365/365

2015 in review

               









 November was filled with a lot of stress because of school, but it was also filled with positivity, art, and self acceptance. I took some self portraits and spent time practicing self love, which included eating when I was hungry, writing, drinking a lot of water, and being outside a lot. I painted some canvases and took a lot of pictures. I continued to build relationships with the awesome people I met in October. I began a new journal which has helped me manage my emotions, too.

was eventful. Many of my friends came home, I finished up my semester at college, my birthday came and went, as did Christmas. I spent time with my Sarasota fam, 3D design fam, Ohana, and my immediate fam. It was great, considering I don't get to do that very often. I can always look forward to this time of year, simply because I know that I can be together with some lovely people and be myself. This time around it was even better since I had been (mostly) on my own for the last few months.

And now, onward, to 2016

A tiny gift, from me to you

I originally made this book for my ohana (family, not blood related) as a part of their christmas gift, but I think this would be nice to share with you all as well. Here's the link to my downloadable ohana zine:

CLICK!

 Ohana means family, and family means no one gets left behind, or forgotten.

 Enjoy this print out. this would probably be best printed in at half of the original size. I haven't tested out any printing yet but I will soon and update this when I do.

 -Mia

2015

As 2015 comes to a close, I can feel the year truly winding down. I am finally finished with school this semester and I have some time to spend doing some cool creative things.

This year was very long, very telling. I have grown this year more than ever before, and I have taken time to myself to heal after unknowingly dealing with depression, anxiety, and EDNOS. If anyone is who is reading this might be dealing with these issues, I would be more than happy to talk to you about it or tell you what is helping me heal. Shoot me an email. Otherwise, that is all I'm going to say about my mental health for now, until I might be ready to share my story.

So back to this year. I have accomplished more this year than any other year. What a perfect way to kick start my adult life! In practicing patience, I have completed more art projects, sewn more, went on more walks, spent more time outside in general, and allowed myself to reflect on my feelings and truly listen to myself (mentally and physically). I have met so many new people, and I have opened myself up to more possibilities (my Sagittarius is showing). I have a job that I love and I have started + continued this blog, learned more about astrology, and traveled across the county a few times! It's been a non stop kind of year, and I like it, but I am happy to be finishing up this big year and head into 2016 with a positive mindset (which is another thing I have never really done before!).

I hope to finish the rest of the pages on my blog and finally have it all set up now that I have more free time. Maybe one day it will actually complete. heh. But as the year ends, I will set some goals for myself when it comes to this blog. I want to do something new with it, but I don't want to try and do too much more, because I know I won't keep up with it. I want to either incorporate something new or perhaps change the goal completely. We shall see, but I do think I want to incorporate more of my art. Especially now that I'm taking it more seriously than before. I would like to share my photograph as well. I don't know how yet, or if I will.

But one exciting thing coming this week is the full moon on Christmas. What a perfect time. Full moons are all about letting go, a great preparation for making new year's resolutions. Especially when the full moon is in Cancer, a watery and emotional sign. So emotions might be high this next week, and patience is something that we should practice now. I'm interested to see what happens, considering Christmas is being held at my home this year.

And then a small shout out to Brianna at Hello Virgo (click!) because she is a light and I hope to be collaborating with her this new year. :)

-Maria

December + New Moon

I haven't made much time for the blog lately. For anyone that may actually keep up with me, I apologize for that. I was going to post a few tarot card readings, but as I thought about sharing them, it didn't feel right. The last few I've had have been really personal, and things that I just don't want to share with everyone. So that's why I haven't shared one in awhile. I'm going to do a tarot card reading for the new moon this Friday, and depending on how that goes, I will share it.

A few days ago, it was my 21st birthday. The days I spent surrounded by (most of) my family in Sarasota meant a lot to me. After this year, many of us will be going in different directions, and even though I know I will see them all again after the fact, I don't know when that will be. So I truly cherished our time together this weekend.

As the year begins to wrap up and classes wind down, the fact that it's almost 2016 kills me. I can't believe how quickly time is passing. I can't even say how the world will be in five years. I feel like everything is changing rapidly. I'm not sure what's going to happen but I feel pretty anxious.

