Graveyard Dirt: Two Worlds and In-between

Name Tags

I love to hear "HELP, I FEEL SPIRITUALLY DEAD!" from people who insist on defining their beliefs by using someone's last name.

Rat Party

I have to save this for a (much) later LOL:

RATS ESCAPED CAGE THREE NIGHTS AGO.

HAD RAT PARTY IN COMPUTER ROOM.

HAD RAT PARTY IN TRASH CAN.

HAD RAT PARTY ON DESKS.

(ATE MORNING DOSE OF SELENIUM, KELP, AND PRESCRIPTION ANTACID.)

(ATE WALRUS'S PRAWN CRACKER TRIPOD HAT.)

(ATE PIECE OF ASS (SHAPED) BREAD.)

HAD RAT PARTY BEHIND COMPUTERS.

(ATE COMPUTER CABLES.)

(ATE EXTENSION CORD CONNECTING ALL PLUGS TO WALL.)

RAT PARTY MOVED TO EXCLUSIVE -CAGE- LOCATION.

CONTINUED RAT PARTY INDOORS, LOCKED.

HIRED CLEANERS STILL TRYING TO PICK UP PIECES.

(ONE OF TWO HIRED CLEANERS NOW HAS WORKING COMPUTER AGAIN.)

DAMN RAT PARTY.

Things to remember: August 7, 2008. Tower (literally!). All computer room altars torn down, rebuilt. 42 soul card @ bucket. Even chose "tower" from Aldi before incident.

Almost Crying

I could seriously, seriously deal with the burping (somehow, I guess). The lack of sleep? Much harder to deal with. (I recently lost a day and took another 12 hour nap, but it didn't seem to do much at all.)

The final straw that always breaks my back and knocks down the last of my defenses is LACK OF SLEEP/EXHAUSTION, and I'm inching closer and closer to that point and I don't know what to do. (I don't even have the energy to feed my husband on a daily basis; you can't even imagine how useless I feel. Seriously.)

Those tests can't come soon enough. (Which is almost cringe worthy because I know the closer I get to the date the more anxious and rattled I'll be.) Yesterday, during a dawn walk, I remembered what it felt like when I was able to exercise - real, proper, out-of-breath, heart threatening to barrel out of my chest exercise, and I wanted to cry.

(I COULDN'T, THOUGH, WITH ALL OF THE FRESH SCOTTISH MORNING AIR I WAS BREATHING IN. <- SO MUCH BETTER THAN STALE "BOREDOM HOUSE AIR".)

Actually, I wanted to exercise, but I settled for almost crying.

Kybele: Anatolion Collection

I've been on a Cybele kick recently (see WORKING FOR THE WEEKEND), mostly because I found (and eventually won!) this beauty on Ebay (£2.99, approximately $5.44!):

Click thumbnail for larger image.

From the seller:
"THIS IS BRAND NEW STILL IN IT ORIGINAL BOX FROM THE "VITRA ANATOLIAN COLLECTION" RANGE THIS IS A LIMITED ADDITION NUMBER 612 of 1000 A REPLICA OF A CARVING OF KYBELE, WITH IT COMES A SMALL BOOK TELLING YOU A LITTLE OF THE CARVING ALSO A STAND TO DISPLAY IT."

I have absolutely no fucking clue where She'll go (other than somewhere). I came across this when looking up information on the Vitra Anatolian Collection:

Prudentius: The Taurobolion of Magna Mater
The high priestess who is to be consecrated is brought down under ground in a pit dug deep, marvellously adorned with a fillet, binding her festive temples with chaplets, her hair combed back under a golden crown, and wearing a silken toga caught up with Gabine girding. Over this they make a wooden floor with wide spaces, woven of planks with an open mesh; they then divide or bore the area and repeatedly pierce the wood with a pointed tool that it may appear full of small holes. Here a huge bull, fierce and shaggy in appearance, is led, bound with flowery garlands about its flanks, and with its horns sheathed---its forehead sparkles with gold, and the flash of metal plates colors its hair. Here, as is ordained, they pierce its breast with a sacred spear; the gaping wound emits a wave of hot blood, and the smoking river flows into the woven structure beneath it and surges wide. Then by the many paths of the thousand openings in the lattice the falling shower rains down a foul dew, which the priestess buried within catches, putting her head under all the drops. She throws back her face, she puts her cheeks in the way of the blood, she puts under it her ears and lips, she interposes her nostrils, she washes her very eyes with the fluid, nor does she even spare her throat but moistens her tongue, until she actually drinks the dark gore. Afterwards, the corpse, stiffening now that the blood has gone forth, is hauled off the lattice, and the priestess, horrible in appearance, comes forth, and shows her wet head, her hair heavy with blood, and her garments sodden with it. This woman, all hail and worship at a distance, because the ox's blood has washed her, and she is born again for eternity.

