Teach Me Tuesdays: Healing With Crystal Grid Work

Metatron’s Cube Crystal Grid – A Lesson in Healing

My inner perfectionist has begun the critique of “why did you put the Citrine where you did?” Please be quiet in there and stop making me feel like my photo is weird. Moving on because I clearly still have a nag in my head who nitpicks random details which is probably all my Virgo 11th House placements and just me needing to not be this way with myself.

Ideally my mom and I bought a lot of these trinkets in the hopes that some day I would be making videos or podcasts. I have to get past what I am calling stage fright and camera shyness. I wanted to really inch in with just podcasts first. But at some point I have this sinking feeling I am going to have to dive in the deep end and attempt to swim. It stems from the fact of being picked on when I was younger and the fact that other times when I public speak I get so nervous I blurt it all out too fast and it sounds like incoherent babble. I did that with my aesthetics spa business in front of my city Chamber of Commerce years ago prior to our ribbon cutting.

Before I begin I am going to place here the Reiki principals simply due to the fact that I am listening to some guidance I received yesterday on protecting myself from other’s negativity.

Just for today:

• I will let go of anger as this emotion hurts others and myself.
• I will let go of worry and unnecessary fear as it creates blockages to my ability to trust and be one with the Universe.
• I will give thanks for my many blessings!
• I will work hard as a lazy mindset is bad for me and people grow through work and learning everyday.
• I will be kind to my neighbor and every living thing. Healthy societies are only established when we cooperate and realize there is NO distinctions between self and other rather only the existence of the same soul. To be kind to others is synonymous with being kind to self which many seem to forget when interacting one with another.

Let’s begin with some brief info on crystal grids and Metatron’s Cube. I should preface this with the comment that I am not religious. Rather I am not dogmatic per say. I study spiritual beliefs and prefer to see them all as teaching about consciousness and esoteric concepts as a disclaimer before anyone makes assumptions or forgets there is another meaning for the word assume that I will not place here on my blog. Particularly since these topics tend to trigger some unusual responses in humanity that stem largely from each person’s level of emotional intelligence, improper understandings/teachings we all were given, or past traumas.

Metatron’s Cube: Metatron’s cube is in fact a geometric shape. The name Metatron refers to an angel and archangel in certain branches of Christian mythology and Judaism. There was a Jewish tradition which mentioned a medieval Jewish text as well as several occult post scriptural esoteric resources with the archangel Metatron. In these traditions it is said that Metatron serves as the celestial scribe and he is also the highest of the angels. Some say that his name was also Thoth the Scribe in Egyptian mythology.

Sacred geometric forms are in everything. The cube of Metatron is in the flower of life and is born from it to represent full inner balance. Simply explained it is a 2D geometric figure created from 13 circles which are similar one to another. The lines are to be drawn to pass through each of the circles at the center. A principal circle stands at the center with straight lines to the other 12 circles passing through its center. Six of the 13 circles are arranged in a hexagonal form around the central circle. The remaining six extend out along the same radial lines. In its complex sacred geometry structure Metatron’s cube contains the sacred shapes known as the five platonic solids (Star Tetrahedron, Hexahedron, Octahedron, Dodecahedron, and Icosahedron). Metatron forms the pattern from his soul according to early Kabbalist scriptures.

Crystal Grids: Crystals aligned in specific patterns create a healing vortex which may be used for attunements, meditation, distance healing, prayer, setting intentions, affirmations, re-charging a space, or communicating with one’s Higher Self.

It is important to charge the crystals and cleanse them between sessions. This can be done with sea salt, sun, moon, and water, however, everyone should determine what will best work for them. To use dry sea salt you would simply bury the crystal for 24 hrs in a container of sea salt. Never use salt water as this damages crystals. The sea salt should always be dry! You can hold your crystal under running water for 5 minutes and then place it in sun or moon light to dry. Never leave crystals in the sun light for too long or they will be damaged and fade.

Advice from me would be to accompany this with breath work and soothing music to aid in calming the mind/body in preparation for mindfulness, healing, and concentration.

Today’s crystal grid is arranged to assist with the following energies having looked at an astrology chart today and choosing to focus on asteroid Goddess energies. As always any underlined text hyperlink will provide you with some essential information to help in your study lesson today and to keep my blog post from becoming too long winded.

Vesta in your birth chart looks like a tiny fire symbol to represent the sacred flame. Vesta is about the heat which can arise in all female environments where there is competition for male approval/attention. Her asteroid requires special handling unless we want to be sent back into the Middle Ages before men and women figured out gender politics. Vesta shows you where you will encounter gender politics.

I have used the Throat chakra Lapis Lazuli crystal for balancing with Amethyst to also bring in the compassionate energies of Quan Yin.

Asteroid Vesta is stationed at Sagittarius 7 degrees. The message for this placement is through attractive and charismatic charm you will draw positive attention from many people. The affirmation is I invite love into my life.

Quan Yin (Kwan Yin, Quan Yin, or Guan Yin) is a Chinese Goddess of Mercy and Compassion believed to be a female aspect of the Buddha Avalokitesvara. Her name is sometimes said to mean “she who hears the cries of the world.” The amethyst crystal helps us find compassion for people and forgiveness.

Ceres in your birth chart looks like a sickle to represent harvest, motherhood, and fertility. This asteroid in your birth chart can represent a connection or bond between two people/organizations. The sign and house you find Ceres in will show you where you were born with tremendous natural control, efficiency, and creativity. This is where you would benefit most via negotiating territory with other people and mastering the knowledge that everything has polarity and needs to remain balanced/harmonized.

I have used the Sacral chakra Carnelian crystal for energy flow which also harnesses the energy of the Goddess Brigid with Citrine.

Asteroid Ceres is stationed at Gemini 4 degrees. The message for this placement is the story of life is an ancient one where we learn to see the Earth as alive and that all life is sacred and interconnected.. The affirmation is I deserve to be treated with respect and I will treat others with respect.

Juno in your birth chart looks like a scepter topped with a star to represent strong relationships and what you are looking for in that relationship. Juno in your birth chart can represent soulmates, however, not all partnerships are necessarily romantic or about marriage. This holds true for soulmates as well. Within the mythology of Juno we must guard ourselves against the negative emotions or vices of comparison, competition, envy, and jealousy. The month June named for the Goddess Juno also represents our finances through Juno Moneta from which we get money and protector of funds.

I have used the Heart chakra Green Aventurine crystal for calming which also harnesses the energy of Goddess Juventas with Banded Agate.

Asteroid Juno is stationed at Capricorm 5 degrees. The message for this placement is that while it is important to stand up for another who may be being bullied or wronged when we stand up front and center to face off with a perceived “enemy” we may be making trouble for ourselves and we need to maintain proper perspective and correctly “pick our battles” in life. The affirmation is I feel with others but do not attach to their lives.

Pallas in your birth chart looks like a diamond atop a cross to represent a spear. This asteroid in your birth chart can represent wisdom, victory, craft, and pattern recognition. The position of Pallas shows how you will approach intelligence, creative thinking, strategy, the arts, healing, and your overall attitude to mental accomplishments. Pallas in astrology shows your attitude to any venture within creative learning and the healing arts. Her position by house shows the life area where your unique creative and healing abilities come into expression.

I have used the Crown chakra Amethyst for healing and Blue Sandstone to harness Goddess Astraea.

