#manifesting rise season three

[galactickit]

“Bishop” Parts 1 and 2 

Bishop has interacted with like, one of the turtles for less than one whole minutes and this man is ready to go home and turn in his two weeks notice. 

[revasserium]

LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT WITH OMI OMI PLSSSSSS I LOVE YOU

@swaggerpear replied to your post “at first sight ft. kageyama, daichi, sugawara,...”:

BOKUTOOO PLEASEEE

at first sight, pt 2

ft. sakusa, bokuto, iwaizumi, oikawa

sakusa.

the first time he sees you, he knows you’re the one. he breathes easier, the air sitting better, sitting sweeter in his lungs — the persistent itch beneath his skin fades to a dull buzz, and when you turn your eyes onto him amidst the flash of cameras and the clamor of reporters, the whole world goes silent. when was the last time that’s happened for him? he can’t remember. you smile, and world is beautiful, irresistible white noise. he smiles back. later, when he manages to find you in the swell of people clamoring to interview him, he asks if you’re new to this — he hasn’t seen you on the press circuit before, and you tell him that you are. that once, you’d dreamed of taking pictures of beautiful things; he cocks his head and smirks, his mask for once pulled down to his chin — the words are out of his mouth before he can stop himself, “so you must be glad you found me, then.” he doesn’t have time to feel mortified because then, you’re laughing, the sound trickling over his skin like rose water, like piano music, and he shivers beneath it’s touch. you nod, blushing, the color so darling against your cheeks he want to lean in and kiss you. he does do that — but not till much later, and when he does, he finds you smiling. he finds that he likes the taste of your smile, too. and that of all the things he’d thought about kissing before now — of how unsanitary it might be, of how awkward, he finds that he really doesn’t mind because, well… it’s you.

bokuto.

the first time he sees you, he know you’re the one. he knows with the certainty of a rising sun. he knows like the receding tide, like the changing of seasons — he knows with the self-assuredness of weathermen forecasting the coming of monsoon season, just along the coast, where the beaches are wide and the sands are hot. he knows, he knows, he knows. he chases down the entire length of corridor at the sports clinic, trips over his own feet, faceplants before picking himself up, asks for your name, your number, what you’re specializing in, feels his stomach leap out of his mouth when you tell him that it’s sports medicine, can’t help but notice the way you’re blushing, the pink kissing across the tops of your cheeks the way he wishes he could. and he does — about a week and a half later, cupping your face in his rough-hewn hands, all thick skin and calluses from spike-practice, but you trace them over with your soft fingers later and tell him that you love them — love the way they feel against your skin, love the stories they tell, the strength they hold, the hours and hours of determination they are a mark of. three weeks in, he tells akaashi he thinks he’s going to marry you. three months in, he pops the question. you’re laughing and crying, both, when you say yes. later, he’d proudly brag to all his teammates that he’d caught an angel in the palms of his hands, brag that it took less than a second for him to literally fall for you, because hey, it must’ve hurt for you to fall from heaven, so he should have to hurt a little too.

iwaizumi.

the first time he sees you, he’s sure he’s misunderstood — surely the universe could not have been conspiring the way it did, surely manifest destiny would not play out the way he thought, the statistics line up the numbers just so. surely — it can’t be this perfect. but it can — so he learns, when he bumps into you again, in another country no less, so far from the confines of a japanese seven-eleven, all the way across the world in argentina, where he’s supposed to be meeting up with oikawa but the jerk is late and now he’s here, his eyes caught in yours in this coffee shop not three blocks away from the olympic training stadium. you both try to ask for each others names, and then, you both fall into awkward, knowing laughter. because if it’s not destiny, he doesn’t know what it is. if it’s not fate, then you don’t know what to call it — what are the chances of two people running into each other time and time again, halfway around the entire world? he asks you out for dinner, and you don’t say no. oikawa teases him mercilessly about it later, but he doesn’t care. he never fancied himself someone to be lovesick, but when oikawa floats out the term, he doesn’t negate him. it’s a slow-going thing, but iwaizumi finds that he doesn’t mind — he likes taking his time with you, knows implicitly that he has all the time in the world — because if you’d found each other across the entire world, then what’s there to be afraid of? what more is there to worry about? you have all the time in the world — after all, isn’t that what it means to be meant to each other?

oikawa.

the first time he sees you, he does double take, and then a triple take. and later, he’d do anything to claim that it was you who chased after him, but those closest to him all know the truth — that he’d run down four flights of stairs and searched through the entire olympic arena to find you, mulling over musubi of all things — him, breathless and panting, and really, really wondering what the hell he as doing. he’s got a game later, but — well, he couldn’t really help himself. call him a skirt chaser, call him a womanizer, call him the playboy to end all playboys, but oikawa tooru has always known what he wanted. and he knew, in the blink of an eye, that he wanted you. so he’d chased after you, he’d found you, he’d turned up his charm and ramped up his smolder and you… well, you’d shaken your head and brushed him off. it’d stung, of course it had. he’d been inconsolable for weeks, but after he found out that you’re related to the famous sportscaster, he finds himself rejuvenated. he tells your dad that he’s in love with you before he ever asks you out on a date. years later, long after he’d managed to convince you out for one date, which turned into two, and then five, and then ten, and then… who’s keeping count any more, right? he stands across from you with your hands in his and tears in his eyes, he tells you — he says, y’know… the first time i saw you, in that crowd, i knew you were the one for me.

requests are open :)

[shantechni]

Leo the Leader vs Leo the Learner

I know almost every iteration of TMNT emphasizes that the boys cannot properly function as a team without everyone there, especially without their fearless leader.

In terms of cartoons and movies though (as much as I've had time to watch/rewatch), the '03 and '12 series are my personal favorites, with Rise and MM tying for a very close second, because they both acknowledge issues in the team that the characters work to fix. '03 Leo and '12 Leo both struggle to lead the team at significant points in their respective stories, but the manner in which they struggle and what they struggle with differentiate, in a good way mind you.

In the 2003 series, the very first episode opens with Leo already being in the leading position as he tries to keep his brothers from going off script or doing something irreparable while they work to find Splinter. And when they do eventually find themselves in trouble, he's the one to lead them through it and make it back to Splinter in one piece. We see this formula more or less repeat for almost three seasons with a few different variables to spice things up; the brothers look to Leo for guidance, think of a plan of action with their combined efforts, and go from there.

Until the S3 finale.

The boys had times where they wondered if they'd make it out alive, but this was the first where it genuinely seemed like the end for their little family, and Leo could do nothing but watch as they execute their plan to blow up with the starship.

Of course they survive, otherwise we wouldn't have another four seasons💀but that short amount of time was more than enough to scar Leo, physically and emotionally. When he begins closing himself off from everyone, April's the only one to get him to open up and he lays it all out: He feels like a failure of a leader. He wasn't strong enough to protect his family or stop the Shredder, their last resort was going out with a bang, and they had to be saved by the Utroms. It doesn't feel like they won and he doesn't feel like he accomplished anything.

