Blog Archives
Ask Astrid Fridays ~ The Rabbit’s Corner: Where Heaven & Earth Meet – A Story of Becoming
Let me tell you a little story about a girl who was born looking human like many of you, but what pulsed through her blood was something quite different. Her brother always told her she was more animal (amongst other things) and it made sense given her connection with them. He also used to play telepathic games with her to test his intuition about these “other” parts he felt her to be. It was a bit unnerving when she discovered the game.
At age 12 her first rabbit companion came into her life and this changed everything. No longer did she feel quite so alone when looking at the stars. Her rapid heart rate when under duress or moving her body physically, mirrored that of rabbit. In rabbit, she found solace. Where there had not been an anchor to Earth, rabbit became the way shower to deepen into her chosen embodiment.
Life grew more challenging and at every turn of greater intensity and needed transformation, another rabbit companion would find her. The relationships deepened beyond outside human understanding. And it made sense to the little girl, now woman, that these souls in rabbit bodies were the only ones who could reach her.
Their starry essence was disguised to outsiders, but to the woman stardust was all she saw. And although quite Cosmic, these rabbits were so connected to Earth’s womb that it supported the woman’s journey to the union of spirit and body.
As the years went on, and through deep loss of her soul family in rabbit bodies, she came to know herself even more. Through pain she grew. To her surprise, her heart expanded with every trauma and, again, it was rabbit that taught her the gift within every experience.
When offered the invitation to be with them forever, she chose to stay and be as they had been for her – a way shower to unify spirit and body and bridge peace and harmony on Earth. Through that choice life changed in every way, beyond what she could have imagined possible.
Through that choice, I found her, and was also supported into greater alignment I had been waiting for.
Nature became the cathedral where essence was easily accessible. Here she could hear the whispers of all remnants of stars within every creation before her. And that included herself.
It became easy to drop into her own nature, by listening to the stories within every cycle unraveling before her. And as rabbits do, she found her joy playing in Earth’s realm. Her senses heightened, her body strengthened, and agility of being increased. There were times to go deeper underground and times to leap with elation. Times to be on high alert and times to lay still and listen. Even the foods she ate and loved, mirrored her rabbit friends and her world made sense through these new eyes.
Rabbit and woman were one.
It’s been incredible to watch this unfolding and with every day of her transformation comes a deepening to our bond as well.
I am able to go with her on every adventure she takes because we have merged through this evolution, too.
There is no separation. Essence brings Unity.
I love the journeys she takes me on daily in the mountainous forests where we live. I can feel the snowflakes on my nose, as they kiss hers. I hear the chickadees in my large ears, as they sing to her. I smell the fresh pine through my twitching nose, as she luxuriates in their aroma. I binky with joy when she becomes elated with wonder. I feel nurtured by the vibrations beneath my large thumpers, as she walks with deliberate and present footsteps.
And most of all my heart expands as hers does, every time she drops into essence and becomes both Heaven and Earth.
~Astrid
Clarifying & Reimagining with the Help of the New Moon Total Solar Eclipse
I woke this morning to a magickal paradise scene surrounding our home on the forest.
And as I shared on social media, the view had me singing Willy Wonka’s Pure Imagination…
“If you want to view paradise
Simply look around and view it
Anything you want to, do it
Wanta change the world?
There’s nothing
To it…
There is no
Life I know
To compare with
Pure imagination
Living there
You’ll be free
If you truly wish to be”
The message of this song is one I sing in my heart always. It’s what carries me through life when the rest of the world can’t hear it.
Being the Sagittarius New Moon Total Solar Eclipse and the day after concluding a very potent weekend of Reiki 3 Master Teacher initiations, it all felt like a fresh reset enveloped the forest portal here, but also collectively.
The energy is fertile, even with the blanket of snow covering the Earth’s skin.
I took intentional time off last evening and first half of today to let things integrate and settle. I also got a lot of good sleep in and slowed everything way down.
I’m glad I did.
After a slow, relaxing morning we headed off just up the road from our house to immerse in the fresh powder solitude on snow shoes. The day was incredibly surreal, as you can see.
It was the perfect thing needed, as was the enchanted landscape before me. It may even have been a manifestation of my intents, hopes, and imagination, as I had very strongly both voiced and wished for a winter wonderland the night before.
As we climbed the mountain I could feel the surge of energies from everything flowing through me. It actually made me feel slightly nauseous for about a half an hour (which is not normal for me), so I slowed my pace and deeply breathed the energy in and out, focusing on regulating the accelerated shifts. I also focused on my body and my feet merging with the snow covered ground.
Everything balanced out and as we reached our destination vista point I felt a new harmony anchor and everything has been a peaceful steady since.
While outdoors and during my integration time, I got the message to wind some things down. With the ending of full level Reiki trainings since August, this was a perfect closure point for the year. Yet, I also need to put to rest some of my offerings, as I need some more time to myself these last weeks of 2020.
So, although I had the special running until end of December on discounted sessions to navigate these challenging times, I was told to remove them early. I hope you understand, if in fact you’ve been considering these. This is why you won’t find them offered on my site anymore.
I intend to just complete sessions with clients that I already have, continue to work on custom art commissions, and then use the rest of the time for myself.
This will give me the extra balancing time I feel will be supportive for the work at hand and for continuing to integrate the changes I’m undergoing. It will also give me some good down time before the two new 2021 classes in February and March.
I’ll also be listening between now and the start of the year, as to what other changes will be implemented and how I’ll reimagine a new landscape of experience for 2021. I am feeling the percolation, just like warm seeds coddled far beneath the ground and snow. For now, the halt on these extra sessions feels supportive.
As I’ve told all of my students and clients, balance is key and balance is something I have made central to my life. So, when I get the message that things are feeling more intense than necessary, I listen. This changes things instantly.
I thank you for your understanding with this. I trust that things are always in alignment for what is most important and for the highest good.
Also, I wanted to extend gratitude that the two original, new pieces we added to The Magick Rabbit Etsy Shop this morning at the maximum eclipse time went off to a wonderful new home just minutes after they got listed. This reiterated why they had been important to create, as I heard the connection that they made, which included even just having been seen and experienced by others.
Creating them also gave me, as I mentioned yesterday, the needed little surges of free expression and imagination immersion, which leads us back to Willy Wonka’s Pure Imagination.
We can use the power of our imaginations to create the world we want to see and to set ourselves free. It’s one of the things no one can take away from you, including hope.
Here’s to fresh slates for your imagination to thrive on.
I hope today’s New Moon Eclipse energies have been clarifying and renewing for you too.
Unlimited Creative Potential ~ Upgrades & Imaginative Explosions
I was going to save this post for Whimsical Wednesdays, but there’s just so much energy abound and what feels like a super surge of wild and sometimes shocking unfolding is also feeling quite fertile with incredible possibility. I’ve oscillated between pulling back and then going full steam in the last few weeks. Big surges are flaring from all angles, especially the Cosmos and even from within Earth’s core – as above, so below – and it’s also come with a mixed bag of highs and lows, tragedies and celebrations, endings and beginnings – as is the natural cycles of all things.
In the midst of it all we’ve had a lot of very close-to-home news from others that’s included losses or traumatic and/or surprising events and health crises/diagnoses that all speak to huge life-transforming shifts happening on a grand scale. There’s a sense of a grand Earth recalibration taking place, which can very well even mean the human sadness of seeing many people and animals leaving while many others arrive, or the catalysts for life-priorities and values taking center stage with huge slaps in the face so that adjustments for greater alignment take precedence. Not all of it creating that warm fuzzy feeling one craves at the holiday season, but definitely creating deepening potential and supporting a new kind of enrichment through fuller embodied gratitude.
It all makes every single moment extra meaningful because it’s all you truly have. The Earth frequencies are shifting and so will we in the way that’s relative to our soul. While I sink deeper into my heart with all that is before me, I have also been readying for many beginnings and actively supporting them every step of the way.
One of those included supporting the huge vibrational shift for an incredible (wish there was an even more potent word to describe them) soul family group helping to raise the Earth frequency. This weekend concluded a really big journey for 16 amazing souls, as we came full circle with Reiki training today. A total of 18 took the journey with us through the first two levels, which began in August and concluded in December with 16 moving on to complete the third. It was a path I hadn’t planned on when embarking on 2020, but it became ever more clear why this came about, as we continued forward.
