Summer Solstice rolled around quickly, as the hours, days, and years do now, and with the longest period of daylight came the lighting up of a new beginning in my life. Saturday 6/20/2020 was our wedding day igniting at 5:55 pm, but it was also a New Moon, Solar Eclipse for us PST peeps, Astrid’s third anniversary of her adoption, and preceded 6/21’s Father’s Day, which was also Joy’s departure from the Earth plane four years ago when it happened to be Summer Solstice and a Full Moon that year. It was indeed a very packed day and weekend, which was equally enhanced by a build up of astrological influences before and after, a very full week of prep, personal monumental shifts underway, and worldwide historical events unfolding to include a pandemic that was our reason for creating a virtual experience for this mountain matrimony event.

Please bear with me in today’s longer post, as I haven’t blogged since the 15th. It seems fitting to share it on Ask Astrid Fridays’ spot since she is so intertwined with all that is igniting.

Perhaps this new “lighting up” reflects the feeling I’ve had since as far back as I can remember that the second half of my life would truly be the best years yet and when I really started living. Summer Solstice feels profound for me and telling of a new chapter I’ve long wondered would be like. I also feel that recent Eclipses and overall energy dynamics unfolding, are creating quite the collective paradigm shifts.

If Saturday was any small indication, I feel that the foreshadowing senses I’ve had for so long, are indeed underway for an exciting new adventure with unlimited potentials.

One might wonder, just as we did, how a virtual Zoom wedding broadcasted by amateurs doing it for the first time from the middle of the forest in a mountain town at 6600+ feet of elevation would turn out.

Tons of hiccups, distant, cold, and detached, disappointing, a full-on disaster?

I’m happy to report the complete opposite and then some unfolded.

It was so successful that we’ve joked about this becoming the new thing or perhaps we could support others as zoom wedding advisors lol! But all kidding aside, it’s been amazing to hear the feedback on what we had no idea until the day of, how it was actually going to go down. We’re far from the first to do this, but I have to say that it was hugely rewarding, memorable, and extremely beautiful.

Everything far exceeded our dreams and not only were we pleasantly surprised by minimal technological challenges, but were overwhelmed by the outpouring of beautiful, extremely moving, and loving energy we received. It was so powerful that I had a hard time going to sleep that night, as my energy was through the roof from all the good vibes shared between everyone. That, alongside being up while the Eclipse was happening, definitely felt like an activation and timeline leap!

I literally felt like a Solar Eclipse and Summer Solstice, myself, with all of the light from the longest day having been shared and received, creating a powerful ball of energy deep at my core that couldn’t help but still seep out with loving vibrancy and vitality around the edges of the New Moon, even when darkness was abound.

While things turned out more than what we imagined, at the same time they WERE all that I envisioned they could be in essence and then some! I’ve said from the beginning, and over and over, that the theme for the wedding would be “simple and sweet” and “perfectly imperfect.” So even the sweet little hiccups were part of that synergy, creating the innocence and purity that is reflective of our values.

The alchemy of this day seemed evident in the dance of light codes and elemental energies that were present during the ceremony – we even had a lizard couple playing and perching on the pyramid rock altar that sat directly between and behind us, throughout the whole thing. Although this was a day to share our union, it truly felt like much more than that. Everyone present created a beautiful energy beam of collective intention on such an auspicious portal day.

And on our end, this intention was harnessed by an incredible Herkimer Diamond crystal that came to me just a week before the wedding through a dear crystal and cosmic friend of mine who had just received a new shipment of exquisite Herkimers. The clarity of these Herkimer Diamonds was incredible alone. I had only seen one photo of the one I had him send me, and its description. I immediately asked if it was taken and he said, “It’s yours!” What made this one special was that it is a sharp, clean, direct, and mystical Dow or Trans-Channeler crystal, which is unique in itself, but to have a Dow Herkimer Diamond is extremely rare. And when she arrived I discovered big rainbows inside (an exciting added surprise) and that it is a record keeper (with triangles etched on the face)! I call her a she, but she is very balanced between her sacred feminine and masculine energies. I look forward to exploring more with her and finding out what other surprises she has in store, but I knew without a doubt that she should anchor the center of our ceremony and union, as a way to channel the energy from this sacred experience out to the collective.

