Mercury Retrograde: February Fuckery!

HERE WE GO AGAIN! 

We're already in the "storm" of the next Mercury retrograde, which begins officially on Thursday, Feburary 6, and goes through February 27.

You know the drill, folks. But if you don't, here are some reminders. 

Some of the standard Mercury retrograde fuckery may include:

• Missed emails, text messages, or voicemails
• Miscommunication of all kinds between people
• Problems with paperwork--lost, misplaced, re-routed, etc.
• Unexpected delays or cancellations of meetings or get-togethers
• Computer problems of any and all stripes but usually minor ones
• People being late or not showing up at all

Some of your standard coping strategies include:

• Back up all computer data regularly
• Check all travel plans--hotels, airlines, car rentals, etc.--before you leave on any trips
• Confirm that meetings are taking place 
• Try NOT to sign anything during this period--lease, job offer, etc.--if you can help it. If you can't wait, read the fine print TWICE on every document you sign and confirm understanding
• Ensure your messages are being sent and received
• Don't start new projects; "new" things that are started now usually have to be re-done
• Finish up old projects and tie up loose ends
• Edit--this is a GREAT time for editing manuscripts and documents!
• Be understanding of others' problems communicating or showing up late or not at all; likely it is not their fault
• Speak carefully

Overall, please be extremely careful about communicating because there is a strong potential for misunderstandings. Simply and clearly is the way to go.

Also, if you are traveling, be extra careful and allow extra time. Don't text and drive and minimize all cell phone communications if you are driving. And expect dropped calls and technical difficulties. I suggest having a backup plan that doesn't include technology, like printed directions, for example. 

If you haven't backed up your data--hard drives, cell phones, tablets, etc.--do it right now. Don't wait another moment. 

With Mercury retrograding through Pisces, you may find yourself less likely to talk than usual and in a more dreamy, passive state. In the last two weeks, Mercury will arrive back at Aquarius, and at that point be very careful of how and where you are expressing your personal opinions. Think of other human beings as you do so to make sure you're not misunderstood. 

Good luck! If you have any fantastic or horrific Merc retro stories, I'm happy to listen... :)

Letters from Neptune: Inner Monologue on Spinning Class

Dear Mars,

As the astrological planetary representative of all things sporty, I wanted to take the opportunity to send along this missive. John's been taking spin classes for some time now, and while he freely admits he'd rather be at a bar riding with me than at the gym with you, I've noticed that his inner monologue when he is at spin class is quite fascinating. 

As I recall, you are the almuten--owner of the most real estate--of John's astrological chart. So I send this information to you in the hopes that you might better understand him and work with him, and your other people, of course, more effectively. Here are the notes from John's last spin class, with the corresponding activities happening outside of John's head. 

Time	Activity	John’s Inner Monologue
30 minutes before class	John getting his bike	“I’m leaving my stuff here, including my spin pass. You other bitches better leave it alone. Don't even think about taking my spin pass or my bike or I will cut you!”
25 minutes before class	John filling his water bottle	“Why do I bother? I’m usually breathing so heavily I can’t drink anyway.”
15 minutes before class	John mounts bike and starts to warm up with no resistance on bike.	“Just make it through. Just make it through. No leaving early. No giving up. And you two bitches back there better shut the fuck up when we start class for real. I don’t want to hear about your slutty friend the entire way through class. REALLY. Most normal people just go for coffee to gossip about their friends!”
Class begins	Instructor: “Allright everyone. It is time to ride.”	“Shit. Here we go. Do they make spin bikes for fat people? I wish they did. I think I can still feel my ass for the moment. That won’t last long. But I’m not breaking down and buying one of those seat pads. NO WAY! Too stubborn for that.”
5 minutes into class	Instructor: “OK. That’s it for our warmup. We’re going to ease into this ride with some sprints followed by light hills.”	“I know that was just the warmup but a big part of me wants to get off this bike. And we’re supposed to match the instructor’s leg speed? SURE WE ARE. Lady, put down your damn iPhone. Fucking really! The text can wait.”
15 minutes into class	Instructor: “Good job! Towel off, drink up, set your intensity to open road.”	“Let me try to drink something. Just a sip. OK, that was thoroughly unsatisfying. Yes, my heart rate is up, shitbag, you and your muscular thighs and your flat stomach. Maybe I’ll drink more when I catch my breath, assuming my heart is still beating. And what’s the point of toweling off when I just keep sweating? Oh yeah, so I can SEE!”
16 minutes into class	Instructor: “Time for 80% leg speed. SPRINT!”	“If I could unlock my spin shoes quickly enough I’d be sprinting for the door, you prick. You’re going to settle for ‘as fast as I can pedal in my current state of fitness'.”
30 minutes into class	Instructor: “Now it’s time to do some mountain climbing. Set your intensity at 8 out of 10. Remember, you're not here for me. I'm already in better shape than you!”	“Fuck the mountain. There had better be a six-pack of Mike’s Hard Lemonade at the top for all this work. And is it possible to die from drowning in your own sweat? Stay tuned...we may just find out.”
45 minutes into class	Instructor: “OK, this is the final stretch. We’re going to do light hills interspersed with sprints, with a 2 minute sprint at the end. COME ON! Let’s DO IT!”	“OH HELL NO. Dude, we have so had enough. The next time I have a chat with Mars I am going to let him have it, that sonofabitch and his ‘let’s all be fit” attitude!  Fine…this wheel is 60 pounds and doesn’t stop on a dime so I guess I’ll keep pedaling.”
Class ends after 55 minutes	Instructor“Good job, everyone!”	“I AM A GOD! I am clearly superior to those who left after 15 minutes. Here we go again where everyone starts talking…I’m trying to stretch here, so how about some peace and quiet? Now I can have an excuse to collapse at my desk at work in a few hours. But I am STILL A GOD!”

