EVERYTHING ELSE Archives

Coming out of the Era of Deception and into the Era of Fighting for “Justice”

The Neptune in Pisces era is just about over. Neptune enters Aries at the end of March and where it will stay for about 14 years. Already in the past few months and even years, as it has moved closer to the Aries cusp, we have gotten signals of just how Neptune’s energy plays out in the Aries realm.

Neptune, the planet of spirituality, compassion, and deception, which eats away at the foundations of things, was in its own sign of rulership while in Pisces. I saw its influence. There was an excess of kindness which often led to exploitation, the forgiveness and effort to accommodate (rather than fix) people with mental differences, the increase of effort to lift up the downtrodden (sometimes by stepping on the bystander in the process), the government’s and universities’ overreach in efforts to lift up the underdog, the push to change the language we use to describe things in an effort to minimize differences, the blurring of legal and illegal, the push to erase boundaries, are all Neptunian and Piscean (of the sign of Pisces).

The sign Pisces is the sign of the limitless and formless spiritual oneness that we have inside us. Some people epitomize Pisces in an honored way – the yogis and saints who seem to transcend time, the scriptures which tell us to love one another, to give to each other as we would like to receive, to be aware that death is no respecter of persons or positions, and that everyone, no matter what they have done in life, is worthy of God’s forgiveness and a place in the heaven of our respective religions.

How this works in “real life” is sometimes ugly. Your spouse shouldn’t really give your savings account to a stranger, leaving you destitute. Your government shouldn’t really give your farm to a thief, just because he or she is hungry. The element of fairness is missing from Neptune’s realm. Everything is one in that realm, there are no differences, so that working for a goal becomes meaningless, borders don’t exist and private property is an oxymoron, and fighting or making effort toward one’s own well-being is an act of selfishness.

But the planets in our solar system don’t stand still. The moving planets, to astrologers, array themselves in endless spiraling patterns. As they move, the energies change. We can feel the change from Pisces energy to Aries energy in Neptune’s journey. In our country and others (if you read behind the “news”), the change is obvious. Neptune in Aries wants to fight for justice. Aries, Mars’ sign, tries to create a type of heaven on earth by fighting. Aries’ vision is not based on the erasure of boundaries, but on the Aries (somewhat naïve) concept of justice and fairness, individual effort and the vision of creating heaven on earth, a concept that anything that one visualizes can come true and that fighting for one’s vision is a desirable goal of life.

We are already seeing that if we read behind the news. Removing people who broke through borders, reestablishing borders and boundaries, calling for merit based rather than compassion-based hiring, are all symptoms of this new Neptune iteration. Truth is that Aries is ruled by Mars. Though a desire for justice might be the initiating spark that sets off the battle, Mars loves to fight. The next fourteen years will surely be interesting. I hope we all survive!

Carolyn and Robert Love Cats

We love cats!

We love cats! We built a home, raised children, chickens, parrots, bunnies, and cats. When the last of our four beautiful and beloved felines died a few years ago, we decided to travel. Sometimes we visit cat shelters on our travels. Below is a photo from inside the shelter in Mazatlan, Mexico.

On our travels, the cat shelter in Mazatlan

Four cats were with us from 1998 through 2021. When they were young, we had cat-sitters care for them when when we took short vacations. But when they got older, after the age 15 or so, we knew they wouldn’t thrive with strangers. Because their ages were within a few years of each other, they became “old” one-by-one. Robert felt he was almost running a care home for cats. In reality, the aging process gave both of us a glimpse into the human aging process, the gradual weakening, slowing down, problems with digestion and all the other stuff that embodied beings experience toward the end of life. Which, hopefully, will give us patience with our own processes.

Dali and her brother George were adorable and loving kittens. — Dali, the Siamese, lived with us for 19 years. We love cats and when Dali crossed the rainbow bridge, the last of our felines to go, we were very sad.

A Feral Cat Family Adopted Us

For Carolyn, the love of cats started in her childhood. For Robert, it started later, when we built the house in Valley Springs, California. For Carolyn the love started in her childhood. For Robert, it started later, when we built our house in Valley Springs, California. A feral cat gave birth to kittens while our home was under construction. Robert placed the mother and the kittens in a cloth-lined cardboard box and placed it under the porch. The mother cat was so appreciative that she followed us around our property whenever we went on walks. That family of cats was the start. We took walks every day. The cats lined up to follow us down the hill, to the spring, and back again.

The big wraparound porch was the location of the momma cat's "cat cafeteria" — The house we built with a big wraparound porch that protected the kittens and their mother.

The house we built is pictured here- it was very beautiful, we were meticulous to get every detail right, but by the time construction was finished we were ready for a change of scenery! Dali, the Siamese pictured above, was one of many kittens born on that property. The cats and kittens formed a feral family. Their behaviors left us in wonder, sometimes. The old feral male, kind of rough looking, and not a all tame, sometimes sat on a log next to his son, our own loving outdoor pet. Their bond was evident.

Cat Parenting

When the son, the cat we named Mr. Meow, became a father to Dali’s kittens, he always groomed them and lay down near the box where they slept. When they were old enough to eat solid food, he stood by their bowl until they all had their fill. It was only then, when they were satiated, that he would eat the remainder.

These behaviors endeared these beings to us. It was by watching them as a family group that we could see their loving interactions. I’ve written more about the cat family in my blog post here.

This is Baby Meow, son of Mr. Meow. Baby Meow lived 18 years with us. — We love cats and especially loved this gentle Tuxedo, who was with us for 18 years.

Baby Meow was with us for 18 years. We love cats and especially loved this gentle tuxedo.

Dali, the tiny Siamese kitten in the photo, was nineteen years old when she crossed the Rainbow Bridge in 2021. Without a pet, the house didn’t seem like a home. We sold our house. Since then we’ve traveled in many parts of Mexico and the Southwest of the USA. We are no longer available for inquiries for house and cat-sitting, though, as we have settled into a home in the Coachella Valley, where we were almost immediately “adopted” by a new kitty.

Compatibility in Astrology

Compatibility in astrology is viewed through the synastry and the composite chart. However, the relationship you get, even if the astrological compatibility in some areas is excellent, will be shaped by type of partner you innately are, based on your own individual chart. This is a truth that you don’t often hear or read. But consider this as similar to cooking: if the ingredients aren’t all good, it doesn’t matter how great the recipe is.

Natal Complexity

Of course I don’t mean that someone or anyone has a bad chart. But some charts have such disparate juxtapositions of key planets in elements and modalities, that it would be very hard to find a partner who would complement the entire chart in every way. Back to my analogy to cooking, some foods may have such complex flavors that they would be hard to combine with a similarly complex flavored ingredient.

Other Significant Relationships

As a caring person, I look at both the synastry and composite charts to understand the relationship focus. I also look at the current transita to the partners’ charts to see what transitory issues are unfolding and when they might be resolved.Where is the complex blending, the sweet spot, tasty to both partners?

Though the romantic partner relationship is key, it is but one of many relationships we cultivate over our lifetime. Relationships with our early caregivers, mom, dad, siblings, extended family, teachers and friends are highly significant. I urge you to look at those relationships with care and focus, through the tools of astrology. You can choose from many options to see your chart(s) at astro.com.

Planetary Pairings

For marriage as a romantic sexual union, Venus and Mars are the most important to be good aspect to each other. But marriages also embody other types of relating or responsibilities. If it’s about nurturing children, then we would want to see Sun -Moon harmony and some nurturing and responsibility aspects. If a person has a strong Mercury and an intellectual need for a communicative partner, then Mercury aspects take precedence. An older or sick person might need a partner who is more of a caregiver, then we see the strong harmonious Neptune or 12th house connection. Sports aficionados and social leaders will be looking toward Mars and Jupiter. Partnerships that focus on competitions like tennis would have first house, seventh house, Aries, and Libra highlighted.