Asteroid Pallas is stationed at Pisces 10 degrees. The message for this placement is that when we rise above limitations we are capable of thinking out of the box and that if we look for explanations above and beyond our typical historical patterns of action we can fly by refusing the old way of thinking and dreaming. The affirmation is I consider the world and the people in it as my guide and teachers.

If this is helping you and you ever want to support me please consider purchasing an astrology report or a donation at the links provided in the sidebar of this blog to grow my business or just help offset the costs to run it. I hope you have a truly wonderful day today. Comments are welcome.

PS: I also know the mudra website is not essentially perfect English or grammar. It’s vital we remember that English is not always another person’s first language. I had online pen pals once from Korea I was helping to learn and perfect their written English. A similar experience in junior high with pen pals from England and Germany respectfully. I’m noticing an online trend of everyone very quickly being provoked to anger quite easily over what I like to call very small things for us to concern ourselves with against the backdrop of larger concerns. You help no one by being antagonistic and not being considerate as to where they may be coming from.

Manifestation Mondays: Picking a Word for the Year Ahead (2022/222)

What if There Exists a Lunisolar Halo?

It is soon to be that time again whether everyone is ready or not. Most will be celebrating Christmas or Hanukkah myself included as well as other festivities for no one is ever really left out (Yule, Kwanzaa, Las Posadas, etc.). I am busy making room for what is to come in 2022. This was something that was encouraged of me several years ago, and I have not done in a long time. The establishment of a word for the upcoming year that will define you.

Use the underlined hyperlinks because they explain concepts I otherwise can’t squeeze in to elaborate without this becoming a novel. For many it won’t make sense without a little study time/exploration.

When I did this before I was in a process of needing to ground or put roots down so the word I chose was very different. The ironic thing was that this was post foot fracture so I was dealing with a crisis in health, career, and finances. I also was apathetic and the only thing helping me was organic gardening. After I chose my word for that year I requested a channeled poem and received one which turned the well known Green Man into a lesser known Green Woman archetype for where I was energetically.

The Green Woman or Lady of the Forest is a nurturing force of life and the mother of life on Earth. She is sometimes seen in the rise and fall of mountains or in the flowers of every kind which grow and produce seeds. She is represented with a face of leaves and flowers, as a tree, or as a landscape that appears womanly. Make no mistake she is the mother of the entire green world. Her realm is the gardens and orchards of our world. Where the Green Man rules over that which is wild she rules that which is cultivated. She blesses the fields, she is the Goddess of manifestation, and she brings the seeds to life helping them to grow. She is a wonderful spirit to call upon for healing, nurturing, and to put things in their proper order. The Green Woman is the holder of ancient wisdom of our past and the keeper of memories. She watches over the balance of all things green and growing.

What I find actually fun is to look back at old Renee with her self pity, ignorant narcissism which manipulated people cause she knew no better, apathy, and other foibles. Mostly because I was that creature saying “can’t” who legitimately lived in victim consciousness and wanted others to follow her into misery loves company. Then the evolution and change happens for each of us hopefully little by little as it is no overnight process and there tend to be off days, weeks, or months that can throw a monkey wrench into it all. Which is probably why I wrote this silly memo last night also.

I was perusing my Twitter feed and just agitated by days of people taking to the internet to rag on people who promote mindfulness or positivity yet derive obvious joy or pleasure from a hard line focus on everything that in their perspective can, will, and must go wrong with our little world all the while I wanted to scream at them sitting behind a screen that incessant whining does not effect change. You will have to go out there and actively “do something.” It then dawned on me today that my 10th House was probably shrieking from the rooftops with it’s Leo Sun, Mercury, and Jupiter as it wants to shine expansive light not be hidden by someone else’s rain clouds, tornadoes, and Dark Night of their Soul. I also do not know who is a chat bot, troll, or fake account in my Twitter feed since they all do exist. The interweb is nothing like she was when she was bright, shiny, and new where the communities I was in were a better frequency than some are today! And that is not a misuse of New Age rhetoric. I legitimately can compare periods of interweb growth to see the journey it has been taking for better or worse like marriage vows including the in sickness and in health part!

As I dug further into the meaning of the word I chose I discovered it might also relate to several other concepts I was learning about in my journey to wake up/heal. All of which had an impact on where I would continue to move energetically. Because my little brain or the marbles in my head work utterly different from others it seems. This is why I put on my Twitter feed I am not a trendy or hipster astrologer or Reiki gal. I dive deep, and I look for something meaningful when I try to help others. I do not expect my services to resonate with everyone who has considered my astrology charts or my blog. This is alright, and I am not attacking others. Everyone is on their own personalized journey towards ascension, and I respect this as well as know I suffer with impatience waiting for others to catch up. But I digress I do not know if I am a finished project yet either. So I simply have to enjoy the process until I reach the destination. And honestly there is a lot I still do not know or understand completely so I continue to explore.

Wealth being a funny one as seen below in what I was picking up on. It is not just money. Abundance mindsets focus almost extensively on a hoarding and greed mindset I am learning. Let’s face it wealth is everywhere. We do not know how to recognize it though because we are utterly trapped in grasping and poverty mindsets through propaganda or mind control. And as we gobble up or hoard there is less for others. It is basic supply and demand with an Ebenezer Scrooge at the top of the pyramid acting like a miser!

Growing a garden removes the money that always goes to a grocery store and when I ran my aesthetics spa I had worked out a friendship with a hair stylist. I got my hair cut/colored no charge. It was an exchange of services. I gave her facial and skin care services she needed as an even exchange! Everything is literally all about the mindset we adopt! And I honestly do not know how you make others see this and change. That idiom exists where one can lead someone to water and they have to want to drink it or be thirsty. I have spent a large chunk of my life recalling back to elementary in school how this world was presented to me, and I was baffled by why adult humans wanted to exist as they did in such a silly reality they had created for themselves that seemed limiting and perhaps the epitome of a not necessarily healthy human condition. It is probably due to my idealistic nature! It sometimes gets me into a world of trouble.

Synonyms which I found seemed to derive from a chart feature that is interactive at the Free Dictionary which I found helpful as it connected a multitude of dots most etymology or other dictionaries overlook.

Tellurium synonyms: solfa syllable (music such as do, re, mi, fa, sol, etc. as it pertains to solmization scales), sylvanite, Au (gold), wealth, invaluableness, precious metals, element (chemical or to be in your element), and astronomical unit (light year, seconds, minutes, and hours are included).

In relation to the goddess archetype, the chemical element used in semiconductors and electronics as well as solar panels, and it’s references to electric/photo conductivity.

So I am changing it in 2022. One of my astrology studies made mention of me as a little representative of a Cusp of Oscillation. I am not entirely sure of this since theories in astrology change all the time, however, it sent me on a journey of discovery comparing my charts tropical and sidereal (am I a Leo Sun or a Cancer Sun) as well as eyeing my MC/IC being Cancer/Capricorn axis just like the tropics. This was comical when I wound up at Youtube videos for torsion clocks. And I might add you should never look at my Draconic chart. My 10th House is split Pisces/Aquarius. If you have not followed previous blog posts this may be confusing as to what the entire build up is/was with my Abby Normal logic I presently have.

I suppose stranger thought experiments occur all the time; at least I hope so. 7/26/____ seems to be a real odd personal Universe out of the many multiple little Universes to chart and/or navigate from even with transits and progressions. I’m trying to not put all my personal info on the interweb so you only get first name and birth month/day. Data harvesters and less than savory people abound!

