When a child is born into a family part of the fun comes from waiting and watching for her natural talents to unfold. When Sarah Jane Schulze was born to my brother Dr. Richard Schulze Jr. and his caring wife Donna Schulze, her first gift was to bless us all with so much joy. […]
Source: https://catherinecarrigan.com/an-illustrator-is-born/
We had a lovely extended holiday visit with David’s daughter, Allie. On her last day here, she and I took a ladies outing to the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park. Some people may recall David and me taking Momma Jane there a year ago to see the miniature city, lights and huge greenhouse. Their holiday display remains up through Epiphany, and I thought Austin, Texas based Allie would enjoy some warmth and greenery. Sure enough, we found lush decorations. We also lucked into a spontaneous and personal tour by an 87-year-old volunteer!
This spry octogenarian pointed out the cacao tree with its cocoa filled pods, shown above. We also saw banana plants, an allspice tree (with very scented leaves!) and shade grown coffee bushes hiding under a canopy of palms. Allie and I realized we had taken no pictures together on her entire trip, so we attempted a selfie. After much confusion of the backwards movement required by me to center this orchid above and behind us, we settled on this one as good enough:
Faery-sis Tania pointed out that we almost look like I’m pasted into the photo or in a slightly different dimension, which may be true, LOL. In any case, it’s a sparkly photo of Allie and does capture the fun faery adventure we had wandering among the orchids, palms, and sculptures.
In celebration of Diwali, the Indian Festival of Lights, the greenhouse also featured a rangoli. Made of sand, rice flour, flowers, beans or lentils, rangoli reminded us of the more commonly seen Tibetan sand drawings:
It was almost impossible to photograph the rangoli without children marveling over the design. They really loved it! This was the only shot I could get of the entire image, with just a bit of my red coat in the corner. 
The greenhouse also riffed on my native Bethlehem’s Czech inspired “Moravian Stars,” in this case, with colorful, flashing lights:
Our feast for the eyes also included trips to the Cactus Room and the holiday display of a mini Grand Rapids made from all natural materials, nestled in lush houseplant greenery. We both loved Old Man Cactus …
… and the intricate buildings with all the colorful and variegated leaves and flowers:
The Victorian Room contained this mini greenhouse, once a common sight in homes …
… and the amaryllis and other flowers and foliage just popped:
Allie captured this one in all its glory:
After our indoor exploration of holiday evergreens from around the world, as well as the indoor sculpture rooms, we decided to bundle up for a walk outside. We took advantage of the cold to explore the almost deserted Lena Meijer Children’s Garden. I’ve never ventured in before, because that spot is always very loud and crowded. Getting a peek inside revealed why. This is the coolest children’s garden I’ve ever seen! They’ve got imaginative sculptures and all sorts of forts and bridges, kind of like Robinson Crusoe meets Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood of Make Believe. Dragons, owl, bear, colorful wolf pack … a five scents garden with a sculptured nose …
David’s a Chinese Year of the Dragon, so I gave him a virtual kiss:
and greeted the other dragon so it wouldn’t get jealous:
Of course, whenever I go anywhere, I see bunnies and/or unicorns for Tania, and this trip included a hungry bunny statue above the protected cabbage patch:
We spent the rest of our time strolling through the Japanese Gardens, which look totally different at different times of year. The waterfalls continued to flow, and the serene views and sounds encouraged us just to be rather than stopping for photos. I’m so glad David and I became members of Meijer Gardens, because I love taking out of town guests there for an afternoon of beauty, nature and fun. Allie had admired photos from previous trips, so it was extra special to spend the day with her there on a work day for David.
We rang in our New Year with the Kalamazoo New Year’s Festival, as usual, but Allie encouraged us to mix it up a bit. Instead of just listening to music, we watched a magic show, ventriloquist, and an amazing juggler, followed by Kalamazoo’s mini ball drop at midnight and the huge fireworks celebration. Between the magic of New Year’s Eve and the sensory gifts of Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, I feel full of gratitude, beauty and joy. A wonderful way to ring in 2019! I hope you enjoyed some of the beauty here — too pretty to keep to myself.
Today we have a special treat: Timothy Glenn’s 2019 report coming in well before the Chinese New Year! I’ve hyperlinked the earlier articles he references. It’s always fun to look back on how predictions unfolded across linear time.
