A (Hundred) Thousand Thanks!

In French, the expression "Merci mille fois!" literally means "A thousand thanks!" It's used to express an extreme amount of gratitude. 

And I find myself in that very position today. I am exceptionally grateful.

Metaphysical Meanderings just passed the 100,000 page view mark, which is a milestone I honestly was not sure I would ever reach. And I didn't think the blog would reach it in under 10 years. Turns out we made it in under 7.

So I'd like to thank you for each one of these page views. One hundred thousand thanks to each and every one of you. You read and comment, you share my blog with others, and you give me feedback. 

When obstacles arise, when I can think of anything to write, when life gets in the way, I find my way back. And I do so because you inspire me. 

I can't say it enough, but I will one more time. Because you matter. 

THANK YOU. 

Metaphysical Meanderings Marks A Milestone: Five Years of Blogging!

Five years of blogging, good people. Five. Fucking. Years. DAMN!

Who would have thought that I'd still be at this? I'll admit that I am a stubborn bastard when I choose to be, so maybe I did know. 

Ladies and gentlemen, let me assure you that blogging is not an easy task. Trust me on this one. You go through phases with it. There are a few that I can qualify, such as:

• The "Do people really care what I have to say?" phase;
• The "Is there anyone out there really reading this crap?" phase; and
• The ever-popular "What is the reason I spend so much time doing this?" phase.

Not unlike the 5 stages of grief, you can go through these different phases more than once and it can last for varying periods of time. The charts, the readings, the myriad of video games, and life itself all call to me regularly. When I step away from the blog for a while, it's kind of easy to say, "Maybe I'll just stop."

If you've been a reader here for any length of time, you know that Saturn and I have a very strange relationship. Saturn is the planet of long-term efforts over time, and astrology itself is a Saturnian discipline for that reason. He was one of the primary motivators for me as I started to write this blog. But sometimes he does a number on me.

Luckily, when I got to a place of considering stopping altogether, I got feedback and encouragement from a number of places. My beloved Jennifer suggested that I start doing this, and my devoted family of choice reads the blog and supports me unwaveringly. I'm extremely grateful to have these four ladies in my life to help keep me grounded and writing. It's an incredible privilege that I hope to continue to deserve.

And all of you good people reading this deserve my sincere thanks as well, whether you just started reading me or you've been at it for a while. 

When you make a comment or interact with this blog in any way, it is truly and sincerely appreciated. This includes those who re-tweet my blog, comment on it directly here on Blogger or on FaceBook, or recommend it to others. When you do that, you are encouraging me by your very actions.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the people who have said nice things to me personally about the blog: That they enjoy it; that they learn a thing or two; that they found it funny; or even that they disagreed with it. By doing so, you have shown me respect just by taking the time to read my prose, and then to tell me what you think. 

When I hear comments from readers, like when they tell me that they forward my blog to the people at their office, for example, or that they thought something I wrote hit close to home for them, it makes me want to sit down and write some more. It causes me to re-think my positions and perspective. And it challenges me to "raise my game" to attain and maintain your attention.

The original intention of this blog was to get me writing so I could eventually publish a book. While the book hasn't materialized yet, your enthusiasm and encouragement lift and guide me. 389 blogs and nearly 80K page views later, while its original intent was to get me writing, it has transformed into something beautiful, something that I can be proud of. 

While the "solar return" of this blog is Sunday the 28th at 11:14pm, the date I started this blog was May 29, 2011. Without realizing it until today--REALLY!--tomorrow is the birthday of a person with whom I identify tremendously: President John F. Kennedy. And he had a very Saturn quote in his inaugural address:

"I do not shrink from this responsibility; I welcome it!"

I hope to continue to fulfill that responsibility to both myself and all of you through this blog.

Please know that I cannot thank you enough for your past and (hopefully) continued support moving forward. I look forward to seeing you virtually, or in person across my table, very soon. 

A thousand thanks,

John

Here Comes the Sun: The Secret Revealed!

Greetings, John...

This week has been a little bit trying up here with many of my folks trying to figure out what secret you're keeping. Well, my friend, the simple fact of the matter is that your secret was hidden in plain sight all along. Mercury is going to be wicked pissed when he finds out, but it's good for the boss to win every once in a while.

