Happy Halloween + Writing Updates

Happy Halloween/Samhain/Celtic New Year to those who celebrate!

In honor of the upcoming November 1 “All Saint’s Day” and what would be the 35th birthday of my character, Schizandra, I’ve released an updated 2022 print edition, plus a totally new Kindle version of Schizandra and the Gates of Mu. Huge thanks to Mike Clelland for reformatting both. From the new text:

Author’s note about the 2022 edition

I first published Schizandra and the Gates of Mu in July 2009. This was intended as Book One of a five-part series. Little did I know how writing this series would upend my life. After starting to write Book Two, the fictional plot bled so far into my waking life that I wound up divorced and returning to Hyde Park, Chicago—to the same University of Chicago neighborhood Schizandra had just left.

Instead of continuing to write that book, I began painting portals on antique doors—an activity Schizandra had mysteriously begun in Book Two. I deepened tarot and astrology studies, painted lots more portal doors, and got remarried. With its 2012 theme, I eventually removed Schizandra and the Gates of Mu from print, thinking the story had served its purpose.

Then, in late 2021, I began to notice little details of my novel becoming much more relevant. Clients reading or re-reading the book experienced major breakthroughs by tracing my characters’ journeys as their own. I now feel like I wrote Schizandra and the Gates of Mu for 2022 and beyond—rather than for 2012. This edition includes some minor editing, but the original story remains.

We’re at another key moment in human evolution. There are battles for human DNA, as well as the human soul. Whether internal or external, many of these battles occur in unseen realms. I don’t know if or when I’ll write additional Schizandra stories, but in 2022, she reawakened.

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(back to blogging here): Last weekend is the first time I re-read Schizandra and the Gates of Mu in its entirety since 2009! In addition to worldwide topics, I noticed an unanticipated connection to the First US Pluto Return.

Death and rebirth themes are certainly “up” right now, including things embedded in this story regarding the United States. The First US Pluto Return goes exact from 2022-2024, with up to seven years on either side. Many nations don’t survive their First Pluto Return. At the very least, they face the depths of their Shadow and a near death experience. In some ways, Schizandra’s journey to the Underworld parallels the high stakes and potential rewards of what the US faces right now.

I began this novel as a short story back in Fall 2001 when I could still barely read after my 1998 TBI. Most of the story arrived in dreams, visions and synchronicities, with the main challenge of translating that into something people could read and absorb. At the time of writing I didn’t realize just how precognitive my dreams, visions and syncs tend to be. In retrospect, the book seems much more “now” than I ever would have guessed.

Those of you who love Timothy Glenn’s posts might be interested to know that he did an actual tarot, astrology and numerology reading for Schizandra way back in 2007, and the character Tom Brown’s reading reflects much of what Timothy shared.

Back in 2009, I only dabbled in astrology and tarot. I never pulled Schizandra’s natal chart for myself until last weekend, and I was even more blown away that I just “randomly” picked her birth date and time. The Great Mystery runs deep! Continued thanks to Tim for his enthusiasm and support for Schizandra, as well as his ongoing articles on this blog.

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In other writing news, I’ve begun re-writing The Metaphysics of Lyme as a novel instead of a non-fiction book. Feedback from clients who had breakthroughs by reading Schizandra and the Gates of Mu convinced me of what I already sensed: fiction allows me to show rather than tell people how to heal themselves.

I’ll include my medical intuitive insights into moving beyond Lyme disease, but I hope the novel will entice others to read, as well. In this way, I can raise more awareness of how Lyme affects everyone–including friends and family of the person experiencing symptoms. I don’t want to reveal too much before I dive deeper into this project, but for those wondering why it’s taken me so long to write The Metaphysics of Lyme, this is why. I realized I could offer much greater service in a different format, and I needed the characters and story to announce themselves in their own good time. And yes, there will be paranormal elements to the story!

For those struggling with Lyme disease right now, I released Lyme Journal: A Guided Recovery Workbook, back in January 2019. That list of writing prompts helps you to coach yourself and journal your way through multiple layers of healing.

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A final note: I love all the private emails I receive from readers telling me how much they’ve loved and benefited from my various books. These often contain very personal stories, dreams and synchronicities. If you feel comfortable leaving a more public-ready review on Amazon so that others can benefit from your insights, I would appreciate that so much. There’s a wide gap between private feedback/gratitude and the number of public reviews. 🙂

Thanks, blessings, Happy Halloween, and Happy 35th Birthday to Schizandra!

Again, you can find the new Kindle version here.

A Collective Dream?

This morning’s dream feels like it has a collective component, so I’ll share it here:

10/27/2022
“Blue Tablecloth and White China”

I remember nothing else, but this was vivid: a navy blue, high end tablecloth on an extremely long, dark, shiny, wooden dining table. Everything looked fancy, like in a palace. All the white china was organized and stacked by type on one end of the table — perhaps 24 or more in each stack of dinner plates, salad plates, bowls, saucers, bread plates, and dessert plates.

Someone had pulled the navy blue tablecloth across the long table towards the stacked white china, and now the tablecloth was ever so carefully being pulled out from beneath the china. This had something to do with “twelve years.”

END of dream journal.

…

The most obvious interpretation is that something very tricky, delicate and nearly impossible is ever so slowly happening. The navy blue cloth is being pulled out from under high stacks of white china without causing them to crash. This has been going on for awhile (the entire length of the long table is now bare), but we’re at the trickiest part beneath the huge piles of sparkling clean china.

Twelve years marks a Jupiter cycle, so individually and collectively, we can look back to May 2010 – January 2011 to see what areas have reached the end of one Jupiter cycle. Back in 2010, Jupiter conjuncted Uranus in Pisces. Now, instead of Uranus, Jupiter conjuncted Neptune in April 2022 and retrogrades back towards Neptune in late Pisces until December 20, 2022 when Jupiter re-enters Aries.