Anyway, I hope you found these remarks insightful. As you can tell, John is looking forward to his next spinning class. 

Believe,

Neptune

PS: Hope you're getting ready for your annual date with lady Venus. Since she's been in retrograde I certainly hope she won't be a pill this year. 

Cookie Monster and the Loss of Passion

I remember when I was growing up and Cookie Monster LOVED cookies. He ate piles and piles of them on screen. When they weren't around, he asked for them. In this one sketch he went into the library and asked for books about cookies...well, he asked for cookies a bunch of times before he was informed that they do not serve cookies in a library. But to me, it is one of the earliest examples of someone really following their passion.

In later incarnations, with Americans more concerned about obsesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol, and just plain old good eating habits, Cookie Monster was...tamed. He now says that "cookies are a sometimes food". While I understand that this is a children's program and we want to set a good example, I'm truly disappointed. In fact, a part of me wishes they had retired Cookie Monster like they got rid of cigarette commercials on television. They made Cookie Monster less than what he is by doing that.

But it brings up a larger point. How many of us are really passionate about something for a long time, and then we let the "real world" overtake us and we just let it go? We stop doing what we love because it seems inconvenient or doesn't "fit" with the rest of our lives. About certain things, like all-night drinking binges, I can understand letting them go. But all too often we let it happen with the things we really enjoy that aren't eventually going to kill us.

So I urge you to be Cookie Monster when it comes to what you love. Don't let time, energy, or convenience stand in the way of your passion. And share it with others as often as you can! I may not know much about a topic, but I love to hear people who truly love something talk about it. And you can just tell by the way they describe it. The energy is infectious.

Sing it with me..."C is for cookie, that's good enough for me..." :)

The Hierophant and Teaching to Learn

People often ask me why I've chosen the Hierophant as my business name and my email address. I explain to them that the Hierophant is the spiritual teacher. If you want to find out more about the Hierophant, you can check out my blog on him here. Hierophant is also the Greek equivalent of the Latin term pontifex, which is used to designate the Pope of the Catholic Church.

But to me the Hierophant is more than just the teacher or spiritual leader. He's the one front and center on the card, but let's not forget about the two people that are on the Rider-Waite-Smith deck whose faces you cannot see. They are the adepts, the acolytes...people who have chosen to follow him. And it is those who often go unnoticed that I would like to focus on today.

Did you ever think about why people teach? Well...they certainly don't do it for the money, at least in the public schools. Those individuals have my total respect and admiration, because they're doing a job that is often thankless for barely enough pay. Administrators, parents, and students fight them at every turn, and they're constantly told their charges are not measuring up on ridiculous standard tests that are used later to determine which teachers should keep their jobs. Who in their right mind would want THAT job?

Imagine if you had 25-30 individuals watching you ALL DAY LONG. I'll bet you that you'd be surfing the internet less and not taking long lunches anymore. And they say teaching is the world's second most private act! 

If I had my way, I'd double their salaries immediately and try make it a much more attractive profession. In my humble opinion, it's one of the top ten most important jobs in the world. Children who cannot think become adults who cannot think, and for the world that is a really bad thing. But I digress.

So I didn't answer the question. Why do they do it? Ask a teacher that and if they're a teacher worth having, s/he will say, "I do it for the students." It's not for money or fame or accolades. It's for the students.

Good teachers remember what it was like to be a student, one of those faceless people in a crowd watching a teacher do their work. They have to know what they're teaching inside and out, because students can spot a fake a mile off. They have to make it more exciting than technology or having a private conversation with a friend. And they know how to connect with their students, to get that message across in the hopes that even a fraction of it might sink in.

The Hierophant is a reminder to me that I can't just sit on my ass and expect my students to blindly follow me. I constantly think about what my student persona would say to my teacher me, and I try to act accordingly. I try to never stop learning and growing, because as soon as I say "I'm done," I'm done as a teacher, too. How can I expect my students to aim high if I stop?

More than leading students, though, I try to remember the lessons my students teach me every single class. I've learned more about my craft and myself in a classroom than I have from any book, and from any other person, except for maybe three or four pivotal people in my life. And to me, that's the way it should be, and the way I hope it will be until I stop drawing breath.

So next time you think of the Hierophant, think about your role as both the teacher AND a student. It may help you be a little more patient or compassionate when the next "student" in your life asks for your time, attention, or help.

And me? Why do I do it? For my students, of course. And I'm a better man for it. 

