the need to preserve some information that’s not electronic or digital.
As a lover of books and libraries and ancient wisdom this is the first piece of news in awhile that’s relieved some of my stress!
I’m not sure what to say about this medium of communication, this year. It’s been quite a process to engage in for this rapidly aging boomer. I thought I was ahead of the curve by blogging, and now there’s the whole Twitter & et.al. to understand. I moved up to a new computer along with Windows 7 3 months ago and I am still aghast at how behind I was in my old Gateway with XP. Yipes.
I began this blog around the time of the Chinese New Year, and this year we have a Tiger that leads us. We, of the Ox generation, will have to wait another 12 years before our turn comes around again. It certainly was a year unlike any other for me, 2009. I don’t know much about the specifics of Chinese astrology but I do understand astrological cycles and how to measure and manage time without a clock or a calendar. Surprises and unexpected events continue as always (Uranus is always showing us something new), however everything does seem to be cycling faster. Yes?
Back to my Blogging Report.
I don’t know how to judge the statistics that I have available to me for this site. Blogging has never been about money or fame or the number of hits I receive on any given day. Instead, my activity regarding this site has remained true to my original statement of intention found here. Much has changed in my personal and professional life since I began this experiment and I’m not sure what comes next since my own natal chart is reeling with hard aspects hitting my sun/moon/ascendant all at the same time. However, I’ve had a lot of fun with this new-paradigm media and I hope that I can stay connected.
Here’re some stats.
Total views 63, 851
Closer inspection reveals that there were more visits in 2008 than 2009, relatively no growth at all. It’s interesting because that’s how last year kind of was for me…..a no-visible-measurable-growth anywhere in my life. However, as for just looking at Jan and Feb, 2010 looks promising, assuming that blog-growth mirrors life-growth. It’s not necessarily a metaphor that I’m actively buying into, but interesting to look at nonetheless. Yes?
The stat’s page shows that I average about 66-77 views per day, whatever that means. My yoga practice has taught me to be aware of measuring myself, or comparing myself to others. That sort of mental/physical activity can lead to an agitated mind and lot’s of self-judgment. I am happy that there are those of you that stop by at all. You’re the witnesses to my process. Thanks!
Thursday, Oct 15, 2009 was the busiest day I’ve had thus far with 183 visitors. On that day I posted this entry but I don’t think that had anything at all to do with all the visits. It’s a mystery to me, still, how all this works out here in cyberspace.
As for posts: I’ve made 215 posts since I began and the top posts haven’t changed much for a long time. This post has literally taken on a life of it’s own and I don’t know if any of the people that routinely check in here are interested in anything else I’m blogging about. It’s curious to watch it unfold. If you are reading this, there’s certainly a part 2 unfolding these days with Calleman’s new book, The Purposeful Universe. In November of last year I was able to spend a couple days with Barbara Hand Clow at Kripalu Center in MA, and I’m still very keen to understand and know more about the changes in our cosmic and galactic neighborhood(s) as well as what’s going on locally. But, more on that another time.
This post remains #2 on most viewed. Can someone give me an idea of why? This post and this one are close in numbers coming in #3 & #4 of all time.
I hope that you are well, those of you that follow this blog. I am grateful for your attention.
Right now, I am one of those , OMG i just looked out the window and I’m wondering if I should be shoveling snow off the roof!
I’ve lived in this zipcode nearly my whole life and right now I can honestly say I’ve never seen it look like this, here, in NJ, in decades…..and I can’t wait to go out for a walk! There are people out walking in it.
I am reminded that joy and sadness can co-exist. A storm can be a blessing in disguise. ….or not.
I’ve been watching the unfolding of this new paradigm for many years. We are in the cycle of eclipses today… a time of ‘transition’ where all things become possible. Watch your thoughts, emotions, actions, and beliefs. Nourish yourself & others. Practice ahimsa, often by paying it forward, or receiving with grace. Love everyone.
And, I love this website, and this particular post reminded me something deep and profound. Check it out…..http://urbansurvival.com/week.htm It’s important for those of you who are learning feng shui to become aware of the difference (in your own body) of negative ions & postive ions in a space.
Just back from California. Well actually, I didn’t JUST get back, it was 2 days ago? maybe three? Adjusting to bi-coastal living takes time. A couple hours gained here, a couple hours lost there…..yipes, it’s enough to make you give up on clocks and calendars all together!
Anyway, this is simply a check in post to let everyone know that I’m okay and feeling fine.
My personal spiritual practice these days is to accept those things I cannot change, and to change the things I can.
I am re-reading Skeleton Woman, a myth from Clarissa P. Estes wonderful book, Women who run with the Wolves. It feels timely. We’ll be exploring these ideas in this month’s Experiential Yoga Workshop. If you’d like more information please send me a comment.
My winter-series yoga classes begin tonite. I look forward to the silence.
Om shanti.
I returned home from the 2009 Harper’s Escape on Sunday. The tunes are still running thru my head, awake and asleep. I am filled with joy and gladness that so much joy and gladness can be shared with harps. Yes?
40 of us gathered strong under gloomy, doomy October skies to learn a few tunes, in community with each other. Angels as well as devils showed up. Spiritual energy/vibration allowed it to be all okay, just as it is.
Om shanti. Peace to all.
On Sunday, we performed as a sort of harp orchestra at the local public library. We were quite the hit; a waiting line stood patiently outside the room for the entire performance hoping for a seat to open up.