The shift from a conjunction with Uranus to one with Neptune echoes the almost imperceptible pulling of the blue tablecloth. Whereas Uranus strikes like a lightning bolt, Neptune slowly erodes and washes away. Uranus bursts, Neptune creeps. Jupiter enlarges everything he touches. We’ve certainly got Uranian energy with an upcoming Full Moon Lunar Eclipse on November 8 conjunct Uranus and the North Node. This coincides with the scheduled Election Day in the US, and yes, things could get rowdy.

In terms of twelve-year cycles, though, we seem to be in more of a slow, deliberate process than full on rebellion or chaos. My dream seems to suggest that tablecloth will come free without toppling all the china. As always, time will tell. This feels like a bigger dream than only my own process, so I thought I’d share.

November 2022 Forecast and Fourth Quarter North Node Horoscopes

NOVEMBER 2022 FORECAST

I’m not gonna sugar coat this: the first half of November 2022 feels heavy. Mars in Gemini stations retrograde on October 30, and remains retrograde for the rest of the year. Collectively, this feels like someone hit the brakes. Plans slow down, and it feels personal, even when it’s not.

On the flip side, November brings two different sets of meteor showers: the Taurids Meteor Shower from November 4-5 and the Leonid Meteor Shower from November 17-18. Mark your calendar to watch the sky on November 9. You might get lucky enough to see Uranus with your naked eye — or at least with a telescope. In conjunction with a Full Moon Total Lunar Eclipse on November 8, this is wild card energy. Expect the unexpected.

All challenges bring opportunities, so don’t despair. Difficult transits are easier to navigate if you know how and when to align with the energies. You can’t stop the ocean, but you can surf the waves. When you catch the right ones, they take you far. In choppy waters, timing becomes more important than usual. Despite intensity, this month can also uplift, invigorate and inspire. Details below:

November 5 Venus in Scorpio opposite Uranus in Taurus. Change is in the air, especially concerning relationships. Some of the October 25 eclipse energies reactivate today, and we find things aren’t exactly how we imagined. This transit offers liberation, but beware of reckless behaviors. This is not a great day for taking risks in relationships or finances.

November 7 Venus in Scorpio square Saturn in Aquarius. Another challenging day for relationships. Loneliness and overall dissatisfaction arise. People feel frustrated about delays. Responsibility — imagined or real — weighs heavy. Remember: “In perfect love and perfect trust, perfect timing is a must.” Today is probably not that time. If you push for clarity or commitment, today’s energies don’t support your quest. Better to spend the day soul searching your values or bringing more beauty into your tangible life. This transit also favors skincare, re-mineralization, redecorating, improving your smile, and/or deep conditioning your hair. You’ll have more information on the 9th. If possible, don’t make final decisions today.

November 8 Full Moon in Taurus, Lunar Eclipse, 6:02 a.m. Eastern US time. Also called the “Mourning Moon,” this one occurs on (the scheduled) Election Day in the US. The Full Moon peaks at exactly 16°00′ Taurus, between Uranus and the North Node. This portends an intense day, pointing towards the future. The Sabian Symbol for the Full Moon Lunar Eclipse is: “AN OLD TEACHER FAILS TO INTEREST HIS PUPILS IN TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE. KEYNOTE: The inadequacy of past knowledge in time of crisis.” According to Dane Rudhyar, “We might speak here of the principle of CREATIVE FRUSTRATION.” Mercury and Venus conjunct the Scorpio Sun point. This meeting may temper frustration through love, but nasty, vindictive words, jealousy and revenge could also arise. Depending on events, Uranus and the Full Moon Lunar Eclipse could trigger riots, but hopefully not!

November 16 Venus enters Sagittarius. Today feels like a breath of fresh air after all that Scorpio intensity. We’re more optimistic, and it suddenly feels easier to trust in a Higher Power. If the past month’s soul searching had you questioning whether to stay or go in a relationship, you’ll feel more confident in your ability to march to the beat of your own drum. Stay or go, you’ll long to expand. A weekend getaway could improve your prospects.

November 17 Mercury enters Sagittarius. Bold words and ideas find expression. Mercury in Sag values truth above all else, even if the truth hurts. Messaging might feel rough around the edges, but it comes from a sincere place. The next few weeks will expand our worldview. Faith and higher learning also come to the fore.

November 19 Mars in Gemini squares Neptune in Pisces. Mars and Neptune are both retrograde, so this transit feels even more frustrating and slow. Instead of pouting or freaking out, try leaning into the spiritual and energetic realms. Squares create productive friction. You may need to release some illusions in order to move forward. Aligning your will with Divine Will ensures that everything happens in the perfect way and perfect time.

November 22 Sun enters Sagittarius. The Sun joins Venus and Mercury in Sagittarius. For the next month, the collective feels more generous and jovial. We seek truth and feel bold enough to handle it. Life is a grand adventure. We eagerly engage the new, while breaking away from old restrictions. The time for hesitation has passed. We’re all in.

November 23 New Moon in Sagittarius, 5:57 p.m. Eastern US time. This Sagittarius New Moon occurs only a half-hour after Jupiter stations direct in Pisces. Jupiter rules Sagittarius and co-rules Pisces, so this shift from retrograde to direct motion strengthens Jupiter and his domain. Known as “the Great Benefic,” Jupiter expands everything he touches or influences. According to Dane Rudhyar, the Sabian Symbol for this 2° Sagittarius New Moon is: “WHITE-CAPPED WAVES DISPLAY THE POWER OF WIND OVER SEA.” He adds a “KEYNOTE: The mobilization of unconscious energies under the pressure of super-personal motives.” With the Sun, Moon, Mercury and Venus all in Sagittarius and Jupiter stationing direct in watery Pisces, we can expect some BIG waves! The tide is turning.

November 28 Mars in Gemini trine Saturn in Aquarius. This is a git ‘er done transit. Solutions might not move as quickly as we’d like, but they are moving into strong position. Innovative solutions build a solid foundation for future events.

