Right Now / Taurus

Hello Taurus. Happy Birthday, Bulls. Spring and flowers blooming and sun and rain and the grass has become so green so suddenly it shocked my eyes when I was out walking earlier in this drizzly weather.

Some of my favorite weather. In the northeastern sector of America that I call home, spring has finally arrived.

Taurus energy can be slow, mindful. Not rushing, not thinking of the cheapest or the fastest or the biggest but the most value. Yes Taurus is associated with material things like money but I wonder if how they spend their time isn't just as important. Noticing, seeking out, life's little luxuries. From the little things like being able to spend some time outdoors in the morning sun, your favorite song coming on while in transit, treating yourself to, and savoring every drop of, a coffee beverage when you get a break because it satisfies your tastebuds. A stroll around town or through the woods or along the shore. Noticing what's there, the beauty everywhere, because your state of mind isn't HURRY, but instead, ENJOY. Taurus may seem like they're plodding along at a maddeningly slow pace for no reason at all, but they are simply savoring the path.

(Side note: something else I want to mention about Taurus that I learned from Jan Spiller's amazing Soul Astrology is how they posses the ability to use their bodies as barometers. How they are able to tap into what choices to make, activities to do, based on the way their physical bodies FEEL. And it's Taurus season now so I say we can all try this now. :) )

Some proof of spring:

Glimpses of the week

Early spring in downeast Maine.

Happy Easter!

Moon in Capricorn will shortly conjunct Pluto, in orb now. I say lay low if possible. I'm about to have another slice of pie. :) That may be more of a Taurus influence on me though, heh heh.

Hope to have a Tarot video for you next time.

If you like my photos and are on instagram, please follow me @sightsofmaine

:)

Moon in Virgo Triumph

HI! YAY!

My blog is back after a too long hiatus due to technical difficulties. :) :) :)

I'm pretty excited about it.

New things are developing here.

Oh and I feel like I should mention that it hit 70* here today. The beach happened. It smells like Spring outside and flowers are rearing their colorful heads up out of the soil. Happiness.

I did a test video today. I want to do more, once I get the hang of it- I didn't realize before how awkward video creating can be, lol. I'm ready to expand These Wandering Stars, and am so excited for it.

Can't type for long today, but wanted to say and share some photos of Spring so far. xo

fairy house

buds

moon tide garden

days are getting longer

beach jaunt

Jupiter / Expansion / Magic

We're almost two weeks into 2014. Whoa. I feel like I'm still settling in, getting my bearings back from the holidays. Our house is a wreck (although it did get some attention today, and I'm pleased to announce that the kitchen is no longer gross), and a lot of things seem up in the air. But it feels more focused  than it did last year. I feel like I have more of a sense of where I want to go. And most days I'm lucky if I make a baby step, the smallest of small, on that path. Sometimes it's just a thought, a reminder, a sentence I speak out loud. Obstacles intimidate, but thinking of Neptune, of Pisces here, and dissolving them or maybe just swimming around, over, or through...

The point I'm trying to make here is that I've been reading, noticing, people saying lately to focus on what you want to expand it, instead of fighting what's no longer working. This is very Jupiter. I'm in the midst of this amazing book that I would recommend to anyone, called Making the Gods Work for You, by Caroline Casey. I just finished the Jupiter chapter (yes, each planet gets a chapter, and there are also rituals to do for the witchily-inclined), and she talks about how Jupiter expands what it touches. Regarding things you would like to be rid of, she suggests:

"Jupiter tells us not to trouble our pretty little heads about how we are to be rid of our burdens. When we ritually place these things on the curb of our psyche, so to speak, Jupiter's Removal Service will take it away. We do not have to worry about the removal process. We just have to imagine putting it in bags..."

I think another point made by this is how by visualizing these things in their trash bags, it declutters our mental space and makes room for us to grow what we desire. Expanding it. Going with the flow instead of wrestling to get to that space.

So what do you want to expand? What do you want to draw in? What do you want to DO? Jupiter is in the sign of Cancer now, helping us to get in touch with our feelings and thoughts, the ones we cherish and protect under the crab shell... unintentional living won't fly here...