His fears and frustrations manifest into an ever present anger, slowly going from cold to hot, that chooses its target at random. His brothers don't know what to do since they don't seem to know why Leo's behaving this way, nor have they ever seen him like this. And dear Mikey says something that so accurately sums up their team: "...it can’t be fun always being the responsible one, and we’re the ones who really benefit. Raph’s free to not think ‘cause Leo does all the thinking for him. Don’s free to dream, and I’m free to take it easy, all ‘cause Leonardo is busy being responsible enough for all of us."

Mikey knows Leo is cracking under the pressure of his role partly because they've become so comfortable in their own roles, and no one refutes him. They didn't intend for Leo to translate this dynamic into, "everything is on you," but that's how it inevitably turned out over time. One could even argue that them not knowing how to handle this new Leonardo is yet another downside to them getting too comfortable, and it doesn't help that Splinter is the only one (aside from Usagi on one instance) who attempts to help Leo, even when the young turtle is pushing him away.

Things finally boil over when Leo pushes a little too hard though and harms Splinter during training, a regrettable action that clears away the steely air he had around himself for so long.

It's not until Splinter sends him off to see the Ancient One that Leo finally pulls himself out of that bubble of negativity and he accepts that there was nothing more he could've done in their final fight against the Shredder.

He did all that he could, and he can continue doing all that he can for his family.

In a weird way, Karai's violent eviction notice was exactly what everyone needed.

Leo was told his family likely hadn't survived the attack, something he'd spent countless days trying to prevent through relentless training, but he believed they were okay and ultimately found them alive. He wasn't there to protect them, but he sees for himself that they made it out without his help, and this was also a learning experience for the others if you think about it. They've already been shown to be capable of handling situations on their own or in pairs, but this was the first time they had to deal with a huge confrontation as a team without the comfort of their leader behind their shells.

Raph is the one who takes the helm for a brief few seconds and dishes out instructions amid the chaos, telling everyone to split up, find their way out and meet back up on the surface, with one last demand for them to be careful. And when Leo finds him, his distress is palpable; he couldn't find the others and therefore had no idea if they were okay, let alone alive, while he kept himself hidden from Karai's forces. Before this, we see that Raph is willing to make his own plan of action in this series' version of City at War when he doesn't go with Leo's word. But this time, in Leo's absence, we see he's willing to fill in as leader when the situation calls for it, and he realizes he isn't quite cut out for leadership like Leo.

We don't see any significant shift in team dynamics after this, mainly because Leo's inner turmoil from their fight with the Shredder is what caused problems with the team in the first place, but that goes to show that outside influences are what gave birth to the team conflict. Despite me pointing out earlier how Leo shoulders quite a bit not just because of his role but because of his brothers' roles as well, we can see throughout the series that Leo doesn't buckle from the pressure until they're in a situation where he can't effectively perform his role to his satisfaction.

As I mentioned in the beginning, Leo had been a leader in essence and in name for many years before their first home was raided by the Mousers. It makes perfect sense for him and his brothers to be accustomed to it by now.

2012 Leonardo is not used to being a leader. He may undeniably be a leader in essence, and had the drive and desire to be one, but he definitely wasn't a leader in name. The very first episode doesn't even open up with Leo being a leader, let alone with the turtles being a team. Their first time fighting together is a train wreck, and rather than Leo's strong sense of ethics and honor being the catalyst for his recruitment (not at first at least), it's the beginning of their long battle against the Kraang that convinces Splinter to officially deem him the leader of a newly formed team.

Being leader doesn't automatically mean the team will follow or respect you, which is something Leo learns right away thanks to his brothers, with Raph in particular challenging him when they butt heads over their opposing plans and ideals. It's touched upon in Rise of the Turtles Part 2, but Raph's desire to lead isn't a major plot device until New Girl in Town where he gets a taste of how Leo feels everytime he's responsible for his brothers and their wellbeing. However, Raph makes it known that even though he's resigned himself to not being the leader, he still doesn't like being told what or how to do something. Even Donnie challenges Leo when they can't agree on the best course of action in preparation for the Kraang, but Donnie realizes arguing was pointless as the invasion begins without warning and makes the idea of a second base the more favorable option.

His brothers aren't his only test of will though, as there are a handful of times where Leo questions his ability to lead and wonders if Splinter chose the right turtle for the job. Throughout all of that though, the boys ultimately rely on Leo and follow his lead when all is said and done.

Where this Leo truly differs from '03 Leo is that he not only struggles with leading a team that isn't so keen on being led, but he also struggles to grasp that he leads a team.

There are many times in the series where Leo runs off on his own or makes the decision to tackle something himself rather than with help, and that's not out of the norm, especially in comparison to his own brothers and '03 Leo. The problem is that '12 Leo's solo decision making more often than not leads to trouble (we all know the tale of him trying to turn Karai to the good side without informing the team about her). One of the first major examples of this though was in the S1 finale when he takes Splinter's words a little too close to heart and gives his brothers the scare of their life. Granted, him holding back Kraang Prime kept it on the sinking Technodrome, but you get what I'm saying.

His family actively calls him out on this behavior on two separate occasions during S4.

After they'd spent six months with the Fugatoid fighting the Triceratons and racing to collect every piece of the black hole generator before them, Fugatoid reveals that he was the one who made the world ending device, a reveal that lights a flame of betrayal in everyone, especially Raph and Leo. Believing that they're being used by Fugatoid, Leo rides off in a stealth ship on his own and nearly gets himself killed, a move that has his brothers scolding him, with Raph being the most vocal about Leo's idiotic decision: "Leaders are called leaders because they're supposed to lead a TEAM!"

The moment isn't lingered upon for long, but they all make it clear that they're tired of Leo's one man missions. They're a team, so they should plan and function like one.

Then, in Broken Foot, Leo starts doing missions with Karai and Shinigami in secret to aid them in taking revenge against the Shredder, but, in an attempt to find out what Leo was hiding from them, the other turtles get caught up in their plans and Donnie gets hurt. Leo immediately abandons Karai (who later apologizes for what happened) and Shinigami to check on them and come clean.

He explains to Splinter later on that he didn't fill anyone in on the situation at first because he knew no one would've agreed to help Karai get revenge, and he acknowledges that it was stupid of him to think he could control the situation. Splinter expresses his disappointment, and April reprimands him for once again not trusting his own team enough for them to help him.

Leo apologizes to Raph and Mikey afterwards, even going so far to say he probably doesn't deserve to lead the team after this, something Raph just harumphs at while Mikey remains silent. He pleads for their help in stopping and eventually aiding Karai and Shinigami, and they go along with him to fix things as a team.

We no longer get any one man missions from Leo in S5 (there surprisingly weren't any in S3 lol), likely for a whole list of reasons ranging from leading in Splinter's absence to learning from his mistakes over time. But he makes sure that whatever they have to do gets done together, and he does his best to keep his brothers in line.

I suppose one could say that '03 Leo remembered what it meant to be a leader, while '12 Leo discovered what it meant to lead.

