Star Mysteries: the Astrolabe

Legend tells us that early pagans were able to tell time by the stars, to navigate by the stars and predict celestial events. Not just pagans - sailors and scientists of all types had the ability to perform these tasks in the pre-computing era. I mentioned this to a friend recently, and lo! She had been to a class in which they made paper astrolabes and learned how to use them.

Last night, she was kind enough to begin teaching me. Turns out, one has to have a good deal of knowledge to even use the device. It also helps to have a good grasp on the maths. A major problem with using astrolabes today is the evolution of how we measure time.

In ancient days, timekeeping was based on the Sun and the Moon, our most familiar celestial bodies. The sun's position was charted by all using the astrological signs. Today, we have introduced time zones and daylight savings time. Plus we now know about the eccentricity of the Earth's orbit. So when using an astrolabe to, for example, predict sunrise on a certain date, one first finds the answer on the astrolabe. That answer is in solar time. Then we have to adjust for modern timekeeping. WHEW!

So last night, after getting a basic familiarity for the instrument, we learned how to find sunrise and sunset on a certain day, predict the solstices and equinoxes, locate stars in the sky and how to measure the height of trees and other objects. All this, from rings of paper printed with measurements!

It was good nerdy fun, but also excited me on a spiritual level. Step 1 to re-creating the wisdom of the ancients! Which makes me consider: did early pagans use this device or something similar? Is this the sort of mystery that modern Druids are concerned about? I would think so, but so far I haven't worked up the courage to ask any of the Druids that I know. Druid readers, chime in here, please! Would that be rude to ask about? I've read about the henges, and of course I suspect that they were used for a similar purpose: charting and predicting the movements of celestial bodies observable by the naked eye.

From an intellectual, history geekery and spiritual perspective, this was awesome. But there's more: I am an explorer. It's perhaps a misfortune that I was born into an age where most places have been explored by others. But I have not found it to be so. Simply because you can locate a mountain on a map, and look at its topographical contours on paper does not mean that you know a place.

For me, true knowledge of a place comes from traversing it on foot. In that intimate communion, I can smell it, taste it, feel it and see all of the nooks and crannies. Looking at a peak from a meadow at noon is very different than at dusk. Sleeping near a river allows its song into your heart. Getting to know its animal and plant inhabitants is to know the soul of a place.

But I digress. No matter if it's been mapped, no matter if it has been seen by eyes before mine (animal or human), it makes no difference to me. Still, I explore.

And one day, I'll be able to wake a from a deep sleep under the stars and know what time it is. I'll be able to pinpoint my position on the Earth, our mother, using an astrolabe. To measure a fir tree's height...just because I can. Because it fulfills some primordial need within me. Because...I truly don't know why. I just know that I want to know.

Financial Security: A Spiritual Journey

Historically, I have not had a great relationship with money. In younger years, I would say things like “I hate money” or “money is the root of all evil”. At that time, I would do the minimum necessary to keep the logistics of my financial life going, always with a certain grimace of distaste. As an artist and a healer, I’ve always wished that I could not have to deal with money, and get paid in things like chickens, vegetables or crafts. Or hugs! Somehow, money seemed dirty and not suited to the purity of my pursuits.

These days, I have realized that money is just energy in a neutral form. It’s neither positive or negative in its own right.

I also had to face the fact that my career, while altruistic, is just as worthy of earning me a decent living as anyone else’s. More than that, people benefit from and value things more when they pay for the service provided to them! Most importantly, I have valuable skills and deserve to be compensated for them.

So earning money is a good thing[i]. Having my financial affairs in order is a good thing. I’ve been working on it for some time now, but now is the time to build a cushion of savings[ii]. Earlier this year, I saw an image on facebook of the 52 Week Savings Challenge. Either I didn’t feel like I had enough money to save at the time, or I just lost it in the shuffle.

Then I came across a blog post on witchesandpagans.com – Pagan Savings Challenge. [insert tire squealing sound]

Now this is interesting. This author took the 52 Week Savings Challenge and added in a spiritual component: save money as a way to raise energy to work your spell or as an offering.

Sound familiar? The Winter Pagan Fitness Challenge sucked me in the same way.

Really, both of these challenges are about the same thing: understanding that every act, no matter how seemingly mundane, is magical and part of your spiritual practice. There is no separation between the spiritual and the everyday.

In fact, the everyday, mundane details of living are perhaps even more important than our perceived spiritual or religious acts. For what does it matter if we have fancy altars if we don’t have food? How is it helpful to throw an elaborate ritual if you haven’t paid the bills? Everything has to be in balance for an organism to function properly.