2022 I am choosing toroid as my word.

Toroid synonyms: ring, anchor, magnetic core, halo, solid, fairy circle, aura, radiance, ring of light, nimbus, glow, ambience, resound, resonate, vibrate, continuous, reliable, durable, well built, unshakable, pure, unbroken, genuine, complete, level headed, faithful, upright, honest, and sphere.

Those utterly confused still should probably look at the following links to comprehend what I am recognizing for my level of possible awareness regardless how woo woo and airy fairy you think that I or others may be. I tried to allude to this in a previous blog post, and I do not believe anyone has entirely grasped what I am attempting to explain about things I am also finding as I study my astrology charts through multiple schools of esotericism. Likewise I do not think many fully grasp the meaning of their own astrology charts if they come at it from the mindset of a skeptic, superficiality, or utter disbelief.

“Just because you don’t believe in something doesn’t mean it isn’t true.”

• Albert Einstein

What word do you want to define your 2022/222 year? Please leave me a comment and share!

Sign Spotlight Sundays: Beauty and the Beast

Leo – July 23 through August 22

Leo consciousness represents the identity which creates the birthplace of the individual and the self conscious human who emerges from this experience. Through Leo humanity becomes the five pointed star or Pentagram who represents the symbol of individualization, of humanity, of the human being who knows thyself to be an individual, and thereby becomes aware of thyself as the self. Ruled by the Sun this sign teaches how solarized sparks or solar angels incarnate in the 3D. Leo is identified as The King/Queen or as the life giver. We find the image of the lion is said to be a representative of the life giving father/mother principle, Spirit, and the nature of our center or heart through which all energy flows and all life emanates.

Leo is a position in the zodiac which rules individualization, initiation, and where our Soul consciousness is recognized within our heart. The ability to stand alone as a soul is essential to operate from a higher and more group conscious perspective. Solar fire and the fire we associate with Soul consciousness is thoroughly the fire of higher mind or higher manas. Leo becomes centered and balanced when it perfects the personality infusing it with soul energy in order to radiate love to another. The height of achievement for all of humanity is that of the human soul. It is here that self centered humanity finally becomes the Soul in life expression focused on the achievement of spiritual goals of selflessness.

Leo walks the path of self realization beginning with developing one’s ego thereby developing deeper spiritual purpose through expression of Divine Will and realization of self as a unique individual. Divine Will is expressed best through the qualities of open-heartedness, warmth, creativity, leadership, and love. Sovereign rulership over self is what the pride of the Lion stems from via the mental prowess of Leo. An evolved Leo is generous and outgoing meeting all kinds of responses through which the individual becomes more self conscious with each experience notably the negative and painful ones.

The most self aware sign of all it is Leo who knows he/she will determine his/her own destiny. Remember the Sun rules our entire solar system and is the ultimate local distribution agent for all the other planets. Neptune distributes energies from the heart of the Sun while Uranus distributes energies from the spiritual Sun.

From within esoteric Judaism and Christianity we see this best in the month of Av. Av literally means “father” and is derived from the etymology of “to will” or “to desire.” In Judaism it is believed that the Mashiach is born on the 9th of Av. Esoterically this month represents all the other souls of Israel meeting the soul of Mashiach who comes to redeem Israel from her state of spiritual as well as physical exile which is commonly depicted to us as akin to a groom unto his bride. After his birth on the 9th of Av he reveals himself to his bride and betroths her on the 15th of Av.

The letter Teth resembles a womb and equals 9 in direct correlation to the 9 months of pregnancy. In the month of Av the duration of these same 9 months becomes condensed and concentrated into 9 days. Hebrew refers to Leo and the Lion also as aryeh symbolizing the superrational power of Divine Will. The initial manifestation of will to destroy the Temple was in truth purely for the sake of reconstructing the Temple with all of its spiritual meaning and significance for Israel as well as the entire world to stand for eternity.

Av governs the sense of hearing. “To hear” in Hebrew means “to understand” or to fully integrate into one’s consciousness via the heart and mind. In order that one actively listen to another he/she is to fully understand his/her dilemma and empathize with him/her. The sense of hearing is likewise a sense of inner balance which behaves as the foundation of rectified existence. Av also controls the left kidney. Our left kidney advises us on how to properly hear and integrate truth into one’s consciousness. The two kidneys are the “male” and “female” advisors of the Soul. The right kidney advises on how one is to rectify their character traits through a process of careful introspection while the left kidney advises on how one is to absorb truth into one’s consciousness

There are some negative symbolic meanings associated with lions as well within spirit animal/totem meanings which mainly pertain to its haughty nature. A lion is an effective killer although usually not confrontational. They generally prefer a peaceful life. Lions also believe in family and they take care of their young. You will find that lions hunt in groups symbolic of the fellowship of strength and safety to be found within such practices. Lion’s symbolic meaning is varied and ranges from a predator, adversary, an object of fear, and to also an object of respect.

The mountain lion was known variously to the different Native American tribes as a cougar, puma, panther, etc. Native Americans revered this animal while simultaneously competing with it for game. In the Keres Creation account the Mountain Lion guarded the Shipap or the pre-emergence place. In Tewa traditions the supernatural beings living in Sipofene or the pre-emergence place sent a man to explore the upper world. He returned to Sipofene as a Mountain Lion. For the Zuni the Mountain Lion was the beast God associated with the direction of North. They respected the presence of these awesome beasts. Of all of the cat’s qualities these tribes respected the animal’s silence viewed as a holy state of consciousness. They quietly beheld the grace and the Glory of their Creator through the silence of these beasts. The elders in these cultures believed that a cat’s silence spoke of the words of a Great Mystery and despite their potential threat they were not only respected as predators, but also protected by them.

The presence of the lion is found all over in Indian mythology, religion, and the history of ancient India. Narsimha who is Lord Vishnu in the form of half lion and half man is sent by the Gods to destroy the evil on Earth and restore peace and Dharma. Hindu texts associate the lion as a symbol of Vishnu and Parvati.

In Japan the Guardian Koma-inu of the Shinto shrine is a lion and these guardian statues were depicted with comical expressions. Kara-shishi is the lion of the lion dance and a favorite image of the Edo Art period. Koma-inu, like the Kara-shishi, are fierce and protect their young cubs with devotion. These qualities have made them ideal protectors of shrines. The lion dance in Chinese culture pays homage to the symbolism of the lion as a representation of the Han Dynasty as well as strength and nobility.

Egypt’s Aker lions represent “yesterday” and “tomorrow” shown back to back facing opposite directions flanking the Egyptian Sun disk or Aten emblematic of the Source or Higher Self teaching us to focus on the eternal “now” moment.

Even the title of this blog post is to reference the meanings found within the Strength tarot card of a maiden’s gentle hands controlling the passions and animal instincts by Spirit working through her.

Self Examination Saturdays: The Part of Fortune for Individuality

Never rip your fortune. Although most of the fortunes consist of proverbs it is said that if you rip your fortune it won’t come true.

Individuation consciousness is unconscious assimilation and a very important practice to take up. Astrology can be one of many tools in this journey although many choose to discount this as pseudo scientific.

Carl Jung discusses individuation in “Modern Man in Search of a Soul” through prescribed keys to assimilating the unconscious mind with the conscious mind and achieving the ultimate goal of wholeness.