Life Stages

As we go through different stages in our lives, it’s important to take our stage of life into consideration when comparing charts. The difference between a person’s value system or sense of self after the first or second Saturn return can be quite dramatic. Relationships based on a value system that has become outdated may need to find a new focus of communication and sharing.

The Transits Can Alter Our View of Our Relationships

Depending on your own chart, some transits can really alter your perception of your role or your partner’s role in the relation, as well as alter your view of what kind of relationship you want or need. I wrote a short blog post you can find here.

Stepping back in time in the Yucatan

The non-toll road has massive speed bumps!

Robert and I took the non-toll road to Izamal and it felt as if we were stepping back in time in the Yucatan. The non-toll road is slower going than the toll road and requires extra careful driving because of speed bumps on the road. These bumps, which are about 2 or 3 ft wide, several inches high, and cross from shoulder to shoulder, could do real damage to a car if approached too fast. They are not painted so they blend with the road top in most cases. They also are within towns as well as outside the towns. My guess is that as the towns grow along the highway, new bumps are placed near the city edge, while the old bumps, further within the town, remain. The towns have few cars, some motorcycles and there are people on foot or peddling tricycle carts.

The little villages are worth a look!

The non-toll road is an interesting road because of the little villages and towns it goes through. Each village has a town square and a church, both of which are usually photogenic. The churches are still in use. Often a funeral, wedding or other personal and familial event is in process.

Each town has a beautiful central church

Baños (Sanitarios) Public Bathrooms

Something I hadn’t seen before in Mexico when traveling are the signs for baños or sanitarios on some of the stores along the highway. The signs mean that the store is offering a bathroom to the public. The few that I have availed myself of were clean. The charge for using the bathroom is usually less than ten pesos, often five or eight. So it helps to have some change in pesos in your pocket. Of course there are restaurants, taco stands, and handcrafts in almost every town.

Izamal is one of our favorite towns

The yellow buildings in the main part of town, give Izamal an attractive and inviting appearance.

Named a Pueblo Magico because of its history and charm, Izamal is about an hour from Merida. Our first visit there was last fall. It’s a very peaceful place to stay, there are good restaurants and the people seem to be very welcoming. Actually it’s one of the favorite places we have visited on this three year journey in Mexico. For the time being, it is clean, quiet and not crowded, but I think it will become very popular now that the Maya train stops there. Once tourists discover its quaint charm, its good food, friendly people and the very big pyramids (big, though not really tall), it surely will grow.

This pyramid in Izamal doesn’t seem too impressive until you realize that the huge grassy field in the foreground is the flat top of the supporting pyramid.

Xcambo Archaeological Site

From Izamal we drove to visit the Xcambo ruins near the coast on the northern side of the peninsula. My understanding is that this city of the long ago past was situated and successful because of the nearby salt flats and consequent trade in salt. While the reconstructed buildings aren’t big, intricately decorated or as grand like those at Uxmal or Chichen Itza, the site was more extensive that I expected and there are several building groups to explore. There is also the shell of a church, built right on a Mayan structure, obviously an effort of the Spaniards to overcome any lingering vestiges of the religious sensibilities of the Maya inhabitants there.

this church structure is built right on top of a pyramid’s entrance area

Mosquitoes cut short my enjoyment of the site, though, as I hadn’t applied repellent before I arrived and they got me!

Sidewalks and Sacbes

The drive from Izamal took us through several small Maya towns. We noticed that the towns all had raised sidewalks. The sidewalks reminded us of the Maya sacbe ruins we have seen that once upon a time connected the ancient Maya towns to one another. We’ve seen vestiges of sacbes (sacbeob) at several sites. There is one, apparently, at Xcambo as well. In contemplating sacbes in the Yucatan, I think about the downpours of rain in this region and how this civilized people, the Maya, would have desired raised roads or sidewalks to keep their feet out of the muck.

Yoga in Mt. Shasta

I introduced yoga (Hatha) classes in Mt. Shasta

My life took a special turn in 1968, when I moved to Mt. Shasta. The special and amazing gift to me of teaching and demonstrating yoga came “by chance”.

Here I relate my preparation for teaching Yoga, demonstrating yoga and explaining yoga to people to whom it was really foreign. (I know it is hard to imagine, now, that yoga was an unusual practice in the USA in the 1960s.)

View of San Francisco with Coit Tower the highest landmark in the distance. — San Francisco in the 1960s had a smallish size and big city opportunities.

My introduction to yoga was in my high school gym class around 1962. My training as a dancer since three years old had given me a dancer’s grace and flexibility. Yoga seemed a good fit. By 1966, convinced by my reading of Autobiography of a Yogi and several books on Hatha Yoga from the library, I dedicated myself to the practice. Practicing on my own several hours a day, I also took classes from Sivaram and other teachers in San Francisco.

Avid Reader

As an avid reader, I then devoured books about yoga, yogis, yogic, mystic and “Hindu” traditions. Browsing the library shelves, I focused on the shelves in the 180-200s of the Dewey Decimal System, the books on ancient, medieval, and eastern philosophy. At that time, the main library in San Francisco had open stacks. There was access to arcane and obscure books decades old. It was a time of great opportunity for me to learn.

This study was full time and intense, I had no other work. I lived on savings and proceeds from the sale of the stock that my grandmother had bought me when I was a baby.

A Beautiful Practice

The classes, books, and the four hours of practice every day, coupled with the graceful training of 16 years of dance bestowed a beautiful practice, which was private to me. It showed in my body, though, and in my face, my countenance.

Carolyn, 1969s. The yoga practice changed my appearance, softening my features.

One of the books I brought home from the library was an “I AM” book, published by the St. Germaine society based in Mt. Shasta. Unbeknownst to me, this book and others in the series were normally available only to the members of the I AM organization based in Mt. Shasta.

A believer in miracles at that time, I avidly read this book about sightings of high spiritual figures on Mt. Shasta and the superconscious that is accessible to humans who focus on the I AM presence above the human frame.

Mt. Shasta towers over the surrounding landscape.

On the last page of the book was an image of Mt. Shasta. The book had activated a desire in me to go to this mountain, which, a few years before, I had passed on the way to Seattle without much of a second look.

I focused on that little picture in the book and strongly said to myself “Oh how much I want to go to Mt. Shasta”.

Whether weeks or months passed, I don’t remember. But one day, my brother, who I hadn’t seen in a long time, came by with a woman I hadn’t met. He said to me: “I want you to meet my new woman. Her name is Vera. We got jobs in Mt. Shasta. Do you want to come with us?”

My brother did not know anything about my desire to go to Mt. Shasta. Nobody knew. It was just a strong thought that came to me at the close of the book. The miracle was right there in my brother’s question, though. My brother had never moved out of the Bay Area. He had never had a “new woman” but had been married for 13 years. Separating from his wife, getting a new partner, and moving 300 miles away was really out of his normal context.

Of course I moved to Mt. Shasta, staying with my brother for a few months with snow piled up everywhere that winter.

I continued my yoga practices. At the time I was somewhat oblivious to the cold. Taking cold showers toughened me. I slept with the windows open. In the mornings, icicles hung past the opening. I stood on my head outside. If anyone was paying attention to me, I didn’t notice. Like a drunk passed out on on a sidewalk, I was drunk with the power of yoga. But my brother was noticing. And soon he talked to people about his sister, who was freezing out his home with open windows and standing on her head.

I introduced yoga classes

As a result, people wanted to learn what I was doing. My own teacher, Sivaram, told me to go ahead and teach. I gave demonstrations and taught classes in various homes and in my own rented cabin in City Park.

The energy of the sacred mountain permeated my life there. There was no doubt that I was blessed, that my “overself” or spiritual consciousness was accessible there. I reached people who later taught yoga themselves, an ever widening circle of spiritual and physical well being.

