Monthly Archives: December 2010

Shooting the Messenger.

Posted on December 31, 2010 | 20 Comments

            My first day, back to “normal” (ah ha ha!) and it was marred by a bad start.  As I have mentioned, I begin my day slowly.  I drink my tepid tea, I skim the daily news, then I pick our card, and move on to what ever the list says to do that day.  (Unless it’s mall time, then I’m crabby and rushed, but that’s behind us now, so no need to even bring it up.)  I got to the kitchen today to find… NO newspaper.  In its appointed spot was a scribbled note from my Beloved saying “paper wasn’t here when I went to bed, and I couldn’t wait any longer.”

          Now, one would think that if one was awake in the morning and the paper had not arrived by its usual time (around 5 a.m.) and one needed to get to bed (I’m guessing around 8 or so, also in the a. of m.), one would CALL THE GAWDAMN CIRCULATION DESK!  One would be wrong in that assumption.  Oh so wrong.  He did NOT call anyone, he went to bed.  When I got up, at the crack of one/two-ish, everyone at the freaking newspaper office had GONE HOME!

            I telephoned every number I could find.  No one answered.  They were done for the day.  I had no paper.  One of the useless asinine shitheads helpful voice mail messages said I could report my claim on line.  Which I did.  Then I had to drink my tea and NOT glance at any printed-on-paper headlines.  I begrudgingly began my day anyway.  Got dressed and went about my business.  It got better though, the mini fit passed and I ran my errands leisurely.  I even thought about what I would share in JulieLand this evening.   

           (I would have cropped this, but I seem to have suddenly lost that particular skill.)   Remember the happy photo of my children from our Family Celebration?  Well they were gathered around this box (and trying to open it).  Santa (Also Known As The Solstice Fairy, Also Known As my own wee self elf) found this fine holiday piece of frivolity on sale and thought it would be a lovely new addition to The Burrow.  The bonus (for the witchlings) was going to be that it would most likely annoy the hell out of their mother, being all festive and crap.  (Yes, I have been known to purchase toys and gadgets that irritate me but bring them great and endless joy.)  Turns out, it’s actually quite lovely, and really a fun little item.   

             It chimes on the hour in the sweetest tones, reminding us of a cuckoo clock or some other gentle and pleasant old fashioned time piece.  How funny that something that was mostly meant as a gag gift or silly joke ended up being entirely enjoyable for everyone.

    The card I flipped over (after I threw a minor tantrum over NOT having my paper) made me kind of smile.  We are back to the Animal Medicine Cards, and I think they were laughing at me.  I’m sure you will all agree once you’ve read the definition.

 “Hawk  ~  Messenger

Hawk is akin to Mercury, the messenger of the gods.  Hawk medicine teaches you to be observant, to look at your surroundings.  Observe the obvious in everything that you do.  Life is sending you signals.

  Life is the initiation.  If you have pulled the Hawk card, then right now a clue about the magic of life is being brought to you.  This message can imbue you with the power to overcome a currently stressful or difficult situation.  The test is your ability to observe the nuances of power lurking nearby.  Pay attention!  You are as powerful as your capacity to perceive, receive, and use your abilities.

  What is called for here is an intuitive ability to discern the message carried within the cry of Hawk.  The shrillness of Hawk’s call pierces the state of unawareness, and asks you to seek the truth.

  The ancients recognized this magnificent bird of prey as a messenger bringing tidings to their Earth Walk, the Good Red Road, from the world of the grandmothers and grandfathers who lived before them.  If Hawk were to magically call out, it was a sign to beware or be aware.  This could mark the coming of a warring tribe, the birth of a child, or the celebration of counting coup.  Hawk’s cry signalled the need for the beholder to heighten awareness and receive a message.

Hawk medicine is a totem that is filled with responsibility, because Hawk people see the overall view.  Hawk is not like Mouse, who sees everything through a magnifying glass.  Hawk medicine people are aware of omens, messages from Spirit, and the color of the calling card you gave them three months ago.  No detail slips by them unnoticed.

For Hawk to be here now, you are to be aware of signals in your life, so notice and receive them.  Hawk may be teaching you to grab an opportuinty which is coming your way.  On the other hand, Hawk may be bringing you the message that you should circle over your life, and examine it from a higher perspective.  From this vantage point you are better able to discern the hazards which bar you from freedom of flight.  Remember: Hawk has a keen eye and a bold heart, for Hawk flies close to the Light of Grandfather Sun.”

