2/29/2016 (Day 60) Happy Leap Day!

What is this whole Leap Year thing about anyhow?

http://foreverconscious.com/spiritual-significance-leap-day-february-29

"A Leap Year happens once every four years and was created back in 45BC by Julius Caesar as a way to balance out the inconsistencies in the calendar. Because the 29th of February only happens once every four years, many people believe that the day holds significant spiritual power. From a numerological stand point, 29 breaks down to 11 (2+9), which is known in many new age spiritual communities as being a number of awakening and spiritual enlightenment. Even though we have a 29 in every month, the 29th of February (2) is a rare combination of numbers and therefore a rare energy to experience. In numerology, 2 is the number of pursuing your soul purpose or mission. It carries with it a feminine energy that helps us to birth our creations and bring our ideas into the physical world. When 11 (29th) and 2 (February) come together, their energy forms to create a powerful time for love, healing and teaching. In fact, these numbers represent the arrival of the spiritual light messenger and it is likely that if we are open and aware, we may receive some guidance on our path moving forward."

"Many numerologist also believe that because the 29th of February is such a rare vibration, it causes a type of ripple effect within us. This ripple almost creates an opportunity for us to “leap” forward in this moment in time and play catch up in our own lives. A leap day allows us extra time to get things done and this creates a vibrational impact on the dimension of time in the Universe. Before the clock was invented, the ancients not only looked to the Sun and the stars for guidance, but they also viewed synchronistic events as the way the Universe communicated movements in time. These synchronistic events included seeing messages in nature, in the behaviour of animals, in the tides of the ocean and also in the wind."

"With this leap in time that is given to us this year in February, it is important to observe any synchronicities that occur and whether they can provide to you clues about your own path of awakening and purpose. This is especially important if you are trying to make sense of what energy February 29 has in store for you, as nature and the world around us are always a mirror to our own experiences. Walking though February 29 is almost like walking through a rare portal that is only accessible to us every four years."

Astrologically speaking this week, according to Star Sister Astrology:

"It doesn't get much more Piscean than a Sun-Neptune conjunction in the zodiac's final sign. Planets that are here take you as close to the Oneness as you can get in the realm of embodied reality. No planet is more potent here than Neptune -- this is the sign that he rules. Here, he speaks his own language."

"Neptune is easy to underestimate. He can never be directly captured in form, only evoked -- through color, sound, image, and mood. The heart's compassion, the soul's yearning, the felt sense of the ethereal and eternal -- these are the Mystic's footprints. Whenever he's in the room, edges soften and boundaries blur."

"We're the first humans since 1860 to be alive when Neptune is here, in his home sign, speaking his own language, walking through the part of your inner sky that belongs to him.

And to Twin Flames 11:11 has this to say: 

http://www.twinflames1111.com/blog/weekly-energy-update/29th-feb-6th-march/

"As the Sun in Pisces conjuncts powerful Neptune – the ruler of Pisces – this week, these soul connections and the metaphysical communication realms are wide open more than any other time.

"The Sun/Neptune “team” also oppose Jupiter, indicating that we’re being stirred and challenged by the higher realms right now – to remember above all, why we’re here. If you’ve been feeling unclear on your “mission” or your life’s direction lately, expect to get some clarity now."

"Saturn’s involvement indicates that finding your soul path might first involve cutting ties to what is OUT of alignment with you – in other words, you might find your way to your own self by first figuring out what has NOT been working."

"Old outworn identities, beliefs, ideas… Try taking an overview of your life from recent years and evaluate what makes your heart sing versus what drains you."

"These are heightened times for astral journeys, dream exploration, creativity. If you journal or create music or other art, expect to receive more direct input from your soul now. This can be a very intensely “spiritual time”. Take some time to center yourself and explore the expression of your inner self."   

It sounds like we've got some really exciting energies happening this week! I, for one and planning on making the most of them and look forward to seeing what they bring! Many blessings <3 

2/28/2016 (Day 59) The Green River

 Spring time. Green River

So many years by her side. 

She never gets old. 

~Amie

 I've enjoyed the tranquil beauty of the lovely Green River my entire life.

 I consider Her one of my greatest blessings. 

 As a child, I remember hiking down from Oak Courts with neighborhood kids and spending long summer days at the Greenfield Swimming Pool. Back then there was a low dive, a high dive and a slide that went straight into the water. It was a happening place where you were sure to see everyone you knew in town gathered all summer long. 