Personally, I’ve been feeling Saturn in Capricorn in a major way, as Saturn’s been crossing and hovering over my Capricorn North Node. As Tim mentions, even if you don’t have any obvious Capricorn in your chart, you’re still going to feel these energies in at least some area(s) of life. Both 2019 and 2020 feature a whole bevy of potent astrological alignments. Whew! Excellent times for those who’ve diligently done their Shadow Work, and a chance to awaken for those who haven’t yet … Here’s Timothy’s report:
2019: Welcome to the Reset
Perhaps you feel as though a gigantic hand with its index finger extended has descended from the universe, and has pressed the reset button on Planet Earth. If so, you’re far from being alone.
From the article 2018: Welcome to the Storm:
2017: SHTF (Shit Hits the Fan)
2018: SFOOTF (Shit Flies Out of the Fan)
And now we can add:
2019: SSAO (Shit Splatters All Over)
The external structures of our world are barely beginning their transmogrification. The governmental, economic, academic, religious and scientific systems of the old Matrix will have no place in the New Earth. Useful remnants of them could find a temporary place in the planetary transition, but will diminish into mere traces as the fear-based Matrix fades away, and the love-based New Earth emerges.
All Eyes on Capricorn
As noted in the article Global Metamorphosis 2018 Update, Pluto has now established itself in the third and final decanate of Capricorn. Its mission of hanging out humanity’s dirty laundry will intensify in 2019, and run headlong into 2020, when it reaches fever pitch.
Our species has a deep, dark, ugly shadow to be drawn out into the light and integrated. 2019 will start making a spectacle of people who have pretended to be “of the light” while indulging in extremely dark practices. Chief among these will be the politicians, propagandists and entertainers who have chosen the career option of deceiving the masses.
2019 will also treat us to three eclipses in Capricorn: a solar eclipse in January, a lunar eclipse in June, and another solar eclipse in December following Jupiter’s triumphal entrance into Capricorn at the beginning of the month. The stage will then be set for the Saturn/Pluto conjunction in Capricorn to kick off in January of 2020. We could write volumes about the potentials of 2020, but let’s focus on the warm-up exercise of 2019.
The action in Capricorn will continue revolving around the systematic dismantling of a global power structure that has been in place at least since the time of ancient Babylon. We have seen the same group of souls incarnating along the same bloodlines for millennia. They have engineered governments, empires, religions and other control mechanisms. We can give credit where credit is due: they have mastered the science of deception. But the time has come for them and their machinations to be exposed.
The most challenging part of this for millions of well-meaning folks will be facing the dreadful realization that they have been supporting the old bedarkened system while believing the opposite. Serious delusions can die hard, but it would be far more difficult in the long haul for the human race to continue living in denial.
Getting Down to Earth
Uranus will complete its triple transit into the earthy sign of Taurus during the first week of March, and will not even begin its triple transit into Gemini until the middle of 2025. In the interim, Uranus will be complementing the intense restructuring action in Capricorn.
Dreams and visions have their necessary place, but we would all be wise to establish a strong physical presence as the Earth moves through this phase of her transition. Among our main priorities will be health and fitness, symbiotic living with the Earth, and setting clear boundaries. And once we establish our new boundaries, it would behoove us to enforce those boundaries.
Effects of this transit are discussed in the article Uranus in Taurus: The Preview. 2018 gave us a foretaste of what Uranus in Taurus can generate for us. For now, Uranus is tying up loose ends back in Aries. When he blasts his way back into Taurus in March, it will be Game On.
Saturn Sextile Neptune: A Reality Check
Saturn in Capricorn (the sign it rules) will spend all of 2019 dancing in a user-friendly sextile to Neptune in Pisces (the sign it rules). By transiting their own signs, their influence is amplified. Although not as spectacular as other astrological phenomena, the interplay of these two disparate planets will open a significant window of opportunity.
Saturn = get real. Neptune = dream on.
Are your dreams realistic? Do they harmonize with and even enhance your Soul’s purpose for this life? Saturn sextile Neptune will offer to help clear the mists of confusion, and to show us practical steps that will carry us toward the fulfillment of our Soul’s Dream.
Your genuine desires for this life may seem fanciful or even impossible to the Saturnian view of the old world, while being perfectly realistic from a spiritual perspective. We can get completely realistic about our literally infinite possibilities, cultivating the art of practical mysticism.