[gentlebeardsbarngrill]

02/14/2024 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; Cast & Crew Sightings; Samba Schutte Cameo; Taika & Rita; Rhys Darby; Dominic Burgess; Lindsey Cantrell; Con O Neill Love Project; Lovely Letters; Moonglow Manifesting; Lube As A Crew; Watch Party Reminders; Uncle; People of Earth; Articles; Petition Thread; Love Notes; Gay men kissing;

= Cast & Crew Sightings =

= Samba Schutte =

Samba Schutte recorded a beautiful Cameo for all of us. Thank you @saveofmdcrewmates for sharing this lovely gift with us! Src: Tumblr Today is about sharing love -- with friends, family, and crew, so we want to share this with you! 💕 https://www.cameo.com/recipient/65c16e19f7ff859ddd914500

= Taika Waititi =

Rita Ora and Taika Waititi were out here being adorable with each other on Instagram today. I realise it's not OFMD related, but Taika needs love and support and that's what we're doing tonight.

= Rhys Darby =

Rhys Darby is back with this adorable grey kitten that everyone is jealous of.

Photo Srcs: ofmd-ann , Rhys' Tiktok , Tumblr - ty @kiwistede

= Dominic Burgess =

Our hilarious friend Dominic Burgess is just out here at it again being supportive AF during our events. I love this man.

= Lindsey Cantrell =

Just some love from Lindsey Cantrell on her IG Stories

== Con O Neil Love Project on IG =

Somehow I missed these! Very sweet video project for Con O'Neill happening on IG, thank you @ringasunn for posting these!

There are three videos up so far, but sounds like a 4th is on the way and Con is feeling the love you all! Such an amazing Job!

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

== Lovely Letters ==

The Kudoboard for Valentine's day was sent out this morning on various platforms. Please feel free to check out some of the Lovely Letters the crew wrote to our dear Cast & Crew family.

== Moonglow Manifesting ==

Several of our crew have been manifesting moonglow and setting up spaces in their homes for that manifesting! Please check out some of the gorgeous and creative setups our crew have put together! In order of appearance: @_irene_adler, @tayleafz, @snailforkery

== Lube As A Crew ==

So @Astroglide had decided to do another Watch Party after the #ReviewAsACrew theme that was going on. @yronnia was kind enough to notify me of this fantastic review that came up before the party.

So as usual, so many memes (may of the valentine's cards are from @astroglideofficial) and responses came with the latest @Astroglide watch of the episodes 8, 9 , 10 of S1.

And @astroglideofficial's reactions were glorious as expected (reach from bottom up for chronological reactions)

However, as you can imagine, finishing at episode 10 left them where the rest of us were.

Can't wait for them to see Season 2! Hopefully they'll get some of their hope back!

== Watch Party Reminders! ==

= Feb 15/16: Uncle Season 1 =

Next 3 episodes of Uncle tomorrow! This is mainly for UK folks but non-uk folks are welcome to vpn in as well! Here's an article on how to join via vpn!

16 Feb, GMT - 8 PM, ET - 3 PM, PST - 12pm (episodes 4-6)

WatchParty Hashtags:

#ForTheNewUncle

#SaveOFMD

#AdoptOurCrew

= People Of Earth S1 Ep 7, 8 =

#PiratesOfEarth has been going great these last couple days! Thank you again to @iamadequate1 for organising it! Next episodes: 7 and 8 tomorrow the 15th! at 10PM GMT / 5PM EST / 4PM CST / 2 PM PST

== Articles ==

Our Flag Means Death - Streaming services are continuing to sink ships - ty @manthastar

10 Media Award-Nominated Series That Will Steal Your Heart This Valentine's Day!

== Petition Thread ==

Our friend @sonnetforbonnet was kind enough to get a twitter thread going for all the petitions for cancelled shows. For those of you without Twitter here are the Petition links.

Our Flag Means Death

Shadow & Bone / Six Of Crows

A League Of Their Own

Gentleman Jack

Station 19

Hotel Mondial

Julia

Lockwood & Co

Infinity Train

People Of Earth

Rap Sh!t

Schmigadoon!

First Kill

Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies

1899

Coyote Vs. Acme

== Love Notes ==

Hey Lovelies <3 I hope that however you celebrated today, (Valentine's Day, Captain Cook's Murder Day, Your Birthday, whatever it happened to be) that you got something positive and fun out of it. I know this day is a mixed bag for a lot of folks, so any way you are able to get something good out of it, I'm excited for. A little gentle reminder, something that took me a lot of years to realise -- you are enough, with or without a partner, I hope you know that. Your partner or lack of one doesn't define you. You are you and you are wonderful and you are enchanting. You could be in the perfect relationship and that other person(s) could bring out the best in you, and yet, the best in you is still you. You shine because you are a beautiful, unique little radiant ball of starstuff, and don't you ever forget it. You deserve just as much love as you give to others, no matter what anyone says, and you deserve to be happy and to be you, just the way you are. Now matter how you feel on any given day, no matter how much energy, or spoons, or love you have for yourself, you are doing enough, and you deserve all the wonderful things this world has to offer. I know I speak for all of us on this safespaceship crew, when I say I hope tomorrow brings you joy, and love, and unhinged laughter. Get some rest babes, love you <3

== Daily Darby / Tonight's Taika ==

Yeah so, since Rhys and Taika already had new footage earlier in the recap tonight. I'm gonna be a sappy little bitch and just show you the same old footage of two gay men kissing because it brings life.

[undercoverpena]

ii. coffee + fruit

javier peña x dea! f!reader | chapter two of nowhere to run

Summary: Determined to do it better this time, Javier Peña returns to Bogotá to take down the Cali Cartel. With a new promotion, office and team, what he doesn’t expect is the pretty thing outside his office—or why they’re not allowed in the field. chapter warnings: season three narcos spoilers, no use of y/n, mild use of a codename for story purposes. wordcount: 5.5k an: as always, a huge thank you to @guyfieriii who talks me down from panic, and @yeyinde who listens to my insane plans

He finds that spot on his forehead, thumb and index digging—massaging into his skin and bone. The edges of himself, frayed, stressed—teased to the point they could almost pull away and crumble as he walked past your desk.

It’s empty. The half-drunk coffee still there. 

You’ve not been there for a while. Not since earlier, when he should have looked away at the sound of raised voices, instead of honing in on them. Something wrapping around his insides—

“You got a minute, sir?”

He listens, even if he doesn’t. He hears the important parts: Miami, Cornerstone. He also hears the noticeable slap of the file on the rest of his files—the ones with your post-its and notes all over. 

“What’s this?”

“A shitty diagram.”

He stares—feels himself glaring. Ridding it, hopefully before the agent can even notice it. A reaction he blames on a headache, even if he knows it has more to do with earlier. 

“What’s your name?”

“Fiestl.” 

Javi chews it. Staring up and down at him. 

“Chris Feistl.”

He smirks at the rest of his speech. That same gnawing feeling rising inside of him, half-hoping the man in front of him isn’t the reason you’ve been hiding, but heavily suspecting he is. 

