Musings From The Trail
The ancient Goddess of Justice is weeping over the Bill Cosby case.
She reminds us that a legal system created and controlled by the patriarchy is not capable of dispensing JUSTiCE for all.
The rage of women is palpable in the air. The only question is… what will women decide to do with their rage?
This fiery full moon is is amplified by a total lunar eclipse. The next few days will be positively pulsating with the energies of transformation and expansion.
With change comes chaos. How best to handle all this wild, chaotic energy? Lena Stevens from the Power Path offers this advice:
“It can be as uncomfortable as growing pains but if you stay present
and focused on improvement, the rewards are phenomenal.
Many indigenous peoples see this time as an anchor
for the future, the beginning of a new cycle.
What do you want? What do you need?
What is showing up for you?“
~Lena Stevens
🌙
Focus on what you want to improve and change. But never stop expressing gratitude for the good things that are already present in your life. Dance with gratitude for what is, as you turn toward your heart’s desires.
Image: Lunar Eclipse
Wikimedia Commons
New moon, Venus, Mercury, Chiron, Eris and our Sun are all hanging out in Aries, the sign of the fiery spiritual warrior. Whew! This new moon time is positively pulsating with the energy of change and transformation.
What do you wish to transform?
What is yearning to be born from you?
What needs to drop away?
How can you love yourself and your world even more?
Hold these questions lightly for a few days, and see what arises. There are no perfect answers. Allow your intuition to burn through the BS and uncover what’s true for you now.
🌙
#intention
#dream
#question
#transform
Blessed are you
who bear the light
in unbearable times,
who testify
to its endurance
amid the unendurable,
who bear witness
to its persistence
when everything seems
in shadow
and grief.
Blessed are you
in whom
the light lives,
in whom
the brightness blazes –
your heart
a chapel,
an altar where
in the deepest night
can be seen
the fire that
shines forth in you
in unaccountable faith,
in stubborn hope,
in love that illumines
every broken thing
it finds.
~ Jan Richardson
♾
Image: Tree Sculpture by Debra Bernier
The moon goes full in fiery Leo the lion today. Asteroid Chiron, the wounded healer, is also in a fire sign (Aries) heating things up. Meanwhile Mercury, Jupiter and Saturn are sitting with the Sun in airy Aquarius fanning the flames. Plus, a big solar wind is blasting Earth this week. To say that the energies may be a bit wild is an understatement. INTENSE is the word that comes to mind.
Like a hungry lion, this fired up energy is big and unpredictable and INTENSE.
The trick is to contain and channel all this fiery, passionate, INTENSE energy in the right direction. Try not to flail around in twelve different directions. You don’t have to do it all today.
Slow down. Get in touch with your physical body. Find ground. Then choose just one small action you can take that’s headed in the direction of your dreams. Do that.
“Be a lady they said. Your skirt is too short. Your shirt is too low. Your pants are too tight. Don’t show so much skin. Don’t show your thighs. Don’t show your breasts. Don’t show your midriff. Don’t show your cleavage. Don’t show your underwear. Don’t show your shoulders. Cover up. Leave something to the imagination. Dress modestly. Don’t be a temptress. Men can’t control themselves.
Men have needs. You look frumpy. Loosen up. Show some skin. Look sexy. Look hot. Don’t be so provocative. You’re asking for it. Wear black. Wear heels. You’re too dressed up. You’re too dressed down. Don’t wear those sweatpants; you look like you’ve let yourself go.
Be a lady they said. Don’t be too fat. Don’t be too thin. Don’t be too large. Don’t be too small. Eat up. Slim down. Stop eating so much. Don’t eat too fast. Order a salad. Don’t eat carbs. Skip dessert. You need to lose weight. Fit into that dress. Go on a diet. Watch what you eat. Eat celery. Chew gum. Drink lots of water. You have to fit into those jeans. God, you look like a skeleton. Why don’t you just eat? You look emaciated. You look sick. Eat a burger. Men like women with some meat on their bones. Be small. Be light. Be little. Be petite. Be feminine. Be a size zero. Be a double zero. Be nothing. Be less than nothing.
Be a lady they said. Remove your body hair. Shave your legs. Shave your armpits. Shave your bikini line. Wax your face. Wax your arms. Wax your eyebrows. Get rid of your mustache. Bleach this. Bleach that. Lighten your skin. Tan your skin. Eradicate your scars. Cover your stretch marks. Tighten your abs. Plump your lips. Botox your wrinkles. Lift your face. Tuck your tummy. Thin your thighs. Tone your calves. Perk up your boobs. Look natural. Be yourself. Be genuine. Be confident. You’re trying too hard. You look overdone. Men don’t like girls who try too hard.
Be a lady they said. Wear makeup. Prime your face. Conceal your blemishes. Contour your nose. Highlight your cheekbones. Line your lids. Fill in your brows. Lengthen your lashes. Color your lips. Powder, blush, bronze, highlight. Your hair is too short. Your hair is too long. Your ends are split. Highlight your hair. Your roots are showing. Dye your hair. Not blue, that looks unnatural. You’re going grey. You look so old. Look young. Look youthful. Look ageless. Don’t get old. Women don’t get old. Old is ugly. Men don’t like ugly.
Be a lady they said. Save yourself. Be pure. Be virginal. Don’t talk about sex. Don’t flirt. Don’t be a skank. Don’t be a whore. Don’t sleep around. Don’t lose your dignity. Don’t have sex with too many men. Don’t give yourself away. Men don’t like sluts. Don’t be a prude. Don’t be so up tight. Have a little fun. Smile more. Pleasure men. Be experienced. Be sexual. Be innocent. Be dirty. Be virginal. Be sexy. Be the cool girl. Don’t be like the other girls.
Be a lady they said. Don’t talk too loud. Don’t talk too much. Don’t take up space. Don’t sit like that. Don’t stand like that. Don’t be intimidating. Why are you so miserable? Don’t be a bitch. Don’t be so bossy. Don’t be assertive. Don’t overact. Don’t be so emotional. Don’t cry. Don’t yell. Don’t swear. Be passive. Be obedient. Endure the pain. Be pleasing. Don’t complain. Let him down easy. Boost his ego. Make him fall for you. Men want what they can’t have. Don’t give yourself away. Make him work for it. Men love the chase. Fold his clothes. Cook his dinner. Keep him happy. That’s a woman’s job. You’ll make a good wife some day. Take his last name. You hyphenated your name? Crazy feminist. Give him children. You don’t want children? You will some day. You’ll change your mind.
Be a lady they said. Don’t get raped. Protect yourself. Don’t drink too much. Don’t walk alone. Don’t go out too late. Don’t dress like that. Don’t show too much. Don’t get drunk. Don’t leave your drink. Have a buddy. Walk where it is well lit. Stay in the safe neighborhoods. Tell someone where you’re going. Bring pepper spray. Buy a rape whistle. Hold your keys like a weapon. Take a self-defense course. Check your trunk. Lock your doors. Don’t go out alone. Don’t make eye contact. Don’t bat your eyelashes. Don’t look easy. Don’t attract attention. Don’t work late. Don’t crack dirty jokes. Don’t smile at strangers. Don’t go out at night. Don’t trust anyone. Don’t say yes. Don’t say no.
Just “be a lady” they said.”
~Camille Rainville,
Writings of a Furious Woman Blog
☾☽
Painting: Goddess Kali Maa
by Nancy Lankston
