I first read Svetlana Alexievich's Voices from Chernobyl in fifth grade. After that, Chernobyl and the people it affected became a focus for me. Learning about the disaster and its aftermath, I found Chernobyl Children International, and the stories shared by that organization are part of what inspired me not only to write about Chernobyl but also to pursue a career in speech or occupational therapy so that I can be "a helper." Today, on the 32nd anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster, I invite you to reflect on both what you are grateful for and what you can do to make the world a better, safer place for others.
We humans tend to like novelty and excitement, and we can be forgetful, assuming that, just because something happened a long time ago, it must be "over." But Chernobyl still impacts people to this day. Large parts of Belarus and Ukraine are still contaminated by radioactive matter, and the rates of thyroid disease and birth defects have skyrocketed since the disaster. If you have the time, please visit Chernobyl Children International's website here to learn more about Chernobyl and the ways that you can help those affected by it. For me, that means donating to CCI via Amazon Smile, working on becoming an OT or SLP, raising awareness, and praying. For others, help may look different, and we all have a variety of causes that we care about and are working on. So visit CCI's site, and if you are supporting other causes, too--from animal rights to LGBTQ rights--thank you for being a part of the love and light!
I don't care if it's cold outside . . . it's spring now! And even if there was a part of me that really, really wanted snow last week, I'm grateful that all the little flowers and animals didn't have to deal with any crazy blizzard weather. I'm also grateful that it might actually get warm soon--and not just sporadically like it did in February. As much as I love hot chocolate-and-peppermint-weather, my chronically dry skin and numb toes are looking forward to not having to be wrapped in layers of flannel. Not that springtime will stop me from stealing my brother's over-sized plaid shirts, of course....
Indie Playlist for Spring 2017 (Compilation by alexrainbirdMusic)
I've been listening to alexrainbirdMusic's Spring 2017 Indie playlist to get spring ready, doing lots of homework, and cleaning. Spring weather always makes cleaning feel very necessary. I just wish there were more time for it .... every weekend has been booked by work or school. Has anyone else been spring cleaning? Sometimes it helps to put on a show in the background, like the Maya Angelou documentary that was on PBS on Friday.. There was so much about Maya Angelou that I'd never known before I saw the documentary, and I really recommend it because she's as brilliant as her poetry, and the documentary has so much meaningful footage and history in it.
Another quick thought for spring time . . .for some reason, spring weather always makes me think of styles form the 1910s into the 1920s. Flippy flapper skirts and little hats and flowers always feel very spring-y.
It's almost Christmas . . . how is that even possible? I'll miss Christmastime when it's over. But what's really sad is that there are a lot of awful things going on in the world right now even though the holidays are supposed to be a time of love and peace. I always think of the "O Tannenbaum" story when times are hard like this. It was 1914, and World War I had been a horrible reality for several long and bloody months, but Christmastime somehow brought with it a feeling of beneficence between soldiers on both sides of the trenches. Their shared appreciation for the beauty and sentiment of the holiday season is equal parts touching and heartbreaking because, while it did bring a sort of peace to the battlefront, the peace was only temporary, and men who had once shared in carols and football games were soon forced to return to killing each other. In the words of Pvt. Albert Moren:
“First the Germans would sing one of their carols and then we would sing
one of ours, until when we started up ‘O Come, All Ye Faithful’ the
Germans immediately joined in singing the same hymn to the Latin words
Adeste Fideles. And I thought, well, this is really a most extraordinary
thing – two nations both singing the same carol in the middle of a
war.” (from TIME)
I can only hope that maybe we'll be able to find peace this year for people all over the world and that the peace will last. Every time I see footage from Aleppo or think of what just happened at one of Berlin's beautiful Christmas markets, I'm overcome with sadness and pain and an overwhelming longing for peace. Shouldn't we be able to learn from the past and see that love is the most important thing?