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Back at the Trough (on several levels).

Posted on December 30, 2010 | 5 Comments

           I am now, once again, officially un-employed.  Whew!  What a ride.  For another year (and hopefully forever) I am done with this job.  I shall look in to government funding by reinstating my UI claim, just as I did last year, and will begin papering the town with updated resumes.  (I may wait until that Shadow Effect is behind us though, don’t want to take any unnecessary chances in the Finding New and Wonderful Work front.  Although, I did leave a couple with some of my new mall pals as I was finishing up today.)

           We broke down the booth, packed away all the unsold merchandise, I faxed the last payroll, and dropped the last bank deposit.  I got another papercut and bashed my knuckles.  However, I looked fine!  Wore my new It Gets Better Project t-shirt and my awesome personalized high tops.  One does want to go out with a bit of flair.

          If you are keeping up with the changes in the side-bars, you’ll see that there are new lunar notes and that coupon code I promised you, in case anyone can’t live without discounted gaudy crap and Jesus heads collectable glass treasures.  I am debating about whether to add the upcoming solar eclipse.  I am not a very “sunshine-y” person, tending more towards what Mother Moon is doing.  Also, it’s a partial eclipse and it won’t be visible from this side of the world.  I may think about it a while, then decide.

           We have our list all current for those of you interested in my drawing.  I will close the entries tomorrow (Friday) night.  So let me know if you haven’t already chimed in.

        The news has been full of all the changing, and extreme winter weather lately.  We had a light dusting of snow yesterday, but then it went back to rain.  Could still actually get some.  But for now, this is what my view looks like these days.          

               One last update, then on with our Card o’ The Day.  Sit down, this could shock some of you.  I made myself a snack.  At the stove.  While it was turned on.  Yes, I stood before the heated burner, prepared some food, and did not sustain any injuries and did not burn the house down.  It was monumental. 

        I really can feed my wee self elf.  And my family.  When I absolutely HAVE to.  I did it for years (no, not really well but I did it).  Recently Hanny went to a holiday dinner with Adam‘s family, the theme was Childhood Food Favorites.  She was kind of stumped for a bit there.  “Uh, my mother can call in a pizza?  Or order Drive Thru really efficiently?”  Fortunately my college graduate daughter recalled a time when we all had meals around the table (okay, mostly snacks, but hey, they were on plates).  She reenacted an ancient tradition from the growing up years: quesadillas/cheese tortillas.

            I made some tonight.  Daniel even bought me a special pan for them a few years ago.  It’s my very own personal cooking implement.  I use whatever cheese is in the ‘fridge and slap those babies down.  This time I had “roll ups”  (that term cracks me up, a new word for everything these days) that were of the Garden Spinach variety.  They turned out great.  I’m really good at this.  It is simple and uncomplicated.  (I have not included photos this time, because I didn’t want to be a queso enabler.)

        As I stood before our card altar this afternoon I was pleased to see that we had returned to The Celtic Shaman’s Pack.  I like this deck because it’s set up differently than most and yet it has well defined categories.  The guidebook is also very nicely done.  This is what I was reading about today before I sat down here. 

        “The primary technique of shamanic practice is the otherworld journey.  This involves the shaman entering a trance state and traveling in the spirit body from the world of manifestation, in which we live, to that of the inner realms.  There, the shaman makes contact with the spirits and consults them on a wide variety of problems to do with daily life and larger issues.

          Shamans of every tradition have learned to listen to the voices of their inner helpers, in whatever form or way they appear.  Discarnate entities, non-physical beings, ghosts, angels, totem animals, guides, these are all terms which have been applied to the beings who inhabit the spirit realms.  None is precisely right, nor goes far enough in its definition of such things, yet many perfectly ordinary people have experiences of one form or another which can be described in terms of spirit contact and communication.

         The spirits are essentially beings who live and function within the otherworld reality.  There, they are as real and solid as we are…  The most astonishing fact is that these beings are willing to work with us, help us, and to offer guidance on all kinds of problems.”

        What I liked best about this passage was how it encompassed the traditions of all peoples.  We, in our current incarnations and oh so modern lives, are no different than ancient folks, from all continents, as we seek guidance and wisdom from those who went before us, from those who inhabit the realms we can’t always easily access.  It makes me think of how our ancestors were leaning the same sort of spiritual lessons that we are.