Dreams deliver to each of us information about the secrets of our unique inner life and reveal to each of us as the dreamer hidden factors of our personality. So long as these are undiscovered they will continuously disturb our waking life and betray us in the form of symptoms. This means that one can’t effectively treat any patient from the side of consciousness alone, but must bring about a change in and through the unconscious. As far as present knowledge we have only one way of doing this which requires the thorough going through of conscious assimilation of our unconscious contents.

It is well known that the Freudian school delivers the unconscious in a thoroughly depreciatory light and looks on primitive man as little better than a wild beast. Its nursery tales about the terrible old man of the tribe and its teachings about the infantile, perverse, and criminal unconscious have led people to make a dangerous monster out of that which they refuse to understand. As if all that is good, reasonable, beautiful, and worth living for had taken up its abode in consciousness! Have the horrors of any World War really not opened anyone’s eyes or is the wool still sharply closed over them? Man’s conscious mind is even more devilish and perverse than the unconscious.

What actually exists can be alchemistically sublimated. The unconscious is not a monster, but a thing of nature that is perfectly neutral as far as moral sense, aesthetic taste, and intellectual judgements go. It is dangerous only when the collective conscious attitude towards it becomes hopelessly false. This danger grows in the measure that we continue to practice the refined art of repressions. As soon as the patient begins to assimilate the contents that were previously unconscious all the danger from the side of the unconscious diminishes. As the process of assimilation goes on it puts an end to the entire process of dissociation of the personality and to the anxiety that attends or inspires the separation of the two realms of the psyche.

Today we are using the Part of Fortune to ascertain where I would best complete the process of Individuality. We find that the answer lies in the 10th House of Cancer at 9°. Anyone can look this up. I use Astro Seek for this usually.

Expanding the awareness of how astrology is not just parlor tricks is always a matter of if one has limited beliefs that block them from opening the mind to alternative views.

There are actually several Arabic Parts which can be configured using formulas. Below is the formula used for today’s blog post:

Lot = ASC + Sun – Uranus
Lot = 203°35’ + 123°06’ – 226°55’
Lot = 99°47’ = 9°47’ + 90°

Lot = Cancer 9°47’ – in the 10th house

I have not used the Omega Symbols yet from John Sandbach in any blog post, however, they are a favorite of mine as I find they resonate well with my Kabbalah studies. I’ve actually also included an Audible audio book also with this recently called Sound and Vibration: Tuning into the Echoes of Creation as well as am looking into the Poetic Edda through Audible. And no I’m not getting anything for any affiliate links at present. Although I probably should consider it.

The manner with which I use these is to look at the two angels listed for the Phase and the degree respectively. My previous blog post explained working with angels or archangels in reference to understanding the mind-body as the temple regarding esoterics and consciousness. To many the woo woo airy fairy of metaphysics can make them not believe astrology or even tarot has any scientific bent at this process. I know because I have been met with many a rebuttal of this seeming like absurdities while others are willing to acknowledge there may be a benefit to adopting these practices as therapeutic. I respect their choices, but I always wonder when they brush me or others off so easily as it makes me curious about their reason(s) for immediate objection.

John Sandbach places Cancer at 9° in Phase 20 Victory Over Addictions with the angel named Pahaliah and the degree with the angel named Yeratel.

Within the 10th House it may appear to be a process of individuation that goes a little something like this. Liz Tran, astrologer and founder of the New York City based corporate wellness coaching studio Reset, states that our 10th House in astrology points to our career and our public reputation. And this is very true!

Cancer placed here can find they have great affinity for fame or notoriety as many may be drawn to the energy given which can heal thereby leaving them desiring that one care for them and solve their woes. We tend to be people pleasers drawn to careers that allow us to care for another, help them achieve stability, and offer them support or encouragement.

We are advised to look towards any profession which allows us to excel at becoming a great gardener, shop owner, childcare worker, teacher, mental health worker, baker/chef, nurse, social worker, hospice aid, psychic, librarian, priest/priestess, or politician.

Furthermore this degree lands on two fixed stars in Gemini the soul sign of twins. This would be Alhena in Pollux and Mebsuta in Castor. Alhena can emphasize our artistic skills particularly with written and spoken word as well as highlight our unique capabilities of negotiating a peaceful solution to disputes among people. Mebsuta amplifies and gifts one with intellectualism to avoid disasters during any moment of perceived crisis.

Below are videos on Carl Jung’s Individuation Process:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZCyUb0RIRc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhAeXyVDDTc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvvqhDNzwm0

PS: Use those underlined text hyperlinks because they are your friend on the journey towards fully understanding! 😜

Fun Quote Fridays: I Think You Are a Fairy Tale

“There was once a young man who wished to gain his Heart’s Desire.” – Neil Gaiman

“All fantasy should have a solid base in reality.”

• Anonymous

“Fantasy is hardly an escape from reality. It’s a way of understanding it.”

• Lloyd Alexander

“If one is lucky, a solitary fantasy can totally transform one million realities.”

• Maya Angelou

“All the works of man have their origin in creative fantasy. What right have we then to depreciate imagination.”

• Carl Jung

“Stories of imagination tend to upset those without one.”

• Terry Pratchett

“Fantasy allows you to get past defenses.”

• Elizabeth Moon

“Closed in a room, my imagination becomes the universe, and the rest of the world is missing out.”

• Criss Jami

Tarot of the Day Thursdays: We Need to Give/Receive TLC on Thanksgiving

Treat yourself and others with a healthy dose of love.

The crystal I meditated with was Rhodonite which usually forms in compact mass colors of rose, red, and pink with brown mottling and patches of black veining due to oxidation. This crystal’s name is taken via the Greek word to mean “rose red.” It may be found in the Russian Ural mountains, Sweden, Australia, India, Madagascar, Mexico, South Africa, Brazil, Canada, and the USA.

Rhodonite promotes the energy of love directed outward rather than inward in acts of altruism and generosity whereby one uses their talents to bring gifts to others. The path of generosity often offers greater satisfaction than any amount of receiving.

Rhodonite is used to attract the people or situations best suited towards application of your unique talents so that you can experience fulfillment of a deep desire to love and be loved. Rhodonite acts as a catalyst for the fulfillment of your life purpose through the expression of your hidden gifts.

This crystal supports the flow of chi through the meridians of the body helping direct the vital force to the endocrine system which in turn supports energy and vitality. This little stone clears and activates the heart chakra, grounds energy, and balances the Yin and Yang elements. It will guide you through meditation to release the wounds of emotional shock and panic attacks. A good affirmation for Rhodonite is “I use my talents to feed my soul.”

Our Cats Inspirational Oracle Card today indicates the need for tender loving care this Thanksgiving. We are given the Scottish Fold as an example. These cats are distinguished by their crimped ears although not all breeds have this particular feature. All Scottish Fold kittens are born with straight ears and they develop the crimp within the first three weeks or so. These cats are known for gentle natures and sweet faces.

The kittens will need their faces cleaned after eating until they learn best how to do so by themselves with their paws. Therefore their mothers will groom them for hygiene reasons and to assure the kittens do not die from disease. Mother cats take good care of their young by ensuring they are clean and safe.

This card’s message is that TLC is important whether it is self care, asking for care from another, or taking care of family, friends, and strangers. Remember to nurture yourself, to not be afraid to accept care from another at this time, and to give when needed.

The number 12 can relate to mental blockages that bring us anxiety or suffering. If we confront our fears we can negate them and develop a better outlook on life. This also reduces down to the number 3.