Javi likes shooting him down, he realises, when he watches that same kicked-puppy face stretch across the man’s features—the same way it did when you muttered whatever you did under your breath. 

It’s only as he crosses the office, hoping to rid him—when his eyes land on you through the blinds. Thankful you’ve made another appearance, looking somewhat more you than you had done earlier. Coffee firmly in hand—chewing the inside of his cheek. Relaxing him—having not needed to go find you. 

“Nice office by the way.”

He snorts. Realising quickly how fucked he was. “Thanks.” 

Yellowing light woke you as it bled through the open window.

The scent of him still clings to your skin. All Marlboro smoke and ambery wood, blended with the sultry scent of whiskey and something you suspect is just him. 

It was easier to leave. 

To watch his eyelids grow heavy, sliding from under his arm and dressing in the silence of his government-issued apartment. You’d thought about staying, about the morning when he’d wake and likely feast on you for breakfast. How good it would feel, how good he is. 

You’re not young and impressionable. Good sex is good sex, not an invitation to begin manifesting and dreaming about a life together taking down narcos. 

So, it was easier to leave. 

To burst the fantasy before it could begin growing, amassing into something which would involve hurt feelings from either side. 

You do this a lot?  Fuck my boss? No. Have you seen Stechner? I just m— Don’t lie to me, Peña. It’s beneath you. 

You weren't quite sure what to classify last night as, but guilt began to peck at you, all the same. It made you consider things. Turning them over in your mind under the low pressure of the shower…

Maybe you should have left a note. Something. Anything. 

Although, when it boils down, you’re not entirely sure what the appropriate messaging even would be. Never having needed to do it before. Maybe it never happened to him either. 

He struck you as a man who did the leaving over being the one who was left. It crossed your mind, only then, that maybe he wouldn’t take kindly to being greeted by cold, undisturbed nothing. 

From what you knew—outside of the rumours and the intern—he didn’t tend to fuck his colleagues. That thin line is the one he drew. Javier Peña didn’t like to shit where he eats. The thin line, though, has been erased, kicked away until dust covers it. 

Your soap slowly rids you of his scent, his touch—leaving only the blossoming-welcome bruises and the soreness. The only thought which began to appease you as you turned the water off, is that judging him or not, he didn’t appear to have a reputation that screamed he’d ever left a note himself. That and the fact you owed him nothing except professionalism. 

You’re late. 

Not late for the start of your shift, but when you’re usually in. People have come to expect you around sunrise. Not today. Today, you’re greeted by some of the agents beneath you, their smirks being the evidence of your unexpected time in. The gossip already likely fluttering around, half-expecting the whispers to chirp before you’ve even removed your coat. 

If you were a man, it wouldn’t happen. 

They wouldn’t bat an eyelid if Peña walked in draped in two women. It was a thing reserved for women. The shame-guilt. The whispers behind your back, trying to act as though by doing it in a low voice, they’re doing you a favour by keeping back what a whore they think you are. 

Because usually, you’re the one to turn the fluorescent lights on. The only one making noise in the large expanse. But, there’s already chatter when you throw your bag in your drawer. Your phone is already ringing before you’ve even made a coffee.

It is distracting. It smothers wandering thoughts and any chance at regret. It’s only when you’re making your final note for him, all set to sit down ready to consume the coffee when you see him. 

And time slows. 

Everything around the two of you almost stops as you let yourself take him in. Meet those same eyes which had almost cut your clothes off last night. He doesn’t look embarrassed or regretful, but sorrowful. No spark in his eyes, no twitch of his lips—two things you’d been washed in by the time you reached his place last night. 

You should tear your eyes away as he nods at someone and heads in your direction. You should stand up, hand him the notes and a coffee—unsure why you’ve even stopped to stare. 

Your legs have other ideas, already carrying you to him. Watching him trace his eyes up and down you like he didn’t have his fill of that last night. Acting normal, no smirk, no blush of his cheeks, as though he didn’t have his tongue, cock and fingers inside of you hours ago.  

You should be happy. Grateful. 

It isn’t as though you like mess or complications. It had churned inside of you on the drive in, hands wrapping around the steering wheel, unsure if you’d made things difficult. If you’d blurred the complicated lines before they’d even really been laid out. 

You take his wrist, lifting it as you coax his hand around the mug, looping his fingers around the warmth. His touch sends sparks up your skin, along your fingers, and forearms all the way to your chest. Ones you have to ignore. Ones you pretend aren’t there. 

Because he’s like fire. He burns, but you welcome it. 

Like you did last night, over and over again. 

Your throat goes dry, watching as he brings the mug to his lip. Your mug. The one you hadn’t drank from and craved more than anything. 

“Morning.” 

It comes out normal, but it’s forced. Trying to banish any sound of indifference, hand grasping at some papers before you turn to walk alongside him, matching his strides. 

“You have a meeting in ten—which I’d do your top button-up for. There’s also a file on your desk, less important than the meeting, but more important than the phone calls you need to make.”

He looks good. 

Something you had noticed before sleeping with him—not able to help but acknowledge it, even if you hated it. But now, having seen him more undone, more walls torn back, it was hard not to look for longer. Linger. Let your eyes trail down from his eyes to the slope of his nose, to his lips— 

“Fuck. This is good—“

His eyes widened, taking another sip of the drink. 

Your hand tugs on his elbow to stop him, keeping close to him as you smile. “Look. Tell anyone, and I’ll cut you.” 

“About last ni—“

“No.”

It comes out like a squeak. Something which quickly warms your cheeks and ears, tugging your shirt into place, swallowing back further denial. 

“The coffee,” you continue, straightening your spine. “I don’t—I don’t care if you climbed a desk and told everyone I fucked you senseless last night. I do care if everyone knows I have a stash of good coffee.” Your head tilts behind you. “They’re feral—fucking… animals. For good casework and for good coffee.” 

For a second, he stares. Just stares. His mouth opened, before closing. 

He’s hard to read. Even when you know so much about him. Some things are easier, like the things he wears. The shame—the need to do right. Even if he blurs the lines, even if he gets lost along the way of finishing the task at hand. Other parts of him are harder, hidden behind thick walls of concrete you don’t expect to ever see past. 

And yet, it makes something bubble in you. Something you can’t place, but really hate.  

His hand twitches though. Not the one around the coffee, the one limply at his side. The only sign that your nonchalance is bothering him, his eyes attempting to claw through you the same you’re doing to him. 

“Drink up,” you say, licking your lips. “You’re gonna need it.”

“That bad, huh?”

“It’s with the Ambassador.”

“Shit.” 

Draining the mug, you take it from him, handing him the file in your hand. “Try to smile, Peña—you make it through this, I may be able to give you a bigger reason too.” 

“That so?” 

You smirk, and he has to know how warm your cheeks are. Must be able to feel the heat from them through the air as you avoid his eyes, hating the impact his words have. Two simple fucking words. 

It’s dangerous, the game you’re playing. 

Red lights flash, a warning tone sounding in some dull recess in your mind. 

“Yes,” you smile, with equal wickedness. “I’ll take some of your paperwork from you.” 