That? That's my sort of magic, 100%.

(SO THERE WAS THIS ONE TIME THAT ITALICS CAUGHT ME LAUGHING WHEN WE WERE REALLY, REALLY HIGH AND HE ASKED WHAT I WAS THINKING ABOUT AND I WAS ALL "STUFF. OTHER PEOPLE. THE WAY I AM." BECAUSE I WAS THINKING ABOUT MAGIC AND MY ATTITUDE TOWARDS IT AND OTHER PEOPLE'S ATTITUDE TOWARDS IT AND IT REMINDED ME HOW THE LAST REAL MEMORY I HAVE OF MY OLDEST FRIEND'S HOME (WE MET IN THE 3RD GRADE AND WERE PRACTICALLY INSEPARABLE FOR MOST OF OUR GRADE SCHOOL LIFE, EVEN THOUGH A STATE BORDER RAN BETWEEN OUR HOMES WHICH MEANT WE WENT TO DIFFERENT SCHOOLS DESPITE LIVING ONLY 10-15 MINUTES AWAY FROM ONE ANOTHER) WAS THE AFTERNOON WE SPENT ON THE FARM PLAYING IN MUD (LOL, AS NAKED TEENAGERS, LOL!).)

(INSTEAD OF SWIMMING IN THE HOMEMADE WATERING HOLE WE PASSED TIME WALLOWING NAKED IN A MUD PIT TOGETHER, SLAPPING EACH OTHER WITH BALLS OF OOZING DIRT, AND LAUGHING HYSTERICALLY AS WE BECAME PLASTERED WITH LAYERS OF CLAY AND MUD. THAT MEMORY - THAT SORT'VE GOLDEN MOMENT OF (ALMOST) ADULT LIFE GONE ALL DEVOLUTION - MADE ME LAUGH AND APPRECIATE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ME AND A LOT OF OTHER PEOPLE WHO PRACTICE MAGIC.)

((IN THE END, REALLY, I'M THE ONE PLAYING IN THE MUD.))

Working for the Weekend

Notes for both work and self (THANK YOU, WIKI, THANK YOU!):

Cybele:
The most famous rite of Magna Mater introduced by the Romans was the taurobolium, the initiation ceremony in which a candidate took their place in a pit beneath a wooden floor. A bull was sacrificed on the wooden floor so that the blood would run through gaps in the slats and drench the initiate in a symbolic shower of blood. This act was thought to cleanse an initiate of sin as well as signify a 'rebirth' and re-energisation. A cheaper version, known as a criobolium, involved the sacrifice of a ram. The first recorded taurobolium took place at Puteoli in AD 134 in honour of Venus Caelestia. (LIKE IT / FEEL IT ENOUGH FOR WORK?)

Cybele:
The popularity of the Cybele cult in the city of Rome and throughout the empire is thought to have inspired the author of Book of Revelation to allude to her in his portrayal of the mother of harlots who rides the Beast. (I HAVE NAE HEARD THIS ONE!)

Inanna:
Inanna was also associated with rain and storms and with the planet Venus. (LULZ! OR THIS ONE, EITHER! BUT IT FITS -PERFECT-.)

Astarte:
Astarte was connected with fertility, sexuality, and war. Her symbols were the lion, the horse, the sphinx, the dove, and a star within a circle indicating the planet Venus. (WASN'T AWARE OF HORSE OR SPHINX CONNECTION. (ATTRACTED TO HORSES; OFTEN HALLUCINATE BEING SEX/WAR SPHINX WHEN ON MDMA, WEED, & NITROUS.)

Bring It

There's always been something about Aphrodite that's made me fucking gag.

(LOL, BRING IT.)

Buy Me Things

Papa is an opportunistic bastard. When you have your guard down he'll slip in during that second when you're too far past the threshold to go "OH, HEY, HEY NOW! LET'S NOT BE HAVING NONE OF THAT BUSINESS HERE, PLEASE!". He waits until you've crossed the point of no return, and then invites himself over (invites himself in?).

