posted January 20, 2009 02:05 PM         

The Freedom of the Moon by Robert Frost
I've tried the new moon tilted in the air
Above a hazy tree-and-farmhouse cluster
As you might try a jewel in your hair.
I've tried it fine with little breadth of luster,
Alone, or in one ornament combining
With one first-water start almost shining.

I put it shining anywhere I please.
By walking slowly on some evening later,
I've pulled it from a crate of crooked trees,
And brought it over glossy water, greater,
And dropped it in, and seen the image wallow,
The color run, all sorts of wonder follow.

Moonlight slanting by Matsuo Basho
Moonlight slanting
through the bamboo grove;
a cuckoo crying

To the Moon by Giacomo Leopardi
Oh gracious moon, now as the year turns,
I remember how, heavy with sorrow,
I climbed this hill to gaze on you,
And then as now you hung above those trees
Illuminating all. But to my eyes
Your face seemed clouded, temulous
From the tears that rose beneath my lids,
So painful was my life: and is, my
Dearest moon; its tenor does not change.
And yet, memory and numbering the epochs
Of my grief is pleasing to me. How welcome
In that youthful time -when hope's span is long,
And memory short -is the remembrance even of
Past sad things whose pain endures.

The Moon Versus Us Ever Sleeping Together Again
by Richard Brautigan

posted January 20, 2009 05:51 PM         

Adding one if you don't mind..

~The Moon and the Yew tree~

"This is the light of the mind, cold and planetary.
The trees of the mind are black. The light is blue.
The grasses unload their griefs at my feet as if I were God,
Prickling my ankles and murmuring of their humility.

Fumy spiritious mists inhabit this place
Separated from my house by a row of headstones.

I simply cannot see where there is to get to.

The moon is no door. It is a face in its own right,
White as a knuckle and terribly upset.

It drags the sea after it like a dark crime; it is quiet
With the O-gape of complete despair. I live here.

Twice on Sunday, the bells startle the sky -
Eight great tongues affirming the Resurrection.
At the end, they soberly bong out their names.

The yew tree points up. It has a Gothic shape.

The eyes lift after it and find the moon.

The moon is my mother. She is not sweet like Mary.

Her blue garments unloose small bats and owls.

How I would like to believe in tenderness -

The face of the effigy, gentled by candles,
Bending, on me in particular, its mild eyes.

I have fallen a long way. Clouds are flowering

Blue and mystical over the face of the stars.

Inside the church, the saints will be all blue,

Floating on their delicate feet over cold pews,

Their hands and faces stiff with holiness.
The moon sees nothing of this. She is bald and wild.
And the message of the yew tree is blackness - blackness and silence."

posted January 20, 2009 06:25 PM         

Blessed be this place,
More blessed still this tower;
A bloody, arrogant power
Rose out of the race
Uttering, mastering it,
Rose like these walls from these
Storm-beaten cottages --
In mockery I have set
A powerful emblem up,
And sing it rhyme upon rhyme
In mockery of a time
HaIf dead at the top.

Alexandria's was a beacon tower, and Babylon's
An image of the moving heavens, a log-book of the sun's journey and the moon's;
And Shelley had his towers, thought's crowned powers he called them once.
I declare this tower is my symbol; I declare
This winding, gyring, spiring treadmill of a stair is my ancestral stair;
That Goldsmith and the Dean, Berkeley and Burke have travelled there.

Swift beating on his breast in sibylline frenzy blind
Because the heart in his blood-sodden breast had dragged him down into mankind,
Goldsmith deliberately sipping at the honey-pot of his mind,
And haughtier-headed Burke that proved the State a tree,
That this unconquerable labyrinth of the birds, century after century,
Cast but dead leaves to mathematical equality;
And God-appointed Berkeley that proved all things a dream,
That this pragmatical, preposterous pig of a world, its farrow that so solid seem,
Must vanish on the instant if the mind but change its theme;
i{Saeva Indignatio} and the labourer's hire,
The strength that gives our blood and state magnanimity of its own desire;
Everything that is not God consumed with intellectual fire.

The purity of the unclouded moon
Has flung its atrowy shaft upon the floor.
Seven centuries have passed and it is pure,
The blood of innocence has left no stain.
There, on blood-saturated ground, have stood
Soldier, assassin, executioner.
Whether for daily pittance or in blind fear
Or out of abstract hatred, and shed blood,
But could not cast a single jet thereon.
Odour of blood on the ancestral stair!
And we that have shed none must gather there
And clamour in drunken frenzy for the moon.