I have studied Buddhism for a long time, but only now am I starting to understand this concept. The mundane details of life represent thousands of choices a day. What will the sum of your choices look like? Will it reflect an attitude of love and beauty? Or will it look slapdash, scattered and cluttered? More and more, I make choices that reflect love, order and beauty.

But I digress - back to saving money. The 52 Week Savings Challenge plan is that you save an increasing amount each week. If you follow that plan, you’ll end up with $1378 at the end of the year.

Since I’m self-employed, my income fluctuates. My plan is to save whatever amount I can each week. So if one week I can’t save at all, it will be balanced out by another week when I saved more than the plan. Also, I’d like to contribute more to the plan than it calls for overall so that I can reach a goal of $2000. I am putting the money in my general savings account, but to be sure that I don’t touch this particular money, I am also keeping an Excel spreadsheet of my contributions and the running total.

I also came into the challenge on Week 7, so I contributed $30 – enough to cover the previous weeks ($28) rounded up to an even number.  As of Sunday, I am current with 9 weeks of contributions.

The Pagan Savings Challenge suggests setting an intention for this money. What will it be used for, or will it be used at all? My intention is to have a safety cushion, so this money will not be used. This is an experiment for me. Can I, as an entrepreneur still in the startup phase of her business, save this much money without using it? What will this do to my cash flow during the year? Is this workable? Do I need a separate fund for emergencies? Where will this exercise take me?

In an ideal world, I would have all my bills paid on time, a cushion of savings for use in only dire emergencies, a savings fund for large unplanned expenses[iii], money allocated for large planned expenses and a comfortable margin of excess funds in my checking account. I would also have some type of IRA or investments for my elderhood[iv].

Looks like I answered my own questions. The 52 Week/Pagan Savings Challenge 2014 will be my Step 1 to the above picture of financial stability[v].

Goddess and God, aid me in this financial endeavor. Help me to build self-discipline to lay the foundation for a secure and stable future. Bless me with a thriving business and financial abundance. I am grateful for all of the abundance and blessings that you have already granted and for those already on their way to me. So mote it be!

---

[i] In moderation. I do believe that the desire for money in excess of what you actually need is a serious illness that is creating a huge problem in the world today.

[ii] Again, as it happens, but that’s another story.

[iii] Vehicle breakdowns, emergency room visit, etc.

[iv] I have no plans to retire and do nothing at some arbitrary age – that way lies early decrepitude! But most likely, I will slow down somewhat…or so I’m told. At some point, I’d also like to save money to pay for my funerary expenses. I know it’s a long way away, but I want my affairs in order warrior style. I could go tomorrow, and I want to be ready for that. Stay tuned for another post about estate planning, yet another project on my list.

[v] It all goes well. Plan may have to be adjusted as I go.

The Unwelcome Medicine of Pests

A few years ago, I moved back to North Carolina from Colorado. During those Colorado years, I spent a lot of time outdoors, and it was blissfully free from insects. There's nothing like summertime camping in a breathtaking alpine meadow...especially when you're originally from an area where a similar scene would mean irritation, constant slapping and bug spray.

Since I've been back in the South, I believe that the insects have been paying back every sting-free year. Somehow, they've compressed 11 years of freedom into just 4 of pain. My feet and legs have borne the brunt of this insectile attack. Mosquitos, gnats and noseeums I can stand, but the fire ant bites...oh, the fire ant bites.

The first year I was back, I got Chaco sandals. <cue ominous chord here>

As you might expect, it's warm enough for sandals for a good many months each year here. As a pagan, environmental educator and avid backpacker...I'm outside a lot. Wearing sandals.

Somehow, some way, the fire ants find me every time. I may be with a group of people, walking the same trail, or standing around in the same area. No one else is bothered most of the time. Me? Covered with ants.

The most entertaining story comes from last fall. I was leading a meeting of the Artemis Circle, which is an ongoing club spun off from an awesome girls summer camp that I teach. On this particular lovely day, we were planning to look for wildflowers for pressing. We'd cast a circle, everyone was happy, and I thought, hey, here's a hill we haven't climbed! Let's go, girls!

We climbed the hill and were briefly admiring the view. It couldn't have been more than a minute when I started to feel the pain. I looked down and sure enough, I was covered with ants. I brushed off the ones I could see, but the pain didn't stop. I had to get out of there! I started to run and was actually yelping with pain.

Imagine, if you will, a grown woman running and screaming, trailing a string of giggling 12 year olds.

I don't think they knew what was happening. Running and hollering is something we did as a group, being a high-spirited bunch of Artemisians as we were.

I got off the hill, but the pain didn't stop there. For the next hour as I was teaching, I kept feeling new pains. At first, I thought it was just paranoia. But later examination proved that some of the ants had climbed into my clothes and bit me all the way up to my right armpit.