Sometimes he slides in for a partial ride, and sometimes I discover, afterwards, a skull or skeleton inexplicably staring me in the face when there wasn't a skull or skeleton there before. ("WAIT, HOW DID THIS GET HERE AGAIN?") FOR INSTANCE (OH, LORD, YOU KNEW THIS WAS GOING SOMEWHERE DEEP DOWN INSIDE!), FOR EXAMPLE, FOR THIS ONE SITUATION CIRCUMSTANCE I GIVE YOU...TODAY!

Today? Today I pulled my brand new BUY ME THINGS t-shirt over my demi-cupped tits and proudly showed off my newest gift from Italics to Italics. And then, approximately 15 minutes later, we were both on our knees, stoned, and he was fucking me in the ass against my computer chair while the Commodore's song Nightshift was playing in MP3 form. (THE SAD PART OF ALL OF THIS? I WASN'T EVEN TRYING. (COME TO THINK OF IT, THAT'S ALWAYS THE SAD PART.))

(LOL, ACTUALLY, THAT'S A SORT'VE FUNNY STORY WITHIN ITSELF! I WAS ALL "WHAT SONG DO YOU THINK WOULD BE GOOD FOR BUTT SEX?" AND HE WAS ALL "I DON'T KNOW" SO I THUMBED THROUGH MY 80S COLLECTION AND WAS ALL "SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, NOT CRAZY BUT MORE FUNNY" AND KNEW THAT THAT DIDN'T MEAN PURPLE RAIN, OR, UHM, THE OTHER ONE I SUGGESTED WHICH MADE ITALICS LAUGH AND MADE ME GO "OH, RIGHT, THAT PROBABLY FALLS IN THE "CRAZY" CATEGORY, DOESN'T IT?" (DAMN MEMORY) SO I WENT "WHAT ABOUT WE GOT THE BEAT?" AND HE WAS ALL, LIKE, "ISN'T THAT MORE NITROUS MUSIC?" AND I WAS "YES, TOTALLY, 100%! WHAT ABOUT I THINK WE'RE ALONE NOW?" AND HE LAUGHED AND I LAUGHED AND WE BOTH LAUGHED AND WHEN SETTING IT UP I NOTICED THAT WINAMP LOADED NIGHTSHIFT AGAIN BUT I DECIDED TO -NOT- REMOVE THE SONG AFTER HITTING "REPEAT" BECAUSE ME KNOWING ME I KNOW HOW QUICKLY I COME DURING ANAL SEX AND I KNOW I AIN'T GOING TO LAST AS LONG AS TIFFANY DOES IN I THINK WE'RE ALONE NOW. (OR, LOL, SO I THOUGHT!) SO WE ACTUALLY STARTED ON I THINK WE'RE ALONE NOW BUT BECAUSE I TOOK SO GODDAMN LONG WE ENDED UP FINISHING DURING NIGHTSHIFT. ("GONNA BE SOME SWEET SOUNDS, COMING DOWN ON THE NIGHTSHIFT...") SEE WHAT I MEAN ABOUT HOW I'M NOT REALLY TRYING EVEN THOUGH IT MAY APPEAR THAT WAY? I'M JUST A VICTIM (OF MYSELF, APPARENTLY).)

What's the first thing I see after collapsing into my computer chair? Four top hatted skulls and three crows staring at me (at eye level):

Click thumbnail for larger image.

See what I mean about SKULLS and SKELETONS inexplicably appearing? I hadn't planned on having anal sex, let alone against the computer chair next to the window. But the next thing I know I'M BUTT BEEF EXTREME (just think of "butt beef" as a pet name for the act in this house; kind've like how you give your favorite child a cutesy nickname...or something) AND MOVING IN TIME WITH THE COMMODORES IN FRONT OF A BLACK CLOTH ALTAR WITH GREY SKULLS AND WHITE CROWS. (I THINK what must've happened was me thinking that I would quickly pull my new FOUR OF A KIND tee on after sex to see how it fit and slung it, all absently, over my computer chair for safe keeping. AND THE REST HAS BEEN SLOPPY RECORDED IN PREVIOUS PARTS OF THIS PARTIALLY CAPS LOCKED ENTRY.)

Sneaky bastard. (I hope he got my "message". (LOL! "BUY ME THINGS"! LOL!)