He rolls his jaw, smirking in return. 

“What?” you ask innocently. “Something else on your mind?” 

You wondered if he hoped. 

If he’d woken up and stretched his hand out to find you, to pull you close. From the small window into his life, he was insatiable. Good. Knowing exactly where too… 

Shaking your head, you smile. “Just so you know, I’m also good at things that don't involve me being naked.”

He doesn’t say anything. 

“Plus, I already saved your ass. I delivered the news and not Stoddard.” You stop at your desk, putting a distance between the two of you. “Well, I’ll be here if you need me.” 

He nods. 

Just nods. 

You’re a coward. 

Even if you’re not ashamed, even if you had been happy you went home with him. You still hid. Flipping between your desk and the file room.

The fact both Dan and Peña, plus Stoddard, had fucked with your filing had proven a blessing in disguise. Your hands itching to put it right all day, thankful whatever the meeting this morning was, it kept Peña behind glass. 

“Hey.”

You know the voice before your eyes land on the face. It's ingrained into you. A voice you used to love, but now makes your blood boil. Quickly, you try to rid the heat from your cheeks, lifting up to watch him—the former lover: the romance that ended in disaster. 

He wipes his mouth before he leans down on your desk. 

Even now, all you can think is Chris Feistl still has a cute smile. That and the fact you like the way strands of his hair fall over his face—just like they are now. A slight urge, the slightest need, to brush them from his face rose inside of you. 

In the same way, you had done before things got complicated, before when things were wonderful and lovely—before they went up in flames. 

You always wondered how hard it would be to get over a breakup when you were confronted with it every day. Having always been thankful your previous relationships ended as you were required to move, whether across the states or to a different country.  

It’s hard to ignore what you have learnt quickly. Difficult to rid everything, such as the mug on your desk that was a gift before anyone knew you were both a thing. Knowing that when you walk past him, he’s seen the lingerie you’re wearing under the clothes. That he’s the one you had originally bought them for—the one who peeled them off your skin while dinner bubbled messily in either one of your two’s kitchens. 

It hadn’t been him who ruined them the other night. 

That had been the man to the side of her—the one surrounded by glass and wooden blinds. The one you’re hiding from. 

“So… you good?”

Smirking, you put your pen down. “You walked over here to ask me if I’m good?”

He stares for a second, reconsidering his words. “You didn’t answer my call… last night.” 

You bite your tongue, leaning forward. Remembering. 

Recalling how you’d cancelled it at the bar, and again before you left the bar…with Peña. How his lips had ghosted over your neck as you dug your hand in your bag to silence it. Ignore it. His teeth grazing your—

“I know that you’re strong, but I also—“

“I’m fine, Chris.”

His silence is damning. The air is tightening as you stare, hoping he doesn’t push, silently hoping he doesn’t. The two of you having spared mess and more pain than needed. 

“You don’t have to lie to me. I know. I know that you’re not doing as well as you… like to let people believe.”

It’s instant, the way a cold chill spreads down your spine. Your lips straighten before the words meet your ears, knowing how this is all going to go. 

“I know you’re not eating, so I can only assume you’re not sleeping.”

Your body knows before your brain does—the hold on your chest tightening, pain spreading like ink across your heart, poisoning and squeezing.   

Him calling it out—the panic, the memories, the fucking nightmares. 

“Some of the guys said you were in late—“

“Will you keep your voice down?”

Your eyes cast to the side, finding narrowed brown eyes staring at you through the blinds. Ones which you hold for a second too long. 

Ones who seem to be assessing the situation quicker than he should.

Chris leans closer, likely so the whole office doesn’t begin its idle gossip again. It does that. 

Breathes and spreads ideals and rumours quicker than a virus spreads in a hospital. You can feel the eyes through the blinds now, the ones watching—studying, trying to understand the office dynamics and who knows who. 

“I just don’t want you to think you’re alone, no matter what’s happened—happening—between us—“

Standing, you place your palms flat on the desk. “—Stop. For the love of my sanity, please can you just stop, Fiestl.”—“

“I know you chose to end things but I still want—“

You shove him. Lightly. Two fingers at most, not even likely to bruise—but enough to make his words shrivel in his throat. Your eyes, burning holes into him.

“You know what, I was with someone,” you say, snappier, harsher than your previous words. “Last night.”

They hit the air like bullets. Piercing into him and the air. It washes over you both—your confirmation, your acknowledgement. They shatter the space between the two of you like glass. Watching as his eyes acknowledge your words, temporarily frozen before his jaw tightens and his teeth grit. 

You’d sympathise if he hadn’t pushed. It is the sole reason why you don't shift your expression, keeping it firm, and rigid. Feeling the pair of eyes in your back, the ones behind the open door—having likely heard every bit of his speech. 

“I told you to stop.”

He nods, reeling back, standing—running his hand through his impossibly thick hair as he forces a laugh. All half-hearted, weak, as though the air had been punched from his chest. “Yeah. Yeah, you did.” 

“I’m not your problem.” 

He frowns, tilting his head. “You’ll always be my problem. I—“

“Please, s-stop.” 

It’s less this time. It cracks out of you. Voice shaky, more tinged with threatening-to-spill tears. 

His words fade, vanishing—disappearing into the air without truly being spilt. So much more on the cusp of his tongue, but you stare until he swallows them. Watching him instead nod. 

It pricks at your heart. Hating how it makes the part of you which had already healed, throb. It hadn’t been easy, as much as you pretended it was. But, it was better to pretend than to acknowledge how car-crash-like their argument had been. How it began as one thing and ended as something neither of you both could come back from. 

Everything good having wilted when you’d gone to Cali, coming back to crumbling roots and sharp-edged memories. It had been wrong beforehand, tainted. But, it had worsened, leaving behind nothing but death and the ghosts of what once was. 

“I have work to do, so if you’re done...” 

“No, I’m d—“

“Good.”

You straighten fully,  moving past him as you head to the bathroom. Feet moving you around bodies and desks. Waiting for the inevitable.

Thankfully, it slams into you when you’re on the other side of the door.

The thread he’d unpicked with his words. I know that you’re not doing as well as you’d like people to believe. Feeling your throat tighten at the memories, how you bristled at the feel of the door on your spine. 

Seeing them—the cold, dark eyes. How even though you know they aren’t here, they’re staring at you as stones cut into your knees and weeds tried to wrap around your ankles. The sight—the blood. The crimson staining your hands, knees and soul as helplessness stole your facade, confidence and belief. 

It makes you weak. 

Makes you crumble from the inside, out all over again. 

Shifting to dust, turning to something opposite to the training you’d taken to be here and more of a shadow of someone you once knew. Something you know they’re waiting to see—the higher-ups. The ones who are desperate to be proved right. 

Then, when it’s raging through you, ripping apart the carefully placed threads and walls that keep you up straight, you’re flooded with grief. 

The nightmares that have bled into the moments you’re awake. Its grip on your chest tightens, restricting—hand grasping at the cold bathroom counter as you will yourself to snap out of it. Shakily turning on the tap until cold water slams into your skin—

It lessens. 