Our last class was today, and synchronously a snow storm started just a couple of hours before class began, enveloping me in a white wonderland as I connected with everyone online. The snow felt like a blanket of purity from which all things will emerge anew. It also put to rest the old cycles, as things transmute and reset onward.
I got to share a glimpse of it all with the group through my computer screen on Zoom and even Astrid shared herself and energy with everyone too.
The upgrades we each received by these high energy gatherings and activations has been so aligned with astrological events and this conclusion was no exception coming right at the threshold of tomorrow’s Sagittarius New Moon and Total Solar Eclipse. This includes a South Node Eclipse that supports clearing of all that old “stuff”. It was no wonder people felt extra zapped today, as alongside the intense energies everyone’s been processing and releasing, this, the upcoming Winter Solstice Great Conjunction, and overall high intensity month of Eclipses and two Full Moons truly have created more direct access doorways to harness and ignite.
The two concluding group classes fell on 12/12 and 12/13 and each day has reflected some magickal things including a rainbow portal showing up in the sky on the 12th after class, the snow enchantment showing up during the 13th’s class, Astrid’s presence in high gear for both, me teaching from my Wonderland creative space for the first time in our class series where the energy is highest in the house, amazing new openings for everyone, and even one attendee who shares my birthday – talk about reflective rebirthing.
And although I’ve been helping to facilitate things, I’ve definitely received my own huge upgrades over the course of our trainings and everything else this year.
This has trickled into reflections within my tangible personal experience to include a cell phone, computer, and office upgrade. In fact, there have been a huge amount of technical and electronic crazies over the course of this year, which made it obvious the cell and computer upgrades had to happen. But also it was the first year of using so much technology to include two different online platforms – Zoom and Google Meet – as well as other new technologies in our home and daily experiences.
I mentioned to our class today that although my energy does affect electronics (blow outs, crashes, strange happenings, setting off electric sparks, etc.), this seems to happen a lot more within my personal experience rather than when I’m doing important collective things like these classes or past interviews I’ve done. It feels to be an alignment with my Aquarius energies and that this kind of platform is very much in my frequency field as a supportive and even very beneficial way of connecting. So, in that way I am grateful, as others I know can’t use these means of connection all the time due to possible blow-outs and weird happenings mixing with their energies. We each have our aligned ways that are of highest benefit.
I feel supported now with a very powerful new cell phone and computer that feel like they’ll have greater longevity to weather the shifts upcoming and I also feel very nurtured and supported by the small upgrades I did in my shared creative space/office with Astrid.
That included what you see here – adding a second duplicate desk so I have a side-by-side sweeping wall of creative space. I’m still in process of organizing and configuring everything, but the photos give you an idea of the area that will get more clearing soon. I also got a new chair to replace my other desk chair, got rid of my reading chair, and made some other fine-tunings. The only thing that remains the same is Astrid always by my side – either at my feet (above photo) or supporting from behind (second below photo).
The second desk was a free one, as when I first purchased the one, it had arrived slightly damaged. The company sent me another, which also arrived slightly damaged. Each time was a completely free shipment and desk, because of their great customer service. Between the two damaged ones, we were able to create a second perfect desk by swapping broken and good drawers/parts to create one extra desk. It was stored in the garage until I got the inspiration to have both in my room and voila!
In the midst of these changes Astrid also received some upgrades with new floor mats throughout the room. I got her bigger mats with gorgeous bunny landscapes that create magickal portals for her to lay on and dream with me. I also got her a new door mat for under one of her beds where she likes to lay and look outside and another that lays under her food dishes and water bowl.
Each with a magickal scene, cozy, and supportive. But most of all, they create doorways to realms of enchantment and possibility where the rabbit collective is close at hand. She loves her new space and uses everything she has – that makes me happy.
She also loves having a nice sweeping area under my desks so that she can be right by my feet when I work – she actually sat the entire class (without moving) right up on my feet during the first day of Reiki 3 Master Teacher training last weekend when we had the entire group of 17 of us all together.
We’re definitely enjoying the new energy it’s all created, and for me, it feels more expansive and inspiring. I even have a work basket that keeps my daily projects, calendars, and so forth, all neatly together that’s labeled, of course, “The Magick Rabbit”.
I’ve also recently acquired a bunch of new, delicious and enchanted scented soy candles from a friend who creates them, which I burn daily as I work.
All of these space upgrades have really nurtured me into greater comfort and productivity. And from that, there’s been explosions of creative output in between the supportive work I’ve been doing. In between my full schedule and heavier-than-usual-workload, I’ve been taking small needed breaks to channel inspiration into little projects that speak to my heart and support little bursts of big creative expression.
Alongside commissioned art, I have been channeling fun ideas that call to me. These include the following you see here that are hitting The Magick Rabbit Etsy Shop tomorrow – the only new creations in quite a while, just in time for Christmas.
The first is the Uniquely You Divinely One ~ Magick Wooden Faery Chest adorned in snowflakes, genuine opals, and mirrored mini tiles. This is a hand-painted multi-media piece of useable art that you can use as a keepsake box, treasure chest, altar piece, storage for crystals, jewelry, or even as a Reiki box. There are eight genuine opals on it and a snowflake made of mini mirrored tiles. It’s completely painted, inside and out, and comes with a bed of natural lichen foraged from my forest backyard that you can keep as a bed to rest any of your special items on or remove.
A lovely Winter Solstice, Yuletide, or Christmas Gift, but also beautiful all year-round, as the message is timeless and a way to harness the magick messengers of the Winter Season.
Inspired by a painting I did years ago, titled the same, Uniquely You, Divinely One speaks to the value of your creative individuality within the collective and how each of us has our own signature frequency while still being unified as One. Each snowflake reflects the uniqueness that creates the tapestry of snow – every one having purpose and beauty, but together create harmony – like a symphony of notes. The power of one is great, but the power of teamwork is astronomical.
It is signed and titled on the bottom and the opals carry their own message. Opal is of the water element like the moon, it enhances cosmic consciousness, psychic and mystical insights, supports creativity and expressing your true self, brings loyalty, peace, self worth, faithfulness, illuminates for transformation, stone of love, gentleness, kindness to all relationships, encourages freedom and independence, soothes emotional body, clears and calms, nurtures hope, heals subconscious emotions, helps resolve past life challenges with compassion for self, supports dream time and alleviates nightmares, and release trauma, tension and stress.
The second is the creative explosion Wonderland is Alive Magick Portal that’s hand painted on a Basswood plaque with genuine crystals, stones, and mini mirrored tiles imbued all around and within the magickal doorway. This is an incredibly whimsical and creatively potent piece that was pure joy to channel and pure magick to step into.
Inspired by Alice in Wonderland and the journey Down the Rabbit Hole, you are invited to follow the White Rabbit through a new doorway of experience where your imagination and heart can create a new reality and infinite potentials. This enchanted piece can be used to ignite deeper levels of meditative possibility for manifestation of dreams and intents, as you allow all judgments and thoughts to be suspended. The mirrored tiles create that reflective energy for one to look within. And the seven genuine crystals and stones whirling around the rainbow portal, help to activate it all. The center has a teardrop Clear Quartz – the Master Healer – to amplify all energy and thought when entering this doorway. Other stones include, Amethyst, Amazonite, Green Jade, Orange Jade, Amethyst Lace Agate, and Picture Jasper.
Other symbolism includes bumblebee, butterfly, dragonfly, ladybug, dandelions, Amanita muscaria mushrooms (magick mushrooms), flowers, and hearts.
A way to invite your inner child to join you on an adventure of your choosing so you can merge the otherworld into your daily life. A manifestation tool and a reminder that you hold the power within.
It’s truly one of my most whimsical creations that merges simplicity with potency.
Talk about fun, fun, FUN!
I decided to list the new creations on Monday 12/14’s Total Solar Eclipse – that’s tomorrow – and they’ll go up in our Etsy Shop at 8:13 am PST, which is the maximum Eclipse time here in the South Lake Tahoe region. The New Moon will be at 8:17 am.
If either calls to you, the link to our shop is here: The Magick Rabbit
And speaking of Etsy, I just had to share this sweet unfolding alignment that creative energy and expression made possible. If you recall my painting, Dance of the Twin Flames, which did find its home a couple of years ago, then you might enjoy this along with me. Things like this happen “out of the blue” quite often and when they do I just feel so much gratitude.