I was relatively pleased and content with my own ‘performance’, noticing with every breath how the inner critic is still alive and well!
But, once again I was amazed and awed by the sheer diversity of our group. The harp is what brought us together and held us in-common. Regardless of color, creed, culture, or zodiac sign, we worked together for an entire weekend to create a concert for the public. Peace is always possible.
Astrologically speaking it was a weekend of Neptune/Chiron/Jupiter & Moon energies. Sweet, serious, and silly all together with lots of food, drink, and water…….it rained a lot. The balsamic phase of the moon was occuring in Late degrees of Libra. Read more about balsamic, it’s very important to understand our human need for deep rest.
Gotta go practice……I’m haunted by the Harris Dance.
I’m pretty happy with my stat’s this past year. Even though the goin’ was slowin’, the numbers on the screen doubled from the year before. I don’t know what that means, but seein’ as i’m believin’ the times look good.
Communicating with others thru the medium of blogging certainly does bring up some ethical, moral, and curious conditions.
The three top posts have remained the same for a very, very long time. I suppose that’s how most of you find me here. As for the rest of those who regularly check into this site, Thank you! You keep me goin’, when goin’ keeps slowin’. (I’m working on some song lyrics these days 🙂
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I wish I had a picture to show you the duck that I saw yesterday!
Here’s the short story.
I’m driving down a straight road and looking at the oncoming traffic. Suddenly, in between two cars heading towards me I see a duck flapping and flying in exactly the same place as a car would be. It was not high in the sky. It was in formation with the cars, and really flapping those wings hard to keep up with the traffic. Oddly enough, it looked like the most natural thing in the world for a duck to be in line with these cars.
Anyway, it was so startling that I nearly had to pull over from laughing so hard.
I’ve been listening to a lot of speech’s recently.
Today, I listened to someone speak about speech’s and speechwriting. In 1989 & again in 1998 I spent some time working as a speechwriter. It was part of my job as Assistant to the female President of a hugely successful NJ real estate company. I learned a lot about a lot, and I’m grateful for that job experience. During that time, I was also learning how to deliver speech’s myself.
There is No Substitute for good communication skills, regardless of gender, education, intellect, socio/economic class, religion, or anything else. And yet, it has obviously not been a priority in our culture….. either for the masses, public officials, and don’t even get me started on the level of communication skills within our established medical/legal communities!! For this reason alone I applaud Barack Obama, regardless of whatever he does or does not do.
As a graduate of NLP, I feel a certain responsibility to practice conscious, effective, and clear communications as often as possible and to teach/train others to improve their communication skills with others. In my yoga classes I have often guided the students thru what is called Co-Listening. I learned & practiced many variations of this technique at Kripalu Center in the Berkshires. (1994 – 2008.) The combination of NLP techniques with yoga philosophy & practices is quite effective when skillfully applied…..at least in my experience.
This century has challenged us to learn how to communicate thru technological mediums. The internet has indeed changed everything and some are being left behind. However, for those out here in the blogosphere with me, it’s vital that we all remember that these are just words on a screen. There is no substitute for human-to-human contact. Sounds, smell, touch, sight, movement, gesture, are also parts of the whole of communication.
Here’s a cardinal rule to follow.
We are all, as individuals, responsible for what we say & what we hear. When you ask a question and do not get the response you anticipate, ask again, differently. If you have an emotional response to something you’ve heard….seek clarification to make sure that what you heard was what the speaker intended to say. Defense mechanisms have deep roots and we are all responsible for pruning back what no longer works. (I feel a rant coming on here so that’s a good time to sign off.)
Mercury is still retrograde and will remain so until January 31. A good time to re-consider how to improve your communication skills.
I’ve returned to my homebase recently after spending a lunar cycle on the West Coast. My Pluto line ran right through the locality I spent most of the time in.
For the last 3 days of my trip I was able to travel to a Sun/Jupiter paran to experience some relief from those intensive Pluto vibrations.
Understanding your personal Astro-Cartography can be very helpful when traveling. My preparations were successful and effective.
My plane landed at the same time as another one in the area was crashing into a nearby river….give or take a few hours…. both of us were flying under Mercury Retrograde with saturn/moon conjunction forming. Good Fortune was present for All. Ommmmm.
How blessed I am to have this retrograde period. It will give me time to process my journey and convert all that I learned into my teaching for this new DAY
Mercury Retrograde periods can be very productive times for cleaning up the lose ends of projects that are not yet complete. This particular Mercury Retrograde period began at 8 Aquarius. If you have planets in Aquarius you need to do a little more research than this blog. But, for now here’s some input from An Astrological Mandala, a book on the Sabian Symbols by Dane Rudyhar, a master for sure.
A great resource for Sabian Symbols.
BEAUTIFULLY GOWNED WAX FIGURES ON DISPLAY
…..a time to consider the “fixed symbols upon which a culture is based, with mental archetypes.
…a stage of vision
….new forms are revealed to the consciousness “
Wow. That seems pretty interesting me considering the state of world affairs these days.
Oh well. More coming as soon as I re-acclimate to the local time/space conditions of the East Coast.
I returned home from the 2009 Harper’s Escape on Sunday. The tunes are still running thru my head, awake and asleep. I am filled with joy and gladness that so much joy and gladness can be shared with harps. Yes?
Here’s a cardinal rule to follow.