April Fool/The Fool's Journey

 

April Fool/The Fool's Journey

April 1 has been April Fool's Day for a long time, and who has not had some fun with this holiday? Practical jokes and mischief played to provoke laughter and humor, it was originally a holiday dedicated to the Roman goddess Cybele, and Hilaria was a holiday for being cheerful and merry, from which we get the word hilarious. Games, masquerades, mocking and jokes were the spirit of the time. Think of it as sort of an early Mother's Day, when people were celebrating the Spring Equinox, which always comes in March and signals the return of the planting season. Roman holidays were weeks long affairs, not single days. And even today, in large parts of our country, Spring Equinox is still regarded as the time to begin spring plantings. Weather differences like we have in Colorado cause the planting season to begin later out here, but the traditions still cover this part of the year. So all the way back then, our ancestors recognized the value of humor. They were welcoming in the planting season and the return of spring with humor during the same time that they would be planning their planting and putting their thoughts into a plentiful harvest. Just like us, they were unwinding from winter doldrums and staying inside a lot. The Christian holiday of Easter gets its name from Estara, also spelled Eostre, a Germanic fertility goddess whose name is also spelled Ostara in some cultures, is in this same time frame. Spiritually and metaphorically, Easter celebrates the return from the dead of Christ, and spring is the return from the dormant season of winter for many plants. That is why there are so many rabbits and eggs with this holiday, the symbols of birth and rebirth. The date for Easter is set in a way that resonates with these old traditions. In the national cathedral in Brasilia, the capital of Brazil, they have a huge stained glass window of an egg installed over the huge cross at the front of the cathedral and the tour guide told me that it was the symbol of birth and rebirth. Instead of being celebrated on the same day every year, Easter is set on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the Spring Equinox. Hilarity and humor are attitudes that help us keep our sanity and balance our energies in stressful times. And who among us could not use a little more lightness in our lives? Research in recent years has proven that laughter can help boost the immune system, as do music and love. That is why I frequently use humor when I am talking with you. Humor is a great way to illustrate an idea and make a memorable point. Comedy clubs have long been one of my favorite places to go, and in the absence of being able to go because of the rules we have had, a great alternative is the selection of recordings of stand up comedians on Netflix. So how did April Fool come to be a holiday celebration? Back in 1582, when France switched to the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Day was moved to January 1. The Julian calendar, which had been used up until that time, had the new year as beginning on April 1. This is why the zodiac sign of Aries, which comes at this time of year, is the sign that astrologers begin their year with. So people who were slow to change calendars were known as April Fools, and that is when pranks began to become a popular activity associated with the day. Some people just enjoyed the rebellious attitude of pranks and mischief, and back in those days, big changes like that happened slowly. Later, most western nations adapted the new calendar, and as they did, the spirit of hilarity followed the calendar into those other nations. In 1683, the Treaty of Warsaw, which formalized an alliance between Poland and the Holy Roman Empire, was dated March 31, rather than April 1 to avoid confusion. When Google rolled out its free gmail service on April 1, 2004, many people inquired whether it was a joke. Remember that earlier email services required a person to pay a fee to get an account. Another one? Back in 1998, Burger King advertised the sale of the Left-Handed Whopper, and people went to their stores and tried to order one. There is a feeling of lightness emerging now as more people are getting vaccinated and states are relaxing rules and we see a beginning of the end of the restrictions of the past year. As spirits lighten in response to these re-openings, humor will be more present and part of our recovery. The picture above is from one of my favorite new decks, The Elemental Wisdom Tarot from Taroteca Studios in Warsaw, Poland. The artists are Graciana Zielinska & Lukas Sienkiewicz. I always love hearing from you, so if you feel like sending me a note, calling or coming to see me, please do! Have a wonderful day! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Emerging from the Chrysalis

 

