The door to 2012 is ajar...

The door to 2012 is ajar...

So the door to 2012 is ajar and we are all waiting to go through, I have a feeling that it is going to be fantastic year on many levels.  Lots people seem to agree that 2011 has been quite a tough one, may be it's just the way of the universe preparing us for the positive changes to come.

I have spent a fair amount of time this winter reflecting over the last year, written a few blogs on my musings too.  Overall the main theme for my last year was ridding myself of old and sometimes damaging patterns, thought processes and habits......this has meant facing the facts that have a negative side and egotistic values, this has been quite upsetting and scary at times, but acknowledging this has given me the chance to break the negative cycle.  I am happy to know that I'm not scared to open my pandora's box now, to soul search and know the truth within...it allows me the strength to face further questioning of myself.

I'm glad to say that not all of 2011 has been difficult though, for this was a year of personal challenges of not just the metal and spiritual kind, but physical too. 
At the beginning of the year I learnt to fly birds of prey, and found a great admiration for the relationship between bird and falconer. 
I took part in a 68 mile charity ride for 'Help for Heroes' and with the help and support of wonderful friends and family, raised £600. 
I've been to many, many gigs and seen some amazing bands and a hilarious comedian...a fantastic festival too, which I took my youngest to, for his first live music experience - he loved it! 
I've been to both the 'Mind, Body and Spirit Show' and the 'Yoga Show', both were enlightening experiences, in which I learnt as much about me, as I did about what was on offer. 
I trained in Reiki level 1, also I took part in workshops for Animal First Aid and Animal Healing.  I had my first taster at setting up a craft stall and selling my handcrafted bags, jewellery and cards. 
I was given my first allotment and spent many a long hour, sowing, weeding, pruning, harvesting, sharing, preserving, and of course, eating the produce.
I've had the opportunity to take part in a lot of different types of meditations, in which I've had a lot of various different experiences.
I've taken part in a street collection for a fantastic charity - Greyhound Rescue West of England, met some amazing and very dedicated people and some really beautiful dogs.
I have also met with some dear friends that I've not seen in a long time, and spent a wonderful catching up. 
I have spent many hours with friends discussing various theories & spiritual understandings, cooking, lots of dancing and lots of laughing.
I have also made many, many new friends along all the paths I've travelled this year, and I look forward to seeing more of them again in the new year.
I've had wonderful days out at beautiful locations with my family, quality time at some amazing locations.
Lastly, I have started this....a daily blog.  An opportunity for me to catalogue my feelings, experiences, challenges, understandings and anything else that comes to mind.

It has most definitely been a year of mixed blessings......a year of much gratitude......a year of much hurt, but also much love.....a year of new experiences.....and a year of building foundations, for the future.  I believe I'm ready now,  to walk through to doorway to 2012.

Moon - Waxing Crescent 43%

Yoga - Surya Namaskara

Card Message - Four of Swords
You may have been through a period of conflict or intense work, and now you are seeking solace and respite.  Time to focus on spiritual practises that revitalise the soul.  You may need to reassess where you stand, and organise your future plans.  Rest or convalescence.  The value of meditation.

31st December - New Year's Eve/Hogmanay/Yule Twelth Night
New Year's Eve/Hogmanay commemorates the solar divinity Hogmagog.  Traditional festivities include dressing in hides and horns of animals - 'guising' - burning smoking sticks (Hogmanays) to ward off evil sprites, and eating special cakes.  At the moment of the New Year, doors are opened and utensils rattled to drive off the last psychic vestiges of the old year and welcome the new:

Get up, good wife, and shake your feathers,
And dinna think that we are beggers;
For we are bairns come out to play,
Get up and gie' us our Hogmanay.

Twelth Night of Yule -This culminates the traditional twelve days of Yule. Each day of which is a month of the preceding year in miniature. Reflect on the past year. Take stock and lay a course for the future. Make New Years resolutions in the old way by swearing your oath on Freyas boar or on your Hammer.        

Gratitude - All the lessons I've learnt in 2011

Friends

I found this poem online which I love...

A Friend Like You by Natasha

Everyone should have
a friend like you
You are so much fun to be with
And you are such a good person
You crack me up with laughter
And touch my heart with your kindness
You have a wonderful ability
To know when to offer advice
And when to sit in quiet support
Time after time
You've come to my rescue
And brightend so many
Of my routine days
And time after time
I've realized how fortunate
I am that my life includes you
I really do believe that
Everybody should have a friend like you
But so far it looks like
You are one of a kind!

Moon - Waxing Crescent 36%

Yoga - Tadasana, Virabhadrasana Eka & Dvi, Uttchita Parsvakonasana, Star, Vrikshasana, Halasana, Setu Bandhasana.

Card Message - The Fferyyllt
Allow inner and outer, masculine and feminine, to blend within you give birth to your Creative Self.
Harmony and Successful Creative Endeavour - You may be in a position to restore harmony among competing factions.  Maintaining a feeling of deep peace may be sufficient at this point.  The waters of inspiration and contentment flow freely between your conscious and unconscious selves - there is nothing in particular that you need do.

30th December 1986 -  Canaries have been made redundant from British Coal Mines and are being replaced by modern carbon monoxide detectors.
Canaries have been used in British mines to detect carbon monoxide fumes for over 70 years because they are particularly sensitive to toxic gases such as carbon monoxide which is colourless, odourless and tasteless

Gratitude - Intuition

The Quietness

The Quietness

I love all the festivities at this time of year, the gatherings and gift giving, the festive activities and family and friend get-togethers, the noise and excitement, the chaos and late nights, but now I am looking forward to redressing the balance......quieter days and nights, slower pace and more focus, cleaner diet and clearer head.

It all has it's place and we have been feasting and rejoicing at this time of year for millennia, it's integral to our culture and intrinsic to our being.  After such times I think we all need time to clear our thoughts, focus on the year ahead and allow time to restores our energies.

I leave you with my poem..... X

I yearn for this stillness

The song of the wind, its subtle breeze sings to my soul,
I yearn for this stillness.

The bubbling brook, it's pleasing harmonies still my thoughts,
I yearn for this stillness.

The rays of the sun, bring warm happiness to my heart,
I yearn for this stillness.

The melodies of the birds, their trill poems lift my spirit,
I yearn for this stillness.

The stillness of a rock, it's tranquillity fills my entirety,
I yearn for this stillness.

The whispering trees, their mesmerising stories fill my head,
I yearn for this stillness.

The shadows grow long, the darkness envelopes me,
I yearn for this stillness.

The full moon, her silvery brightness illuminates my essence,
I yearn for this stillness.

The wings of an owl, it's wing beat a silent murmur within,
I yearn for this stillness.

The twinkling stars, their brilliance fills my core,
I yearn for this quietness.

These divine elements, reside in all of my being,
I am the quietness.

Moon - Waxing Crescent 29%

Yoga - Virabhadrasana Eka, Dvi & Tri, Tadasana, Halasana & Matsyendrasana

Card Message - King of Pentacles (sensation, the senses, the body)
You may experience an improvement in your finances or material circumstances.  The steady progress and success of a business, project or career.  A traditional established organisation or profession.

