universal language

Honoring the Autumn of Life and Observing it with a Special Talisman.

Posted by Barbara Techel

For days I carried a sadness in my heart for someone who recently passed away at the age of fifty-two. He left behind the love of his life, two sons, and the animals, land, and home he deeply adored.

The thing is I hadn’t seen him for years but I appreciated the devoted relationship he shared with his wife as it was similar to the one I share with John. I was sad about what was lost and imagining how his wife and kids must be feeling.

For days I’ve passed by a stone I see on my walk. Each time I’ve sensed it calling out to me, but yet I didn’t pick it up. Today it caught my eye as I walked by it once again. This time I made a promise to myself that when I made the loop back through I’d take the stone home with me.

One foot in front of the other, taking in the beautiful clear blue sky into my being and enjoying the sounds of the killdeer, I thought about how John was lovingly teasing me the other day. I don’t recall what it was about, but the fact he had called me his nature girl. That’s the part that stuck with me – Nature Girl – I loved hearing that.

So many thoughts have been whirling through my mind of late. I’m approaching my birthday next month and this one in terms of astrology is referred to as our second Saturn return. It’s said our second Saturn return occurs between the age of fifty-seven and fifty-nine. I’ll be fifty-eight.

Our first Saturn return happens in our late twenties and if it is meant to be our third Saturn return is between eight-four and ninety. I distinctly recall what my first Saturn return was like, though I wouldn’t realize its impact on my life until my mid-50s’. Hint: I wrote about this in my last memoir, I’m Fine Just the Way I Am.

The second Saturn return is much like our first Saturn return in that it is a time to reflect and a time of growth as we give thought to the next stage of our life.

This also from Astrodharma.org regarding the second Saturn return, Now-or-never actions in the real world that demonstrate the wisdom of the elder. The deepening commitment to one’s chosen life service or a pivot into an entirely new, more soulful life direction. The hallmark of the second Saturn Return is that if you deal maturely with the old pockets of unfinished business, you gain the gift that will last till the end – the gift of wisdom. You become an elder.

I definitely feel the soulful life direction part of this statement pondering how I wish to experience the autumn of my life. I also feel the foundation of the wisdom I’ve gained to this point as a welcome guide to carry me forward. I’m also embracing the elder part of this and determined to walk into elderhood as gracefully as possible. Though I will be honest in that the physical aspects are sometimes the more difficult ones to be okay with. But I continue to work on that.

I often think about one of my favorite elder mentors, Tasha Tudor, and the Take Joy! documentary about her and her way of life. The part in the interview when asked about the winter of her life, then in her early 80s, she shares she wouldn’t trade being elderly for anything because she was having the time of her life.

Winding my way around the bend of my walking route I came upon a small maple leaf on the ground. Oh no! It’s too early for it to have already changed to this crimson red color, I thought.

But then I smiled and realized that nature was reflecting my thoughts. Here was the perfect symbolism for me about embracing and appreciating the autumn of my life. I was now walking with an extra bounce in my step holding the tiny leaf in my hand like a valuable treasure. How fortunate I am to be alive to experience my second Saturn return. Not everyone gets that opportunity.

The last leg of my walk home brought me back to the stone. As soon as it was in my hand I knew that I was just gifted the perfect way in which I’d honor this new phase of my life – the autumn of my life – this second Saturn return that I’m grateful to be experiencing.

The stone and the leaf came together perfectly that I made into a talisman and have placed on my altar for those days I need reminding of how precious this life is:

The blue on the top half of the stone symbolic of the universe and how it holds all the answers if we just take the time to ask, deeply listen, and allow the wisdom to flow into our being. 

The blues and greens on the bottom half representing water and being with all the many emotions that come at different stages of life.

The spirals symbolic of embracing the inward and outward times of our lives and the importance of each to living a life that is whole and balanced.

The leaf honoring the autumn of life and also the fragileness of it. How sometimes we can feel small in this vast universe and feel not seen. But that we are indeed a vital and important part of this cosmos and that the Divine always sees us and has our back.

And just as I finished gluing the leaf onto the stone I looked up to notice the time on the clock – 11:11 am. Thank you, Universe for yet another confirmation.

As I was getting ready to take a picture of my new talisman to share here on my blog I noticed a gap at the bottom of the stem to the right as if there should be another spiral there. But then it came to me – ah no – this is there for a reason. It’s the opening to the next portal I’m about to walk through. Welcome it, I thought, welcome it. And so I am.

XO

Barb

                  

One Feather, Two Feather, Three Feather, Four!

Posted by Barbara Techel

Do you remember when I shared a photo last week on my blog of the large goose feather I’d found? It was a little over a foot long. Well, that was last week Wednesday.

So today, one week later, and again on my morning walk, I didn’t find one goose feather, but four! They were all in a row and a few feet apart from one another. Another first for me finding this many feathers and as if they were all lined up just for me to discover.

So it’s true that this is a road where I often see geese passing from one side of the road where it is grassy fields (though the area is being developed into a subdivision), to the other side and down the hill to the man-made pond. But I find it interesting in all the years I’ve walked along the sidewalk nearby where the geese gather that this is a first for me to find this many feathers all in a row.

Did you know that geese have been around for over 12 million years? All that ancient wisdom I’ve had the opportunity to hold in my hands lately with the feathers I’ve found!

It is interesting to note that as I continued on my walk this morning now carrying the four feathers in my hand, my arms swinging on either side of me, I realized the wind moving through the feathers.

What would it be like to fly, I wondered? To be a bird high in the sky looking down at the earth. As I thought more about geese I thought about how they have such clear and firm boundaries. You really can’t get near one. They are also fiercely protective of their families.

They are quite adaptable and require little to no maintenance to survive. I find this intriguing as I think about the shifts we are making in the world. How so many of us had to adapt in one form or another the past eighteen months and in many ways we continue to adjust and reevaluate. Many of us asking ourselves, what do I really need to survive?

Finding four feathers piqued my interest in the symbology of the number four. Well, the number four happens to be the fourth astrological sign which is cancer. I am cancer and we are just about to enter into cancer season on June 22nd. Cancer is all about home, which fits me to a tee. 

Four is also about having a firm foundation and structure in our lives. To me, that represents home also. Not just my physical space, but checking in with my inner home. How am I feeling there? Am I feeling grounded? If not, then it’s time to connect to the earth more.

I feel as if the four feathers were really a confirmation of all the things I have been doing to stay grounded and how I feel more grounded than I did last year. I’ve incorporated a few new self-care methods for myself over the last few months, as well as, how could we not have grown in some way with all we went through last year? I certainly have and this is what has helped me to feel more stable in many ways.

Growing a garden in the raised bed my husband John made for me has been a very grounding practice for me too. While also doing what I can to contribute to the earth in a positive way and take care of my family, which is John and myself. I’ve come to appreciate my physical home and my surrounding gardens even more than before – though I smile saying this as I’ve always loved home. But yet, I have another level of appreciation for it and that feels good.

So all this from the four feathers I discovered today and the large one I found last week. But this is how the universe speaks to us. It’s up to us to take the time and reflect and gather into our hearts what we need to understand and then move forward with more peace.

As I neared home from my walk it occurred to me how I’ve been wanting a smudging fan for a while now. It’s a fan used with something like burning sage to energetically cleanse and clear negativity. I’d looked at Etsy a few times in the past two years to see if one called to me, but hadn’t yet found one I liked. Perhaps if I stumble on just a few more feathers I can make one of my own. Now that would be really special.

XO

Barb