FAF: Mercury Retrograde

Let us speak for a moment about Mercury Retrograde, shall we? Mercury went into retrograde on Wednesday, 26 June 2013. What does that mean? Rather than totally type it all out again, I refer you to John Marani's first post on the topic back in 2011. Suffice it to say, all kinds of communication goes sideways. Things do not happen as planned. People get screwed. Electronics die. It blows.

My brother John eloquently described Mercury Retrograde and its fuckery thus far, or at least how it has impacted him, J Sunny, and their beautiful Momo.

Allow me to share some of my joyful experiences. First, let me say that I was born with Mercury in retrograde in my natal chart. This means, typically, that I am not quite as impacted by the hell that is Mercury in retrograde. Typically.

Let me be clear. Mercury rules the sign of Gemini (my sign). I have the utmost respect and affection for Mercury. He can kick some serious ass when He goes into retrograde. You can't *not* respect that. Day one of Mercury Retrograde was not pretty. It was especially not pretty because I spent it at work, where we do nothing but communicate all. freaking. day. Half the staff couldn't access Outlook, which isn't good because we do a lot of coordinating with outside treatment providers via email. Phone calls got disconnected, group was chaotic, and staff ran around like chickens with our heads cut off as we tried to figure out WHAT THE FUCK was going on.

First we're scrambling to get a refill of a medication. We ask the treating psychiatrist to fax prescriptions to the pharmacy. Excellent, got that done. The pharmacy calls to get the insurance info. Fantastic, check that off. Then the client comes and says that she doesn't want the medication filled at our pharmacy, because she doesn't like the medication that comes from our pharmacy, because it doesn't work.

I'm sorry, say what now?

Yes, we actually had to call and have the refills cancelled. Then we had to call the psychiatrist back and explain the situation, so that the psychiatrist could call the refills in to the client's preferred pharmacy. That was like an hour of telephone tag and voice mails and cursing at the sound of the call being dropped.

Day one, people. Day one.

::headdesk::

Writing Wednesday: Moon

moon

silvery white
      spilling over
grass
trees
blanket on the lawn

air fresh
       sweetened by earlier rain
tugs the few loose curls
dances over the skin
       light
       feathery

maiden moon
        quartered
        glowing

reigning over
          songs and revelry

Free for All Friday: Birthdays, Sabbats, and more

Blessed Litha to you all! May this longest day illuminate the important things in your life and help you see where changes must occur.

So, as I mentioned in Wednesday's Writing post, it was also my birthday. YAY!

However, being the do-what-I-want-for-the-most-part kind of person I am, I have been celebrating more or less all week. Yup, a week long birthday celebration. Gotta love it.

Tuesday was the awesome Melissa Etheridge concert.

Wednesday was my actual birthday; I had lunch at the Cheesecake Factory and then enjoyed the Litha Ritual at 13 Magickal Moons.

Yesterday, I got to hang out with my sister, Riz, for a good chunk of the afternoon and then I had dinner with my mom at Travinia. That was a very yummy place.

Today, I am chillaxin' because it's Litha. I am enjoying the Lord's day and the sunshine and blue skies.

Tomorrow, friends are coming over for food and festivities to celebrate my birthday.

Not bad, I know!

All in all, 32 is looking to be a great year!

Writing Wednesday: 4th Street Feeling

Today is my birthday!!! Last night, I went to Wolf Trap to see the always amazing Melissa Etheridge on concert. It was spectacular and I had a blast, but it definitely inspired some poetry. So here's a little taste of last night for you, titled after the song that inspired it.

4th Street Feeling
pulsing
dancing
feeling
   the vibrations

in the ground
in the air
in my body

the thump
       resonating in
             my soul

the night sky
       open and wide
above my head

...eyes closed, head back
the sweet smell of summer….

sprawled on the blanket
     forgotten glass of wine
            to my right

eyes closed
    swaying

lost in the music

Mental Health Monday: Expressive Therapies

Today I want to talk about expressive therapies.

Some examples of expressive therapies are art therapy, music therapy, dance therapy, and sand tray. However, pretty much any expressive activity can be used  - by a trained professional - in a therapeutic manner.

Art therapy can take the form of drawing, painting, creating collages, and working with clay. A subset might be arts and crafts (beading, knitting, painting bird houses, coloring pages, etc). Now, I'm not going to look at someone's drawing and say, "Oh, you used red, which symbolizes ______, so you must be feeling ______." Instead, I'd ask about the colors a person used and what they mean to the person. The whole point is for the person to get something out in a way that doesn't necessarily involve a lot of words.