For those conversant in astrobabble, you might contemplate these two images: Saturn with a heart, and Neptune with a spine. Now picture them teaming up to redesign and reengineer our world.
Saturn sextile Neptune can also support our structured spiritual practices such as tai chi, qi gong, yoga, meditation, etc. It can also help us disengage from emotionally charged circumstances, and to exercise an important spiritual principle: Accept What Is.
2 + 0 + 1 + 9 = 12
The twelfth card of the tarot deck is commonly called the Hanged Man, although no one is being hanged. The character is voluntarily suspended upside down, much like a yogi doing a brain flush, employing one of the many inverted poses in yoga. I prefer to call this card The Mystic.
The Mystic (or so-called Hanged Man) represents someone who has perspectives that appear upside down according to the old world. Since the twelfth sign of the zodiac is Pisces (ruled by Neptune), the numerology for the year will strengthen Neptune’s influence.
2019 marks the first 12 year of the new millennium. Plenty of people will feel that their world is being turned upside down, but they have been part of an upside down world all along. Perhaps they can come to understand why mystics have called 3D Planet Earth “the deeper dream”. We have somehow co-created a world we could accept as “reality”, when it functions in a manner 180 degrees bass ackwards from Spirit – while simultaneously being a part of and an expression of that Spirit. 2019 also says “Welcome to the World of Paradox.”
20 + 19 = 39
The Knight of Cups is card 39. All the Knights in the deck are mounted, armored and ready to face challenges. Since the suit of Cups corresponds with the water signs in astrology, this Knight rides forth to face emotional challenges. In the Robin Wood Tarot, the Knight is mounted on a steed of the sea and is riding frothing whitecaps. The idea here is to ride those waves of dramatic emotional energy without spilling a drop from your cup.
An essential element of the 19/20 sequence is forgiveness – quite the challenge for most people. Perhaps consideration of a popular meme would help: Forgiveness is not about letting someone else off the hook, but removing the hook from ourselves. We do not have to forgive for the sake of the others, but for our own sake.
Forgiveness has its roots in the genuinely unconditional Divine Love, the energetic essence of the Infinite Energy Field in its wholeness. Not dividing Itself into positive/negative, good/evil, right/wrong or any other expression of polarity, this Love is a completely neutral force. We will not achieve Transcendence into a reality founded on Divine Love unless we learn to forgive, which can be done by achieving a state of neutrality toward everything and everyone, all of which in turn is part of The Field.
One of the Knight’s messages of tough love: get over yourself.
Recapping Capricorn
You do not have to “be a Capricorn” to be powerfully impacted by the action in that sign throughout 2019 and beyond. Some folks might claim there is no Capricorn in their chart, but that is hardly the case. Capricorn was not on vacation in the Andromeda galaxy the day you were born. Its influence appears in your chart, and dominates the affairs in some area of your life.
No matter where it is placed or how significant its influence, Capricorn is becoming profoundly activated in all charts this year. It will rearrange the furniture of our world. In turn, it behooves us to proactively restructure our lives to accommodate a cosmically broader and yet much more down to Earth concept of the universe.
Capricorn’s recommendations: Open up. Reconsider everything. Let go of anything that no longer works. Build a new you. Help co-create a New Earth. And remember that for the New Earth to emerge, the old Matrix needs to be dismantled – completely.
Timothy Glenn
http://www.soulpurposereadings.com/
Happy New Year! I wish you all good things in 2019. May it be your favorite year yet!
Today’s the last day for the December 2018 Special and Discounted Gift Certificates. If you’d like either or both of those, please contact me by 5 p.m. Eastern US time on December 31st. On January 1, 2019, my business gets a reboot. I’ve got a new business name, different PayPal account, and five new products for release in January, including a guided Lyme recovery journal. I’ll announce changes and cluster those new offerings by theme throughout the month.
For the New Year, I felt led to discount the very popular New Year Tarot Readings and have also had requests to offer the Three for Two Special, a chance for extra support and focus. Details below:
JANUARY 2019 SPECIALS
$44 New Year Tarot Special
Half-hour tarot reading at 20% off the usual rate. Tarot readings offer an energetic check-in, the chance to ask questions about pending decisions or intentions, and represent a fun, yet powerful way to gain perspective on relationships and challenges. They can also be used to offer a snapshots of the coming months and year.