But back to the new moon happening on Friday morning. As always, the new moon welcomes new beginnings. So we should begin some new goals or refocus on our goals. This new moon occurs in the sign of Sagittarius, which is all about independence, adventure, and honesty. Ask how you can use these traits to improve your well being these next two weeks. Mercury also shifts into Capricorn this week, which can go hand-in-hand with the new moon. Mercury in Capricorn is all about realistic goals and practical tasks. So perhaps using the honesty and expansive nature that Sagittarius influences us to use can be applied in the workplace. This is all about the big picture, planning for the end than for the temporary.

Venus moved into scorpio on the 4th, which honestly explains a lot for me. My Venus is in Scorpio, and I have been feeling very intense lately when it comes to the relationships I have with others.  Scorpio in Venus signifies extreme closeness, not physically but also mentally. I feel this so much!

Taking time to reflect on all of this is important to me. I don't depend on this to tell me the future, but as a time to sit back and realize that I may have been ignoring something. Have I set myself back? Have I lost focus? What more can do? How can I use these things to better my life? How can I help not just myself, but others as well? Astrology has helped me get to know myself better. Someone told me that they think astrology is weird because "it's just another label to slap onto someone." But what that person seems to forget is that this is how the human brain works. We divide things and people an places into categories because it helps us to understand the world better. And I don't think that there is anything wrong with that.

-Maria

The Good, The Bad, and the Temporary

The full moon last night - the mourning moon - has given me the opportunity to stop and reflect. (tarot post to come!) Every year on thanksgiving, I do take the time to think about these things. But as I get older, as my thoughts grow more uncontained, as I get to know myself better, giving thanks means so much more to me. Showing someone that you care and that you love them is a great thing, and it is a shame that as a society we see doing good and nice things for one another weird. As if we are too good to show love or compassion. We have all sent a message that never received a reply, or experienced one sided love, or maybe someone made fun of our feelings. So we push them away.

Recent Thoughts

+This body you have is only temporary. It keeps your spirit alive for now. Don't get caught up on how it looks, get caught up on how it feels. Soft, good, healthy, tired, hungry.
+We are all doing our best based on our experiences and how much factual knowledge we have on our world.'
'+Every circumstance is temporary and everything is representation. All we know is what is in ourselves.
+What if everyone said "Good Luck" instead of goodbye? Maybe we could consciously make an effort to help out people, even if we do not know them well? Because let's face it, one way or another, we are all going through something. "Even though I don't know what you might be going through, I hope it comes out okay."
+There is a big difference between being self centered and selfish. This one was taught to me again and again by someone close to me. I have really been thinking about this a lot lately.
+Wanting to be alone is not a bad thing. I would say that it is actually a good thing.
+We must remember that humans are not the only living things occupying this planet. We really need a change.
+Practicing confidence and aggressiveness has made a positive impact on my life.
+Experimenting with different mediums has made a positive impact in my life.
+Things are always easier said than done. I've learned this the hard way, as most of us probably do.
+It is okay as long as you are doing your best in your given circumstances. Hardships are different for us all, taking on the guilt for everything that is bad on the world is not going to do much except make you feel depressed. Share information with others, vote, read the news. Being in the know about other world events is the best you can do right now, and no one expects you to fix every problem in the world. Take a deep breath and volunteer or raise money for a cause you are interested in. Recycle. Eat whole foods and skip as many prepackaged items as you can. Support local farmers and dairies. Sending much of my positive out there to those affected by the many disasters that have occurred this week/month/year/centuries.




(and also taking a small hiatus from posting a lot of astrology stuff. Need to focus on this last month of school. I will probably post about the full moon but that will be about it until I'm done with this semester)


-Maria

Healing, Confusion, Frustration

I have said in the past that the past few months have been a healing period. I never thought I would heal but I know that I am now, and I can feel it. I always pushed it away, I never welcomed healing into my daily life. But now I practice it daily, whether it be through long walks spent thinking, music, art, or even writing.

