Reflections for Autumn

According to Wikipedia, "

An equinox occurs twice a year, when the tilt of the Earth's axis is inclined neither away from nor towards the Sun, the center of the Sun being in the same plane as the Earth's equator. The term equinox can also be used in a broader sense, meaning the date when such a passage happens. The name "equinox" is derived from the Latin aequus (equal) and nox (night), because around the equinox, the night and day are approximately equally long. It may be better understood to mean thatlatitudes +L and -L north and south of the Equator experience nights of equal length.

At an equinox, the Sun is at one of two opposite points on the celestial sphere where the celestial equator (i.e. declination 0) and ecliptic intersect. These points of intersection are called equinoctial points: classically, the vernal point and theautumnal point. By extension, the term equinox may denote an equinoctial point.

An equinox happens each year at two specific moments in time (rather than two whole days), when there is a location (thesubsolar point) on the Earth's equator, where the center of the Sun can be observed to be vertically overhead, occurring around March 20/21 and September 22/23 each year.

 "

Fall is a special time of year; in fact, it's always been my favorite.  There's something about the leaves changing colors, looking so amazing even though they are dying; the crispness of the air; the cozy feeling of getting all nice and warm; kids going back to school and grown-ups' yearly routines kicking back into place; the preparations for the coming winter.  Apple picking, pie baking, drinking cider, jumping in piles of brightly-colored leaves... It all seems very homey and magical to me.  It's a time when all is right with the world!

Autumn is an excellent time to incorporate peaceful reflection into one's life, as well as to find creative ways to express oneself.  I do a lot of cooking and functional crafting at this time of year.  It feels like the beginning of a new year, finally.  Out with the old and in with the new!  The sun is entering Libra, which is a sign of balance and openness.  With the leaves dropping from the trees and our part of the world cooling and preparing for the cleansing winter, now seems to be the perfect time to cast off unwanted elements from your life, and to incorporate new and wonderful things... like a phoenix rising from the ashes.

Stunning pics by Pink Sherbet Photography.  Thanks again! :)

Positivity Magick That You Can Do Right Now!

Sometimes, we all need help in being more positive.  This entry isn't exactly about spells, but more about actions that you can do -- actions are ALWAYS more powerful than thoughts!  Here are a few constructive ways to help attract positivity and banish negative elements!

1.  Banish physical negativity.  As I said above, negative elements will drag you down so that you won't be useful to yourself or anyone else.  The easiest and best way to counteract the worst of the negativity is decluttering your space.  Get rid of things that you don't need or want, and charge them with positivity by donating them!  You'll be doing three positive acts by completing this step:  eliminating unwanted items in your life, doing good by donating the items, and giving them a new life with someone else.  Win-win-win for everyone!

2.  Next, start focusing on what's right with your life.  Make a list if you have to.  Include all of your favorite qualities about yourself, the people that you love, and talents that you possess.  Realize that you are a unique person, and there are already wonderful aspects of your life that you probably are taking for granted!

2.  Reach out and enhance the good stuff.  Use your list and reach out to these positive aspects.  Do good things for the people you care about.  Pursue an interest that is relevant to your talents.  This doesn't have to be a major step.  Even dropping a nice text message to your friends, or leaving a Post-It on somewhere that your partner will see it, can create warmth and love around you.

3.  Pamper yourself.  This doesn't mean that you need to go into debt buying yourself a new car or an expensive wardrobe!  Take pleasure in the small things that make you happy.  Luxuriate in a warm bubble bath, something special for dinner, or even give yourself the gift of time to simply enjoy great music or a good book.


4.  Do good for others.  Just as our first step is an easy way to help someone else by helping yourself, you take that intent one step further.  It feels wonderful to give to other people.  Choose a charity or cause that you agree with, and donate some time or money to further the cause.

5.  Figure out "problem areas."  If there are aspects of your life or personality that you would like to improve, start by determining what they are.  Can you live with these faults and learn to accept yourself more?  Or is it important for you to change them?  Tackle them one at a time, but don't beat yourself up for not changing overnight.  Things take time.  Be patient and forgiving of yourself.  This will increase your positive outlook -- improving yourself, but forgiving yourself and giving yourself permission to make an occasional mistake in your progress.



Photo credits:  The gorgeous pictures in this entry are courtesy of Pink Sherbet Photography.  Check out the website to see tons of stunning and inspiring pics!

Dream: Lindsay Lohan's Bracelets

9/13
Another weird celebrity dream. I can't tell which part came first, and which came second, so I'll tell it in the order I remembered it when I woke up.

One part was about Lindsay Lohan! Apparently, she had to pay some sort of fine for something, or she was dealing with her legal issues, and was ordered to sell this set of bracelets that she'd been collecting all her life. Tearfully she talked about how her father had been giving her a bracelet every year on her birthday, and they had some sort of "key" that activated speakers inside. She cried that when she turned 18 he was giving her all the keys for them (even though she's been over 18 for some time), and even though a judge ordered her to do so, she didn't want to part with them. Somehow I was given ownership of the bracelets, though an auction or something. She was very upset, and cried, but did give them to me. Then a bunch of rowdy party-girls who looked like they stepped directly out of a Jay Z video came in and when I said I needed help carrying all the purses the bracelets came in (they each came in individual purses, all very elaborate), the ladies snapped into action and we all started piling on these purse straps to our necks, arms, and all around our bodies. There were some pretty purses that I remember... a black one with skulls and fuchsia hearts on it (my favorite, I said) and a yellow and blue leopard one that was pretty and sheer, I told Lindsay she could have it since I didn't feel right about keeping them all.