An incredibly gifted sculptural jewelry artist in Scotland “stumbled” upon my painting online. She was just starting to put her own Etsy shop together of her creations and as part of her nature-inspired collection she made a set of twin seahorse earrings and wanted to ask if it would be possible to add my painting to her listing of the earrings that reflected them. The inspiration behind their creation mirrored my own with nearly exact channeling of the energies we worked with to bring them to life. She was so excited to have the seahorse spirit lead her to my painting that she felt to add it, along with my description, in accompaniment to her earring listing. I, of course, agreed and we discovered a magickal connection between us that of course the seahorses had been the portal for, and the rest of that story continues to unfold with beautiful soul family alignments from present to past life weave-ins. If you are interested in exploring her lovely nature and myth inspired work, her Etsy shop is 6elementsJewellery (Six Elements Jewellery).
This speaks to cocreative energies we tap into when we are authentic with our expression of it and support its need to be actively flowing. It also speaks to honoring those inner messages and your voice, as you never know where they may lead. And, it feels reflective of my current creative explosion of energies I’ve been feeling called to channel right now on this latest wave rolling through.
And speaking of cocreative energies, here’s a collaboration that unfolded between Nature, me and a sweet little bunny named Nova.
While on a hike recently, my eyes were drawn to the forest floor only to find a perfectly Nature-etched rabbit in a piece of wood. I immediately knew it was Nova, whom you’ve seen me post about before, and that it wanted to become a special little Christmas ornament. Little did I know at the time that Nova’s mom, KC, was going to have a big healing opening around celebrating Christmas, which was profound for her. After years of not being able to celebrate it for personal reasons, she was out early shopping to bring the Christmas spirit back into her child heart once again. This ornament became the perfect addition to her nature-themed Christmas tree and decorations. I painted one side of it in his image, as you can see, and left the other side completely natural because the rabbit was so distinct and gorgeous.
It feels to me to have the essence of the rabbit collective embodied in the wood sculpture that Nova is part of – reminding me of Watership Down’s El-ahrairah – Prince of the Rabbits – and that it is a reflection of spirit and body as one. I added wire wrapping to the top of the ear to create a loop for hanging.
And while on the topic of sweet bunnies, portals, and collaborations, you likely recall the Magick Portal Wood Plaque I created recently as one of my art commission projects. My muse was the dear Maribelle and after her mom received the portal, here is how Maribelle responded:
Maribelle was more than my muse for this. She was in fact the messenger of much healing energy, love, and activation that has unfolded more than I’m able to share here, for her mom, between she and I, and even a connection to a bunny dad who needed support.
Needless to say, the abundance of imagination I’ve been tapping into, upgraded energies I’ve been saying yes to, creative explosions I’ve embraced needing to come through in what ever form….have all been doorways of unlimited potential that continues to unfold and still has yet to reveal itself fully.
So, although my days have been full, I’ve been honoring and making time for what is under the surface whispering or knocking, as I later discover just how important those voices have proven to be and just how valuable energy is to honor, as it knows far greater than our limited ideas do…just why they’re needed.
A Grateful Day…Every Day
My dear friend, and officiant for our Summer Solstice wedding, shared this beautiful video message with me yesterday and it felt perfect to pass along to all of you today.
Whether I’ve met you in person or not, have spoken or messaged with you or not, had any interaction of any sort or not – you are felt, you are seen, you are appreciated, you are a part of me.
May we experience every day like it’s the first and the last so that each moment, every person, and every part of creative consciousness around us has a place in our hearts.
I am another yourself. You are another myself. In Lak’ech Ala K’in ~ the Mayan principle of Universal Love.
Maya priest shamans recognized us as one global human being ~ “dissolving until you are ‘NOT’, then the World enters you.”
Mystical Wings & New Frontiers
There’s been quite a lot of interesting, strange, expansive, and potent energy and experiences in the last few weeks that feel to indicate an initiation into a whole new arena of life. Of course, the collective is sharing a wild ride of swift and unknown changes as well. So, the two are definitely mirroring one another – individual and collective, that is.
Some very rare physical encounters have been taking place for me, which have involved the avian clan of spirit messengers. I always have a lot of bird energy around me and find feathers literally every time I’m outdoors hiking. Some special feathers have been part of that mix, including a variety of owl, hawk, osprey, sooty grouse, wild turkey, pheasant, and most recently, bald eagle for the first time. But actual physical encounters add an extra powerful punch since some of these birds are quite rare to see in the wild unless divinely in alignment.
However, as I shared in a recent post, last week great horned owl made a very prominent and deliberate appearance while we ventured through her slot canyon lair with feathers arriving in conjunction with her grand entrance. This took place the day after burrowing owl showed up for us, which I haven’t seen since being in the Galapagos Islands several years back, synchronously as we had just been talking about dreams of a potential future revisit to these special islands.
And just recently I found my first bald eagle feather, but we hadn’t actually seen one in maybe a year. That dry run came to an end on Wednesday the fourth when one made another deliberate appearance for us and my parents, whom we were taking on a walk by the river. You can see him captured here in the photo and video.
We also had just seen osprey the day after great horned owl and yesterday a most gorgeous, giant hawk (largest I’ve seen in some time) made a deliberate glide across the front of our car as we were driving to a hike, and came to rest on a light post to stop and make visual contact. Interestingly, the eagle seemed to do the same, as after he flew overhead he came to rest on the tree you see him in and waited for us all to get under that tree to have a little eye-to-eye before flying off again. Since Dave had missed seeing him fly and couldn’t make him out, this pause the eagle did, ensured very clear sight of him once we reached where he was. No one was to meant to miss him.
Although back in Costa Mesa I’ve seen great horned owl in the physical, when no one else had, sitting on the roof of a house in the distance, a barn owl that flew across my windshield while on the freeway, and bald and golden eagles in extremely rare moments since 2006 living in Tahoe and on our Alaska trip, these new encounters have been bunched up all at once – one after the other – and accompany energies that feel vastly different.
Being that these are all very large and rarely seen birds – at least for us here – and their symbolism is quite powerful and filled with insightful wisdom and higher consciousness and cosmic connection, they feel significant to the shifting path ahead. I thought it also quite interesting to see bald eagle right after election day, continuing to unfold its direction.
But alongside the actual birds and feathers, there have been other mystical wing encounters.
I found an actual small bird’s wing feather on a hike this last weekend. This, on a day that was quite still and calm, followed by several days of extreme calm, nearly no wind, placid water on every lake we hiked by, and a loud stillness in the air. Similar to the calm before a storm, which in fact literally is happening here as we today had our first rain in a while and winds that are preparing for our first snow storm on the way this weekend.
The timing of everything is always fascinating.
Another incredulous “mystical wing” encounter, took place on Saturday’s Halloween/Samhain Full Blue Moon. While we were sitting by the river enjoying a distanced picnic lunch, I suddenly felt a sharp pain on my left elbow.
I immediately brushed at it, feeling some kind of creature, and then looked at my elbow to find an odd stinger in it that looked three-pronged. It hurt and burned a lot and I had Dave immediately yank out the stinger.
No one saw what it was except one friend who said, “I saw something with very large wings, but couldn’t make it out.”
I’ve never “randomly” been stung like that on purpose. Only two times in my life did I get stung, but they were my own unfortunate doing. Each of those were from bees. Once when I was a little girl and stepped on one on the grass by accident. And once, incidentally, when I sat on a bee on the seat of the boat we were on in the Galapagos Islands. Each time giving me crazy skin reactions lasting a long time. I was actually told when I was a child that the only thing I was allergic to was bee stings, so this made sense.
But my skin reacts hugely from stings or bug bites of any kind. Luckily I’m not allergic in terms of getting anaphylactic shock, serious illness or sick feelings, etc., but my body goes on major localized attack of anything foreign introduced.
So, the sting burned and hurt quite a bit and in the days to follow it swelled like a small tumor, hurt like a bad bruise to the touch, and got very red and itchy. It’s currently just a bit blotchy red and itchy, but is healing.