A quick explanation of a Dow/Trans-Channeler crystal is that it has three perfect seven-sided faces in between three perfect three-sided triangle faces – 7-3-7-3-7-3. It’s considered a being of perfect light, energy, and physical form, accesses all planes of existence, splits light into all colors (rainbow comes to mind with the rainbow inclusions this one has), they activate higher chakras, but strengthen and open energy via all chakras between you and the Universe for greater Source connection, truth, and higher wisdom/guidance, exist in enlightened reality alone where love heals and transcends all challenges, accelerates conscious re-programming, and embody divine balance and connection. I placed the crystal directly center of our gold wedding bands sitting atop a Selenite charging plate between us (from another dear crystal friend), not only to charge the energy of our rings that symbolically would bring union between us, but would charge the merging energies of sacred feminine and masculine energies (Yin and Yang) that we could transmit out via this potent channeler, for the collective through our love.

It literally turned 11:11 am here, as I wrote that. 😉 I’m writing in parts when I have time.

Other auspicious happenings just before the wedding included seeing a baby Sierra Garter Snake two days before the wedding on a distanced hike with our only two wedding attendees (officiate and witness).

This little one literally glided in such a light way, she appeared to be flying or swimming across the blade of grass tips in the meadow.

Then, a large coyote running through the wedding site on the day before, while we were prepping and testing out the setup and connection. Then, a rare marmot sighting popping out from the forest to greet me, on the same day, as I drove away after dropping off Dave and Paul (our friend/one wedding witness/photographer/helper) to tackle a mountain bike ride for the first time on the most extreme, black diamond trail known as “Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride” (cool reference to life and foreshadowing to symbolism that showed up yesterday).

Snake, coyote and marmot all carrying their own powerful symbolism.

And then, two dead chipmunks I found and buried (one, three days before wedding and one directly after the ceremony) – more on their significance to me in a bit.

We were very lucky to have our friend Paul able to join us. All three of us had been diligent with quarantine precautions in order to make it possible for him to come. We needed one witness alongside our officiant in order to seal the ceremony officially and still maintained distancing for the event. But with Paul around, it was a huge help on many levels, and offered some fun before and after the wedding with nature immersions.

This offered Dave and Paul time to do some mountain biking they love, which helped let off steam with all the prep going on, and me, some alone time in nature, as I would often hike the trail they were doing, on my own. We also did hikes together and sometimes I stayed home in order to do things like bake the wedding cake and make flower arrangements, while getting in some downtime too.

Something interesting took place upon the very first hike I did alone, the day after Paul’s arrival, and has continued since. I’ve always been a decent hiker, but suddenly I noticed transforming into a power hiker and I can only pin it to some form of rebirth taking place.

The guys did a long bike ride, while I hiked ten miles that first day – the most I’ve done alone. I always clock the hikes on my Sports Tracker, as I like to know how far we’ve gone and how much we have left. Well, on this day I had gone three miles, up nearly 1600 elevation gain, in only one hour (a personal best!). I’m usually a bit slower on the inclines, as I am mindful of my breathing so I don’t get my EIB cough. But I powered through it and ended up doing the full ten miles in nearly exactly three hours (3:01 to be precise). That included a stop to bury the first chipmunk I mentioned. I stopped my tracker in order to take a twenty minute picnic lunch break at the top overlooking Lake Tahoe and resumed it upon beginning again so only my hiking was timed. At the speed I went, I also got to see the boys twice – once going up and once going back – as I was in line with their speed of biking to the point of intersection our trails had, even though they were doing nearly three times the mileage.