How November’s sky weather affects you will vary, depending on your entire natal chart, but your North Node Horoscope transcends monthly sky events. That’s because your North Node reveals what your soul came here to do. By midlife, the soul starts longing and pressing us to live our true purpose. At first, it whispers through intuition. Then it knocks a little louder through “coincidences” and external events. When not heard and honored, the soul’s longing can show up as health crises, marriage or work issues, or wondering “is this all there is?” If you feel a need to reinvent yourself, following North Node guidance helps you do that authentically — for you.

Unlike generic Sun Sign horoscopes, which ignore so many other aspects, following North Node guidance will always lead you in the right direction. Doors open, healing happens, relationships improve, and life gets more magical. This quarterly column will help you tap into your personal North Node Mojo. When you start living your North Node purpose, we all win, because you not only begin to light up your own life. You light up the world.     

You can find your North Node sign here which is often different than your Sun sign. If you’re right on the cusp, consider both possibilities or book a reading for more clarity.

FOURTH QUARTER 2022 NORTH NODE HOROSCOPES

ARIES NORTH NODE: You have what it takes to triumph in these challenging times! Fear not. You were made to rise to the occasion. Your path is more about action than daydreaming, but strategic visualization helps you to succeed. Don’t sacrifice yourself to or for anyone else. If you can’t see a way forward, you’ll find victory by turning your perspective upside down and inside out. Mars, your North Node sign’s ruler, assists from Gemini. “Hurry up and wait” marks this quarter. You’re on a need to know basis, but when you get the nudge to act, do! You want to hide from conflict and confrontation, but you benefit from wisely chosen battles. Courage breeds opportunity.

TAURUS NORTH NODE: October and November highlight your North and South Node axis, with key planets moving through Taurus and Scorpio. The Sun, Venus and Mercury in Scorpio, bring up old relationships, worldviews and versions of yourself for review. The November 8 Full Moon Lunar Eclipse in Taurus reactivates the Mars-Uranus-North Node conjunction from late July/early August. You’ve got another powerful chance to set intentions and manifest something new. Remember, Taurus North Node natives benefit from step-by-step progress rather than Scorpio’s trauma-drama. Repeat and build upon prior successes instead of demanding change in one fell swoop.

GEMINI NORTH NODE: This is a quarter to get things done! With Mars crisscrossing your North Node sign, you can expect activation and opportunity. Just because it hasn’t happened yet doesn’t mean it will not happen now. Watch for signs and synchronicities. These arrive like love notes from the Universe, telling you to keep exploring, keep playing, and keep finding new avenues to delight. The December 7-8 Full Moon in Gemini almost exactly conjuncts Mars. This event marks a powerful time to challenge old dogma and welcome new ways of engaging life. You are so much more than your past. Enjoy the journey and increased pace.

CANCER NORTH NODE: A surprisingly active quarter, even without conjunctions in your North Node sign. Uranus in Taurus, Neptune in Pisces and trines from Scorpio offer positive transformation to your nodal axis. In December, the Sun, Mercury and Venus traverse your South Node sign of Capricorn, bringing a chance to review old relationships, worldviews and self-conceptions. How can you integrate the best of the old with where your soul longs to go? You might need periods of rest and retreat in order to make the most of opportunities for emotional and spiritual liberation. Take time to nurture yourself and others.

LEO NORTH NODE: Friction continues from significant activity in Taurus, Scorpio and Aquarius. You might feel a vague sense of irritation or impatience, but pay attention to opportunities that arise from “nowhere.” Mars in Gemini sextiles your North Node and offers subtle, yet strong support. Solutions to your challenges don’t always scream for attention, but they do arrive. A combination of hard work, passion and divine dispensation makes this quarter highly productive. Your financial situation could change for the better as your ships come into harbor. Stay grounded and tapped into your radiant heart. It will lead you well.

VIRGO NORTH NODE: Fourth Quarter 2022 could shatter grand illusions and New Age platitudes. If you find your faith shaken, take time to ground yourself in daily tasks and rituals. Tend to your health, your finances and your worldview. When the bigger picture stops making sense, drop into the details. Gather information and see how things begin to fit together. Resist the urge to generalize too fast or to skip over ugly facts and figures. When you face “the worst case scenario,” you find tremendous strength. If you orient your mind towards service, you’ll discover silver linings to everything you thought you lost. Beware of alcohol, sugar and drugs. You’ll make better decisions without their influence.

LIBRA NORTH NODE: October brings opportunities for love, romance and teamwork. Connections offer greater satisfaction and security than forging ahead on your own. December’s Capricorn energies square your nodal axis, creating productive friction. Pay attention to insights about your own inner conflicts, then aim for harmony inside and out. Take time to relax and retreat when needed. The Universe operates in its own timing. You can position yourself well for its arrival, but you can’t rush destiny. Whenever you feel impatient, look for and create more beauty. Focus on relationships with those walking similar paths.

SCORPIO NORTH NODE: Fourth Quarter 2022 brings Eclipse Season to your nodal axis. The October 25 New Moon in Scorpio Solar Eclipse conjuncts Venus to bring extra blessings to Scorpio North Node natives. An extended passage of Sun, Venus and Mercury in Scorpio highlights destined revelations about your identity, relationships, self-esteem and worldview. You’ll find deep insights into subconscious motivations and how things work. The Great Mystery tips its hand to you. The November 8 Full Moon in Taurus Lunar Eclipse helps you to release old things standing in the way of your happiness.

SAGITTARIUS NORTH NODE: Mars in Gemini stirs things up by activating your South Node sign. You might feel overwhelmed by too many details, distractions and obligations. When in doubt, take the higher, broader view. You can’t be all things to everyone. Find what you love and stick to it, even if that means hard work and a period of apprenticeship. Don’t scatter your energies. You succeed by taking things to their biggest and brightest conclusion. In November, the Sun, Mercury and Venus enter your North Node sign, bringing powerful, destiny aligned encounters. The November 23 New Moon in Sagittarius allows you to realign and shine.