Looking up, meeting the mirror, seeing only thick tears that have carved into your cheeks. Sweat pebbling at your brow, your mouth taking in copious breaths as you slowly find you can stand straight. 

Shame vibrates in your bones. That and tiredness.

You've spent the better part of your day darting through an array of emotions—all of which had given you whiplash—and made it hard to smile.  

You had taken a while to resurface from the file room, awkwardly holding a mug up to Peña through the blinds once again—noting how the office had emptied.

It’s nice, the silence. The lack of ringing from phones, fingers on keyboards and low-murmured chatter. It’s even nicer seeing the glow the setting sun casts over the place, casting shadows. Not needing to glance at the clock, you know the hour is late. Is time to be going home, even if you’ve stayed far later than this on so many occasions. 

You have to show him you’re okay, even if you’re not. 

Even if you’re barely held together by the threads you usually are. 

The aftershocks of your panic ebbing through you. Small little wobbles and pricks to your eyes, followed by a slight gasp as breath is lost. Worsened by your anger when the news hit the office. 

That once again a mission went sideways. That two more agents were going home—and that someone they put in a position to lose something, happened again. Under it all, like the low hum of a song from a distant radio, you thought of Cali.

You’re used to them, the thoughts, the panic—having slowly become the norm. Yet, they’re rarely here, rarely ever embedding into your day—they normally wait until you’re in your car or at home. Appearing like ghosts when you’re alone, when there’s very little to distract you. 

On another day, you’d likely have handled it better. But, Chris had done a number on you. He had bruised you, in some ways. Knocked you off your confidence and thinly-veiled pedestal you climbed up onto to appear like the same agent the rest of the office knew before you came back.

You don’t have to pretend with him, though. It’s why you stayed in the bar longer than you should have. Why you didn’t bat his palm away from your knee and why you traced little shapes with your nail against the back of his hand. 

Peña didn’t know you. Likely didn’t care too—not that you want him to. 

Feelings are messy. A tangle of things that would worsen as and when you were sent home. If you grew too attached it would hurt when the inevitable crashed down; if you remained distant, it would lead to awkwardness and more office dramatics. Neither of which you wanted—having already ticked both of those of yourself not that long ago. 

Your eyes catch Van Ness and Chris’s new desks, the ones they’d moved into before the seats of the other agents were even cold. 

It pecked at you, the day. It wove under your carefully constructed armour and threatened to showcase who you were—a fragile, half-broken soul haunting a place you used to run. The thought niggled, swirling, capturing other feelings in its wake until it grew larger and larger. 

Blinking, you stared as the pot brewed. Finding it all of a sudden hard not to acknowledge that the first time you’d stopped thinking—outside of drinking and the few hours of sleep you were given—was when you were with him. That he had fully engrossed you, not allowing you to sink off to any recess or corner to drag up old demons and shadows to ruin what it was. 

You place the coffee down in the centre of his desk. Taking a while to drag your eyes from the steam spiralling up into the air, watching it softly before it’s lost to the air. Each silvery twirl captures your attention until all you see is caramel chestnut. 

Then you see the rest of him, trying not to let your mouth drop open at the sight of him. 

He’s removed his jacket since you’d asked him if he wants a coffee, his hair far more tousled—likely from pulling at it, something you’ve seen him do all too often. The cause for the dryness in your throat is the sight of his top two buttons undone. His tie loosely hanging, his finger probably having stuck in the knot and yanked it down. 

It almost cracks you. Makes you almost forget how to breathe, stomach tightening—wanting to spread through you as it reminds you of last night—his phantom touch spreading across your hips. Even if he’s safely behind his desk, not touching, breath not dancing across your jaw. 

“Everyone else has gone.”

His hand gestures to the chair opposite his desk, one you know you shouldn’t sit in—should head back to the file room or go home before the stars come out. But you sit, slowly too.

It would be a lie to say you hadn’t noticed the same thing countless women did. The angle of his jaw, the way his eyes hold yours, as if you’re the only source of light in a room. You’d just hoped to be better than the other women, able to snap out of it—keep a respectable distance. 

“They do that. Go home at the end of their shift.” 

He snorts. “Not you, though.” 

“Not you either, Sir.” 

Watching it land, that three-letter word is like a shot of caffeine to the veins. It makes his jaw shift, his eyes try to inconspicuously drag along your frame. 

“Look, it’s likely not any of my business, but…” you look at him, watching him play with the ends of his tie as he meets your eyes. “I didn’t ask earlier, you alright? Looked heavy—the conversation with—” 

The lump appears before you can stop it. Before you can think about willing it away, it shifts at the last second. 

“Fiestl. Which, I suspect you already know his name,” you smirk, crossing your leg over the other, “But yeah, it’s fine. I’m fine.”

The most honest you could be. Your half-smile meeting his, hoping it soothes him—settles him. 

“You two date, or something?” 

It surprises you, somehow. Prickles at you, makes you sharpen and straighten your spine. “You jealous or something?” 

“No.” 

He says it too quickly. Only realising his mistake a second too late, the same regret you felt at instantly snapping at him. 

Clearing your throat. “Sorry… I just, we did, yes.” 

He nods, and the way he leans his head back in acknowledgement makes you notice how drained he looks, how withdrawn—how sunken. 

“This your coffee or the offices?”

Twitching your lips, you relax again. “Try it and find out.”

His eyes narrow, his lips shifting across the front of his teeth as he offers that slow smirk-smile he does. The one he did so much last night, once whiskey had loosened him and humour had let the weight from his shoulders lessen. 

“How’s your bad day?” 

He half-smiles with a snort, hand swiping over his jaw as he sighs. 

Because you know how hellish it has been. You’d seen it, heard it—watched it ripple across the office. 

Clearing your throat, leaning back against the chair, you tilt your head. “No one’s going to blame you for Duffy and Lopez. For one, Duffy is real a dick.” 

Folding his arms, he mirrors you. Leaning back, not even moving for the coffee. “You know the right words to make me smile, cariño.”

Smiling, you look down. Needing too. It almost catches you off guard: cariño. Makes your tongue heavy—forcing your thighs to push together as your mouth drops open. Dawning on you that this must be how ‘sir’ makes him feel. 

Then, like rain on a beautiful warm day, you begin remembering why you left this morning—why you’d told yourself it was the best thing, and yet here you were undoing it. 

The air puckers, ruffles and wrinkles as no words are spoken. The steam from the coffee continues to swirl, performing a dance neither of you are paying attention to. His eyes are on you, and you’re firmly on the spot on the floor, warming under his gaze—wishing you knew what he was thinking, and yet wishing you didn’t know him at all. 

“I left because whatever… last night was, it wasn't serious.” 

Flicking your eyes up, you expect contempt. Instead, you see understanding.

You see softness, shame—but you suspect not because of the act itself, but rather because he understood. 

“Because you know so much about me or?” 

Your watch as his forehead creases, waiting expectedly for your response. His fingers run across his jaw as he stares, more in waiting than anything else. Your eyes staring at his index finger, remembering—recalling. 