As a young adult, ''back in the day,'' when you could still get away with those kind of things, there were many nights spent on her banks drinking and partying and communing. It was a favored place to bring new lovers as I could feel the coursing her waters and it made my own blood quicken...I felt magical and alive and seductive by her side on those moonlit nights. 

As a young mother, living on Main Street, with no yard, it was a godsend that literally preserved my sanity on hot summer days when my daughter was little. We spent entire summers there...I would pack a cooler and join the other mothers who were there with their kids. We would spend all day there and often go home and come back after dinner for another swim and/or time at the playground.  

There were many wonderful days spent hiking along her banks, treading in and out of her shallow waters, further exploring her wonders. I remember one glorious day, with my friend Becca, where we found a patch of green clay, stipped off our clothes, covered ourselves in it, baked in the sun till it was dry and then rinsed it off in the current. We also did our best to leave our footprints in the clay at the bottom of the river and wondered if the would stay or not. And another time we set a pair of hamsters free in the roots of the trees along her bank (I sometimes wonder if there might be a population of wild hamsters, or half mouse half hamsters running around out there after that.

For the past several years,, since I moved back to Greenfield a place to go where I can get away from the world and just connect the beauty of Gaia as she soothes my mind and body. The bike path that runs along her banks is one of my favorite places to go. You can hear the sound of the traffic on I-91,  which is surprisingly soothing (it kind of sounds like the ocean). I was happy today to connect with Her after the long Winter and look forward to another year together <3 

Oh how I love you, my beautiful Green River <3

2/27/2016 (Day 58) Some Upcoming Energies...

I stumbled upon this video the other day and found it interesting. I like how she says, "each number is a fundamental, supernatural force in the Universe, a super power." And love the idea of the super power of March (a Universal 3 month) being spellcasting and find the idea of using this spellcasting to tell a new story and materialize experiences we want in our lives to be very intriguing. Why not use the 3 superpower of March and to write a new story telling the Universe what you want to create and see where it takes you??? What have you got to lose? 

Pam Gregory talks about our first Solar Eclipse of 2016, coming up on March 8/9. "A solar eclipse is like a super big new moon, a super big new beginning." There is LOTS going on! Go ahead, have a listen....

 

2/26/2016 (Day 57) Remembering My Mother's Hand in Mine

7 years ago this night, I sat at my mother's bedside as she lay dying in the hospital. I'd been there every night since she was brought in, a week prior and we knew it was, at long last, the end for her. She had fought an epic, decade long, battle...trapped in a failing body, each and every day, losing more of herself to the pain, hopelessness, and utter loss of dignity she'd endured for those 10 long years. We had both prayed, many times, for her to be freed from the prison her body had become, and so, while this was a very difficult thing to go through, it was also a profoundly beautiful and incredibly liberating experience as well. 

All but comfort measures had been stopped a few days prior and Mom was there in body only...we had all accepted the inevitable and were, quite frankly, just waiting for her body to stop functioning and die. I relished those last few nights, knowing that soon my precious mother would be gone forever. With the nighttime quiet of the hospital, closing in around us, after everyone else had left, it was just my mother and I, in the semi-darkness of her room, at the quiet end of the hall where I listened to her labored breathing, wondering if each breath might be her last. I sat in the reclining chair at her side and simply held her hand. By this time, there was little else to do, as she was mostly gone...lost to her internal process of allowing her body to stop functioning so she could take the final step into the Great Beyond. As I sat there, I held her hand in mine and I sought to memorize the feeling of it there, how the curves and valleys of our palms fit together, the weight and warmth of it...I studied it for hours as I passed in and out of slumber. When I close my eyes, I can go back to those moments and feel the warmth of my mother's hand in mine. I can feel the life coursing through her and hear her breathing, and this brings me great comfort. I am glad that I had the opportunity and time to cherish those final moments of my mother's life and to memorize the feel of her sweet hand in mine so as to have it to carry though the rest of my life without her. 

Recently, I came across something I wrote in January of 2007, near the end of my 7 years of taking care of my parents (I moved out in May of that year), my mother was, at the time, doing one of several stints of rehab she did over the course of that 7 years. She had somehow, through a series of medical incidents that resulted in her being hospitalized in Northampton, then discharged to an acute care facility in Springfield, ended up in a nursing home in Agawam (almost 50 miles away), where I visited her every week for...I can't remember how long she was stuck there, but it was much longer than we had hoped: 

My mother has been sick, and I have been caring for her for so long now, that somewhere along the way, I found it necessary to close myself off from the sadness that I feel in order to avoid being consumed by it. I manage to do this in many ways, not all of which, will I pretend, are healthy...but we do what we have to to get by. Every once in a while though, there is a crack in the armor that I have built around myself, and in a split second, all of the sadness, held so carefully at bay, comes pouring forth in a tidal wave that threatens to consume me with despair.