Bookstores and I are a bit of a dangerous combination. I could get so lost in the history section of Barnes & Noble, for instance, that it'd be months before I even realized that time was passing, and that nearly happened yesterday. I'm just grateful my brother or mum are usually there to pull me out of my history-induced daze (though my mum does often get sucked into it with me, LOL).
Some of the books responsible for distracting me indefinitely while I wish I had copies of them:
Speaking of a daze, summer holiday (though we've spent most of it working) is almost over now. It's already August, and, though I think it's good to welcome August lovingly and optimistically, I'm admittedly a bit scared by how quickly the summer's gone by and how short a time there is left before regular work obligations start popping up again and our lives are once again based around our academic calendar. I'm reading about what seasons mean now in How to Read Literature Like a Professor...summer is often connected to youth and freedom and sunshine, whereas winter is usually implicative of loneliness and coldness, and fall (which we're approaching) is sort of like a "bridge" connecting them. That said, though, common literary conventions aren't necessarily true for real life. (The fact that I'm wearing a blue blouse, for instance, isn't necessarily a reflection of my innermost character/true feelings but rather a reflection of what was in my closet this morning.) We've been having a bit of an oppressive heat wave, so I'm excited for cooler temperatures, and winter can be just as happy a time as summer as long as you're in a loving place. So that's what I'm hoping for for everybody--that, no matter how difficult things seem, you have a loving place to go to, regardless of whether it's wintertime or summertime or holiday time or school time.
"All children here witnessed war." That's what Larissa Zhidkova, headmistress of School No. 12 (Slovyansk, Urkaine), said about her students in an article for UNICEF, and it's a line that I can't get out of my head. Living where I do, war--though I've spent years reading, listening, and talking about it--is a faraway thing. I have family members who have experienced war firsthand, but I myself never have, and I have the gift of getting to go to sleep in the same bed every night without worrying whether or not it will still be there when I wake up in the morning. But there are so many other people out there who don't have that luxury. The fires and shellings and shootings we see in images are the ones that they see around them, and death is so real to them that life has become an unreliable game of chance.
Photo from KyivPost.com
Anyway, I suppose the reason that I'm writing about this is because I feel like we forget too often what's happening to people (and animals, too) and become too focused on things like politics and disagreements. We also spend so much time talking about what's new that we push long-term issues into the backs of our minds. I mean, the fighting in Ukraine seems rarely discussed nowadays because it's an older subject, but that doesn't mean its effects aren't still felt. The children at School No. 12 in Slovyansk have still experienced loss and tragedy and trauma. Even if it may have not happened "recently," it still happened, and they're still working through it. Fortunately for these children, though, school has become a place of respite, and their teachers (notably one named Yvgeni) have been providing stress management classes to help them cope with the scars of war. Reading about these sorts of programs makes me smile because it reminds me that there's hope for recovery for everyone. I wish there were more funding for these programs. I volunteer in schools a lot, and there's an awful lot of funding for research into best teaching methods, etc., but I think the emphasis should be taken off of acronyms and theories and put onto things like education in wartime and stress remediation (for teachers as well as for students). Those are just some thoughts for today.
When I was a baby, I fell asleep listening to the faraway soundtrack of The Planet Sleeps, an album of lullabies from all corners of the world. It was the late 1990s, and the world was a far more complicated place than I could've ever imagined from the security of a wicker bassinet. War, poverty, and pain scarred the planet, but the lullabies of The Planet Sleeps connected the world in peace and love and calm. That CD somehow made everything feel blue and starry, even if it wasn't, and I can't help but to think that its songs could save the world. How could horror continue in the face of something so beautiful?