I pulled from my crystal charm bag the Red Jasper for work on our Root chakra.

This stone of stamina, bravery, safety, and endurance will add peace and stability to life giving positiveness and betterment for mental calm and physical wellness. Ancient Greece believed that this stone linked to Gaia chief goddess of the Earth. The magical blade of Siegfried’s warrior sword was set with Red Jasper to give it a boost of bravery according to Viking and Germanic myths. Red Jasper’s water connection was used in spells to bring rain.

This crystal is ideal for nervous moods, emotional stresses, mental clarity, and communication. Develop an energetic mind to face your life challenges. Also use this crystal to relieve sickness, improve blood circulation, protect against harmful radiation/pollution, and promote recovery throughout any treatment process. A good affirmation for Red Jasper is ‘I am protected from all things negative and am full of life/vitality.”

Give Thanks!

Wisdom Wednesday’s: What is an Astromap Used For? (Educational Research)

It appears that all or most of the lines are converging in one specific locale that we should investigate for clues.

I am not your average or normal web blogger or astrologer! If you have that belief I suggest you remove it right now. I tend to be very unusual, academic, and inquisitive or exploratory about using messages from the Universe in a wider way than most! Which is why I do not believe I fit in and have not figured out where I belong exactly. Tour guide, however, was not something I expected to be either, and I may not be the best at this role.

During my astrology studies in my spare time before I began my business I found this feature on Astro.com in extended chart selection called an Astromap. Curiosity got the better of me, and I spent a lot of time attempting to locate the region(s) it was pointing me to for my birth data. The problem being years ago the maps I found were not inherently accurate, and now I realize I was looking at the wrong place. Not that this is entirely bad because I learned a lot about Norilsk, reindeer herding, shamanism, etc. rather just that I was not zeroing in on the correct target(s).

Later I found a PDF somewhere online that explained an astro-cartography map’s purpose. This is where it gets weird because while my lines pass through many regions they seem to really converge in a specific point found in Siberia along the Arctic Circle. Yet I live in a suburb outside of Austin, TX.

Our Sun represents our core being and where one would shine while our Moon embodies emotional ties. Further Mercury is our communication style, Venus is where one can feel deeply connected and express love, Mars provides us with a driven attitude and anchors our energy, and Jupiter brings rewards and good fortune. Saturn houses our limitations, karmic ties, and where one may see breakthroughs.

An empowered line would consist of your Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, or Jupiter in any country or city where you have meridian circles or triangles bringing good energy into your life and home (ie: you might have lots of energy which surrounds Africa). This then could be further harnessed by decorating your home with an African theme. This is called remote activation pioneered by the late Jim Lewis an astrologer, entrepreneur, lecturer, teacher, and writer. I do not have much from Russia in my home around me. In my bedroom I have two sets of Matryoshka dolls though. They sit with my Disney decor (a Disney animated cats water globe, a Sally from Nightmare Before Christmas goblet, and a Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland oversize tea cup) and the 3D Pikachu my step father made/gave me which I have not painted a face onto as of yet. Oh, and my candle holder that has four cats joined in a circle holding paws.

They are the same dolls inside and just keep getting smaller as they nest one inside of another.

Saturn may bring challenges to move through and generally this isn’t a place we end up living rather we can feel karmic ties there. Planets in a circle have the strongest energy for places to live or travel to. Others choose to design their home in artifacts with that theme.

Trying to do the impossible! Figure out what the Astromap is explaining or illustrating.

So looking at the above map I think there may be four places I should research. Although I have to be brutally honest. I have only known two places I have lived in the USA and that is Florida and Texas. I do not think I could survive the cold of Siberia at all. I fear I would freeze to death! This is not a good location for me at all as I prefer a spring like or warmer climate.

We are going to take an underlined text hyperlink journey today with a few videos. Hopefully if anyone knows more about these regions they can further educate me by leaving a comment or using my Contact form.

Here is a fun and extremely helpful website with some proper and utterly essential planning for your journey everyone! It’s a must!

Nadym:

Nadym is a town in Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Russia which is situated on the Nadym River. The name etymologically refers to moss and grassy hills as well as the Nyadong family each taken from the spoken language of the Nenets according to research I found online at Wikipedia. What I took note of was that in 1929 there is a mention of a reindeer farm founded on the river bank which was disbanded and turned into a factory in 1934. The fall of 1967 ushered in framework for a regional gas bearing deposit and aviation. Industrialization made the area essentially a large gas field as this region houses the largest independent gas producer.

I really can not find much info though online for this region to be honest and that is primarily due to my research running up against many museums that seem to not be providing online resources. And those that did were in Russian which I neither read nor speak. I was able to find a translation for one museum website. Other websites I found were no longer available or had re-directs to material we simply won’t discuss today as I wish I had not opened them in my Duck Duck Go browser so I flamed my tabs.

It may be better to understand this region by looking as I did before at the actual culture outside of tourist attractions. The websites found here and here I happened upon.

My wealth altar has my magic fawn antlers on it from Halloween one year, but that is not exactly reindeer.

If you are interested I located a short video below:

https://youtu.be/reEoa2H92Bs

Novyy Urangu:

We see a common theme here again with the primary employer and economy based in gas/oil fields. A railway runs to the next location on my adventure of study known as Dead Road; one section potentially called the Railway of Death. This left me shaking my head actually at the names. I was not sure how to respond or emote. When I attended Leander school district from middle school upwards after moving here we spent huge amounts of time on WW II primarily Hitler and Stalin.

Thus I read Mein Kampf in 7th grade and had survivors of the time period brought to my schools to share stories including rabbis while today we have the issues of denialism. I was also taught about the Holodomor. Leander when I attended had this ginormous push for us to understand this particular era of time unlike anything others acquired whom I meet today. Instead I find much today is propagandized or revisionist history to sway political opinions triggering the masses with constant hijacks of their fight/flight response which is utterly unhealthy. Much of this dove tails to the fact that when my maternal grandfather passed and I inherited ancestral records of immigration to the USA in the 1800s we came from Germany/Denmark. As mentioned my ancestry served in the Civil War, WW II, and Vietnam. I have great grandmother’s high school yearbook prior to the Great Depression. And family on maternal as well as biological paternal had Ashkenazi roots mixed with other ethnic ties primarily European and an incredibly small portion of Middle Eastern or Ethiopian DNA.

You sometimes look around online and can do nothing more than shake your head or wonder how does one emote and respond to lessons from his or her story amidst rampant modern controversy and speculation as to what is truth and what is fiction while trying to avoid rampant cancel culture censorship and silencing of another that erodes the ability to even have a rational and logical debate or form of proper education. You simply wonder about the human condition as a whole much less the conditions of Earth or her plants, animals, and climate. Strange terrain we are in! Wasn’t there that quote about repeating his or her story when we forget it?! These conditions are not what we should desire to repeat! No one wants to talk about it because in positivity culture we’re also finding that people want to tune in and drop out. You can’t confront life that way and claim maturity.

I see malls, monuments, Memory Square and the Temple of Saint Seraphim of Sarov which you can observe here and here.

Salekhard:

The settlement of Obdorsk founded in 1595 was accomplished by Russian settlers situated on the Ob River and it has been speculated the name derives from that. This town was often used as a place of exile during Tsarist and Soviet periods. Notable people who spent time here were the Doukhobor spiritual leader Pyotr Verigin and Leon Trotsky. Here and within a nearby area were three Soviet camps where approximately 6,500 prisoners were held and arrested for their belief in God. At the port of Salekhard roughly 1,500 prisoners loaded and unloaded goods at the dock or mined metal ores. About 5,000 prisoners in two camps near Salekhard were assigned to polish diamonds mined from Mir mine.