29th December 1170 - Archbishop Thomas A Becket murdered by King Henry II supporters.

Gratitude - Tenacity

I want to know more....

I eager to know more....

Today I'm filled with a desire to plan myself some goals for next year...there is so much I want to explore!

I would like to try dowsing, I have dabbled with it before, but I think I would like to explore it further.....definitely into the Earth energy side of things.  Living in The New Forest there is an absolute wealth of places to dowse in, and it would be very interesting in what it might turn up.

I would like to train with druid order, there are many courses out there that run as a correspondence course, and this seems just perfect.  I feel very close to the earth...always have done, and would like to understand the lessons that have been taught for millenia about the worlds around us.

I would like to read and become more familiar with the work of Dr Masuru Emoto.
http://www.masaru-emoto.net/english/e_ome_home.html


I have already set in place, training with "The Healing Trust", so I will be able to heal all....people, animals, plants and land.

Yoga is definitely one route which I will be delving into on deeper levels, I have already been practising yoga for 18 months now, but only recently have I been practising everyday, and feeling so much better for it.  I would like to take this further in the next year, as there are many aspects of yoga which I can explore.

So far this seems enough, as it takes time to understand and practise many of the above activities and skills, so I don't want to overload myself.... and I'm sure as always other things will present themselves....as they often do.  X



Moon - Waxing Crescent 22%

Yoga - Surya Namaskara, Gate Sequence, Sarvangasana, Matsyendrasana

Card Message - Queen of Wands
A calling to voluntary or charitable work, or to working with the powers of the land - particularly those related to 'the fire in the earth' of dragon or ley lines.

28th December - Bairns' Day/ Holy Innocents' Day/ Runic half - month of Eoh commences.
Holy Innocents' Day or Bairns' Day, commemorates Herod's slaughter of infant boys under the age of two.  Folk tradition considers Bairns' Day by far the unluckiest day of the year, when no work should be started.  This is the month of rune Eoh, representing the dead, and the yew tree, sacred to winter shamanism.
(from "The Pagan Book of Days")

Gratitude - creativity

Dreaming.....the pregnancy and the headress

Dreaming.....the pregnancy and the headscarf & slippers

Well I've gone and done what I said I wouldn't......eat and drink all the wrong things to excess.  So it's time to redress the balance again!!!

Strangely enough whilst I sleeping off the effects of "too much"....I had a dream of being pregnant, I know that this does not indicate a pregnancy in real terms, but the birth of something.  So, maybe a new start, new project, new way of life?

The dream changed and I was part of a group of people readying for an Indian wedding, beautiful women in gaudy coloured sari's were everywhere, banners, scarves, flags and garlands hung from every available space...the colours were so vibrant, the opulence was breathtaking, the smell of incense was intoxicating.  I remember trying to find a headscarf and some jewelled slippers to match my outfit......then the dream ended.  Not entirely sure what the symbolic meaning of this dream is, maybe it's to do with the fact that I'm loving learning the yogic philosophy, the yogic way of life, as I'm journeying through the practical aspects of yoga.  Maybe, just maybe this dream and the last are connected, which would infer that something new will come out of the yoga.......how exciting that would be.

Who knows, but now it's written, I will always have something that I can refer back too  X

Moon - Waxing Crescent 16%

Yoga - Surya Namaskara

Card Message - Prince of Swords
A radical change in lifestyle or your routine: new friends may appear, or a whole new life may open up for you.  Impending air travel

27th December - St John the Evangelist.
A traditional feast day in freemasonry.

Gratitude - Dreams

Wren Day

Wren Day

Wren day also known as Wren's day, Hunt the Wren Day or The Hunting of the Wrens (Irish - Lá an Dreoilín) celebrated on 26 December, St. Stephen's Day. The tradition consists of "hunting" a fake wren, and putting it on top of a decorated pole.  Hunting a wren was prohibited at all other times of year.  Then the crowds celebrated by dressing up in masks, straw suits and colourful array of clothing (drolens, wrenboys or straw boys), and accompanied by traditional céilí music bands, parade through the towns and villages.

In the past, an actual bird was hunted by Wrenboys on St. Stephen's Day. The captured wren was tied to the Wrenboy leader's staff pole. The captured wren would be kept alive as the popular mummers' parade song states 'A penny or tuppence would do it no harm'. The song, of which there are many variations, asked for donations from the townspeople. Often, the boys gave a feather from the bird to patrons for good luck. The money was used to host a dance for the town, held that night. The pole, decorated with ribbons, wreaths and flowers, as well as the Wren, was the centre of the dance. Over time, the live bird was replaced with a fake one that is hidden, rather than chased. The band of young boys has expanded to include girls, and adults often join in. The money that is collected from the townspeople is usually donated to a school or charity. A celebration is still held around the decorated pole.


"The Wren, the Wren, the king of all birds.
On St Stephen's Day, was caught in the furze.
We hunted him far and we hunted him near.
And found him under the bushes here.
Hurrah, my boys, hurrah!
Hurrah, my boys, hurrah!
Knock at the knocker and ring at the bell.
And give us a copper for singing so well"

On a different note, the wren is immortilised in the old poem, in which she is married off to Robin Red Breast......below is a link to a copy that I wrote up  - x


https://www.facebook.com/#!/elaine.allsopp?sk=notes

Moon - Waxing Crescent 9%


26th December - Wren Day/ St Stephen's Day/ Boxing Day

Gratitude - Family

Every Day Will Be Your Christmas

Every Day Will Be Your Christmas

- Sri Swami Satchidananda

"Lord you are the Light of Lights.  You are the source of all lights.  You are the Sun of Suns, Moon of Moons, Star of Stars.  You are the light within and without.  You are the light of the enlightened.  Kindly lead us from the darkness of ignorance to the light of understanding to realise the truth behind all these names and forms." 'This is my prayer on this holy occasion.'

"Every holy day should remind us of our inherent divine nature.  At least on that holy day we should forget all the man-made differences, even the differences that are seen in nature, and rise above these differences to recognise our spiritual oneness.

Don't just run after things.  Look within.  Experience that joy, that peace, that Jesus, that Moses, that Allah, that Mohammed, that Buddha.  Use any name you want.  That's my sincere wish for you.  Think of that.  Let this holy day bring this light into you so you can celebrate, Hannukah, Christmas, New Year, all the holy days all the time.  You don't need to depend on a calendar, certain months, certain days, certain years.  Every day will be your Christmas.  Every day you will be receiving gifts through your chimney.  Santa Claus will be there with you always.

When the man begins to sight the glorious inner light,

He drops all ego's fight, and knows the mission right,

Does everything in delight and ever simply feels light.

May the Light of Lights light our lives.  May the light of Hannukah be lit within you.  May the Christ light be born in you.  May the New Year dawn in you and bring a new life in the spirit.  May this holy season inspire you with peace and joy.  May God be with you."