CAPRICORN NORTH NODE: Fourth Quarter 2022 brings a sense of karmic balance and success after a long, tricky journey. You feel more sovereign, more grounded and others recognize your accomplishments. December lights up your North Node sign, especially around the time of the December 23 New Moon in Capricorn. At the end of December, Mercury stations retrograde in Capricorn, so prepare to finish things ahead of the 29th, or expect some major reworkings of destiny level projects and structures. You’ll know whether to finish or await this natural time of review. Just pay attention to which doors open and which ones seem difficult or impossible to enter.

AQUARIUS NORTH NODE: The Saturn-Uranus Square from October 3-6 affects Aquarius North Node natives more than most, because Saturn and Uranus co-rule your sign. When in doubt, you’ll need to lean more towards group harmony and innovation, rather than a “my way or the highway” attitude. With Saturn traversing your sign since December 2017, you may have felt delayed gratification or constriction. Saturn stations direct on October 23, bringing forward momentum as he moves through the rest of Aquarius before entering Pisces on March 7, 2023. Saturn’s not the most popular, but he does troubleshoot for success. Use this time to build a strong foundation for your future.

PISCES NORTH NODE: This is an important quarter for you. Mars squares your nodal axis as he crisscrosses Gemini. This tension creates opportunities that help you to realign with your soul’s true north. You might feel tempted to go into your mind, trying to figure out everything on the mental level, but you’ll find inspiration and grace by tending to your emotions and spirituality. Calm the stormy seas, commit to a glorious Mystery, and allow yourself to retreat from worldly cares. You have nothing to be ashamed of, Pisces. Perfection’s not the goal anymore. Peace, harmony, grace, beauty and unconditional compassion are. Your sign’s ruler, Neptune, stations direct on December 3. If things have felt surreal and slow, don’t worry. Something big is moving in your favor.

Garden Update ~ Autumn Beauty

Happy New Moon in Scorpio Solar Eclipse! It’s a perfect Fall day here, but we have still not had our first frost of the season. This is very late for us, and I love seeing so many colors at once. Some photos from today:

As you see, we’ve still got nasturtiums and marigolds galore. I love the nasturtiums as a spicy sandwich garnish:

Mum’s the word here. You can see those flowers dancing in the breeze amongst parsley, chard and carrots:

It looks and feels like Fall with the colored leaves and brisk winds:

The one below feels auspicious: a rainbow with a 1:11 timestamp:

Sorry if everything looks muted and slightly blurred. I love the liminal nature of Autumn, where change in the air keeps things moving and just out of focus. So many possibilities arise when we allow our gaze to shift.

Celtic Woman – Máiréad – Granuaile’s Dance [HD]

I don’t know why this July 2013 post started trending on my blog today, but I’m glad it did. For anyone who has trouble believing that real, live faeries dance among us:

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New Moon in Scorpio and Solar Eclipse ~ October 25, 2022

My October 2022 Forecast shares:

October 25 New Moon in Scorpio and Solar Eclipse, 6:49 a.m. Eastern US time. This New Moon Solar Eclipse occurs at exactly 2°00′ Scorpio. This degree emphasizes sacrifice of something old and cherished, the surrender of which allows us to move forward. Venus sits in the same degree, bringing love and beauty to the process of transmutation. Memories remain but new life beckons.

Dane Rudhyar’s Sabian Symbol for this New Moon in Scorpio Solar Eclipse is:

PHASE 212 (SCORPIO 2°): A DELICATE BOTTLE OF PERFUME LIES BROKEN, RELEASING ITS FRAGRANCE.

KEYNOTE: The accidental nature of opportunities that impel one to break away from a past, the remembrance of which is still poignant and cherished.

A new and greater realization usually demands the sacrifice of something which has brought loveliness and fragrance to a lesser form of living and feeling. Old feelings are poignantly remembered, even as one moves into a new and wider sphere of experience. Old relationships may be left behind, but the memory of their essential moments lingers on, perhaps strong and nostalgic.

This is the second stage of the forty-third sequence. It contrasts with the first in that it reveals the difficulty of dealing with the past as one enters into a new realm of feelings. To the excitement of novelty answers the memory of the graciousness of the past one has SURRENDERED.

Our sense of smell often triggers far off memories. Our primal connection to the past wafts across consciousness in surprising ways. The addition of a Solar Eclipse adds to already intense and bittersweet feelings. It’s OK to mourn the past even while celebrating a new, much longed for present.

Venus closely conjuncts the New Moon Solar Eclipse, so we will feel love to its Scorpio depths. In addition to the Goddess of Love, asteroid Amor sits less than two degrees behind this meeting. Amor rules romance and affection. Three degrees ahead of the New Moon Solar Eclipse sits Aphrodite, the Greek equivalent of Venus. Love, love, and more love. Asteroid Cupido — as in Cupid! — also joins in a supportive sextile from Capricorn.

Adding to that Sabian Symbol’s sense of a surrendered old love, we have another supportive sextile from asteroid Atropos in Capricorn. According to Dark Astrology:

[Atropos] is the third dark aspect of the three fates. Atropos is the cutter of the cord of life and her Roman equivalent is Morta, Italian for death. So very final then! According to Demetra George “Her position in the birth chart shows how and where we bring our fate to [its] inevitable conclusion and how we cut the life thread when we experience endings, loss, closure and death.”[1]

… The meaning of the word is “the inevitable”, and what is impossible to put aside. [Its] namesakes include the poison Atropo Belladonna or “Deadly Nightshade” and an ominous looking yellow and black moth called Acherontia Atropos or “Deaths Head Hawkmoth” There is even a skull motif on its thorax. It was regarded as an evil omen.