Tarot readings are particularly good for people who don’t know what kinds of questions to ask me; they just want some kind of guidance because they feel unsure of what’s coming or what to focus upon. Tarot also seems to benefit those people who have exceptionally good things coming their way, yet wonder if I might be “padding the reading” or “just saying what they want to hear.” The cards don’t lie. (Neither do I – but the cards seem an even more objective medium for delivering good news.)
Please contact me if you’d like to sign up for this special. Offer valid if prepaid on or before 1/31/19.
Three For Two
So many people have asked me to repeat this special to help them jump start the New Year, so here it is. Three hours for the price of two: save $222. This package can be used in whatever increments you choose — hour, 40-minute, half-hour, or 20-miute sessions — and for whatever services you’d like — Medical Intuition, Life Coaching, Astrology, Relationship Clarity, Soul Readings, or any other related service. $444 if prepaid on or before 1/31/19. Please contact me to sign up.
Most people know that I have a long and close relationship with owls and more recently with foxes. But not everyone knows about my deep love of hedgehogs. I think they’re adorable, and all through gifts, they’re slowly gaining a foothold in Dra’Faven. I took a photo of the Fox Faery doll Tania gave me for Christmas, showing how without prior planning, she fit in perfectly with the animals and crystals. I mentioned the orgone ferret curled up alongside her, as well as the amethysts.
Tania said, “…All so magickal. And that hedgehog is also cute.” That prompted me to take pictures of the other resident hedgehogs. I didn’t realize we had so many until I snapped the photos! These ones said they’re OK making a blog appearance. The two characters below arrived for Christmas/Solstice from our friends Tracy and Chip. They’re sitting alongside a magick rock painted by Tania back when David and I still lived in Goshen:
My mom got me this next one when we visited the Frederick Meijer Sculpture Gardens with her last December:
David brought this little reader home for me earlier this year:
I can’t remember who gave me this first one. It’s been so long now — early Goshen years — but this stuffed hedgehog can roll himself up in a ball just like the real ones:
Lastly, David and I share joint custody of this little crystal hedgehog that Tania gave us last year. Right now, David’s got custody, and CHH (Crystal Hedgehog)’s hanging out in “The Imaginarium,” aka David’s office:
With all these hedgehogs around, I decided to look up hedgehog wisdom, which I’ve done before, too. The messages seem even more appropriate now, so I thought I’d share. According to animalspirits.com, Hedgehog Wisdom includes:
Other websites echo the call to enjoy life, but also to share your gifts. Don’t curl up and hide; spread those gifts in a bigger way. This goes right along with my post about integrating my Capricorn North Node with my Plutonian need for privacy. Hedgehogs also remind us to have strong boundaries and energetic protection, but to remain curious about life. Mostly, I just think they’re cute. They melt my heart a little every time I see them, so having hedgehogs around keeps the person David calls “The Biggest Faery” a very merry Faery, indeed!
I’m curious if you have an animal totem or favorite animals? If so, how do they show up in your life?
From Dra’Faven with love … Merry Christmas, and Happy Whatever You Celebrate! Wishing you and yours a special day. I’m about to get very busy in the kitchen, preparing the rest of today’s vegan Indian extravaganza. It’s a quiet holiday here, with a Canadian friend from Goshen joining us and family visits later in the week. May the glow and childlike wonder of this season fill your heart and make you smile. Much love!
Thanks to reader and friend Diana for sending a link to this article, called “Sounds as Healer.” The article gives background on the power of chants, music and various types of sound as healing or destructive. I’ve long embraced the power of sound — especially chants — for moving energy, but it’s always a treat to read of humanity’s ancient and varied traditions of healing sounds.
If you scroll to the very end of the article, on the bottom right side you’ll find a play button for Lia Scallon’s “Song of the Sidhe.” For those who don’t know, legends, folklore, and direct human contact indicate that the Sidhe (pronounced Shee) are Dwellers of the Mounds, a regal Faerie race related to humans. I’ve written about them many times and even took an online Sidhe course in April and May 2018. In my experience, the Sidhe are highly creative and interested in bringing beauty and healing from their dimension into ours. If you don’t feel like reading a long article but want to hear some Sidhe-inspired music, just scroll to the bottom right of this linked page. So lovely I wanted to share!