About a week back I heard that René Cigler from StrangeMonster.Com passed away. The name stuck with me for a day or two but I couldn't remember why it seemed so familiar until I remembered, long, long, ago, that I had bookmarked (DOG EARED?) a hoodie she had designed.

When poking around Strange Monster I came across FOUR OF A KIND and was immediately sold. I mean, HOW COULD I NOT BE - it was on -SALE-! It was BLACK and had THE ACE OF SPADES and SKULLS and PAPA and CROWS and IT WAS ON SALE! So I ditched the hoodie (it wasn't there, anyway), and wound up with an unexpected, 100% out-of-the-blue purchase.

My FOUR OF A KIND t-shirt arrived the day before my first appointment with the specialist. I felt sad for a second, handling something so obviously death related, knowing that the only reason why I was holding it in the first place was because of René's unexpected death, and then it felt...I don't know...right.

And fall.

It felt like fall had come, and it felt like Papa was letting me know that he's getting ready to come home for winter. (I've missed you, Old Man.)

As #33

Earlier today, when speaking about/thinking about tomorrow's appointment I pulled #33 from ma's "Soul Cards" deck. (I believe my reaction - and this is a direct quote - was "JESUS, IT'S NOT THAT BAD!".)

There's a slight discrepancy between the on-line version of the image and the printed card version of the image. For some reason all of the blue featured in the glossy card doesn't pop up on the jpg (it looks more sand blasted on-line - WHO KNOWS, MAYBE MY INTERNET EYES ARE BROKEN?).

The first thing I said/thought (not the VERY FIRST THING, mind you, because that was the "OH JESUS WTF IS THIS BLACK HOLE OF DESPAIR?!" reaction above) was "OKAY, DON'T FREAK OUT BECAUSE YOU CAN -CLEARLY SEE- THAT SHE HAS A PROTECTIVE WHITE HALO/AURA AROUND HER BODY (WHITE = GOOD COLOR, DEATH/REBIRTH) WHICH IS A V. V. V. GOOD SIGN". And then "OH, HEY, WE'RE GETTING MORE BLUE!" (in my card version there's a blue smudge streaked across her face making it seem like the indigo is staining her white skin) and that's V. V. GOOD too because BLUE AND WHITE ARE VERY SPECIAL MAGIC COLORS FOR ME and WE SHOULD BE TURNING BLUE BY NOW, ANYWAY, BECAUSE FALL IS COMING ON.

(Time to ditch the Easter bride virgin thing and do a 180. ANCIENT, PERPETUAL CYCLE OF LIFE AND DEATH AND ALL OF THAT.)

So, yeah, not bad, you just need to look at it a bit harder. (BESIDES, IT'S ONLY A HERNIA, YOU KNOW. SO, THERE'S NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT BECAUSE IF IT WAS SOMETHING REALLY BAD, BAD SOMETHING REALLY BAD, BAD WOULD HAVE HAPPENED BY NOW.)

(CAN I PLEASE HAVE ANOTHER RABBIT GRIN? MAYBE ONE MORE JUST BEFORE BED?)

#33 notes:
* Atomic number of arsenic
* This number has the meaning that good will always triumph over evil.
* A significant number in modern numerology, one of the master numbers along with 11 and 22
* A normal human spine has 33 vertebrae when the bones that form the coccyx are counted individually
* The double triangle is another word for, "33."

The Great Temptation

Sometimes Mr. Awesome just leaves things sitting out. Like sweaty socks, mangy underwear, and, my personal favorite, a cup of coffee that sits uncovered, untouched (SUPPOSEDLY) on the kitchen counter for 12+ hours.

Click thumbnail for larger image.

(IT'S ALMOST LIKE HE DOESN'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT ITALIAN WITCHCRAFT, OR A BASTARDIZED VERSION OF VOODOO, OR HOODOO, OR VODOUN OR WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL IT WHEN YOU USE GRAVEYARD DIRT FOR NOT SO NICE THINGS. (His loss, right?) IT'S ALMOST LIKE HE'S -DELIBERATELY TEMPTING ME- OUT IN THE FUCKING OPEN.)

You don't even want to know what I did with his suspiciously stained unmentionables during the 25 day summer vacation. (Oh, no, honey, I did. By hand. Suspicious stains and all. On THE fucking day they came hone.) (<- The hand that cleans the streaks out of y-fronts, is the hand that rules the house. And, also, your balls. THANKS FOR THAT, MR. FATHER-IN-LAW!)