Mundane, but joyful

Moving from Mt. Shasta in 1970 began a different period of my life, a life of responsibility, which was unfamiliar and difficult at first. Gradually, this, too, transformed into a life creative and joyful. Wherever I lived, I taught yoga. Like a tiny pebble thrown into a calm pond, ripples made their way to shores far from their source. Many of my friends and students reached farther than I could have ever dreamed.

Although I’ve taken classes and workshops from many teachers over the years, some quite famous, the path of yoga practice and teaching that captivated my students was that of Sivaram, my first real “in person” teacher. I might add, I find no web presence for him, no bio or any information. Funny that. The most influential and powerful people may often be quite unknown.

My Path of Yoga and Creativity

My Path of Yoga

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is 800px-1967_Mantra-Rock_Dance_Avalon_poster-181x300.jpg — Mantra Rock Dance Introduced Yoga Chanting

My path of Yoga involved lots of imitation, at first. I read Autobiography of a Yogi in 1966 and believed every word of the book. Shortly afterwards, several things converged to shape and define what it was that I was practicing or thought I was practicing.

I began a Hatha Yoga practice, based on an Indra Devi book and daily followed her suggested routine. Within weeks of that beginning, I had the good fortune to attend the Mantra Rock Dance at the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco. There I heard the great Maha Mantra, Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Allen Ginsberg introduced both the chant and the great teacher and devotee, Swami Bhaktivedanta. The crowd joined in the chanting while a memorable light show lit up the ballroom.

Forging My Own Path

Soon after, I attended the storefront Krishna Temple three evenings per week. I listened carefully to the lectures by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, later given the title of Prabhupada. I enjoyed Hatha Yoga classes at the Cultural Integration Fellowship, taught by Shivaram. Shivaram also taught South Indian dance. As a member of his dance class, I performed as a gopi in a play with the other student dancers. The play, about the saint Tukaram, was written and produced by Sant Keshavadas.

1968 photo of Sivaram as Krishna and the dance glass members as gopis. — Sivaram taught yoga and dance at the Cultural Integration Fellowship. Here he is dancing the part of Lord Krishna. I am one of the pictured gopis, on the right of the photo.

There were many opportunities for learning Indian philosophy and choosing a guru at that time. But I could not choose a guru – there was something that didn’t ring true for me. Forging my own path seemed more authentic, somehow. Something I neglected to add to my practice, mostly because I didn’t believe in it, was use of affirmations. I didn’t believe that the words we said to ourselves had much bearing on our reality. Now I know, however, that our self-talk is very important to all aspects of growth and change.

Rising Early to Practice

I read several books each week related to yoga, its history, philosophy, legends, illuminated masters and so forth, and developed a practice of arising at 3 am every morning to do two or three hours asana, pranayama and meditation. In the evenings I returned to my tiny room for a different set of postures, more meditation and chanting in the evenings. It wasn’t hard at all to do this practice as I had a natural propensity to solitary study and solitary acrobatics from childhood. It was more of a matter of applying the new practices that I was learning.

Imitation

In the meantime, I wondered how long it would take to be just like Ramana Maharshi, Yogananda, Bhaktivedanta Swami, or Meher Baba, or any of the other illuminated masters whose photos I had above my little altar.

How strange that seems, now. We are no longer in the age of gurus, at least in the modern world around me. But it was because of having idealized these personages that I put forth the effort to develop my practice. As I matured, I began to realize that it wasn’t about imitating another, it is about developing a relationship with one’s own Self.

My Path of Yoga Included Family Talents

I also recognized that, for some of us, there are also obligations to ones ancestors, unspoken obligations which propel us to express ourselves in certain ways. It is almost, karmically, as if we cannot move ahead spiritually without discharging our family duty. (The guru system seems to imply that the guru takes the student on and all family obligations are dismissed. Since that was not the path I followed, I did have family obligations.)

What is those? Well, it surely is different for each family. And, within each family, each member may manifest that duty differently. And, the word duty doesn’t imply that it is arduous, necessarily, just that it needs to be expressed. This was brought home to me in 1981. I had been working as a stained glass artist/craftsperson for several years. It was an art form that I “fell into” because there was a modest demand for stained glass windows in my community and it was work that I could do at home, yet still be available for my two young children.

Stained Glass Window in Pinks with glass jewels — Stained Glass Window by Carolyn Relei

The Tiffany Exhibition 1981

In 1981, the Tiffany Exhibition came to San Francisco’s De Young Museum. The museum bookstore accepted my lampshades on consignment there and sold quite a few of them. This brought me a bit of local fame, with a newspaper article and a spot on the Sacramento News 10. At some point during the months when my works were in the museum I had a very vivid dream.

The Dream

My family members were all in my dream, my aunts and uncles, as if at a big family event. All of a sudden, in walked Nono, my grandfather, who had died years before. My grandfather’s skin, in the dream, was green, the same color as the skin of Osiris, the Egyptian god of the dead. I said to my grandfather, in surprise, “Nono, I thought you were dead!” And he said, “I am dead, I just came back to tell you that I am very proud of you that you have your work at the De Young Museum”. Then I woke up. Nono was an artist, he always answered when asked what his occupation was. But actually, painting pictures was his hobby. With seven children to support, he was a house painter by trade. But he felt inside that he was an artist. Many family members follow an artistic path, two of Nono’s children were very able artists. Artistic giftedness has carried on in his grandchildren and great grandchildren .

I can’t ignore my hands’ needs to create things of utility and beauty. The work itself is a kind of prayer.

The Swami’s Message about War and Peace

What a guru taught me about war and peace

It was 1967, Haight Ashbury, San Francisco and I was in the newly opened Hare Krishna store-front temple. The temple was next-door to the Diggers, near the Panhandle. The temple’s swami and founder, Swami Bhaktivedanta, as he was known then, gave lectures and led chanting. I attended on Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings. Usually less than a dozen people attended these lectures. The swami chanted prayers, led group chanting with his harmonium, and gave a lecture. His lectures were mesmerizing. Incredibly articulate, he ended his lectures by asking us if we had any questions. I was far too shy in that setting to ask any. But the others weren’t so shy. They asked questions about many topics, many about the Viet Nam war. That conflict was disrupting life for many of us. War and peace were the pressing issues of the times.

This Mantra Rock Dance January 29, 1967, was my first exposure to chanting and to the elderly swami, later to be known as Prabhupad.

The disruptor of my life was my own actions

While the real disruptor of my life at that time was my own actions, I also fretted on the ongoing war. I couldn’t fathom why the war had started and why it wasn’t ending. The government’s reasons seemed unconvincing for many of us. Coupled with our lack of belief in the need for the war was our real fear of escalation. Growing up, many of my age mates and I heard that World War 2 was the last survivable war. Many believed that future war would lead to the use of nuclear weapons and end life on earth. We wanted the guru to tell us something about politics or how to end the war. But his message about war and peace was quite different than I expected.

Conflict is part of life on earth

What he told us was that war and conflict was part of life on earth. This elderly man, the swami, told us that the only way out was to chant the holy names of God. He offered that Hare Krishna was the very best transcendental method to use. Yet, he encouraged us to chant Jesus’ or any name we normally used to connect to God. In that way, he opined, we will be transcendental to the world. He said that the world only ever offers conflict, but spiritual life gives a way to transcend the conflict. I didn’t really believe what he said back then. Yet the world is still as full of conflict as ever, despite organizations, movements, and moneys spent to establish peace. His words echo more true as the years pass by.

Transcending the Conflict

I took up the swami’s suggestion, not immediately, but over time. Within the year, 1967, I gradually incorporated meditation, hatha yoga, chanting, and prayer into my life. Reading scriptures of many faiths, along with attending classes and lectures, supported my journey. With the insights initially provided by Swami Bhaktivedanta, I perceived the common spiritual thread that connects humanity.