“The Boar   (Tor)    ~    Power

A bristled black boar stalks through the forest.  Along his spine are clustered a number of stars.

The pig in general and the boar in particular are powerful and always fearsome opponents.  They are generally magical beings and often oracular, possessing the ability to foretell the future.  There is a stong tradition of the inexhaustible pig which is killed and eaten but returns to life the next day.  The underlying theme is therefore of unending bounty, in this case of strength and great power.

Journey:  Make your way to the heart of a great wood, and there discover one of the Great Pigs of Annwn, rooting for acorns beneath a tree.  On his word, assume the shape of the Boar and run together through the woodlands, scenting the earth and feeling strength unbounded flowing through your veins.    Your companion bears some object in its crest, this is for you and should be accepted when offered.  Graciously receive your gift at the end of the run, and retain your new power as you re-entry your own world.”

 

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Survived another one.

Posted on December 29, 2010 | 6 Comments

           As I write this we have less than an hour until that dastardly Mercury straightens itself out.  I think maybe we can say we lived through it.  Not unscathed by any means, but we did not die from it either.  Phew!  Dodged a bullet there folks.  Now all we need to get past is the Shadow Effect and by January 17, we should be in the clear.

             My day was exhausting.  And I’m still not done with it.  Had erranding on the list, one of the quests involved getting the right type and number of calendars (may end up having to order some).  Hauling a truck load (literally, we had filled the cargo area of Daniel’s Testosterone Machine) full of boxes and bubble wrap to the mall, and then I had to UN-load it.  (What a huge freaking pain in the ass this turned out to be.  Not to mention the assorted small injuries I sustained in the seemingly endless process of it all.)  Went to my swimmy/exercisey class, and had to work extr-y hard because the pool will be closed on Friday.  We are shuffling a vast portion of household belongings and furniture around for Empress (you remember, she’s moving but not really moving).  There was phoning and texting and more phoning about our break down schedule tomorrow for the kiosk (and did I mention all those gawdamn boxes?) as well as arguing with Liberal Supervisor because he can’t seem to understand how we are NOT allowed to pack up left over merchandise DURING mall hours.  Ugh, simply tiresome, the entire day.

                  I have lost track of my foreign license plate scrap of old re-used envelope (yes I know shocking) but I now have a fabulous new journal to document such important data.  (Crap, I just realized I forgot to take a picture of it.  Tomorrow, promise.)  Thank you Kelly!!!  Dan and I saw one of the Mystery Dakotas today, which was what reminded me of my half-assed reporting here lately.

                     Look what arrived on my doorstep yesterday.  

            Remember when I donated a peso or two?  I got this!  Can’t wait to NOT have a job for a bit and wear it around the house.  Although, it would probably be more worthwhile if I wore it someplace that actual humans might see it.

                       I also finished another subversive tea towel. 

              Emmy decided she liked the first one better so she is leaving this one for her father.  (She noticed that it had a lovely lemon tree on the other end.)  I have one more going right now, with another made-up phrase of my own.  Should be done next week, and I will definitely be photographing it (hope it makes sense to someone besides just my own wee self elf).

          I will be responding to your comments after I get this up, but thanks for all the interest in my contest.  I am writing all the names down and when I close the entries on Friday night I will transcribe them all on to nice little slips of paper (and possibly I’ll even use my good fountain pen), in preparation for the drawing.  If J.D. comes by we may use one of his hats, but I was also thinking that since Dan will be making the random selection it might be more appropriate to put them all into one of his big mixing bowls or favorite stock pot.  (He says chances are good that we can make a short video, but we’ll be doing a few testers first so I don’t have some sort of a melt-down on Sunday if things go horribly wrong.)

            We are back to our regular rotation around the card altar and have arrived again to The Druid Animal Oracle.  Apologies for non-reptile folks, they seem to like appearing in groups.

“Earth Dragon ~ Draig-talamh (pronounced Draig-talav) ~ Power, Potential, Riches

The card shows a coiled dragon guarding a hoard of treasure in its cave.  An old inhabitant of the Welsh village of Penllyne, who died at the turn of the century, insisted that his father and uncle kill such dragons.  In his boyhood he had seen them: coiled when resting, they ‘looked as if they were covered with jewels of all sorts.  Some of them had crests sparkling with all the colours of the rainbow.’  When disturbed they glided swiftly, ‘sparkling all over’ to their hidden places.