The strangeness though is the auspicious timing/day of the incident and that no one can identify what got me. It wasn’t a bee, nor a wasp or yellow jacket – neither of these fit the large winged description nor do any of them leave a stinger, let alone a three pronged stinger. Our friend that got a glimpse said the only thing he could find online to somewhat mirror it was an Asian Giant Hornet. That’s highly unlikely, but apparently even hornets don’t leave stingers.
Something that large is nothing we’ve ever seen around here, but otherwordly visitors coming through dimensions is a whole other thing. 😉
I’m convinced it was a cosmic faery initiation that came through the thin veils that day to activate a new crossroads. Even my faery sister, Laura, reiterated the same sense when we were talking about it and our shared bee allergies.
The potent Full Blue Moon Samhain zap seems to indicate big shifts and combined with the rare, powerful avian sightings, I’m curious to see what’s in motion.
“The elbow represents the capacity for radical change in direction in what we do in our lives regarding our own path, our goals. It represents a professional change or one that concerns our objectives.” https://www.flowsandforms.com/elbow/
And, since elbows also symbolize our flexibility, there’s an increased focus on expanding that to incorporate even more possibility and an intention around changes involving freedom to act in accordance with our identity, drive, and dreams. The left elbow is also yin/feminine, so there’s a shift with all things of this essence taking place.
Synchronously during the time period of all of these experiences, I have actually been reviewing and receiving a lot of inspired guidance and nudges. This led to a big redo of my office and shared Wonderland room with Astrid.
I’ve expanded and revamped my creation space with two side-by-side matching desks to have one elongated area to work. When I first got my desk it had arrived partially damaged, so the company ended up sending me another. That one also had partial damage and so they sent me a third. So I ended up with three for the price of one and with a little transfer of parts from one to another had two perfect desks out of it.
I had only ever had one in my office and the other we stored in the garage, but I got inspired to create an expansive and comfy work space that would be much more useful and inviting for my non-traditional ways of working. I also got rid of my desk chair and replaced it with my super cozy reading chair so that I now feel like work time is welcoming and supportive to my Pisces dreamy energy. It also puts in me in better view of seeing out to my garden.
I’ve never liked the office desk and chair concept, and throughout my school career always did my work, studying, and typing (on a type writer) of papers on my bed despite having a small desk in my room.
This new set up feels inspiring and with of course my decorative touches, it is more of an imaginarium space that happens to be work-friendly.
I am still in process of redecorating, but all the major clearing out/organizing is done and it feels good. What I love about it all is that not only is it so much more fun now to be there, but I feel this was necessary in order to do the next phase of my writing.
I hadn’t felt called to do what was next with my novel, but now this feels like the exact invitation and nurturing “someone” knew I needed, which also aligns with the energetics shifting. I’m glad I listened.
So, that’s one big change that took place and more are in process, as I’ve embraced nudges around doing work I previously felt complete with. In fact, next week I’ll likely have another update on some offerings upcoming because of this.
I also just did another big purge of clearing out things and am actually off to Goodwill as soon as this blog posts. And it looks also like another upcoming short get away is in order. It seems like a bunch of new energy activations are streaming through in overdrive.
In the midst of it all Astrid has been excited with all the changes too. She loves the new hidey space it created behind my reading chair, under the desk and the whole set up actually created more open space and an expansive look and feel to the whole room.
And speaking of Astrid, she also received her own “mystical winged” faery initiation, as you can see here.
These are photos of the night we returned home from our time away and I introduced Astrid to her very own faery bunny! The tag attached to her named her “Fiona,” but I’m sure Astrid will let me know if in fact that’s who this little one really is.
She took to her right away and gave her the usual enchanting with some energy-infused nose nudges.
No matter where I put her, Astrid was right by her side giving her magickal nose kisses.
She’s enjoying the new energy and is excited about the upgrades she’s also receiving alongside mom. This to include some brand new mats on the way for her sweet little feet and thumpers so she can lay cozy by mom through the colder seasons and have her feet cushioned with support where she likes to sit/lay most.
These new little islands of comfort and joy are like the new frontiers mom is also embarking on and together we’re excited for a very different winter experience upcoming.
Even our recent hikes since we’ve returned home have all taken us to great climbing heights overlooking expansive, more secluded vistas and anchoring with the sacred stone outcroppings in each of the areas.
These vantage points have offered me a broader perspective and nurturing nudge to open and trust even wider, despite the strangeness I sense about.
The energetic landscape of the world is shifting greatly and has many unknowns, but our personal piece of the story can be a different kind of journey if we commit to the work.
Climbing a mountain is always filled with reflections of growth. And while the view may be incredible, it’s truly how we embrace the climb that makes the difference.
And although summit may seem like a natural end, peace comes when we embrace each part of the mountain as rich and treasure-filled.
There are layers of mountainous journeys to traverse, but remember that the journey is where we discover ourselves and learn to anchor amidst anything.
I’m seeing with new eyes and feeling into things with all parts of me. One thing I know is that only I can control how I feel, or what my experience of life is like, and I refuse to let anything or anyone have reign over that domain.
It didn’t always used to be that way, as I never had boundaries to my energetic world. I used to have trouble differentiating between what was mine and others’ and I was susceptible to persuasion and telepathic undernotes. Now, I’m on high alert and am always privy to what other’s are really up to and I keep a strong sense of self even though I have a strong sense of unity-loving connection.
I love how in the photo above you can actually subtly see the red site on my left elbow where the faery initiation zap of radical new change took place. This photo feels very symbolic of the new frontiers ahead, demonstrates connection, but with different vantage points of our experience of life, and anchors a joy and strength for the unknown journey.
This is the most strenuous hike we do around here because it steeply climbs 2000 feet in only two miles. We do it in only an hour, which is a big accomplishment for me.
This is the first time we’ve done it where the air was still without a breeze and the water below was equally mirroring.
In the stillness of presence there is much to receive.
I also love that my eyes are protected by the shade of my hand – creating shadow or diffusion of light in order to see.
Yes, we are capable of clarity and finding direction even amidst seeming darkness. In fact, sometimes going through caverns of experience can be necessary in order to understand with new wisdom and bring forth greater richness.
We are traveling new frontiers of experience together, step by step, and with trust we’ll find new wings to carry us further.
Magickal Update: Today, the day after posting this, the “mystical wings” theme and symbolism continued double fold with the finding of a bird’s wings. While hiking I found the wings with the feathers in separate, but connected pieces creating sections of the wings and almost making each large wing look like many little wings. The photo above is of the gathered wings in my large vest pocket. I like to honor the energy of each being and message in special ways. The large feather in front is a separate feather I found on its own – feels like goose – along with a beautiful, tiny spotted mystery feather. They’re pictured below.
Rare Halloween/Samhain Full Blue Moon Magick
A Blue Moon is the second Full Moon in one month and October 2020 illuminates just that for us, with bookending Moons at start and end. This Full Moon is in Taurus and being a Blue Moon will add an extra magickal boost and thinning of veils all falling on Halloween/Samhain.
And to add to that extra magickal boost, Astrid sat herself below center of my painting titled Once in a Blue Moon (as seen below), wearing her Moon and Star dusted Cosmic witchy/wizard hat, to anchor her own message and infuse some rabbit alchemy to the mix.
Since Full Moons showcase a rabbit in the Moon, her point is well taken – I always listen when she “speaks”.
So much is culminating as year end draws near and the energetics continue to rise in ways that point to the continued importance of self care, preparation, inner work, anchoring, and maintaining your own equilibrium.
If you can be open and ready for the unexpected, stay focused on what really matters and is of most value to you, tune into, listen, and support your body’s messages, feel and channel through the sensual aspects of life that make you human and are the gifts of spirit in body, and embrace the changes that have ability to put closure to things, you will find yourself in a much more strengthened and empowered place to navigate the waters of the journey ahead.
Since Earthy Taurus is the focal point of illumination, body and Earth speak loudly now and that might mean extra time in the great outdoors Mother Nature gifts us with, or anything nature-connected so that ultimately you’ll be immersing in some mystical communions with the nature of you.
It’s a great time for mischievous magick, intention-seeding, or your own version of mystical, love-filled spell-casting in Nature’s womb of creation, illuminated by the Full Blue Moon.
