LunarMusings

The Meadow

 

Just a little something from my walk around the Meadow yesterday.

Winter Solstice 2009

Oh my friends...  I have to admit that I took on much too much for what is suppose to be a deep, dark, silent and dreamy end of the year.  And for some reason, this year that has brought me a bit of sadness. 

My Solstice celebrations up until now have all been personal.  Its such a sweet and retreated time, just before the Sun begins to grow once again and the light makes its comeback.  Its been my time, before the chaos of everyone else's Christmas celebration explode onto the scene.  But this year, not only have I not had a chance to do my usual ritual of release and renewal, but I am mourning the fact that I haven't created a more communal/family traditional of celebrating it with others.  Rather we flit about from one persons holiday celebration to the other, whether it be Hanakkuh or Christmas.

And of course this isn't to say that it can't be done, and that next year wouldn't be a great time to start.  I'm just feeling the wear and tear of a holiday art shop, cabin construction, family visits and no big chunk of time to do my retreat/review/renew.  Hmmm... I like that. 

So, I sound like a downer don't I?  Don't mean to.  In many ways I am feeling this new year being nourished and nurtured into a potent and exciting existence.  I have had small pockets of time to write down notes, words, images that are coming through and... its good.  But its ok that with the sweet is the bitter too.

How do you celebrate this holiday season, whether its Solstice, Hanukkah, Kwanza, Christmas, or whatever other holiday there may be out there during this time?

New Moon in Sagittarius 2009

A Sagittarius Moon is about freedom, expansion of the mind, philosophy, horizons.  There is a sense of adventure here related to openness, boundlessness.  And all of this brings about a sense of optimism. 

I love this New Moon, because it happens right before Winter Solstice, which I consider the Solar New Year and our own traditional Western New Year on January 1st.  Here is where we always take stock, assess the prior year and begin to lay out the foundation of the terrain to be covered in the upcoming year.

And what better energetic support to have during this evaluation then a Moon dedicated to supporting broader horizons and adventurous expansion? 

I need this.  And I have certainly been feeling it.  And where this last year has been about transmutation, the process has left me feeling like its time to break out and unleash myself. 

So today as I began to fill out my Planner Pad I noticed the most infinitesimal sense of excitement begin to creep in.   I'm making choices and strategizing and all of it is in the name of expansion, broader horizons, and adventure... both of the heart and mind. 

As this lunar cycle grows, we are on the countdown to the end of 2009.  And so or me, this growing lunar energy is a sweet momentum for the release, for the necessary 'goodbye', and for impulsing us into the newness of what is to come and what we will create. 

Can you feel it?

Photo Friday: Idy Winter

Photo Friday

MoonDust Necklaces

Hello my lovelies!  Things have been quite busy here and I have missed coming to bloglandia and getting my weekly dose of the goodness out there.  I am, however, happy to announce that my new jewelry line is here.  

The Full Moon energy had me so deep and inspired and in such a luscious dance with Her, that I was entranced by the idea of lovely delicate necklaces that would give the goddess wearer a touch of magic.

Short chokers with the tiniest seed beads that leave the pendant hanging in the tender nook between your collar bones at the base of the throat.  Magic.

Each one has an intention, a vibe and a glow.  Go check them out!  They make a perfect gift for you or the lovely goddess sister in your life.

Blessings.

Full Moon in Gemini 2009

Picture taken by Jon Brown, edited by Elena

This is how I feel right now...  all evening actually, as this Gemini Full Moon grows to her full ripeness.  ideas flying, unable to land on one for to long, moving from one air inspired thought to the other and loads of talking today.  Lots and lots and lots. 

Its easy to get frustrated when this happens, at least it is for me.  But I think the lesson for tonight is to go with it, and when I can, Write. Things. Down.

One of the biggest lies I tell myself over and over again, when some brilliant thought or phrase or idea comes through my mind, is that I will remember it later when I happen to have paper and pen near me.  It. Never. Happens. 

EVER.

And now I'm swimming in the flurries of this Moon's energy.  My mind is going a mile a minute with all sorts of goodness and mischief.  And I have paper and pen.  And I'm trying to capture it all.

Also, right now, outside the snow is melting, the Moon has brightened up the world so it looks like some magical faery tale is taking place outside my window.  Its truly exhilarating. 

How is this Full Moon in Gemini activating you?

 

Thankful

"The Landscape That Calls Me"  by Elena Rego

I spoke to Leslie on skype today and she asked me to give her 5 things I was thankful for.  I was all caught up in my busy - ness and couldn't really even think of 5 that were even remotely substantial. 

So here, in honor of Thanksgiving, a holiday I absolutely love, I give you a list.  My list, of what I give thanks for this year.