  The Earth Dragon brings us face to face with our potential.  Within us we have a treasure house of riches, of powers and capacities, which we can learn how to use.  In the past we may have been denied access by the guardian of this treasure.  But now we are coming to understand that this sometimes fierce guardian is in reality an aspect of ourselves.  By coming to know and love Draig-talamh we will be able to unlock the secrets of our heart, and at the same time we will find ourselves discovering the beauty in the very earth itself.”

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Three Years Today, if my math is correct.

Posted on December 28, 2010 | 38 Comments

              On this day in 2007 I wrote my very first blog post.  That’s right, it’s a Blog-O-Versary!  Hurray, toss confetti and tune up the band!  My beautiful and brilliant Hurricane said to me, as we were all still reeling from the loss of my baby sister, “you should have a blog Mom.  You have things to say, and mostly we have all heard them, but other people might be interested.”  So she (graciously and patiently) helped me set up JulieLand.

               We’ve evolved quite a bit in that time.  I learned how to download my own pictures, and add links, and move crap around.  Earlier this year we gave the place a make-over, and I learned even more.  She taught me how to change the header and clutter up the side-bars.  I fluffed up the blog rolls and now have my own Gravatar.  It’s been a very fun and thrilling ride.  My readership has grown and our connections have been strengthened.

             I love having this little corner of the internet world to call my own.  I am still enjoying our Card O’ The Day and the stimulating interaction from everyone who has been with me from the beginning as well as those of you who just found me recently. 

             To celebrate this milestone I am going to give away a couple of goodies.  We (meaning Daniel) are going to draw a name from a hat (and hopefully record the excitement with a short video).  The prize will be a Tarot Card reading from me to you or that last subversive sampler I put up a few days ago (the one with bonus: two bad words).   All you need to do is tell me in the comments section that you would like to be part of my contest.  If you feel so inclined, you may also let me know if you have, either read through the archives, been with me all along, or just discovered the absurdity that is Me.  Easy Peasey.

              I will leave the entries open until the end of the year (that’s always fun to say when it’s only days from now) and Dan will pluck out our winner (plus a second place person, because there are two gifts) on Sunday night.  I’ll post the results (and fingers crossed, a highly entertaining video clip of us) before midnight of the 2nd.  Good luck JulieLanders!  And thank you for sticking with me through it all.  (Super special, and overwhelming gratitude, to my gorgeous, talented, and generous adult children, J.D., Emma, and Hanna.)

             The new photo I just put up across the top is from my last trip to Cottage Grove (I think it was this past summer).  It’s strangely blurry because I was sitting in my car and using my phone.  The downtown area has some lovely historic buildings.  I have no idea what this one is/was, but I was fascinated by the bricked in portion of that wall.  Next to it is an empty lot.  Here’s the original shot I took that day.  

         Because this date was an important one for me, I went with our Special Occasion deck.  (Actually I was standing in the room where our card altar is set up and instead of facing it, as I usually do, I felt my wee self elf being turned and heading toward the other direction.)  As I flipped the card over I was, once again (for about the gazillionth time in my life) reminded that things go as they are supposed to.  We are led where we need to be.  Our difficulties are our most valuable lessons.  Sometimes we get a pleasant surprise along with a much needed validation.

“Snake  ~  Transmutation.

   Snake can be viewed as being both feminine and masculine in nature, both solar and lunar-influenced, an emissary of life and death, and of healing and venom.  It embodies all possibilities, being masculine in form and phallic in nature, while traditionally accompanying the ancient Mother deities as symbols of intuition and wisdom.  It has arbitrated the Three Worlds since the Dreamtime as the lightning and solar rays of the Sky Realm, the primeval waters of Mother Earth, and the Underworld in which it dwells.

  The Celts saw Snake as a powerful symbol of fertility, often depicting Serpents in their art work with eggs lodged firmly in their mouth, emblematic depictions of Creation, with the masculine seed meeting and joining with the female egg.

  While embracing the promise of new life, Snake can be seen as representative of the healing we must accept if we intend to move into the next phase of our life in a complete and fertile way.  As a symbol now employed by the medical fraternity, the Caduceus is a stylised emblem incorporating a pair of Snakes entwined together in the sacred act of copulation, working themselves as one around a staff, taking a symbolic journey to the higher, mystical realms.  Before we can welcome what we yearn for into our lives, we must first be prepared to identify the things we no longer want or need.

