Here’s the bizarre humour of the Universe, on the very day that I am (finally!) able to share this (much awaited) topic with you (which I’ll explain in a sec) we get a card message that is nearly the polar opposite. Symbolically speaking, anyway. I just had to laugh when I realized what had happened. Life is truly and remarkably entertaining, not to mention ridiculously funny.
My “mystery” subject is an astrological phenomenon that’s considered an Aspect Vacuum and called, more commonly, Moon Void of Course. It happens about every other day, or approximately thirteen times in each lunar cycle. It can last for a moment, or up to almost two and a half days. The “cause” is credited to when Mother Moon is not in any relationship with anything else, when she is not forming a conjunction, sextile, square, opposition, or trine with any other planet.
Honestly, I don’t completely understand what most of those technical words mean, but the fact is, we’re all made of so damn much water that when the Moon is doing something messy, or moving from one connection to another, we feel it. And that’s all I need to know. (Science sometimes hurts my head.) (Not even kidding.)
I’ve been consulting professional charts and graphs and essays for days. It’s still slightly confusing to my smooth wee brain, but I’ve learned that it’s an aspect of the cosmos (and of us) which we need to NOT let slide by unattended to.
See, skeptics don’t have to be persuaded that these things affect us, because our physical reactions to phenomenons like this are there. We see, feel, and fully experience them. Believe in it or not, it’s gonna happen, either way.
Many people will react in a dizzy or spacey way, feeling detached, or simply ”out of it.” The lack of lunar energy coming in can leave us with the sensation of emptiness, feeling an unexplained lack, and even just wondering why we’re so oddly tired. We might not understand why uncertainty or loneliness just appear out of nowhere.
Well, clearly there can be tons of reasons for these attitudes, moods, or reactions, but when it occurs during the Void of Course span, we can confidently lay that blame flat-out onto its doorstep. No question about it, the phase of the Aspect Vacuum hits fast and dirty. Fortunately, there are ways to watch out for it, and ways to live with it. Knowledge, in this case, is absolutely the answer.
One way to avoid any turmoil, and to keep our lives and schedules running smoothly, is to NOT do anything during that exact second, or few minutes. Obviously this won’t work for those phases that last for days or even many hours, but we CAN plan around them. One place I read (credited to Dallas Jennifer Cobb, who also has some articles HERE) says that we are given Divine permission to hit the PAUSE button for the duration. Or at least pencil in activities that won’t be horribly garbled.
Like, no relationship decisions, no crucial paperwork signing, no diagnostic machines or professional consultations, no Magick work or technical maneuvering, no significant or major purchases, no job interviews or important beginnings of any sort. What DO we do? We relax, journal, chill out, pray or meditate, rest, take our Quiet Three Minutes, practice yoga, and basically let go of expectations until the Lunar connections are linked up again.
(Yes, the suggestions are quite similar to when Mercury, or other close-in planets, drop out into a Retrograde Phase. Which makes sense because so much of what we manage and finagle, on a personal level, rides on where/when the Earth is in orbital relationship to others. Ditto for the Moon.)
Where do we find these times and know how long they last? On-line, at the store, in calendars, any place you would search for other tables of important info. When I opened my new witches’ datebook, I saw the chart provided, but I won’t be able to type it all out. HERE is one place, and THIS is another. Feel free to use these or go with a site/almanac you’re already familiar with. There are plenty out there.
I look forward to hearing what everyone has to say about this subject, sharing with the rest of us what you already know, or asking about what we still need to look up or find out. As you can tell, I think the entire situation (real-life application and astrological concept) is fascinating, and important for us all.
Now, for our other item of business, the daily draw. Ready for this one? Wow, dear Toni at his worst, and most confusing. This particular illustration is just beyond unattractive and yet, there is that valid message of the words. So. We go with it, and avert our eyes as best we can.
“God Of Indulgence ~
It’s alright! Stop beating yourself up; a little indulgence, in balance, is healthy.
It is wonderful to indulge in the things we love every once in a while; everything is fine in good measure, just don’t overdo it. Whether it is food, drink, or substances of any kind, relationships or material possessions, remember, excess of anything leads to some form of imbalance.