The cover art of The Planet Sleeps is magical realism-meets-indie (thank you, 1990s alternative scene!), and the album itself is/was a fundraiser for UNICEF. Inside, though, is when things get exciting. Tucked into the album cover is a little booklet of the songs, their translations, and anecdotes about their origins. Each anecdote is as poetic and special as the song it accompanies. I learned, for instance, that "Oj Talasi," a lullaby from Bosnia and Herzegovina, was performed by The Trebevic Choir during a tumultuous time of war and strife. Choir members met with each other to perform the song during a difficult winter despite cultural boundaries and wartime bombardment, and many of them later disappeared. It's heartbreaking, and "Oj Talasi" is a poignant reminder of the need for peace and love for and between everyone. Some of my other favorites from The Planet Sleeps are "Fais Do Do, Colin Mon Petite Frere" (France), "Schlafe Mein Prinzchen, Schlaf Ein" (Germany), and "Phnom Penh Lullaby" (Cambodia). But there are also songs from places like North America, Ireland, and New Zealand.
"Oj Talasi"
"Fais Do Do, Colin Mon Petite Frer"
No one is too old for lullabies. The Planet Sleeps (available at Amazon) is a compilation of some of the best, and it's particularly important now in this time of so much unrest. The world needs to be reminded that it is whole. We need to remember that, no matter where we come from, we all sleep under the same stars, and we need love now more than ever.
My mum and I could talk about history forever. It's one big compilation of stories (which, as any bibliophile can agree, are essentially life-blood), and we have the tendency to become incredibly attached to its characters. Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights are both very admirable pieces of literature, but my interest in them is largely fueled by the true stories about the Bronte Sisters (which are tragic and heartbreaking and full of illness and death, by the way), and I could get totally lost in the library's historical literature section. I was also best friends with my sophomore AP European History textbook and still get emotional over having parted with it....
All this in mind, it's pretty clear why I am so very excited to be sharing these vintage stamps!! My mum found them in a giveaway room at work, and I just took a break from working and went through them this morning. They are so diverse and so clearly used that I can hardly contain my geeky awe, lol. Our favorite discoveries include Christmas stamps from Grenada in 1970, a 1929 stamp from London, stamps from Argentina (the Spanish language-lover in me is super happy about these ones), and a Beethoven stamp that says "Republique Rwandaise." What's really cool is that some of the stamps have black ink residue on them from when they were cancelled at the post office. I keep wondering who bought them and used them and what they were sending. Wartime love letters? Birthday cards? Oh, the possibilities! I'll let you know if anything is haunted.
I once got so excited talking to historical archaeologists and special collections librarians during a field trip to a career expo that I didn't even realize that my school had moved to a different exhibit until I looked around and didn't recognize anyone. Needless to say, it was a bit scary, but hearing about historical gardens and Edgar Allan Poe's transcript made the momentary fear entirely worth it. If you're a bibliophile, too, I'm sure you understand where I'm coming from :).
I'm sharing this anecdote because this post is a more literature/history-focused one. I recently rediscovered my mum's collection of World War I poems and poets, and I fell totally in love with it (again). There is something so moving about reading a poem by someone and then reading their story, and it's particularly tragic to learn that they died shortly after said poem was written. Reading the beautiful words of Wilfred Owen, for instance, it was difficult to imagine he was killed only a week before the armistice was signed in 1918. Writing keeps people alive by preserving voices and thoughts and moments, and the fact that so many of the early 20th century's greatest writers had their lives cut short by the very subject they wrote about--war--is so incredibly horrible. Reading about the war also really helps to put into perspective all of the things going on in the present. While it is crucial to think about the good in the world, it's also necessary to recognize the bad, and there is a lot of struggle and suffering right now. I often wonder what poetry--be it written or merely felt (because, yes, you can just "feel" a poem)--will arise from all that is happening today.
As you may have seen on the news, yesterday marked thirty years since the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster, a dreadful accident in Ukraine that continues to affect people even today. Radioactive material is still being found in the milk of cows in Belarus, and children are still being born with illnesses related to radiation exposure. The whole Chernobyl cause is very close to my heart, and I actively follow the efforts of Chernobyl Children International, an Ireland-based charity dedicated to helping families and individuals hurt by Chernobyl. All of CCI's projects are incredibly moving and inspiring, and the organization has improved the lives of children at the Vesnova Children's Asylum greatly. Chernobyl was one of history's most tragic events, but CCI shows that, even in the face of catastrophe, "there is hope."