I mention this because something around this new beginning, Solstice, New Moon, and Eclipse really physically shifted something. There were other physical changes that took place for me too, which included losing nearly two and a half pounds in a week to add to the already transformational physical shifts intermittent fasting has done over the last six months of losing twelve and a half pounds and saying goodbye to some of the imbalances experienced. This includes my no longer experiencing the EIB coughing (exercise induced broncho-constriction), having greater vitality and endurance, my peri-menopausal body/hormones balancing out on their own without herbal supplements anymore, and in general feeling clearer, lighter, and more inspired. I never set out to lose any weight, as I always feel perfect at the weight I’m at being reflective of the energy needed – ex: more grounded and embodied or lighter and mutable, etc. Lifestyle intermittent fasting was something Dave and I started (it was actually his idea) for all of the health benefits and we’ve ended up really liking how we feel physically with it. Yet, this time period in my life seems to be refreshing things and the added embodiment/weight that I previously needed to ground, manifest, and anchor things, is finding its new equilibrium. So, rather than having to physically have that to bring my once very wispy self back to Earth, I seem to be energetically embodying the balance I need to be in both places – Cosmos and Earth. That’s a huge deal for me!

But I’d like to circle back briefly to the two chipmunks and their connection to my bunny, Joy, who passed four years ago on the 21st of June (Summer Solstice that year), as I feel this theme speaks most loudly, to me, amidst all that has unfolded.

It’s the theme of how grief and death can crack you open to joy and rebirth, which speaks to the seamless connection of everything that creates wholeness. Endings are beginnings and beginnings are endings.

At the same time that we were experiencing a big heart and life opening with increased depth, and subtle, but profound expansion, also present were endings, death, mourning reminders, and contractions simultaneously – the celebration of the circle of life and the Universe’s nonjudgment around these cycles.

While I was filled with vitality hiking, my attention was drawn to be present to honoring the sacred dance of life and death when the sweet, peacefully positioned chipmunk laid directly on my path. I’m convinced he’d been accidentally hit by an oncoming mountain bike at some point recently and it felt like a quick death. I still sent Reiki to the time of impact and gave him love, then proceeded to bury him, and created a little marker around his burial place. Interestingly, after I did this many chipmunks chattered at me along the way back, as if they knew I took care of one of them. I was grateful for nature’s way of teaching me.

Then, the second chipmunk I discovered on the hike back, after the wedding ceremony was complete. I stopped to honor him and felt the potent synergy of this meeting once again. It was late and I was carrying a load of things from the ceremony with a ways to go, so I placed him safely under a bush next to a pine cone, telling him I’d return to bury him the next morning. I followed through with that promise, hiking back to where he was and decided to carry him home with me this time, to bury him by a special old natural sculpture tree trunk behind the house. Again, grateful for the full circle ending and new beginning teaching and realizing the sacredness of life these dear ones were celebrating with me.

It all mirrored the bitter and sweet of Joy and Astrid – my two rabbit companions I adopted from SaveABunny. Four years ago, Joy departed this Earth plane on the Solstice and one year minus a day later on the Solstice of three years ago, Astrid came into our lives. We both mourned, honored, and celebrated the lives of these two dear souls in rabbit bodies on our wedding day and all around me reflections continued of the sacred circle of life.

It was the same with all of my animal companions’ transitions – the first major one being Nestor’s whose departure did literally crack my heart and soul wide open to experience the Cosmic depths of everything possible all at once.

Death cracks us open to life.

Mourning cracks us open to heart expansion.

Sadness cracks us open to joy.

And the spiraling of life continues as a single thread with no true ending or beginning, although there are many such continuous sparks igniting simultaneously.

And all of this echoed loudly to me through the personal and the collective experience we’re creating right now and always.

The bunnies, animals and nature always teach me the most and I’m not surprised their energy would be framing this important day in our lives.

I was surprised, though, at how astoundingly the souls in human bodies enveloped us with such a magnitude of loving support on our Solstice wedding. It truly was overwhelming to us and really created a most memorable experience of collective togetherness that deepened bonds in beautiful ways.