Lessons from the Story of Brandi Blackbear

So I read an interesting article today about a high school girl who was supposedly suspended because of her Wiccan beliefs and practices. Take a look!

Note the date on the story. This is making its way around Facebook, but it's not new. This happened quite a while ago. 

Anyway, while you can read it for yourself, the crux of the matter is pretty simple: An Oklahoma middle school suspended a student for 15 days when they suspected her of casting a spell to make a teacher sick. Of course, the parents, the administration, their lawyers and the American Civil Liberties Union got involved. The school district was forced to defend its actions--namely, suspending Brandi twice in 1999--in Federal court. 

Eventually, the court found in favor of the school, and the 2002 story here suggests that there would be an appeal, but I haven't gone digging for additional information yet. 

According to the second story, the judge in the case did not believe that Brandi was a true Wiccan practitioner, and thought that the whole religious aspect of the case was played up so there would be more media attention surrounding it. 

Stories like this are challenging, because many Wiccans get very strident about voicing their 1st Amendment rights, and a story like this just stokes the flames. But I think it's important to take a step back and look at exactly what happened, based on the information that is presented to us, before we go running off saying that the school was at fault. 

Actually, for me, the whole thing is just sad, and there is blame on both sides. 

Here are few things that struck me as I read these articles:

1) Brandi had claimed to be a witch with the power to harm others with spells

Two students came forward saying they were afraid of Brandi for this reason. This was the reason behind Brandi's first suspension. The job of the public schools often rests on the principle of in loco parentis, a "parental" role in which one of the school's main jobs is to keep the students safe. In this age of people walking into schools and offices with murder on their minds, they are right to take that role seriously. Imagine if Brandi had been an actual threat and the school had done nothing; the school would have been in serious trouble. 

With that said, I'm balking a little bit at the 19-day suspension that was imposed here. With the understanding that I'm not aware of all the circumstances, isn't 19 days a bit...well, harsh? Would the message have gotten across with 10 days? 5 days? 

2) When Brandi was suspended a second time, after the teacher had become ill, she had been questioned about her beliefs in Wicca by the administration, her notebooks of horror stories she had written were confiscated, and she was forbidden from drawing or wearing any signs or symbols of the Wiccan faith. 

I side with the family here to a certain extent. The administration seized her stories, which, truth be told, could have been her plans to kill people, so if they saw her as a threat they would have done so. Also, if she was writing them at school instead of doing work, I could see taking the notebooks, too, provided they were returned to her at the end of the investigation. 

To question her about her spiritual beliefs, however, is ridiculous. Were they really that scared that a girl could make a grown man sick? Just the fact that they would even consider this possibility is crazy, even in 1999 Oklahoma. 

And real Wiccans don't use their power to harm; Brandi would have taken on a serious karmic debt had she actually done that, anyway. 

And until everyone else in that school had hidden their own religious items--including crosses--I disagree that the school had the right to ask Brandi to stop drawing or wearing Wiccan symbols to school. The fact that she was interested in Wicca, and by her own admission had read a book in the school library about it, is meaningless. She should not have been questioned about it. 

So where does this leave us? Well, I'm reminded of some very important points. 

1) Words have power, so be careful how you use them. 

In both the mundane and magickal world, words have a lot of power. Don't claim to be something you're not, and don't threaten others with any power, magickal or otherwise. 

2) The US Constitution may give us the freedom to practice Wicca/Witchcraft, but you can't legislate respect. 

There is a difference between tolerance, respect, and acceptance. Practicing Wiccans and Witches will find people who wholeheartedly accept them and their spiritual path. They will also find those who will generally be respectful without accepting who we are, and that's fine, too. There are people who will tolerate our spiritual practice to varying degrees, and some who rail against it. We are allowed to practice it by law, but if you expect everyone to be thrilled about that fact you've got another thing coming.

My community and I have experienced various displays of discrimination and intolerance directed our way, and while it's sad, it does happen. We have to take the high road, report it to the appropriate authorities when it occurs (if applicable), and do our best to take it in stride when that's all we can do, with the understanding that these incidents are not truly frequent. 

3) Know what you are taking on when you call yourself a Wiccan or a Witch. 

Some people may never be "out of the broom closet", a term we use for a Wiccan or Witch who practices openly. I leave that choice to each individual person. With that said, practicing Wicca openly in some countries could get you killed, quite literally. 

If you choose to practice openly as a Wiccan or Witch here in America, remember that your example has an effect on all of us. While we are one of the fastest growing religions in the United States, we still have a lot of obstacles to overcome before we are fully accepted by American society. Is it sad? Absolutely. But it is also the truth, folks. I take my "Blessed Be" bumper sticker off my car when traveling through certain areas of the country myself; it's just common sense. 

Every religion has its crackpots, but our reputation takes a serious hit when stories like this make their way around the social media circles. So please don't act like a crazy person; choose to be an informed, balanced, empowered, responsible Wiccan or Witch. And a part of that responsibility is withholding judgment on stories like this one until we get all the facts. 

We're fortunate in this country to be able to believe and worship as we choose, and I think that's something we all can agree on.