We lost Prince last week, which was shocking and heartbreaking, and I keep thinking of what he said at the beginning of "Let's Go Crazy":
It's really quite true when you think about it, isn't it? And looking at everything else that's going on in the world--from the Ecuador earthquake to the anniversary of Chernobyl (which is tomorrow)--it's obvious that we are all just here to get through life and all that comes along with it. With this said, it's important now more than ever that we support each other and look at things with love. I have AP tests coming up next week and spent a lot of time studying this weekend but did a lot of spring cleaning, too, and there's something about this weather that's incredibly inspirational. Is it Monday? Yes. But take Monday and make it something awesome, okay?
Spring Break is coming to an end! I'm going to miss it very much even though I spent most of it working. Being with family all day has just been very lovely, and I'm very fortunate to get to look forward to the weekend after all the back-to-workweek madness.
This afternoon, I stumbled upon a National Geographic article about climate change and how it looks visually. Being someone who is totally obsessed with photojournalism and the environment, I was excited (and a bit scared) to read it. Needless to say, the photographs in it are incredibly beautiful and moving, and the photographer who took them, Daniel Beltrá, rather brilliantly explains how photography is "a tool to expose what’s happening in the planet." He's captured everything from the melting in Greenland's ice sheet to the BP Oil Spill, and his work is equal parts stunning and heartbreaking.
It feels odd to have Easter in March this year when I'm so used to it being in April, but there are so many pretty purple flowers on the trees that it doesn't seem to matter, and the colors are all very spring-like despite a chilly breeze. I hope everyone else is having a happy Sunday regardless of whether or not they're celebrating today. We have a lot of homework to do (sigh) and lost a dear pet last week, but we're honoring the holiday with some memory lane trips courtesy of childhood Easter specials. There's something very comforting about old holiday specials, and it's been sweet to revisit characters like Snoopy and Max and Ruby.
Spring is officially here! Yay! It may be cold and rainy this morning, but I'm excited just thinking about the warmer days and pretty flowers ahead. I love winter and autumn, but after the holidays things can get a little bleak, and the sunshine is always welcome. To get the season started off on the right foot, here are some rather generic pictures of baby animals in nature. As always, photo creds to their respective photographers.
There's a very overwhelming part of me that still feels like it should be 6:54 AM, but it isn't. We've "sprung ahead" on the clocks, so now that dear little hour I'm so excited to get in the fall is gone. I hope everyone is adjusting well. I think I'm better now, but on Sunday night I lay awake in bed for a few hours wishing I could fall asleep. Needless to say, Monday morning = tired. These positive affirmations that my mum found were very helpful, though. They may not be related to fatigue or the time change, but they're incredibly inspiring, positive, and true, and I think everyone would benefit from taking a moment to fully embrace what they mean. My favorite right now is "Bedtime Affirmations for the Soul" because that title is just so awesome. Happy Tuesday!
Five years ago, on March 11, 2011, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake struck near the coast of Japan, devastating the island nation with a tsunami and causing a meltdown in three of the reactors at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant. Though by now life has regained a level of normalcy for some, others continue to suffer the direct effects of the disaster, unable to return to their homes due to radiation and destruction and still in mourning over those that died. Today, take a moment to send some support and loving-kindness to those brave souls continuing to suffer the effects of the Japan disaster. As with other tragedies (Bhopal, Chernobyl...), the immediate incident may be over, but its impact lives on, and it's important to think of and honor the heroes and survivors every day. If you're like I am and want to learn more about Japan five years on, check out this article.