I am truly inspired by this reading and as you are all my brothers and sisters, I wished to share it with you....as it matters not which path we follow, we are all one and all divine.  X


Moon - New Moon 2%

Yoga - No asanas yet today, just Pranayama :)

Card Message - Ten of Pentacles
You may be in receipt of a leagacy, or are creating one - either your family of wider community.  Prosperity.  Suitable conditions for making investments.  Even difficult circumstancescan carry hidden benefits.  The chance to count our blessings - and discover they are too numerours to count.

25th December - Brumalia
Brumalia was an ancient Roman solstice festival honoring Bacchus, generally held on 25 December and possibly related to the ancient Greek Lenaia (held in honour of Dionysus). The festival included drinking and merriment. The name is derived from the Latin word bruma, meaning "shortest day" or even "winter".  The Brumalia was also celebrated during the space of thirty days, commencing on 24 November. This was instituted by Romulus, who entertained the Senate during this time. During this feast, prophetic indications were taken of the prospects for the remaining part of the winter.
Gratitude - We are divine

Birch (Beith) - Lady of the Woods

Birch (Beith) - Lady of the Woods

Birch (Beith) is the 1st tree of the ogham - celtic tree calendar, 24th December - 20th January - also known as the Lady of the Woods, and seen as a portal to the Otherworld. 

Ruling planet - Venus

Abilities - Healing.  New starts and beginnings.  Mysteries of the young Goddess. 

Deities - Frigga, Frya, Arianrhod, Eostre

Elements - Air and water

Medicinal properties - birch is good for treating skin conditions, and as an insect repellent.   It can be used to prevent stones in the kidneys and bladder.    The sap is a natural shampoo, and an infusion of young leaves is used for treating dysentery and urinary infections.  Birch bark is a is a diuretic, antiseptic and a tonic, it contains an anaesthetic which cause nerve endings to lose sensation, making it a great pain reliever.

Magical properties - It is the most fairy like of all our trees, especially when moonlit....and as it is white it was seen as pure, so birch was used to ward off evil spirits, banish fears and build courage.  It is also associated with beauty and tolerance.  A birch besom broom is traditionally used to brush out the old year, the morning after the Winter Solstice.  Babies baskets were often made out of birch, to keep evil spirits away from the helpless babes.  It is the traditional Yule log and Beltane fires were often started using birch twigs, it was also used as a living maypole.  In Wales it was customary for a man to give the woman he loved a garland made of birch, if she felt the same, she would give him a similar garland.

Moon - Waning Crescent 4%

Yoga - Tadasana, Surya Naramaskara,  Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana, Baddhakonasana & Matsyendrasana.

Card Message -Nine of Pentacles (sensation/the senses, body)
Receiving an unearned income. No longer needing to work for a living.  Luxuries, hobbies and pleasures.  You may be keen to succeed - both materially and spiritually.  Affirming your values.  Enjoying the benefits of a successful and full life on your own.  A productive, active and settled life, in which you are self assured and spiritually aware.

24th December - The celtic tree month of Beith begins/ Christmas Eve

Gratitude - Nature

My fathers passing...and my first glimpse of life after death

       My fathers passing...and my first glimpse of life after death

As it's my dad's birthday today, I've been thinking about his passing and how it showed me a glimpse of life after death. 

Dad, me, Mum and my sister



My dad and I were pretty close, so it hurt me greatly when he died.....he was only 39 and I was only 7, it was 19/6/1979.  Talking to my mum recently she has said she had recognised the fact his life had come full circle....due to all the 9's in the date and to go back to 1 was returning back to singularity...which is spirit.

I still vividly remember coming back from my friend's house to find the police talking to mum, and giving her the bad news.  In the days following my mum, younger sister and I struggled with our loss.  However my mum had prior to this point been exploring the concepts of life after death and the power of healing, so she was able to offer some comfort in the material she was reading.  'Testimony of light' or 'Dissolving the Veil' by Helen Greeves....which I devoured as she read to me.

I really can't remember much about the days that followed...admittedly it was a long time ago.  What I do remember is 2 vivid dreams I had on consecutive nights...

In the first I met with my dad again, he welcomed me into his arms and showed me he was OK, and I did not need to worry, for all was well.  There was no storyline to this dream, but I saw that we were in a landscape that was so beautiful, so lush, everything was so brilliant in colour and a feeling of happiness and love prevailed....there were other people here and animals.  I felt that I had been totally and utterly transported beyond this earthbound plane of existance, I know that grief plays tricks, but this was beyond hope...it showed me something more.

My second dream I met with my dad again, this time we were in what appeared to be a library.  He motioned for me to follow and he took me to a bookcase.   He pulled a huge book from a shelf; of which the whole library was full of, and then laid it on a table, it was a huge old leather bound book, and the pages were old papyrus looking.  Dad flicked through until about halfway and opened it up.....

On the pages he showed me was a list, it came halfway down the first page, the rest of the book was empty.  It was a list of names and dates...dad pointed to his name...and I realised it was a list of all have died....it was a record room, a room of all that have passed over.  After this the dream dissolved.....but I have no doubt though that this was more than a dream, I feel there is no way that a 7 year can just realise this things...even through grief.  I was happy then as I'm now that I was allowed to see beyond death, and this allowed me to accept and move on....this hard lesson learnt is a powerful one and has stayed with me since.

So there it is...my first glimpse of life after death.  I have to say in all my years since I have seen many mediums, and only once did one manage to connect with my dad.  I had paid for a sitting and had nothing that I could understand (I'm fairly difficult with this kind of thing, I will not give anything away or take anything given that is too general),  and then just as I was leaving she came out with all the information about his death that no one else would know.  So now I'm happy in the fact that this is just one level of existence..

I don't propose to know it all, but this much makes sense to me and maybe to those who may read this...but it is what it is, and I hope that I'm not too far off the mark...for some day I will know again all those that I have lost   X

Moon - Waning Crescent 11%

Yoga - Tadasana, Uttchita Parvakonasana, Parvottanasana, Virabhadrasana Eka & Dvi, Natarajasana, a sequence of Marjaryasana, Adho Mukha Svanasana & Urdha Mukha Svanasana, Setu Bandhasana, Balasana, Baddhakonasana, Ardha Matsyendrasana & Pranayama.

Card Message - Two of Pentacles (Earth, senses and the senses, body)
A need to seek balance in your life requires trust and playfulness rather than concentration and caution.  Material wealth and practical matters.  Juggling two or more jobs, homes or demanding relationships.  Juggling a number of factors in your life maybe a joy for you, rather than a burden.


23rd December - Larentalia
The Roman festival of Larentalia was held on December 23, but was ordered to be observed twice a year by Augustus; by some supposed to be in honour of the Lares, a kind of domestic genii, or divinities, worshipped in houses, and esteemed the guardians and protectors of families, supposed to reside in chimney-corners. Others have attributed this feast in honour of Acca Larentia, the nurse of Romulus and Remus, and wife of Faustulus.      