This moth is a thief and opportunist, it steals nectar from the honeybee. So Atropos is a scavenger, like the raven, and associated with both death and magic. Scavengers are looked down upon, but they are essential as natures recyclers and rubbish collectors. Maybe Atropos in the chart burns off once [and] for all any left over festering karma.

From the other side, Asteroid Isis in Virgo closely sextiles the Scorpio New Moon Solar Eclipse. In mythology, Isis connects with the idea of death and regeneration, because when her husband Osiris died, she reassembled him from his scattered body parts. This reassembled Osiris only materialized long enough to impregnate Isis with their son Horus — a reminder that even with rebirth and regeneration comes irrevocable change.

This is also a South Node eclipse, which emphasizes the past — releasing that which no longer serves. All these aspects amplify Scorpio themes of death and rebirth. Sometimes the beautiful and cherished needs to die in order for something even sweeter to be born. Death can be metaphorical or literal. Eclipses set the tone for the next six months, so some of these endings, deaths and inevitable changes will unfold over time.

This is a heavy, tender New Moon and Solar Eclipse. Be gentle with yourself and others in these times of “Sudden Adult Death Syndrome,” with additional threats of nuclear war, famine, financial crash, and you name the looming disaster. To me, it feels like we’re approaching the end of Lord of the Rings. Not everyone and everything we love will continue on our same journey. Yes, we will grieve, but life promises regeneration and renewal.

As we approach Samhain/All Hallow’s Eve/Halloween, Jupiter retrograde reenters Pisces on the 28th, and Mars — the planet of Action and War — stations retrograde in Gemini on October 30th. The battle becomes an internal one. Allow yourself to feel the full depth of emotions. Love abounds — sometimes almost too much love to contain. If it spills out in tears of gratitude, grief and grace, so be it. We are blessed, and our Ancestors have walked some of these same roads before us. This, too, shall pass, but for now, let yourself feel all the feels.

I’ll leave you with Kahlil Gibran’s poem:

On Joy and Sorrow

Then a woman said, Speak to us of Joy and Sorrow.
And he answered:
Your joy is your sorrow unmasked.
And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears.
And how else can it be?
The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.
Is not the cup that holds your wine the very cup that was burned in the potter’s oven?
And is not the lute that soothes your spirit, the very wood that was hollowed with knives?
When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy.
When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.

Some of you say, “Joy is greater than sorrow,” and others say, “Nay, sorrow is the greater.”
But I say unto you, they are inseparable.
Together they come, and when one sits alone with you at your board, remember that the other is asleep upon your bed.

Verily you are suspended like scales between your sorrow and your joy.
Only when you are empty are you at standstill and balanced.
When the treasure-keeper lifts you to weigh his gold and his silver, needs must your joy or your sorrow rise or fall.

Timothy Glenn ~ The Quan Yin Effect

This is a non-astrology article by Timothy Glenn, and I love it! His insights turned on some major light bulbs related to my recent Strength Portal with Quan Yin and Tiger. I knew there was more to that portal painting!

Quan Yin Effect

by Timothy Glenn

This will be a personal story, dating back to simpler times – before the internet, before cell phones, even before buying that very first MS-DOS computer – back into the mists of time when most of us in the industrialized world were being introduced to futuristic technologies like pagers, digital watches, CD players, and answering machines that used cassette tapes. This tale will chronicle the evolution of discovering and developing a gaming concept I came to call Quan Yin Effect.

Dungeons & Dragons

For those unfamiliar with “real” Dungeons & Dragons – and other such fantasy role-playing games – people actually sat in the same room together, communicating without the aid of tech devices. They rolled plastic dice of different shapes and colors. They wrote statistics and pertinent game data on paper. And yes, they talked to each other without a plasma screen in sight – or even in mind, since most of us had never heard of plasma screens.

Some folks might not bat an eye at using dice of different colors – but different shapes? Yes – the Platonic Solids, in fact. Aside from the standard 6-sided cube, gamers use the 4-sided tetrahedron, the 8-sided octahedron, the 12-sided dodecahedron, and the 20-sided icosahedron – depending on the desired level of randomity.

When the uninitiated would ask about that “weird hobby”, I described it as a combination of group novel writing and improvisational theatre – set in fantastic worlds inspired by Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. Fantasy Gaming spontaneously grew out of millions of imaginations that dreamed of experiencing the kinds of adventures you could encounter in realms like Middle Earth.

Legends and Lore

Handbooks proliferated, offering ideas and guidelines for game play as the hobby continued evolving. The Fiend Folio came to be replaced by The Monster Manual. Deities and Demigods came to be replaced by Legends and Lore. Character Classes expanded and became more refined. For example, the clumsy term Magic-User gave way to the more sensible term Wizard as a broad Character Class with its own guide book, which delineated a variety of sub-classes of Wizards.

But for this tale, the inspiration for Quan Yin Effect came from the book Legends and Lore. In any D&D world you wanted to create, the Deities representing various Pantheons were considered to be real characters in their own right. Of course they maintained powerful influence over the world (usually from afar), and most Player Characters would serve a particular Deity. Individual Gods and Goddesses were assigned gaming statistics, personality traits, and special abilities.

In those early days of Fantasy Gaming, I only had scant familiarity with the Deities of ancient cultures. Regarding Quan Yin, all I knew was that respected spiritual teachers all spoke of Her with love and admiration. They referred to Her as the Mother of China, or the Goddess of Mercy and Compassion. For that younger version of myself, this basically translated as “Goddess with nice vibes”.

Quan Yin Effect

When it came to quantifying Her qualities into a game context, it came as no surprise that Quan Yin had utterly awesome healing abilities. But another of Her abilities impressed me: No act of violence could take place within a certain radius of Quan Yin. Now that’s Power. My youthful imagination took flight with such a beautiful concept.

