Memorial Day is celebrated in the United States on the last Monday in May.  For 2010 that is May 31^st.  (The date was changed from May 30^th to the last Monday in May in 1968 through the Uniform Holidays Bill, which moved three holidays – Washington’s Birthday, Memorial Day, and Veterans to Monday’s, in order to create three day weekends.) It is a federal holiday (formerly known as Decoration Day) honoring U.S. men and women who have died in service of their country. It was first enacted to honor the Union soldiers of the American Civil War, and was expanded after World War I.

The gravestones at Arlington National Cemetery are graced with American flags during the Memorial Day holiday. Many families and communities follow this custom for their own family members and friends, decorating graves in local cemeteries with small American flags.

There are several different ways in which Memorial Day is celebrated. There is a national moment of remembrance at 3 p.m. The flag of the United States is flown at half-staff from dawn until noon, local times. Volunteers place flags on the graves at national cemeteries. Members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars accept donations for poppies. This is also a time for family gatherings and picnics.

They fought for their country, they gave their lives for their country – for our country. Let's take the time on this day to offer a prayer of thanks.

This morning I came across the following article on 57 ancient tombs unearthed in Egypt. http://tinyurl.com/23wkqun What I found very interesting was that most of the tombs held a wooden sarcophagus (with a mummy inside) that was ornately painted. The oldest tombs date back to 2750 BC, the period of Egypt’s first and second dynasties, with 12 of the tombs belonging to the 18^th dynasty.

The mummies from the 18^th dynasty as said to be covered in linen decorated with religious texts from the Book of the Dead, along with scenes featuring ancient deities.

Some of he tombs themselves were decorated with religious text that was thought by ancient Egyptians to help the dead cross over.

The tombs were unearthed at Lahoun, which is located south of Cairo. It sounded to me, reading this article, that the tombs were found largely intact, which is a feat in and of itself. This discovery will shed new light on Egypt’s ancient religions, and, in my personal opinion, may help to validate some things that have already been discovered.

There are some excellent photographs in this article on this an other sites in Egypt, including photographs of sarcophagus, the sites themselves, statues and more.

What an excellent way to look back at ancient times and see how the world evolved as it did!

On Thursday, May 27^th, we have a Full Moon in Sagittarius. As with all Full Moons, we are looking at a bringing some area of our life to a close, so that we have the space to move forward. The Moon is associated with dreamtime, with creativity, and with the connection between our conscious and our unconscious. We are strongly connected at this time to our creative nature, and to our emotional self.

The focus for a Sagittarius Full Moon is that of seeking the truth. The Archer, above all, wants to know the truth of things. This is more than the truth of justice – this is truth as seen in a spiritual light. Wisdom may come in the waking “Aha!” experience, through synchronicity, or through an increased experience in dreamtime. Pay attention to the wisdom that come to you, as well as the imagery through which it is brought. Why a certain image gain your attention? If the image repeats itself throughout the day, or throughout the week, what does this mean to you?

This is a time of intuition – listen to your intuition on a heart level. Act on you intuition.

During a full moon, we are allowed to look beyond the veil, to see what something really means, to see why it is really there. Logic gives way to intuitive/mystic impressions, and to new ways of looking at things.

What in your life are you bringing closure to? What in your life do you need to see the truth about? What in your life are you looking to define? This is the time to do all of these things. Sagittarius helps us to open our minds and see the full potential in everything.

"Wisdom Walk", by Sage Bennet, PhD, is a compilation of nine practices that can be used for creating peace and balance in our lives, using the foundation of the world's spiritual traditions.

* From Hinduism - Create a home alter.
* From Buddhism - Meditate and fnd peace.
* From Islam - Surrender to prayer.
* From Christianity - Forgive yourself and others.
* From Judaism - Make time fo the Sabbath.
* From Native American Spirituality - Let nature be your teacher.
* From Taoism - Go with the flow.
* From New Thought - Catch God's vision of your life.
* From All Traditions - Offer yourself in service to others.

This gentle, gracious book acts as a guide for individuals from all backgrounds to empower their own lives with basic rituals from diverse spiritual traditions. In her introduction, Bennet notes that while the reader may choose to read specific chapters that they are drawn to, the book has actually been set up so that each chapter builds on the previous one, so that the most benefit will be gained from reading the chapters in sequence.