Gratitude - That I am surrounded by wonderful people

Solstice Reflections

Solstice Reflections

Having spent a morning visiting family I decided to take the afternoon for myself, especially as it is now the Winter Solstice.  I took the time to do some yoga and was rewarded with birdsong throughout.  Having now peace in head and heart I decided to add a few more ribbons to the wishing tree.....it's a small plum tree that I planted a few years ago.  Whilst everyone else around has been busy putting more and more flashy lights up around the houses, I decided to do things differently....with more meaning, focus and intent...and when everyone has taken down their lights, the wish ribbons will still be there....I will only take them off as the tree needs to grow and then will replace them.  These ribbons...so far...are for the closest people to me...tied with love and blessings for their futures.

I then thought about the Ash tree (tree mother - I blogged about a while ago), and I thought it would be nice to go and visit it and reflect over the last year.  As I drew closer I could hear Robins, all singing for their territory....a very beautiful birdsong.  I stayed with the tree for some time but could not relax, as it's by a path often used...so I said my goodbyes and walked off to an area that has been deemed dangerous (on account that it's very steep), by the local authorities...here I knew I would get some peace.  The very short walk is not so dangerous unless you want to push through the fallen trees, and that was not my goal.  I stopped and sat in the hanging branch of a laurel tree, in the peace and tranquility of Solstice dusk to think over the past year.
It was brief and emotional, as there have been a lot of changes...

I have lost friends, but I'm grateful that they chose to spend some time with me before moving on.

I am grateful that I now understood my path the potential I have (as we all do), but this has come at a price...and I regret any hurt I have caused.

Through practising yoga this year my mind, body and spirit is finding balance.

I now know that I want to give (to the best of my abilities), to all...for the good of all.

I'm blessed with all that surrounds me. 



So blessings to you all, on this wonderous day   X

Moon - Waning Crescent 17%

Yoga - Gate Sequence, Tadasana, Vrikshasana, Uttanasana, Konasana, Kakasana, Gomukha Virasana, Sarvangasana, Matsyendrasana, Bhujangasana, Balasana, Baddhakonasana, Ardha Matsyendrasana & Pranayama Bhramari.

Card Message - Nine of Cups
A time for enjoyment and celebration.  A rewarding emotional life.  Someone maybe missing from your life or you may feel strangely lonely.  Having been through difficulties in the past, now close relationships and warmth abound.  Inspiration and creativity.  Any obstacles will easily be handled.  Make sure you appreciate your blessings.

22nd December -Winter Solstice 
Winter Solstice or Yule is the time of the winter solstice, when the sun child is reborn, an image of the return of all new life born through the love of the Gods. Within the Northern Tradition Yule is regarded as the New Year.

Gratitude - I have survived thus far in this harsh world and thrive still

Solstice

Solstice

Winter Solstice is particularly significant in solar festivals, in the northern hemisphere, it usually falls on the 21/22 of December.  It marks the shortest day and the longest night, after which daylight hours increase, symbolically it was seen as the rebirth of the sun....the Great Mother, Queen of Heavens gives birth to the Son of Light.  The Winter Solstice falls within the astroligal sign of Capricorn and is seen as the 'door of the gods'.  It is one of two times of year when the Holly King and Oak King do battle, the other being on Summer Solstice.....at this time of year it is the Oak King who will win and wear the crown until they meet again in the summer.

'The Oak King, the Lord of the Greenwood and golden twin of the waxing year, rules from Midwinter to Midsummer. At Midwinter, he goes to battle with his twin, the Holly King, for the favor of the Goddess. He slays the Holly King, who goes to rest in Caer Arianrhod until they do battle again at Midsummer. The Oak King and Holly King are mortal enemies at Midsummer and Midwinter, but they are two sides of a whole. Neither could exist without the other.

Two themes run throughout the Oak King and Holly King saga. The first, of course, is the two great yearly battles between the two. The second is the sacrificial mating, death, and resurrection of each in his season. At Beltane, the peak of the Oak King's reign, he sacrificially mates with the Great Mother, dies in her embrace, and is resurrected. This is an enactment of the natural fertility theme of the season, and is not uncommon in other mythologies: Osiris, Tammuz, Dionysus, Balder, and Jesus are only a few other gods who die and are resurrected. (The Holly King on the other hand, mates, dies and is resurrected at Lammas.) This aspect of the Oak King and Holly King is not widely discussed, but is an important element in their roles as fertility gods.'


from
http://www.earthwitchery.com/oak-king.html

The winter thus far has given us the time to pause and reflect, to plan projects and ideas for the future, we can now imbue these with the increasing solar energy.  It is a time to come out of hibernation and reconnect with friends and family, to celebrate the return of the the sun.

In 274CE the emperor Aurelian sought to unite the Roman Empire around the cult of the Sol Invictus (unconquered sun - the Persian god of light Mithras) and fixes the date on the 25th December.  Sixty years later the Christian church used the date to commemorate the birth of Christ, as the new prince of light.


Moon - Waning Crescent 24%

Yoga - The Gate Sequence, Surya Namaskara

Card Message - Seven of Swords
New ideas challenge old assumptions and great progress is made.  Using intellect, wit or charm to gain an advantage or recover something that has been lost, but care must be taken not to start believing the 'ends justify the means'.  Strategic planning or research.  Espionage, deceit or escape.

21st December - Winter Solstice
Hanukkah - is the Festival of Lights and marks the restoration of the temple by the Maccabees in 164 BCE. Hanukkah is celebrated at roughly the same time as Christmas, but there is no connection at all between the festivals.

Gratitude - Inspiration

Conflict - The cross of 2 swords....

Conflict

No matter however much you try and avoid it, conflict will finally find you!  And so it did, this morning, whilst I was out in the beautiful New Forest....
I detest conflict, but there is always differing points of view...

Communication is the key!!!

We are gifted with the ability of communication and yet sometimes we still do not fully understand each other....

Therefore honesty is the key.......as well as communicaton.....then maybe we have a chance to create a more peaceful world!

I'm always hopeful... and I know that I have had a lot less conflict in my life now than I ever did, therefore I now hope I'm learning about my life and the lessons I've chosen.......I'm also aware that I should never be complacent, though too... X

Moon - Waning Crescent 31%

Yoga - Surya Namaskara, Moondance Sequence, Krishna Balance, Ardha Chandrasana, Balasana to Crescent moon lunge, Sarvangasana, Matsyasana, Baddhakonasana, lying spinal twist.

Card Message - Nine of Wands
You may have emerged from a struggle but are worried that is to come - remain cautious.  Fear and conflict ultimately spring from within.  Having being wounded you may isolate yourself as a means of defense.  Difficulty accepting your acheivements, strengths and talents.  Recovery from an illness.  Open up to wholeness and healing

20th December - Mother Night - The night that your dreams foretell your future....
Beginning of Yule (Sacred to Frigga) Mother Night: As the night before the Winter Solstice, this is the time when the New Year is born. The dreams this night are supposed to foretell our future year.  We honor the beginning of Sunnas return and the breaking of Winters spell. This is a time to honor Thor and Freyr, celebrate by Blot, Sumbel, and High Feast. Burn a Yule Log and jump the flames for luck and purification.