Not even Thor would be able to wield his hammer to harm anyone in the presence of Quan Yin. Love is the greatest Power. This imagery brought to mind an old Star Trek episode called Errand of Mercy, in which the Organians would not allow the Federation and the Klingons to engage in conflict. Their weapons would simply fail to operate. Spock rendered his assessment: “I should say the Organians are as far above us on the evolutionary scale as we are above the amoeba.” Captain Kirk later said: “We think of ourselves as the most powerful beings in the universe. It’s unsettling to discover that we’re wrong.”

Quan Yin had established Herself as a complete embodiment of Peace. Her personal energy field radiated sufficient universal love to neutralize any incoherence that would spark violence.

Quantum Peace

Back in the 1970’s I became intrigued by theories concerning our imminent quantum leap in evolution. The idea dovetailed with teachings within the metaphysical community – a dawning age of enlightenment and planetary initiation. I was especially impressed by a teacher from the early Transcendental Meditation movement, who gave a lecture entitled Quantum Peace. It resonated so strongly to consider Peace as a powerful energetic in the universe.

This provided a backdrop to encountering Dungeons & Dragons and my introduction to Quan Yin. Since there have been so many spellings of Her name, it was automatic for me to prefer Quan Yin, because this carried the concept of Quantum Peace within Her name.

Years of dreaming, meditating, and Fantasy Gaming led to adopting the term Quan Yin Effect – the influence of Her completely coherent energy field. In entrainment, the stronger energy fields hold their own, whereas the weaker fields have to do the entraining. Any incoherent patterning that interacted with the Divine Essence of Quan Yin would have to get it sync with the pure coherence of her Quantum Peace.

And ultimately, Quan Yin Effect is attainable by anyone. We can all establish ourselves as a healing presence in the world.

Give Ourselves a Break

It all begins within ourselves as these human avatars playing our cosmic game of 3D Planet Earth. We didn’t enter this game by descending on the clouds, fully manifested as Deities of unconditional love, mercy and compassion in the earthly realm. On another level, yes. But not as these humans. We embarked on this journey of healing humanity by first becoming humanity with all its faults and foibles. This long and winding road entailed learning curves that would lead us through all sorts of trauma.

Compassion for the world can be achieved through compassion for ourselves. We took on bodies riddled with negative programming and conditioning that had been passed down through generations. Humanity has developed a deep dark shadow side. Our collective darkness is now emerging into the light, where it can be healed.

Carl Gustav Jung encouraged us to integrate the shadow, not to pretend it wasn’t there, while we danced around in our imaginary worlds filled with rainbows, butterflies and puppy dogs. Jung famously said: “One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious.”

Embodying Quan Yin Effect

We all have the opportunity to step forward and become conscious co-creators of the New Earth. Light Workers have a place, but Shadow Workers are blazing the trails into an ascended state of being through a Quantum Leap. Shadow Workers clean up their own backyards first, primarily by sharing Quan Yin’s level of mercy and compassion with themselves.

The most effective healers are those who have been through the entire process themselves. Many of us are Souls who chose to plow through the trauma to get the road map, so we could share it with others when the time came – only the time is now.

The Earth Herself is helping facilitate this process. Here’s a helpful analogy. It’s easy to imagine striking a match, which represents the friction leading to conflict. Now imagine striking that match under water. The underwater atmosphere will not support that conflagration any more than the Earth’s future energy field will support the nervous impulses required for violence. That amounts to a planetary Quan Yin Effect. Millions of us are unfolding into such co-creators right now.

Yeshua said, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” The alpha and the omega of that admonition is to “Love yourself.”

Timothy Glenn
http://www.soulpurposereadings.com/

Follow Up on the Wounded Knee Massacre Items at the Barre Museum

I promised a follow-up to my short announcement after the press conference on Monday, October 10. Here are my observations and take away’s from that 2:00 p.m. Eastern time event.

For those unfamiliar with the background, please see this June 2022 post. One reason I feel led to share this story and ask for continued support is because astrologer Ray Grasse and I independently both honed in on the return of artifacts and human remains from the Wounded Knee Massacre as deeply tied to the US Pluto Return. I didn’t mention that in my first post because I know people sometimes skip over my astrology posts. I wanted as many eyes on this as possible. But the reason I wanted to raise awareness is because I sense that however this situation plays out will play a huge role in how brutal or regenerative the US Pluto Return will be from 2022-2024.

On September 29, 2022, the Membership Board of the Barre Museum Association voted unanimously to return artifacts and human remains from the massacre on December 29, 1890. This historic decision followed long term requests, the April 2022 Native American Repatriation Act, and recent negotiations spear headed by Mia Feroleto, Chief Henry Red Cloud and the Lakota Sioux. Other key people included Chief Leonard Little Finger, who began discussions over ten years ago, as well as Mike Hecrow, a direct descendant of the son of Chief Bigfoot. Hecrow helped determine which items rightfully belonged to the Lakota.

Kevin Killer, the Oglala Sioux Tribal President, also spoke about media responsibility to tell the truth. He noted ongoing problems since the 1890’s when media demonized Natives and fostered the attitudes that led to massacre and the stealing of sacred items and human remains. He called for true reporting throughout this process. Wendell Yellow Bull — a descendant of Joseph Corn Cloud and a resident of Pine Ridge Reservation — said that preparations and ceremonies must take place. Souls denied burial must be laid to rest, and sacred items need to be cleansed and properly distributed.

Depending on how you count items (i.e. is a pair of shoes one or two items?), there are somewhere between 151 and 263 items to be returned. Besides these items, the Barre Museum holds items from over 60 different tribes. Spiritual significance of items, including sacred pipes and human remains, will be determined by Elders. They will pray over the items and then determine how to bring them back. As mentioned in my October 10 announcement, this situation remains in process. Please continue much needed prayers and energetic support.