Bennet speaks directly to the reader, using her own life as a backdrop throughout the book. She makes use of general commentary, as well as specific examples from her own life, and the lives of her students. In this manner, the reader can identify with the shadows, or issues that they might be facing when working with the energy of any given chapter. They will not feel alone.

In fact, the information in this book acts as a gateway to connect people from  various backgrounds and traditions. This book is a gift, a true blessing, in that it offers actual practices that anyone can do to connect with spirit and live an authentic life.


"Wisdom Walk", Sage Bennet, PhD., New World Library, 2007, ISBN #978-1-97731-582-7. 

“Time out” – We all need to learn to take little “time outs” in our schedule to reconnect with ourselves – throughout the day, and throughout the week/month. Life has a tendency to move fast – and 2010 as a year is filled with energy and intent, and is keeping a pace that is difficult at times (at least for me) to keep up with. All is good – but there is so much good to pay attention to and nurture that we can get lost in the process.

Stop where you are several times a day and take inventory. How do you feel? Are you letting stress build up? Move your shoulders, arms and legs to release it. Are you accomplishing what you set out to do, or are you getting side-tracked? Set aside blocks of time to accomplish given tasks – the e-mails and voice-mails will still be there when you can get to them. If you can take a few minutes for a short walk outside – do so. I once worked in a hospital where there was an indoor seating area with plants and trees – a wonderful space to distress for a few minutes.

Try planning short getaways – perhaps a three-day weekend to a nearby area that interests you, or that connects you with something you have a passion for. Perhaps you want to plan a dinner out for you and your family (or significant other) in the middle of the week – “just because”. Maybe a day off in the middle of the week is in order – a spa day where all of the attention is on you, and you can relax and unwind.

A time out can be whenever you want it to be – whenever you need to be refreshed and refocus. Time outs are fun – take advantage of them!

 

On Thursday, May 13th, we have a new moon in Taurus. The energy of Taurus is that of supporting seeds that have already been sown. We are all going to be looking at new projects, new directions that we may wish to go in, or opportunities that may be coming to us, an trying to decide how best to nurture them so that they manifest in the most positive manner.

With Taurus we are looking at the mundane, practical side of life. We are looking for growth with stability, growth that can be sustained, and setting down a strong foundation in our material world. Whatever you have been working on is now able to be seen in physical form.

It is very important that our goals, and the intention and focus behind these goals, are consistent and purposeful. It is at this point that we are creating the environment that our goals are manifesting in – we want it to we strong, and to be able to nourish and support our efforts. Harmony is a word well applied here – and remember, our resources may be financial, they may be material, or they may be in the area of relationship (business and personal). We need to take all of these things into consideration.

Getting results is important, as is planning for the future. All done in a very low key manner – no high drama scheduled here! Something to take into consideration at this time is that this may be a period when people show resistance to change, when they dig in their heels and refuse to budge. Be gentle with nudging them!

A Taurus New Moon is also a good time to sit back and enjoy the physical world around you – acknowledge what you have created, what you have gathered to you. Appreciate what life has to offer.

Wishing all mother’s out there a very Happy Mother’s Day! I am not a mother myself (except to my little fur people), but I have always enjoyed honoring this day. It is nice for me to see the women in my family – my mother, grandmothers, aunts, sister-in-law and niece – honored for their firm, steady and loving touch on the lives of the people around them.

Many memory moments are created by mothers – from the creation of holiday traditions, to guiding us through our schooling, to a general interest in how we are doing and where we are heading. The conversations are sometimes rather abrupt, as we grow up and come into our own. Then they even out into mutual respect.

For many of us boomers, we are now gong through the phase when we become parents to our parents. I think this is the most difficult phase of all – trying to determine how our parents are doing, and when to step in and offer help. I am very blessed, in that my brother, sister and I can keep close tabs on our mother, without making her feel that she does not have total control of her life.

What does this Mother’s Day mean to you? Are you nurturing your relationship with your mother (or perhaps one with your children)? Are there issues that need to be addressed … things that need to be said? Is your family getting together for dinner? Are you taking your mother out for dinner? In what way are you honoring your mother?