The gist of swami’s message is that we are able to transcend the conflict that is intrinsic to earth-life experience. We transcend, not by changing the earth, but by changing ourselves.

We Visited Playa del Carmen Several Times

We first visited Playa del Carmen in 1991 or 1992 on a stop toward the Tulum ruins and points south. Playa del Carmen at that time had sand streets, a few one story small hotels near the beach, and a sign advertising a not yet built development called Playacar. The ferry to Cozumel was the draw that brought most visitors, as Playa’s population was very small.

Map showing Playa del Carmen on the coast south of Cancun. — Playa del Carmen lies south of Cancun and north of Tulum on the Mayan Riviera of Quintana Roo, Mexico.

We were surprised by the well-developed city we found here when we returned in 2021. We stayed several weeks while we considered making our home here. But we wanted to see a little more of Mexico before deciding.

In January, 2022, we left Playa to travel more around Mexico. We stayed from days to several months in various Mexican cities.

When we returned this past spring, we leased a newer condo with a great pool and a view from the roof. After our lease expired we moved to a bigger and older condo two blocks from the beach and two blocks from 5th Avenue. I am really happy to be close to 5th Avenue, a walking street, where pedestrians rule!

5th Avenue

5th Avenue is a walking street in the tourist area of Playa del Carmen. It’s lined with restaurants, bars and shops selling clothing, handcrafts and more. I suspect that lots of the handcrafts are mass produced in China. In any case, the shops are eye catching. Live entertainment in many of the restaurants and bars as well as street performers in exotic looking costumes capture or assault the senses. I love walking streets and 5th Avenue doesn’t disappoint.

Running parallel to the beach, 5th Avenue extends for about five kilometers, with the action becoming quieter as the street extends further from the center of town. On the beach itself, there are often public events. Crystal bowl, copal, and meditation ceremonies at the new and full moon attract many visitors.

We swim when the water is calm and beautifully clear.

The Beaches

I often walk to the beach at dawn, which is a common activity for people who live here. At that hour, a quiet vibe prevails, unlike later on in the day when the beach is crowded with sunbathers, vendors, swimmers and music. Early in the morning, some take pictures as the golden orb crests above the clouded horizon, others sit to welcome the sun in meditation, while others begin their morning swim.

A Woman Sounds Her Gong at Dawn at Playa del Carmen — A Woman Sounds Her Gong at Dawn

Sandwiched between the mornings spent at the ocean and the evening visits to the beach or 5th Avenue, the rest of the day here is usually uneventful for us. We haven’t found a native market, but there are supermarkets, where we get just about everything we need, and smaller produce markets.

Getting Around

Our new neighborhood is in a pricey taxi district, so we usually walk to a different zone if we need to take a taxi to somewhere further away.

When we want to go outside of Playa, Robert rents a car. We’ve so far visited several of the archaeological sites on the Yucatan Peninsula. We have plans to visit more.

Archaeological sites are less than a day's drive from Playa del Carmen. — The Yucatan Peninsula is rich with Mayan sites. Playa del Carmen is within less than a day’s journey to most of them.

I Still Have Hobbies

Recently I decided that I wanted to sew or at least play around with sewing. I was able to find two used machines for sale that are identical to the ones that I left behind in California. I now lack nothing in the sewing department.

Cleaned up, tuned up and ready to use, the two in front are my purchases from Playa.

Buying the machines was interesting in itself, because both of the machines were located in the non-touristy area of Playa. It was kind of an adventure to go into the different neighborhoods. And it meant that I was finally learning enough Spanish that I could ask how the machine ran before I bought it.

Travel Tips for the Absent-Minded or Newbie Flyers

Here are some travel tips based on my own experience.

Purse and Fanny Pack

1. A purse is my airline approved “personal item”. I also use a fanny pack that is big enough for tissue, passport, my phone and a few small items I want securely close to my body. The fanny pack doesn’t seem to count toward the carry-on allowance.

2. My purse is roomy enough for a change of clothes and a few personal items. I like that I don’t have to dig through it to use my phone or pull out my passport, as those are in my fanny pack. Most airlines consider a purse to be a “personal item”. It can be fairly big, but it has to fit under the seat in front of you. Check your airline’s website for a detailed description of what constitutes a personal item and its maximum size.

My favorite purse is a Baggallini shoulder bag. Inside my purse I stitched cords to which I secure my wallet and other small items. My wallet, key and passport holder have loops that I stitched on them, so I can snap them onto or off of the cords. The idea wasn’t mine originally. An old travel purse was made that way, but, since my Baggallini bag had none, I decided to add them myself. Though my effort has an amateurish look, the result works as desired. After accidentally leaving my wallet on a store counter one day and then walking out of the store, I realized that all my valuables should always be tethered to the inside of my purse.

I sewed a cord into the purse for clipping on my wallet or key. — The purse has a cord for securing my wallet.

Backpack or Carry-on Suitcase

3. The backpack or carry-on luggage has everything else for a short trip.

4. Since Robert and I actually have lived out of suitcases for a large part of two years of travel, we also have checked bags. But if we go simply on a short vacation trip, the fanny pack, purse and carry-on suitcase or backpack would serve me well.

Shoes

4. I wear shoes that are easy to slip on and off, as US flights require the removal of shoes when going through security.

Laptop

5. At security, if you have a laptop in your backpack, you must remove it and place it in the tray to go through the scanner. It can’t remain in the backpack, even though the whole backpack will go through the scanner too. I take the laptop out of it protective cover before getting into the security line. But I put the protective cover back onto it before walking toward the boarding gate.

Warm Clothes

6. I wear layers of clothes. Airports and airplanes can be quite chilly. Wearing the clothes will keep you warm. If you are too hot, you can take off a layer if you want to. Wearing the layers saves space in your luggage, too.

Drinks Avoidable and Necessary

7. The planes are packed full these days. Don’t expect a roomy flight. No one seems to get up to use the bathroom on these crowded flights. If you have any urinary weakness, do not drink coffee before you board the plane!

8. Part of the necessary expenses of flying is having to dump your water bottle at security, only to have to buy bottled water inside. And it’s pricey. But you really should not let yourself get dehydrated, be sure to buy water for yourself if you are going to be sitting around in the airport lounge for a while.

Water in some countries is not considered potable. I assume that includes tap water in airports.

Gum

9. One of the travel tips that I recently learned was to have chewing gum with me on flights. When my ears started hurting upon descent, a woman next to me gave me chewing gum, saying it would help. Chewing the gum really did clear the pain away as we landed. I will always fly with a pack of gum from now on.

More Travel Tips

You surely can easily find more travel tips by searching on the web. Here is a site I found that you may like: www.worldpackers.com/articles/first-time-travelers

A Short Visit to Izamal

We decided to make a short visit to Izamal, near Merida. Izamal was the first of Mexico’s Pueblo Mágicos. The magic of Izamal is not just the beautiful yellow color of its buildings and abundance of plants. Izamal also has Mayan pyramids, historic churches, and a huge public square, complete with horse-drawn cart rides.

Izamal's buildings are a bright golden shade of yellow.

The central area’s streets are cobblestone. The cobblestones seem to be set deeper than those in some other historical town I have walked in, so they didn’t poke into my shoes.

Our horse drawn carriage ride took us by each of the four large pyramid sites in Izamal. Later that day we walked to view them. They were not all open for exploration. We climbed the largest accessible structure, though, which seemed enormous. Climbing the side to what we thought was the top gave us access to a large grassy platform, itself the base of a smaller pyramid.

The grassy platform is the top of a very large pyramid supporting this smaller pyramid structure. — Izamal’s largest pyramid KINICH KAK MOO has a plateau that supports this smaller pyramid.

Though Izamal is not as famous as other Pueblos Magicos, it is bound to become better known in a short time. Soon, it will be a stop for the new Mayan train that encircles the Yucatan.