In honor of Throwback Thursday, here's some pretty amazing news: the Hubble Space Telescope has just broken the record for "cosmic distance" and seen the oldest galaxy humans have ever found. The galaxy, which has been named GN-Z11, is from 13.4 billion years ago, which means it formed only 400 million years after the Big Bang. In cosmic time, that's not a lot. I was so excited to learn this because, up until now, it hadn't really occurred to me that we could actually see into the past. But reading about this recent discovery, it all started to make sense. Light from faraway galaxies has to travel a very long distance to reach us, "so the further the galaxy, the further back in time we see." That means that an image of a star one light-year from Earth is an image of it from a year ago. To get more science-y, here's an excerpt from Mary Bowerman's USA Today article:
"Seeing a picture of a galaxy when it was younger or all the way back to the Big Bang 13-billion-years-away, that light has traveled a long way," he [Patrick McCarthy] said. "It's like digging up a fossil, you see what life was like millions of years ago, it’s almost a fossil of the early universe."
For galaxies that are billions of years away, astronomers can measure the distance to a galaxy by measuring its “redshift,” which is caused by the expansion of the universe, according to NASA.
“Every distant object in the universe appears to be receding from us because its light is stretched to longer, redder wavelengths as it travels through expanding space to reach our telescopes,” according to NASA.When the “redshifted” light from these distant galaxies makes its way close enough for our telescope to capture, the information from the light allows researchers to see the galaxies as they were billions of years ago.
Happy Leap Day! It's amazing to think that "February 29th" didn't exist last year, but, given that it's here this year, why don't we try to make the most of it? I spent yesterday studying like crazy for the SAT (with a short Oscars break thrown in around dinnertime), and, while the studying continues today, it's also very pretty outside, so I'm trying to focus on more than just school/work/work/work and to reduce stress. I know I've posted about this before, but cortisol isn't something you want to be living on. Cortisol shouldn't be your primary energy source! It's a backup reserve saved for situations that demand it--not for round-the-clock pick-me-ups. Fortunately, if you've been running on cortisol, today is a great day to try to get grounded again.
“According to numerology the number 11 possesses the qualities of patience, honesty, spirituality, sensitivity, intuition and is idealistic and compassionate. Those people who are drawn to 11, operate on a different level of energy than most, and when two people come together who both have this type of energy it’s almost combustible. 11:11 is the universe’s way of urging us to pay attention to our heart, our soul and our inner intuition. It’s serving as a wake-up call to us so that opportunities are not missed in this lifetime.”
See? View today as a day to connect with yourself and your intuition and inner creativity so you can find JOY in things again as opposed to just going through the daily motions. And if you're looking for something to make you smile, here's a video of Mobula Rays belly flopping:
<3 Frances
P.S. Today is the last day for donations to Smile Train to have 5x the impact! That means a $10.00 donation becomes $50.00! www.smiletrain.org
Although my excitement about this post may not be shared by anyone not totally obsessed with literature, I have to share it anyway. For Christmas this year, my big gifts from my mum were copies of Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre from 1943. I know that those books were written in the 1800s, but having copies from 1943 is incredibly amazing to me because of a slight obsession with the 1940s (#modcloth). That aside, though, the thing about these books is that the illustrations are so cool! They're very dark and Tim Burton/Edward Gorey-esque, but they're from a pre-Tim Burton/Edward Gorey time, and they make the depressing moors and broken love stories of Charlotte and Emily Bronte's beautifully-crafted worlds really come to life. It's like the books are haunted in the best way possible.
Happy Chinese New Year! It is *officially* the Year of the Monkey, and, to get even more specific, this year's monkey is the Fire Monkey. Yes, you read that correctly: FIRE Monkey. Personally, I think that's quite possibly one of the most inspiring power animals ever, and it gives me a lot of hope as far as making this year a positive one. Channel your inner Fire Monkey! Anyway, because it's the Chinese New Year and because we do so very much love astrology here at Moth Bird, here is your 2016 Fire Monkey horoscope from Suzanne White via AstroStyle. She says that the Monkey "is like a sunrise full of hope," and she gets into the details of what it means as far as everything from love to real estate is concerned.
