“Anyone who perceives their shadow and light simultaneously sees themselves from two sides and thus gets in the middle.” – Carl Jung
Shadow and Light
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Tag Archives: Photography
Full Moon in Taurus
“Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.” —Buddha
The future of democracy might be uncertain but we can always count on the moon to wax and wane and become full again.
November’s full super moon is in my sign of Taurus and that brings us to a moment of deep release, grounded empowerment, and unexpected transformation.
This Full Moon isn’t a typical Taurean lunation—it’s charged with electrifying energy because of the moon’s conjunction with Uranus, the planet of rebellion and liberation.
In this, we are being shaken from our comfort zones and propelled toward needed change.
Alongside this energetic framework is a potent T-square involving Jupiter, Mercury, and Saturn urging us to re-evaluate our beliefs, thoughts, and the structures we live by.
Adding further intensity, Pluto sits at the critical 29th degree of Capricorn, a karmic placement pushing us to transform old patterns that no longer serve our growth.
This full moon is an invitation to step into our most empowered self while remaining grounded in our values and truth. risingwoman.com
Easy full moon rituals:
Reflect on what you want to release.
Create a gratitude list for the past year.
Set intentions for personal growth.
Here’s a little reminder about some beneficial crystals :
Black Tourmaline for protection.
Amethyst for spiritual growth.
Moonstone to enhance intuition.
Sodalite for emotional balance.
Happy Full Moon!
Open Portals 11/11 and Wild Things
November 11 is supposed to be a special day because 11/11 aligns in perfect numeric harmony to open a powerful doorway for spiritual growth.
This 11/11 cosmic portal event is supposed to help us connect more deeply with our true self. Right now I think we need a collective activation to clear out all the negative energies on this planet.
Just in time for this intense cosmic portal catalyst and when all else fails, nature is a comfort. My hawk stopped by for a visit to cheer me up. Yes, I was this close to her and yes, she is spectacular.
With her proud profile, she brings keen eyesight, patience, and trust. Get the rats, my friend!
A hawk visit is a sign from the spirit realm that we are ready to take on a larger, more powerful expansion and vision of our world. The hawk symbolizes a need to start looking forward, envisioning the path ahead, and perhaps even preparing for a greater role in life.
Many believe that the hawk is a messenger, bringing a message from the spirit of the departed. It’s often interpreted as a sign that your loved one is watching over you and that they are at peace,
I can tell you that I know for certain that my mom, if she was alive, would be DISGUSTED with the election results and especially the total annihilation of our reproductive rights. I thought we’d never go back but here we are.
Come on 11/11 portal, do SOMETHING!
The Lightness of You
I wish that I could show you,
when you are lonely or in darkness,
the astonishing light of your own being.
— Hafiz
Vibrant Pacific Northwest
Here’s a tour of the dramatic, colorful state of Washington:
Check out the Northern Lights (My son took these pics of the Aurora Borealis, not me)
A spectacular sunset, no filters needed:
Leaves in full color; red…
…and yellow:
So very green, the rainforest of the Pacific Northwest:
Morning blues:
Evening; a kaleidoscope of colors during sundown on the Salish Sea:
Word Of The Day: Kahu
This time of year is when I really miss all my babies that have crossed over the Rainbow Bridge.
I never felt as if I “owned” them; I always felt as if I was their caretaker and protector and that we were a loving family, so I was profoundly touched when I learned there was a word to describe that concept.
Kahu is a Hawaiian word with a deep spiritual meaning, as it implies that the person and their pet are connected on a spiritual level.
Kahu is a guardian; person who is entrusted with the safekeeping of something precious, a protector, steward, beloved attendant.
In Hawaiian culture, the relationship between a person and their pet is described as a kahu relationship.
That sounds about right, the way to describe what is most precious. The word kahu, and what it means, is incredibly beautiful, so much more accurate than being referred to as our furbaby’s “owner”.
Autumn Leaves
And Autumn did say.
“Why the hurry, such a hurry
Why such haste to end the day
Slow down, slow down I say
Look around
For there’s so much beauty,
just waiting to be found.”
Athey Thompson
It’s time to take a few deep breaths, slow down, and discover joy in fallen crimson leaves, joined together by a sudden gust of wind.
It seems like eons ago that we had that heatwave I thought would never end, but the temp has cooled down quite a bit.
We still haven’t had any rain, but it’s a comfortable Southern California autumn with cool evenings and pleasantly warm days, not too hot or too cold.
Like Goldilocks found Baby Bear’s bowl of oatmeal in The Three Bears, it’s “just right.”