From our very dear friends, Reid, who so beautifully accepted and honored us with conducting our ceremony and Paul, who stood up for us and took on many wedding hats for us to bring it all together, to all of our family members that gave readings and toasts, and extended family and beloved friends who joined us….it was a day to remember.

In Dave’s dad’s words, “I was extremely skeptical of a zoom wedding, actually quite disappointed it was going down that way.  But it turned out to be quite spectacular, more dramatic, amusing and above all moving than any other I’ve ever seen.”

Although we didn’t have a big in-person wedding to coordinate, it still had a lot of little details, mostly technologically, that had to be worked out and until the moment of truth we really didn’t know what would happen. Here are some day-before practice shots in the forest at our site.

Dave was brilliant in his execution of fine-tuning everything and I know it was a huge relief for him when it all DID come together, as I just knew it would in perfect imperfection. He deserved this little break after setting up, while we waited to begin.

He was quite stressed by the technology aspect of pulling this off in the middle of the forest with us hooked up to his phone’s hot spot alone and wondering if all parts would work. I kept telling him it was going to be just fine, sent energy to the day, and released it for the highest good – however that was meant to be.

Here’s a little look at what was going on behind the scenes. It was a perfect merging of nature and technology – harnessing the best of each in harmonious partnership.

I believe that having no attachments really helped, and it made it possible for me to focus on some of the smaller, more fun details like the flowers, wedding cake, attire, and tiny touches that were energetically important like the Herkimer Diamond as a source of broadcasting and channeling the love out into the world from our tiny point at center of the forest.

It was a simple, but enchanted Woodland Wedding faery dream and I could feel the presence of the otherworldly beings, whom of course had personal invites to join too.

My dress also arrived just eight days before the wedding. I had it custom made by a clothing artisan friend who creates slow, eco fashion with all natural components.

The dress is a take-off of a new upcoming style called the butterfly dress because of the little flutter sleeves and is organic cotton and hemp, hand-dyed in a natural indigo dye that slightly shifts from lighter to darker, just at the bottom and two-layered skirt edge. Together, we dreamed up this two-piece ensemble – dress with underskirt – and is something I can and will use for many years to come.

I wanted to keep in line with simple and sweet, natural, and having a light faery touch in the blue family, which is my favorite.

Everything about it was exactly what I envisioned and to the ensemble I added a pair of vegan Faery/Elven shoes I’ve had for a while, but never felt right until now to wear.

Everything about it was exactly what I envisioned and to the ensemble I added a pair of vegan Faery/Elven shoes I’ve had for a while, but never felt right until now to wear.

My bouquet and one flower arrangement were my creation done on the morning of the big day.

I put together a mix of flowers I picked both from the forest (lavender lupine) and my garden (purple salvia) and found the exact flowers I wanted just down the street at our local supermarket. Two musts were sunflowers (my favorite) and I wanted pink Gerbera daisies.

I had a vision of the other color frequencies and types to reflect Summer Solstice joy and pure vitality and there they all were! I used a round vase with crystals in it for the arrangement (a vase I saved from this year’s birthday arrangement my dear friend Dawn sent me) and my bouquet I arranged, rubber-banded, wrapped the long stems in soaked paper towels inside a baggie with some water, and then wrapped that in a gauzy blue, white, gray and green material I had with flower and butterfly motif, and then spiral-tied it up with a satiny green leaf vine ribbon that had ribbon vines hanging from it.

And then there was the cake. I knew I wanted something with an infusion of lavender, so I could use my dried garden lavender I have from last year’s fall harvest.

Then blackberry came to mind to blend in somehow. And in the end, the evening before the wedding, I created a vegan blackberry lavender chocolate cake using the inspiration of a recipe I found that I tweaked into my own creation, as always. I doubled the recipe and baked one very high cake.

While it baked I made a blackberry lavender jam mixed with a fluffy butter-creamy-like whip. I then sliced the cake in half once cooled and layered the jam in between.