Although a time of healing, it is now a time of confusion and some frustration. I am confused because with all of the discoveries I am making with myself, the more questions I have. Because I have been focusing on my well bring more than anything, I have lost time invested into my business. It has been placed on the back burner but I really don't want that to be there. It's frustrating because it feels like time wasted. It hasn't been!!
I feel like I was on a path in the woods, and I accidentally trailed off without knowing it, and while I still enjoyed the hike, I realize I'm off of course and now I'm trying to find my way back. That's the best way of putting it.

Tomorrow I will be seeing a psychic to give me some guidance. I feel like it is much needed and now is more than a better time.

I finally have a clear personal goal for myself now, though. I just want to make good connections with people, no matter the extent of our relationship. If it's just a hello, my name is ____ I want to treat that as an important moment. To look them in the eye and listen to their name and remember how they act. I want to remember that person, and appreciate them for the person I saw them as, even for only a night. I want to welcome people to put their impression onto me. To make their mark and to make me see things in a new funny way. This has really made me feel happier lately. Taking my headphones out of my ears and my eyes off of the ground has made a huge difference. Imagine all of the people we could meet if our body language welcomed it? We could meet someone from Russia, someone who has a dad in that obscure band you know, or meet someone whose personality is the complete opposite of their appearance.

It's funny how afraid of people we are. I just want to be the person that I needed. I want to be the person that randomly brings excitement into someone's life, or someone that you can connect to immediately. Someone that can talk about deep ass shit but still dance around in the kitchen at the end of the night. I want to change how people see things, or make them feel okay. I don't want to judge people, I want to listen to them and understand them. I want them to feel comfortable in talking to me.

-------------
I haven't worked on my business much. I haven't even thought about it much. It is time to return my attention back to it. I may have two large projects this month, but I really think I can make some progress with my frozen yogurt recipes this month. I need to do something. I have a lot of research, a lot of guides, links, tutorials. Time to begin implementing it all. Thank you to all who have faith in me and have asked me about it, because you remind me of the promise I made to myself. You guys are my fire.

-Maria

Last Night's Super Moon + Themes

A full moon can take an affect on our lives up to a week before it actually happens. The super moon (also known as the Hunter's moon) that occurred last night has taken it's toll on me these past few days. A lot of talk about feelings and reflecting on my relationships has been rather exhausting, but necessary. What has happened to you in the past week? Have your relationships been up in the air? Did someone close to you tell you something that you never knew, or did you share your intimate feelings with someone else? 

New moon tarot card reading

SO I did myself a big ass tarot card reading for the new moon that just passed last week.


One thing that I want to emphasize that there is no right or wrong way of doing this. I personally just feel myself shuffling and I become drawn to cards, and I never really lay them out in a specific way. I kind of know as I'm doing it if that makes sense.

This reading, I kind of did a big general outlook, like a typical ten card reading.

I drew three cards, placing one down, and two others on either side. This is my present. Then I drew two cards and placed one below and one above the center card. Those two were my foundation, my past. Next is the future, which are two cards above the rest. Far future, if you will. Then I asked specifically about finances (two on the left), career (two on right), and love (one card in the top right hand corner.. which I'm not looking too much into at the moment).

My three present cards were The Queen of Cups, The King of Wands, and Four Cups. These all connect so strongly and the fact that the queen and king are next to each other means a lot to me. And each of these cards represents creativity and assertiveness, femininity and masculinity. This is so interesting to me, especially in the suits that they are in... wands and cups. According to this website, Wands and Cups paired together looks a lot like Kings and Queens when they are paired together... a lot of energy but very different.

Of course I am no expert, but I have always felt like a giant paradox, and this reading has struck a chord with me. I feel the emotional and caring nudge of the Queen, also with me unlocking more of my intuitive nature recently. The King inspires me to take a hold of a situation and create new ways of doing old tasks.  Another great bit of info? (I found this on the website as well)

King of wands: forceful
-helps the Queen of Cups be more assertive
-annoys the Queen of Cups because he assumes she will follow him


(hehehe)

Next to the pair is the four of cups. This reflects a period of self reflection, focusing on oneself, but also missing what's right in front of us. I'm not sure what I am missing, I have some ideas, but I would rather not get into it.

