“Enlightenment is when a wave realizes it is the ocean.”
It’s always a good idea to start out a new week with a positive message from Thich Nhat Hanh, even if I’m not 100% sure I know what it means.
I’ll have to cogitate on it because the nuance is a bit elusive right now, like I think I get it, but it’s just out of reach, which is annoying.
In an alternate universe, I would wish everyone a Happy Earth Day, but today, there’s not a whole lot to celebrate.
Mother Earth is at risk and we’re not doing enough to save her. Or us.
The orange POS and his administration have been focused on reversing environmental regulations to boost domestic energy production, targeting over 460 environmental, climate, and public health safeguards for removal or weakening. Key initiatives include withdrawing from the Paris Agreement, rescinding the EPA’s Endangerment Finding to deregulate greenhouse gases and promoting “drill, baby, drill” fossil fuel policies.
California is battling federal efforts to expand oil drilling off its coast, with lawsuits filed to block the restart of Sable Offshore Corp pipelines near Santa Barbara, which were shut down after a major 2015 spill. While new drilling in state waters is banned, federal plans propose lease sales for new offshore drilling between 2027-2030, raising risks of oil spills and environmental damage.
This appalling administration is actively expanding oil drilling in Alaska, reversing Biden-era restrictions on millions of acres in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska and initiating lease sales in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Projects like ConocoPhillips’ Willow and new auctions highlight a push for increased development amid lawsuits from environmental groups and support from state leaders.
Like I said, not much to celebrate. It’d be more accurate to say that we are in mourning…
I attended the very first Earth Day celebration in 1970 at Balboa Park in San Diego with a crowd of about 70,000 people. The weather was beautiful, about 68 degrees, and I must have skipped school that Wednesday.
I can’t remember who I went with or how I got there but I do recall walking from booth to booth looking for free stuff and having an unpleasant encounter with a San Diego cop, probably about being truant.
There is a vague recollection that I swore at him and he got all puffed up and intimidating, threatened to call my dad until I told him to go ahead, my dad was an attorney…and then he walked away. Miss you, Daddy, and thank you!
Gaia, known as the mother goddess, was the personification of Earth. She’s described as a caring and nurturing mother figure to all of her children, plants, and other living creatures on this planet.
We’re all children of Gaia, Earth Mother, no matter where we live, and if we take care of Mother Earth, she’ll take care of us.
With this reckless administration of chaos and darkness, they seem determined to destroy as much of our environmental and animal protections as they’re doing to democracy and the constitution, so it’s not such a happy day, after all.
I haven’t posted any planetary news for awhile but this seems significant and share-worthy.
A rare planetary parade is lighting up the pre-dawn sky this weekend, and if you wake early enough, you can witness Mercury, Mars, Saturn, and Neptune gathered together on the eastern horizon just before sunrise.
These four planets are clustering into a patch of sky so compact you could cover them all with your thumb held at arm’s length. Although they appear close together from where we stand, they are actually separated by enormous distances in space, each following its own orbit around the Sun at entirely different speeds. Yet for a few magical mornings in April, the geometry of their orbits creates the illusion that they are traveling side by side.
The best time to look is between April 18 and April 20. Head outside about thirty to sixty minutes before sunrise and find a spot with a clear view of the eastern horizon. Mercury will be the easiest to spot, shining brightly low in the sky. Mars and Saturn are also visible without equipment if conditions are clear.
Each planet carries its own unique energy. Mercury governs communication and ideas. Mars represents action, courage, and forward movement. Saturn brings discipline, structure, and long-term rewards. Neptune connects us to dreams, intuition, and spiritual guidance.
Together, these four planets are delivering a unified message: think clearly, act boldly, build wisely, and trust the invisible forces guiding you forward.
This is the weekend to take action on something you have been contemplating. The cosmic support is here. Curated from Galactic Council Of Lightworkers
More exciting news!
April 19 brings a powerful shift as the crescent Moon aligns with Venus and Uranus. This is an energy of love meeting the unexpected, where something can arrive suddenly and feel completely aligned at the same time.
Venus brings connection, attraction, and desire, while Uranus introduces change, surprise, and moments that were never planned but feel right.