Friends

Discovery

Truth

Good Food

Opportunity

Color

Art

Solitude

Individuation

Bonds

Family

Commitment

Music

Letting go

Living

Choice

My age

Art

My camera

Words

Freedom

Freedom

Twinkly lights on the house

Fireplaces

Purity

Maui

Idyllwild

Long Beach

Movement

The sway of my hips

Self employment

Mountain air

Distinct seasonal change

Bloglandia

Books

Community

Small ponds

Practice

Red convertible sports cars

Love

Audacity

Will

The ability to start over again

Yawning

Warm fluffy beds

Sleeping in

Sisterhood

Magic

Yes

Please, share your list here.  I would love to read them!

Dreads: The Technical Process

Today marks 4 full months of having dreads.  Its been a bit of a gestational period with them and so I haven't felt called to sit down and write about the process in detail here, although I have mentioned it often and shared the images.  

There is so much to say about it all that I'm going to try to do it in a couple of parts.  This post will be on how I did it.  The next one will be on the Soul Process.

There are so many ways to lock your hair.  I spent close to a year talking to people, reading articles online, watching You Tube videos and towards the end having a consult appointment with a guy in Santa Monica, whose name came up several times when I stopped random girls on the street to ask them about their amazing locks.  

I had concerns about my hair being too thin, or if the crochet method would end up looking like braids instead of locks, and I certainly didn't want to use wax... and on and on.  Massau, the stylist I had a consult with was amazing.  And enlightening.  I kept thinking that I had to use wax if I did the back combing method, which I was adamant about not wanting.  And he shared that he did the backcombing method, no crochet needle and no products.  I loved it!

Despite Massau's utter coolness I decided to lock my hair myself.  The reasons for which I'll discuss in the next post.

So I'm going to break it down and keep the soul process until later, which might be harder then I thought.  ;)

::The Doing::

~I sectioned off my hair with small rubber bands.  One inch squares.  This took about 2 hours believe it or not.   I really wanted to be careful how I divided them all.  I had originally wanted to have a straight part down the middle of my head as well as two straight parts on either side thinking that it would make hair does easier.  But in my research, it came up a few times that to stagger works better, because it lends some body and layers to your hair as oppose to the dreads hanging down from a center part and growing thicker in width towards the bottom. There is a danger of triangle head!  I didn't think that this would be the case with mine as they were thin, but I didn't want to take my chances, and I like a more organic look to my hair as oppose to neat straight lines.

~Next I took a fine toothed comb and began working on the sections at the nape of my neck.  I would remove the rubber band, and then giving the chunk of hair a slight twist, I would back comb pretty vigorously.  Then twist again and back comb again.  I would do this until the section of hair had been teased so much that there was at least a 3 inch length loss.  Then taking the strand of teased hair I would twist it and with my thumb and forefinger, rub up, against the grain of the hair to tighten the dread.  I would do this over and over again.  This entire process took me over 2 days, as once I did my entire head of hair I went back a few more times to tighten the dreads I had created.

I have quite a lot of baby hairs, especially along my front hairline.  So I experimented with them.  For the first couple of weeks I bundled them up in the small rubber bands so that they would lock into the dread.  You can see them in the picture below.

 

I took them off when my friend Tree, who had ridiculously gorgeous dreads for 7 years taught me the thumb circle and twist root method. (I just made up that name!) Here is an old picture of her with her dreads:

 

So I took my thumb and forefinger and pinched the base of the dread between the pads and then taking the stray hairs, I make small circle movements with my thumb until the little strays knot up and bind to the dread.  I twist the lose ones around and repeat the procedure until the root is tight and the strays are all in. 

~None of this required wax or perms or any other product. 

~I opted to let my ends remain lose for a softer look and didn't blunt the ends in the dread. 

~And I also chose to dread all of my hair and not leave any loose.

~I had a headache for the first 3 days from all the pulling and tightness.

~I didn't really have a lot of itchiness like others talk about.  I would get a bit just after some maintenance, but not anymore.  My scalp seems to have gotten use to it fairly quickly.

~To date I would say I've lost about 3 inches in length due to locking.

::The Washing::

I heard so many differing opinions about this.  Some said to not wash it initially for one or two months, others said to wash regularly. I couldn't last longer then a week without washing and that has been my standard since the beginning.  Usually on a Sunday or Monday, I was my hair with Dr. Bronner's lavender soap.

The first month of washing was challenging for me as my dreads always fluffed up and felt as if they would unravel.  They didn't, and soon after that month, each time I washed them they seemed to get tighter, which is what I am still experiencing now.  Also the amount of lose hair caused by washing is slowly diminishing.

::The Maintenance::

I think this is a matter of personal preference.  Some let their dreads do what they want and never really touch them after they have formed.  I'm a Libra.  I think this should say it all really, but in case you don't get what I mean, let me say that there is no way that I could avoid tending to them if I tried!

For the first 3 months, after washing I would crochet the lose hairs back into each dread and do the root tightening method I discussed above.  That seem to help in the locking process tremendously, but I just didn't like the braided look that the crochet method was giving my dreads, particularly the thin ones in the front. 

So I have stopped using the crochet needle, unless absolutely necessary and am now doing the root tightening method only, and doing it the entire length of the dread when needed.

