End of the World

with the End of the World steadily approaching, we're all wondering what will become of us come December 22nd, 2012. will Jesus return for the Rapture? what will happen to all the Christmas presents you bought? will there be some crazy implosion of Earth or maybe a worldwide earthquake that ravages every major metropolitan area and then the inevitable Zombie Apocalypse ensues?

i don't think any of that will happen, at least not to the scale that would constitute the End of the World. maybe it'll be a combination of all these things; Jesus will Rapture some, Christmas presents will all evaporate, the Earth will quake only in certain regions and the Zombies, who already have control, will continue to consume the brains of the average citizen.

much like Y2K and other arbitrary end-of-everything dates that passed and nothing happened, nothing major will occur this week other than the annual Winter Solstice and a piddly ol' Galactic Alignment that doesn't happen but for ever 26,000 years or so....

yet, the Winter Solstice is enough of an astronomical event to make a fuss over every year. all over the world we celebrate the death and resurrection of the Sun. the 21st is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and the Sun remains in this position for three days until we begin our journey back into the Light; incrementally increasing the amount of daylight until we peak on Summer Solstice.

it's no wonder we celebrate, either. Winter is long and difficult and before of all our mod cons, your chances for survival over Winter were slim to some. the last feast before the fast was meant to not only fill tummies, but also the hearts of the community, to reinforce the group on every level, thus increasing their chances of survival. think about that when you're gathered around the table this holiday with your family. consider how many Winters your ancestors had to survive to get you here...and how many others must have died along the way.

every year-end means the End of the World.
and the Beginning of the World.
it is the Death of those things that will not survive the Winter...
and the promise that the Spring will bring to us Life anew.

here's a link to a favorite astrologer of mine who provides frequent updates to current astrological events and an easy to understand interpretation of those events.

so, in Light of the End of the World and the Death of our current paradigm, steady yourself in meditation, journaling, kindness to self, and celebration with family and friends.

blessings on your holy days!

Dead Crow

the other morning i was on my way to school when i found this dead crow in the road.

i read that it's good luck in some places...like Russia.

Dark Night

sometimes…life is hard. hard like when you're riding a skateboard, cruising along a familiar sidewalk and you're so sure of your way that you completely miss the little pebble on an otherwise-smooth stretch of concrete and you go from cruising in real time to falling in slow motion to >>>SMACK<<< your whole body is suddenly acquainted with the finite qualities of concrete.

and it's hard. and unforgiving. and it hurts. knees, hands, elbows were all thrown in front of you to catch your fall so they get the brunt of the pain. scrapes and road rashes tell the tale and remind you every time you move again, i look back on my old journals and i see countless occasions of having to confront the concrete reality of our world - bills, debts, obligations, joblessness. situations i've gotten myself into and out of go in obvious circles and cycles. summarily, success follows and eventually back down to the valley and back at the foot of another mountain to climb.

walking through this dark valley has been full of disappointments, fake-outs, surprises of all kinds. its piling and mounting weight eventually becomes overwhelming and i can no longer bear the burden of another stark reality being revealed to me. i become crushed under the heaviness of the dark nothing of things not known and succumb to the weight of the void. i take a deep breath and disappear forever into the abyss, becoming one with dark matter. i imagine the darkness and me hurtling through vast, open, empty space, shot through infinite blackness in search of indefinite light. tearing through wormholes, exploring eternal extremities.


when things get shitty, you can almost plan on them getting shittier before they get better.

the darkest of night is just before dawn and all that.

eagerly, i await the dawn.

Life's Little/Big Lessons:

You are what you eat.
You are who you hang out with.
You are the only one who decides these things for you.

Trust your instincts. All the answers are within!
Love yourself. At the end of the day, you're all you got!
--->And you can't really love others until you love yourself, right?

Challenge yourself. Otherwise, the Universe will do it for you.

The Void

"nothing exists in the void."

That Which No Longer Serves Me...

i wonder if the snake feels pain as it sheds its skin?
i wonder if he misses the skin he sheds?
i wonder if the new, fresher skin is sensitive to light, heat, and rough terrain...?

fact is, the new skin has been there all along, developing the strength to break out into the world and have its go as the premier layer of protection. and the snake probably doesn't miss the old skin much, since the shedding is required for growth. as if scratching an itch, the snake rubs himself against a rock until the layer to be shed becomes torn, and works its way out of the shell of skin. the new skin is vibrant and the snake is free to grow until the next shedding.


"May I Shed Like The Snake, Frequently Letting Go Of The Things That Keep Me From Growth And Growing. May I Enjoy The Process Of Shedding As I Look Forward To The Changes That Come With Growth. Shedding Old Skin Means That New And Vibrant Skin Can Be Revealed. I Allow Myself To Freely Shed My Old Skin And Reveal My New Skin!"

I Am The Snake. <--Read about Snake as Power Animal

image from here

dealing with darkness?

here's some excellent advice for dark times from someone who knows a thing or two about darkness.
healing starts within. perspective is everything. i love the plethora of lessons found in simple guidance.

Focus

focusing on focus.
finding the focus.
chasing the focus.
and the subject shifts.
and you have to refocus.
and refocus because everything always changes.
paring down the distractions, it's enough to breathe, drink water, and eat nutritious food.
this is the daily focus.
that it comes so readily in our world makes it a non-issue and we're sent up the pyramid of essentials and into more daily focuses. work, relationships, friendships, and our new online obligations.

http://visual.ly/how-focus

so, in addition to getting back in touch with the essentials - the breath, water, food - shedding the things that no longer serve me frees me up to focus on the things that do. i'm finding the focus. when i look back on my past i see very much how every little choice i've made has led me to my present moment. and that's all i have. and that's all i will have when future moments become present moments. and all the choices i've made will carry me along into my future.

it's exactly like that sailing ship analogy my dad always told me growing up. it goes something like this:

when you set sail for your destination, the course you set might not be the course that you take. there are a lot of factors along your journey; wind, current, sail, the ability of the crew, inclement weather conditions...a slew of things that you simply cannot change once you set sail for your destination. the decisions you make as captain of your ship are in how you steer your ship from moment to moment. how you respond to the change in wind, making the tiny changes in your sails and rudders you decide how and if you will stay on course. the sea will always change, the weather will always change. the wind will always change. for better or worse, change will happen...the only thing you can do is steer your ship, prepare as much as you can, keep an excellent and experienced crew on hand, and keep your destination in focus so that no matter the course, you are always able to reach your goal.

thanks Pop. i dig it for reals now.

Focus gets shit done. It gets the vessel and her crew through the storm. And it keeps the ship on course. It maintains the safety of the crew security of the cargo. Focus gets you to your destination, no matter what changes along the way.

Retrospection!

rest, relaxation, reflection and recreation. they all involve a re-turn of sorts, the "re" prefix re-minds us to take another look over our work, to go back and double check everything before moving forward. as we approach another Mercury Re-trograde re-member to clean out your literal and figurative closets, re-pay debts, tie up loose ends, finalize projects, and do the inner work that we are often called to do during these times - re-set, re-group, re-focus....re-joice and re-peat!!!

Urban Survival Kit!

found this great little adaptation among Altoid hacks:

click here to view the original with a comment thread that explains each item.
Fun and practical! :)