However, this might not be the case. Learntarot.com states "In some situations, you must focus on yourself. When life is too stressful, you need to devote time and energy to yourself or you will feel swamped. The Four of Cups can represent a positive period of self-reflection and renewal. By taking the time to go within to dream, muse and reflect, you restore your emotional balance."

I think this is exactly right. As I've said in previous posts, my life is shifting, and I've been alone in solitude (for the most part). I have been creating a lot, finding myself, and thinking about and reevaluating my situation. I think that I was giving too much and trying too hard for a lot of things, so this period has helped me immensely.

The past: The chariot reversed is below the queen of cups. It's funny how this card is below the queen in the pat and the king is next to her now. The Chariot represents assertiveness and confidence, but reversed, means that the energy is there but not yet achieved. The King of wands demonstrates that maybe I have finally found that assertiveness and confidence, and that I can now utilize it in the way I want.


I think that the five wands reversed above the queen shows me that my energies were scattered (that's how I'm interpreting it at least, with four of cups next to her). I wasn't looking inward. I was getting a lot of information from external sources, which too much of can obviously be unhealthy.

My future holds two cards. One is the King of cups, which is in a different position from the king and queen in the present. Next to that is the three of cups reversed.

I was thinking recently about how I need to channel more "water" in my life. Enhance my emotional intelligence, become more in tune with my spirituality, becoming more fluid in life. Allowing myself to just "go with the flow" sometimes. And the cups (whose element is water) presented here show me that I will being doing just that (with some problems, of course).

The King of Cups is a wise man, who understands what goes on around him and give therapeutic advice. Open minded and patient, this king demonstrates that either I will achieve this or that someone (most likely a man) will arrive into my life sometime in the future. I'm excited for this, I hope that I can look back at this and know exactly who this is referring to. The three of Cups reversed shows that my sense of community and friendship is not going to be at it's best, but the energy is there. I just won't be able to access it right away, or I'll have trouble using it.

Now I directly relate this to moving away to California. I may be happy with myself, achieved my greatest self, but had a hard time balancing this with getting to know and meet new people. Which is just like me. Same thing happened at college for me. It's hard that first year to balance it all. Lately I have been more conscious of how I spend my time, and realizing that some time wasters have big parts in my life.Social media has been a big distraction. How many could I meet in the time that I'm just scrolling down insta, or checking my facebook? this has been bothering me a lot lately, to be be honest. I don't mind others doing so, I'm not trying to project my weird guilt onto anyone else. This is just something I've been thinking about recently.

Anyway, this reading was huge. I learned a lot, and I was able to open up my mind a lot more. This reading has showed me that I have some things to work on, as always. I'm excited for this journey, though!

-Maria

stream of conscious 10.16.2015

I'm very confused. I'm very sad, and also very happy. I'm annoyed with myself because I'm finding enjoyment out of things. I'm afraid I'm shallow. I'm afraid that I am weird, and that other people don't want to be my friend because I'm too weird. I'm afraid that being myself is bitchy or creepy or annoying. I'm afraid that I have been more of a burden than anything else. How much time have I wasted? How much space am I taking up? And for what? Someone much more deserving should have the things that I have or the space that I live in.

I'm scared that I might be alone forever. I'm scared that I will never have the balls to get as close with someone as I have before. I'm scared that late night, intimate conversations will fade. I'm scared that I get too close to people to quickly. I feel like I have too many feelings about too many people. I think a lot about some people who I have only talked to maybe five times (and less, in some cases). Sometimes my honesty is too much, and I become misunderstood because the feelings are not mutual.

Sometimes I think about how I might never meet someone who feels the same way about coldplay as I do. I wonder if I'll meet someone who is as obsessed with Mc. Lovin' as I am. Maybe I can find someone who will walk with me for an hour, even if we don't say anything, and even if it is 95 degrees outside. I want to meet someone who doesn't think that they have power over me. I want someone to teach me cello, and I want someone to paint with me. I want random people to go on trips with me. You know, I fantasize about that so much. I think about what it would to be like to go on trips with random people in my life. I once met this guy and after our conversation I thought about what it would be like to travel to Germany with him. Or I think about Denver, Chicago, San Diego.

