Halloween: Passing Spirits

Greetings, Gifted Reader!

Trick or treat! Happy Halloween! Just what do those words mean exactly?

According to Wikipedia, the Celtic festival of Samhain (old Irish for summer’s end) celebrated the “end of the lighter half of the year and the beginning of the darker half” or what became known as the Celtic New Year. Ancient Celts believed that the border between this world and the next one became so thin during that time it allowed spirits to pass through.

In order to keep harmful spirits away, costumes and masks were worn as disguises. The rationale was that if the costume you wore made you look like a harmful spirit yourself, the authentically harmful ones left you alone. Trick or treat!

Eventually, Samhain became today’s Halloween, or the evening before All Hallows Day. Happy All Hallows Eve!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween

During my childhood, Halloween meant months of planning the perfect costume I would wear. I also looked forward to drinking hot apple cider, eating candied apples and popcorn balls, and, of course, gorging on all the candy I’d collect from neighbors.

As a little girl, I loved fall, October and Halloween. Without realizing it then, I probably felt a connection to the Libra Sun moving through my Ascendant at that time of year. And, the brilliant sunset colors of leaves turning orange, scarlet and sienna inspired me as an artist. October is also a month of windy storms and cemeteries—domains of the Ifa deity Oya.

Strangely, my Japanese immigrant mother dressed me as a gypsy nearly every year until I was in junior high school. Was it her psychic ability at work? How did she know I would end up reading Astrology charts and Tarot cards someday? Intuitively, my mother would clothe me in full skirts, wrap my long hair in a colorful scarf, add large hoop earrings, bangles and bright red lipstick--all the while knowing nothing of the Romany.

Perhaps there was something in me on a deeper consciousness level that recognized early on who I would become, and that something communicated to my mother to attire me appropriately. At any rate, the whole thing is another one of life’s great mysteries.

But don’t you remain one. Drop us a line at gypsystars@me.com to share your Halloween story with our readers. Hopefully, it will be as entertaining as my favorite short story author’s, Shirley Jackson’s, The Haunting of Hill House—available below.

Soon, we’ll meet again. Meanwhile, remember our T*zing t-shirts. And, don't forget to friend us on Facebook and like The Urban Goddess, too.

http://www.cafepress.com/t_zing

Above is a pix of me on my way to Sorrentino’s Halloween party dressed as a Persian cat. Meow!

Leaving you with good luck, light and love;

Gypsy Stars

Gifts From The Universe: The Age Of Aquarius

Greetings, Gifted Reader!

What a gifted time we live in. With just a flick of our wrists, we can access information about nearly everything in the world that we have an interest in. Only this morning, I googled ‘tiny brown worm’ because I had seen a couple inside my home and couldn’t identify them. In seconds, I visited web pages that explained to me these guys were called millipedes that slide under doors and through wall cracks in search of moisture.

Of course, most of the time when I look for information, it’s about something more meaningful but today tiny brown worms were on my mind.

In any case, it’s a miracle that we can just punch in some keys and find the answers to our questions. Does this mean that the Age of Aquarius has finally dawned upon us? Aquarius rules modern inventions like electricity, computers and wireless technology. All of those things exist today, yet some say we haven’t fully reached the Age of Aquarius yet.

If you recall, there was a song from the popular 1968 hit Broadway play, Hair, with lyrics about the Moon being in the 7^th House and Jupiter aligning with Mars and how that would bring about the Age of Aquarius. But the Moon is in the 7^th House every 2 1/2 days, and Mars and Jupiter align often.

Still, every Astrological Age (12 total) span some 2,000 years and, according to some, we are leaving Pisces and entering Aquarius as a group (ages travel counterclockwise). Since several people have asked me what it all means, let me break it down a little.

According to some experts, we are still in the Piscean Age--which is indicative of the religious wars currently spanning the globe. Neptune, Pisces’ ruler, has dominion over beliefs as well as alcohol and drugs. With the proliferation of addiction centers across the U.S., it seems that drug culture is also very much alive right now. So, are we in Pisces or Aquarius?

Popular belief says that we will reach the Age of Aquarius on 12/12/2012 at 11:11 p.m. just in time to meet the end of the Mayan calendar and the moment our sun aligns with a portal in the Milky Way for the first time in 26,000 years. Some believe that we won’t undergo so much a physical metamorphosis, but that our consciousness—our collective human consciousness--will expand to the fifth dimension so that we will become light beings; more impersonal yet somehow more humanitarian.