I whipped up a batch of butter-cream icing that I drizzled with some of the blackberry lavender liquid from the jam I made in a pot, so that the icing would turn lilac when mixed together. It worked! And then I played around with white and green icing decorations simply guided by inspiration into a sweet little design.

I photographed the cake with these gifts that actually arrived just the day before the wedding! Two hand-painted chalice glasses from the ever-sweet and magickal Laura that arrived all the way from England just in time. She actually ordered them on the Lunar Eclipse, preceding this Solar Eclipse. The stag for Dave and the rabbit of course for me. We used these for toasting after the wedding.

Then the wedding fiasco happened, as there must be at least one or more to remember days like this by, right?

I had placed the cake on my new cake platter that sits high atop the cutest little bunny pedestal who is on his back holding the cake up with his nose and thumpers. I literally had just finished and went to pick up the platter when the bunny came unglued! LOL! The bunny broke off of the bottom and the top platter went down, with the cake sliding backwards onto the counter. As it did, the top layer slid across the jam and there was a puddle of jam at the back that was no longer between the cake. I yelled out, “Paul, Dave, grab the cake!” And we all somehow pushed the back of the layers back together the best we could very gingerly so as not to break the cake. We couldn’t get it perfectly aligned without damage, so there was a one inch gap at the front. I was able to get most of the jam back in and some in the gap and then went to work on remaking icing to try to camouflage the difference and fixing the design that got partially smooshed.

I still remember my sweet faery friend KC (aka Bean Bunny) texting me “It’s always a mess when the bunny comes unglued! – sorry I had to.” LOL! And it was the perfect punctuation from my bunny family to ensure that not only I keep things light, innocent, and fun, but to remind me that everything would be “perfectly imperfect” and they were there to oversee that.

So I experienced about 30 seconds of freaking out, followed by a rush of peace and deciding it was exactly as meant to be, to laugh about it, and to trust I’d be able to put things back together in a meaningful way.

I don’t know how I did it, but I did get it back about 98% with only part of the back where it slid having a little bit of jam mixed with the icing.

Originally we were going to try to see if it was possible to hike the cake to the wedding site, but after this I knew it was meant to stay home and enjoy after the wedding to create a second celebration.

Rather than be upset about anything, as even our rehearsal tech-check dinner done the Monday before the wedding hadn’t gone so smooth, we just kept trucking along, trusting all would come together…and it did. Again, beyond our wildest imaginations.

It was perfect in every way and even though we couldn’t have people there in person, it actually ended up being better because people we likely would never have had the joy to share it with, were able to, more people than usual got the chance to give toasts and share, and for some reason the whole thing created a depth of connection and intimacy that everyone was surprised about.

We were floored by the powerful energy of the event and the feedback from the people sharing how it was one of, if not the most meaningful, inspirational, and moving weddings they’ve experienced. Some even said it was the best. Wow! We’re just floored and speechless, as we had no idea. We just wanted it to be authentic to us and let the rest unfold the way it was meant to be.

To say we feel humbled is an understatement. There were many a tear being shed for sure – most of them by me! LOL! I was smart and had a package of tissues ready and one in hand right off the bat.

There were also many funny moments, including my inability to remember some of the ring lines while placing Dave’s on his finger and pushing the ring on with all my might because his knuckle had swelled with the warmer temperatures while hiking to the site with equipment to set up two hours ahead.

Dave didn’t disappoint with his touching and humorous vows either and guests chimed in with laughter and tears of their own.

There were many moving and sweet moments – too many to write about, but I did want to share some of how this day and the days leading up and following have unfolded. It’s both a way to create a memory log for myself and a way to share what felt like so much more than just something between us that had many layers of symbolic significance.

We had an extraordinary showing of loved ones that would never have happened if in person. Apparently there were 80+ attendees, which included dear family members from Australia and all areas between coast to coast of the U.S. Our Europe-based family and close friends were unable to make it due to time differences and some friends had internet challenges leaving them unable to get on, but we felt every single one of them and all of you, who have all sent so many heartfelt wishes and made your presence in spirit known.