African Violets: Tender Loving Care
My plant obsession isn’t all about monsteras and fiddle leaf figs, I lovelove African Violets, too.
The African violet symbolizes devotion, faithfulness, and commitment. They’re also supposed to be great for indoor air purification because African violets absorb toxins.
They appear delicate and precious but they’re actually quite hardy and sturdy and not really high maintenance at all, at least not in my opinion. The flowers last for a long time.
Their botanical name is Saintpaulia and they belong to the Gesneriaceae genus. I started propagating my own violets a few years ago. Creating new life gives me a great deal of pleasure, plus it’s pretty easy, so there’s a high success rate.
A couple of my very own babies are flowering. I’m so proud of them!
They’re not too finicky or hard to take care of if you follow a few tips:
❀ Don’t water from the top and try not to get the leaves wet.
❀ They love bright, indirect light.
❀ Fertilize about once a month.
❀ Some websites suggest an Epsom salt drench every two weeks to assist flowering.
❀ Remove dead or faded flowers.
❀ They don’t like to be too wet or too dry, I use filtered water because our SoCal tap water is disgusting.
❀ It’s almost funny but the best performing violets are in the smallest pots, much smaller than you’d think for dinner plate sized foliage.
❀ Propagating is simple. The traditional method of propagating violet leaves is to place the stem into water until roots begin to grow. Select a healthy leaf. It doesn’t take very long for roots to form.
Good luck!
To Be So Loved
Meet my boo, my bae, my sweetie:
Every morning he waits for me on the deck by the patio doors. Sometimes I almost trip over him because he’s always underfoot, trailing me from the deck to the garden and back again.
When I first noticed this behavior, I thought he had somehow become stranded on the deck and was asking for help, so I put him him in a box and released him on the grass, but he came right back.
He turns his head back and forth as if he’s listening to me, “Good morning, little guy!” “Is it hot enough for you?” “Here’s a bowl of fresh water in case you’re thirsty.”
At night, he looks through the screen door, but that’s where I draw the line. He’s not coming in, not even if he shows off with a few sets of those lizard-y pushups. #boundaries
One occurrence would be nothing to think about, but this happens daily, so I guess I’m in a relationship now.
I brought him a green hornworm from my tomato plant and he gobbled it up. Since my love language involves feeding and caregiving, that made me happy (and a little grossed out).
Most of my research says that lizards symbolize resurrection and rebirth. In Egyptian hieroglyphics, the symbol of the lizard was representative of plentiful abundance. A lizard in one’s house is often seen to represent an old friend or acquaintance.
Gotta go, my boo just came by for breakfast. 🐛
Surfing and Cartwheeling
Do you remember your firsts?
I do. I remember my first ballet class, my first pair of pointe shoes, my first ski trip along with my best ride down Stump Alley at Mammoth, and even my first bra, lolz
Not having grown up on the west coast, I didn’t have a connection to the ocean until high school.
I recall my first time on a surfboard…it did NOT go well, and I almost broke my nose. This was not the sport for me. Decades later, I gave it another try. Once again, it didn’t go well. I ended up rolling and rolling under some giant NOT BEGINNER waves, and the next day I was covered in the ugliest bruises. That was IT for me.
Angel Girl takes gymnastics and was obsessed with cartwheels. Tenacious girl that she is, she tried and practiced and kept at it until the mechanics of a cartwheel finally clicked and she perfected it. “Watch me, Grandma!” “See, I can do it now!”
What an amazing sense of accomplishment and mastery of a difficult skill. “Great job, girl!”
Even though we live so close to the ocean, the original Angel Boy didn’t really like to surf, mainly because without his glasses, he can’t see a thing, and it was a scary endeavor unless he had a buddy with him. He’d boogie board a lot, but never really got into surfing until he started wearing contacts.
Now he has a quiver of boards here and at his house, too.
To encourage AB 2.0, he’s been taken along for (gentle) rides on a surfboard since he was about a year old.
This past weekend, it finally clicked for him, too. He stood up and surfed his first legit wave!
This is a bad photo because I took it from the video, but I can feel T’s sense of pride. It didn’t matter that it was a small wave: HE DID IT, and OMG, he’s a carbon copy of his dad.
Predictably, you couldn’t get him out of the water after that. He’s completely hooked, and now Dad has a lifelong surfing buddy. As an aside, is there anything cuter than a little grom in a wetsuit?
I hope they never forget these significant firsts, and since we have video of all of it, I can imagine they’ll show their own children these amazing accomplishments.
Grandma pride RULES!
Enchanted Seashells | Princess Rosebud 