Yet at the same time, know that all is valid and all is love. A little indulgence in some form or another is natural and even healthy, so don’t beat yourself up when you do indulge in those things that you love, just be mindful. Do not deny yourself, just keep it in balance and when you do indulge try to do it in ways that nurture and nourish your spirit rather than cloud or suppress it.”
I don’t have much more to add. As children, my siblings and I had a mother who baked something sweet nearly every damn day or our lives, and who had candy dishes on every flat surface in the house. We never OVER did it because these “treats” were all-the-time options for us. You know me well enough by now to realize that I am a firm believer of the moderation in all things expression, it’s how I was raised.
However, I have nothing to say about that “art” (ART?!) we were given to go along with the message. Best to look away, that’s what I’m doing.
Today’s Deck:
Angels, Gods, and Goddesses Oracle Cards by Toni Carmine Salerno
FLP Report:
Alaska (a different one from yesterday).
Today’s Mileage:
4.431, which is how far away our closest post office is, and back home again. Average speed of 9.8MPH with pedal-time of 27 minutes and 07 seconds. I upped my top speed to 22.9 but only because I went down another street/hill, that’s directly off of our own road. Coasting and gravity SO don’t count.
Good explanation of V/C Moon. Some of my latest meandering astrological studies have been about the Moon’s cycles, and beginning to take a look at the Moon’s transits to my natal planets, and their effects on my emotional state. Right now might not be the best time for observations of these kinds, since my illness forced me to quit smoking, so nicotine withdrawal is probably a larger factor in my emotional state than the moon. I have found a few seeming correlations, though.
I am for the most part over what became a pretty bad cold (thank God for antihistamines, otherwise I would’ve drowned in my own secretions). And now I have another eye infection, just in time for another one of Toni’s creepy/freaky-eye cards! Seriously. W.T.F. SERIOUSLY. Putting “It’s alright!” as the first sentence in the description of a card with a guy that is just incredibly creepy/freaky/all kinds of wrong looking?!? Umm, turning this card over (theoretically) just scared the crap out of me, and you say “It’s alright!”??? No, Toni, it really, really isn’t alright to do this to people! But, yeah, good message.
~
Wait, WHAT?! You quit smoking?! That’s huge!!! Wow, let us know how you’re feeling, I’m curious because we’re coming up on a year-and-a-half for me.
I know, it was heinous to look at.
J
11:17 p.m.
1-15-13
Yes, I did. Like I said, i really was forced to, as I felt like I could barely breathe, and knew it wouldn’t (or would take a lot lot longer to) get better unless I stopped smoking. It’s something that I had known I should do, and when I got sick The Universe was saying It’s Time. I’m not making a big deal out of it, because I think that if I do the pressure will make it more difficult. But I also have an assurance that I can do it, which I haven’t felt the other times I’ve made attempts to quit. I’m using Nicorette, but getting less than half the equivalent amount of nicotine from it than what I was getting from my typical cigarette usage. Just enough to keep me from losing it. Well, scratch that…
I started sobbing on the phone to a complete stranger today when I found out that the clinic wouldn’t be able get me in today for my eye. I had spoken to them yesterday, and an awesome and caring physician’s assistant, Lisa, had gotten all the info about the infection, because it has presented almost exactly the same as the infection I got last June, and I knew it was the same thing. I was hoping they would just authorize a refill of the antibiotics so I wouldn’t have to wait or go in. From what Lisa said, this didn’t seem incredibly far-fetched, and I expected to wake up to a voice mail saying that the prescription had been authorized. Well, this morning I woke up to a message that the doctor wouldn’t authorize it, and I would have to come in. I also woke up to an eye with lids so swollen that I couldn’t even really see out of it. And a headache all around the area.
I called and found out that they couldn’t get me in today. They always have a certain number of slots that they leave open for same-day appointments, and if you call in at 8 am you can likely get into one of those. But I hadn’t gotten the phone call that the Doctor wouldn’t authorize a refill until 9:40, and I called just after 10. All the same-day slots were already taken. Obviously incredibly frustrating, because the only reason I wasn’t one of those who called at 8 was because I was expecting to not have to go in at all. I whiningly conveyed this to the receptionist. She said that I could call tomorrow to get a same-day appointment. I complained more about how unfair that was, and then just broke down sobbing. Really. I mean this started on Saturday, and was already to the point of swollen almost-shut, and eyelashes glued together from all the gunk it produced overnight, and I was going to have to wait another day??? The receptionist said she would see what she could do, and put me on hold.