The wedding ceremony also included five different readings by family members and a fun toasting celebration after.

The entire ceremony was written originally by us, the readings hand-picked and reworded by us, our vows written by us and not shared with each other until the day, and we included a twelve minute video at the beginning chronicling our nearly twelve years together that included photos of us with loved ones.

I did want to mention one lovely full circle attendee, my sweet friend Marcy – the founder of SaveABunny – who shared a sweet toast that highlighted Astrid. I so wished we could have had her and the kitty babies there, but she was strongly connecting and a part of the ceremony nonetheless. We also told everyone that we didn’t need any gifts, but that if anyone wanted to, they could donate to one of two non-profit animal organizations that are dear to us. My choice was SaveABunny and Dave’s was APRL (Animal Protection & Rescue League). We don’t have official word yet, but so far the generous gifts raised are totaling a very generous over $2000 in donations. We can’t thank everyone enough for supporting the bunnies and animals. Again, it’s all overwhelming and our hearts are overflowing.

I wanted to end with some of the wonderful things that have taken place since the wedding that all feel very richly interwoven with the theme of cracking open through the continuity of endings and beginnings.

After the wedding we continued to enjoy some beautiful nature immersion on some of our favorite hikes while Dave still had some days off. We didn’t officially take a honeymoon due to the state of things making travel not possible, but every day here we feel is a honeymoon. We’ll look into travels later down the road for continued celebrations.

The day after the wedding we did one of our favorite hikes in Hope Valley – a perfect name for current energies – and while picnicking on some rocks over one of the three lakes’ water you see on this hike, my cell phone decided to take a swim.

My astrologer sister-in-law later pointed out – “Haha that is SO Mercury retrograde in Cancer!” And indeed it was! Miraculously, after being immersed in foot deep water for several seconds, it continues to work just fine! Right after it happened, I bubbled it in Reiki when I sent energy backwards to the point of time when it fell in the water and supercharged it too. After that I shut it down for the rest of the hike and took out the SIM card overnight when we got home, to ensure it would dry. I’m grateful it’s okay so no new phone is in order. Perhaps it just wanted a refresh/rebirth like me! Hehe!

Three days after the wedding my incredibly beautiful irises made their debut with two blooms and three more on the way! My first small purple irises, as you might recall, bloomed miraculously for my birthday at the end of February and now these beauties blooming as a wedding gift.

Other garden delight wedding gifts include my bubblegum pink rose bush blooming right after the wedding, my wildflower seedling plants suddenly flourishing strong, and a new lilac pompom bloom emerging with delphinium, salvia, and my fuschia foxgloves on the way soon.

And one of the sweetest garden nature gifts is our front and side clover lawns! 

I’m so in love with the lush clover that rolls in billowy pillows of little white and yellow blossoms now, looking like the faery meadow I envisioned.

It buzzes with pollinator excitement all day and look at the other wild flowers that are popping up on our faery clover meadow, too!

It’s exactly what I had hoped for – so dreamy! I’m in love!

Then Wednesday was Dave’s last day off so we decided to hike around Chickadee Ridge and Tahoe Meadows where we got engaged. We found a different trail on the Tahoe Rim Trail we haven’t done that circled around the mountain tops at nearly 9000 elevation. We then climbed off-trail enjoying the magick both below and above us.

The Earth was covered with tuffets of sweet enchanting little faery flowers all around and the sky

revealed a bunny portal, a “T” and other magickal things including a dragon head and neck reaching up into the sky (didn’t get photo of it).

The bunny felt to be from my sweet Joy whose ashes had returned to me the day after this day, four years ago. It was a beautiful gift from her to connect with my bunny loves she’s flying with in the stars and to know they are supporting and guiding me/us with their love.

After the hike we decided to enjoy our very first official beach day and got our annual beach pass for the season. We picked up a to-go lunch picnic and relaxed lake-side with chairs and umbrella, soaking in vitamin D, immersing in the fresh water, and receiving a guest visitor.