At the time of the press conference, the Membership Board of the Barre Museum had still not signed any legal paperwork for the return of artifacts and human remains from the Wounded Knee Massacre. A reporter asked why since it seemed odd to announce their return without having signed the paperwork. I agree, but I carefully scanned everyone’s energy throughout the Zoom meeting. Despite the unsigned paperwork, things appear to be moving forward in good faith. After such a long search to identify Board Members to contact from the Barre Museum (also sometimes referred to as the Founders Museum), it seems like real relationships have been forged among Tribal Members, Board Members, Mia Feroleto and various photographers and consultants.

Hopefully the legal paperwork is now signed, or gets signed soon. On November 5, 2022, the Barre Museum Board Association plans to present a single box symbolizing the carefully packaged hundreds of boxes to be returned to the Tribe. In return, Tribal Members plan to present each Board Member with a gift, creating a ceremony of exchange. I teared up a bit as I typed, recognizing the profound healing intended by this event.

November 5, 2022 marks the Ceremony of Transfer in Barre. The Barre Library Museum Association also plans to help with repatriation. Delegates from the Pine Ridge and Cheyenne River Reservations will attend, along with Mia Feroleto and other invited guests. The Governor of Massachusetts received an invite but has yet to RSVP. Weather permitting, they’ll hold the ceremony outside. If not, it will occur in a nearby school. November 5 will begin the formal sorting, packing and safe repatriation of the items; however, this process will continue through the end of 2022.

Each year, from December 22-29, residents of Pine Ridge Indian Reservation participate in a horse trek honoring the events that led to the Wounded Knee Massacre. This year on December 28, riders will reach Wounded Knee, South Dakota and they will receive all of the repatriated items. On December 29, they’ll have a huge ceremony to which they’ve invited all the Barre Museum Board Members. At this point, true healing can begin.

I mentioned the US Pluto Return connection to this event. If you watch the video below, you’ll see what the US government did to Native Americans.

Without going into too much detail here, please know that there are current forces (WEF, etc.) that would like to do similar things and worse to US citizens. This agenda would affect people all over the world, but the US Pluto Return means deep, dark Shadow karma is coming home to roost in the US. Remaining on a more positive timeline requires doing whatever we can do now to stop adding insult to injury to those killed and traumatized at Wounded Knee and other massacres.

My September 2022 Forecast describes the energy on September 29 — the day the Membership Board of the Barre Museum Association voted unanimously to repatriate the requested items:

September 29 Venus enters Libra. The Love Goddess smiles with relief having made it through the Virgo doldrums. Venus enters one of her home signs, bringing extra grace to the arts, beauty, self-esteem and romance. Because we clearly know our own value, we find ways to compromise for the sake of harmony. We can afford to balance the scales, knowing we won’t lose ourselves in the process.

This Venus in Libra energy managed to overcome “third party interference undermining negotiations.” I took this date and event as confirmation of the good faith I sensed among all parties. The Indigenous People’s Day press announcement also occurred the day after a Full Moon in Aries conjunct Chiron and the US natal Chiron and two days after Pluto stationed direct. These were seismic astrological moves connected with the ongoing process of rightful repatriation:

October 8 Pluto stations direct in Capricorn. After a deep dive since April 29, Lord of the Underworld prepares to resurface. All those hidden things you thought would never see the light of day? Pluto drags ’em up when he’s good and ready. Nobody pushes Pluto around. Resistance is futile. Try to suppress that force, and you’ll find death, destruction and devastation like you never imagined. Work with Pluto, and he brings healing, rebirth and regeneration beyond your wildest dreams. Ignore him at your peril. If you’ve ever wanted to clean house, do so now. You have support.

October 9 Full Moon in Aries, 4:55 p.m. Eastern US time. The Full Moon conjuncts Chiron, alerting us to a need for healing. The Sabian Symbol for this “Blood Moon” is: (ARIES 17°): TWO DIGNIFIED SPINSTERS SITTING IN SILENCE. The symbol encourages us to pull inside ourselves, yet paradoxically to do so together. We must tend to our own inner landscape, but group meditations and prayer bring powerful results. Consider sitting in silence with one or more people, and holding an intention for love and healing. Nature and animal friends count, too! If you don’t have a person to meditate with, expand your idea of solidarity. Heads up: this Full Moon conjuncts the start-of-Watergate Chiron and sits between the US natal Chiron and transiting Chiron. An extremely challenging and painful time for the United States.

The Wounded Knee Massacre certainly qualifies as a challenging and painful time for the United States. When we hurt others to that degree we also hurt ourselves. The First Pluto Return of any nation always dredges up the most shameful secrets and darkest karma. Many countries fail to survive their First Pluto Return. Those that do usually face major restructuring and upheaval. Again, this ongoing situation seems directly linked to how brutal or regenerative the US Pluto Return will be. Although we’ve got turmoil right now, certain factions want to increase that turmoil to unimaginable suffering. For a preview, watch the video above.

I feel we can shift this energy and that we are on the most positive timeline possible, given the changes and revelations that need to occur. Surrounding this Wounded Knee repatriation process with love, prayer, Reiki and positive focus bolsters the positive timeline for the US and the world. “As the US goes, so goes the world.”

On November 5, 2022, Venus in Scorpio exactly opposes Uranus, signalling a major change in relationships. These are volatile, but potentially liberating energies. Winter Solstice occurs the night before the Pine Ridge Reservation horse trek begins, and Chiron stations direct on December 23, one day into the trek. With Chiron Direct, healing can now move forward in real, tangible ways. The third exact hit of the First US Pluto Return occurs on December 28, when the items arrive at Wounded Knee. The next day, December 29, Mercury stations retrograde — beginning a period of re-integration and review. Mercury Rx periods look back, so this feels appropriate for the re-turn and re-patriation. A century plus process finishes right before the New Year.

We’re also in the early stages of a US Chiron Return — a national healing opportunity that occurs once every 50 years or so. The perfect timing of all these transits suggests cosmic support for a delicate and sometimes painful process. Even if you’re not directly involved, please continue to support the process in whatever ways you feel called to do. In addition to death and destruction, Pluto also brings regeneration and rebirth. The purging of decay and desolation heals and renews. As the Hopi Prophecies say, “This could be a good time.” “We are the ones we have been waiting for.” May it be so.