All of us up here have different cycles. My Luna was the inspiration for the word "month" as it only takes her 28.4 days to get through all 12 zodiac signs. Pluto, on the other hand, takes over 200 years to make it through all the signs. Sadly, that means that you won't see many movements of Pluto in your lifetime. But you do get to see my Luna's full motion once a month, with her lovely new and full moons to keep track of her. 

I have a very predictable movement, and people focus on me to note the changing of the seasons. And that is how I ultimately tracked down your "secret". By my calculations, your fifth solar return for your blog is tonight at 11:14pm when the Sun reaches 8 Gemini 11. 

In non-astrological terms, it means that you're closing in on your 5th anniversary of starting this blog. Knowing you, 11:14pm is exactly when this blog will appear. 

As I check the chart for the date and time you started this blog back in 2011, I noticed that you have the Moon and Jupiter, the planet of publishing, 6th house. To me, that highlighted the "routine" nature that this blog would become. It was something you wanted to do regularly, even though certain astrological planets who will currently remain nameless would have preferred a more predictable schedule.

I'm sure you've got an entry planned regarding the chart and the solar return for your next year of blogging, so I won't say anything else on that front. Your expertise has significantly improved so I'm sure you'll have a lot to say. 

By my count, this will be blog #388. So you're averaging about 78 blogs a year, and that translates to about one every 4-5 days. That's pretty damn good! 

Anyway, your work speaks for itself. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate you on five years of bringing your message to others. Know that all of us here appreciate your efforts. OK, honestly, some of us appreciate your efforts more than others, but we all appreciate you to a certain extent.

This is a huge accomplishment, John. Really! I'm so incredibly proud of you and expect that you'll continue to bring your message to the masses. 

Warmly,

The Sun

A to Z Challenge 2013: Challenge Accepted!

How can a Scorpio turn down a challenge like this? I can't...and I won't. So I'm putting you all on notice right now that I'm doing the A to Z Challenge for 2013. IT'S ON!

For this of you unfamiliar with this challenge, it's pretty simple: 26 letters, 26 blogs. All in April. One blog per letter of the alphabet. You get Sundays off.

I didn't think I could do it last year and I surprised myself. Now I know I can. Fellow bloggers, I'm calling you out now...who is going to do it with me?

If you do National Novel Writing Month, you can absolutely do this.

The time for excuses, fellow bloggers, has passed. And it's time to get on board with the A to Z Challenge. You can choose not to be a part of it, but there's no way I'll pass up this one. Consider the gauntlet thrown in your faces.

To make sure there's no ambiguity as to who I'm calling out, the blogs are below:

• Jennifer Wells 
• Amy Lyre Turner 
• The Wine Twins of This May Cost Me an Appliance (and let's be honest...there are two of you so this should be a piece of cake!)
• Heather at Mayhem and Martinis, and 
• Susan Katz Keating

When I signed up here, I was blog #1175. There are nearly 1300 bloggers doing this challenge now and you've got until 11:59pm EDT on Monday, April 1 to sign up. 

Take a page from the Aries book and JUST DO IT. That is all. Twobrows out. ;)

See you soon...on April 1 if not before. :)

Mayhem and Martinis Re-Joins the Blogosphere!

Another one of my friends has a blog that you should go visit! It's called Mayhem and Martinis. The author is a writer and blogger who recently started posting again after a time off the blog circuit. I'm absolutely thrilled she's back!

One of the reasons I'm so excited to see MM back blogging again is because her husband's family became extremely upset when she blogged about stuff going on in her family. Pressure from her husband eventually forced her to stop. Now I'm all for privacy, but these folks were not identified in any way. 

Blogging should be an outlet where you have the freedom to say whatever the fuck you want, whenever you want. There's a balance, of course...I wouldn't tell my entire life story on a blog, but I want to balance giving information with talking about what is going on in my life and sharing information, which is the point of having a blog in the first place. 

It takes a lot of courage to sit down and write what you're feeling and put it up for people to see, read, and comment on. I know bloggers who have faced family members starting shit and writing nasty comments online. There's always a concern with how what you have written will be perceived, and you're likely to offend somebody. But there's a great liberating feeling in putting it out there.

Anyway, I hope you will go over, check it out and say hello! 