This last week we’ve been doing just that, as we created space for another Earthy immersion – this time in the Arizona sunshine and waters of Lake Havasu City to celebrate with our dear soul family we haven’t seen in a long time. I’m grateful that opportunity came to take some safe, distanced outdoor-focused excursions recently. Last time it was the ocean and faery forests of the Pacific Coast, and this time it was the red rocks, desert sands, and warm waters of the Colorado River and Lake Havasu – different, but equally nurturing, enriching, and cleansing.
And with the building of the Full Moon energies in the night sky, coupled with Arizona sunsets, the Earth and Cosmos merging has been felt strongly in the body and soul.
This was amplified by the ability to connect with my sweet nephew and godson, Nova, (whom you’ve read about in a previous blog) who helped me tune in with my dearly departed rabbit son, Cosmo.
Nova is just as sweet and perfect as I knew he was – such a tiny faery bunny who loves snuggles (he’s about 2 pounds lighter and several inches smaller than Astrid). Tuning in with him this last week was timely because Cosmo has been on my mind being that Halloween was the day he transitioned, four years ago. The Universe knows what we need and Cosmo always finds a way to communicate and send me love. This week, through the adorable Nova.
And to add to that energy, it was such a gift to see this sweet Burrowing Owl on one of our evening walks.
I haven’t seen one in years. The timing felt particularly potent. Although not the clearest photo, I’m surprised she even showed up given the evening lighting casting dark shadows in her burrow. But I love the way she did because it adds to her mystical energy and deep mystery.
Owl is one of my key spirit animal figures for my path, which I had reiterated by a favorite reader in Sedona, Arizona upon twice visiting him, but especially particular species of owl. Their feathers show up prolifically these days. They carry the power of sight, intuition, and hidden wisdom that reveals the true reality which is hard to be seen by others.
I love this interesting information about Burrowing Owl from http://www.pauldfrost.co.uk/burrowowl.html that mirrors the time of year right now before Halloween/Samhain (time of thinnest veils) and the upcoming Full Blue Moon.
Mythology & Folklore :
The American Indian Hopi tribe called the Burrowing Owl Ko’ko, meaning ‘Watcher of the Dark’. They believed it to be associated with Masauu, their god of the dead, the guardian of fires & protector of all things underground, including germinating seeds, making it a very sacred bird. As the owl lives underground, it was believed to be able to communicate with the dead.
The American Indian Gosiute tribe (from Utah and Nevada) believed the Burrowing Owl to be a protective spirit for brave warriors. Owl feathers were worn by the warriors & rattles were covered in owl skins, to frighten off their enemies.
And the owl energy continued, as the very next day after an evening with Burrowing Owl, it was all about Great Horned Owl. With two, rare physical encounters with owls back-to-back I’d say something’s afoot.
“Every real story is a never ending story.” ~The Neverending Story
Our nine and a half mile expedition of the senses was a literal Neverending Story journey with all the major characters showing up in rock formations, including the magickal gates that guard The Southern Oracle – The Great Riddle Gate with two Sphinxes (in this case we had two sentinel rock portal gates that included one naturally carved into the Luck Dragon, Falcor, himself), a perfect Morla rock – the giant turtle known as The Ancient One, Rockbiters and Big-Headed Rock Creatures. It was incredible. There were also snippets of Lord of the Rings and the journey to take the golden One Ring to Mordor and a bit of The Secret of Nimh when Mrs. Brisby meets The Great Owl in his bone-laced lair. Wow!
The latter literally manifested a Great Horned Owl that greeted us upon entering the slot canyons. We saw her emerge from her big nest perched between the narrow slots and take to flight down the corridor, coming to rest up on a ledge of the rock walls ahead, as seen here ever-so faintly.
The rest of the time we walked down the slot canyon to the desert beyond, on our way to a secluded beach on the lake, we kept finding a variety of small to medium sized feathers amidst all the bristle brush at the bottom edges of the rock walls.
We also discovered a lot of small bones and skeletal parts of the little animals she fed on – both on the ground and contained within owl regurgitation.
We wondered if she’d be there again on the way back, and indeed she was.
She greeted us once again with a fly-over (enabling a photo capture this time), and more feathers, including a large one I found during a funny episode of me shimmying up the rocks we had to climb down into the slot canyon.
While literally suspended at the top, flat on my stomach with arms and legs flailing out as if I was swimming, since I was having trouble getting up, this put me in the perfect position to see a large feather at eye-level to where I was laying. I stopped everything between two people pulling and pushing at each end to say, “Hey! Look at that perfect large feather behind Dave!” We all laughed. Nothing stops my hawk eye from seeing magickal discoveries, nor gets between me and them. I always seem to provide comic relief for everyone and this one was caught on video.
The slot canyon felt like the Great Horned Owl’s lair Mrs. Brisby bravely enters on her journey to the Rats of Nimh, and the whole energy and finds of the day without a soul but the four of us, plus all of the things we kept discovering (ancient petroglyphs in the gorge walls of the Colorado River, Osprey twice flying above us as trains passed over while we went under the bridge on jet skis, a monarch butterfly gliding by us on the river – butterflies are said to be ancestors returning, and more) and having revealed during the rest of every adventure-filled day this week, made for the perfect lead-up to Halloween and the Full Moon.
And so, during this liminal time of year when boundaries are at their thinnest to the Otherworlds, it feels like the Universe conspired with my/our intentions in supporting the energies and experiences of greatest benefit, and revealed the way showers for the journey ahead.
Alongside several nature treasures, I even found this sweet, little, brown faery bunny at a store to bring back for Astrid (with detachable wings) – the perfect find for my magick rabbit
If we want to create some meaningful experiences for this doorway, we have the support of many beyond the veils – the Fae, ancients, ancestors, deceased, and even right under our feet – Mother Earth, around us – animal and Elemental messengers, or in the stars – the Cosmos and our multi-dimensional selves and star families.
And speaking of all of these mystical and potent energies, Astrid and I thought we’d share some of the magick we’re conjuring up at the Forest Portal mixed with Faery rabbit enchantment and wonderfully witchy wishes from our hearts to yours.
With a blend of Earthy and Cosmic ingredients, we’re always brewing up some fun and love to bridge the gap between the shadowy depths of the heart.
The photos you see laced throughout this post capture the alchemy we create together and love spreading out into the world as cocreators.
You got a glimpse of Astrid’s new cosmic witchy/wizardy hat back on October 1st’s Harvest Full Moon, but we saved the extra enchantment for October 31st’s Full Blue Moon.
And I just had to reshare this fun from 2019’s Halloween post, which came from my BinkyBunny.com newsletter I subscribe to.
It felt particularly fitting with this year’s photos of Astrid and me. I think you can see why. 🙂
BROOMSTICK BUNNY
- “Traditionally, rabbits are the most prominent animal that is associated with witchcraft, but cats have since taken their place.
- Rabbits are associated with lunar energy, luck, hidden knowledge, divination, love, creativity, success, sensitivity, agility, swiftness, spontaneity, abundance, rebirth, renewal, transformation, and fertility.
- In some folklore, it is said that witches would transform into rabbits as a disguise due to their elusive and swift characteristics.
- Rabbits are still considered to be a common familiar for witches.
- Rabbits are symbols that represent various goddesses, such as Artemis, Hecate & Cerridwen,…
- One of the classic 48 constellations as named by Ptolemy is Lepus, the hare.
- Rabbits are associated with spring, the vernal equinox, and the sabbat Ostara due to the fact that cold weather is fading and flowers are beginning to bloom.
- While rabbits are associated with luck, it’s not inherently good or bad luck – it can be either depending on the circumstances….
- [Some] superstitions state that rabbits can dispel negativity, cleanse, and break spells….”
Credits: art – regardingcomic.com/Penny Collins;
article – witchtips.tumblr.com & lunaesteria
Today’s Halloween, Samhain, and Celtic New Year is a portal to access and create realities to mirror your true multi-dimensional self.
May the key become conscious for accessing more of this each day.
And may all possibilities be open to you.
In love and creative magick,
Tania and Astrid
Magnificence Is…
Magnificence is you alive in this moment.
Are there challenging things going on right now?
Sure.
Yet, even amidst the twists and turns, the simple truth of your soul expressed in body is a miracle.
And that includes the myriad of experiences that are made possible because of being human at this moment.
Not only the experiences that are deemed good or pleasurable.