I live relationships out in my head. It's weird. It's like I don't want to comE on too strong so I just keep it inside and play with it. I sincerely hope I am not the only person who feels this way, because I certainly feel like it.  I think about all the people I've had a crush on, and I think about how good it would feel to kiss them today. I think about all the times I could have kissed someone if I had just been honest and open to it. There are some people that had the opportunity but turned me down when I was trying to kiss twenty people for my 20th birthday. I was so sad because I really wanted to kiss all of those people! It's so sad to think that I have thought about these people so much but they will never know how I really feel about them. And it's weird that there are people who feel this way with me. And I wonder about all the feelings I was oblivious to. Because honestly I would want to know! Who doesn't like to hear that they are liked or loved? Even if the feelings aren't completely reciprocated, we shouldn't get weirded out. This person like you a lot! What a lovely thing!

But it is scary. It is all really scary. And your body knows it because it becomes all hot and your hands shake. And you can feel you heart beat and you feel like your head might explode if you don''t say something right now, you have to say something right now. "Okay, bye." And then you're internally yelling because that isn't how you truly felt! That isn't what you wanted to say! YOu wanted to say something along the lines of, "Wow, I really like talking to you, you are such a cool person. If it's okay with you, I'd like to hang out sometime. Here's my number if you want to. No Pressure!" and then walk away all cool. But instead, you're fuming and annoyed to no end. And you keep going and doing this.




And I hope that you do, because I hope that this is all normal.

New Moon in Libra

I'm not going to go into too much detail but... the new moon hit me heavy as fuck.

 I did tarot readings both yesterday and today, but the one I did today has stuck out to me the most. I really felt it, and it was a genuine reading. The past couple of weeks I have struggled for a good tarot reading. I think I wasn't in the right mindset when I was doing them. But today I was able to focus on the cards alone, and drew some interesting ones... a lot of them were queen and king cards too. I think this was an intense reading. (I'll post that in a separate post)

 Okay. So yesterday, I thought I had missed the new moon. I didn't do any research but I went ahead and looked up when it was. As it had turned out, last night was actually the new moon. SO I looked up what sign it was under and everything. I found a great page here that told me some interesting things.

 One of them being:
  New Moon Opposite Uranus in Aries
Uranus is associated with sudden changes and revelations that are unexpected and can be exciting and/or disrupting. It is about individual freedom, and can also be revolutionary and rebellious, especially when in the sign of Aries.

With Uranus in an opposition to this New Moon, this implies that the new beginnings in relationships and co-dependencies will take into consideration a new awareness and/or changes that have occurred either last month and/or this upcoming month. For some people it could be about working within the constructs and finding a new sense of individual freedom within relationships. For others, it could manifest into finalizing a breakup or separation that has been developing since the beginning of summer."

TRUE AF (for me at least)

 One thing is that the new moon is about setting goals for ourselves and cultivating new projects/relationships/rituals/etc. and watching these develop as we get closer to the full moon in roughly two weeks. The moon is becoming full again. That is why when there is a full moon, we let go of things and release things, until the moon is getting smaller and disappears. Waxing and waning.

So for this new moon, which is in Libra, is all about balancing relationships, retaining old while developing new. This is something I have constantly struggled with. It really being amplified at the moment. I'm reaching out to a few people who I haven't spoken to in awhile for various reasons. I'm working to patch up some old friendships and begin a few new ones. I'm pretty excited, and I hope things go well and misunderstandings will be put aside. I've been holding onto some anger and frustration, and I'm working to let that all go.

 With my last post, I've thought a lot about relationships in general. How other people affect us, and if they know how much they do. For example, there are a few people that I want to be honest with, let them know everything I think about them (it's all good things). But I haven't talked to most of these people in months, which is exactly why I'm thinking about them all. We are all busy with school and work and other people, but there are still those few people that have helped me so much in the past (I'm looking at you, new college) and they probably don't even know it. So much so that I love them, so so much. But have not gotten the chance to tell them. And I regret that a lot. And I hope that I can revisit these people and tell them what they have done for me and how much I appreciated the time I spent with them. That all sounds bad and mushy but it's 100% true!!