The influence of the Fire Monkey in 2016 will cause many of our preconceived notions to hit the fan. It’s going to be a scurrying kind of year. Individuals can accomplish great deeds. But extremist group movements will have less and less effect on the world at large. Fire Monkey years are chockablock with wakeup calls for all and sundry. Fire Monkeys have no time for ostriches. Sweeping global shifts are afoot. Whether it’s climate change which brings everything from volcanic eruptions to cyclones, drought, floods and unbearable heat and cold spells, or it’s the prevalence now of religious wars when enemies fight each other over whose God is the best God and whose God doesn’t count—these, we know, are futile wars. But they exist and will persist and even try to worsen in the Fire Monkey Year.The Monkey is the problem solver. The arrival of a Monkey year, just at this juncture, is like a sunrise full of hope. Another planetary niggle in 2016 will be about massive exodus and immigration of desperate refugees from the above-mentioned conflicts. Many war-torn countries today can do nothing for their people who are homeless and frightened and hungry. So these same people (understandably) need to leave their stricken lands and find a place where they can live in safety and peace and try to make a better life for themselves.Trouble is, where can they go? Where will they be welcomed and accepted? Looks like 2016 will be chockablock with trials and tribulations. In other words, 2016 might be the perfect time to Dial-A -Monkey.Because 2016 is a Fire Monkey Year, progress will be accelerated in all the above areas. Wars might not stop being fought and tornadoes and earthquakes may not desist. But the Monkey is the problem solver. The arrival of a Monkey year, just at this juncture, is like a sunrise full of hope. Monkeys find solutions to even the most labyrinthine of issues. And they do it in subtle ways that other less wily and crafty signs would find impossible. Everybody’s life will be somehow altered because of the Monkey’s know-how in 2016.In 2016, alternative energies to dangerous pollutants will suddenly be taken seriously and developed quickly. Populations everywhere will begin calling for reforms to delay the progress of global warming. Detractors and fanatics who have resisted the idea of climate change will be forced to accept that the consequences of their faulty beliefs are grave and they can no longer hide behind reactionary rhetoric. Let’s face it: When the underpinnings of their million dollar seaside villas begin eroding and their houses teeter on the brink and threaten to topple into the ocean, even the most conservative climate change dinosaurs will begin to pay attention to what reforms are necessary to save the earth from self destruction.In 2016, unconventional medical advances and a new respect for naturopathic cures will also thrive. Already we see that scads of people are fed up with allopathic remedies that not only make people sicker, they don’t always cure them. Instead they treat the symptoms—not the cause. The Fire Monkey will see to it that this trend changes. In 2016, more and more patients will be drawn to homeopathy, acupuncture, osteopathy, naturopathy, traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurveda and many other nonconformist techniques. Health maintenance and disease prevention products such as food supplements and natural healing methods will begin to be taken seriously. 2016 could be just the right time to invest in the stocks of laboratories which make vitamins, homeopathic remedies, food supplements and the like.During this Fire Money year more and more countries will be outlawing toxic insecticides and refusing to allow farmers to use genetically modified seeds (GMOs). It’s the Monkey’s job to clean up what has gotten muddled and soiled through greed. Monkey years are famous for making order out of chaos. Monkeys are forever seeking novel solutions for all the world’s problems.The Monkey, instead of looking at the problem, looks through it, calculates the risks and then begins to pick it apart. This unique method of sorting out predicaments gives the Monkey an edge. Monkeys have few hostile verbal confrontations because their enemies know full well that they are up against a superior Monkey mind.This is not to say that the Monkey year will always favor your side. If you are a Dragon or a Rat, you might have an easier row to hoe in 2016. Not so the Rooster or the Dog who consider Monkeys scatty and inconsequential. And by comparison to the hardworking Horse or the slog and drudge Ox person, Monkeys look like lightweights. But they are not. Monkeys achieve their goals. But often they don’t succeed merely through sheer toil and trudge. Monkeys get what they want by adapting their behavior to the situation and then setting about dismantling it in order to fix it.On a personal level, everyone will be called upon this year to take stock of the condition of their bodies. Some of us have developed chronic conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome, trick knees or tennis elbow. Some people ache in every joint. 