Relationships can be tricky things, and our relationship with our mother can be one of he trickiest. Step back so that you can see yours with fresh eyes. Look at what you can do to make things better, to make things run smoother, and to make both you and your mother happy. Each of you needs freedom to be who you are.

Yet again on Friday, May 7^th, a three block area in the heart of Times Square was evacuated due to the presence of a suspicious package. (The previous evacuation was for the SUV that was left by a suspected terrorist with explosive material in it.) This time, the package contained only water bottles.

The bottles were left in a cooler in front of the Marriott Marquis Hotel at 46^th and Broadway. The bomb squad was brought in, and the cooler was determined not to pose a threat.

There has been a reported thirty per cent increase in reports of suspicious packages since the SUV was found, which police say is a normal after affect.

I drew three cards on how we can look at this issue from the perspective of the Tarot:

What do we know: Three of Pentacles

What don’t we know: Judgment

What do we need to know: Five of Swords

We know that terrorist attacks can happen, and we know that we have the skills as a community, as a nation, to deal with them. We need to remain confident, and we will achieve our goal of maintaining safety.

What we don’t know, or rather, what we need to remember, is that we are all part of humankind. The distorted perceptions that drive the terrorists can be found in any culture, in any part of the world. We need to see each other as human beings, and judge actions rather than appearance. We need to retain (and strengthen) the link between our conscious and unconscious selves.

What we need to know is that if we try to set the rules of the game, our victory will be short lived. Those that we defeat will lose self-confidence and respect for themselves, and feel overwhelmed by the world that they live in. It is not to our advantage to make people feel worthless.

How do you feel about these terrorist attacks? How do you feel about the increased security, and precautions being taken because... Read More

We are facing a crisis of epic proportions in the aftermath of the disaster with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. This comes at a time when we need to make a decision about the feasibility of off shore drilling in general. Did BP (the company behind the drilling) have adequate safety precautions in place? If not, why not?

In an article from 4/29/10 on AOL (under Daily Finance, written by Douglas McIntyre), there is an indication that the disaster could have been avoided if a remote control switch had been in place. Norway and Brazil require these switches be in place when drilling offshore in their waters. However, there are questions as to whether such a switch would have worked at that depth.

The spill is greater than anticipated, and is already affecting wild life and marine life, as well as businesses that deal with seafood. BP has taken responsibility, and stated that it would pay for the cost of cleanup. At this time, the U.S. Military is being called in to help. Why wasn’t this done sooner? Why was the material needed to assist with the cleanup stored clear up in Illinois?

The spill is reaching 5,000 barrels a day, and is past the point of being able to be burned off because the area is too large, and the resulting fire would be uncontrollable.

The impact is already being felt in the wetlands of Louisiana. The Audubon Nature Institute has its experts working to offer assistance with wildlife rehabilitation efforts. Information on how you can help can be accessed here - http://www.auduboninstitute.org/gulf-oil-spill-resources?gclid=CIn1-fjLuqECFQtSgwodcwES9Q.

This is a time for us to send prayers and healing light to this region and its inhabitants. To the marine life, the wild life, and the people living there, people who are losing their... Read More

How can you make your reading work for you? The following three things will help you to take control of your reading, understand your reading better, and walk away with a sense of what actions you need to take to resolve your issue/situation.

1. Write down a list of questions before you make the call to your reader. Phrase your questions as succinctly as you can, and try to avoid question that elicit a yes or no answer. “Does John love me?” will not elicit as much information as “How does John feel about me?” If you don’t have specific questions, simply define the specific area, issue or situation that you would like your reading to cover.
2. Ask questions during your reading. If your reader prefers that you ask questions after they have read for you, then write your questions down as they come to you, and ask them once your reader is finished.
3. After all of your questions have been answered, ask your reader to summarize what they have just told you. From that summary, ask them to help you pick one or two areas that you can take an action in. Then ask them to help you decide what the best action might be.

Try and form a good connection with your reader. They are there to help you, and they have a lot of different tools, from Tarot, to Astrology, Angels, Guides, psychic abilities, affirmations and more to offer. Let them know what skills they offer that you are comfortable working with, and together you can form a plan for your personal empowerment!