::Random Tidbits::

~I have more hair on the left side of my head then the right.  And consequently more dreads on one side then the other.  (who knew?)

~I have one favorite dread that I can't for the life of me stop touching!  There had been two favorites for a time but now its just the one.  Whats interesting is that my same friend, Tree, mentioned that they pull on certain pressure points on the scalp, so being a favorite dread might be linked to the pressure point being stimulated.  It was an Aha moment for me as I'm a massage therapist, but hadn't considered the connection.

~In the beginning of the dreading process I had numerous dreams where they were unraveling and I couldn't keep them locked.  I hadn't heard that others had also had this dream until I began sharing my experience.  I remember waking up feeling that I must be so attached to them already, that there was anxiety about losing them.  I haven't had one in a while.

~They have made my graying hair easier for me to accept.

That's all for now.  If you have any questions or if there is something I have left out, feel free to leave a comment.  The follow up post to this one is coming soon. 

Look At Us...

Our friend, Mike Jekogian, just sent this to me.  How young and cute were we here??? This was taken a month into our dating in 2003!!!  Jon had invited me to attend his friend's, Mike's, engagement party, which turned out to be a surprise wedding.  Such a great evening.  Sigh... This makes me fall in love with us all over again.

I'm such a sentimental girl...

PS... Mike's wife Carrie has an amazing eco friendly baby company called Lolababiez.  She has amazing sweet stuff, go check it out!

New Moon in Scorpio 2009

This post is a couple of days late because I just can't seem to formulate the stirrings in me concisely.  Scorpio New Moon is passionate, intense, mysterious, and at times overwhelming.  For me right now, its all under the surface.  A current that is moving at its own pace, at times tumultuous and at others a soothing rock, back and forth. 

I'm filled with longing and hunger for things I can't identify fully.  Danger is a word that keeps coming up for me.  I'm longing for danger.  For risk.  For the anxious thrill of standing on the edge of a cliff.  And all of it resides in this deep watery cavern in me that seems just out of reach.

Today I paint.  I dive into the colors and images that touch into this sense I carry.  And that feels dangerous too.  But its the work of this lunation cycle for me.

What are you feeling with this new moon?

Manifestation Bundles

I have this on my altar right now.  I call them Manifestation Bundles because even though its a small booklet, inside there are words, images, mandala drawings, a small piece of fabric with lavendar and cedar oil on it, and a crystal and dried rose resting protectively on top.  Spells, prayers, manifestations, intentions... whatever you call it, its what we do as women.  We weave our reality in all the ways we do.  For me this little lovely resting on my altar for this particular truth I am calling in, serves as a visual reminder each and every time I sit down at my altar to meditate or when I just walk past it as I move through the room. 

Some of my Manifestation Bundles have been thick and large, while others tiny and simple.  Most are tied in fabric or twine, and always there are special stones on top. And when what I am calling forth has come to pass I take the bundle with a grateful meditation and store it away in a special box that holds my makings. Its my way. 

I've been deep in making mode of late.  Weaving, painting, binding, encanting...  Its the Fall air luring me back into the deeper worlds.  I have made quite of few of these lovelies and am selling them in Manuscripts For The Journey.  They were made while in deep meditation of the spaces we create for ritual and manifestation.  The colors, images and stitching were all part of the magic that embued these bundles with the intention to germinate and manifest. 

If this is your way too, then I invite you to take a look and get some for yourself.  My wish is that they serve you on your journey as they do me.

Blessings.

6

Six years with this man.  Six.  I can't even comprehend the amount of time that has passed since we first met.  I can still feel that boy and girl meeting for the first time and it brings a smile to my face and tears to my eyes.  We have covered so much terrain since that first contact with one another on Match.com.  Yes... Match.com.  Can you believe it?

Love is a ride.  And there is never a way to predict where it will lead you and how you will arrive at any given point along that journey.  This relationship for me has been a practice in living, breathing, opening and saying yes.  And how that has manifested changes with every year we are together.

The last year has been a difficult one for us.  Many adjustments have had to be made as we both moved into his family cabin in Idyllwild and my work changed, finances changed, needs changed.  I'm floored still and ever grateful that we are committed to the truth of things, the lovely, ecstatic, hard, unhappy, thrilled, and challenging truth of things as they are want to come up when two people engage in a committed love relationship together.

He has become my family over all these years and this floors me as well.  Everything about him is as familiar as the whole of my life existence, his presence is a constant in the world for me in a way that feels timeless... a part of me.  Love can be piercing this way, and its something I had never understood before.

I bow in gratitude to us and where we are now.  I bow to us and where we may head towards.  I bow to the unknown, and I bow to the journey love is constantly leading us on.  I bow to the piercing, to the raw and to the timeless.  I bow to this man in my life, at my side and the constant evolving, unraveling and deep seeing that is required from us by this love that has brought us together.

I bow reverently to the last 6 years of our lives and all they contained.