But every one of them, simply because they are even possible to be experienced, felt, and navigated with every part of your being.
Just a short message I wanted to share with all of you miraculous beings.
We’re heading out again Saturday, for a week, and so I wanted to send you this little note, as inspiration came through.
I likely won’t be blogging until we return, which means the next post will be a fun Full Blue Moon Halloween/Samhain share. Hehe!
Today happens to be the 12 year anniversary of Dave and I first kayaking out on Lake Tahoe all those many Moons ago. And our week away has many celebrations woven into it, to include that, his birthday, and more.
I’ve, of course, been a busy faery bee in order to be able to get away. Yet, as my last Soulful Time Out shared, “Sometimes we think we couldn’t possibly create the space and time for what we need, but that’s exactly when we need it the most.”
I’m in a balancing zone right now between heavy load and soulful softness and am grateful to be navigating things with greater ease than the old me.
Quick updates on the new classes and free event, before I head out:
The Intuition & Reiki ~ Empowered Intuitive Development February 2021 class is now full. If you were wanting to join, or feel a draw to this, you can contact me. Depending on amount of extra interest, I might open a second class later in Spring.
Both the Crystal Healing & Reiki ~ Deepening through Integrative Healing Sessions class and the Free Event – Intuitive Sound Healing Immersion ~ Awaken the New & Ignite Your Ancient Voice have three openings left.
Link to all the info can be found here: 2021 Classes & Upcoming Events
Holding you all in heart and wrapping lots of love around each of your souls.
I am grateful for every one of you.
I am grateful for this life, despite and because of all the mysterious ways energy expresses itself beyond my full ego comprehension.
And I am grateful that every day is a new opportunity to feel and stretch to even greater depths, express myself in new ways, find and see even more beauty than the day before, share greater kindness in soul-reaching ways, and experience the full gamut of what being human is all about.
Taking a Soulful Time Out
We’ve had on and off good, moderate, to not so great smoky air days up in the Tahoe basin since the fires in the west started, which has created a back and forth pendulum experience of heavy outdoor exercise, to light exercise, to indoor-only exercise. It’s been reflective of busier days and the need to focus on getting things done when unable to venture outdoors, so it’s always perfect. However, we’ve been craving a little getaway, since we haven’t been anywhere since the beginning of the year and especially because of the fuller days and wanting to breathe in and enjoy as much of the now and life while we can, as well as nature’s gifts as possible. Plus, I’ve learned that I can give even more when I listen to my needs and nurture them as well.
And even though I had bookending online Reiki classes I was/am teaching between the 4th and 11th, it felt exactly why a time-out would be supportive. Including the sense I have that everyone in the group classes has a lot of energetic changes they’re shouldering and responding to, so I am adjusting to meet and integrate them the best I can.
Sometimes we think we couldn’t possibly create the space and time for what we need, but that’s exactly when we need it the most.
I’ve shared this before, but it feels worth sharing again:
Many believe that in order to have fulfillment or achieve certain goals that that entails working harder and keeping your nose to the grind.
But rather than push forward, sometimes the best thing is to just take a spontaneous break, rest, do something self-nurturing, commune with Nature…stop forcing and start being.
When you think you “should” be doing more, the more you really need is likely self love and balance. This will invigorate, harmonize, inspire, and draw to you more of what is really for your highest good.
It is the moments where you break out of the mold, and tune in to the nature of you, that the greater ease and magick happens.
“If your heart needs a vacation, take it somewhere serene. If your spirit needs nourishment, feed it well. If your soul needs a boost, surround it with joy. If your body needs rest…then rest. If you need a new direction, pull out your own life map and simply enjoy the ride. And along the way, keep your eyes and soul open, for you never know what you may find.” ~Jacque Bliss
The Pisces me loves water, and Dave being a water sign as well is why we live by so many lakes, creeks, ponds, and rivers, including majestic Lake Tahoe, which is like the ocean itself in both vastness and energy.
But every now and then, a little oceanside immersion does the body and spirit good. I’m grateful that a Pacific Ocean getaway is within only a few hours drive, so we can dip in and out as guided.
We weren’t sure where we’d be headed to this week, since the air quality on the west isn’t great again in nearly every one-day drivable direction. But we found an opening the morning we left with full-week clear air forecasts and have enjoyed the fresh salty air and forest variety since.
Upon landing we were led to an inexpensive hotel just three minutes walk to the beach, wharf, waterfront cliff walks and within walking distance to conveniences including natural food stores and vegan eats for take out or outdoor eating to suit our intermittent fasting lifestyle and safety protocols.
Hearing the ocean and sealions every morning and evening has been like a lullaby coddling the soul. Days full of immersive and extensive miles (10-15) hiking, walking and biking while taking in the oceanside and moist faery forest realm scents have made for luxuriating sleep-filled nights and carefree days.
And while we have tons of forest by us, the change of scenery exploring the Redwood and Oak tree rich enchantment, alongside plentiful varieties including Eucalyptus, and moss, fern, and ivy-enriched Elemental-filled worlds were a sweet change that welcomed us warmly. Then add all the Autumn feels and you get a wonderland of comfort and joy.
Plus, with it being off-season, we had mysterious, Devic Kingdom rich trails all to ourselves with many mystical eyes that we could feel upon us. And even though a rustle in the leaves sometimes was a forest creature peeking at us, like this pair of deer, it was not always an animal stirring, that’s for sure.
Our first full day combined both forest and ocean abundant miles of enrichment – the perfect way to balance and acquaint to the energies.
The forest floor covered in fallen colored leaves and the scent of musky freshness washed over me with welcome, as the ancient Redwood giants of the world and the Oak wisdom keepers whispered pieces of the Great Mystery.
It was experienced like a deep activation in my root chakra, which in fact induced slight tailbone aches that I get when something ancient or dna-connected is transforming.
Alongside timely feather gifts, magickal train whistles (I love trains!), a flock of wild turkeys
(pictured is the largest of them that was guarding – I shared a cool video of the flock on Instagram) foraging in the forest, tree portals galore, evidence of forest creatures having passed
through recently, mystical and even spooky fun deep realms, fuzzy black
and warm red caterpillars, tree gifts, and on later days a dead raven, abundant cliffside farmland including a Charlie Brown Great Pumpkin pumpkin patch, and a secret area of the last batch of late, wild blackberries…it’s all had the perfect hints and epitome of October essence you dream of.
And it all made for the perfect welcome into this different realm.
There are days when the magick is so tangible that the Otherworld becomes the only world – and the days this week have definitely been just that. I felt my essence alive and receiving a rekindled boost.
And equally activating were the majestic cliffs and natural coastal formations, while ocean life swam and flew all around us.
That ancient Lemurian essence gently knocking the soul pieces awake, while The Fae tickled my roots in other ways, infused with a little Gaelic twist.
Connection to everything is a given whether we are aware of it or not. When I’m in different environments, it’s ones of the things I notice right away – how the tapestry is woven between me and all things regardless of placing me in a different world for the moment.
I take notice of the reflections and how they show up. And I feel my heart beat as one with life around me.
Days were filled with energy in motion, as we immersed in several outdoor activities a day to enjoy the outdoors and create well being through body integration of moving energy.
“Keeping your body healthy is an expression of gratitude to the whole cosmos – the trees, the clouds, everything.” ~Thich Nhat Hanh
One of our days included miles of gorgeous and fun single track bike trails riding along the cliffs’ edge – my favorite biking trail ever that I mentioned to Dave was like a Disneyland ride. It moves along like a snake and has enough easier to moderate elements to add a weeeee and suspense effect.
Below, water crashing on secluded beaches and natural rock formations, with colonies of sealions (you can see in the photos) and sea birds calling out.
The path wove along beautiful vistas of trees, brush, over train tracks, through abundant Autumn
farm fields of gorgeous veggies (like the artichokes and brussels sprouts pictured), and included that pumpkin patch and surprise late patch of wild berries I mentioned, as seen above. It was quite the adventure.
Pelicans, seagulls, egrets, and cormorants would glide next to us as we moved along the path with even a hawk soaring low with purposeful unison. Hawk seemed to follow us from our mountain home to the ocean, as she is a strong spirit guide for me and us – specifically red tailed hawk on this trip. This is where I found the transitioned raven – which felt meaningful with us approaching the time of thinnest veils between worlds.