OH and this blog post by Tonya Leigh from French Kiss Life was a wonderful supplement to all this Jupiter talk, I thought... She says to fill up your life with what you want so there's no space for the shit... but much more eloquently. :)


Thanks for reading :) Maybe I'll be back again soon. Here's some photos from my neck of the woods. If you want more, find me on instagram @sightsofmaine 

autumnal / photos from around

Oh hey! Happy Fall! Autumn is my favorite season. I know in the back of my mind that it is fleeting, but for now I am simply enjoying it, living it. Yes I drink pumpkin spice lattes and pumpkin coffee. I'm a sucker for anything pumpkin-related. Sad but true. Anyway, thought I'd share a few photos from my fall obsession. Were/are you feeling the Libra new moon from yesterday? I am. It was about 50% rough for me, 50% productive on an inner level. A bit more tumultuous than Libra normally is, but I think the scales were feeling the tipping pull from Uranus in Aries opposing the Moon and Sun in Libra, and the square from Pluto in Capricorn. (They're all cardinal signs, so all at odds with one another. The technical word for this is t-square).

In between the Harvest Moon and the Hunter's Moon, this new moon asks us what we want to create for ourselves, what we want to bring into our lives, into our consciousness, into our ways of being.

Here's a few photos from lately...

PS I saw something that would have been a really cool photo yesterday while driving (I drove for approximately forever yesterday), and am totally kicking myself for not stopping. Anyway...

sure sign of october

beautiful carved pumpkin from common ground fair 2013
fire flower garden

the marsh at nearly high tide

autumn beach. a dirty secret of mine is that i prefer this version to the summer one.

Thanks for looking. <3 Enjoy your October wherever you are. Feel free to link to/post your fall photos in the comments below!

saturn / zen

I've been really drawn to minimalism lately.

I'm not sure what the driving force behind it is exactly. Most likely a lot of little things wearing on me. Living in a small space (not complaining, just saying), having too much stuff that just looking at gives me bursts of anxiety. Clutter is making me feel claustrophobic.

I went through my clothes last month and earlier this week I went through them again.
I sifted through my son's toys and put the neglected ones in a bin in the laundry room (but now I need to figure out what to do with them next).
I got rid of stuff around the house that was just taking up space (there's still more).


And I got really into it like I tend to do with things and then I started to feel impatient and frustrated with myself because I wasn't getting there fast enough. I keep thinking of the things I have to do to work toward my goal. Which is both motivating and repressive. That mindset is holding me back. In reality, it's a process. The process matters. I'm trying to be more zen but at the same time being totally un-zen with this anxious mindset. The monkey mind is up and running and taking a lot of my attention as usual, but there's more beyond that in our brains. Like breaking through a layer of Earth's atmosphere. I think of it as a clearer place. Not as cluttered.



I have more to say on this topic but the thoughts are currently swirling and not sentences.

What are you drawn to lately?

art on congress st., portland, maine.

The Care and Keeping of You / Living Intentionally

Something that I've been hearing about from multiple people lately is that they're feeling worn down. Tired. They know that they need some mega relaxation and rejuvenation time, but are so overtired they don't know where to begin, so the stress just keeps building. I find myself in that boat, as well. And I'm tired of it. I figure, there's got to be some easy ways to deeply relax so that we can feel better and more clear headed and thus able to move forward in life, instead of circling around in indecision. That's something else I think this chronic tiredness leads to- we can't see things clearly. Our minds are rattled along with our bodies and it keep us trapped.

So. Where to begin?

This is counter intuitive, but I think scheduling this time, or consciously allowing it is paramount. Allowing time for it shows us that it is a priority, the same way work, or grocery shopping, or the list you have of things to do is. :) Not saying it has to be exactly at the same time every day, but if you make a general time, or even just have the intention after dinner but before bed, or whenever works best for you, this makes it INTENTIONAL. This needs to be an intentional act. No one is going to hand it to you, ya know?

Secondly, you'll need to ignore your phone/computer/iPad/whatever during this time. A mental break from the dings of notifications and rings of phone calls. I'm sure this goes without saying for many of you, but not for me, haha! So I am writing it here. :)

Third, I think music plays a big part in getting into your zone. Again, this is probably a duh one for most of you. But I needed the reminder, so again, writing it  here.

So by the time you've gotten to this point, you're already focusing on yourself and your needs. You've taken away distractions, gotten yourself in your own peaceful space. You should be feeling better already.

The best part is, by this point you have total freedom. You can do whatever you want. What relaxes you? Maybe you take five or ten for a little meditation to clear your head, to get away from the monkey mind and into your elevated consciousness. In fact, I highly recommend this part, and part of the new goals I have for myself is to get into this state nightly. I've been majorly slacking, and when I FINALLY meditated last night, my head felt hot and jittery at first. Not a good state for me. No wonder I was feeling rattled. (Also, if you're interested, here's a post I did a while back on meditating and clearing chakras)

Okay, so now you should be feeling much, much better. What now? Well, what do you love to do but don't have time for during your busy day? Art, some yoga stretching, reading, playing with cards, playing music, doing some photography, doing a foot soak, whatever. Now is the time to sink into it.