(But if you DO want to know then you're in luck. Because I have a story.)

(...and some pictures.)

(So stay tuned.)

Make A Wish

I finally pulled my magic witch hair out. (I believe I fit in the category of BEARD FROM A VIRGIN/MAIDEN. <- When virgin means "WOMAN WITHOUT CHILDREN", obviously! (OBVIOUSLY.)) I'd been saving it for weeks and months, not knowing what I was going to use it for, so I just waited and saved and watched and stroked and wondered and then finally (FINALLY!), about five minutes ago, I knew what I wanted to use it for.

(12 hours before my appointment.)

I ran a thumb across my hairless witch chin (A CRONE NO MORE), just before I dropped the single black hair onto Her phone. And then I looked at Her, and She looked at me, and I said "YOU KNOW WHAT THIS IS FOR" and She just gave me the rabbit grin.

Etsy Owl

Being high on the internet and forcing other people to interact with you ("LOL! OKAY, WAIT, JUST SO YOU KNOW I'M REAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALY HIGH RIGHT NOW SO...") never gets old.

(NEVER GETS OLD.)

Perception Personality Image Test

Your result for The Perception Personality Image Test...

You perceive the world with particular attention to nature. You focus on the hidden treasures of life (the background) and how that fits into the larger picture. You are also particularly drawn towards the shapes around you. Because of the value you place on nature, you tend to find comfort in more subdued settings and find energy in solitude. You like to ponder ideas and imagine the many possibilities of your life without worrying about the details or specifics. You are in tune with all that is around you and understand your life as part of a larger whole. You prefer a structured environment within which to live and you like things to be predictable.

Compared to other takers:
* 89/100 You scored 12 on HumanityToNature, higher than 89% of your peers.
* 14/100 You scored -5 on BackgroundToForeground, higher than 14% of your peers.
* 85/100 You scored 10 on DetailsToBigPicture, higher than 85% of your peers.
* 44/100 You scored 1 on ColorToShape, higher than 44% of your peers.

Take The Perception Personality Image Test

(ITALICS - YES, NO, YES, NO?)

(IDEALIST? OH, WELL...I GUESS.)

(...MAYBE.)

Final Answer

I see a specialist this Friday. (It's just a consultation so I don't think I'll be swallowing barium or a microscopic camera, but I'm sure it'll be one or the other soon after.) I've known for days (hell, I fucking scheduled the appointment), but I couldn't bring myself to say anything to anyone. (SURPRISE?)

Up until earlier today I was really, really scared (condensed bursts of panicked worry); then I found out I'd only be talking to the doctor, which made things seem a lot more manageable. (I mean, it's just like periods, right? As long as you DON'T SEE THE BLOOD you won't start cramping, even if you can FEEL YOURSELF BLEEDING. (That's the cosmic/universal rule - no red, no cramps.) So, as long as I STAY COMPLETELY IGNORANT OF WHAT'S BEEN WRONG FOR NEARLY TWO YEARS then, by that very scientific period/cramping law, it can't be bad.)

(I mean, it can't be -bad-, can it? I've lived with some version of this thing for nearly two years. If it was -bad- then something would've happened much sooner, much earlier - right? I MEAN, IF IT WAS REALLY PRETTY BAD -SOMETHING, ANYTHING- WOULD HAVE HAD TO HAPPEN BY THIS POINT. (Other than the burping, and vomiting, and regurgitation, and acid reflux, and dry coughing, and loss of appetite, and exhaustion, and nausea, and inability to sleep or go out or exercise or eat or have sex OR EVEN HAVE SOMETHING REMOTELY RESEMBLING A LIFE THAT CAN BE LIVED IN THE SLIGHTEST.))

PLEASE, GOD, LET THE GASTROENTEROLOGIST LOOK ME IN THE EYE AND TELL ME THAT THIS IS OBVIOUSLY - OBVIOUSLY! - THE WORLD'S MOST IMPRESSIVE HERNIA, EVER, AND HE'S NOT EVEN ANTICIPATING, IN ANY SHAPE, WAY, OR FORM - A DIFFERENT DIAGNOSIS ONCE THE TEST RESULTS COME IN.