Emerging from the Chrysalis

This photo is what it looks like from the back porch or deck (whichever term you use) from the snow storm this weekend. It is beautiful to look at if you do not have to get out and go somewhere. In our usual Colorado tradition, it will stay above freezing and melt away this heavy wet snow and temperatures will be in the 50s this weekend. I am not going to try and drive anywhere until it melts off my car and roads are clearer. So this is perfect weather for Zoom calls for those of you who would like a session today and tomorrow. This coming weekend of course, we will be seeing people in person at the Body Mind Spirit Expo. A funny side note. It can be hard to recognize people when we are all wearing face masks, so if that happens, don't be upset. It adds a goofiness factor since I always remember faces faster than names. Do you feel kind of mellow from a weekend of letting the quiet blanket of snow kind of cuddle you inside your home? The only thing I wish I had here is a real wood burning fireplace. On another light note, with the decrease in covid cases and the increasing number of vaccinations, it looks like at least some lightening of restrictions will be coming and some of our other activities will be resuming by 4th of July. I am looking forward to all that. All this feels like it is bringing a lightening of our spirits this spring. Are you feeling it too? I always love hearing from you, so if you feel like sending me a note, calling or coming to see me, please do! Have a wonderful day! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sympathetic Vibrations, Sympathetic Magic

 The thing we most have noticed during this past year when so much was shut down is how much we really need human contact. Perhaps we did not notice it that plainly in the past because so much of our actions were on automatic pilot. We were used to getting together with people for dinners, or parties, concerts or sporting events just as the normal course of living, the same way as we would get up and go to work every morning.

So when most of those options were removed, we first were upset because we could not go places that we liked to go, but as time went on, what we recognized is that what we really missed was being close to other people. So now, as people are getting vaccines and the number of serious cases is in decline, we see movements toward re-opening and we are looking forward to resuming things we like to do with other people. I look forward to being able to go the Renaissance Fair again, Shakespeare Festival, concerts, ball games, dances, fireworks shows, and all those other wonderful things this summer. I enjoy the vibrations of those kinds of events.

Getting together with others is first on our list, then going to places and events is second. In other words, the lockdowns caused us to realize that socializing with other people is primary. We took it for granted in the past because we could. It is one thing to say that you can't go to a ball game or a concert tonight, but it is another to say you cannot go visit your family or your friends.

We also have become more aware of the vibrational and energetic realities of our actions. For example, many musicians have tried to keep their cash flow going by asking people to pay to watch performances on their computer. But the experience of being in the same room with musicians while they are playing opens up our senses in a whole different way when we feel the vibrations of the voices and instruments and we want to sing and dance along with them. These sympathetic vibrations give us another sense of aliveness, and this is not the same presence if we are watching on You Tube or Zoom.

Sympathetic vibrations are also what we feel when we are in a stadium, and suddenly thousands of people simultaneously are on their feet, cheering for their team and we hear the crack of the bat, the ball hitting the glove, while thousands of people are yelling and clapping. It is just not the same watching it on TV. You might have a great camera view, but there are not other people right next to you or around you who are responding.

It's the difference between watching a film of someone walking on the beach and swimming in the ocean. At best, it conjures up memories of how it felt to do that, but it is not like being there.

Sympathetic vibrations are also what we are feeling when we are in the same room with someone who is sharing a heartfelt conversation with us, laughing or crying, and being able to hug someone, sensing what they are trying to tell us because their breath is rapid and shallow, or slow and deep. It is the fragrance of the other person that we sense, the pitch of their voice, the blink of the eye, the connection we feel simply from being present.

How much is this part of our lives? Consider that the concept called Law of Attraction is all based on a principle called sympathetic magic. When we express gratitude for what we have received and what things are going well for us, we are signaling to spirit to align us with more of that vibration. Before Law of Attraction became a buzzword, everyone had heard of positive thinking. When we really like something and resonate with it, we are sending out a signal that we like this vibration and want more of it. Sympathetic vibrations are happening between us and the universe.

So this is a time when we have all become more aware of sympathetic vibrations and sympathetic magic.

During this time many of us have cleared things that we are no longer aligned with and made some new decisions about things that we want to align more closely with. When we are looking at activities, people and things and deciding what to do about them, notice how the sympathetic vibrations confirm for us our directions and choices. Tuning into these vibrations brings us more joy, peace and clarity.

Some vibrations are so powerful you can't miss them while others are more subtle and present themselves to us in quieter moments. As you raise your awareness of your vibrations, can you sense where your alignments are strongest, and where you might need to make adjustments?

There is a vibration in all of our connections and relationships, the music of the spheres, the music of life. Savor it.

I always love hearing from you, so if you feel like sending me a note, calling or coming to see me, please do!

Have a wonderful day!