I think that these things, intentionally doing things that you love outside of your busy daily life, help to relax and rejuvenate us. It will make you feel better, like you are living your life intentionally, and making time for yourself because you value yourself and know that you can't run around on empty all the time because you'll go crazy.

I'm seeing how this relates to other areas of life too- making little pockets of time in your day for the things that are important to you. So it can expand out, like the veins in a leaf, to living your life the way you want to, a way that nurtures you and empowers you to move you forward.

What do you do to relax? Please share in the comments below!

Rainy day farmhouse and willow in Maine.

Mt Blue Meditations

Happy Virgo Season!

Virgo is a mutable Earth sign. So I thought it was fitting that I spent the first weekend of Virgo camping. I got a little Virgo-y a.k.a. organized with the maps at one point too: 

(Side note: I want to start mapping things old-school again. We had no service at our campsite, and I felt like it was a nice reminder to start doing so again.)

On the note of Virgo, I am feeling the shift in signs. My nerves are acting up a bit, and I think that I need to reduce my caffeine intake to help this. I drank SO MUCH COFFEE over the weekend and I think it just flooded me. Back to the Tetley for me, for the time being. That's what I did for breakfast, but made coffee late morning and it didn't agree with me. I also want to devote more time daily to stretching/light yoga. And meditating. And going for more walks. Virgo likes healthy routines.

Anyway, I wanted to share some photos from our weekend, camping in Western Maine. It took me back to being much younger, spending time on the lake. When I wasn't swimming or playing I'd be reading or drawing. The simplicity and also richness of being in nature, unplugged, was something I wasn't even aware of that I desperately needed. And now I am blogging about it. Yay irony.

Driving into the park. Western Maine mountains.

Campfire. Nothing like it. I love that the scent followed us home on our clothing.

Boats.

On the dock at sunset.

Perfect lake.

Taking a dip.

Happy Tuesday. Happy Virgo. Sending peace.

off the top of my head

I think that I'm moving to WordPress. And/or working on improving this site. If things get a little weird around here in the next few days to a week, that's probably why. It looks like the process should be pretty painless, thankfully. Just wanted to give a heads up. :)

So we're onto longer days, every day. It's a nice thought. I'm feeling zonked from the holidays but I think I will fix myself a hot cuppa and make a list and get some stuff done, life-wise and around the house. At the moment, though, I am loving my work space. Here's the view:

It's from last week. :)

Originally I tweeted it. Are you on twitter? Find me here! Other places I'm around online are to the right.

How are you feeling today? The moon and Jupiter in Gemini (although no longer conjunct) is motivating- for sure- but the side effect is feeling overwhelmed! A rushed, how will I do all this? feeling. But a lot can be found out, as well- this is a GREAT time to set goals for the year ahead, or just a general idea of what you'd like to happen (if you're into that kind of thing). If you do a vision board, now is a great time to work on it.

Felt compelled to draw a card (which turned into three).

From the oracle deck The Wisdom of Avalon by Colette Baron-Reid.

the frog- cleaning house & releasing emotional baggage. get rid of clutter in your environment, head, and heart. it's time to get rid of anything that clutters your life or your space with unwanted, burdensome energy, or that weighs down heavily on your heart.

cleaning up allows for new and fresh energy to enter your world. it allows for positive and supportive energy. the frog says to release all things no longer appropriate to bring on your journey.

the fire faery- creative action & optimism. she sparks ideas into action and encourages you to move quickly. she's also the voice of happy optimism,, showing you signs, signals, and omens to support your dreams. she brings energy to support ideas that serve the greater good. she also brings illumination. if you're in the dark about something, a light.

burden- this card asks what burdens your are carrying on this part of your journey. are they so heavy that they slow you down? stop and look at your responsibilities & commitments.

release others to their own path. it's time to leave behind any unnecessary burdens, and know you have the strength to carry what is yours.


Interesting combo! I'm definitely feeling the need to write and expand my blog and work...

Do these cards make sense to you, too?
Happy Holidays. :)

edvard munch and the dark

It's Saturday again. It's already pitch black here in Maine. Has been since about 4. I feel unsettled. I just discovered Planet Watcher yesterday. Love how easy it makes it; all the past, current, and upcoming transits are listed. Still, so much Scorpio in the sky, but Sag provides a lifeline.