Because by this point? Getting knocked out so members of the local medical community can cut me open, hook my second stomach (OKAY, OKAY, SO IT'S ONLY PART OF MY -REAL STOMACH- THAT'S PROLAPSED, BUT STILL...TWO STOMACHS! I'M HALF-WAY TO HATHOR!), and jam it back down where it belongs seems like not such a big thing anymore. Minor operation? I can deal with that; I'm comfortable and so totally not freaking out over a hiatal hernia or the surgery that it would entail (just as long as that's what it is...all of it.)

(FINAL ANSWER.)

Flickr Update

Flickr photostream updated.

STORIES

I LOVE IT HOW WHEN I'M CRITICALLY/CHRONICALLY SICK I FIND MYSELF LISTENING TO OLD THERAPY? AT THREE IN THE FUCKING MORNING.

("HAPPY PEOPLE HAVE NO STORIES.")

Thirty Minutes After

I stopped it from raining last night.

(It held for an evening and thirty minutes; it waited for a shower and a beer. I pulled Our apron tight - high above the stars - and We cradled the rain against Our body, against Ourselves, with arms unwavering as the clouds billowed and rolled below Us. The Universe said "YOU DID THIS. YOU DID THIS, YOURSELF." and I laughed and I cried while we watched my rain from the kitchen windows, after a shower, after a beer - thirty minutes after I looked up at the sky and said "NOW IT CAN RAIN!" as the blood and semen and spit and wine sank into the earth where there were roots without sheaves of wheat.)

Aquarius Lunar Eclipse

Tonight I Reaped.

Lady of Shalott

"Some consider "The Lady of Shalott" to be representative of the dilemma that faces artists, writers, and musicians: to create work about and celebrating the world, or to enjoy the world by simply living in it." --Wikipedia

(Too much of one, not enough of the other. But it's okay; I'm working on it.)

New Goals & Aspirations

Two things I am absolutely one million percent sure of:

1. I want to become a professional, certified butcher.

2. I want a Bundt pan.

(The certified butcher thing goes way, way back like...several months...or something. (LOL, OR SOMETHING!) The tin? That's a little more recent.)

("Bundt" is one of those words YOU JUST WANT AN EXCUSE TO SAY OUT LOUD.)

(BUNDT! BUNDT! BUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNDT!)

LOL, OF COURSE!

Number of period panties left in this house: 0.

(Okay, okay - so there is ONE pair that I stained YESTERDAY but IT HASN'T BEEN WASHED and IT'S ONE OF THOSE MINI-BIKINI CUTS and I'm having one of those periods that DEMANDS COMFORTABLE, BIG, GRANNY UNDERWEAR because YOU JUST DON'T WANT TO FEEL AN ITTY BITTY THONG RIDING UP YOUR CROTCH WHILE YOU'RE BLEEDING ALL OVER THE PLACE (in fact, you don't want to FEEL ANY SORT OF PRESSURE OR CONSTRAINT BELOW THE WAIST FROM ANYTHING, BUT ESPECIALLY YOUR PANTIES).)

(WHY THE FUCK DID I BURY ALL OF MY COMFORTABLE PERIOD UNDERWEAR IN THE FUCKING CEMETERY? FOR CHRIST'S SAKE...)

A White House in a Red Square

AWESOME!

I've JUST RUINED my LAST PAIR OF WHITE PANTIES because MRS. GENIUS HERE thought it was a REALLY FUCKING GOOD IDEA TO PUT ON HER LAST UNBLEMISHED PAIR OF WHITES DURING HER PERIOD. (Just add it to the pile, right ladies?)

I believe my "MAURY, MAKE MY WIFE SEXY AGAIN - PLEASE!" transformation is finally complete.

"What is 7 Inches Long?"

Dear RPA,

Teachers and students are currently enjoying the summer holidays, so "What is 7 Inches Long?" will become a reality as soon as students return to school in September, Ms. Smith wrote you this note:

Dear RPA,
Thank you so much for the measurement centers!!!! I am so excited to be able to have these hands-on materials and activities. My students will enjoy them and will use them to acquire skills they will need for the rest of their lives. Thank you for doing this for us!!! I am looking forward to being able to use these centers this fall and for many, many years to come. Sincerely, Miss Smith

Sincerely,
The DonorsChoose.Org Team

(This is after our fourth choice, "Help Immigrant Students Learn About the Salem Witch Hysteria" (LOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!), expired due to insufficient funding (WHICH IS OBVIOUSLY - OBVIOUSLY! - NOT OUR FAULT!).)