Music therapy can be a lot of fun. I've done groups where we listen to a song and then talk about how it made people feel and what it brought up for them. 

Pretty much the only limit is a therapist's imagination. See? Therapy isn't necessarily all talking!

Free for All Friday: Vanity

During the A to Z Challenge, I shared with you all my feelings about jewelry.

Mostly I think I expressed my affection for shiny things. Which is totally true, because I am almost as bad as a racoon or a magpie. Ooooh shiny. (An expression I loved in Firefly, by the way).

In order to really grasp the extent of my jewerly addiction and how vain I am, allow me to paint you a picture.

It's a nice, quiet evening at home. You've had your dinner, you've brushed your teeth. Tomorrow you return to work. Most people have a "night before work" routine - packing lunch, picking out clothes, grabbing a book for the commute. My mother, for example, still irons her clothes as part of her routine. Then she does something critical - she picks the jewelry that will go with her outfit.

Being me, I must be contrary. I pick my jewelry first. That's right, I go pawing through my drawers of jewelry until I find a set that I have decided MUST BE WORN. MUST, I tell you. Now that I've found THE SET for the next day, I start shoving hangers around in my closet until I find something that will work with it. Assbackwards, but it's my method. Besides, it ensures that I look fabulous(!) and it shows my excellent taste in bling.

What's your routine? 

Writing Wednesday: Homonyms

Let's have a chat about homonyms, shall we?

According to Merriam-Webster, a homonym is:
          1

                a : homophone [1: one of two or more words pronounced alike

                      but different in meaning or derivation or spelling (as the words to,

                      too, and two); 2: a character or group of characters pronounced the

                      same as another character or group]

                b : homograph [one of two or more words spelled alike but different in

                      meaning or derivation or pronunciation (as the bow of a ship, a bow

                      and arrow)]

                c : one of two or more words spelled and pronounced alike

                      but different in meaning (as the noun quail and the verb quail)

          2

                   : namesake [one that has the same name as another; especially : one who

                     is named after another or for whom another is named]

           3

                   : a taxonomic designation rejected as invalid because the identical

                     term has been used to designate another group of the same rank —

                     compare synonym

Allow us to focus on that first definition for a moment. Most people tend to struggle with the homophones, like:

            - bald vs balled vs bawled                                        - its vs it's

            - to vs two vs too                                                      - your vs you're

            - there vs their vs they're                                         - peak vs peek vs pique

There are all kinds of lists out there on the internet, people. Find them. Bookmark them. They are your friend. Love them. They will save you. They will also save your editor from smashing his/her head into his/her desk repeatedly out of frustration.

Magickal Monday: The Broom Closet

So, Friday I talked about an interaction I had with someone whose response to my openness about being a witch was, well, less than stellar.

I genuinely do not expect everyone I meet to agree with me or like my path. I do believe, however, that they should respect that it's my choice, MY path. Sometimes they find out because they ask. I feel like you shouldn't ask the question if you may not like the answer, because I have better things to do with my time than be bombarded with someone else's negativity over disagreeing with my spiritual path. At the same time, I recognize that a lot of those gut, negative reactions are a product of a media that's portrayed witchcraft and witches with a lot of misconceptions (hello, The Witches, for starters. Which I loved, but that's besides the point.) So, this could be my opportunity to provide some education and clear up some of those... misunderstandings. Like, I really don't eat babies.

Too gristly and not enough flavor.

All joking aside, I am proud to be out of the broom closet.

The only place I am not out is work, whichis a function more of the psychotic processes of some of the clients than anything else. Sometimes it's just easier to change the topic than try to battle an entrenched delusional system. Just saying.

My path works for me. I don't ask you to walk it with me, but I do ask that you respect that it's my choice to walk it. Whatever path you are walking, if it's working for you, that's awesome! If it's not, I hope you find what you're seeking. We all deserve to find the path that brings us peace and contentment, that fulfills us.

Coming out of the broom closet is a big decision. Before taking the leap, take a look at your motivations for sharing. If it's about getting the annoying person to leave you alone or about the shock value, reconsider your choice. Those situations don't usually end well... On the other hand, if you have friends or family who are supportive or at least open to having a dialogue, fantastic! Be honest, but don't bash other religions as you're sharing why this path is right for you.

Some folks never really leave the closet. This is true for more reasons than I can list here, but the bottom line is that it's a personal decision that shouldn't be made lightly.

Bright blessings!