This alignment can bring a message or a meeting, Something that felt distant can move closer. Something unclear can become easy to understand. The energy supports movement in ways that feel natural and meant to happen.
Look up!
I’m freaked out by Daylight Savings Time. I spend way too long trying to figure what is lost or gained. Nothing makes sense to me. I know I wrote about it before, but TIME itself unsettles me. Sometimes I think that I think too much haha.
On top of THAT timely adjustment, we are experiencing the Supermoon in Taurus as the closest, brightest, and strongest Full Moon of the year, filling the sky with magnetic light that amplifies everything we think, feel, and desire. As a Taurus, I really feel the energetic pull and my dreams are vivid and CRAZY.
Taurus, ruled by Venus, governs stability, wealth, love, and comfort built through patience and effort. When a Supermoon activates this sign, energy transforms quickly, and manifestation becomes clear, direct, and immediate.
Every emotion, thought, and intention carries amplified strength under this influence, shaping what unfolds in our reality with precision. Energy responds directly to our attention, so focus on what deserves to grow.
This Supermoon opens a portal for divine manifestation and real change. What you call in begins forming fast, aligning our life with our higher path. Challenges fade as karmic cycles close, creating stability where uncertainty once lived.
What we envision begins taking physical form. Everything we have been feeling attracts evidence through synchronicity, communication, and opportunity. The Universe matches our vibration with accuracy, reflecting our inner world through events that arrive with perfect timing.
The message of this Moon is simple: our energy instructs the Universe. What we focus on expands, what we fear delays, and what we believe becomes real.
Taurus teaches manifestation through action. This sign builds what it dreams, one clear decision at a time, never rushing the process yet always creating steady progress. The Supermoon magnifies this lesson, asking us to remove distractions and commit fully to what matters.
We may feel inspired to declutter, finish something left undone, or step away from energy that drains our focus. Each decision we make now strengthens our foundation and carries long-term influence, so move with intention and clarity.
Manifestation gains power when what you say, believe, and do all align completely. Taurus energy rewards consistency, loyalty, and persistence that never wavers.
This is a time for focus and declaration. Write down what is desired as if it already happened. Speak with confidence, visualize success, and take immediate action that proves belief. The Universe moves faster when we act from certainty rather than waiting for signs.
Taurus connects spiritual alignment with practical action, teaching that belief holds power when expressed through consistency. Every step becomes magnetic, drawing new blessings into form.
By the time the next Supermoon rises, what is set in motion now will begin taking visible shape. Goals will show clear signs of progress and what we release will feel lighter to carry.
Keep energy grounded in gratitude as this light reaches its highest strength. The Moon magnifies thought and emotion, turning both into results that arrive fast. Gratitude multiplies blessings, opening paths that effort alone could never reach.
Move with purpose, make firm decisions, and trust the power of our actions. Keep our energy clean, our focus strong, and our belief steady, because the Universe is responds to every signal we send out. (Curated rom Alex Myles)
“Magical places are always beautiful and deserve to be contemplated.
Always stay on the bridge between the invisible and the visible.”
Paolo Coelho
This is heavenly…no phones, no social media, no distractions; simply a butterfly-filled meadow alongside a sunshiny, babbling brook.
This pic reminds me of one of my favorite songs by (who else) Leon Russell, Down On Deep River. It evokes the perfect, serene mood…
“Hear the crickets singing for a mile
And the sound of the bullfrogs make you smile
So lead me beside the still waters
Let me love you down on deep river.
Won’t you sit by my side
And hold to my hand and love me all the way?
And we’ll leave all the highways far behind
And just take a little blanket with the wine.”
“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Lao Tzu
Leaf Loss / Bare Bones / Blue Sky
This ash tree started out forty years ago in a five-gallon pot as a housewarming gift. As soon as the leaves begin to drop–in just a day or two– the branches will become bare and I’ll have a LOT of raking to do.
“Simplicity is the final achievement.
Simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance.” Coco Chanel
Abscission is the reason why leaves fall. Scientists believe that a reduction in sunlight leads to the reduction of chlorophyll in the leaf due to a reduction in photosynthesis and this may trigger the abscission of leaves. The actual process occurs when the weaker cells near the petiole are pushed off by the stronger cells beneath them.
That’s a lot for my brain to process and right now all I want to do is quietly savor the stark, elegantly naked branches.
It reminds me of my little vase of twigs and another example of ma https://enchantedseashells.com/2020/10/25/ma-the-space-between-things
“Nature is pleased with simplicity.” Frederic Chopin:
As pretty as it is all dressed in green, the artistry of bare bone branches are stunning in their strength of simplicity,
I see the graceful arms of a dancer against a backdrop of the bluest sky of the year.
“I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion.
These three are your greatest treasure.” Isaac Newton
Today’s mood…
In my mind I am always the feral woman wearing a white nightdress with a mud-stained hem and twigs in my hair, running through a forest bathed in moonlight, screeching along with the owls and foxes.
Unknown, curated from She’s Magic & Midnight Lace
Image from Pinterest
Early this morning, I opened the back door and walked on the deck. Near the steps, I saw a motionless bee which I gently nudged with a stick and found him able to move ever so slightly. I brought him a small amount of water in a jar lid and watched as he thirstily inhaled a few drops. As soon as he had enough, he stumbled down the rest of the steps to a shady area on the ground.
I’m not sure if I helped him or simply prolonged the inevitable, but at least I did something to aid a living creature and that always feels good.
Later that morning, I went to the grocery store where I picked up some yummy cherries and cucumbers and avocados.
The woman in front of me had a lot of items and it looked like she was making a special dinner, maybe anniversary, or at least that was the little story I told myself as I patiently waited my turn.
I noticed that she didn’t have her own shopping bags and I watched the clerk take out a couple “store” bags and fill them with her food. After the food was paid for, the employee asked her for thirty cents to pay for the bags, which was really odd because usually they’ll ask before, so they can add it to the total. Right??? So my spidey senses were on alert as I observed the conversation.
The lady became flustered as she looked in her handbag because she didn’t have any cash or change. I could see that she was super embarrassed and I could totally relate. It didn’t seem as if she was unsheltered or didn’t have money; she was well dressed with great jewelry (I always notice stuff like that).
I said, “Let me check. I think I have thirty cents.” I usually don’t have ANY cash or coins either, but I did locate enough to pay for her store bags.
The poor woman was beside herself with gratitude, wanted to pay me back, couldn’t believe I would do that for a complete stranger, asked me my name, WAY overly intensely thankful and appreciative for a mere handful of coins.
I told her it was my pleasure to help and it wasn’t as if I offered to buy her food (haha) and she could pay it forward to someone else in the future and keep the good deed moving along.
Because her gratitude seemed oddly disproportionate, I thought it was possible that she had a bad day and my minor act of kindness gave her a bit of hope — who knows.
She did seem close to breaking down, poor dear. And all for THIRTY CENTS! I wonder if this was some sort of low rent scam so the employee could pocket the money, but that was most likely not the case. Anyway, it was a strange encounter and I was glad to help because it did seem that was the only way I was going to get out of the store, haha. (BTW, I had my own bags.)
Sometimes I’ll see someone do a kind but simply mundane gesture and I’ll just get filled with this unexplainable joy that someone did something nice for someone else with no strings attached; no ulterior motives, no agenda.
After that experience, I went to Sprouts because I was out of probiotics (I love probiotics). The woman in front of me in line (same scenario!) turned to me. She held out a couple pieces of candy wrapped in shiny gold foil and asked me if I wanted them. She said they were free and pointed to where she got them, somewhere else in the store.
I told her how much I LOVE free things (I really do) but asked why she didn’t want them. She explained that she had tasted another one and they were milk chocolate and she only likes dark chocolate. I said I like all variety of chocolate (except white) and gladly accepted her little gifts.
Two acts of kindness were immediately repaid by another; what a great (and sweet) day!
Featured image credit to oechsli.com
Reason is powerless in the expression of Love. — Rumi
Reason is powerless in the expression of Love. — Rumi
Enchanted Seashells | Princess Rosebud 