Did you know Friday belongs to Venus? Goddess of love and beauty. And what better way to honor her than give a shout out to some of the fabulous finds that I’ve been enjoying this week. That way you can share in the love and laud the beauty too. Venus would be proud.
1. Charming Crows
It’s no secret I LOVE crows. Earlier this week while I was out shoveling I was delighted by the antics of six crows having fun in the snow. And then today I was blessed with a wonderful gift by a dear friend – a Zuni crow fetish. I’m cawing in glee.
It’s a terrible photo but I wanted to show you my treasure.
2. All We Are Saying is Give Peace A Chance
Earlier this month legislation was finally introduced in Congress to establish a U.S. Dept. of Peacebuilding. It seriously astonishes me (and truthfully grieves me) that this hasn’t happened already. In 2003 legislation was introduced in the House of Representatives and Dennis Kucinich has worked tirelessly to champion its establishment. Let’s get it done now! You can read more about it at The Peace Alliance.
3. Taproot magazine
Maybe it’s just me, but I think taproot is a cool word. But even better is the quarterly magazine Taproot. My copy arrived today and this issue is entitled Dream. I look forward to carving out some time this weekend with a pot of tea to savor it – it’s always a rich treat. Their tag line is “Living Full, Digging Deeper” and it’s filled with stories and interviews with people striving to live deeply connected to the Earth. You can check it out here.
4. Eye of Tree
My cousin Candace likes spending her free time out and about Phoenix and neighboring areas with camera in hand. During a recent outing she came across a cool old tree with a hole in it – a portal. We’ve been speculating on how this might have happened, and our current favorite theory is an old knot that somehow got knocked out. I’m sure an arborist could offer an explanation, but the hows of its occurrence aren’t really all that important. It’s a hole-y tree!
Here’s the blog post the photo appears in – it’s the last photo in the series so you’ll need to scroll down. And you can click on the photo to enlarge it so you get a good look.
5. Gratitude Tarot
I’m new to the Teresa Deak fan club but she’s quite a sweetheart. She’s the creator of the Gratitude Tarot and that in itself is a thing of beauty. You know how I feel about gratitude – it makes everything better.
The Gratitude Tarot is a photo deck and the suits are Thankfulness, Awareness, Community and Kindness. You can check out photos of all the cards here on her site.
And this week she released an app so you can have Gratitude on the go. How fun is that?
6. Take a Stand for the Positive
I think someone who wrote a book entitled PRONOIA Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings definitely is dancing with Venusian energies. And that would be Rob Brezny. It’s one of those big fat compendiums of goodness/strangeness that’s witty and compelling and just begs you to engage with life in more expansive joy-affirming ways. It’s not so much a read through in a linear way kind of book, but more of a turn-to-and-see what goodness pops out kind of book.
If you don’t know Rob you might want to check out his Freewill Astrology and sign up for his weekly horoscopes. There’s nothing like them out there and I love finding them in my inbox weekly.
Ok, your turn. I’d love to hear of a fabulous fave of yours. Or something that Venus would delight in. What’s beautiful and love-filled in your life?
Deborah- what a wonderful list of favorite things. I love how your cousin goes around town with camera in hand, so creative! As for me, this has been a rough week but one evening on my way home from work I saw the most beautiful full moon in the sky. It was spectacular! It made me smile and that was a good thing.
Sorry you had a rough week Sue. May the new one unfold with a bit more ease.
And yay for a full-moon-induced smile! Sometimes just looking up in the night sky can help me put into perspective, even if only for a moment, what seems to be so hugely on my mind.
One of the things I’ve been doing recently on a regular basis is taking full moon walks. Late at night, under the moon, I feel like I’m getting a little extra dose of Mama Moon love. 😉
I just bought a cranberry red satin stripped bedspread with beautiful gold sheets. I work a lot of times in my bedroom in a rocking chair and every time I look over at my new creation I feel like royalty. Seriously, now I think I may need to invest in a pair of silk pajamas because after all, what does royalty wear to bed? Certainly not yoga pants and a t-shirt!
Oh that’s lovely Julie – Venus is most certainly cheering! And encouraging you in the direction of those silk pajamas.
I planted seeds for spring! I looked at elevated beds for the garden. Not just raised, but elevated. I’m making a list of what I want to add to the garden for this year. Beautiful things to delight the eye and soul. That is the Venus in me this weekend.
Oh what a fun thing Sheila! I was poking through a seed/flower catalog yesterday as well. We’re not finished with snow yet where I live, but I certainly feel the turning towards Spring. Delicious!
Deborah, how lovely to know we have a day devoted to beauty! My beauty in this moment is gratitude for a cozumel vacation with my honey & being happily en route home, excited to return to my “normal” life. So blessed.
Oh Janet that’s lovely! And that’s a kind of delicious moment isn’t it – when you feel refreshed and still holding on to the wonderfulness of vacation, but also excited to return home.
Loved your post Deborah. I can’t say that I share your love of crows. They just come and peck away at the bags on garbage days. lol Loved the Eye of the Tree, what a beautiful photo. Great idea taking a camera with you when out in the community.
Venus would delight that I have just committed to taking time away from the busy-ness that is just for myself. I want to give myself a good dose of self-love by connecting back with parts of me that need my attention such as my soul and my inner voice that have constantly been nudging at me to make it happen.
Yay for you Suzanne – Venus would definitely approve of your decision to take time for yourself. And I’m celebrating too. A little soul attention leads to big flourishing!
Enjoyed the post Deborah. Wow! Some really neat stuff! I think I have to own those Gratitude Tarot cards…love it!
Thanks Belinda – glad you stopped by!
Those tarot cards are beautiful. They prompted me to finally order some photo business cards from moo.com.
Oh good for you Candace. That sounds like the perfect showcase for your fabulous photos!
Neat, Deborah. I love this idea of posting something on Venus’ behalf. So much beauty and wonder to behold. I have been enjoying Goddess Leonie’s Create Your Incredible Year planner & calendar this week. She has all these beautiful images she drew for us and it is helping me to get clear on my year.
I ordered a book called The Living I Ching, authored by a tender Taoist soul named Deng Ming-Dao, who has offered to let me interview him for my blog and possibly a magazine.
So much to be grateful for as I head into a weekend. Lots of love to all you readers out there.
Stay fabulous.
What I meant to say was that my book The Living I Ching ARRIVED in the mail today. I always so love getting new books in the mail!
Wonderful stuff Amy! Leonie (and her art) is so exuberant isn’t she? It’s easy to engage in expansive dreaming with such an invitation, and it sounds like a fun project to look at your year in that way.
And yay for a new book to delve into. And how exciting you’ll be interviewing the author! I can’t wait to hear more.