Gratitude - forgiveness

The Plough

The Plough

As I was practising yoga today, I decided to incorporate the plough, as it's one of the most reconised constellations in the night sky at this time of year and because today is Opalia, dedicated to Opis - Earth Goddess who nurtured the crops.  This then got me thinking about the symbolic meaning of the plough.....

Within yoga there are many ways of looking at Halasana (plough pose) in search of deeper meaning and guidance. As with many yoga asanas, Halasana's name is suggestive of the basic shape of the pose, which resembles the traditional plows found in Tibetan and Indian culture. Symbolically, the plough is represented in the myths and traditional stories of Egypt, China, Tibet, and India. In the Ramayana, King Janaka uncovers a beautiful baby girl as he is plowing the earth in a sacrificial ground. He adopts the baby and names her Sita, and she later becomes the beautiful wife of Rama. This story relates the power of the plough as a tool for revealing hidden treasures.
Regular practise of plough pose nurtures and rejuvenates the body's entire system. Halasana helps nourish the thoracic and lumbar regions of the spine by increasing circulation and suppleness, releases tension in the neck and throat, alleviates the accumulation of phlegm or mucus in the sinuses and respiratory system, and gradually assists in lengthening and regulating the breath.
Halasana has a calming, restorative effect on the sympathetic nervous system. It also assists in balancing the glandular secretions adrenaline and thyroxin, while also improving the elimination of toxins in the digestive and urinary tracts. Those with a tendency toward high blood pressure may find relief from hypertension in the pose. In the inverted position of plough pose, the brain is flushed with blood, promoting mental clarity and increased vitality.

The plough also has worldwide cultural meaning.....
In bibilical terms it is seen as the peaceful art of agriculture, and more of a male fertility symbol - the phallic plough entering the female earth.
Ritual ploughing by a new Chinese emperor symbolised his responsibility for the fertility of his country.
Nomadic people who followed old traditions, saw ploughing as a violation of Mother Earth.
The plough is attributed to to the gods and goddesses of agriculture.....Demeter, Triptolemus, and Dionysos.

Ursa Major - the constellation
The seven brightest stars, located in the Bear's hindquarters and tail, form the well-known Big Dipper asterism, in Britain, this asterism is known as the Plough.  The constellation of Ursa Major has been seen by many distinct civilizations as a bear.  In one sequence, together with the nearby Ursa Minor, it is associated with the myth of Callisto, in another the myth of Cynosura.

Moon - Waning Crescent 38%

Yoga - Tadasana, Star, Prasarita Padottanasana, Parsvottanasana, Uttchita Parsvakonasana, Virabhadrasana Eka & Dvi, Garudasana, Dandasana, Halasana, Matsyasana, Janu Sirsasana, Baddhakonasana, Kurmasana, Cosmic Egg and Pranayama - Ujjayi

Card Message - Four of Cups
Fallow period, Stagnation, Limitation
Lacking inspiration or excitement.  Time to lie fallow, to allow you creative juices to replenish.  Beware of ignoring a gift or opportunity through indifference or laziness.  Feeling stuck in a rut - this may pass in due course.  Developing a structure out of a world born of imagination and feeling.

19th December - Opalia
Opalia is the name for Roman festivals held in honour of Ops (aka Opis/Opus). There were more than one festival for Ops, held on various dates in August and December. Ops is the name of the Roman goddess of abundance. Opis was deemed a chthonic (underworld, inside the earth) goddess who made the vegetation grow. Since her abode was inside the earth, Ops was invoked by her worshipers while sitting, with their hands touching the ground.  She was associated with the granary god Consus, and also with Saturn because her festival coincided with the Saturnalia. Ops was worshiped at the Regia.
The Regia in Rome was a consecrated temple thought to have been built by the second king of Rome, Numa Pompilius. The Regia was the headquarters of the pontifex maximus. In the Regia were shrines of Mars and Ops Consivae. Only priests and vestal virgins could enter the shrine of Ops Consivae. The Regia burned at least twice, in 148 and 36 B.C. Nero's fire may also have burned the rebuilt Regia in A.D. 64.

Gratitude - That I am loved and that I love.

Eponalia - 18th December

Eponalia

Eponalia is a day dedicated to the goddess Epona, it falls on the 2nd day of Saturnalia.

Epona is the patron goddess of horses, donkeys, mules and other animals, her name translates as "Divine Mare".  She is a powerful Gallo-Celtic goddess who is also associated with the Earth, fertility, rebirth and abundance, making her a Mother Goddess.

She is often depicted as a young maiden, either riding a horse (which was revered in the Celtic world for it's beauty, speed and bravery), or standing between 2 horses.  She often carries a cornucopia and basket, which further supports her role as a fertility and abundance goddess.  People would adorn pictures and statues of her with rose garlands, in the shrines.

Horses were very important to our ancestors and cults worshipping horses was commonplace.  They left much evidence to show how significant horses were to them, such as The White Horse of Uffington.  

 The origins of Epona are thought to have started in the Gallic region of northern France.  She has many guises, being worshipped in Wales as Rhiannon and in Ireland as Macha.  She is the only Gallo-Celtic goddess that made her way into the Roman Empire and was highly worshipped amongst the Roman cavalry, almost every stable had a shrine for her.

Moon - Waning Crescent 44%

Yoga - Surya Naramaskara, Star

Card Message - Six of Wands

Success achieved through being a skilled leader.  Praise or rewards received are the result of an ability to inspire others.  You maybe asked to take on a leadership role, or be looking for this in others.  Co-operation and harmony within a family.  Successful legal or property transactions, or promotion at work.

18th December - see above

Gratitude - health



Saturnalia

Saturnalia

Today marks the beginning of the pagan-Roman festival of Saturnalia.
The Saturnalia festival has an astronomical character, referring to the completion of the sun’s yearly course, and the commencement of a new cycle. Saturn, from whom we have named the 6th planet after and get the word for the 6th day of the week, Saturday, represented by the sun at its lowest aspect at the winter solstice. The earth is cold, most plants are dead, and it was believed that the sun might also be approaching death.
Today winter solstice is around December 21, but because of calendar changes, it was originally December 25th. Saturnalia celebrated the sun overcoming the power of winter, with hope of spring when life would be renewed - the modern Christmas festivities are a continuation of this pagan-Roman midwinter festival.