In the evenings, we watched and listened as hundreds of birds flitted about in the public square jockeying for roosting space in the trees. https://youtube.com/shorts/Mi46-s8TYeM?si=iQIafgwk61wVoWLI

Izamal shows off its status as a Pueblo Magico with festive decorations.

I would gladly visit this charming and ancient Pueblo Magico again. If you plan to go to Izamal, you may enjoy learning more at this site A Day in Izamal: The Magic Town & Its Massive Pyramid – Sailingstone Travel.

Prince Harry in the News

Birth Chart and Delineation

When Prince Harry was in the news a while ago, I looked up his birth chart and share here my short delineation.

If I did a cold reading of his chart, without knowing his name, profession or anything about him, here are some things I would notice and remark upon. I would see the Mars in Sagittarius, indicating that he likes to move his body freely, sports would include running, climbing, and any competitive tournaments. Since Sagittarius is a crusader at times, I would advise that he has the capacity to be ruthless in promoting or coercing others to adopt or harbor his philosophy or world views. With this Mars in the eleventh house, he applies this approach to society as a whole or his friends.

Prince Harry Birth Chart — Prince Harry Capricorn Rising, Moon in Taurus, Sun in Virgo

Smarter than He Seems

The next planet that I notice is his Mercury in Virgo. He isn’t stupid. Mercury in Virgo is an analyst and sometimes sharp with words. Combined with his Sun in the same sign, he is smarter than he seems, but too focused on details to see the big picture, often getting lost in minutiae, and he may alienate others with his sharp words. The mind here is analytical without vision. However, the position of these planets in the eighth house indicates that he has the capacity to go within, to drop out, to be alone and ponder. Jupiter and Neptune in the 12th house additionally indicate capacity, indeed need, to hide away and be alone. Here they also give capacity for secret philanthropy. Neptune and Jupiter here also expand psychic and emotional energies coming from deep within, can create self-imposed or community imposed isolation and seeking altered states of consciousness.

North and South Nodes

In this short analysis of his chart, I would note that the north and south node positions show a familiarity, though discomfort, with status and career with eventual comfort in home and later in ancestry. The moon in the fourth is a strong indicator of the importance of his mother (and father) in his life and his family in general.

Secret Philanthropy

Because the houses show where we “do” our lives and the planets and signs show what we do, here are my further thoughts:

He would benefit from doing actual secret philanthropy, charity behind the scenes, in institutions like hospitals or prisons. Family life suits him well. When I see several planets in the 8th house in someone’s chart, I often find out that death has made itself known to them in a tragic way. Facing endings, death, is a very hard lesson and the eighth house also asks us to embrace the “what’s next” and to recognize the cycle of life in all its aspects. That is why we associate the eighth house not only with death, but with sex, and recycling, and the renewal of anything by transformation into a new form. This could be a life work for the material, practical Virgo, who isn’t always able to envision the ineffable realities very well.

Seems that Prince Harry is voicing his desire to live his own chart, his written and spoken reality is congruent with this chart I see before me, right, wrong or indifferent, and his Virgo Mercury is doing the speaking.

I’ve written a short blog post about his royal relative Edward VIII at https://blog.carolynrelei.com/edward-viiis-impressions-of-ms-simpson/

Wallace Simpson and Edward VIII

The quote below is from an unearthed memoir of Edward VIII that intrigued me enough to look up both of their natal charts. Looking at their charts, I easily saw that Edward VIII’s impressions of Ms. Simpson accurately describe a Gemini stellium which is prominent in Wallace Simpson’s chart. (A stellium is a grouping of several planets all in the same sign).

The screenshot below captures the intriguing point. View the article which contains the quote at https://mol.im/a/12673407

Edward VIII spoke of how he admired Wallace Simpson for her wit and vivaciousness. — The essence of a Gemini stellium personality

Now, let’s look at the chart itself!

Wallace Simpson natal chart — Planets are grouped in Gemini in Ms. Simpson’s chart

Edward VIII natal astrology chart — Edward VIII also has a grouping in Gemini

Fascinated by the talkative, mercurial Wallace Simpson, Edward VIII’s impressions of Ms. Simpson read like a classic textbook of astrological keywords for Gemini. The interrelatedness of both of their Gemini planets fostered communication, travel, and connections. Of course, some of the travel is because of their position of near or actual exile. History hasn’t been very kind to this couple. Edward VIII’s moon in the first house in Pisces is a position of a psychic sponge and sometimes indicates a quitter or an individual who doesn’t have enough fight in him to see things through to a desired outcome. Though some call the quitting cowardice, I feel that the moon in Pisces often sees the world as an illusion. It wouldn’t be hard to quit something that interiorly seems at times to have so little substance.

If you are interested in the chart of a more modern royal, you will find my post by clicking blog.carolynrelei.com/prince-harry-in-the-news

Major and Minor Influencers, San Francisco 1966

There were major and minor influencers in San Francisco whose legacy continues today. I was fortunate to encounter many of them there.

Acid Rock Music and Peace Marches

Returning from Europe in July 1966, after almost a year of travel, I was immersed in the San Francisco vibe. This was the period of acid rock, Be-ins, the Oracle, Big Brother and the Holding Company, and Jefferson Airplane. The venue was the Avalon Ballroom. Our friend, Woody, had a gig as the Master of Ceremonies at the Avalon. Mentioning his name at the box office gave us free entry. During the fall of 1966 through the spring of 1967, we went to the rock concerts weekly, seeing the above mentioned groups and many more.

Peace marches attracted attention with signs and rock groups accompanied the marchers

Besides the rock concerts at the Avalon, there were anti-war demonstrations, marches and celebrations. We attended many of them, mostly by chance, simply by walking into Golden Gate Park or taking the bus to the Panhandle.

I wasn’t in the best of health then, having contracted amoebic dysentery in Egypt. The antibiotics had stopped the virulence of it, but my body wasn’t dealing with food very well yet.

I Made Healing My Focus

My greatest desire was to have good health. So on my “trips” I focused on my body, looking inward, asking what it needed to be well.

My internal and external exploration for healing my body bore fruit. By the the summer of 1967, we were completely living a new lifestyle. Early morning and late evening yoga practice, eating vegetarian food, mantra meditation, and walks to the ocean became a daily routine. The beach below Lincoln Park was relatively deserted in those days. On the beach we often sat patiently to watch barnacles catch their prey in the tide pools.

Time at the beach below Lincoln Park was meditative and healing.

Our path was brightened by the luminaries who lived in San Francisco during that seminal period. Influencers and teachers included A.C.Bhativadanta Swami, Richard Hittleman, Suzuki Roshi, Eknath Easwaran and Sivaram. Many swamis from India taught classes or gave lectures. Timothy Leary was there from time to time. Standing next to him in line one day, I sensed his energy to be nervous and scattered, quite unlike the disciplined energy of the teachers of yogic meditation that were sharing their wisdom with us.

Master Subramuniya’s Influence

There, too, was the relatively unknown yogi, Master Subramuniya, whose ashram was a few blocks from our apartment. While we experienced many in-person classes with several of the important spiritual influencers, we never met Master Subramuniya, though we attempted to attend events at his ashram on more than one occasion.

His influence, though, was through his guest appearances on a nighttime talk show. People called in to ask him questions about their experiences opening the doorways of perception with LSD or mescaline. I remember one of Subramuniya Swami’s calm responses. He explained to the caller, based on the caller’s description of his experience, which chakra was being activated. He explained the psychedelic experience through the lens of yogic states of consciousness.

Explorers in a Strange Land

It’s probably hard to fathom that, in the 1960s, the effects of psychedelic drugs were little known to most people. Like travelers in a land that hasn’t been mapped yet, we were all explorers.

And, while Timothy Leary made the news, others were quietly planting seeds of world views that would bear various kinds of fruit.