“Because I’m really not that person, Peña. I know people say that, and they usually don’t mean it. But, I didn’t expect coffee and a piece of fruit this morning. And I really couldn’t stand the idea of having an awkward morning conversation when we’re both naked and wondering if the other regrets it. Which I don’t, by the way—regret it.” 

He slowly takes the coffee, fingers wrapping around the white porcelain, a stark contrast in size as he keeps his eyes on you. Assessing you, trying to peel back layers and uncover things. 

You’re smarter. You’ve had to be. 

Already hard enough fighting amongst other agents for a shot, never mind the fact that so very few of you make it to Bogotá—least of all women. 

Throwing up walls, you quickly hide the complexities that make you nervous, the things which keep your adrenaline heightened and your nightmares prickling close to daydreams.  

“I wouldn’t.” 

“What?” 

“Keep looking for a secondary reason for why I left you in bed,” you say with a knowing smirk. “There isn’t one. I just prefer my own bed.”

Smirking, he brings the cup to his lips, pausing as he stares over it and through the swirls. “Guess next time it’s your place then.”

You have to laugh, to hide the heat in your cheeks. “Cute, Peña. Real cute.” 

He takes another sip, a larger one—rich flavours of herbs, nuts and chocolate flooding his tongue. “Fuck, tastes good.”

It’s a bad idea.

That’s what you think. What instantly follows behind the other thought, the one on the tip of your tongue, the one you should hold back, but—

“Odd, not the first time I’ve heard that in the last 24 hours.”

Whatever the air was doing previously, it stops—and something far worse replaces it. Something heavier, thicker. Something which makes your body thrum and his eyes momentarily widen, before darkening—almost obsidian in shade and so shiny, you almost slip on them into his soul. 

He places the cup down. The ridge of its base echoing all around the room in the silence—it like a note, spreading through your ears and leaping from bone to bone. 

You watch as he drags his thumb across his bottom lip, shifting in his seat, leaning more over the desk. Not taking his eyes from you for one second, as though by blinking you’ll vanish. You should. You should excuse yourself before you give in, before you snap and bury yourself in him until every other emotion is muted and easy to stuff away. 

Dragging his tongue across his lip, the corner of your lips twitching at the sight. 

Folding your arms, you smile. “What you thinking?” 

“That I shouldn’t do this.” 

It’s natural, how you slowly sigh. “I’m very aware, I’m not even informing you of anything.” 

Glancing at him, finding the light catching his dark eyes, how they look like pools you, all of a sudden, want to slide into them—drown in them. 

“Also thinkin’ how we shouldn’t repeat it.” 

Swallowing, you lift your chin. “No. We probably shouldn’t.” 

Standing, he drinks you in, slowly moving around his desk. Each step, he doesn’t take your eyes off you. The gap is shrinking and shrinking. 

It’s not until he’s in front of you, leaning on his desk, foot nudging against yours. “Is it bad that I want to...” 

“That good, was I?” 

His fingers brush over his chin, and you feel it—anticipate that in a second you’re going to snap and be pressed against him. You are almost holding your breath. Needing it too. The way he has already silenced things, stilled the nerves in your body. Afraid of showing that you want nothing more than it.

“Yeah, cariño. You are.” 

You shift in the chair, staring up at him, counting—not sure at what number you’ll either close the gap or leave. Would it be ten, twenty, fifty—

You don’t get past five. The ring of his phone cuts through the air. 

“Shit.” His eyes slide from yours, staring at it. “Do not move.” 

You smirk, listening to him answer before you slowly stand. Your legs feel like lead, trying not to let his frown halt your movements—because you shouldn’t do this. Listening, hearing him say his name, short, sharp and breathless.  

His one-sided conversation blended with the ghostly whispers of gossip likely to come. The ones which worsened when you came back from Cali—the ones which follow you.

You're at the door as you hear him, his voice a little louder—a little more stressed. 

“Wait—I’ll call you back. Hey.”

Spinning on your heels, you meet his odd expression face on, slowly walking backwards in pursuit of your desk—your coat, bag and keys—until his fingers lightly touch your forearm. Thumb around your elbow, soft, gentle—almost surprisingly so. 

“You’re right, we shouldn’t.” 

“Words rarely ever said to me.” 

Smirking, you almost roll your eyes. Almost. “Take it as a sign, then. Your phone call saved you from another thing to get in trouble over.”

His mouth clamps shut, a thin line appearing between his brows. The same one you saw when he was sleeping, and you dressed in silence. The one which you’d wanted to run your finger over and thin out, take it with you, leave it in some distant part of the city for someone else to wear instead. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow, sir?”

“Less of the sirs.” 

You pause, half tempted to just close the gap and be done fighting him. “Why? Worried about something.” 

His lips curl. “I’m tryin’ to be decent.” 

“How’s that going?”

“Fuckin’ poorly.” 

You smile. “Goodnight, Peña.”

He doesn’t nod, not until his fingers remove themselves, one by one, sliding from your forearm. 

Wanting to stay. Wanting nothing more than to press your lips to his.

“You owe me a coffee.”

He doesn’t smirk, but his lips try to. “And a piece of fruit?”

Shaking your head, you grab your coat, and then your bag. “Night, sir.” 

“Night, cariño.”  

chapter three ->

[kairologia]

Planets in Hellenistic Astrology — part 1 : the ascendant + the luminaries (sun/moon).

Where modern astrology places the emphasis on signs, traditional astrology deems planets THE most important part of the practice. It places planets as actors whereas everything else serves as setting, stage & costumes.

The form of astrology I practice focuses on the use of the 7 traditional planets, as outers (Uranus/Neptune/Pluto) had yet to be identified due to their invisibility to the naked eye — and though I still use them, I don’t emphasize them as much. The 7 traditional planets are usually divided thus: the Luminaries (Sun/Moon), fast-moving Personal Planets (Mercury/Venus/Mars) and slow-moving Social Planets (Jupiter/Saturn).

Now that we got that out of the way, moving on to the actual point of the post,

The core of the chart : the sun, moon & rising.

The core of the chart is represented by the luminaries plus the ascendant. I sadly often come across descriptions of this triad that are too vague or not explained clearly & understandably, which often leads to widespread misconceptions around what these three components represent (especially the sun + ascendant).

Simply put, the Sun and Moon represent the two energy or power sources of the body/mind — as these Celestial Bodies provide most of the light in the heavens. They are luminary bodies that carry distinct energies and symbolize archetypal influences that manifest based on their sign, house, and aspect placements.

The Sun is the emissive luminary & shows how one’s vital energies are spent. The Moon is the receptive luminary & shows how one’s energies are regenerated & recalibrated. The Sun and Moon combined represent the driver, where the Sun signifies the driver's actions, and the Moon signifies their reactions. The Ascendant, on the other hand, serves as the vehicle steered by the influences of the Sun and Moon.