Saturnalia festivities began with ritual and sacrifices in the Temple of Saturn, it was a festival known for it's extravagant decadences. The statue of the god was hollow and refilled with fresh olive oil, as a symbol of his agricultural functions. The woolen bonds which fettered the feet of the ivory cult statue within were loosened on that day to symbolize the liberation of the god. There was a public banquet, which Livy says was introduced in 217 BC (there also may have been a lectisternium, a banquet for the god in which its image is placed in attendance, as if a guest. After the rituals, the celebrants shouted the cry of "Io, Saturnalia!", a sign for the happy festivities of the season to begin. It began as a 1 day festival but was so popular it quickly became a 7 day festival, finishing on the 23rd December.  Augustus tried to reduce it to 3 days and Caligula to 5 days, but it was met with such public outcry, that these schemes failed and it carried on as a week long festival.
It was considered be many Roman's to be the best part of the Roman year.  Many of it's festive traditions are still carried out today in our Christmas traditions. 

The giving of gifts, beeswax candles (cerei) and earthware figurines (sigillaria), were very popular. 

Bringing outdoor trees, indoors and decorating them with suns and stars.

Singing and dancing in the street (precursor to caroling), could be carried out if you had managed to obtain a 'parade permit' from your municpality.

Also a Lord of Misrule was appointed for the feast of, in the guise of the good god Saturn. During this time the ordinary rules of life were subverted as masters served their slaves, and the offices of state were held by slaves. The Lord of Misrule presided over all of this, and had the power to command anyone to do anything during the holiday period.
The custom was abolished by Henry VIII in 1512, restored by the Catholic Queen Mary I and again abolished by protestant Elizabeth I, though here and there it lingered on for some time longer. On the Continent it was suppressed by the Council of Basle in 1431, but was revived in some places from time to time, even as late as the eighteenth century.

When the Romans colonised Britain, they brought Saturnalia with them and we have been practising these traditions ever since.

"Io Saturnalia!!"  

Moon - Last Quarter 51%

Yoga - Marjaryasana, Tadasana, Utthita Trikonasana, Star, Virabhadrasana Eka, Dvi & Tri, Balasana, Setu Bandhasana, Baddhakonasana, Kurmasana, Sarvasana, and Pranayama - Anuloma Viloma.

Card Message - The Tower
You are blessed with Awen.  Fury may precede grace, destruction may precede creation.  The work of liberation, deepening and illumination progresses.
Change and inspiration.  A time of great change - either inward or outward.  Old structures, beliefs, frames of reference are swept away to make way for creativity and inspiration, and the next step on your path.  A flash of insight or illumination.

17th December - Saturnalia
(see above)

As one world flows into another..

As dusk falls a new world is revealed

Its funny how our perception of objects change as light recedes, what may look perfectly normal in broad daylight, looks completely different at dusk.  I came across this concept as I was out today in the late afternoon, as you read on you'll see what I mean.

I went out for a walk today with a dear friend and our children, after a short while we came across a small church tucked out the way and in the grounds were the most amazing trees.  The light was already disappearing fast,  but there was still ample enough to see all the different types of trees within the churchyard.  Everything from Yew to Laurel and Fir to Birch, there were also lots of rhodedendrons, but these were clipped and grown like small twisted trees, rather than bushes......their multiple small trunks made the most amazing witchy looking trees.

One Fir tree had grown in such a way that early on its it's life it had split from one into two tree, but where the split was, it had grown into a flat seat shape.  The girth of the trunk was a good metre if not more, so there was a seat big enough for a person on each side, it looked like a grand living throne.

We carried on exploring round the churchyard and found a secluded corner where an old rotting Oak tree stood.  At first you couldn't tell it had died, for the front was covered with ivy, but when you went around the back of the tree, you could see the outer trunk had rotted away right though to the centre.  As it had rotted, bits had broken away forming holes and little shelves, the whole inner core was pitted with nooks and crannies.  It resembled a set of higgledy piggledy shelves and reminded me of something out of an Enid Blyton book.  When we looked at the roots we could see a burrow, it was very defined and when I shone a small light down it it, you could see it went down a very long way.

The last tree we visited was a Pine tree of sorts, the light was quite poor at this point, but you could still make out the needles growing out from the stems and branches.  This was a monster tree, it clearly dwarfed anything else growing within the churchyard, the girth of the trunk was easily 2 1/2 - 3 metres in diameter.  What was so interesting was that it was multiple trees in one and had at least 3 sides to it, so a loose triangular shaped trunk, rather than cylindrical. 

One the side that I first looked at, I noticed that there were 4 trunks that were growing up from the main trunk, and they were all in a row.  I thought they looked like 4 brothers, each one just a fraction taller than the last.  My friend pointed out that it looked very much like a 4 fingered hand coming out of the earth - maybe it was Gaia.  Then as we looked at the main trunk we could make out 2 squares, they were slightly different shade to the rest of the trunk.  The larger one was about 1/2 metre square and low down on the trunk, almost touching the roots.  The other square was much smaller , and this was higher up and off to one side of the larger square.  Believe it or not, they looked just like a door and window, it seemed so real that we had to touch the trunk to see. 

As we moved round the tree we came to what would be a corner....if it were a real triangle, that is.....2 smaller trunks were growing up here, out of the main trunk.  They started off growing side by side and as they got taller a gap between them appeared, this gap widened the higher the trees grew.  Behind them in the gap grew a third trunk, bigger than the 2 in front of it.....it seemed a very  striking and architectural feature.....you felt like you were looking within the tree.  My friend found they were very Ent like and I could see just what she meant.

The last side we looked at had been chopped back a little, but rather than takeaway the trees features, it added to them.  What peered out at us was a large and old face, with deep set eyes, heavy eyebrows with horns growing from them, and a long flowing beard.  This was a very ancient and wisened masculine face.  It was the most amazing tree and one worth going back to.

So this was our meeting with trees......I hasten to add that no mind altering substances were taken, the landscape literally changed as the light disappeared.  You very much felt that one world was moving into another, a sort of magical shift.

So what do we really see when we look at something, different people will say different things for it is all just a matter of perception.   X

Moon - Waning Gibbous 58%

Yoga - Surya Namaskara

Card Message - The Sun

You are free to express the radient essence of your being.  Joy and creationflow from you like the rays of the sun.

Happiness, Contentment, Success, Energy, Wonder, Lucidity, Optimism, Joy, Freedom, Fruition, and Creative expression.

16th December - Sapientia/Sophia

The festival of the goddess of wisdom Sapientia, or Sophia immediately precedes the major period of licence during the year, when wisdom may not be the ruling quality.

Turning the negatives into positives

There are a lot of good 'sayings' out there and this is one of them.....'Turning the negatives into positives'.

There are lots of times in life that something negative befalls you, and you find yourself resentful of having to deal with it - maybe you feel you didn't deserve it.  We can certainly have days like this, when nothing seems to go right, no matter how hard you wish it otherwise.

Take for example this very blog I'm writing.......

I wrote it all earlier today, but I forgot to save it and now I'm having to remember it all again!! Am I upset, well yeah....a little, but I know that now I'm writing it again, it will be better - a revised version.

There are always different ways to look at any given situation, it's just that when you're in the middle of it, you don't always see all angles.  These different viewpoints give you a better understanding of 'the whole picture', where as usually we only see and feel what is effecting us.  It is better to understand the whole situation and all sides, for then we can truly understand what it is that we have chosen to learn from it. 