We loved the bike trail so much we returned a second time and while I came across the dead raven again, a very alive raven was waiting for me.
He was huge and sat there very deliberately, wanting me to stop and come closer. He was making an interesting kind of clucking combined with an almost regurgitating sound and continued until I decided to continue on. Then he took off in unison with me, soaring over the ocean.
Two more deer caught my attention on this second bike trip too. They were grazing at the edge of the beach not far from several different flocks of large birds. One of which created a procession, marching in a single file line toward a back bay area.
You can see the beginning of that line of birds in the sand to the right of the deer below.
It’s a very surreal bike ride and as you glide along you feel the animals, wind, and waves all around, moving together as one.
Time stood still, yet in connective motion and shared feeling of heart and soul liberation despite human body frameworks we inhabit.
Every day had me discovering little treasures of divine alignment. Every time I would say this area feels like such and such bird lives here and that I’d love to find a feather awaiting, it would be. Each day held several feather gifts from a variety of birds (some of which I’m not sure of their origin, but some include hawk, owl, and raven), usually in pairs of two at a time directly after I stated an intent. These are a few of the feather finds pictured above. Dave says I am the feather master and have a hawk eye when it comes to finding them. 🙂
Rather than go into any more details of what this little side-detour has initiated, I’ll just share the energy of my favorite photos and some of the incredible vistas, sense-filled experiences, messengers, treasures, and sign posts of the journey at hand. You may get a sense of things from them alone, as well as your own activation or inspired guidance.
All of that, alongside the ocean herself and all that she reflects – unexplored depths, unknowns, deep hidden treasures for the courageous explorers of shadowy caverns and murky emotional/subconscious waters, etc. point to an unearthing of expanse yet to discover and integrate.
It also speaks to this layer of deep emotional patterns that is key for us to be aware of and integrate – much of why we are seeing and experiencing triggers out in the world right now is to help with this.
There were also a couple of eerie door-knockers and wake-up close calls right in the beginning of this adventure to help “crack” open and elevate adrenalin response into an even higher level of awareness, drive home the need for staying clear of “other’s” energies and projections, strengthen boundaries, continue to balance and ground, stay open to change, listen to and trust guidance, and remain in my heart despite what’s going on around me.
Definitely feels like a mini rebirthing continues similar to, but not as dramatic as, four years ago during Magick Bus times and am grateful always for the divine protection, guidance, and cosmic flow of love that streams through.
It’s like a new version of me/us is in preparation and process, just like the caterpillars I was seeing in warm red/rust and black – correlating to that root chakra activation. The woolly bear caterpillars we have at home are black and gold, so the color shift feels significant in focusing at the bottom root of things and makes sense given the collective energies.
There was a lot of focus around the lower chakra colors on this trip in reds, rusts, oranges, and yellows – mirroring the beautiful fall leaves lining every trail and the messengers that drew my attention, including Red Tailed Hawk and the gorgeous wild turkeys.
I also saw a beautiful Autumn-dressed moth in gorgeous brown, orange, and black wings on the golden fields between the faery forests we hiked. Her orange eyes stood out to me, outlined and dotted in black.
And later I found a perfect butterfly mussel shell on the beach with gorgeous, iridescent blue and pearly coloring and a darker spot on each wing like the eyes I saw on the stunning moth. The butterfly and moth symbolism of transformation and rebirth speaking loudly. It also doubles as the heart of the ocean with the reflection of how much more we can exercise our heart muscles to open wider and deeper.
What also kept showing up, seemingly in reflection to my bright sunflower yellow bathing suit I brought with me (with peace signs, hearts, stars and bunnies on it of course), despite it being Autumn, was yellow flowers around every corner. I saw so many, but these were a few of my favs.
They were joyously speaking to me of joy, new life, and hope.
I know it can be hard to keep up the hope in the face of what seems like constant adversity, but I can tell you from experience, which I likely will elaborate more on down the road, that I’ve gone through several chronic life experiences, conditions, debilitating setbacks, and nearly devastating-to-me hardships that lasted years on end, but they did all have a silver lining that eventually enveloped me in the light at the end of the dark tunnel.
It’s not always easy to see the way out and it’s not always easy to even give ourselves a way out, but the possibility is always there. Being softer on ourselves and finding more ways to love what IS and who we ARE regardless of any specific result, is a door opener.
Sometimes it’s not so much about healing or perfecting an outcome, but about surrendering to what’s showing up as the experience it is, outside of any judgments we place upon it.
And sometimes we also just need to take a soulful time out, even if that simply is a break from the norm to explore the adventure of where letting go might lead.
That could simply be an adventure of our imagination, as there truly is no separation between what is perceived and felt. The more vivid our world we create in our hearts and minds, the more real and fulfilling it will be.
When I can’t physically get away or do something I would like to, I do it anyway.
I do imagination well and so can you.
And if you have a challenge with envisioning magickal realms or inspiring beauty and nature adventures, I hope that the photos and expressions I share can help you to get there.
Letting Go, Listening, Purpose & Celebration ~ Autumn Equinox Portal Preparations
Fall is in the air and everything is falling all around, including my hair. Well, not quite like that, but I’m letting it go as easily as the trees let their leaves shift and drop. More on that shortly.
I read a short share from Avia Venefica exploring where the phrase “turning over a new leaf” came from. She writes:
“…many types of trees can detect changes in their environment. They sense a shift in weather before it happens. It’s as if they predict the weather. Trees adjust to these changes to prepare themselves for pending change. For example, deciduous trees like maples and poplars turn their leaves as a protective measure before a storm hits.
Rather than flippantly tossing about the catch-phrase of ‘turning over a new leaf’, maybe we can embrace the idea that a deeper presence within and around us is beckoning us to shift our position. Maybe a powerful, sentient energy sees a positive purpose for making a motion for our betterment – for our safety – for our future.”
She points to how the inherent awareness we have is easily distracted, whereas Nature continues to listen to the signals no matter what is going on in the outside world. There’s an innate wisdom that can guide us just like trees. Surrendering to that space of knowing how and when to change will lead us to our most optimal life experience.
Yesterday morning kicked off with an Autumn celebration of joy and change with a procession of over twenty quail, a chipmunk and a squirrl, with chattering birds to accompany, all parading in front of me with a grand show.
I shared a video of the fun on Instagram yesterday, which followed the quail from fence to fence of the perimeter of our yard, with a chipmunk and squirrel who kept zipping by to add giggles to the show. It all made me so happy!
The quail use our yard for grazing and as their path into the forest. This is the sweet family we’ve seen since the babies were tiny ones, now all grown. I was doing my usual morning feeding and cleaning routine with Astrid when I caught glimpse of the action. The quail were lined up along our fence and squirrel was enjoying his pine cone not far from them and then ran closer, as if to make sure he was in camera focus (as seen above and below).
I went outside to enjoy both their presence and purposeful journey, as they hopped down into the yard, grazed a bit and hopped back up to the forest-side fence to continue on. While watching them, a chipmunk got super excited and started to zip back and forth in front of me several times, which I caught on the video. And then squirrel (this is the same little guy who always comes to tease me when I’m in the garden) decided that looked like fun and wanted to steal the show. So he ran up closer and made sure to look straight into the camera and then over to the quail and back to me.
It was so cute watching all the activity and observing the quail, one-by-one hopping up to the fence, surveying the forest, and then jumping down onto the forest floor. One of them was so excited she overshot the fence and when leaping with flutter to the top, toppled right over instead.
This reminded me of a dream I had last night where I was flying. I have dreams of being in flight, although many of them are about the effort and concentration it takes to lift off the ground and keep rising, but I prove that flying is possible. This dream was very different. Like the little quail who overshot the fence with propulsion, I had almost too much propulsion and force behind my flight. So much so that I was able to bring two other people along with me, as we held hands in a line (reminding me of Peter Pan flying with Wendy and the kids) and I flew us up and far, doing all kinds of tricky maneuvers along the way. By the end of the dream, I was in fact learning to harness, refine, and dial back my energy a little because it was on full force and I was having to navigate us to a very specific coordinate that I couldn’t overshoot. That seemed like a significant dream to have at this change in cycles right now and with all that I’ve been experiencing.
