The past couple of days my granddaughter has been under the weather.  She’s been snuggled up on the couch with her DVD player and a blanket.

Observing her squinting, in an effort to shut the streaming sunbeam out of her eyes from the skylight, it brought me back to my own childhood memories of being sprawled out on a blanket on Old South Cape Beach decades long past.

The sun was a hypnotic orb.  I was constantly being told not to look at.  Don’t look at the sun, you’ll go blind!, screamed my parents.  I looked anyway.  I was that kind of a kid.

Looking at the sun had incredible advantages.  I would start by making my eyes tiny slits, and then gradually, ever so slowly, work up to a full direct megaton millisecond confrontation.  For twenty minutes I would look around the beach and see black orbs everywhere.  You see I was a scientist in the making.  Personal experimentation.  Logging my results.  I was going to be the first person on the planet who could make direct eye contact with the sun and keep my sight.

That huge ball of yellow-white power just hanging above my head, taunting me “to look”; to take in its energy from 93,000,000 miles away.  As the heat and light reached my insignificant cellular being,  I challenged it to infuse me with strength and inner light.

When I bored of the black orbs, and knowing logically that I could not make a steady diet of burning my retinas, I would lie down on the hot sand and squeeze my eyes as tight as I could.

LSD I scoff at you.  I could make any colour appear just by loosening my clamped shut-tight eyes.  I could see all the colours behind my eyelids, and with every colour revealed a variety of geometric shapes outlined in white.  It was glorious this gift of producing my own light show in my head.  There I was, starting out with darkness, and by simply doing eye crunches, not unlike an exercise for the abdomen, a full out artistic process, sans paintbrush, was created for my entertainment.

Looking at my granddaughter I wondered if I could still trick the light fantastic.  Standing face forward, until the sunbeam caressed my face, I began to tightly squeeze my eyes, loosen them, and re-crunch my lids.  There it all was.   Prismatic colours, and enhanced images danced and played inside of my mind.

The light is without and within and darkness was nowhere to be found for the moment.

Tags: artistic process, looking at the sun, LSD, megaton, ninety-three million, Old South Cape Beach, rainbows, squinting, sunbeam

Thanks again to our resident Astrologer, Nancy we have New Moon in Virgo advice.  I don’t know about you, but the retrograde Mercury information this month from Nancy was extremely helpful – the energies are feeling a little crazy, and I for one, was thankful for the inside “skinny”.  Now Nancy has layered this New Moon guidance for us as well.  Enjoy!

This month’s New Moon is in the sign Virgo, and Virgo is a very practical sign that can help us to become more aware of where it is that we need more organization in our lives.  We can now easily  take a look at ourselves and see just where we might need some improvement.

The past few months have been full of changes and challenges that were forced upon us — now is the time to take charge and make those positive moves that will get us back on the right track.  Whatever the area of need: health, job security, job hunting, tying up loose ends, making amends for past mistakes, or just improving your life in little ways — now is the time to go forth and tackle your “demons” with the help of this fortuitous Virgo New Moon.  Wherever  the sign Virgo appears in your Natal Chart will give you the clues you need to make things happen and begin to improve your life, surroundings, health or relationships.

Remember, we are still under the auspices of a Retrograde Mercury, so  plan ahead, take your time and create a strong foundation for the changes you wish to make — and when Mercury turns direct on the 29th, you will be ahead of the game and ready to enable yourself to manifest those changes you want and perhaps need right now.  The power is there to use, be practical, precise, and patient.  If you have been writing down the same affirmations or wishes for the past few months, and you don’t see any results, try rewriting those wishes in a new format — be clear, and you might want to shake up your list to include some Virgo inspired areas — i.e., health, organization, work, contracts (don’t sign until Rx Mercury is over — or make sure you understand the depth of what you are putting your signature upon).

For Virgo’s especially, this will be the start of a new cycle as the planet Saturn has been in your sign for the past approximately 2 and 1/2 years — and will be moving on, entering the sign Libra on October 29th.  When Saturn transits over our Sun sign, it can bring many challenges — in fact, my rule of thumb is that if you know someone under this aspect — invite them to lunch – they can probably use the break — this is usually a difficult transit, but it makes us aware of those areas in our lives that need change, shaking up, or perhaps endings.   It might be a job that is going nowhere, a friendship that has deteriorated and must be re-energized or ended, or a health matter that has been ignored and now has been brought to the fore, and must be attended to.   Many folks feel as if they have been through the wringer after a Saturn transit — and for many, it is one of the most difficult times of their lives.  We all have been through these times, and we have survived — with a little luck and foresight, we can thrive.