Indigenous People’s Day Announcement

Email subscribers received what turned out to be a premature announcement yesterday. My apologies! I misunderstood Mia Feroleto’s suggestion that I might want to blog about the Barre Museum agreeing to repatriate remains and artifacts from the Wounded Knee massacre.

On Indigenous People’s Day, I just virtually attended the press conference and will provide a detailed account — but not today. As hinted at yesterday, this morning at 10:10 on 10/10 I had my own private “ceremony,” which dreams, synchronicities and then the actual event itself revealed as directly connected to all of this. Such details will remain private, but they’re the reason I’m not posting an immediate and thorough recap. 🙂

Thank you to everyone who has prayed, sent Reiki, ceremony and intentions to begin righting a terrible wrong in US history. Thanks again to Mia Feroleto for acting as a go between for the tribes and the Board of the Barre Museum. This repatriation process remains in process, so please continue the prayers and energetic support. Key dates include November 5, 2022 and December 22-29, 2022. I will share more details at a later time.

It was an honor to attend this announcement, and I was happy to see the apparent good will among all parties. As I said in yesterday’s now deleted post, “It’s difficult to overstate the importance of this repatriation. That it comes right after a Full Moon that sits between transiting Chiron and the US natal Chiron seems significant, too.” I’m sure everyone could sense powerful healing on multiple levels.

Fall Garden Update

It’s been awhile since I posted any garden photos, and most of these are a week old. We still haven’t had our first frost yet, so everything looks similar today. Lots of jewel tones to share!

I harvested a bunch of the nasturtiums last night, since some lower areas of Kalamazoo might have had a frost. So far so good — but we’ll have peppery salad accents today.

I love the late afternoon light.

The sea kale in the bottom center seems to have established itself well. We’ll see how it fares this winter. The one in the backyard got even larger. With any good fortune, we’ll have early greens followed by pretty white flowers and funky seed heads the rest of the season.

The main shift in the front garden involves the two large rocks that came with our yard.

I wanted to add another Big Bag Bed Mini (2 foot across) and an additional 10 gallon fabric pot. I already have an overabundance of garlic, but I wanted more beds in which to rotate crops and, yes, plant more fall garlic. I’ve so enjoyed the upgraded front yard that I didn’t want to alter the main layout. I ended up adding the pot near an existing group at the edge of the Japanese maple drip line. Then inspiration hit at just the right moment.

I decided to move the rocks, level the area and then place them like an entry marker. They were heavy, and knew I couldn’t do this on my own. Plus, the ground really tipped. If we didn’t have sand, I’d need to bug David to get some. He happened to be clearing out our garage, so I called him over to listen to my idea. Unbeknownst to me, David’s garage clean out included two bags of sand he found under the workbench. Like the rocks up front, these also came with the house. He had planned to toss them but recognized the synchronicity. Instead, he carried over the sand bags and helped me reposition the rocks. By “helped,” I mean he did it himself. 😉

We had EXACTLY the right amount of sand to level the area for the new raised bed, and I think the shift will look good once the former rock location fills in with some ground cover sedum I transplanted.

You can see the new garlic bed next to the old rock. I love that these additions barely change the garden but make it that much more functional.

The backyard continues to produce loads of mini bell peppers, kale, collards, carrots and arugula, while the front yard offers kale, chard, carrots, herbs, celery, banana peppers, bush beans and lettuce. Pole beans, zucchini, tomato and basil are done for the year, and I have since removed the amaranth. I considered letting it bloom into huge maroon tops, but I don’t want amaranth all over the yard next year. It’s fussy to harvest with lots of renegade seeds. I’m glad I grew it but don’t need to again.

Ditto my laughable sweet potato harvest! I grew an impressive amount in a bed with full all day sun in Goshen but hadn’t tried here until this year. We’re further north, and sweet potatoes like it hot, hot, hot. I also had them growing in a poor soil bed behind the shed. Maximum daylight was maybe 6 hours of sun. Peppers and butternut squash did surprisingly well back there, but I harvested a total of seven sweet potatoes from five planted slips. Two of those were pinky finger sized! I’m sure the groundhog who gobbled up 2/3 of the leaves one week didn’t help, but overall I’d call that a garden fail.

I share some of these failures and disappointments because they’re part of gardening. Some things grow better than others. Factors like weather, microclimate, watering, light, and — especially — soil quality make a huge difference. I took the opportunity to add rock dust, fish meal and a bunch of minerals and worm castings to the dug up soil. That bed originally got filled with a delivery of what turned out to be really sandy, dead soil. I didn’t even plant it some years but decided to try again this year, with an added bed in front of it.

Next year, things should grow better, but I’ll choose crops that can thrive in less light. I just wanted to try some new things this year to see what did or didn’t work in various locations.

Speaking of thriving, these Autumn Beauty Sunflowers lived up to their name and put out a second round of blooms. The leaves turned purple from colder nights, but these bring a smile to my face whenever I see them. By far our latest sunflowers!

Today I’ll harvest several bunches of celery that I need to remove from next spring’s hyacinth beds. I should have harvested the celery sooner, because it’s a little tough when raw. I’m going to experiment today with chopping it and sauteeing with onions and some of that overabundance of garlic I mentioned. Hopefully, this will provide a quick frozen start to winter soups. I’ve also got an overabundance of peppers and will “roast” them in the air fryer, then freeze whatever we don’t use this weekend.

Remaining garlic may get chopped and then frozen with olive oil. I’ve heard this method preserves garlic for an entire year. You can break off whatever portion you need for a recipe. Just don’t thaw and refreeze the garlic/olive oil mix. The high fat content makes this possible. We’ll see how it goes! In any case, our kitchen will be hopping today.