   There is no such thing as a sick person who is not grieving for something.  If we are grieving for some aspect of life that we feel is out of our reach, no matter who hard we twist and turn in a vain attempt to draw it closer to us, the grief we feel will eventually make us ill.

   The presentation of Snake right now is a way of gently pointing out that you need to look deep within yourself and honour those aspects that pose the threat of making you un-well.  We have to hand them over so that we may see clearly again, allowing us to move forward with confidence and a renewed sense of purpose.  Snake encourages us to look at our baggage, our burdens, and our pain, and transmute them into new opportunities and new life.  She offers us the change to physically rebirth ourselves by strengthening us emotionally and deepening our relationship with Spirit.”

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Emotions Out of Control.

Posted on December 27, 2010 | 8 Comments

            Tonight I want to talk a little bit about feelings, communications, and actions.  It is a sad fact that no matter how genuinely pure our intentions are, they will sometimes become lost in translation.  To communicate perfectly is nearly impossible when deep emotion is involved.  Trying to get a clear message, from one person to another, in the heat of the moment, can just raise the level of tears flowing and jumble our words into incoherence.  Precisely the opposite of what we want to convey becomes the unfortunate, but inevitable, result.  Throw a Mercury retrograde into the chaotic blend and all we get is more confusion.

          There are relationships that run off the rails continuously.  Always it’s with someone we have strong feelings for.  Often it is with someone we are very similar to, which seems wrong, because you’d think arguments or emotionally charged discussions would happen more amongst conflicting/differing personality types.  But really, have you ever imagined having a sobbing fight with yourself?  It would be a disaster.  And pointless besides.  This is how misunderstandings are born.  Then grow and mutate and endlessly cycle around.  Emotions mask clarity.  No other way to put it.

        To clearly state your position you need to leave the feelings aside.  Set them over there, for later use.  Come back to the topic with a solid idea of what you need to express, and then get it out there.  Be brave and be honest.  Be humble and take claim for your faults.  Act according to your heart and conscience.  Acknowledge the mistakes and harsh words of each individual.  Forgive.  See through the eyes of the love you have for the other person.  Apologize.  Then get on with living.

        The way to break a pattern like this is to look at it, and address it.  See it for what it is, and then stop repeating it.  We learn from our mistakes only if we recognize that mis-steps are being made.  Forgiveness and honest assessment, no matter how painful, are the only things that can cease this kind of pain.  Watching a relationship circle around a drain like a flushed toilet won’t help anyone.  Dragging it out into the open, without the clouding emotions, is the most beneficial method for putting things right.

        Thank you all for your kind words and Fairy God Betty Vibes of Universal healing and care.  Today is a new day and we are now moving forward.  I even have a bonus photo for you.  

       Well, once again, it’s not a wonderful picture.  But you can see that I am continuing to enjoy the gift from my Hurricane, and am subversively cross stitching my little heart out.  Are you familiar with Alton Brown?  He has a show on the Food Network, Daniel and Empress are great fans.  One of the things he says is “wash those chicken-y hands!”  I put this on a lovely dish towel for Dan.  (Em wants one too, so I’ll do anther in the next few days.)

        Our card today (which I originally drew yesterday, before my world crashed down around my ears) is perfect and helpful.  As if it would be otherwise.  (Also, just as a magical aside, I did not even look at what I flipped over or read the definition from the guide book before I wrote today’s post.  It all just happened to fall into place like this.)  Let’s enjoy it and learn from it shall we?  And take our own advice, moving forward and leaving our sorrows behind us (hopefully never to be repeated again).

“Clairsentience  ~  Archangel Raguel:  Notice your recurring physical and emotional feelings, as they signify Divine guidance.

  Please honor your feelings.  Don’t be afraid of deep emotions or intense feeling.  I can help you distinguish between your own feelings and those of others.  I’ll also help you clear any energies you may absorb.  I will guide you toward people, situations, and places with clear and loving energy.  Your repetitive emotions and physical feelings provide important information, so please notice and follow these feelings.  They are answers to your prayers.  Ask me to help translate confusing messages so that you will clearly know which steps to take.”

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