Solar Eclipse in Leo

Yanked all of the relevant bits from an eclipse article found on AstrologyCom.Com. (OH, INTERNET, HOW IS IT POSSIBLE YOU CAN BE SO GOOD EVEN WHEN YOU'RE SO BAD?)

Eclipse in Leo
This eclipse occurs at 9°32' of Leo the Lion, conjunct Mercury the divine messenger, so, being a Friday, the party vibes will be fabulous! It awakens the nebulous cluster of The Aselli, the Asses, being closely conjunct Asellus Australis, South Asellus (a star of the Sun and Mars), which is considered less than fortunate. It is also conjunct Giansar a star of Saturn and Mars in the tail of Draco, but one which is less aggressive. This star is often symbolized by the Tarot Card "Death", which stands for the sweeping away of old things, to make room for a brand new beginning.

According to Vehlow, the Chinese gave this group of stars the name The Spirit of the Ancestors and were of the opinion that, if conjunct the Moon, they would produce peculiar experiences with the realms of the dead. Since the eclipse involves both Sun and Moon, it might be an interesting time for a séance! The Aselli are representative of the Sun and Moon, so their prominence in this figure is increased, but the need for caution, especially in travel, business and with fire is emphasized. The Aselli could be seen as fortunate in that they do represent the Lights, but their effects are not always as enjoyable as they could be!

Mars and Mercury
This eclipse does lie in the shadow of the upcoming Mars/Uranus opposition on August 6, suggesting it would be a waste of time to try and coordinate group efforts. This aspect is aggravated by the simultaneous opposition between Mercury and Neptune, which advises us not attempt anything that requires logic and clear thinking! A warning for the organizers of the Beijing Festivities: information and ideas may be illusive, intentionally deceptive, or even quite dangerous. Making a wise decision, or finding out the truth, is well-nigh impossible. It's not that good for travelling over water, photography, business transactions, or spiritual studies and activities.

Solar eclipses don't often pass over populated areas, but when they do, they appear to have significant disruptive effects on the people and nations concerned (e.g., economic or political crises, civil unrest). My colleague, Ian Thurnwald, points out that Solar Eclipses also seem either to trigger or amplify natural events in the regions they affect (e.g., severe weather, earthquakes). Whether this effect is an astrological one or not, is a moot point, though recent scientific work on the effects of the Moon on earthquakes and other terrestrial phenomena is interesting. No doubt they would hasten to deny any astrological effect! See my article on Moon Wobbles. The eclipse being in Leo means that people with Fixed signs (Aquarius; Leo; Scorpio; Taurus) featured in their birth charts are more likely to be affected. The next eclipse of the Sun will be on January 26, 2009.

Busy Bee

IT'S OCCURRED TO ME, JUST NOW, THAT MAYBE I COULD BE DOING SOMETHING A LITTLE MORE CONSTRUCTIVE DURING THIS LEO SOLAR ECLIPSE THAN PLAY THE NES VERSION OF "THE FLINTSTONES".

...OOPS.

So It Begins

A close friend of mine explained to me, years ago, that in astrology your ascent almost describes the way others see you. Since then I’ve always read my ascent horoscope (Leo) as MY INTERNET LIFE because I work at home so the majority of interpersonal relationships happen over the net. This is this week’s message to Leo, courtesy of Jonathon Cainer (LOL! "CAINER"! LOL!):

Your Week Ahead: Imagine training your whole life long to be a concert pianist. One day, to amuse some children, you improvise a couple of merry melodies. Your performance is greeted with such rapture, that word of it spreads far and wide. Suddenly, you are in demand, but not for the ability that means so much to you. There's something a little irritating and exasperating about this week's great advantage. It is not quite the one you were hoping for. It is, though, nonetheless, an edge that can prove extremely useful to you. Be glad of what 'is'. Forget what 'ought to be'.

Oh, Lord, I just caught my daily horoscope:

Your Day Ahead: Nature is much more generous than society. Where people tend not to allow one another too many fresh starts and new beginnings, she positively hands them round like sweets. She does a wonderful line in new seasons, new moons and new dawns. To say nothing of new breaths. Every few seconds we make a symbolic fresh beginning. Today, the sky breathes in and out. A glorious Solar Eclipse speaks of a change which, though difficult to accept at first, leads to renewal, success and joy.

So it begins.

(At least I’m on the right track?)