Flirtatious Fall Welcomes Winsome Winter

Greetings, Gifted Reader.

As the days grow shorter and the nights colder, we begin to prepare for the inevitability of felicitous Fall, followed by her lover--woeful, wailing Winter.

brrr!

Astrologically, these two represent the seasons of death. That is, there are two deathly planets--Pluto ruling Scorpio from October 23 through November 21--and later, Saturn ruling Capricorn from December 21 through January 19. Meanwhile, poor jovial Jupiter sits between these two sourpusses, naively laughing but wondering why.

of course, if you live in Hawai'i...

In spite of the chill that ushers in endings, this is the time of year when leaves turn incredible psychedelic colors before falling and losing their lives forever. Perhaps, they mirror human lives. In those final moments before we surrender our bodies, is something gorgeous created from inside of us that expresses itself outwardly as we move on to the next plane?

Maybe not. But we don’t know. No one knows. Not for sure, that is. We can only believe, hope, and have faith that there’s a lovely afterworld waiting for us.

Since today is the last day of September, it seems appropriate to bid you best wishes until we meet again on December 31--when we’ll be full-blown into winter. Brrr.

Until then, don’t forget that Gypsy Stars is available on Facebook. Look for our fan page at The Urban Goddess where you can list your metaphysical specialties.

 

Remember, too, that we have t-shirts that can help you stay warm and dry!

Good luck, light and love.

Season Of Celebration During A Time Of Departure

Greetings, Gifted Reader!

Yes, Gypsy Stars is late (again!) in posting this blog, but it’s that crazy time of year. You know, this is the period when those of us in North America celebrate a plethora of holidays. Beginning with Halloween (or All Hallows Eve, or Day of the Dead) to Thanksgiving to Hanukkah to Christmas to Kwanzaa to New Year’s (not just on January 1, but beyond with all the various Asian New Years), most of us find ourselves hustling and bustling in an effort to party.

Persian cat...meow

Gypsy Stars would like to know exactly what holidays you participate in and, more importantly, why?

Did you do Halloween this year? Did you wear a costume or go trickin' for treats like me? Meow.

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

And what are your plans for Thanksgiving, or as some label it—a national day of mourning for the First Peoples, or the Indigenous, of this mainland? Read about how Thanksgiving is celebrated in other countries, including Grenada and Japan:

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

Christmas pine

Soon, it will be Christmas and yet another new year. Are you ready for a rebirth or renewal of spirit at this cold and bleak time? Or, does celebrating a new year in the dead of winter, on January 1, not make sense to you? 

Wouldn’t you feel more renewed in early spring when the Sun moves into Aries, the beginning of the Zodiac, and blooming flowers?

Spring roses

What is it about fall and death, anyway? Gypsy Stars recently lost a very close friend and re-examined this time of year. While leaves end their cycles by falling from trees and leaving bare branches behind, other wonders of Nature also hibernate during this season. It's no coincidence that fall coincides with the Astrological sign Scorpio and the Eighth House—the ruler of death and regeneration. No wonder we celebrate so much during this time when heavy thoughts and feelings threaten to permeate our souls.

Spring deer

Dear Gifted Reader, I leave you with this wish for peace and light during these dark times.

Remember you can friend Gypsy Stars on Facebook and 'like' The Urban Goddess fan page, too. And, we have T_zing t-shirts on Café Press.

Good luck, light and love,

Gypsy Stars

http://www.gypsystars.com

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