always the best!
I believe having a remembrance table, or ancestor altar, really helps to connect us with our loved ones, after they’ve crossed over. I personally don’t worship my ancestors, but I do honor them. You don’t just have to make a remembrance table at a loved one’s funeral, or at weddings or family gatherings. You can make it a permanent part of your home decor, and have it there all year long.
I love the idea of the remembrance table because a funeral should not be the only time you celebrate the life of a deceased loved one. It’s a great way to honor them and the wonderful memories you have to create with them when they were alive.
I’ve put special photographs from different times in their life that were especially joyous and memorable. Family was everything to them, so many of the pictures also include other relatives, such as uncles and their other grandchildren.
Embrace The Many Blessings Of Autumn
As we approach autumn and transition through yet another season of beauty and wonder, let us reflect on our place within this most magnificent Universe. This beautiful time of the year is sometimes overlooked for its lack of summer and winter adventure. As it is neither hot nor cold, autumn brings us balance and provides us with the perfect climate for ‘cooling off.’
Metaphysically, this a period for each of us to step back and become more introspective, acknowledging the blessings that have been placed at our feet. This is also a time to peel away the old, to make room for the new. It is a time of self-renewal at a deeper level, that will guide us through the winter of our lives and ultimately into the newness of spring.
Science teaches that the cycles of the seasons occur as a result of our planet tilting on its axis, as well as its orbit around the sun. As the axis faces the Sun, our respective hemisphere celebrates the warmth of summer, while the hemisphere tilting in the opposite direction, away from the Sun, welcomes winter. This seasonal change, in turn, makes our days shorter and our temperatures cooler.
We can further observe other changes within the natural world around us, as vegetation slows down, trees lose their leaves, and animals scurry to prepare their nests and dens for winter’s dearth. But autumn is also a season of vast abundance, with the harvesting of a plethora of crops, especially here in North America, where much of the world’s staples ripen and fall at our feet.
September 2019 Weekly Astro Forecasts
September 2 – 8
Although there are no obvious celestial events in the heavens this week, many of the planets will be interacting with each other, making it essential that we stay alert and practice a lot of patience and flexibility.
Monday’s Libra Moon will do its best to keep things in balance, even when life throws us a couple of curve balls. However, Tuesday and Wednesday we will be under the influence of a Scorpio Moon, so it will be important to look beyond the obvious and take all we hear with a grain of salt. Scorpio can evoke unwarranted fears, so if something looks scary or uncertain, your best bet is not to react, but to ride it out until the facts rise to the surface.
Things lighten up under Thursday and Friday’s Sagittarius Moon, and the answers to our questions or concerns will finally appear, assuring us that all is right in our world. Because the week is fraught with ups and downs, we’ll welcome the Capricorn Moon with open arms this weekend, where we can regroup, get grounded and actually be productive!
September 9 – 15
Let’s get ready to rumble! Things are fairly grounded under Monday’s Capricorn Moon (our most productive day of the week), but once the Moon moves into Aquarius on Tuesday, it’s anyone’s guess what will happen next.
The main event this week is the Pisces Full Moon, and we’ll need to watch for illusion and ethereal messages, as Pisces loves to blur the line between reality and the supernatural. By the way, this is a great time for ghost hunting and paranormal investigation.
The very next day, on Saturday, Mercury and Venus will hold hands as they both saunter into Libra, another aspect where our thinking can be clouded by ideals and romance. So, with all the smoke and mirrors that will come our way this week, it’s best to refrain from making any hard and fast decisions, or assuming anything until clarity returns next week. In the meantime, enjoy the show.
Nurture And Nourish Yourself With Nature
In our busy world we tend to take nature for granted. Consider for just a moment all the things flowers, plants and trees really do for humanity. They sustain life all around the world. Plants produce food and oxygen for many of the largest animals around the world, as well as for humans. Plants are also used for healing.
Unfortunately, modern humanity demands that things grow faster and produce better crops, leading us to alter plants in such a way that they might no longer be as healthy as they once were.
Just by watching the trees, one can predict the weather. We sometimes have an abundance of acorns from the oak trees here in Maine. It is said to be a sign of a snowy winter. Most acorns mature in late summer and begin falling from the trees in September or October. It’s a great time for the squirrels to collect them, and become fat and round before the winter.
In Maine the winter tends to be very long and it’s easy to become a somewhat down and sad. So, my friend and I decided earlier this year to take a ride on such a gray day to the local greenhouse that is open all winter. Plants, flowers, trees and beautiful landscapes can change one’s state of mind and put a smile on your face!
Sagittarius Shakes Things Up
A few days ago, on December 7th, we had a New Moon in Sagittarius, which has been both invigorating and challenging. It has brought forth a collective desire to break free from the past, which is now stirring up some conflicts or controversies with people, politics and business relationships.
Sagittarius can shake things up to open our eyes and put us on the right track. It’s never pleasant, but the intention is actually to purify and transform our lives.
Emotions have been running high this entire year, so anything that has been suppressed may now rise to the surface and force us to face some harsh truths personally, and with others. Mercury was also retrograde until a few days ago, which offer a perfect opportunity revisiting any problem and carefully finding the best solution.
Energy levels are also low, so take your time and try not to get stuck inside the storm. Avoid being impulsive at this time, because you might regret it later. Also, think about what isn’t contributing to your growth and how you can eliminate anything or anyone who doesn’t make you feel loved or valued. Continue reading
Time To Shake Out Your Rugs!
Every year when spring arrived, my mother used to say, “It’s time to shake out the rugs and get all the dust out that settled over the winter.” I never really understood what she was referring to. At the time I took it to be literal. It simply meant the rugs are dirty, so let’s shake them out and hang them on a clothesline in the fresh air. We would beat them with a rug beater, to make sure all the dust would come out. The rugs would then go back in the house, smelling fresh and looking like new.
Now that I have matured, I realize what she was referring to on a wisdom level. These days when the spring season arrives, I look at my life and say, “What do I need to get the dust out of?” And I don’t rush through this process, I truly look at the depth of what is slowing me down, from the goals I have set, or from manifesting my best reality. This year it is no different.
These past few days I have been focusing on my business life. I work out of a home office, which has been decorated with things that relate to my spirituality, including vision boards, special metaphysical items, books, cards, crystals and some office supplies, which has become an extremely cluttered mess.
My personal energy has also been cluttered lately, and I realized this while I was walking around the piles of papers on the floor. I also noticed the multitude of cards and books which no longer resonate with me, but were still sitting dormant on over-packed shelves. All this clutter was pulling the good energy out of me every time I come in here to work. Continue reading