Right as we walked to our spot I actually found two twin goose feathers (perfect for our wedding unity) and then this sweet one made a beeline for us! There was a ton of connecting and eye contact that took place in a very deep way with him.

It was another full circle, as one of the things Dave shared in his vows was a funny story about me protecting a goose in a very vocal way on the beach one day from an abusive guy. It was as if the goose knew and wanted to return the favor with a little sweet communion and added giggle.

And last, I’ll leave you with this sweet discovery and his message.

While I went out yesterday to water my garden and prepare a hole for our new mock orange blossom bush wedding gift, a new, sweet little one greeted me – my first mountain frog friend. He’s decided to make the top of my Garden Tower his little habitat. We don’t often see frogs here, although hear them a lot in the meadows and near creeks. Isn’t he cute?

I’ve written before about frog symbolism, but I’ll copy and paste it in here to make it easy to read:

The frog speaks of luck, purity, rebirth, renewal, fertility, healing, metamorphosis, transitions, dreaming, and opportunity. In many cultures, the frog symbolizes shamanism and magic as well, teaching us to leap swiftly from one level of consciousness to another – from this world to the Otherworlds. Frogs help us to find courage in accepting new ideas, to foster a sense of self-nurturing, and to discover connections between ideas.

When a frog jumps into your life it may be indicative of the opportunities that can be discovered in the now of your transition. The frog has a unique growth cycle and undergoes some incredible transformations in its progression and attainment of full adulthood, just as we humans do. Hence he understands what it feels like to endure some serious growing pains, and uncomfortable and even yucky feelings, along that transition. And their ability to lay enormous amounts of eggs lends to their fertility symbolism as well as being synonymous with abundance.

Different meanings are found from all over the world. The Egyptians share with us the Frog-headed Heket who is an Egyptian Goddess of birthing and creation. The Celts believed the frog represented curative and healing powers because of its connection with water and cleansing rains and to them, was deemed lord over all the Earth. Western and European views see the frog as a symbol of resurrection and spiritual evolution, deemed by the 3 stages of development (egg, tadpole, and fully formed amphibian). The 3 stages also associate the frog, for Christians, as a symbol for the holy trinity and resurrection and are found often in Christian art under this guise. To the Chinese the frog is an emblem of yin energy and good luck. Feng Shui practices recommend putting an image of a frog in the east window of your home to encourage child birth and a happy family life.

Frogs have also been considered a link between the living and dead, represented by Asian custom believing if you placed a jade frog in the mouth of the deceased, not only would this insure safe passage for their transition, but would allow the spirit to communicate more clearly with living loved ones. In Japan, frogs are especially good luck charms for travelers and wearing one was thought to provide safe passage on long voyages, particularly across waters. The frog took on a more cosmic symbolism for Ancient Hindus however, believing frogs not only signify darkness, but that they project the world into orbit in space.

Again, there’s that theme of synergy between the dead and living, or endings and beginnings all being connected, rebirth, and metamorphosis – something I spoke about in my wedding vows to Dave. My new frog companion is here to stay, as he greeted me this morning again with wide-eyed wonder. He’s a peaceful, curious, and dear little one who seems to reflect the huge quantum leap of hope, faith, and adventure underway for us all, with the promise of enriching metamorphosis and fulfilling potentials to be revealed.

Everything is connected with a sweet thread of continuity whether we realize it or not. While Summer Solstice was a portal of transformation for us, it was also one for the collective, as is everything we experience different ends of in our own ways.

I don’t know what the future looks like for any of us, but I trust it is unfolding in perfect imperfection, has simple and sweet things to value that we often overlook, and is above all, a Great Mystery to respect, marvel in, and honor that will take us on continuous adventures that mirror Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride.

We couldn’t be more grateful to have received and experienced such blessings and love on this day – a day that proved my receiving the date “randomly” when weddings were far from our minds, is why trusting those little nudges makes all the difference.

Here’s to cracking open fresh beginnings for all of us!