This travel blog here and here have some brief info you may find informative.

If you are interested I located a short video below:

https://youtu.be/ASn2dq3WnT0

Vorkuta:

The origins of this town are associated with Vorkutlag which is one of the most notorious forced labor camps . Vorkutlag was established in 1932 with the start of mining and was the largest of the gulag camps in European Russia to serve as the administrative center for a large number of smaller camps and subcamps. In 1941 Vorkuta and the labor camp system based around it were connected to the rest of the world by a prisoner built rail line.

We have two views of what is best called a real winter wonderland! I am avoiding certain rabbit holes that appear around searches for this region. We’re simply not traveling there.

I located their tourism website and potential info on a theater.

If you are interested I located a short video below:

https://youtu.be/VvUODcWlb7g

I am hoping to have a blog post for Thanksgiving tonight at midnight. Wish everyone a happy holiday with their friends and family.

PS: I had a hyperlink mistake for the Temple of Saint Seraphim of Sarov in this blog post that has been corrected. I accidentally included links to churches with the same name which were not the one located in Russia. I have corrected this and my apologies. This was a difficult entry to compose and actually research due to landmarks or tourist attractions simply being difficult to find actual info on for me.

Teach Me Tuesdays: An Esoteric Treatise on the Four Pillars of Destiny Report Explained By Example

Pillars are seen as helping to support a structure and bear a load.

One of my clients wanted some help with better understanding the Four Pillars of Destiny chart so I am using my chart as an example as I do not wish to put any of my customer’s information out on the public world wide web without their consent as this in my eyes is quite inconsiderate and unprofessional. The below is how I have utilized the Four Pillars of Destiny chart to better understand myself and the advice it gives. As always underlined text in this entry will lead you to further studies that will be helpful in your understanding of the multi-layered messages that can be discovered when you seek answers.

I won’t cover my entire chart, however, because I believe if I explain this correctly just touching on the key points one would be able to interpret or pick apart any chart they receive easily with their own research or perhaps I will come up with consultation prices for my business if that appeals to my audience. Drop me a line in the comments or through the Contact form to let me know so that I can create some crafty ideas if this is something you would like to see in the future!

Pre-Heaven Hexagram:

This determines the seed pattern for which an individual’s life unfolds or rises to prominence and acts as a symbolic representation of their birth time and location.

Both upper and lower trigrams for myself are Ch’ien, Creative, and Heaven. In my chart there is an emphasis put on line 5. This hexagram teaches that the Universe has been continuously changing since its inception and we should emulate this by becoming actively diligent agents of ceaseless constancy and perseverance. The Universe manifests through the Yin and Yang in three subsequent evolutionary stages. Ch’ien is composed of two Yang trigrams or six Yang lines. Creativity must be properly and wisely directed by one for there to be success. This creativity, however, is not originating from me per say rather it originates from Primal Source or whatever term you wish to use to describe it by. Those who are born under this hexagram often find they receive outside help/support to assist them in reaching success, fame, and prosperity. Individually we have the inner strength or fortitude to act upon our goals in life with good intent even when the path is unfavorable or uncertain. The hexagram may in some interpretations reference “dragons” which is not literal, but rather symbolic forces, powers, and spirits which exist on Earth, in the sky, etc. This force allows humans to transcend time and space. Most call this energy kundalini, breath (ida, pingala, and sushumna), or Shiva and Shakti.

Another way I will personally work with this is to open my copy of the Tao and read the chapter that matches the number of the given hexagram. Ch’ien is hexagram 1 so I understand this to indicate that my life path should mirror what is termed “the Way or Middle Path.” We live in an existence which Buddhism calls paradox implying a path of neither denial nor of affirmation asking that we live beyond the perception of opposites. If we look at society today we find many have ignored this truth in the world as we begin to see an outgrowth of extremes and the philosophy “my way or the highway.” The path of in-between these extremes best leads to peace and liberation. It becomes a lesson in how the pursuit of happiness purely through indulgence is not freedom. If we fight against ourselves and the world we are also not free. This hexagram is an embodied life between being and non-being, between form and emptiness, and between free will and determinism. The same as learning to swim flailing around works against staying afloat yet lying on your back and allowing the water to hold you will allow you to float weightlessly.

To achieve success we find a link with morals, regulating and organizing our expressions of love, and justice which creates conditions in which each receives that which is in accordance with their being or due them. Confucianism says line 5 of Ch’ien states that everything in the Universe is in accord through tone and vibrates together. That which has affinity in their inmost natures seek one another. Water flows to what is wet while fire turns to what is dry. What is born of heaven is related to what is above. What is born of Earth is related to what is below. Each follows its kind. I also need to be on guard for negative traits such as co-dependency, low self esteem, hyper sensitivities, and being manipulative. I would excel at being persuasive, resourceful, and at social networking.

Further Studies Can be Found Below:

https://www.taoistic.com/taoteching-laotzu/taoteching-01.htm

Year Pillar, Heavenly Stem, and Animal:

My Year Pillar is 5 respectively. Essentially this is just a guidance issued that I should not allow professional and personal limitations to prevent myself from striving or working diligently for higher or loftier goals as long as they are grounded in reality. I may need to reach out to others who have more experience than myself or who could lend assistance in helping me get from Point A to Point B which means if the aim is professional I need to reach out to certain organizations or peers to collaborate and partner with. If it’s personal I need to discern best the who, what, when, where, and how of hitting my target.

My Heavenly Stem was Yi Wood. This is a more Yin or receptive energy which when shown as a pictorial appears/bears resemblance to a small plant with a weak stem. It can be translated to describe things which are winding and twisting. We tend to think of small plants and flowers that are strong in their own right, but flexible such as magnolias and peonies. Among the four celestial creatures it is most associated with the green dragon and is associated with the transition from child to adult. Chinese alchemy or classic medicine also associates this with the neck, ligaments, liver, hands, and immune system. Numerology would associate this Heavenly Stem with the number 8. Personal traits like adaptability, compassion, inner strength, and temperance assist me with facing my life’s challenges so that I can easily navigate around or survive the obstacles put in my path. I am strong at articulation and expression so I can be a good negotiator, but I may also be a bit stubborn with seeing another person’s point of view on occasion.

The animal attached to the Heavenly Stem is a Water Ox. Water Ox won’t make decisions quickly and have a good reason for refusing to change our minds because we carefully consider all the facts before you find us taking anyone’s side or committing to any course of action. Likewise don’t rush us to form any conclusions. Ox represent the steadiest and most reliable as we are known for always keeping our word and always finishing what we start on time and on budget. If you don’t like dealing with surprises the Ox personality ensures that everything will be done thoroughly and carefully.

We love routine, we don’t procrastinate, and the element of Water allows us to be more flexible. This means we can make decisions faster if given a reason to do so therefore we capitalize on more opportunities presented to us. When this is combined with hard work ethic and a systematic approach we can achieve a high degree of success. We are more intuitive and in tune with the feelings of others, we make excellent providers, are better listeners, and are better at bonding. Water Ox prefer stable work environments where long term effort earns us social recognition which is usually found in medical, legal, and entrepreneur roles. Teaching may be another endeavor well suited to our demeanor.