After what seemed like 10 minutes on hold (during which I was sobbing the entire time), Lisa came on. She said that she would get me in, without a scheduled appointment, and not for any specific practitioner, but that she would do all the prep stuff and put me in a room, and then grab whichever practitioner had a few minutes to spare and have them look at me. She said I might have to wait a while, and I said I didn’t care, as long as I could be seen today.
I went in, Lisa put me in a room and did all the vitals/lung check/questions thing, and she was so helpful and friendly and just NICE. She left me to wait, and it wasn’t even ten minutes before a Doctor came in, much faster than I had expected. She was very sympathetic, quickly did the exam, and printed out my prescription. THANK GOD!!!
It’s so funny, looking, well, no, not looking at the card, but at the message, and then looking at today’s message, and seeing how both influenced what happened… I Indulged myself in not caring about how I would be perceived, not trying to be strong, and just breaking down and allowing myself to sob on the phone to a stranger. I had been asking the angels for their help, and this, totally unplanned, unintentional break down that I normally wouldn’t allow myself to do in front of another, ended up being exactly what needed to be done in order for me to get what I needed in a timely manner. And Lisa is my angel of healing in human form, thinking outside the box, and coming up with a solution that the receptionist couldn’t. The antibiotics haven’t made a difference that I can feel, yet, but knowing that they’re in my bloodstream, and that relief will be here within the next few days, makes a huge difference. I am so incredibly grateful for the guidance and help I received!
Wow. Just ohmyfreakingawdwow!
His drawings are just bizarre. I would be SO disinclined to do whatever that guy suggested and get him the hell out of my house. Message lost with the messenger.
I checked (briefly) the VoC charts on the first site. It looked like all of the transition times in January were about 12 hours, mostly during my work shifts. Something new to pay attention to, however.
~
I think now that we’ve become aware of this phenomenon we are better able to recognize the reactions/consequences,
in ourselves and others.
Knowledge is power!
J
11:34 p.m.
1-15-13
Well, one day-longish phase lasts on my birthday, when I’ll be driving back from Dallas. Guess I’ll just take a caffeine pill and pay a lot of attention.
It’s still raining here. Still gray. Houston has turned into Seattle. And it snowed in Dallas. Whatever is this weather coming to?
~
Two words:
Global.
Warming.
We have fucked up this planet,
irreversibly.
It was warmer yesterday in Alaska than it was in Las Vegas. (Constant mid to low 30s here still.)
J
11:39 p.m.
1-15-13
Just to be technical/persnickety, we haven’t fucked up this planet irreversibly. Oh, yes, we’ve certainly fucked it up majorly, but the Earth’s various systems are all about cycles, like the swinging back and forth of a set of pendulums. We’ve grabbed some pendulums and flung them so they’re currently going much faster than they naturally would, but if every single human being (or even a vast majority of us) were to die tomorrow the pendulums would all slow back down and return to their normal rhythms. Within a thousand years (super rough guesstimate, it could even be less) She would be just fine, thank you very much, and only the ruins and artifacts would indicate we were here. I went into Environmental Resources Engineering wanting to save the planet, but what I learned was that the planet doesn’t need saving. The only thing that we’re really doing, in the long run/big picture, is making it so that it’s less and less comfortable for us to inhabit. I believe She will fight back more and more, until we change our behaviors, or until She kills us. Ameliorating human-caused climate change isn’t doing anything to save the planet, the planet will save Herself if She is forced to. What it is doing is saving our tenancy upon Her.
There’s my two cents.
So I learned something new again. Never even heard of V/C. It’ll be interesting to dig into.
You know, you cover up parts of other cards when they offend. Perhaps you should do that with these cards as well? Those eyes are just nasty.
~
I really did debate about covering that guy up. But figured everyone would ask and be curious. So I let him stay. Moving on………
J
11:51 p.m.
1-15-13