There are many, many negative situations that I have encountered thus far in my life and I have found that if I can find the positive aspect in the negative quagmire, it gives me the confidence and strength to stride forth and accept the challenge. 
You have to make things work for you, don't cling to the negative thoughts of 'poor me', focus of the positive ones like 'I can get through this'.  It's all learning......and if we carry a happy heart through life then we can overcome anything we choose. X


Moon - Waning Gibbous 65%

Yoga - Tadasana, Earth Gratitude Sequence, Sarvangasana, Bhujangasana, Balasana, Vrikshasana, Baddhaknoasana, Kurmasana, Ardha Matsyendrasana.

Card Message - Rebirth
You hear the call and awaken to the night light of day.  You have entered the darkness and drunk of the cup of silence.  You have chosen life and emerge reborn.
Following a call. New direction. Renewal. Transformation. Decision-making.
The Power of the Call - You may have heard the call of your vocation, your mission in life, the spiritual path you are seeking, or simply the call of a new direction you need to take.  Rebirth into a life that is more fully your own.  You may have come to a crossroads in your life, and a decision is required that will take you in a new direction.


15th December - Alcyone/Halcyon days commence/Eygptian Day
The Greek goddess Alcyon was symbolised by a Kingfisher.  Her feast day marks the beginning of Halcyon days, seven before and seven after the Winter Solstice.  In ancient Greece, these were days when the sea was smooth, a time of peace when the Kingfisher could hatch her egg.

Under our very own noses

Sometimes when we are searching for answers in life, we just don't realise that that what we're looking for is invariably right under our nose. 
We just don't see it!
We might have even look passed it and dismiss it, assuring ourselves that what we have found is not what we were looking for and it must be something else. 
This pattern arises so many times, with so many people, all different generations and all different backgrounds, so it's something that runs deeper within the human pysche.  The object being looked for can be anything, from physical needs such as looking for a partner, accomodation etc, to 'soul searching', needing answers to reoccurring relationship patterns or even searching down the more spiritual path, to further yourself on the path of enlightenment.

I'd be a millionaire if I gained £1 for everytime someone found just what they needed , and it was sitting right in front of them. 

There are always reasons that we all go off searching elsewhere before coming back....sometimes it's because what is in front of us is a bit scary to deal with and it requires courage and inner strength to deal with it and this can take some time to muster.  Sometimes its because we want to find out what else is available and open to us, to go and explore,and try before coming to any decision..........as it doesn't always work this way. 

We are all different too, so each experience and decision is made differently and though we will always go on searching, for it seems that this is what we do best......we must remember that the answer might just be staring at us, in the face!  X

Moon - Waning Gibbous 72%

Yoga - Surya Namaskara, Virabhadrasana 1 & 2, Uttchita Trikonasana, Parsvottanasana, Baddhakonasana, Paschimottanasana, Halasana, Krishna Balance, Balasana, Ardha Matsyendrasana.
(yoga is taking longer now, as I'm trying to use the sankrit names for each pose and it can get a little confusing with different spellings and styles of yoga)

Card Message - Two of Swords
Dilemma, Opposition and Procrastination
You may bring about a temporary reconcilliation.  Eventually, the storm clouds will break and the conflict will be resolved.  You maybe struggling with a dilemma.  A need for diplomacy, negotiation and integrity.  Knowing when to confront and when to placate, calm and compromise.

On this Day - Nostradamus
Nostradamus the great French seer is remembered today.

Starlight, star bright...

I've always loved the stars, ever since a young child, when my Grandad would show me constellations and tell me stories of how they got their names.  Such as Ursa Major and Minor (The Great Bear & The Little Bear), and Orion- with his starry belt and Gemini with the bright stars 'Castor and Pollux'. When I lived on the road it was fantastic to sit round an open fire under the stars and watch the meteors coming down....particularly when we lived on Haldon Hill in Devon, as there was no light pollution. I have to admit I'm still very much an amateur starwatcher, but I am trying to improve on this, and the internet has a great wealth of sites.

http://earthsky.org/

http://hubblesite.org/explore_astronomy/tonights_sky/

Over the last couple of years I've paid more attention to what is going on out there, with regards to meteor showers, moon phases and viewable planets.  Unfortunately over the last few months the moon has been fairly full during the time of some of the U.K.'s best meteor showers so its been very difficult to see anything at all.  The last ones we saw were back in October, they were the Draconids.  Tonight and tomorrow are the Geminids, and although the moon is still bright, astronomers reckon we will still be able to see some.  I cross my fingers and hope so...... X

A drawing of a meditation I did a while ago, where we explored the cosmos

Moon - Waning Gibbous 78%

Yoga - Tadasana, Star, Ardha, Chandrasana, Shashankasana, Moondance, Moon balance, Urhava Ashva Svanasana, Balasana

Card Message - The Moon
Fear is a owerful teacher and ally.  If you can walk through the gates of fear you will arive at the realm of the gddess, who will bless you with inner vision.
Psychic awakening, Dreams, Deep Revelation of Feminine Mysteries, Withdrawel, Facing Fears
Change, imagination and creativity.  A difficult emotional journey ahead.  Any loneliness or confusion you feel will pass as this phase reaches its natural completion.  Becoming aware of the material from the unconscious - although upsetting, this could help your creative process.  Let yourself be guided by trust and you will pass through your fear to emerge stronger.  Inagination, fantasy, vision and creative work.

On this Day - Ides of December/St Lucy/Little Yule/Runic half month of Jara commences

Don't worry about a thing

Tiredness overwhelms me today......

This morning I had to deal with a garage roof that was no longer doing the job it was required to do and letting in vast amounts of water instead.  A good deal of the stuff we store in there was soaked and ruined.  So instead of ticking off jobs that I had lined up, I was now going through all our stuff and either binning it or hopefully, saving it.  Getting it fixed was the next issue, but thankfully our landlord came out straight away.  Its been assessed and we've got someone lined up to fix it now, but it won't be for a week yet.......lets hope this rain doesn't stay too long.

I know I shouldn't allow these worries to get to me.....but I did today, perhaps because I was tired?

I decided to look in a book, that shares a spiritual message for each day of the year, to see what todays reading is and see what insight it could offer me.

The book is called 'The Golden Present' - Sri Swami Satchidananda

Reading for 12th December

GO WITH FULL CONFIDENCE

Don't worry about a thing.  Worry never brings any benefit to anyone.  On the other hand, It spoils even the little you might do.  There is a beautiful saying I read on a calendar page many years ago.  It said "Sorrow is nothing but what you borrow."  Nobody is going to give you that.  You go and borrow it.  If you don't care to borrow it, there's no sorrow for you.  That's all.  You are the cause of your worry.  Remember, worry is not going to bring anything to us.  On the other hand, it will sap away even the little energy, the little capacity, that we may have.  A worried doctor cannot operate, you all know that.  A worried student cannot write an exam.  Go with confidence.  Just say "I'm doing all that I can.  That's it"
We make things change.  Everything takes it's own time.  We are in a hurry to change things.  We want everything instantaneously.  Allow nature to have it's say.  Nature is God.  Let our lives be filled with trust in the higher will.  Whether it is an individual, or an organisation, or a nation, or the whole globe, let it go smoothly in it's own time.