Late Heaven Hexagram:

This acts as the foundation of an individual’s life after the years dominated by the Pre-Heaven hexagram to reflect the harvest reaped or the fruit one is to bear during their existence.

Here we find that the upper trigram still holds the powers of Ch’ien, but the lower trigram now combines the hexagram T’ung Jen through Li, Clinging, and Flame. In my chart there is an emphasis put on line 2. This hexagram is a focus on concepts known as fellowship and brotherhood/sisterhood. Unions form via common goals which are coupled with clarity and strength which everyone involved must know and agree upon. It should foster enterprise yet there is a danger we all must guard against of selfish intent or separatist attitudes that creep in. Good leadership unites people to accomplish great feats. Line 2 actually issues a stern warning that the individual and group guard against egotistical pursuits as this will bring about humiliation and likely failure for anything they desire to achieve.

True teamwork is to be based upon universal goals rather than the private interests of individual pursuits similar to the ideology of “we” not “me.” This form of unity prevails against difficult and dangerous endeavors we wish to accomplish. But in order to bring about this there will have to be a persevering and enlightened leader with clear, convincing, and inspiring aims as well as the strength to carry and act upon it for wishing it into existence or visualizing it will never be enough as we have to put in the actual work to manifest anything we want in life. There is no place here for exclusivity or improper intentions.

Further Studies Can be Found Below:

https://www.taoistic.com/taoteching-laotzu/taoteching-13.htm

Month Pillar, Heavenly Stem, and Animal:

My Monthly Pillar is 4 and 5. Here we add the simple fact that meaningful connections form by those who have shared “like” experiences in life. In other words if I share stories with others from anything I have endured in my career or past such as college and another can relate to my experiences we will form connections easier than if we have nothing in common to make a foundation for friendships. It is also an indication that I lead by example and I strive to protect well established value systems.

My Heavenly Stem was Xin Metal. Usually this is symbolized by metal items such as gold and silver jewelry most commonly you will see images of rings. Among the four celestial creatures we find the white tiger with descending energy and Xin has been ascribed as Autumn (months of September and October) and late afternoon/early evening. Chinese alchemy or classic medicine also associates this with the lungs and thighs. Numerology would associate this Heavenly Stem with the number 4. Personal traits like great communication skills, intelligence, sensitivity, and brilliant thinking can be coupled with hard work as keys for success. Our sensitivity towards others allows us to make willing sacrifices in relationships, but we also need to discern between logic and emotion carefully. Our best qualities include honesty, competitiveness, and an air of sophistication while our negative qualities may appear as jealousy, inflexibility, and stinginess/greed.

The animal attached to the Heavenly Stem is an Earth Sheep. Earth Sheep are very different from other Sheep. Described as soft-hearted, sweet, and pure Earth Sheep come off as too innocent for this world. Our honesty, persistence, and hard-working mindset means once we set our eyes on any goal we do not give up. Where we struggle is that we suffer from being shy and we overthink every choice we make. When it comes to career it is the Earth Sheep who will have a natural artistic eye and a passion for creative pursuits excelling at building, painting, playing music, and writing to aid us in expressing ourselves and putting our emotional troubles into art. In general we make for great writers, philosophers, advertisers, dancers, and housekeepers. We do well in service industries and we never lack inspiration.

Earth Sheep are best known for following the Japanese path of knocking on the right door which has been termed I-Shoku-Ju or the life of the senses best described here and here.

Season of Birth and Yin/Yang Proportions:

I was born in the Season of Great Heat and I am 57% Yin with 43% Yang. The Season is simply an allusion to the fact that I am born during July which is one of the hottest months. In the East this is when wetness is experienced including typhoons and summer rains. Lightweight clothes like T-shirts and shorts or a hat to protect skin from overexposure to the sun are common during this season. This season also includes the Dragon Boat Festival and Children’s Day. The percentages above simply indicate that I show more Yin personality traits such as peacefulness, relaxation, introversion, and imagination. I am likewise and I know this for a fact more afflicted by bad habits of oversleeping, analysis paralysis, frustration, and a need for constant stimulation. I find that I enjoy yoga, dancing, goal setting, being adventurous, work commitments, swimming, and biking. Foods suggested for being more yin are often a raw vegetarian diet.

From all of this what you may find in my particular chart or any Four Pillars of Destiny chart is a way to comprehend the following:

https://www.dharmanet.org/coursesM/23/Theravada6.htm

The Four Pillars of Destiny is on sale right now as a Gratitude Sale through Thanksgiving at a $5 discount. You can find a full example reading here. Enjoy your Tuesday everyone, and I hope this was helpful to those struggling to interpret some of the perhaps more esoteric values of this reading at this time. Comments are always welcome!

Manifestation Mondays: What Are You Planting?

The prompt I saw read as follows:

“Imagine that you are planting three seeds that will grow and bloom. What are they?”

So I thought I would share three things which were planted in the garden over the years. Everything is done organic because I am extremely nitpicky and nag about this. Not certified since this is a home garden, but I was giving away lettuce, celery, or other items to neighbors every time I grew too much.

Yukon Gold Potatoes

The Yukon Gold potato was created in the 1960s by Gary Johnston who was a scientist and agricultural icon in Canada. These potatoes were first bred at Ontario Agricultural College in 1966 from a potato which originated in North Dakota, Yukon Gold grows throughout Canada as well as the Midwest and Western regions of the United States and is widely found at grocers or farmers markets.

Born in 1737 Antoine Parmentier became a pharmacist in the French army and subsequently spent three years as a prisoner of war. The prison diet consisted largely of potatoes which the Prussians cultivated while the French viewed them with disdain. Once freed he made the potato his obsession. A copy of Parmentier’s treatise made its way to Jefferson’s library at Monticello making it possible that Thomas Jefferson brought what would become the french fry back with him to serve at a White House dinner.

Delphinium

Delphinium is the symbol of joy, happiness, and goodwill representing positive communication and interactions while utilized as a symbol to ward off evil spirits or negative energy for generations. The Delphinium flower is also the official birth flower for July. Mom and I are July babies.

Their name originates via the Greek word delphin for dolphin as the flower’s spur resembles a dolphin’s back. These flowers also played a role in Greek mythology as the flowers bloomed from the blood of the Greek God Ajax during the Trojan War.

Swallowtail Caterpillars Eating Parsley

Swallowtail Caterpillars Eating Parsley

A butterfly mom left several eggs on my parsley. I wound up raising 5 black swallowtail butterflies from caterpillars and releasing them documenting their birthdays as well particularly the one that spent a year in chrysalis and emerged on my late maternal grandfather’s birthday.

Parsley has a unique history connecting it to death and the underworld in many different cultures in Europe. Some tie parsley to protection, purification, love, and communication with spirits among others. Medicinal benefits are varied and parsley is full of antioxidants helping with skin irritations and aiding digestion. It was believed by the Ancient Greeks that parsley sprung from the blood of a hero and son of death named Archemorus as he was consumed by serpents. This led to the belief that parsley was sacred and it was placed on tables in the home. It was likewise used to decorate tombs or made into wreaths for the victors of funeral games. The Greeks also fed parsley to their horses to give them strength.

Releasing Black Swallowtails

Releasing Black Swallowtails

Here is a few more items we grew:

Green Beans

My neighbor’s daughter taught me this before they moved. Both her and her brother were always looking over the fence from their trampoline with their friends to see what was happening in the garden and wanting to come over. I had so many green beans I had to collect bowls of them every day and eat them!