I looked up Edvard Munch's birth chart the other night. I don't remember how but I came across The Scream online somewhere, a print of which hangs up in one of my sister's room and that my son once said was "mama." heh. Anyway, that all led to me looking up his chart and actually his birthday was in not even two weeks from now, the 12th of December. I ended up reading his biography too and it was so interesting.

But back to the chart, Capricorn moon, trine Pluto in Taurus. Slow moving but powerful. Uranus in Gemini, the thought of which just makes my head spin. It makes me think of madness, not for the individual in particular but just as a theme for the day... the mid-1800s. And so, so much Scorpio in his chart. Intense undertones. Like a hidden passageway, or something. Not unlike the sky right now- Sag, but lots of Scorpio in the sky, with Saturn, Mercury, Venus, and the North Node of the moon there...Add in the Cancer moon stirring things up inside us and it feels wild, but in an understated way. Madness? Heh. Kidding...

Well this ramble of a post is coming to a close. :) Happy Saturday...

The universal appeal of The Scream. "Is the money you make worth the price you pay?" (Graham Nash)

astro link

Soul Horoscopes (scroll down just a bit to get to them) are up at Soulgarden. It's about a ten minute video (give or take), all about your sign for the upcoming week. I think that the Astrologer, Chris Witecki, does a great job of making the week's transits easy to understand about how they relate to you.

"A belief is an idea your heart backs up."
"Do your beliefs allow you to love yourself, or put you in conflict with loving yourself?"
A couple quotes from the Pisces one... hmm.

Just wanted to share- not going to write a real post right now.

There's a lot of Scorpio in the sky, and a Pisces moon new for the morning. I think it may help us move forward in our goals (as it is trining the sun and Saturn in Scorpio), but in a less... obvious way. May be gathering inspiration, or refining a vision. What do you think?

spooky portland, maine.

on having two homes

I visit my parents/family pretty frequently. They live approximately 230 miles away, a four hour drive from the town in which I live. We live in the same state. My son enjoys visiting them as well, and when I go up I usually stay for four days or more.

Sometimes hometowns can be weird. You have history there; parts of it can transport to you different times, years past. Sometimes the memories hurt a little bit, or are so bittersweet. But it is also familiar, and quiet, and extremely rural, along a river and just a few miles away from the bay of the ocean. I feel comfortable there, and often feel inspiration for my creative pursuits. Everything is close by.

Then after that I drive home to my small city and get back in my groove of "normal" life. Back to our daily routines and friends and my boyfriend and his family. The ocean is nearby here, too. We do lots of play dates. Walk lots of trails. I do whatever my money-making, weird hour job at the moment is. :)

Sometimes I feel like I have to choose between them, but the truth is, is that I really enjoy alternating back and forth. It feels like I have two homes. I can get a change of scenery. I know that it is not the norm to do this. Sometimes the drive seems never ending. But, we talk about moving out of our apartment. Moving into a small house, or bigger apartment. And it's confusing to figure out where. I either want to move back home, or into the nearby city. I'm not sure what we will choose. When I was younger I never thought I would actually like living in Maine. But it kind of grew on me.

new moon!

the aspect has been exact, and the moon is now moving away from the sun, (sun + moon conjunct=new moon) but still- it's new moon time! in libra! huzzah. new moons are for planting seeds. looking at what to do in the present to create the future you want. 

i actually forgot what my intentions were. i had to look back in my astro class notes to find it, but there it was: focus on my needs and better meeting them. making healthier choices (physically and otherwise), just one by one. how typical that i forgot- this is why i have to write things down! it may sound vague, but it means something to me. Just keeping those two little thoughts in my brain can help... that awareness helps. i probably should write it down on a post-it or something and put it somewhere prominent so i get that *visual* everyday, as my teacher suggested...

visiting the place below was part of this, though, even though it was last week- going out in nature all by myself and just taking it all in. it wasn't for very long, but it was enough. i took some pix so i could be transported back if need be, lol.

your intention(s) don't have to be some lofty goal. it can be just a little thing that you've been meaning to devote time to. it could have to do with anything you'd like. you're free to decide. :) 

one of my most favorite places, in robbinston, maine.

another view from the coast of robbinston, maine. yes, it was cold, but it was worth it. ;)

i'd rather be sleeping

Gah... I have been SO low-energy lately. Last week/earlier this week I could blame it on tangible illness, but now I have moved past that and I just feel burned out, foggy-headed and fatigued. And it's really, really annoying. I feel guilty that I haven't been able to pay enough attention to my child, and that he's been getting too much ipad time.I mean, I'm paying attention to him, I just haven't been able to play with him like I usually do. I got 8+ hours of sleep last night, so it's not that. I've eaten enough today. 

