lally

[lally]

"To pay attention, to be astonished, to tell about it. Even in the twilight. Especially then..." ~ Mary Oliver

🌟❣🌄✨😊

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The Sun by Mary Oliver

Have you ever seen anything in your life more wonderful than the way the sun, every evening, relaxed and easy, floats toward the horizon and into the clouds or the hills, or the rumpled sea, and is gone– and how it slides again out of the blackness, every morning, on the other side of the world, like a red flower streaming upward on its heavenly oils, say, on a morning in early summer, at its perfect imperial distance– and have you ever felt for anything such wild love– do you think there is anywhere, in any language, a word billowing enough for the pleasure that fills you, as the sun reaches out, as it warms you as you stand there, empty-handed– or have you too turned from this world– or have you too gone crazy for power, for things? by Mary Oliver

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navigating the fiery waters 🌟 neptune in aries era

The Neptune in Aries transit (2025-2039) represents a profound cosmic invitation to a new cycle of inspiration, action, and self-sovereignty. It is a period where the visionary dreams of Neptune meet the pioneering courage of Aries, demanding that inspiration be bridged into tangible reality.

As this fiery awakening unfolds, the common trends will center on a redefinition of self, a significant shift towards authentic, self-led spirituality, a surge of individualism that can catalyze bold new movements, and substantial cultural and technological shifts that challenge the very perception of reality. The historical echoes of the American Civil War and national unifications serve as potent reminders of the transit's capacity for intense conflict over ideals, but also for transformative change and innovation. The upcoming Saturn-Neptune conjunction in 2026 will further solidify this shift, acting as a cosmic reality check that dismantles illusions and calls for spiritual accountability.

Ultimately, this era calls for conscious engagement, radical discernment, and a steadfast commitment to embodied sovereignty. By trusting heightened intuition, taking bold actions aligned with one's deepest truth, and embracing personal responsibility for individual growth, the powerful energies of Neptune in Aries can be harnessed to forge a more authentic, courageous, and self-directed future, both individually and collectively.

References:

[lally]

🌹 stop and smell the roses 🌹

sometimes the world spins too fast. emails pile up, coffee gets cold, you blink and it’s 10PM again. but today, i passed a bush of roses on my walk home. bright red, unapologetic, sun-drunk. and i stopped. just for a second.

they didn’t do anything. they just were. and that was enough.

maybe we’re allowed to be like that too, sometimes. not productive. not efficient. just… present. a little messy. a little soft. a little human.

so yeah. stop and smell the roses. and maybe let them remind you that you’re alive.

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Someday, I would like to go home...

"Someday, I would like to go home. The exact location of this place, I don't know, but someday I would like to go. There would be a pleasing feeling of familiarity and a sense of welcome in everything I saw. People would greet me warmly. They would remind me of the length of my absence and the thousands of miles I had travelled in those restless years, but mostly, they would tell me that I had been missed, and that things were better now I had returned. Autumn would come to this place of welcome, this place I would know to be home. Autumn would come and the air would grow cool, dry and magic, as it does that time of the year.

At night, I would walk the streets but not feel lonely, for these are the streets of my home town. These are the streets that I had thought about while far away, and now I was back, and all was as it should be. The trees and the falling leaves would welcome me. I would look up at the moon, and remember seeing it in countries all over the world as I had restlessly journeyed for decades, never remembering it looking the same as when viewed from my hometown."

✍🏼 Henry Rollins

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Downtime

Well, downtime... Something that feels a bit like a forbidden pleasure in our go-go-go world these days: downtime. 🤔😵

Seriously, when was the last time you just… did nothing? Not scrolled endlessly, not watched a show, not even read a book, but genuinely nothing? For many of us, that feels like a luxury we can't afford, or worse, like a sign of laziness. We're bombarded with messages about productivity, hustle culture, and maximizing every single second. But I'm here to make a case for the opposite: the immense, often undervalued, power of simply being.