Garlic Chive

For two years I had this massively large garlic chive that flowered keeping bees and butterflies content. Then winter storm Uri left me convinced it was dead. But later in 2021 I noticed new plants growing and as they grew I began counting in my bed. I have 15 garlic chives now growing.

Zinnias

We had a huge pollinator garden which allowed me to take photos of many different butterflies as well as a few other guests!

Thai Basil

Was often added to pasta dishes actually. We grew Italian Basil this year, but some random Thai Basil actually returned and intermingled with the Italian as companion plants.

Actually lots of intermingling has occurred. Some of my neighbor’s wild violas wind pollinated in the garden. The squirrels have been fed by an unknown neighbor peanuts which they keep planting in my beds, and I get inundated by random peanut plants all over. Buckwheat, pea, and oat grass cover crops seem to enjoy growing together as the seeds wind pollinate.

I have so many garden photos I have plans to use them on Redbubble somehow (I’ve never done this before). Actually the biggest issue is that I had an iMac for over a decade and my iPhone. I’ve been trying to use a Microsoft laptop which I detest their products, but could not afford a new iMac. Long story short Microsoft won’t sync to anything from my iCloud and/or has problems if I try other file share avenues. This means getting to my photos is difficult, and I’m presently spending a lot of time trying to work around this with zip files and other cloud storage. Somehow on my old iMac it had zero hang ups between receiving or converting between the two systems yet Microsoft is exactly the way I remembered it which is why I had previously boycotted them as if they were the literal plague. My first ever computer was Apple and it sold me in a heartbeat in a way Microsoft never could. And I was thankful I had options. Linux I know nothing about, but had wondered as to what it may offer or have as drawbacks. But I digress and apologize for the semi complaint/rant. I do not like feeling as if what should be easy is made difficult over what to me appears utterly illogical with computers and AI since I’ve dealt with absurdities for far too long as I get older.

I never grew anything before. After my foot injuries mentioned in a previous blog post and my interest in environmentalism this was the journey taken. And while I was laid up during surgery the land laid fallow. I have since managed to cover crop and grow some pollinator plants or herbs to help re-establish my soil in my beds which keep on giving. My soil is really fertile, does not require much fertilizing or look out, and grows wild monstrous plants. It grows everything from weeds to anything my neighbor’s grow which wind sows in the soil. Every time I have thought plants were finished and cut them back or tried to compost they miraculously come right back. I even had romanesco one year start growing again in my compost bed completely random after I tossed the leaves and stem in at the end of a harvest.

And I used to think I had zero green thumb and would kill anything if I touched it.

PS: iCloud for Windows problem now resolved after a headache of getting it to download/install so now I can access photos off my iPhone on my laptop. Finally some light at the end of a dark tunnel. Thank you!

Sign Spotlight Sundays: Beware the Pincers of the Crab

Cancer – June 21 through July 22

Cancer as the foundation of creation diffuses the dark light of matter once it receives energies coming via the soul. Cancers also act as our gateway into incarnation for individual souls to gain the experience needed for their individualized evolution. This sign’s magnetic pull acts as guidepost into our dark places of experience where the spark of consciousness is birthed as spirit and man becomes a conscious personality. Cancer is fusion of physical body with soul ruling mass consciousness via emotion rather than logic. Sense perception is cultivated and honed where the world of causes lead to our discovery of the urge to wake up from our illusions. We may find here repressed negative emotional responses inherited from our past. We also find Cancer to be our maternal instincts making us partakers in nurturing roles. This sign of the Universal Mother symbolizes fertility, tenacity, self preservation, and our inherent ability to connect with surrounding support systems which nurture survival. The mantra for Cancer should be summed up as “I build a lighted house and therein I dwell.”

This Divine consciousness is to be found in all manifested things be they human, animal, vegetable, or mineral. Self preservation acts as a major catalyst in our process leading to evolution and the recurrent appearance of life. Cancer can become the way shower of human unfolding which dominates man preparing all for unity, freedom, and release.

From within esoteric Judaism and Christianity we see this best in the month of Tammuz. We find two important narratives here which are the sin of the golden calf and the 17th of Tammuz or the three week period to remember the destruction of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. The Hebrew letter associated is Chet associated with the sense of sight as well as spiritual light emitted from the eyes and physical light from objects observed and returned to the eyes. Here we can develop an ability to see through our perceived reality or Maya recognizing Divine source in all things. Ruby was connected with Cancer via the breast plate of the high priests.

Red is a seductive color which can imply the fall of man from grace or alternately the ultimate rise and rectification of man via the coming of Messiah/Christ Consciousness. This is a time in which we should guard our eyes and see only that which is good in life. The right hand index finger serves to direct and focus one’s eyesight. When reading any Torah scroll there is a custom to point at every word with a silver finger called a yad. The wedding ring is placed by the groom on the index finger of the bride’s right hand to elevate the couple to the level of “my dove” from the controversial book the Song of Songs as an indication of intensely expressed love transmitted by the never ceasing gaze of the eyes one to the other.

The crab has been symbolic of defensiveness hence the blog post title, resilience, adaptability, self-reliance, and change. They can be misunderstood when their reclusive natures crop up which is due to their shyness or intuitive nature which makes them more sensitive. These small in stature creatures roam both land and sea yet should not be taken for granted. The hard shell with it’s oversized claws indicate both a fearless mindset and strong defensive capabilities whereby you won’t see them backing down from a fight. Humans likewise find that we may need a hard outer shell or skin when we develop our skills at defending our choices or beliefs in life.

Crabs do not move in a straight line to achieve their goals or to reach their destination. They will move in all directions including sideways therefore humans should recognize no route is ever straightforward. In Greek mythology the crab was seen to represent the story about Karkinos who helped Lernaean Hydra battle against Hercules. Peruvians worshiped nature and all animals seeing crabs as an essential part of their ceremonial attire or colorful artwork.

Zen Buddhism uses meditation and koan where one such koan shows a monkey reach for the reflection of the moon in the water which vanishes into ripples once touched to teach us that our world is fickle and we are straining for the unattainable. Through a group of monkeys who prey upon a lone crab we learn about karma or cause and effect which links intent and action with the future. The monkey has a persimmon seed and the crab a rice dumpling. The jealousy of the monkey leads to a proposed trade to which the crab agrees. The monkey ravishes the rice dumpling while the crab is seen burying his persimmon seed. The next year a large wondrous persimmon tree reaches towards heaven and the poor crab is unable to reach any of the fruit. This greedy monkey climbs to the top, eats all the fruit, and throws the hardest persimmon at the crab to kill him. During the funeral the crab’s son takes revenge on this monkey killing him with the aid of all of his friends.

The story is used to teach us that positive deeds equal positive results while negative deeds bring negative results. Our greedy and wicked monkey is punished leaving us with a question about our young crab who killed in an act of revenge. If crabs battle with monkeys both will be killed for the good of all society. Our more modern variations of this story teach the benefit and importance or necessity of forgiveness in life whereby no one is killed as the monkey apologizes for his bad behavior.

Along this vein of thought there is what we call crab mentality or a phenomenon whereupon people may react negatively in thoughts, statements, and actions to anyone who gets ahead of them in life. This leads to someone who discourages or sabotages their friends and family when they do well at school or profession simply because they’re bitter about struggling with their own life situation.