My astrologer pointed out that today Jupiter goes retrograde- he's been in the sign of Gemini, transiting my 9th house of higher learning, spirituality, travel- and boy, have I been feeling the expansiveness in that area. The astrology classes, becoming more in tune with my cards- It's been a lot in a relatively short period of time. And it's... not physical. That component is missing. Obviously, I still, you know, move, but largely my focus has been on intellectual and metaphysical pursuits. Jupiter retrograde should be a break, a rest. God, I need it. But resting is just so inconvenient. Our society does not support the notion of rest. We are expected to work through illness and exhaustion. My personality is not one for rest. I'd rather be doing things. But then the dizziness and lightheadedness comes and it's just not worth it. My body speaks and my brain ignores, but today I will succumb.

editing to clarify that getting a break from all this mental activity (while Jupiter backtracks) is much-needed for me, to recoup- at this point, I feel like I can hardly absorb anymore information. I really need to meditate, routinely. Like daily. It's the ultimate brain-break. Sticking to routines can be so challenging when I'm the only one enforcing them...

Sorry... I don't mean to complain. I did get out for a beautiful walk this morning on the salt marsh:

Wondering about your Jupiter? I'd be happy to take a peek and see what's up.

photos by default

where did this week go? friday again... around and round. and i haven't written a thing. attempted a couple of posts, but they didn't really pan out. i need some zen brain time!

here's some pictures i took while walking a trail on an island in southern maine. you know, instead of a real blog post. they're all from a camera phone so don't judge me too harshly! or do, whatever.

awesome tree.

peeking.

fairy houses... a village!

coast.

hello, casco bay. (taken from a really big rock)

sailboats and such.

cheesy self taken photo.

the major angles.

(note: I wrote the bulk of this post back in july, i don't know why it's just been hanging out in drafts for so long!)

Birth charts are sectioned off into twelve houses. However, four of these houses represent the four major angles. They are: the Ascendant (aka Rising Sign, which you can see on the left of the chart). The next point is the IC (imum coeli), which is on the bottom. The third major angle is the Descendant, on the right. And, finally, on the top of the chart is the MC, or midheaven.

Ascendant: cusp (start of) the first house. The first sign/house in the zodiac is Aries, but your ascendant of course depends on all of your birth information, which you can figure out here. The ascendant represents how you react with people, your outward appearance. your automatic responses with dealing with others. For example, with Libra rising, your automatic response is likely to be polite and pleasant with others (unless they give you reason not to be, of course, and the rest of your chart supports this! ;) ), and also making sure that you look at least halfway decent before leaving your home will be important as well. Planets in any of the houses also influence how are automatically respond in those particular areas of life.

The IC is at the bottom of your chart, and marks the start of the fourth house. The fourth house in the zodiac on it's own is Cancer, and no matter what sign you have in your fourth house, it represents your home life, childhood, and is ruled by the moon. I view the IC also as the dream place in your chart- where a part of your subconscious lurks. (Okay, "lurks" sounds kind of dramatic, but you know what I mean).

The descendant marks the start of your seventh house, which is all about relationships, romantic and otherwise. Relating. In the zodiac, the seventh house is ruled by Libra, but whichever sign and planets you have here will give you clues about how you are in relationships, what's important to you, and any challenges you may face. I think it can also indicate how you communicate within relationships, and any tendencies.

And now, the MC, or midheaven. Right at the top of the chart. This is similar to the Ascendant, in that it portrays a bit of how others see you. The difference is that the MC represents your public persona- your reputation, how you are seen in your career and/or community. The MC also marks the start of your tenth house (see here for more info), which rules career, responsibility, and ambition. (You can read more of what I've written on the tenth house here.)

I'd like to write about the other eight houses at some point too, but thought this was a good starting point. I highly encourage looking up your chart, seeing what you have in these houses, and googling them (for ex., "first house gemini," "saturn in the seventh house"- I've gotten a ton of info that way), or of course you can look it up in a book if you have the access, or ask for input by leaving me a comment or emailing me at the.earth.and.stars@gmail.com

Thanks for reading. :)

old orchard beach, maine.