OK — now Librans are casting a wary eye on the next 2 plus years under Saturn’s auspices… we will address that issue in another posting.  We must remember, Saturn is somewhere in our charts — we are always dealing with issues associated with this “teaching” planet.  Saturn is not the bully of the Zodiac as some would have us believe… indeed it may be the most important planet in moving us ahead in our evolutionary journey.  Is it a tough-love planet? — oh yes — does it have it’s rewards? — in spades.  Saturn rewards us elegantly when we have learned those lessons it is trying to teach us…  There is a yin/yang beauty to the Universe — it is a never-ending circle of lessons, love, service, and learning — we are on a pathway and the stars though they impel us, never compel us.  To harmonize with the ebb and flow of the planetary movement is to be full aware of our place in the Universe, a place where we belong.

The New Moon in Virgo, at 26 degrees, takes place on September 18th at 1:44 PM — so the evening hours of the 18th and morning hours of the 19th are the best times to write down your affirmations and wishes.  Remember to add an hour for DST.   Saturn in Virgo can help you fulfill all of your desires, work with the harmony and energy that is there, and you will be rewarded with more self-respect, a more positive outlook, and an exhilarating feeling of aliveness.

Tags: ignoring health matters, job hunting, job security, Libra, making amends, New Moon in Virgo, Saturn auspices, tackle your demons, tying up loose ends

“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better”

– Albert Einstein

Tags: Albert Einstein, look deep into nature

Years ago I was blessed to study Lakota methodology and ceremonial practices.  One day our teacher informed his students that sage was sacred and not to be burnt for smudging.  Sage was used as a tisane, or to wrap/lay sacred items upon.

I use cedar, copal, frankincense or sweetgrass for purification rites.  Burning sweetgrass and keeping it lit is an incredible skill, one that I do not have except for rare occasions.

In 2002, my father passed away due to complications of lung cancer surgery.   Upon his passing I went to see my mentor who offered to say prayers for the progression of my father’s Soul.  I brought my daughter with me, as we were both grieving for the loss of my Dad.  My mentor instructed me to keep the sweetgrass lit and smoking, as it would assist in prayers to The Old Ones as he prayed for my Dad.  My only task, my job if you will, was to keep the sweetgrass burning.  That’s it.  Simple, right?

The sweetgrass kept going out despite my best efforts.  It would not hold a light.  I remember looking up, to see my daughter’s eyes give me a sideways glance as if to say, “You had ONE job….ONE job!”

Sweetgrass is my bane, it is my constant challenge.  Not keeping the sweetgrass lit made me feel like a failure.  I was worried that my Dad may not get to his spiritual plateau because I could not do this one simple task – keep the fire burning.  After the prayers my teacher assured me that everything would be ok, despite my ineptness of not keeping dry grass burning.

I’m told that sweetgrass must be given to you and that you’re not supposed to buy it for yourself.  Heck, if I waiting until someone gave me sweetgrass I wouldn’t have any at all.

A few years ago I discovered by chance this incredible site that will send you sweetgrass plants.  I purchased the Supershamanistic plants from Ecoseeds, waited two years so it would develop an excellent root system, and now make my own sweetgrass braids.  After all, I can depend upon the kindness of strangers to GIVE me a braid here and there, but I’m a realist.  “Learn to fish”, as they say.

My land is full of clay and sand.  I don’t fertilize the plants, but have designated a patch on the front lawn where it grows in a lovely circle.  My grandson and I cut quite a bit the other evening and he held onto one end of the bundled sharp leaves while I tied and braided them.

Things to consider:

Wear gloves ~ these leaves are sharp as razors.

Don’t make the groupings overly large, or they will be difficult to braid.

Cut  leaves about 1” from the ground, so not to hurt the root system.

Place the leaves in a basket or container so they face all the same way, i.e., cut ends together, leaf tips together.

Share this time with a young person if you can;  continue to teach the First American practices about healing Mother Earth and smudging for energy purification.

When braiding pull with a firm pressure, but not so firmly that you break the sweetgrass.

Use your thumb to flatten the braid as you work.

Knot the top and bottom with four knots for the four directions.

Hang in a space that allows air circulation.

Allow to become fully dry before burning.

To burn:

First offer a prayer of intent to your higher belief system.  What are you looking to purify?  Your home?  Your energy?  Your negative thoughts?  Sickness?

Hold the dried braid away from you! Untie the bottom (skinniest) part of the braid and unfurl a small amount of leaves.  Light with a match, or lighter.  The grass will catch and burn with a flame, be careful!

Use an abalone shell or fireproof bowl to catch any falling ashes.  Tap the braid so the smoke billows, and use the smoke to smudge (purify) your energy, a room, any area that needs cleansing.

To douse the hot embers tap the lit ends of the sweetgrass on a damp sponge or damp piece of cloth.  DO NOT pour water on the sweetgrass.

Tags: cedar, copal, First Americans, frankincense, hierochloe odorata, how to use sweetgrass, Lakota methodology, sacred practices, sage, smudging, sweetgrass, sweetgrass braid