Reflections

Blood Moon Tarot Reading

Wow. The night of the blood moon, September 27. A lot happened.

Okay. Where to begin?

I got home from work, and I just had some much needed relaxation. Around 8 p.m., I had the urge to do a tarot reading. I followed my gut. As I began to shuffle, I found myself talking out loud. I was asking questions, looking for guidance of any kind. I just need to hear something good.While I was shuffling, the Moon card fell out of my deck, exactly how it is in the photo. I was amazed. The moon's energy was that intense. I flt that the cards were telling me that they were listening. Or someone was listening.

I know this sounds pretty unbelievable. I know most of ou will not believe me. But I still want to share my experience.

I knew why I was talking out loud now. I wasn't aware, but I was not talking to myself. I was talking to my grandmother. I started crying because I truly felt this. My grandmother was a big part of my life until she passed away when I was a child. I was Overwhelmed, but I continued to shuffle the cards. I knew she was there with me at that moment. And I truly believed that she reached out to me through my cards.

I don't know if this is possible. This is how I felt.

I shuffled and then it felt perfect. I put down one card above the moon, and layed the rest of the cards out in three separate piles. From each of these piles, I turned over the top card. I just felt that was what I needed to do.

The five of pentacles represents hardship in every aspect. Economical, family, relationships. This represents my past, and I know this. I had a really rough childhood. I was an only child, I was over weight, my parents were constantly on the verge of divorce (they are good now, in fact, better than ever), I was extremely depressed and at times, suicidal. My parents had to file for bankruptcy, and we lost our house. We didn't end up homeless, but we almost did . I'm not writing this for pity, and the Wheel of Fortune demonstrates that. Things are becoming better and looking up. My past is the past, and I have accepted it, and I know that there is more for me in this world.

Now the cards the the left and to the right are what got me. This again, was my grandmother. The following is my own interpretation.
I think that my grandmother was telling me that she was here. She is represented in the Empress card. And my mother is the queen of cups reversed. My mother and I do not have the best relationship, it isn't bad either, but isn't the greatest. However, I think that my grandmother was telling me that I can find her within my mother. I think she's saying, "I'm not here, but you are not alone, either." I just lost it.

It was very emotional for me, as I never believed in these things. I did not make anyone feel badly if they had an experience like this, but I just never had my own experience. But maybe these things to not show themselves unless we open ourselves up to them.

-Maria

Autumn Equinox Tarot Reading

SO HERE WE GO!

A couple nights ago on Autumn Equinox, I did a tarot reading for myself. I thought about my business, my future in general with my career. I got some interesting cards. I drew three (not in past/present/future order), and one more for specifically my financial situation.

1. The High Priestess

This card (in career) represents a quiet woman who observes and isn't necessarily a leader. Advice associated with this card is to listen, do research thoroughly, be patient, and don't get involved in drama. All of this is extremely relevant to me. I am not on my own business wise yet. I need to do more research for my business and learn through observation at m current workplace. I also know that I have distanced myself from some people I used o be closer with, simply because I cannot get caught up in the gossip and nonsense. I simply do not have the time anymore.

2. Ten Pentacles, reversed

This one made me sad and nervous. Ultimately, failure will come. I'm going into this, ready to fail. I'm either blindly optimistic or maybe I'll be right, but I honestly think that this card isn't necessarily telling me that I'll go bankrupt and that everything will be in ruins. I think that, as my ideas become bigger and more realized, what I want is shifting. I may end up changing what I want to do in the middle of getting my business off the ground. Time will tell.

**update: I did read this in another interpretation:

~relevant~ especially if I do move to California, this will be true. I don't know though, it could go both ways... But I do know that I don't want to get married or have children because *I KNOW* my business will consume me. I wouldn't be a good mother or wife, in my opinion.