But as with so many things Uranian (Uranus rules the sign Aquarius), the beginning date of the Age of Aquarius is highly controversial. Many Astrologers (also ruled by revolutionary Uranus) have differing opinions as to when the age truly begins. Witness this wikipedia entry:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_Aquarius

Above are photos of Gypsy Stars and a former biz partner at a psychic fair selling AstroTeez t-shirts created by Darlene Romero. And--from what is probably the most Aquarian TV show ever—a cardboard cutout of Captain Kirk in a bakery window.

Until next time, don’t forget about our T*zing t-shirts:

http://www.cafepress.com/t_zing

And, remember to friend us on Facebook and "like" The Urban Goddess.

Leaving you with good luck, light and love;

Gypsy Stars

Meditation: How To Create Your Altar Space

Greetings, Gifted Reader! 

How are you handling your life these days? Are your night dreams helping you to maneuver this often complicated path we’ve been thrust upon by Karma? Or, perhaps you find that meditation provides you with the answers you seek.

Meditation doesn’t have to be some lengthy, formal ritual, you know. If a few minutes in silence helps you to focus and solve your problems, you can certainly call that meditation.

Included in the advice I give to people seeking answers to questions through Metaphysics (Astrology, Tarot) is to meditate in front of an altar space. In turn, I’m often asked to describe what should be a part of that space.

To begin with, everything depends on the type of person you are.

Some people are into traditional religions, others are agnostic. Some people are tied into their own cultural heritages, while others seem to embrace rituals that are not handed down by their own ancestors.

So, first identify those beliefs that are most important to you. For me, personally, it’s a mix of Japanese Shinto and West African Ifa. Therefore, I like to place objects from both religions onto my altar space.

My first sacred space is near my front door. There, I place a coconut representing Papa Legba (see last blog entry), he of 21 paths and communicator to other Ifa deities. Next to Legba (or Ellegua in Santeria) is the Legba (Rada) card from the New Orleans Voodoo Tarot deck (see ad below). New Orleans is one of my favorite cities, and I’ve read that the Fon of Dahomey ended up there, as well as in Haiti.

Next to Papa Legba is a framed photograph of Japanese actor Fukuyama Masaharu in costume playing Sakamoto Ryoma in the current NHK taiga drama, Ryomaden. Ryoma was a merchant-class samurai who rose to prominence when he helped topple the Tokugawa Shogunate in order to unite Japan and rid it of its class system. Okay, so Ryoma is not quite Shinto, but he seems like the perfect communications helper to Legba as he is a major hero in Japan. Remember, whatever works for you is what you need. If looking at a picture of an actor playing Ryoma (with a samurai sword) evokes a sense of power for me—let’s say, I’m fighting a particular legal battle, for instance—then, that’s fine.

Besides my door altar, I also have a meditation space where I do my work. Since I like bright colors like neon pink and turquoise--which would suggest the deity Oshun, although my spirit mama is Oya whose color is purple—I use a cloth in those particular shades. However, when I want to bring Oya to me, I use a purple cloth and 9 eggplants, or plums. But be careful if you’re calling Oya. She is the goddess of sudden storms, and I’ve experienced her unexpected lightning and thunder in the past.

If you’re the peaceful type, you’ll want to use neutral or pastel colors. If you need something more electric, by all means choose red and black for Chango or purple for his wife, Oya. Everything depends on the type of energy you want to draw to yourself. It may be meditation, but sometimes meditation requires action and in those times, you should attempt to attract something strong.

Add whatever objects to your altar that you think will help you focus on your problem. If you recall, Astrologer Linda Goodman put photos of troubled loved ones on top of purple plates. If you know someone who needs your help, put their picture on your altar along with your wishes for them written down. If it’s about love or money, add 7 oranges or tangerines, or 7 pieces of pumpkin drizzled in honey.

Again, whatever resonates with you is what will work for you. If you have a traditional religious background, definitely decorate your altar space accordingly. Is there a particular figure like Buddha or Krishna that makes sense for you? What are the special candles, flowers, foods, or incenses that they like? Use your intuition and try different arrangements if one of them doesn’t work.

Once you have your altar the way you like it, simply sit in front of it (on the floor is best), breathe deeply and close your eyes. Go to the part of your mind that is still, yet focused, and ask for the resolution of a particular problem. Stay in this state as long as you need—usually half an hour or less. When you “awaken”, you should have your answer. Or, more likely, the answer will awaken you.

Good fortune to you, and drop me a line to let me know how it worked out.

Above are photos of me at a New Orleans café, in front of the House of Voodoo in the French Quarter, and at Marie Laveau’s mausoleum at Saint Louis Cemetery #1 with a friend.

Until next we meet, remember to friend us on Facebook and like The Urban Goddess. Lest you forget, we also have T*zing t-shirts for you at http://www.cafepress.com/t_zing

Leaving you with good luck, light and love;

Gypsy Stars