<WAH WAH WAH music here>

Right. Fire ants are an invasive species. They were unwittingly introduced to the USA by a cargo ship in the early 1900's. Humans, even pagans, have a hard time loving pests. Usually our reverence and conservation efforts are reserved for the more appealing animals, like seals, bald eagles, horses, whales, big cats, etc. Who ever heard of someone with a mosquito totem? Or jellyfish totem?

But it is my belief that all beings are animated by the same Divine energy, and all beings have a place in the ecosystem. We call the fire ants invaders, but they are just doing what all species do - expand into new & hospitable environments and carry on their mode of existence.

What's more, from a shamanic perspective, animals have rich lessons to teach us. It occurred to me this morning, as I practiced Yoga, that I was looking at this fire ant plague in entirely the wrong way. They aren't trying to take my blissful sandal-wearing freedom away. They're just being ants. Is it possible, just maybe, that they are trying to teach me something?

I consulted my trusty copy of Animal-Speak by Ted Andrews.

Ant medicine is all about organization. Building infrastructure for our lives. Working tenaciously toward goals. Collaborating with others. Patience. Self-discipline.

You know that feeling when you read or hear something you don't want to hear? Perhaps it's coming from someone you don't like, or it's being presented in a challenging context. Maybe it's something you don't want to believe about yourself. But yet, you KNOW it's true, and no amount of emotional squirming is going to change that fact.

It hit me like a thunderbolt. These are the lessons of this phase of my life. I made a major life change four years ago. I've re-launched my career, becoming a self-employed professional. I've been learning about working with others in an effective way. I've been stepping my self-improvement efforts into high gear, disciplining myself to make healthier choices.

BANGO!

I hear you, little ones. I am listening. I understand. Thank you.

p.s. Can you ease up on the stings now, please? I'll be good, I promise!

Winter Pagan Fitness Challenge: Weekly Update 2

My second week of the Winter Pagan Fitness Challenge was just as busy as the first, but a lot more stressful and difficult on an emotional level. Like most people, high stress means less healthy methods of coping. I'm working to improve that fact, but I still have my days. More late nights, too.

How did I do this week?

Fitness - I did not get any hiking in this week. I attended a two hour Master Class in Yoga, which was challenging. I'm starting to think that I may need to schedule additional exercise on my calendar. Yoga is every morning, but the other stuff seems to take a back burner to work 100% of the time. Part of the problem is that my favorite form of exercise is hiking, which takes a long time. Now that it's warming up, I'll start my own martial arts practice again. Winter made that impossible as I didn't have enough space inside. I don't do the gym anymore, so it's a good thing that spring is almost here!

Diet - I got breakfast muffins made about halfway through the week, which was a help. But not the best week with food - there was some pizza and pasta happening.

Air - Still no pranayama, but I did pretty well with communication in general. Got some new books this week, including one on mudras. I used it already, w00t!

Fire - More daily Yoga practice this week. Sleep was still an issue. I added music practice to my daily tracking app, but I only practiced on Thursday. Will do some today!

Water - Tough week emotionally.

Earth - I got massage cupping this week for the first time. I had a strong emotional reaction to it, which is a good thing. It unblocked something or another. I also got my very first doctor's appointment scheduled since I got my new health insurance plan (thanks, Obama!). Again, it was a tough week, so I didn't do as well with self-care as I would like.

Spirit - Much better week for morning devotionals and gratitude journal, but meditation was down. I worked a lot late at night.

I Dream of Gardening

It's almost March, and plans are in motion to make our home garden better than ever.  Last year, we had a lovely garden planted. Our improvement for that season was to add a thick layer of hardwood mulch. It was doing a great job of keeping out weeds, and we were all set to have a bountiful vegetable harvest.

Then the deer came. We live in the country, so this is not an unusual occurrence. But for some reason, perhaps our large tribe of outdoor cats, the deer had left our vegetables alone before last season. This time, they came through like a mower and ate nearly the whole garden right to the ground. I wonder if it had to do with the fact that very few soybeans were planted in the fields near us. It was mostly cotton and tobacco.

So this year, we're going to have the entire garden fenced off and maybe even electrified. Discussion about this made me get a little quiet. I love the deer, and even though I'm a hunter...hmm. My partner chortled about this, of course. Last weekend, my partner drove fenceposts and laid out a raised bed. He's thinking of installing a permanent trellis for climbing plants along one side, too.