Upon the dusty, glittering windows cling,
And seem to cling upon the moonlit skies,
Tortoiseshell butterflies, peacock butterflies,
A couple of night-moths are on the wing.
Is every modern nation like the tower,
Half dead at the top? No matter what I said,
For wisdom is the property of the dead,
A something incompatible with life; and power,
Like everything that has the stain of blood,
A property of the living; but no stain
Can come upon the visage of the moon
When it has looked in glory from a cloud.

posted January 20, 2009 06:43 PM         

When the moon blooms
Like a flower in the night
Petals of Heaven-born silver light
Its seeds ride the wind
To the souls of men
So silently

There is a fanfare
In the changing wind
For those who will listen
Beginning to end
And the nightingale pleads
For the well-tuned ears
Of every man
Oh the sun shines

Like a torch at sea
Author of all
For the eyes that see
Blind eyes know it only as a mystery

When the moon blooms
Like a flower in the night
Petals of Heaven-born silver light
Its seeds ride the wind
To the souls of men
So silently

by Mark Heard

posted January 20, 2009 07:03 PM         

Legend has it ~ back in the late 1800's ~ they would have elaborate "Lawn Parties" to watch the Night Blooming Cereus bloom. They would stay up all night and enjoy this rare and spectacular site until Dawn. Of course, there would be tons of food and probably lots of wine. They really didn't need too much wine ~ the sweet fragrance is so strong ~ it makes your head swim. Somebody should really try and bottle this stuff ~ it would make quite an exotic perfume.

We had a HUGE "crop" of Night Blooming Cereus bloom in our front yard last night. I don't think we've ever had that many bloom all at one time. These exquisite flowers are also known as the "Queen of the Night" and each flower blooms one time for just one night. They begin blooming around 8:00 pm, then by midnight they are in full bloom ~ however, by morning (daybreak) they close back up. I guess that's part of the intriguing aspect pertaining to this Flower ~ the bloom only lasts about 12 hours.
http://bunnychicboutique.blogspot.com/2008/06/night-blooming-cereus-and-pure.html

posted January 20, 2009 07:56 PM         

quote:

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"Saturn and Uranus hook up twice in 2009, on Feb 5 and Sept 15, 2009. February 5 is an especially featured date due to the fact that it is highly charged by both the Solar Eclipse Jan 25 and the Lunar Eclipse on Feb 9. Also note that the Chinese New Year of the Ox begins on the New Moon/Solar Eclipse, Jan 25, suggesting a year of plowing through obstacles, step at a time. Donning the yoke as the year starts, Saturn, has just turned retrograde. Saturn’s influence will intensify the need to roll-up-the-sleeves and get-down-to-business in no uncertain terms. (Saturn retrograde cycle: Dec 31 2008 through May 16, 2009.)

Financial astrologers have been watching the Jan 25 Eclipse with apprehension as the influence of Venus in opposition to Saturn suggests a darkening financial forecast. Complaints, constraints, and shortfalls are typical of Venus/Saturn oppositions. (Denial and rejection are common too.) Hopefully Stephen Harper will surprise us with pro-active solutions for his Jan 27 budget, but no matter what, he can expect harsh criticism. No solution will be without a penalty or price to pay. With Mercury in retrograde at the time (Jan 11 - 31), obviously we Canadians will see a reworked budget, but the question remains to be seen - just how flawed will it be? When Mercury is retrograde, mistakes are more easily made, misguided-ness and misunderstandings are more commonplace too.

Watch for talk plus action, hard-hitting Mercury and Mars to refuel and inflame on/around Jan 27. We are likely to witness a striking intensification of initiatives, feuds, aggression, and anger. (A labor strike or harsh weather too could happen too.) This Mercury and Mars firecracker combo suggests a cut-off point, an abrupt new direction, and/or a break from previous status quos. Politics aside, note that intensification of stars at the end of January suggests we will all be veering off in a new direction, perhaps quite suddenly.

Commonly we have four Eclipses in a year, sometimes five. This year we will have six! The last time this happened was in 2000. Adding even more of an adrenaline kick to the Saturn/Uranus backdrop, when Eclipses occur, they move us a lot faster along, often times surprising so. If you were born on or around the following eclipse dates: Jan 26 or July 21 (Solar Eclipse dates), or Feb 9, July 7, July 21, Aug 5, and Dec 31 (Lunar Eclipses dates), then know that 2009 delivers your date with destiny!

Solar Eclipses are event catalysts and bring significant beginnings or endings, and the entrance or exit of people of note. Lunar Eclipses ignite emotional, nurturance, or security needs. They can deliver sudden relationship changes, or affect our personal lives in some other striking way. Eclipses are most influential when they make direct contact to your natal chart.