Moon - Waning Gibbous 85%

Yoga - Didn't happen - dealing with garage roof!!!

Card Message - Eight of Swords
Restriction, Potential for Liberation
You may feel as if you are a victim of circumstances, or another person.  Confusion, fear and loneliness.  Potential for completion.  Your sense of being trapped may stem from your beliefs or attitude - just as the mind imprisons, so it can set us free.  The hardest situations in life often present the greatest spiritual rewards.

On this Day - Our Lady of Guadeloupe (Catholic )
Celebrated by Roman Catholics throughout Central and South America who honour the Empress of the Americas

cycles and recurrence

Lots of things in life seem to follow cycles, whether it be the wheel of the year, or the 'birth, death and rebirth' cycle, the monthly woman's cycle or even just simply something that keeps popping back into your life for acknowledgement and assimilation.

What occupies my mind this night is the latter.....I'm having some flickers of the past, but it's not the past.......I know I'm in the present.  It's a sense of de ja vu, flashbacks and current life life all rolled into one.  Weird I know!!!

There are couple of things that have happened lately, that have bought my attention to this.  One is my daily card message which I do, another is a certain order of events that have played out very much like they have done before, and another is my dreams. 

Lets go to the cards - the deck I use is the Druid Craft Tarot deck, since I've started this daily practise there are now very few days where the card does not actually match up with what is happening.  Cards that surface often for me are 'Swords' - air, mind, intellect and thinking - so I'm someone that thinks an awful lot.  'Five of Cups' is prevalent too, that has come up lots recently - keywords, Sense of Loss, Unnoticed Opportunity, and Inheritance.
With regards to the events, something has occurred recently which has mimicked events in the past.  A sacrifice has been made made in order to move forward in life, and it's never an easy decision to make.
My dreams also are showing a common theme recently - I'm always surrounded with the people that are  most important to me, and there is always a need for us to connect with the earth, and to protect and respect her.

I am also noticing....which I have to write, or else I'll forget...is that I'm seeing lots of movement outside of my field of vision, today.  Shapes or movement, but always at the corner of my vision.....even found that during a conversation, my husband started looking in the direction of where my head was turned, to see what I was looking at.  So I know from that instance its something to note it down.  X


Moon - Waning Gibbous 92%

Yoga - Trikonasana, Setu Bandhasana, Goasana, Tadasana, Kakasana, Bhujangasana and Balasana

Card Message - Ace of Cups
Love, Inspiration, Fruitful Dreaming and Blessing
The beginning or deepening of a relationship.  Creative inspiration.  Time to open yourself to the many warm and nurturing relationships with which you are blessed.  The gift of the Holy Grail - the blessing, inspiration and love of the Goddess.

On this Day - Egyptian Day

The Spinning Galactic Microphone - Dream

For some reason, my thoughts have been drawn back to a dream I had a while ago.....

I started a visual dream diary.....when I had a profound dream I would draw the images I remembered seeing and this one really stuck with me......

I don't remember my of the story that goes with it now, but I was part of a team of people that used a device to connect to other beings from all around space....beyond our own universe.
We had maps that had been compiled over many, many thousands of years that corresponded to all known space.  The device was made from a special magnetic metal and the top was shaped very much like a microphone.  It was covered in crystals, that would pick up vibrational signal and voices and conduct and amplify the sounds so they were audible to us. 
The way it worked was very much like a spinning top that spun all over the maps until it found a point where a message was coming through, and there it stayed, spinning until all the message had been conveyed to the audience - our group. 
The main point for this communiction was the wellbeing of all planets and space against those everywhere that would exploit all for their own greed and yearn for power - we were part of a subversive group.

On reflection this dream seems to have many links with our current time on this planet and the spinning galactic microphone seems very steampunk like.

Whatever the meaning.....I've now documented the dream and shared so now will not be forgotten.

Dreams are a fantastic way of reflecting back to us, what is going in our lives......if you can remember to, write them down before all is forgotten.  X



Moon - Full Moon (Total lunar eclipse)

Yoga - No yoga today, too tired after last night and I'm not feeling very balanced.

Card Message - Seven of Cups
Seduction, Illusion and The Grail Quest
Know the difference between the imagination and the physical. Difficulty choosing between ideas and possibilities. You may be faced with a number of propositions, but be cautious - they could evaporate. Exploration of potential may have turned into daydreaming. Greedily taking any opportunity to satisfy desires.

On this Day - Lux Mundi/Liberty
This french festival coincides with the Roman festival known as Lux Mundi - 'The Light of the World' and epiphet of the goddess Liberty, whose burning torch of hope shines out even in the darkest hour. There is a statue of her in the harbour of New York City.

Stay Grounded

Stay Grounded  

My yoga teacher often themes our yoga classes with a teaching or lesson which unfolds with the practise of the asanas and pranyama, and last weeks lesson was a gift.

Staying grounded!!!!!!!!!!!!

Its easy to get swept off your feet at a fast pace with all that life presents, especially at this time of year.  Christmas can be overwhelming to say the very least,  there is list upon endless list of things to do, presents to buy, dates to make, christmas cards to send, queues and queues of people in shops, food to prepare etc etc, its making me giddy just writing this blog!!  It can leave you feeling light headed, confused, tired and if this state of frenzy goes unchecked it can lead to tension and I know I can safely hold my hand up and say that I've been there.

So to counteract this the best thing to do is to ground yourself, feel your feet firmly planted on the ground and take your awareness to them.  Don't allow your awareness back up into the flighty, dizzy feeling in your head, but concentrate on your connection with the earth.  Slow down too, and take some deep slow breaths.  Or even imagine roots from the soles of your feet going deep down into the earth, deeper and deeper and then feel the earth energy coming back up through your feet into your whole body.

Yoga is great for grounding, it definitely works for me and I would recommend it for everyone x

Moon  - Waxing Gibbous 94%

Yoga - Konasana, Prasarita Paddotanasana, Tadasana, Vrikshasana, Gomukha Virasana, Kakasana, Urdhva Kapotasana, Jathara Parivartanasana, Navasana, Purvottanasana, Vat Nari Sansthan Shaktiva, Adho Mukha Svanasana, Balasana.

Card Message - Five of Swords (Air, thinking, intellect & mind)
Defeat, Blame  and Communication Breakdown
You may be involved in a quarrel and feel as if you're losing the battle.  Perhaps you've been subjected to humiliation, abuse of malicious gossip.  Use of underhand tactics.  You maybe blaming someone or they are blaming you, or jealousy and envy may be surfacing.  Some things need to get better before they get worse.
(Note to self - I always seem to pick up a lot of sword cards)

On this Day - The Jewish Festival of Hannukah begins today