A Welcome to the Blogosphere for Evil Twin!

Just a quick note to recommend a friend's new blog. My friend Evil Twin is half of the dynamic duo known as TheWineTwins. Their blog, This May Cost Me An Appliance, is snarky and funny, and I've enjoyed what I've read so far! So go over and check it out!

For those of you interested in starting your own blog, here are a few pieces of advice:

1) You DO have something unique to contribute! Most people who really should start a blog are the ones who say, "But I don't have anything interesting to say!" Not true. Everyone has a unique perspective, and if you need a creative outlet, a blog is a low-maintenance, no-cost way of tapping into that creative side.

2) Aspiring writers should be blogging! When a publisher looks at you, they'll like it if you have a blog because it represents people who are already interested in what you have to say. These folks can be future customers.

3) Be who you are, and write that way. Write about the topics that interest you. Blogs on particular topics are fantastic--I subscribe to many tarot and astrology blogs--but I also like blogs where you can get to know the PERSON behind the blog. Put your own personality in it, and don't judge your blog by other people's. [Evil Twin, please read that last phrase again several times! :)]

4) You never know who might read your blog, so promote, promote, promote! I am a huge fan of Susan Katz Keating's blog, which talks about military matters and national security stuff. I never set out to find it, but when I did, I was really pleased.

5) JUST DO IT. It will change your life.

Anyway, best of luck to all new bloggers! And welcome to the Blogosphere, Evil Twin; don't forget to save a little wine for me, you hear?? :)

Letters from Saturn: Blog Concerns

Dear John,

I'd like to take a moment to congratulate you on blogging for nearly a year. Considering your schedule, that's a very impressive feat. But I have a few concerns I'd like to bring to your attention.

First of all, I'm trying to figure out if there's a routine to your blog. I was trying to figure it out on my own, but I couldn't do it. As I look over the records, it appears that some weeks you have not blogged at all, but  last month, you blogged six times a week. You can bet that if I have trouble with that, other readers might as well. So how about sticking to a schedule, huh? Like every Wednesday and Saturday or something. Whatever you want. But let's try harder for consistency. 

I know that Neptune has probably not discussed this topic with you, but I felt it was important to bring it up. Neptune values creativity more than reliability and that doesn't sit well with me. What will people think if they go for a week--or more, in some cases--and feel like they haven't heard from you? I'm sorry, these people are taking the time to read what you write. Some of them may even look forward to it. By not establishing a schedule you do them a great disservice. 

Next, let's talk lexicon. I've noticed that the level of profanity in your blog has been increasing. Is it really necessary? Surely you are capable of putting a paragraph together without a curse word. I'm concerned that you may even...enjoy this plebeian language register. I can't possibly see any value in speaking in a vulgar way. Of course, it is your blog, and your decision, but you do not want to impugn the dignity of the written word so brazenly. 

I guess in some ways that might work, if all you care about is the cheap laugh and lowest common denominator writing. But I know you're more refined than that. You want this blog to end up like Regretsy with their foul language and mean-spirited mockery? I challenge you to embrace the power of your vocabulary and leave profanity and crass words in their place, whatever that place may be. 

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, your blog has no theme. Some days it's about metaphysical topics, some days it's about spiritual topics, and some days about news articles you find interesting. It's not really a tarot blog, an astrology blog, or a spiritual blog. How can you be so unfocused? People are looking for a place to hang their hat, metaphorically speaking, and I can't help but wonder if they're somewhat bewildered by the constant changing of topics. Let's not forget that Mercury is not your ruling planet; I can actually stay still for five minutes at a time!

And let me add that there are too many articles in here about you and your life, which I find distasteful and vulgar. There's no place for ego trips in good writing, and your audience is interested in information, not in you personally. 

Neptune may have inspired you to write whatever random, cheap, tawdry, base, or profane thought comes through your brain, but I hope you will allow me to inspire you to write with dignity, confidence, and respect for both yourself and your reader who have pledged a few moments of their day to you. They expect and demand it. 

While Neptune entering Pisces earlier this year may have confused your thinking, Monty Python had it right when they said, "Let's have a sketch about clean, decent human beings!" I hope that you go over your blogs of the past year and read what you've written, and take what I said in the spirit in which it is given. 

Very truly yours, 

Saturn