Imbolc & Count Down

Imbolc is one of my favorite 'cross quarter' holidays, (the ones between Solstices & Equinox) : the time the goddess washes her face, & is renewed!
Fiona Morgan, writing in the We'moon calendar says: "A pure new light sparks as we emerge from winter's dark sleep. . . We recharge our psychic batteries as the entire universe begins to quiver & pulse its cosmic rhythm. Earthlings feel Her intensity acutely as the Wheel shifts in these troubled times."

I often play harp, light candles & incense to honor this cross quarter (tho astrologically, the halfway point is closer to the 6th or 7th)

Last Thur, I 'attended' my friend Gwynne's 10K Feng Shui confrence call on preparing for the upcoming year of the Golden Tiger last week, & am working on her suggestion of getting as much clutter cleared, & systems (filing, bills caught up, etc) in order over the next few days!

Gwynne shares many lovely suggestions & a wealth of information on her website & blog, & offers 'case history' suggestions, like this one for a Home Office makeover! The conference call was inspiring - Gwynne always is! [We were 'sisters' at Breitenbush in the early 90s, & share a birthday (tho I'm a Tiger, & she a Rabbit) - I always have admired her integrity & her ability to hold space.]

It was frustrating to need to wait to begin the clear out, as I watched my grandkids from Thur - Sun (& all 4 overnight Sat - which is actually easier, as they entertain each other!) at my daughter's home, while she was off on an anniversary trip to Las Vegas!! & tho I live just next door, I needed to put 'my' projects on hold.

I intend to make a soul-collage card soon, "I am the one who delights in her warm & welcoming home! I am the one who entertains with ease & grace, I am the one who has streamlined her life & surroundings, to flow graciously & gracefully."

• I've been working on my first of the month bills (& Gwynne suggests pre-paying any you can, & going into the year as 'debt free' as possible)

• Cleaning off the front porch (the Fly lady 'mission' for Tue - this week's focus is on the entrance & dining room - great, since I've been planning to move my sewing project & 'Sally' (Singer) upstairs, & reclaim the dining room table.
  
• Following my 24 hour dish rule - not let dishes sit around more than 24 hours before washing up! At my daughter's Ihad the kids load the dishwasher after meals, & ran it several times over the 4 days they were gone. I have a dishwasher, but as a single person, rarely use it!
• Getting behind the L room couch & restoring order
• Sorting through my closet & piles (& piles) of clothes, earmarking some for a couple of jumble sales planned this spring, taking others to the thrift shops.
  
• Getting & hanging/placing some new art - am replacing my dad's photo of Mt Jefferson from the Head of the Metolious River with a waterfall photo in the prosperity corner of my upstairs bedroom. My dad took SO MANY photos of Mt Jeff & the Metolious, one of his favorite places - when I found the nicely framed waterfall @ Goodwill, & noticed it had a PDX photographer's stamp on the back, 'guessed' that it was the falls at Oneonta Gorge on the Columbia River, a place my dad & I hiked into when I was a teen! So another place he enjoyed, off the beaten path!
  
• Kitchen counters & floor! FInd them :)
  

I'm enjoying the focus of this project - I've been working on clearing clutter for awhile - with greater & lesser success, lol; it feels good to be at it again!

What are you up to this Imbolc & eve of the Year of the Tiger