2016 will be the perfect year to start a regimen and perform at least one detox. Simultaneously, get yourself to a physical therapist who can guide you through exercises to heal even the most painful and debilitating complaints. Too, you should either join a gym, swim four times a week, jog or sign up for courses in Pilates, Yoga, Zumba or cycling. If you can afford it, hire a coach to assist you in building and maintaining muscle. If you’re feeling sluggish, see a nutritionist and follow their instructions. If all of the above approaches are also above your means, grab a throw rug and download an exercise video. The Fire Monkey year urges and even pushes us to find original ways to remain healthy and strong.Love in the Fire Monkey year? Well… it’s iffy. There are some New Astrology™ signs whose love lives will float along without incident this year. Others of you will encounter snag after snag, often having to do with one of the members of the couple evolving and growing in a direction that both frightens and alienates the other. If you are planning to improve your life and/or make huge personal changes this year, don’t forget to inform your partner and, if they so desire, take them along for the ride. The more you do together, the closer you will become. No matter how passionate you are about your bodywork and cures for chronic ills, remember to maintain a satisfactory level of passion between the sheets.The real estate markets will improve in 2016. Low interest bank loans for mortgages will become more available. The banks themselves will show more flexibility with the people they lend money to. In all 50 U.S. States, same-sex couples can now be married. This breakthrough alone means that 2016 will see new approaches to fusty old obstacles. As Bob Dylan warned way long ago: The times they are a-changin’. Banks will become more user-friendly. And if you are buying or selling property, don’t hesitate to negotiate the price. Monkeys applaud and encourage the haggler in us.In the Fire Monkey year you can get ahead, create new concepts, start a business or leave a job. This is a time to be bolder and cleverer than the next guy. But remember that this Fire Monkey year will also be rife with chicanery and deceit. You must play each opportunity deftly. Do not barrel ahead on any project or make any investments that you have not thoroughly researched. Study each situation and pore over complex documents ‘til your eyes are popping out of your head. Just because 2016 is a leap year doesn’t mean you should leap before you take a good hard objective look at all the details. Nonetheless, forge onward. Take charge and dare in the Fire Monkey year.But before you rush into any enterprise—be it personal, romantic, professional or social—do your homework. The Monkey encourages the spunky, audacious you. But he or she might also be hanging out on a neighboring branch, waiting for you to show weakness. When you do, the Monkey may swing right on over and snatch your banana.
This Christmas marked the first Christmas full moon in 38 years, and it brought with it heightened intuition and emotion. In other words, if you were having major #feels on Friday, the lunar cycle may be partially responsible (read more in this article). In addition to this, the weather has been kind of crazy (it's really warm here, which is really weird, but it's supposed to get seasonal soon), and there were even some big storms in the southern and central U.S. that led to losses. I'm sending the force to everyone there (and anywhere else in the world) who experienced any suffering in recent days <3. The holidays are about togetherness and oneness, and we need to extend our support to those who need it most as we head towards 2016.
Someone captured the moon with Christmas lights!
On a personal note, I'm still sort of pretending Christmas is still going on. I know technically the 25th is over, but I just love the comforting music and the presence of my little faux tree and all the pretty twinkling lights so much that I don't want to move on from the season. Fortunately, the Twelve Days of Christmas technically start the day after Christmas, so it's okay that I still have Darlene Love ad Bruce Springsteen playing on repeat....
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