3. Seven Swords

Seeing this card, drawing it after the reversed ten of pentacles, made me feel more relaxed. This one can represent trickery, but I think in my case, it represents being resourceful and taking a new approach. (This card is saying, "don't give up")


What I'm seeing by this reading is that my original plan (whatever that will be) isn't going to go too well. Luckily I will be able to step back and reevaluate my business plan//model, which I already figured.

Finally, last, Ace of Pentacles, which I have gotten in a financial tarot reading before.

"Ace would suggest that whatever it is you are planning there are sufficient funds available.  It is a time of financial abundance and material growth.   Even though you may have to spend money, you are still able to hold onto some and have enough to go around.  As Pentacles demand results for all their efforts, the Ace suggests that investment in new projects or ventures at this stage will be especially financially rewarding and yield a good return.  Whatever it is you desire to do, rest assured that you are able to afford it when this Ace appears."


Yes.... and with that, I'm gone. Have a good night everyone.

-Maria

Happy Autumn Equinox+ The Blood Moon, September 27/28, 2015

Apparently, the pope claims that this blood moon is going to mark the end of an age. NOTICE how he said the end of an age, and not the end of the world. How are people mistaking this as an apocalyptic event? The "medieval age" wasn't the best, but it wasn't as if the world was destroyed. People are taking this too literally, when it's clearly a metaphor for our universe. In fact, I completely agree with this guy. The whole universe is shifting and the energies are wild right now. I believe that the shifting of the universe is the end of an age and beginning a new age. In other words, people aren't going to die + the world isn't going to be destroyed. SO not to worry! This is a good thing!

We can honestly see this with the presidential election. As you can see, a lot of people support trump and a lot of people support sanders. It's getting heated, and the Blood moon is pretty much going to decide which way things are gonna go (The side of Love, or the side of Hate). With either who get elected, it's going to throw the US into a whole new state of being. And that's all I'm going to say regarding politics.

Back to the blood moon/full moon/lunar eclipse/super moon/harvest moon. This is the fourth lunar eclipse out of four. "The Grand Finale" so to speak. This weekend is going to determine much of what the rest of our lives will be like. That's what I personally believe. We are going to start new projects that will last for a life, while ending things that aren't meant to be in our lives. I feel that this is going to be an unofficial new year of sorts. Elephant Journal sums it up much better than I can:
http://www.elephantjournal.com/2015/09/september-supermoon-eclipse-redefining-relationships/

Oh, and I wanted to talk a little bit about an experience I had earlier. I was out on a walk today, and I had, with lack of better terms, a spiritual awakening. I felt okay with everything. I've had a lot of issues these past twenty years. I've always hated my body, I felt weird about my face, eating became a chore and then a habit, my self confidence has never been that healthy. Things started to change at the beginning of the year. I had a bad couple weeks in summer regarding all of this, but I surrounded myself with positive messages. Then today, I was walking. I felt sweaty, good, soaking in the sun, looking at all of the flowers in my neighborhood. I thought about how people have called me and old soul, and I've realized that this is the best compliment I could ever receive. I never really truly believed in reincarnation, but now I do, with my whole heart. I had a breathe taking moment where I almost cried. I thought about how all of my friends are familiar souls, and how we have probabl met in past lives. I think about the few people I regard as soul mates, and how my soul has been searching for them all along. This was so comforting and reassuring. I thought about all that I had been through, as a soul, and how this is all only temporary. Everything has been a test, and I will continue to be tested. But knowing that I was much more than my physical being, that made me feel comfortable. You would think this would be common sense, but I think we lose that sense of self when we are bombarded with what we should eat, be, and do. How we should look, how we should spend our time, how we can make money. We are more than that, and that made me feel happy and reassured that life isn't going to be so bad.

Wow, sorry about that. That was all really mushy and all. But it is how I feel, so.

Okay, now I'm going to go do a tarot reading for myself to welcome in the new season and get a fresh take on some things I'm fuzzy about. I'll post about it soon.

-Maria

*ALSO, my tire blew out on my van, wal-mart sucks, but my dad fixed. I called it.