Though Subramuniya Swami did not introduce me to yoga, nor was he my guru, I want to acknowledge him in this blog as someone who made reasonable sense out of the chaos of experiences during that tumultuous time. You can learn more about him at the link below.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sivaya_Subramuniyaswami

Xel-Ha Archaeological Site

Xel-Ha archaeological site is easy to visit on the way to Tulum from Playa del Carmen. We had a lovely visit to view the ruins and the cenote. I forgot to use mosquito repellent, so I brought home some itchy souvenirs all over my body. Apart from the mosquitoes, the site is peaceful and parklike.

beautiful cenote at Xel-Ha — The view of this beautiful cenote was the reward at the end of our walk along the *sacbe*

We walked along the ancient sacbe, which is a causeway or raised road, which took us to a structure and to a beautiful cenote. I haven’t done the research, but the structure’s proximity to the sacbe caused me to guess that perhaps it served as a kind of “guard house” to screen people or goods coming toward the city on that ancient road.

This structure sits near the path of the *sacbe*

When we visited Coba archaeological site, we learned that a sacbe connected Coba to Xel-Ha in pre-Colombian times. The sacbe facilitated trade between Xel-Ha and Coba. Xel-Ha provided goods from the sea and shore such as fish and shellfish.

The number of structures that we saw indicated that this was no small village, but a place of substantial population and importance. There are also archaeological remains across the modern highway 307 at the Xel-Ha park. We didn’t see those on this visit, as it is not connected to the Xel-Ha archaeological site.

Altogether the visit to the site took an hour or two.

Arne Trettevik: The Star Shaman of South Palm Canyon – California Desert Art by Ann Japenga

https://www.californiadesertart.com/arne-trettevik-the-star-shaman-of-south-palm-canyon/

Arne Trettevik: The star Shaman of South Palm Canyon and his art is the subject of the article linked above.

Several years ago Ann Japenga interviewed me. Ann is a writer based in Palm Springs. She wanted to know about the artist who painted the paintings that I was selling. My response piqued her interest enough that she wrote the above article.

Arne, the subject of Ann Japenga’s article, introduced me to the wonders of Mayan archaeological ruins. Until I saw his slides (photos), I didn’t know much about what Mexico and Central America offered. His seven month journey in Mexico, Belize and Guatemala inspired me.

The gallery below has a small sample of his photos. Unfortunately, my scans of the original beautiful Ektachrome slides are somewhat drab.

Photos taken in 1962: Isla Mujeres, Campeche, cenote at Chichen Itza, unknown volcano, Villahermosa and the PanAmerican Highway,

This is Star Shaman Arne in 1962 — Photos taken in 1962: Isla Mujeres, Campeche, cenote at Chichen Itza, unknown volcano, Villahermosa and the PanAmerican Highway,

Shortly after I viewed Arne’s beautiful slides of his unusual (for the times) journey, he invited me to come down to Mexico to see for myself. Without hesitation, I did, and we spent several years together studying and traveling. In those days we climbed the pyramids and often we were the only visitors around.

Ultimately, there is something about being alone in these ruins that expanded our awareness of different cultures and ways of being. Travel, in general, changes the traveler. Here, in the ruins, my sense of connection to nature and spirit was enhanced.

It’s some sixty years later and I am still fascinated by this region. Most recently, I visited Xel-Ha archaeological site with Robert. I wrote a blog post about Coba with photos here. I plan to visit more of the sites. Although I earned my master of arts degree in Cultural Ecology by doing scholarly research on the region, my visits now are strictly for my own enjoyment.

Kitty Boot Camp

Kitty Boot Camp: a true cat story

This photo of of a black cat who looks very similar to our original feral cat momma.

Kitty Boot Camp: a true cat story tells about some of the behaviors that we observed when we built a house near a colony of feral cats and their offspring. I’ll explain the behavior “kitty boot camp” later.

During the 1990s, we built a home on acreage in a rural subdivision in the California foothills. While working on the initial construction, our builder encountered an apparently vicious cat. She was hiding in the air conditioner ductwork. She bit and scratched the contractor when he tried to pull her out.

Busy as we were, working and commuting to our home and the construction site daily, we forgot our contractor’s cat story. But one day my son heard kittens mewing. A somewhat flattened large box, discarded and not yet hauled to the dumps, lay on the ground . It was in this box that my son found the kittens.

Since it was the rainy time of year, we wanted to rescue the kittens from the storms. Robert suggested the perfect place to shelter them. He lined a small cardboard box, placed the kittens in it and put it under the wraparound porch. The momma cat immediately joined her kittens there. We brought milk and tidbits for momma cat and peeked under the porch sometimes to view them. Momma cat kept her distance from us, at first. Eventually, though, she warmed up to following us around the property when we went on walks.

The wraparound porch sheltered the kittens. It was under the wraparound porch that the feral momma cat revealed the food part of cat culture to us.

A Balance of Nature

At that time, where we lived, there was not an overabundance of cats. Coyotes, mountain lions and other predators roamed there. There were foxes. And there were mice and rodents. The subdivision wasn’t completely built out yet, many lots were empty. The lots themselves were large, up to 5 acres, and some had springs of fresh water. There was a kind of balance of nature. We hadn’t gotten acquainted with the cat as an individual pet, as we later would with her descendants. She was a part of the wild ecosystem that established itself before we moved there.

But I couldn’t resist playing with the kittens and feeding them. The kittens were so friendly and adorable. After a while, I was the “cat lady” of the area. Nearby neighbors often asked for a cat for their own place. Everyone needed a good mouser around their property. Some of our porch kittens, though, stayed, grew up near our house, and had kittens of their own.

This kitten became a valued part of our home.

Although it is hard for an urban dweller to imagine a place where there are not enough cats, cats were in demand in this area at that time. With so many predators thinning out their numbers and many rodents roaming around, cats were valued and useful.

Male Cat Bonding

Two of the cats stayed for years on our property. One cat was the daughter of the original black feral female and the other was a male black cat who apparently was the progenitor of many of the cats in the colony. The old male had a peaceful personality. We would encounter him sitting on a log, just so calmly. We never fed him, he was completely independent and lived off the land. In later years, his grown-up son, who had become somewhat of a pet for us, could be seen sometimes calmly sitting at the old male’s side. For us, this non-confrontational behavior between the elder and younger cat was unbelievable. We didn’t know about what we now call “cat culture”, because we had only ever known city cats, who are often stressed about territory.

Boot Camp for Kittens

A survival aspect of the cat behavior of our “tribe” of cats was what Robert referred to as “kitty boot camp”. The mother cat and her kittens lived in a cloth lined cardboard box on the porch. She nursed them, cleaned them and then went off into the brush for a while to hunt and bring back tidbits for them. When the kittens were about 6 weeks old or so, mother and kittens all disappeared. In about a week they came back.

A vivid memory from those years is of a day when the cat we named Rascal came up out of the brush followed by her nine proud kittens, single file, all with their short fat tails pointing straight up to the sky. The tiniest of them was the last in line. They marched up to the porch and climbed into their “nursery” box. They had successfully returned from a week of “boot camp”, where, we surmised, mother cat taught them to hunt and survive in nature.
The “boot camp” with the kittens was repeated with each litter and was common for all the mother cats and kittens that grew up on the porch.

Arranging the Catch to Entice the Kittens to Eat Solid Food

The first cat we became acquainted with, the feral female, revealed how displaying the catch was part of a cat culture ritual as well. As this was the group of kittens we rescued from the big refrigerator box who sheltered under the porch, we easily observed them. One day Robert went down to peek at the feral cat’s kittens and came rushing up to tell me “you have got to come down right now and see this, she has a kitten cafeteria there!”

I went to see and what I saw was three mice, a couple of lizards and a few large grasshoppers laid carefully in a row from largest to smallest as if an imaginary line marked the bottom of the display. The mother cat had so neatly arranged the catch to display to her kittens, that it looked like a human cafeteria display. The cat’s remarkable natural talents included food arrangement and we were very impressed!