Then I was at a buffet in a cruise ship or hotel, and a family came to ask if I'd let them sit with me. I said OK, and we sat awhile. The waiters were very attentive but the buffet line was long. I went up to get some seafood lasagna, and remember thinking it looked soooooo good that I took a TON of it and there was a big mound of it on my tray. I confided to the guy next to me that I was in an amorous mood, and he asked if I'd like to have sex with him. Then I was embarrassed, because he was only like 20 and I wasn't really interested. Then I went back to the table and visited with the family. They were all very nice and we had a good time. I don't remember what the lasagna tasted like, though!

Then there was a part where I was in a store kind of like Gabriel's (irregulars) and I was looking at shiny pairs of granny panties. They were pretty and came in all colors - magenta satin, green satin with black lace, silver lame', all kinds of enormous but flashy old-lady underpants. I kept looking and looking, but I couldn't find any in my size. They were all huge-looking, but the size tags indicate that they were too small. I may have bought some anyway just to give it trying them on a whirl.

That's all I remember!

Emotional Vampires: How to Protect Yourself

We've already discussed how to spot an emotional vampire elsewhere in the blog.  This entry will be about ways to protect yourself.

EV's are similar to the vampires of myth in that they feed on people, victimize others, draining them in order to gain strength.  And like the glamorous Hollywood and literary vampires that are deeply ingrained in our popular culture, often they seduce with beauty, impress with real or imagined abilities, gain our trust or sympathy before victimizing us.  But that's where the similarities end.  Unlike the glamorous vampires of legend, these people are really very ordinary.  They don't seek our blood, but our lives, our life forces, our happiness.  Unfortunately, no amount of happiness will satisfy them --You can render them powerless -- not with garlic or crosses.

First, you need to realize what an emotional vampire is.  This is a person who may be intentionally using you, or just "leeching" off of your positivity, or just using you for the benefits of your friendship.  Often, they do not care much about you, instead focusing on their own needs and impulses; respect for you comes later (much later!), if at all.  But not all EV's realize that they're doing this or that they are acting inappropriately.  Some of them are just unstable people who really have no idea how destructive their interactions with people are.  You need to realize that much emotional vampirism is done unintentionally.  This fact alone will help you protect yourself.

Here are a few other tips...

1.  Spot the vampire.  The best defense is a good offense.  Check my entry for how to determine if someone is an emotional vampire.  Knowing the signs will be a huge help to avoiding these sorts of people in the first place!

2.  "You're not invited into this house!"  Like the vampires of legend, EV's are powerless without an invitation to dine on your good intentions.  Don't be afraid to say NO when someone is taking up too much of your time, or asking for favors that make you feel uncomfortable.  Most people know when they are asking for too much.  An EV does not.  Draw your boundaries and stick to your guns.  Save your good nature for people who care for you and will have your back when things get problematic for you.

3.  Minimize contact, control information.  If you must deal with these people, remember that your life is your business.  Handle all personal information on a "need to know" basis.  You don't need to be paranoid; just choose to share with those you trust.  You don't need to behave rudely about it, either, just avoid sharing (or oversharing) any sensitive information.  Try to spend as little time and energy on an EV as possible.  Save the best parts of yourself for the healthy relationships in your life!

4.  The power of positivity.  This WILL help you!  During times when you must deal with an EV, prepare yourself with a "bubble" of positivity.  Meditate and imagine an impenetrable bubble around yourself like an invisible force field.  Imagine that the bubble is flexible and moves with you, but is filled up with a "padding" of positive vibrations.  Imagine that the EV cannot get through your special bubble. Nothing that he or she does can touch you inside the bubble -- this visualization is a very powerful one, and can work in many situations where you need extra protection!

5.  Lastly, realize that an EV is beyond help.  You may be made to feel as though you are the only one who can make them "happy," but the truth is that nothing will ever be enough for them.  And, long after you are a distant memory left to clean up the destruction they have left in their wake, the EV will have moved onto another victim who then becomes their "perfect" savior.  The best you can do is to realize that s/he is someone else's problem now.  Don't allow them back into your life!

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/denise-ann-wells/4056289129/sizes/m/ (Thank you Denise!)

Dream: Taco Boom-Box

8/18
This was another brief, but strange one. I dreamt that I was back in my parents' house, most notably their bathroom (and my mother's husband was still alive). I was waiting for everyone to leave the house so that I could do some things in the bathroom. I fixed my hair and put on some jewelry, then I decided to wank, using my favorite vibrator which was in my repertoire for years & died circa 2006. Unfortunately, I kept getting distracted by people coming home and bothering me (asking me questions and trying to make small talk) so I never really got to finish. At one point, I even got distracted by someone outside walking around with a boom-box which was blaring an advertisement/warning for everyone within earshot to "AVOID TACOS! DON'T EAT THE TACOS! TACOS ARE DANGEROUS, SO DON'T EAT THEM!" and another person who was competing with the boom-box lady, yelling "YES! Everyone SHOULD eat tacos! Tacos are completely safe and people should eat them!" Apparently boom-box street advertising had become a cool new way to advertise. (Actually that sounds like an interesting idea.)