Next, note that growth planet Jupiter advances into Aquarius on January 5. Positively, Jupiter in Aquarius can bring people together for common cause. This planet correlates to: idealism, hope, group consciousness, group endeavors, focus groups, new alliances, humanitarianism, innovation, modernization, invention, heightened standards of excellence, increased notoriety or public exposure, inspiring leadership and outstanding achievements. On the flipside, we see the wild, uncontrolled, rampant, eruptive, disruptive, off the wall, hysteria, or out of control. So too, we can witness a refueling of the politically or socially ambitious and the widening of social divides; of radicals, revolutionaries, religious zealots, deviants, despots, violence, and terrorism. Weather extremes can become even more commonplace.

Positively, Jupiter in Aquarius opens minds and hearts to exploring much more than we have previously been willing to consider. Considering this critical juncture along the collective timeline, it seems we have no choice but to risk it all on a better future.

Mercury, in retrograde motion January 11 to January 31 can keep the guesswork lively, the wheels spinning, the emotions raw, and the economic and political climates jittery. Remember that Mercury retrograde is best used for a rehash, review, research, or second try. Expect to be in rapid motion once the Lunar Eclipse flicks the big switch. Feb 9 through 19 are intense, exciting, challenging, extreme, think on your feet, opportunity-waits-for-no-one dates.

Just a few weeks after Mercury retrograde (Astrology’s Murphy’s Law) completes, Venus turns retrograde, (Mar 6 through April 17). This is a much less frequent planetary occurrence and its influence is important to note. Call it a personal re-group cycle. During Venus retrograde cycles we tend to pull away from our circumstantial reality - or conversely, life pulls away from us. We grow more aware of our personal needs which in turn can make us feel more isolated. Our inner compression causes awareness of the growing distance from those we love or need. Often we find it is better to go independent or pull the plug rather than to participate in partnerships or relationships that are not delivering the goods. Re relationships or financial matters (Venus rules both), Jan 22 through May 21 is a key time to decide what you want and how you are going to play it next. Note that Venus dips back into Pisces April 11 - 23 and then returns to Aries through June 6. For those who have done the appropriate work through this cycle, Venus direct, (April 17 onward) can bring a pinnacle point of realizing your ultimate potentials - in love or re financial matters. For those who have been off track, the second half of April can be a time of sweeping away and starting over from scratch.

Note that Jupiter, Neptune and Chiron are conjunct within a few degrees mid April through July suggesting another key time for transitioning, letting go/dissolving, migrating or relocating, and also for opening up to new potentials, new love, socialized purpose, and embarking upon the maverick, healer, or shaman’s path. Re the collective application, it can be a time of dissolutions and major losses. Conversely it is also a key time of formulating major new alliances, of coming together for common purpose, and for an exceptional outpouring of humanity. Note a sense of elitism, righteous, and “holy mission” can ignite in the extreme too; we could see the glorification of some and the denigrating or isolating of others.

Extraordinary people capture our attention, whether they are a “soul mate”, politicians or leaders with a mission, or a spiritual master with a timely message.

August 21, the nodal axis moves from the Leo/Aquarius axis to Cancer/Capricorn. The nodal axis sets the stage for the next 18 month rebuilding/refortification cycle. This polarity can bring added fear and insecurity, but it can also see fertile new seeds planted, re our personal lives (home, family, career) and also in the large context of social, economic and political arenas. Financial astrologers note that when the transiting nodal axis is in Cancer/Capricorn, real estate prices traditionally decline."

---

posted January 23, 2009 07:30 PM         

I'm feeling super tired, but that often happens with the last few days before the new moon; everything is winding down.

posted January 25, 2009 11:58 AM         

Moonlight
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

As a pale phantom with a lamp
Ascends some ruined haunted stair,
So glides the moon along the damp
Mysterious chambers of the air.

Now hidden in cloud, and now revealed,
As if this phantom, full of pain,
Were by the crumbling walls concealed,
And at the windows seen again.

Until at last, serene and proud
In all the splendour of her light,
She walks the terraces of cloud,
Supreme as Empress of the Night.

I look, but recognize no more
Objects familiar to my view;
The very pathway to my door
Is an enchanted avenue.

All things are changed. One mass of shade,
The elm-trees drop their curtains down;
By palace, park, and colonnade
I walk as in a foreign town.

The very ground beneath my feet
Is clothed with a diviner air;
White marble paves the silent street
And glimmers in the empty square.

Illusion! Underneath there lies
The common life of everyday;
Only the spirit glorifies
With its own tints the sober grey.

posted January 26, 2009 01:30 AM         

Great time for new beginnings.

posted January 26, 2009 08:05 AM         

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What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world is immortal"~