The Snake Time: A Monthly Reading

park bench plaque

Image by fishermansdaughter via Flickr

Times of Great Change.

“No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace as I have seen
in one autumnal face.”  John Donne.

First I have to say how sorry I am about getting this out over a week late.  I plan on doing better next time.

The long days of heavy darkness are upon us.  Bonfires, festivities and remembrance mark this time of year nearly as much as the snow and winter wind.  I am stocking up on hot chocolate mixes, even though I love it homemade even better.  Gladly, s’mores are still in season and a neighborhood bonfire would be so wonderful with whispy Celtic music and perhaps Godsmack‘s “Voodoo” (this is a very tribal drum and guitar) and “Serenity.”  I do love both songs equally.  Alas, I digress.  Now back on track, this time of year we recall and reflect on the wonderful summer now gone, and all of those things we experienced which enriched our lives.

The month of raven has passed for another year.  From October 24th to November 21st we find ourselves in the month of the snake.  Don’t think of this as a bad thing, snakes are a part of nature just as much as we are, and we can learn a lot from them.  By studying the ways and abilities of the snake we can learn how to be more malleable and adjust well to any changes coming our way.  Snakes Teachings tell us we can do anything we set our minds to.  We can create change within ourselves and in our lives if we apply the knowledge snake offers.  Those of us who are in the healing field will be most busy at this time, because there are those who never notice the lessons coming their way and wind up getting hurt or ill.

Snake can help us learn to become one with Earth and therefore more balanced.  With balance comes stronger intuition and overall sensitivity toward all aspects of life.  However, it is up to us to point our energies in the right directions.

“To be in alignment with what is means to be in a relationship
of inner nonresistance with what happens.”  Eckhart Tolle.

We also need to follow our hearts more and ease up on some of the material things, strive for a happy medium between both realms.  This is not so easy for some of us, I am probably the worst.  In reference to the material, power trips can make us reckless and cold.  Try to be more direct with matters of the heart.  However, avoid being over dramatic, this only pushes others away.  This is not to say cling to past emotions.  Such practices are too unhealthy to say the least.  Let go of the emotional baggage without forgetting the lessons within the baggage.

This time of year, the time of the snake places us in a highly creative atmosphere for producing some of our very best work.  Keeping this in mind put your heart into every effort.  Allow your work to show the beauty in your soul and hopefully share it with others.  Even if it only changes or helps the life of one other person, your creativity can make all the difference.

“Don’t judge each day by the harvest that you reap, but by the seeds that you plant.”  Robert Louis Stevenson.

 

Copyright 2010, by Suzie Ashby.  
The autumn leaf photograph is from my personal photos, Copyright
2010, by Suzie Ashby.  All Rights Reserved.

 

Introducing The New Kid (Puppy)

I dub thee, Sir Guard, Knight of the woods.

I had a perfectly “spit-er-ific” wakeup call this morning.  Being French kissed and licked “in” the nostrils definitely jerks you right out of sleep. 

This is the new kid.  He came to us through a rescue and I am so happy that he chose me as suddenly as I did him.  He is a treasure.  I named him Guard and he took to it right away. 

He was 8 month’s old when he arrived and already knew how to heel, sit, stay and loves his leash.  These photographs were taken at about 8 1/2 months.  He is 10 months old now and nearly doubled in size.  Well, at least it feels like it when he is tackling for kisses.

My Guardian, and He Loves Me.

He has been learning so many wonderful things.  He knows what I am going to say before I say it.  Important little things like, “No chew shoe,” “No chew feet,” “No chew socks,” “No chew wash cloths,” but the most important one is “No chew kitty.”  And the cat, Blade, is very happy about that one.

Peek-a-Blade.

Guard makes his kitty feel very safe, except when he tries to pet the kitty the way I do.  Now that the weather is getting cold, the cat will snuggle right up to his puppy and purr.  Of coarse Guard feels and looks a lot like a proud pa-pa when this happens.

This little family has been very happy together and we look forward to every day we have together.  There has been some strange, possible paranormal activity around Guard, I think might have to do with my beloved Smokey who passed, but that is another story.

Copyright 2010, by Suzie Ashby.  All Rights Reserved.

A Writer’s Tea Cake: Feed Your Creativity

Writer's Tea Cake.

          “Your words are my food, your breath my wine.  You
            are everything to me.  Sarah Bernhardt.

This recipe is easy, delightful, and cut pieces freeze very well.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1 yellow cake mix
1/4 cup sour cream
1 small box instant vanilla pudding (dry)
4 eggs
1/2 cup of oil

Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl until smooth (approximately 4 full minutes.)  Grease a 13×9 inch glass baking pan.

Topping:

Mix together 4 tablespoons butter, 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar, 3 to 4 teaspoons cinnamon, a pinch of coves, and 1/4 cup chopped nuts (pecans or almonds.)

Place half the batter into prepared baking dish and sprinkle half of the topping mix over that.  Layer the rest of the batter with topping last.  Bake for approximately 45 minutes, or just until a toothpick come out of the cake clean.

          ” There is a great deal of poetry and fine sentiment in a
             chest of tea.”  Ralph Waldo Emerson.

I love having this cake on cold days with a hot cup of tea.  My favorite tea is any spicy blend that includes cinnamon.

Copyright 2010, by Suzie Ashby.  All Rights Reserved.

Schnoz-Bot…..And The Point is…..

Ford Mustang

Image via Wikipedia

Woah.  It looks as though I got lost somewhere between a poem in thought forms– colliding, and daffy apples (I’m in heaven) chocolate cake and trying to decide which is a better horse  1.) my motorcycle,  2.) the registered Morgan show horse that I sold in 1980 (NO, you cannot have my real age, but I am younger than quite a few.  No offense.)  3.) A totally cherry 1965 Ford Mustang (gold metal flake, candy apple red that would beat any State Trooper in a road race and burns rubber between every gear.)  Not that I road race, mind you, but it could be a whole lot of fun with the right trooper. 4.) A State Trooper (they are so hot in those uniforms.)

I am going to have to say…..hm-m-m-m, maybe…..Yes, the hot State Trooper wins by a  good 7 “smidgens” ahead of the car.  (After all, he is closer to my age.) I hope.

The point is, where did the week go?  I lost an entire week somewhere.  If any of you find it, could you send it back my way, please.  It’s probably off on a whim somewhere with one of those poems eating my daffy apple, picking red maple leaves out of one another’s hair.

Copyright 2010, by Suzie Ashby.  All Rights Reserved.

Quote to Start The Week

William Shakespeare, chief figure of the Engli...

Image via Wikipedia

Sunday is drawing to a close and after a lot of blog reading I have come up short on time.  Alas, I will leave you with a short quote to give you something to ponder in honor of the coming holiday.  Perhaps this will ignite some scary poetry for some of you.

                                       “Now it is the time of night
                                         That the graves all gaping wide,
                                         Every one lets forth his sprite
                                         In the church-way paths to glide.”
                                                                           William Shakespeare,
                                                                    A Midsummer Night’s Dream. 

 

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