It was like that today, looking at my mother, who was once so strong...strong, just like me, and seeing her so sad and so defeated, so weary and so alone...oh, so very all alone. I was deeply saddened by the fact that I just don't have anymore to give to her...that no matter how much I love her and how badly I feel, I just don't have enough of myself left. And there is no one else, except my sister, who is just as weary as I, and often seems to take more from my mother than she gives. My heart breaks to see this woman, who spent her entire life doing for others, so utterly alone in her suffering. And even I, her eldest daughter, have let her down.

Leaving her alone there tonight broke my heart. As I walked to my car, the reality of it all seeped deeply into the cracks in my armor, and a flood so strong rushed forth that I was instantly swept away on a river of my tears...

Taking care of my parents (as well as my dying grandmother and a troubled teen), quite literally, cost me my sanity, health and well being. It was the most difficult 7 years of my life. But, what I have come to realize is, that no matter how difficult it was and how much it cost me, it taught me many invaluable lessons, most especially having to do with humility that I could not have learned any other way. It shaped me into a far more understanding and compassionate person than I was prior, showed me just how strong I really am, even when utterly broken, and enabled me to travel to the very depths of sadness and despair, proving to my Self that I could make it out the other side, and rebuild myself into a different, far better, person than I was prior to my journey through that darkness. 

I also learned, from my experience, that putting your own health and well being last, does you, and everyone else around you, a great disservice. It took coming to a place of complete and utter exhaustion and illness for me to finally claim my right to put my own health first and take care of me and my well being before worrying about everyone else's. It took me coming to a place of nearly complete and utter physical, mental and emotional breakdown to finally claim that right for myself. Walking away from taking care of my parents was one of the most difficult decisions I had ever had to make. Fortunately, my Gram, who had passed in 2003, came to me in Spirit and infomed me, in no uncertain terms, that I needed to take the opportunity to get my butt out of there and not feel one bit guilty about leaving and taking care of me. And, even in the afterlife, I don't have the courage to argue with my grandmother, so I did what she told me and left to begin my own process of healing. 

The point of writing this blog entry isn't to rehash the difficulties that were a part of that time or to garner pity for what we went through, but, to honor that time for what it was and to recall the poignantly painful beauty of what we faced. To share the memory of the feel of my mother's hand in mine, on this night, 7 years ago, and to feel the pulse of her life, as it was connected to mine. To give thanks to her, for ALL of the invaluable lessons she taught and continues to teach me in this lifetime. To give thanks for all that she enabled me to experience as a result of bringing me forth into this physical dimension of existence in which I am exploring myriad interesting and amazing experiences that are only possible for a Soul to experience here, in this physical realm. My Eternal Being is so grateful to this woman who brought me forth. This is an exciting time to be incarnate on the face of Gaia, and I am thankful to my dear mother, Kathleen, for enabling me to be here, now, as the person I have become. Thank you Mommy, I love you! 

2/25/2016 (Day 56) Dragonfly Magic

 Dragonfly magic

Iridescent wings dancing

Beholden the Light

~Amie 

2/24/2016 (Day 55) Powerful Energies

Be aware that we are currently experiencing some powerful energies. These may leave you feeling very tired as your DNA is being upgraded and your body is working overtime to try and allow the new energies to be integrated into your system. 

 https://tiffany934.wordpress.com/2016/02/24/energy-report-february-24th-2016/

2/23/2016 (Day 54) Building Castles...

 Castles of friendship.

They withstand the test of time. 

Even photo-shopped. 

~Amie

 I am thankful for having had the opportunity to support my dear friend Lindy today. 

2/22/2016 (Day 53) Happy Full Moon in Virgo

I hope you are all enjoying energies of this powerful Full Moon. Rather than try to ''reinvent the wheel'' and write about them, here are some links to pages that talk about the particular energies of this Virgo moon:

"With this full moon not only does anything go, but anything and everything is possible." 

"This full moon is all about the climax point of a story that began months, or possibly even years ago."