They Moved with Us

When we sold our property we took the cats with us. By then, the tribe had become domestic, tame kitties, ready for city life, vaccinated and “fixed”. There were six of them who moved with us to the city and stayed with us for years. The last to leave us, at the age of 19, was the beautiful Siamese pictured here. She, also, was a descendant of the old, friendly feral black male.

This Siamese cat is actually one of the descendants of the original feral male. — We named this cat Dali. She came with us when we moved from our rural property to the city. At our property, she displayed the same traits as the rest of her relatives described in Kitty Boot Camp. As a city pet she was an honored member of our household.

Coba Archaeological Site

Coba Archaeological Site

Coba Archaeological Site was our choice for our third day trip in the rented Nissan March. This important Maya site was not new to me. When I worked on my master’s thesis in Anthropology, years ago, I read many journal articles about Coba and the findings there, particularly in regard to Coba’s food crops and its urban settlement patterns. Robert and I then visited Coba shortly after I finished my thesis in 1990. During that visit, my memories of what I learned were very fresh. Alas, my recollections were not as clear this time.

View from top of pyramid 1991 — View from top of pyramid on our 1991 visit to Coba

Nohoch Mul pyramid as it looked in 1991 from it distant pyramid neighbor — You can see how spread out the ruins are in the photo taken in 1991

At the site entrance, we hired a guide!

We hired a guide for a two hour tour and slowly walked the path from one pyramid to the other. Coba archaeological site is big and the featured pyramids are spread about. Though we walked with our guide to the furthest of the ruins that we planned to see, our guide encouraged us to hire a pedicab for the return to the site’s entrance. He told us that the fares for the rides help his ejido. So we rode in a pedicab back to the starting point at the entrance to the site. You can enjoy our view from the pedicab here!

A view of Coba's lake from the ;road leading to the site entrance — A view of Coba’s lake from the road leading to the site entrance

During the walk, Robert asked if we could see the lake from the path. The guide led us to a spot where we had a glimpse of the lake. Robert remembered viewing the lake on our visit to Coba in 1991 from the top of the pyramid.

Our guide told us that since the last big hurricane the lake has had crocodiles, which washed in with the hurricane’s waters. He told us that prior to the hurricane, the lake had no crocodiles, so the people of the ejido used it for swimming, but now it is dangerous.

Glimpse of Lake from top of pyramid 1991 — The top of the pyramid offered a glimpse of Coba’s lake 1991

During the walk, our guide showed us copal trees and how the sap is taken and processed to make into a hard resin. Copal is the incense of choice for all the ceremonies around here and was during pre-Colombian times, as well.

Mayan Bees Are Tiny!

Our guide pointed out the Mayan bees on one of the trees. I read about these bees when working on my thesis, but I had never seen one close up. The tiny stingless bees make honey that is more syrupy than the honey of European bees. They live in trees. I was fascinated to see them up close. Later, at an store at the site’s entrance, we purchased a tiny jar of it!

The surprise that I enjoyed on this visit was the opportunity to walk among the trees along the path. The heat of the August didn’t seem to penetrate the canopy of foliage. It actually felt comfortable. Out in the sunlight, away from the cover of trees, though, it was challenging to stand and look at the archaeological ruins! A couple of days before, during our drive through the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve, I had been disappointed that we couldn’t really walk through the forest. Here, we did walk and it was surprisingly pleasant. In the photos above, which are scanned from slides that Robert took in 1991, you can see how dense the foliage is in this part of Quintana Roo.

The ruins of Coba are surrounded by vegetation. — The ruins of Coba are surrounded by vegetation

What do the transits really do?

What do the transits really do? Recently, I received a message from an astrologically aware friend. She wanted to know what my reaction was when Venus was Cazimi the Sun in Leo. She thought this transit was significant because it made an exact sextile aspect to my own natal Venus conjoined Ascendant. The sextile is considered to be an opportunity. At first, I couldn’t remember anything in particular about that day.

The transit coincided with an opportunity to become peaceful!

But something did change that day. On that day, I realized that I had been creating a battle of sorts with my husband for a couple of months and I decided to make peace with myself. The truth is that he wasn’t engaged in battle with me. Our trip to California in the hottest week of the summer left me tired and out of sorts. I simply wasn’t letting go of the mood. So this gentle transit sextile marked a decision that I made to be peaceful, as it revealed to me my own attitude quite clearly. The sextile provided the ease to change, to be in a loving and open state of mind again.

Transits Affect Multiple Planets

I feel the transiting Saturn conjoined to my Moon much more strongly. Saturn is a slow moving planet. Lately, it has be conjoined to my natal moon. My natal moon is the focal planet of a natal partile yod, involving the Sun and Neptune both quincunx to Moon, while natal Moon opposes natal Mercury. Moon is square natal Mars. So when Moon experiences a challenge it sets off multiple reactions.

I feel sadness on and off as Saturn’s apparent motion moves forward and retrogrades back. The energy remains consistent whether the aspect is exact or a few degrees off. It feels as if I am at a happy get together (my own normal internal joy and outward life) but a stranger is the room. This stranger, Saturn, is the room and I know he’s there. When Saturn is in closest aspect to Moon, the dark stranger seems to be shaking hands with me and he is bringing tears to my eyes. Even when the transit conjunction is a couple of degrees from exact, I still see him in the room. And I know he’s going to walk up to me again. What is his message going to be?

Transits to my moon “trigger” other planets in my chart.

Like in a game of pool, the transit affects all the other planets in play (within orb of aspect).

Some transits are felt throughout the chart!

In addition to the conjunction, there is a “game of pool” type of energy around my chart that gets activated by any planet conjunct my Moon. When Saturn bumps the Moon, the Moon sends its energy to Mercury, to the Sun, to Mars and to Neptune, all sitting between 0° and 4°. So Moon’s issues trigger anger (Mars), mental agitation (Mercury), a longing for spiritual oneness (Neptune), and a longing for a creative role (my Leo Sun).

And I’ve noticed that when the slow moving planet walks into my 10th house, it affects me greatly. I’ve worn so many hats through my life, used a variety of talents. I’ve enjoyed putting on different occupations, different roles, so when the slow moving transits occur in my 10th house, initially, I don’t know what my role should be. I don’t know how I can most be of service to others and to myself. It is really disconcerting to flounder, in my sense of my outward role. I know I am Spirit-Soul (Moon in Pisces). But what does Spirit-Soul do in the outer world? The 10th house is not about money. The 10th house is about our place before the public, career, how we identify when we are asked upon being introduced to someone new “so, what do you do?”

Looking back

Months have gone by since writing the above blog article. Saturn has moved way past the interactions with my Moon, Sun, and Neptune. I’ve got a habit tracker app. I listed all the things that I think are important for good health in the app. Things like breathing exercises certain yoga practices using eye wash a lot of health practices and spiritual practices that I did many years ago are on my new list. My list even includes reminders to call my friends or contact people or write in my blog. So Saturn had the effect of making me feel empty and kind of structureless, career-less and friendless. The healing response is that I have put a better structure in place. It’s working! And as a result of having this structured list I have created space in my life in my days is to write, to talk, and share what I know. As a person who has spent her whole life studying, teaching, and learning, I will continue doing what I have always loved.

Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve day trip from Playa del Carmen

The Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve

Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve day trip from Playa del Carmen was our first day trip since moving to our apartment here in Playa. Though we had other places in mind as well, the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve topped our list. Up until recently, the comfy buses were great for travel between cities and withing cities, but we knew we would see more if we rented a car. The car we rented was a Nissan March, a smallish simple 4 door hatchback. Robert did all the driving.