Mercury Retrograde, Lunar Eclipse, Pluto going direct + Tarot reading 9/17

A lot is happening! Yesterday, Saturn turned out of scorpio and into sagittarius, BUT, mercury ALSO turned retrograde, so the next month or so is bound to be super interesting. All I want to say about mercury going retrograde: I feel it, everything is backwards, and I feel like my van is going to die. If it does, I CALLED IT.

Now the full moon, a.k.a. the harvest moon, is coming up on the 27th. This is paired with a lunar Eclipse in Aries. The eclipse earlier in the year (in march or april I believe) is connected to this. Something that you started, is coming to an end. This is extremely relevant to me. However, with Saturn here, we are going to be okay with this change (maybe not immediately, but in the long run). Also, pluto will be going direct as it has been retrograde for months, and this rules money and finances of all kinds. Look out for that opportunity for extra money. I'm actually getting a raise at work in October, so this is relevant to me as well. This, paired with Saturn in Sagittarius, I feel that my business will be coming to a reality even more so! And who knows, this business may just turn out to be nothing that I expected.

Anyway, I did a small tarot set for myself on September 17 when mercury went retrograde and Saturn moved into Sagittarius. I drew a card for communication, relationships, business, travel, and spiritual growth (I saw this layout on instagram). I won't get into too many details, but out of the cards I drew, three of them were wands. Now wands represent the fire signs and I am a Sagittarius, so this set was really just full of energy. This could also point to a project is in it's first stages and only a thought (my business). Along with those three I drew two major arcana cards, both upright. So I'm feeling a lot of mostly okay energy. My patience is being tested but I've found new outlets to release my stress. I'm becoming okay with being alone and working on myself (and this blog). I've been cooking a lot, working, reading, and writing. I'm just very excited for what these next couple of months have in store for me.

-Maria

~fall feelings~

Autumn has always got me feeling nostalgic, in a sad and happy way. I think about past love, past interests, past everything. I begin to smell cinnamon and nutmeg. I see pumpkins everywhere. A breeze begins to roll in. I start thinking about all of the yummy things that will be in season, what I will make people for Christmas, what my Halloween costume will be. I think about how different things will likely be in the next few months. I think about how change happens so subtly and slowly, that it seems sudden.

Thinking about the past is a perfect reason to reflect, learn, grow, and consider change. Now we can begin to wrap up our chores for this year and begin to prepare for the new year. You may be thinking that I'm thinking way too far ahead, but have you been to Michael's lately?? They already have Christmas merchandise everywhere!

(Astrology Alert) The new moon was this past weekend, a new moon AND eclipse in Virgo. The new moon is the perfect time to accept new energies and goals into our lives. Energies are high and the whole universe is taking a shift. Since 2012, Saturn has been in Scorpio, making the past few years a trying time. We were faced with new challenges and were pushed to our limits in specific aspects of our lives, but this also opened us up to experience, therefore learning and wisdom has (or should have) been achieved. Now Saturn is about to enter my sign, Sagittarius (Sep. 17 2015). This is the perfect time for entrepreneurial ventures and business. What a perfect time to launch my business!

Not only that, but the Autumn Equinox is September 23 and this is followed by the Full, Harvest Moon on September 27. I plan to do some tarot readings and I'll post those. The harvest moon is not only welcoming a literal harvest, but a metaphorical one as well. Now is the times that our goals and dreams begin to take on reality and come to fruition.

I have began to talk about my business more and more, and I will share it here soon. I can feel it getting closer and closer, and I'm becoming more hopeful and powerful. Even as people continue to look as me like I'm insane, I'm going. I'm not going to stop because "80% of business' fail, you know."

Also I started an Autumn playlist. Here it is (it isn't done yet):
https://open.spotify.com/user/miaxyloto/playlist/2kaAVX1FtDSghbTnPakrkq

First Post/Welcome/What to Expect

Hurray! Yes! Hello! My name is Mia, some of you may know me and others may not. Everyone is welcome into this world. I don't really know how to introduce this, so I am just going to go into what I am going to be writing about and sharing here.