I am just back from an inspiring trip to Chicago, part of the time spent “off the grid” at a cabin in the woods in northern Indiana—with a wood burning stove, a comfy bed and deer coming to graze in the evening. Oh, did you know that when you sign your initials on a rental car agreement you are saying you will not go off road? Well the car I rented, a red Impala, got stuck in the mud back in the woods between two hills. With much spinning and lurching and rocking it was still impossible to move. I think some of us now feel just like this—spinning our wheels without much feeling of control. I left the car parked there for two days, waiting for the rains to stop. When the path was finally dry I drove it out, dried mud thick in the undercarriage and definitely worse for wear. Sometimes, when we try so hard and get precisely nowhere, wisdom says to just wait, let the conditions change and then we can gain traction and move forward.
At my Cosmic Trends presentation at Allyu spa, nearly two-thirds of those attending had experienced “one door of their life closing and another one opening” over the last few months. Between January 23, 2011 and August 30, 2011, we all have had, and will continue to have, the opportunity to end situations or relationships with people who make our lives more difficult. (You can read more about this collective planetary influence in my previous post about Saturn opposite Jupiter and receive my recommendations on how to make best use of these remarkably dynamic times.)
A day later at another speaking engagement, “Small Wonders,“ at the Dailey Method, I got to talk to moms about their newborns and toddlers. The children ranged in age from 5 years down to two weeks old. Two of the babies, one born February 5 and one on February 27, have birth charts with five or six planets in Aquarius! In fact all children born since the winter solstice (December 21, 2010) have a pile up of planets in their birth charts—from Capricorn to Aquarius to Pisces to Aries—and now to Taurus and Gemini. It is worth another blog post to share insights about the special beings coming into the world now and what their evolutionary spiritual purpose might be. Be on the lookout for it.
The best experience of my trip? Starting a new project in partnership with one of my clients, Sandy Rueve, a millefiore-style clay bead maker and owner of “She Beads” in Chicago. Together we introduced Personal Intention Beads, at Sandy’s store on Chicago’s North Shore, with an event that drew 40 guests, to whom we gave a short presentation on our new collaboration. (See Sandy’s brief “Intention Beads” video on YouTube.) Sandy makes many stunning bracelets, but a Personal Intention Bracelet is even more special—a hand rolled, one-of-a-kind, multicolored clay bracelet created by Sandy at the precise time that corresponds specifically to our client’s personal intention. In essence we are creating a talisman with and for the client. A talisman is an object “empowered and made sacred.” They are ancient and were especially resurgent during the Italian Renaissance as a tool to “change consciousness at will.” They are magical.
My role is to have a short phone session with our mutual client (with their birth chart in front of me) to help them define a unique intention. With their clear and potent statement of intent and their birth chart as my guide, I find the most auspicious time for Sandy to make the bracelet. The resulting “electional chart,” in astrology terms, depicts all the forces operating when initiating a particular action. Sandy picks up from here and makes the bracelet at the appointed time.
The stories from our first Intention Bead clients have been so much fun. The first woman’s intention was to become “more creative and inspired.” She picked up her bracelet, went to off to see her beautician, and in the course of a conversation was spontaneously told, “Oh, you are so creative and inspiring!” She left there for a church function, where she made centerpieces for the tables. The first two guests to arrive took one look at the displays and exclaimed, “Wow, you are really creative!” As you can see, magic works!
I set my own intention today, on the Solar Eclipse (New Moon in Gemini). Sandy is making my own Personal Intention Bracelet on my birthday in June. I have made talismans myself in the past and even taught others how to make them, but never with a sacred object as beautiful as these are. It will be such a pleasure to wear. If you are interested, post a comment to me and I will tell you more about them. Or go to sbstore.com and select “Intention Beads” on the menu. Welcome magic and beauty into your life.—Barbara.