Elen & Chariklo

More than halfway through the year, & most of my posts have been over on my Creation Station blog, as I've been 'painting up a storm!' That journey, following my own 'Soul's Curriculum' as I study & practice intentional art has brought much joy, & more than a dozen completed paintings! 

On Saturday, I participated in a day long painting retreat (at home) via Livestream with artist Shiloh Sophia McCloud Lewis, following her invitation to paint our own Black Madonna. Millie, an artist in our group, who lives in the British Isles, posted that she felt a connection between the Black madonna, Isis & Elen of the Ways .... hmm ... Elen? 

I asked Millie about Elen, & she wrote 'We have Brigid & others, but (Elen) is more easy to follow everyday, because she is us "of the way" our roads are her tracks. 
Think Lay Lines.  ...The Mother/ Grandmother of us all.' 

Caroline Wise - monograph 'Elen the Green Lady'
Elen Sentier - book 'Shaman's Path, Elen of the ways'
Sam Willow - blog the Antlered Road

Like my grandmother's name Vestella, Ellen is a family name - my daughter's. Pulled out of the hat by my husband, we agreed on Mary, had a couple of choices for her middle name; Ellen won. Ellen, Helen, Elenore all colme from the Greek root ēlē - light, torch, bright. When I mentioned Elen of the Pathways to my daughter, she commented maybe Elen lights the path, the way.

"Elen is elusive, ethereal, gossamer, yet in my research and experiences over the years, she has shown me glimpses of her quicksilver thread as she revealed herself in her various guises." - Caroline Wise

******

Another lady who came to my attention in a recent blog post - Chariklo, is also fascinating!  

Chariklo was discovered by James V. Scotti of the Spacewatch program on February 15, 1997, & is the largest confirmed centaur/planetoid of the outer solar system (orbiting close to Uranus). Chariklo is named after the nymph Chariclo (Χαρικλώ), the wife of Chiron and the daughter of Apollo. Last spring, astronomers discovered she has rings, like several of the planets! 
(#10199, to place her in your astrological chart)
 
One friend commented that Chariklo transformed from a Nymph or Naiad into a Centaur so that she & Chiron could wed .... the ultimate in transforming for a partner!  With an orbit of almost 63 years, she 'returned' to her home spot in my chart last year. Fascinating!! I have read quite a bit about Chiron, the wounded healer, & have two books ... I don't recall seeing any reference to his wife!! 

Naiad, by Henri Fantin-Latour

Her name means the 'Graceful spinner' - how lovely! 


Astrologer Zane Stein writes: "It is too soon to come up with keywords for Chariklo. But I am postulating one keyphrase: "question reality.' We need to plunge ahead and study her in charts to discover the validity of this, & find what other keywords might apply.
"Representing Chiron's wife in mythology.....will that be reflected in her actual astrological meanings? Just like Chiron, she acts as a link between Saturn and Uranus; how will her linkage differ from Chiron's? And she is the largest, brightest Centaur, more so than Chiron. What does this mean astrologically?"

Another astrologer, Phillip Sedgwick, says: "Chariklo heals by redefining the concept of boundaries, & forgiving inadvertant transcressions" (quoted in an article by Mark Andrew Holmes
    
"her qualities and themes include a particular capacity for silent witness and reflection which can be an essential part of healing. To ‘hold the space’, serve receptively the healing process on a practical level, to bear with, abide with, persist and endure. The patience of the Earth, radical acceptance, kindly awareness, trust, loyalty to the ways of spirit, the power of quiet courage. Interestingly, she was not born a centaur, but took this form when she fell in love with Chiron. Before, she had been a companion and devotee of the goddess Athena." - Melanie Reinhart, author of Chiron & the Healing Journey

In my natal chart, I find Chariklo conjunct Ceres, the nurturing mother, square my Sun. My work as a healer, & someone who nurtures through information, & nudges others to find their own path, their own healing seems to fit.

Oregon's own Demetra George writes: "The earliest literature of Homer alludes to the divine causation of disease as something sent by the gods as punishment for having failed to honor them. Cure of the disease involved consulting an oracle as to which god had been offended, pilgrimage to the cult site of that god, making offerings at his or her temple, and perhaps becoming initiated into the rites. The modern word therapy is derived from the Greek therapeia, which means “attendance upon the gods.”

Full Moon in Scorpio

Lovely full moon time again - with Mercury a wee bit retrograde, across the sky in Taurus.

This afternoon, the sun 'in the sky' will be trine my natal sun - about which, my favorite astrology site says: "you experience a time of balance and equilibrium in your life, when you can be yourself with the fewest obstacles from people or circumstances. Various affairs in your life will hum along very nicely now, and you may be tempted to think that they will always go this well. But in fact this is the time to firm up your affairs and make sure that they are strong enough to withstand troubles that may come later on."

The sun will be in my 8th house for several weeks: "You will have a strong desire to experience life on a feeling level, and this is just what you need. One very real possibility at this time is that an encounter with someone will produce the need for very searching psychological self-inquiry or will force very powerful changes in your life. This person may challenge your value structure, or there may be a powerful intermeshing of your personalities."

Years ago, one of my friends showed me the back of her chart, where another astrologer had marked these sun transits, when the sun 'in the sky' would enter each of the 12 houses of the natal chart (marked from the time of day you were born) & the emphasis of that month! I recall being intrigued at the time, & observing times this monthly overlay was particularly 'acurate.'

If you do know the time & place you were born, Astro is a fun site to peruse. You can calculate charts simply by entering the data (if you sign up, you can 'store' unlimited data at no charge; anyone can do a few charts) here's an overview of what they offer. Even without any knowledge of Astrology, you can use the 'astro click portrait' feature to click on lines & symbols of your (or someone else's) chart, & get a basic overview.