But back to the quail – I adore them and love that our home is such a welcome place for all the forest creatures. They, along with the activity of the other little animals in Autumn prep, herald the change of seasons to me.
This traveling troupe, I read, take us on a journey of reflecting upon our life story and the symbolism around purpose and progress…to see if the details are aligning us to where we want to go and what we want to create as contribution. And synchronously, this HAS been a big focus for me recently.
They speak to any action being sacred and that even the smallest of steps in the direction of purpose will propel momentum and create opportunity. So, in this way they encourage action toward our goals and to seize what is showing up.
Quail are also very social, aware, instinctual, confident, connected, and community-oriented. So there are varying levels of how these messengers may show up in our lives. As always, only we can decipher how that translates for us.
And yesterday afternoon, Hope made a reappearance in the garden just outside of my office that I share with Astrid, my rabbit. She was enjoying yard munchies and even had a fun encounter with squirrel where they nearly ran into each other, and she bounded off in surprise. Of course, I giggled out loud. She sat under the fence a while just exposing her cute little cottontail and I enjoyed watching her explorations. I discovered later that she likely ate my comfrey plant, which is funny because it’s the first plant that finally took after about four efforts. I took it as a sign she’s blessing it for next year’s abundance. 😉
While watering, two chickadees were flying and perching next to me, chatting with curiosity and of course my squirrel friend made me laugh, as he ran right up to me on the top of the fence I was standing near, looked me in the eye, chattered and then ran off. He’s such a tease, as I said.
So, it was a big day of forest celebrations for tomorrow’s Equinox, the circle of life, sacred community, purpose and the journey, and enrichment even within the transitioning seasons of change.
I’m very much hunkering into the change of seasons, which includes inner preparations matching outer ones. I’m also loving to wear the Fall colors and matching the natural environment around me. It seems to be quite a full time recently for getting a LOT done.
Do you find yourself making any shifts too, whether consciously or instinctively? Or engaging in more things than normal?
I have a full couple of weeks of bulb planting, cutting old growth, bookkeeping, house cleaning, updating our Magick Rabbit Etsy shop (which I’m hoping I can get up for Equinox tomorrow since there’s a couple of sweet Autumn additions), Reiki 2 online training and road trip prep, alongside new focuses I’m developing. So, I feel a bit like the squirrels and chipmunks in seasonal production mode. Yet, like them, am making sure to integrate some fun along the way.
Which leads to the opening about “letting go of my hair,” as tomorrow I have my first appointment with my hairstylist that got rescheduled by divine alignment to Equinox. She only sees one person at a time now so that works well. I’m planning on the first big cut I’ve had in years, since I’ve been mostly just letting my hair grow during these transitional and deepening years.
Yet, I feel so ready for something lighter, fresher, softer and releasing all the years of old at the ends. Normally, I’ve been trimming about four inches off, but it grows so fast, it never seems like I do.
I’m not yet sure what will evolve this time, but it makes me excited because I love change and get bored pretty easily. This may just be the first stage of cuts to come, but whatever and whenever they happen, it is a way I align myself with the new. And since it’s been years since I have done anything more drastic, it undoubtedly reflects big, apparent, upgrading change.
I thought this was interesting. My hair is currently a little past my waist, as you can see in the left photo, which was taken Friday to document the before. The lighting wasn’t direct, so it was a little more accurate to my medium brown hair (of course I have silver too, as you can see in the photo above this one). Then just a couple of days ago, Dave saw the light on my hair streaming in from outside and took the photo on the right. It completely transformed my hair to a honey gold, or slightly strawberry blonde, which made me look like a completely different person from behind and actually mirrors my hair in photos from when I was a little girl. I had both pixie hair when I was super young, and then hair down to my butt for years. The right photo reminds me of little Tania and seems fitting to have recaptured that, since a lot of focus for me has been about retrieval of my parts.
Now, it’s about reinventing something new.
The shifting light of the season casting a glow of change and reflection.
I also have an eye appointment Thursday to upgrade my prescription, as I can tell my vision is shifting. Vision changes reflect, to me, a different perspective on life. Vision and perspective feels important, as it relates to everything shifting so much in the way we are experiencing the world and collective right now. There seems to be a call to alter our perceptions overall and even a mass movement in terms of the things more people are becoming ready to see now. As layers of the veil peel back, we are being asked to see with new eyes and trust what is being shown/felt because that will be more key in creating a different reality than the one we may have thought was the only version of reality available.
As always, I am fascinated by connecting dots of the journey and share these experiences as one of the ways in which we can invite awareness and creative energy to the process.
Nature reminds us that we need to relinquish the need to hold on tightly with fear and to trust in the process – to allow ourselves to have everything we thought we knew about ourselves to be stripped away, only to discover a greater truth to our authenticity beneath the temporary structures.
And in the process you’ll discover the only thing that is eternal is the core essence of who you are beneath the temporal layers. You learn then that the rest isn’t as serious as you make it and is simply part of the journey to that core.
We let go, just as the trees effortlessly allow their leaves to shift colors and float off in the wind. We embrace the only permanence, which is change. And we take grateful stock of what we do have, while preparing for a new birthing that will be incubating during the symbolic stillness.
Seasonal transitions mirror the evolution of human consciousness and the dynamic shifts of life cycles.
If you feel so called, perhaps you might create an intentional space, moment, or ritual of your pleasure to connect within and without as a way to unify through love.
I wish you a beautiful change of seasons that represents the merging of two into one and a balance between contrasting energies, at the portal point of Autumn Equinox (for Northern hemisphere folks) and Spring Equinox (for Southern Hemisphere folks). May it illuminate your inner journey in enriching and deepening ways.
September 2020 Energy Update with Lee Harris
Today is the last day of August, as we approach the Pisces Full Moon of the 1st/2nd (depending on where you live) to kick off September. A great time to check in with ourselves and review the last month, while making adjustments for the upcoming one.
Based on what I’ve heard from many of you, I think you’ll find Lee’s insights to ring in – especially those of you experiencing physical symptoms as responses to the changes being assimilated.
Lee accentuates how listening to your creative impulse is important, regardless of whether or not you can see or understand right now how it fits into things or could possibly make a difference. Creative energy is also visionary energy and ideas. It doesn’t only have to be a physical creation that you produce, yet that energy is vital to keep moving.
I also love his insights around “visionary activism,” as that is where my energy has resonated most of my life and has gone very misunderstood or even devalued by others, especially if they were more of the “reactionary activists.” This new form has felt very much needed in the world and as Lee says, “You can’t fight fire with fire…you need to do something different.” I feel this will be a welcome evolution, as it anchors more over the years to come.
And yes, there will be continued chaos showing up, but remember that chaos just IS. We’ll be moving through some more, as we can’t move beyond it without moving through it. So having your own sense of balance and center is important.
That couldn’t be more accurate, at least in my personal experience.
For most of my life I didn’t have a sense of myself, my center, my purpose, and for sure I didn’t have balance – as I was a much more extreme swinging person, largely in part because of my boundaryless existence that could easily be swayed by any underlying currents I subtly detected and as a way to counter-balance those swings.
I worked hard to stand in my own power and realize my own value, and I still work hard at maintaining that, but it has and DOES make a huge difference.
Synchronously, just a couple of days ago I had literally expressed to faery sister Laura during a different context of texting, “There’s so much happening out there…I’m grateful I’ve found my center. I’d be a mess if I hadn’t figured this out, especially with the external stuff and huge contrasting dichotomy of everything around. I definitely know my purpose is to anchor middle and I won’t sway.”
So, yes, there will be some new energies moving through us this month, but Lee shares that if you feel overwhelmed then that’s perfect and important to embrace. This, then, is a time to heal for you…not do out there.
The full theme overview Lee addresses in his video include:
- Major Energy Shifts – Physical Symptoms
- Twists and Turns continue – Nothing is quite as it seems
- Creative Surge continues through September
- Reactionary Activism to Visionary Activism – DOWNLOADS AND SHIFTS
- Karma and Consequences for Dark Energy Intent is now at Work
- Deep Presence Revealing itself – Relationship shifts
- Linear timelines gone astray – multidimensionality and the power of dreams
- Stay as steady as you can – steady is where the power lies
- Conflict energy will be depleting – the veil is thin so the fire of conflict is disturbing to your energy field
Wishing you a deepening September.