"One of the most important emotional aspects of this moon is that there is some big cumulating energy here that ties back to whatever was going on in September for each of us. It’s been six months of in-depth changes and a lot going on underneath a seemingly calm surface. Sometimes it’s been frustrating because it seems as if things haven’t been moving as fast as our egos would have liked. But, the thing that we have to remember is that even though things may look one way—the reality can be very different. This time we are being asked to open our eyes to what we’ve previously chosen to stay blind to. We are being asked if we just want to float along, or ride the hell out of whatever wave comes our way. Being the first full moon in the Chinese Year of the Fire Monkey, it’s no surprise that we are up for some serious game changing energy. Some full moons show us the light of truth and others help to shake us free some outdated routines and worn out patterns, but this moon is not just about changing the rules of the game, but the players too. Simply speaking, the rule for this full moon is that there aren’t any. Now, not only are we being shown where our heart lies, but we are being challenged to gamble everything for what we desire. It is the time when the heat gets turned up just a bit more and we have to decide exactly how this will all end. Yes, we are at the climax of our story." http://www.elephantjournal.com/2016/02/full-moon-in-virgo-the-climax-point-in-the-war-over-our-hearts/

"This is the final full moon of an eclipse phase which began in September 2015. The two weeks leading up to the new eclipse phase beginning on March 8 will therefore be a time of completion. Outstanding issues need to be put to bed so you can start a new journey with the lest amount of emotional baggage."

"The more loose ends that need tidying up, the greater the feeling and anxiety you will feel, as if leaving your homework until the last minute. Putting off things can lead to an escalation in conditions to a point of crisis as the March 8 solar eclipse approaches. "

"The major theme resulting from the combined effects of the September 2015 solar eclipse and lunar eclipse is the healing of a broken heart." https://tiffany934.wordpress.com/2016/02/18/full-moon-in-virgofebruary-22nd-2016/

“We are one life, all of us. What happens outside and around us occurs also within and through us. The notion that things happen to us and we must respond is a distorted reflection of being. Instead it is we who happen to life – in all our glory – creating the world as we go.

“We may feel great resistance to the message of this Moon, for she places vast responsibility at our feet which could feel like blame if we’re not careful.

“Her light illuminates our role in every moment of our lives: the creative power we bring to every breath and each event.

“She sees no victims, no fate, not a single moment of bad luck or good fortune, only ourselves as whirlwinds of light and dark, energy and entropy, action and reaction, movement and rest.

“She reminds us we are shaped from the very stuff of stars, formed from the building blocks of the universe, born of infinity and eternity, boundless presence and sacred source.

“She asks that we let go the tiny mind which traps us in me and you, good and bad, unlucky and favored, and the myriad ways we reduce the vast spectacle of infinitude into a manageable equation to quell our fear.

“This is a challenging Moon, but also a comforting one. Which face we encounter will depend largely upon our focus.

“If we allow our minds and hearts to be absorbed in thoughts and feelings of loss, regret, disappointment, recrimination or blame then we may struggle now, sensing that life is so far beyond our control that any effort to continue on is lost in the chaos of life out of balance.

“If, however, we open our hearts to the cooling rain or warming sun, the subtle movement of the seasons who, in following their own nature remind us how to follow ours, we will find support from Mother Earth herself. http://www.mysticmamma.com/full-moon-in-virgo-february-

And, from the lovely Tania Gabrielle: "Happy Virgo FULL MOON! This is an 11-22 code celebration where the full moon takes place on a 22 Day in an 11 Universal Month. Having both 11 and 22 "Master Numbers" activated at ONCE in Virgo and Pisces puts a major emphasis on manifesting and healing.

With Sun & Neptune in Pisces, and Moon & Jupiter in Virgo, ask yourself: "What is my abundance dream?" and begin to make it come true.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLIUby75Xf4&feature=youtu.be

2/21/2016 (Day 52) Full Virgo Moon

Full Moon in Virgo

Everything is possible

My Virgo Lover...

~Amie

Full Moon in Virgo 2/22/16 1:20 p.m. EST

2/20/2016 (Day 51) Coming of the Snow Moon

Warm Sun on my face.

How un-February like.

Here comes the Snow Moon! 

~Amie

2/19/16 (Day 50) I Am So Blessed....

Yesterday, my sweet little granddaughter came for an overnight with ''Miema." We had a such wonderful time (and I am exhausted...lol)! There is nothing like spending 24+ hours with a 2.4 year old to remind you to stay present and live in the moment. When this amazing little being came into my life, I began to see the world in a whole different light, and I cannot begin to express the amount of gratitude I have for having this precious little girl in my life!