I am so excited! While he's working on that, I'm going to clean out the raised bed along the back side of our house. Traditionally, we have planted lettuce, tomatoes and herbs there. I have recently learned that crop rotation is important even in small areas, so I plan to switch up everything except the perennials. I'm even going to move the tomatoes to the main garden. That will give me more space for basil! Last year, I had 4-6 plants. This year, I hope to have 8 plants. I want enough to use fresh, to make large batches of pesto AND to dry.

Pictured above is Sweet Woodruff, aka Gallium Odoratum aka the secret ingredient in May Wine. Last year, I grew some in a large planter. It's a perennial, and I'm hoping that the cold winter hasn't completely killed it. *crossing fingers* Because as my coven mates know, I am that kind of witch. The kind that shows up to Beltane with dew gathered at dawn and homemade May Wine. Oh yeah, baby!

It's almost garden time, garden time, whee!

Earth Center: Ever Closer to a Dream

I've dreamt for many years of a community that I will create. When I was younger, the dream was for it to be a sort of commune. At that time, I had no idea how I would buy the land, or how we would support ourselves. Now that I'm older, and I've lived in and around communes, my dream has grown. What I envision now is a large piece of land - 200 acres or more. The land will be held in trust by a nonprofit with a board of directors to make overall strategic decisions about how the land will be used. If the organization ever dissolves, the land will be conserved for public usage and will never be subdivided or developed for private residency or businesses.

To make the land profitable, we will host independently owned businesses, including an educational center run by yours truly, an organic farm, healing center, sustainable community, sacred grove and mystery school. Our mission will be to create self-sustaining, environmentally conscious community and share the Earth’s wisdom with all people.

My vision is to gather a crack team of entrepreneurs and prospective residential community members, shop for land and jump in to the glorious challenge that will be making this dream a reality. So many people that I know have the same dream. I can see so many beautiful programs hosted at our center - from artist residencies to yoga retreats, Spiral Scouts to Witchcraft 101. We could train youngsters in farming. We could teach every outdoor skill you could hope to need. We could maybe, just maybe, show people that living a sustainable and environmentally conscious life is not just for patchouli-wearing hippies, but the duty of every responsible citizen.

Meanwhile, I am working towards my part of the dream. I've begun a Meetup group, South Wake Spiritual Community, to build an audience for our teachings. I'm networking like mad, checking out all the other environmental education centers, spiritual centers and sustainable communities in the area. I'm getting the final pieces of my education finished. I'm making a name for myself. I'm building all the channels of my multi-faceted career: Massage & Yoga Therapy, Environmental Education, Holistic Business Consulting, Music, Writing and Art. It's a lot of work, but I'm doing what I love. My passion fuels a lot of long days and late nights.

As the Goddess knows, we need more of these places. We need every beacon of light and sanctuary that we can get in this world of unsustainable growth and suburban sprawl. We need wild spaces, real food and whole swathes of the landscape free of big box stores. We need places where a person can learn to drum, sing, canoe and revere all life. We need places that all people feel welcome, regardless of gender, race, religion, politics or profession. We need the Sacred Earth Center, the One Earth Center or the Earth Wisdom Center or...whatever we name it.

This week, dream a dream of the Earth with me. And let me know if you want in.

Winter Pagan Fitness Challenge - Weekly Update 1

My first week of the Winter Pagan Fitness Challenge was great. Busy, but great. I can't say that I'm very balanced at the moment. It's the beginning of an important year for me, and there have been several late nights on the laptop writing, planning and dreaming furiously. But I'll take it. It's still forward motion.

How did I do this week?

Fitness - I did not get any hiking in this week. I did some vigorous gardening on Saturday. I also attended a super intense power Yoga class, which was only sort of yoga-like, but incredibly challenging.

Diet - I did fairly well this week, but not great. We need groceries, and I need to do some pre-planning. With my busy schedule, some prepping for the week in advance is the only way I stay on track.

Air - Not much pranayama in my personal practice. Got to get back on track with that. 

Fire - My daily Yoga practice suffers on days that I have to work early in the morning. As I get more on track with sleep, this should improve. I did play music on Saturday, so that was good! Fire predominated my week, with all the writing that I did. 

Water - I did fairly well overall this week.

Earth - Reasonable week for this. I'm on the upswing of getting all my self-care practices back on track.

Spirit - A spotty week for morning devotionals, but good for gratitude journal.

A really helpful tool that I have begun to use is an iPhone app called Track & Share. I'm not into the sharing function at this point, but it is great for tracking all sorts of things. It's adaptable, so you can track whatever you want. It's quick - just a few quick taps and all your items for the day are tracked! I'm really liking it. I've tried several different methods in the past - wall calendar, day planner and Excel spreadsheet. All of them have failed for one reason or another. If I can export the data from Track & Share, it may be just about perfect.