From Playa del Carmen, we headed south to Tulum. The main beach road in Tulum, Avenida Coba, is also the highway that heads south into the biosphere reserve. Robert’s goal for our day trip was to get as far as the Boca Paila bridge.

Sian Kaan roadsign — Sian Kaan road sign

The unpaved road was a bit rough. Since the car was small, Robert drove slowly and very carefully. That way, he managed to avoid bottoming out in holes, ridges or gullies on the road’s surface. The road obviously had endured some rainstorms since the last grading, but recent days had been dry, so it was a perfect time to explore. Although it isn’t that far from Tulum, it took about two hours of driving on the unpaved road to get to the bridge. The foliage of the reserve is beautifully green, deep and dark. I would have loved to walk a bit in the forest. It appeared to me that the plants were bigger there, the fan palms had enormous fans, the pinnate palms were tall with deep green fronds.

Sian Kaan Biosphere Reserve foliage along the roadside — The fan palms seem enormous in the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve!

Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve is not exactly as I expected, but lovely nonetheless!

I expected a park where we could get out and walk among the trees along the road and access the beach. But through most of the zone, at least as far as the Boca Paila bridge, there was fencing near the road. The fencing demarcated private or off-limit property, so that we could not access the beach on the one side nor the lagoon on the other. Some of the properties had signs indicating they were lodges or guest houses of some sort. There is a rustic restaurant in the reserve a few kilometers from the entrance. We did go there. At the restaurant, though we didn’t access the beach, it appeared that we could have walked down to it. The picture below is of the beach from the dining area.

Ocean view from the dining area of a restaurant in Sian Kaan — A simple restaurant near the entrance overlooks the ocean

Since we had planned only a day trip, I hadn’t done research on staying in the Sian Ka’an biosphere reserve. We do plan to visit Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve from Playa del Carmen again, but not for a day trip. We will stay at Punta Allen, the end of the road settlement that offers various levels of lodging to visitors. Next time, to get there, we will take public transportation, a tour, or rent a much sturdier vehicle.

View toward the ocean from the Puente Boca Paila — View from the *Puente Boca Paila* (Boca Paila bridge)

The Puente Boca Paila was the turnaround point of our day trip. We stood on the bridge and took some photos. It was a very hot afternoon. Although Robert would have gladly walked to the ocean on the nearby path, it was too hot for me to attempt it and waiting in the car would have even been hotter. Next time we hope to choose a cooler day for our visit!

Traveling when Old!

Traveling when old has similarities and differences to traveling when young. Two years ago, Robert and I uprooted ourselves to travel in Mexico. But we didn’t settle in one place. We’ve traveled around. The ease of using the buses, planes, hotel and Airbnb sites made short term stays in different areas fun and affordable.

We have more luggage now!

There’s a big difference between the kind of traveling we do now and the kind that we did in the ’60s ’70 and even the ’80s. For one thing, we use suitcases now, while we preferred backpacks back then. Everything we need for our everyday lives fits in two suitcases, each, but they aren’t little suitcases. Dragging them through a bus depot or airport is embarrassing. I used to travel lightly and proudly, without encumbrances other than a small backpack.

Things that we didn’t need before when traveling include things that didn’t exist in the 60s, 70’s and 80’s, like our laptops, cell phones and their associated cables and chargers, keyboards and my 21 inch monitor.

I have a lot of vitamins, a neck massager, a “ma roller”, wraps for knees, wrists and elbows, a heating pad, ice pack and more. Even though I don’t have any aches and pains at this moment, I carry these tools. And though seldom, I have used each and every one at least once on this journey. In reality, it’s a lot easier to pull something out of my suitcase than try to find an open store in some tiny unfamiliar town at ten o’clock at night or 5 in the morning.

Mail

As a grownup and elder, I don’t have a mom or dad to take care of my mail and things back home. Thankfully, with cell phone and laptop, I take care of most of my mail (digital), order supplies that I need and pay taxes online. Infrequently, we order physical mail to be sent from our physical mail center, when we can’t get back to pick it up in person.

When we left for Mexico, I had only clothes for moderate and warm weather. After a few months in the tropical lowlands, we went to Mexico City in mid-January. The cold was impressive and we immediately went shopping for sweaters, jackets and warm pants. These items added to what I carry. I replaced my small suitcase with a larger size. Now, my several changes of clothes include items both for the cool highland climates and tropical lowlands. I only buy clothes that wash and wear easily. Though I wash some things by hand, most often we take our clothes to a nearby lavanderia. Here in Mexico, do-it-yourself coin-op laundromats exist in some cities. We prefer those.

Good health is vital when traveling!

Since my first serious encounter with tropical illness in 1965, I don’t take good health for granted.. Therefore, I have vitamins and herb supplements that I would have never dreamed of carrying in my youth. Supplements that are reputed to build the immune system are part of my daily regimen. For my mental and physical well being, I think this two year journey has been very beneficial.

We pay attention to the body’s need for exercise and fresh air, so we travel slower.

A big change between now and when we were young is that our bodies rebel when confined to a bus or airplane seat for hours. While we used to cover lots of ground by traveling long distances at night, we avoid overnight rides now. We plan our trips so that we are on a bus or plane for no more than four to six hours, preferably two or three. We then stay no less than two days at the destination. This gives us a chance to stretch out, walk, rest, and see a bit of of a new place. Even if not a preferred destination, we have found there is going to be something interesting to see or do everywhere.

Photos are easier to take and store now!

In the past, photos taken by my camera required developing into prints before I could see them. It seemed costly to take too many and I was never sure if they would turn out right. Some of the places we have visited lately are places we visited 30, 40 or even 60 years before. I wish I had more of my old pictures to use as comparison photos, but I only have a few of each place, some not in focus or with good lighting.

Of course, my cell phone takes great photos. I can take as many as I want and discard the failures! And keep them in the cloud for future viewing. It’s great to not have to lug slide projectors and slide trays around. Fortunately, I scanned all my old slides, converting them into digital jpgs in 2006. All my old slides are in the cloud now, too.

Carolyn 1966 on Cousin Inez's deck overlooking the harbor of Genoa, Italy — Carolyn 1966 on Cousin Inez’s deck overlooking the harbor of Genoa, Italy

Selfies are not very flattering!

Daily in social media I see photos of young beautiful women who pose so gracefully in front of every monument, beach or festive crowd. That is not us at this time of our lives. I wish I had more photos of a photogenic me, but, alas, the photos reveal me as I really am.

Carolyn and Robert with the observatory at Palenque in the background. — Traveling when old is just as fun and exciting as it was when we were younger, but we cover less ground than we did before!

Language Fluency

I’ve traveled in Mexico since the 1960s. In the 60s, I had just come out of high school and college where I spent four years studying Spanish. In subsequent trips, I never was at a loss for words. But when we came to Mexico in 2021, I would open my mouth, rapidly speak a few words and then a deafening silence. Somehow, in the past twenty years, I had forgotten most all the Spanish I used to know. Limited to only remembering some words and phrases and verbs only in the present tense. I would have feared for my memory, in general, but in the past twenty years, I had no problems with remembering other things that seemed important. Passing the real estate exam, substitute teaching, running a small online business, mastering the art of horoscope interpretation, and more occupied the past two decades, so it must have been just a matter of attention and practice.

Language Apps to the Rescue

Language apps are wonderful for filling in the memory gaps. Google Translate helps when I read articles or even a menu in Spanish. I downloaded the Language Transfer app and use it sometimes. It helps with understanding the structure and origins of Spanish.

I use Duolingo daily. I love how the lessons are short and easy to do at various times during the day. At first Duolingo was frustrating, because it took me through beginner’s, present tense lessons, for almost a year before “introducing” me the past tenses. But obviously, I needed the review, or the app would have moved me on faster. I’m still not fluent, but I am heading there. And in addition to learning the language, it feels like there are other learning benefits. All in all, travel has been good for my brain!