I get it. The to-do list is endless. The laundry basket is overflowing. There's that email you still haven't sent, that project looming, that social obligation you feel like you should attend. And in the midst of all that, taking a break can feel like falling behind. It feels counterintuitive, right? Like you're actively choosing to sabotage your own progress.

Buuuut.... here's the thing: our brains aren't machines. Our bodies aren't endless energy sources. We need to recharge. Think of your phone – if you run it down to 0% battery every single day, without ever plugging it in, it's eventually going to start glitching, freezing, and eventually, just give up. We’re the same!

I remember so many years ago, I was in the thick of a really demanding work period (at least in my head). I was pulling long hours, barely stopping, and fueling myself on coffee and sheer willpower. I felt like if I stopped, even for a second, everything would crumble. The year that followed then, completely by a sudden twist of fate, I just… I woke up. So I was having breakfast, and then found myself just staring out the window (overlapping waves of blue and gold mountains) for what felt like an hour. No electricity, no music, no specific thoughts even.

Just watching the glimmer of sun beams dancing on the leaves of a banana tree, while swaying in the breeze. And you know what? When I finally got up, I felt a lightness I hadn't felt in weeks and years. My brain felt clearer (Oh, I was just 26-ish then). Suddenly, those overwhelming tasks didn't seem quite so daunting. It was like hitting a reset button I didn't even know I needed.

It's in these moments of quiet, of not being "on," that our minds can truly wander, connect dots, and come up with new ideas. Ever notice how sometimes the solution to a problem you've been agonizing over suddenly pops into your head while you're in the shower, or washing dishes, or just taking a walk? That’s not a coincidence. When we're not actively trying to do something, our subconscious gets to work. It’s like our brain tidies itself up, filing away information and making new connections without us even realizing it.

As the great Virginia Woolf wrote in Mrs Dalloway, "She would not say of any one in the world that they were to be pitied, had they been on a desert island; she had always found in the solitude of her own mind something of a refuge."

Now, I'm not suggesting we all go live on a desert island (though, tempting sometimes, right?). But that "solitude of her own mind" – that's what we're talking about. The space to simply exist without external input or demands.

And downtime isn't just about productivity, though it certainly helps with that. It's about our overall well-being. When we're constantly pushing, we’re more prone to stress, anxiety, burnout, and even physical illness. Giving ourselves permission to rest is an act of self-care. It's saying, "I am important enough to take a break" - well to paraphrase a friend's advice to me, she had said to the effect of: "You're the most important person to yourself."

So, how do we actually do this in a world that tells us to keep going?

✍🏼 Schedule it: Seriously, put it on your calendar. Even if it's just 15 minutes of staring into space, or sitting with a cup of tea without scrolling.

⚡ Embrace the "unproductive": It's okay to not be doing something "useful" all the time. Your worth isn't tied to your output. 🌼 Find your version of downtime: For some, it's a quiet walk in nature. For others, it's a long bath. Maybe it’s just lying on the couch and listening to the birds outside. It doesn't have to look a certain way.

🔕 Silence the guilt: This is perhaps the hardest part. When that little voice in your head says, "You should be doing something!", gently remind it that you are doing something valuable: you're recharging yourself.

In a world obsessed with doing, let's also remember the profound value of simply being. Give yourself the gift of downtime. Your mind, body, and soul will thank you for it. It's not a luxury; it's a necessity. And honestly, it feels pretty darn good. ❣💚💗🤍🧡🎶🎶

[lally]

"I hear the quiet, sweet music that no one sings And we become night time dreamers Street walkers and small talkers When we should be daydreamers And moonwalkers and dream talkers..." -- AURORA

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memories from childhood embedded on these concrete chairs. this set has been here since the 70s -- before I was even born. a place of sojourn, after an entire day of swimming in the bean-shaped pool just a few steps away.

now nature has taken over once again. we hand it over back to its original design. all the incredibly majestic moments... it was all so worth it!

Somebody once said:

"You can't fight Life. It was here first."

📸 by Lally Lou

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vík, iceland

tomlassota

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by desertarrowphotography

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🌻🪻

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sunbeam.☀✨

Polkowice, Poland ( via )