Of course it's more fun to have an actual reading with a real person!! But this is a good way to familiarize yourself with the lingo, & some of the basic information.

Things to look for: what elements are your planets in?? Esp Sun, Moon, & the Ascendent (horizon line - the left side) Where are Mercury (how you think/process info) Venus (female energy, often how the world 'sees' a woman, what kind of woman a man is attracted to) & Mars (male/active energy - how a man is viewed, & in a woman's chart - the kind of man she's attracted to). While I'm a Virgo, my Venus is in Leo, a more vibrant & 'center stage' energy. Folks are often surprised to find that I'm a Virg0, 'you're not like the other Virgos I know!'
Venus & Mercury travel close to the sun, so will be in the same sign, one ahead or one behind the sun - so this is actually a fairly common placement.
'High' manifestation of Leo energy (my Venus) is both the ability to be 'center stage' oneself, AND to encourage others to be comfortable in the limelight. (low side is to want to be there all the time oneself - combine that with being an only child; make sure you NOTICE me!! - esp when I was a kid! Now I more easily manifest 'high Leo' energy.
Each planet & sign has these 'high/low' offerings, the trick is to learn how to use the energy well.

The site has several tutorials, so you can learn a lot just poking around :)

Ooo, look to the right; I just added the current planet positions on the Vale's sidebar!! > > >

Enjoy the moon, your day, & tra la, tis almost MAY!!

Dance n Play - Joy Diet week 7

I love to dance - have I mentioned that before?? (tee hee!)

Now part of the 'story' Beck asks us to rethink - my mama, who loved to swing, run, skip, swim, PLAY, had polio when she was 9, back in 1921. Her grandma Laura, who lived here in the valley, decided she needed 'state of the art' care, & brought her over to live & receive treatment at the Shriner's Hospital. Unfortunatly, at that time, 'treatment' involved a number of surgeries on her hips, knees & ankles, so she walked with braces, then crutches throughout her life (till @ 85, when she began using a wheel chair!)
Plucky lady, who came back home & rode her pony to the top of near by Black Butte, when her gal friends hiked it, camped, did crafts, kept her own home, went to secretarial school so she had a job during the depression, etc. But she couldn't easily skip or swing . . . while a classmate who also had polio recovered more 'naturally' (no surgery) became the 'star' basketball player in their HS! She was never bitter, but did 'wonder' if she might also have walked with a slight limp, & been more 'normal' with the family's 'natural healing ability!'

. . . I took piano lessons, but not dance growing up, did a bit of waltzing around the living room with my dad when we watched Lawrence Welch - & never good at ball sports, I 'hated' PE, & didn't think of myself as enjoying exercise.

In my late 20s, I went to the 'adult exercise class' taught by a world class ballet teacher with my sister-in law, & tho not dressed for it (I was in jeans!) took the class - & LOVED it!
I soon began commuting (an hour each way) to take class a couple of times a week, my hubby & kids joined me (My daughter went on to take a Dance Minor in college) & within a few years, we were actually GOOD at this dance stuff!!

I began taking Tai Chi a few years later when studying massage, as my mentor felt it was a good way to incorporate good body mechanics into my work, & also something I could teach at some point.

Dance - belly dance, ballroom, ecstatic (free form), jazzercise, hula, & most recently square & round dance are all fun ways for me to exercise & always put a smile on my face. All 3 granddaughters will perform in our studio's anual 'Nutcracker' this year, with the older two having 'special' roles! The youngest prefers free form, but 'needs' her grounding in ballet (which she enjoys at times)

So my week of 'play' included:
Sat: 'Mom's group' (social) Ballet, Trick or Treating with the in-town grandkids on Main Street, & a Halloween party with my friends (172 kids!) - & two of my friends made 'gluten-free' desert - apple pear crisp, & pumpkin roll!
Sun: Playing harp for a Harvest Festival our church sponsored (which inc G F chili, cornbread, & a repeat of the apple pear crisp)
Mon: Square & Round Dance lessons at the Grange
Tue: West Coast Swing class (1st in a series, & my first time with this dance) & picking up my veggie 'share' from my CSA
Wed: [Worked' at the Playschool the 4 year old attends - so playing with a group of 16 kids & 4 other adults - I taught one of the moms to Hula Hoop (she hadn't for years - & it's hard for folks to 'get' that we need to use the bigger, heavier hoops!) Sister Circle (in town 'Women's spirituality book group')
Thur: Water Aerobics, Sister Circle 'two' (just beginning, as the other's 'full'), watching the granddaughters rehearse for Nutcracker, & dinner with both my kids & the girls (# 1 & only grandson was home with his mom) - & the 4 year old was disappointed we didn't get to the Ecstatic Dance . . . so invited me for a sleep over :)
Today: This AM I'm checking out that Water Arthritis Class that I may help teach (didin't last week with sick grandbaby) there's a concert tonight at a friends country venue, with friends driving

- This was a pretty 'normal' week for play - so as others have mentioned, I already play a lot!!

Last night the youngest granddaughter invited me to cuddle with her/spend the night, & I was restless. Having seen mention of Tarot readings available thru a friend blogger's Etsy shop, began brainstorming on "what could I do??" & thought of some Astrology 'bite size' sessions, info on cycles that I find helpful, & some of my friend call occ & say 'could you give me that 'Pattern of Response' list again??' Or "could you help me with the Year at a Glance? Or 'tell me again about Chiron' . . .
My former hubby read charts so well, & I loved reading the books, looking at the chart, sharing my own insights - & over the years have done some mini-readings. Sooo . . . stay tuned!