(New Year's Eve 2014)

 If someone were to ask me to define a pivotal experience that enabled me to shift my thinking to predominantly positive, I would say, without a doubt, it was the birth of this little girl and becoming a grandmother (she just LIGHTS me up from the depths of my heart). I had been warned that I was going to love being a gram, but I had no idea just how much that would be true. I have been blessed to live near enough to be able to spend a great deal of time with Phoenyx. During her first year and half, I babysat her for 2-3 days a week and the sheer joy of having had the chance to be a part of her becoming aware of the world around her is one of the greatest blessings of my life. I especially loved showing her the flowers for the first time when they blossomed. And how she began to name things that I showed her...and how she anticipated the things we were going to see as we went on our walks. It was such a beautiful thing to be a part of, and, while I know I went through similar experiences as a mother, it was different as a grand. There isn't the stress of having to ''get it right" or "figure it out" or any of that. There is just sheer enjoyment of this amazing kid who fills my heart with more Love than I ever thought possible. I am so blessed....

Playing with Miema's crystals <3 

Such a JOYFUL little being! 

The very first flower I ever showed her <3

One of my most favorite moments of my entire life! 

4/28/14

In her mother's baby hat 4/17/14

 

2/18/2016 (Day 49) Exercising Gratitude

The thing about gratitude is, the more your grateful, the more you have to be grateful for. I know it might sound cliche, but it's true. This is due, not only to the workings of the Law of Attraction, which states that ''that which is like unto itself is drawn;" but also, due to the fact that once you begin to practice your thinking toward being grateful, you begin to notice more  things to be grateful for and once you begin to notice more things to be grateful for, it naturally causes you to attract more things into your life that are aligned with your frequency of gratitude. 

Gratitude is also an excellent mindfulness tool that can be used for training your thinking away from negativity in dealing with simple mundane matters and experiences. For instance, I had, pretty much, been been totally over all things winter since 2011; and every winter since, I was annoyed about having to deal with anything related to winter. This year, I decided to consciously use my gratitude practice as a means of coping with winter in order to keep myself from sinking into the ''winter blues'' and getting cranky and unmotivated.  I made the conscious decision to embrace winter and focus positively on it. I stopped resisting the cold...stopped thinking about it as something ''bad'' and bitching and complaining about it and just accepted it as something that IS...something I cannot change so might as well embrace (radical acceptance). In order to be able to ''embrace winter," I have had to be sure to dress warmly enough so that I am not physically uncomfortable (it's much more difficult to foster gratitude while physically suffering). And, in the past, one thing that has tended to annoy and make me cranky in the winter has been dealing with all the layers of clothes necessary to stay warm. An old mentor of mine used to say ''there's no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing," and as a result I learned to layer well and have accrued many wonderful warm layers over the year. So, this year, I decided, right away, that instead of bitching about layering up when I got annoyed by it, I would, instead, give thanks for all of my wonderful layers and how they each keep m warm. So, when I found myself wanting to get annoyed about putting on all of my layers, I simply stated how thankful I am to have such wonderful warm layers. And I find myself enjoying winter more and my overall frequency to be better as a result of this simple practice of gratitude. It really is as simple as choosing how to focus on what "is" in life that is key to maintaining happiness and positivity. 

Again, there is so much more I could say, but it is getting late and I am falling asleep at the keyboard. I am so thankful for my sleepiness and the warm cozy bed that awaits me now...lol. Goodnight, my friends...much Love and Light <3

2/17/16 (Day 48) I'm sorry...

I'm just too tired for this tonight. Sweet dreams and many blessings of Love and Light to one and all <3

2/16/2016 (Day 47) Desire...

Dance of Life 

Ah, the bitter sweetness

 of desire's fire, 

burning deep within. 

Stirring needs too vast to comprehend.

Assuring life continues evermore.

Wonderful yet dangerous,

Endless possibility, 

of creation and destruction. 

Of great Love and bitter hatred.

Or, perhaps, something in between.

Life force, so powerful,

both Gods and mortals, 

are helpless to resist.

When sap rises,

 and blood begins to stir, 

with promise of Spring in the air,

resistance is futile.

 Winter's cold fingers inspire

seeking of warmth, need to commune,

and be one with all of creation

as we come together in the 

Dance of Life. 

2/15/2016 (Day 46) A Day at the Beach...

Remembering a beautiful day,

 spent at the beach, on my 50th birthday...

Ahhhhh...the beach in the 4th of July!

Happy in my favorite place, about to be 50.

A perfect day...it was slightly overcast so the beach wasn't very crowded

 There were plenty of seagulls though :) 

In the water at 1:09 p.m...the official moment I turned 50 

The sky was magnificent

Sun descending...

Dancing Light....

I love it here!!! 

The colors were so magical in the setting sun...

I was feeling so blessed to be there. 

The beauty filled me with utter joy and immense gratitude

Beautiful end to a glorious day <3