— Starting with the Sun,

The Sun, through the annual cycle of solstices and equinoxes, establishes the seasons of the year. In a chart, the sun directly corresponds to the themes of the whole sign house of Leo. Much like the sun enables visibility in the universe, it allows topics ruled by the sun (i.e, whichever house Leo occupies in one’s chart) to become prominently visible in our lives. As an example, if Leo is in your first house, the sun represents your identity, what with it ruling your first house of self, and if Leo is in your fifth house, it signifies that the sun rules over matters related to your pleasure, sexual and romantic pursuits and enjoyment of life, and so on for other house placements.

As an isolated archetype, the sun, being a life source, symbolizes aspirations, a drive to enlighten or illuminate something, mirroring its central role in the solar system where everything orbits around it. This conveys a sense of being drawn towards embodying and actualizing the self in a specific manner — making it an aspirational energy.

In addition to what was stated previously, the sun represents vitality, spirit, soul, the conscious mind, intellect, the father, judgement, public reputation, action, and authority. It holds a place in the day sect.

This isn't to negate any potential resonance with your sun sign, as resonance means different things to different people.

Trivia :

— Domicile: Leo

— Exaltation: Aries

— Detriment: Aquarius

— Fall: Libra

— Quality : Hot and Dry (choleric temperament)

— Colors: Gold, yellow, amber

— Professions: Leaders, royalty, professions that work with solar significations

— Places: Houses, palaces, theaters, halls

— Day of the Week: Sunday

— Body Parts: Heart, eyes

— Animals: Lions, felines, eagle, phoenix, nightingale

— Minerals & stones : Gold, Chrysolite

— Moon :

The Moon defines the lunar months through her cycle of waxing & waning phases. She primarily symbolizes the themes of the whole sign house that Cancer occupies in your chart.

The moon stands out as the most impermanent celestial indicator, residing in each zodiac sign for no longer than two and a half days. Its phases undergo constant shifts, mirroring elements that are in perpetual flux, such as bodily cycles, our bodies in general, mood variations, and all sorts of cyclic phenomena such as routines.

While its influence extends over emotions, it encompasses more than just that aspect. The moon serves as a mechanism of recalibration of both our emotional and physical well-being.

The moon also represents the body, sensations, emotion, memories, the "gut brain," intuition, senses, the mother, the lineage, women, conception, appearance, sight, nurture, older brothers, housekeeping, possessions, silver, and glass. It is of the night sect.

Trivia :

— Domicile: Cancer

— Exaltation: Taurus

— Detriment: Capricorn

— Fall: Scorpio

— Quality : Cold and Wet (phlegmatic)

— Places: Mountains, bodies of water, baths, fishponds, springs, docks

— Colors: Silver, white, pale blue

— Day of the Week: Monday

— Professions: Sailors, nurses, midwives, messengers, travelers, fishermen

— Body Parts: Breasts, fem reproductive system

— Minerals & stones: Moonstone, pearls, selenite, silver

— Animals: Fishes, creatures that live in water or come out at night

— And lastly, the ascendant;

The rising sign corresponds to the zodiac sign ascending above the eastern horizon at the time of your birth & containing the exact degree of your ascendant.

From a technical standpoint, the rising sign forms the foundation of your natal chart & sets the tone for it, acting as a cornerstone & subsequently dictating the house placements for all celestial bodies.

A birth chart is a comprehensive map of your entire life, encompassing more than just your personality traits — with this in mind, the rising sign (being the 1st house) holds a direct connection to you. It directly signifies you — your physical form, your identity, personality, character, and overall vitality.

I want to clarify that the ascendant being the you indicator in a chart does not imply that it encapsulates the totality of your essence. Astrology is nuanced, complex & there is no such thing as a “core” self. It’s not sun, not the moon, & not the rising either. Humans are all too complex for such oversimplifications and astrology mirrors that. Nevertheless, the rising sign remains the primary indicator you’d look at where “me” topics such personality are concerned.

It also important to note that the rising sign dictates the trajectory of transits within your natal chart, forming the basis for horoscopes and forecasts. So when reading horoscopes, go with your rising sign!

Fun fact: historically, when asked for your sign, you were expected to answer with your rising sign, a practice prevalent for millennia & until around a century ago. The shift towards sun signs was, simply put, an accident in history (thanks, Alan Leo!)

Part 2 : Mercury/Venus/Mars/Jupiter/Saturn.

Check pinned if you want to book with me!

[talonabraxas]

Sun Hardly any of the symbols of Freemasonry are more important in their signification or more extensive in their application than the sun. As the source of material light, it reminds the Freemason of that intellectual light of which he is in constant search. But it is especially as the ruler of the day, giving to it a beginning and end, and a regular course of hours, that the Sun is presented as a Masonic Symbol. Hence, of the three lesser lights, we are told that one represents or symbolizes the sun, one the moon, and one the Master of the Lodge, because, as the sun rules the day and the moon governs the night, so should the Worshipful Master rule and govern his Lodge with equal regularity and precision.

And this is in strict analogy with other Masonic symbolisms. For if the Lodge is a symbol of the world, which is thus governed in its changes of times and seasons by the sun, it is evident that the Master who governs the Lodge, controlling its time of opening and closing, and the work which it should do, must be symbolized by the sun. The heraldic definition of the sun as a bearing fits most appositely to the symbolism of the sovereignty of the Master. Thus Gwillim Says: "The sun is the symbol of sovereignty, the hieroglyphic of royalty; it doth signify absolute authority!'

This representation of the sun as a symbol of authority while it explains the reference to the Master, enables us to amplify its meaning, and apply it to the three Sources of authority in the Lodge, and accounts for the respective positions of the officers wielding this authority. the Master, therefore, in the East is a symbol of the rising sun; the Junior Warden in the South, of the Meridian Sun; and the Senior Warden in the West, of the Setting Sun. So in the Mysteries of India, the chief officers were placed in the East, the West, and the South, respectively, and thus represent Brahma, or the rising; Vishnu, or the setting; and Siva, or the meridian sun. And in the Druidical Rites, the Archdruid, seated in the East, was assisted by two other officers--the one in the West representing the moon, and the other in the South representing the meridian sun. This triple division of the government of a Lodge by three officers, representatives of the sun in his three manifestations in the East, South and West, will remind us of similar ideas in the symbolism of antiquity. In the Orphic Mysteries, it was taught that the sun generated from an egg, burst forth with power to triplicate himself by his own unassisted energy. Supreme power seems always to have been associated in the ancient mind with a three-fold division. Thus the sign of authority was indicated by the three-forked lightning of Jove, the trident of Neptune, and the three-headed Cerherus of Pluto. The government of the Universe was divided between these three sons of Saturn. The chaste goddess ruled the earth as Diana, the heavens as Luna, and the infernal regions as Hecate, whence her rites were only performed in a place where three roads met. The sun is then presented to us in Freemasonry first as a symbol of light, but then more emphatically as a symbol of sovereign authority.

But, says Wemyss (Symbolic Language), speaking of Seriptural symbolism, "the sun may be considered to be an emblem of Divine Truth," because the sun or light, of which it is the source, "is not only manifest in itself, but makes other things; so one truth detects, reveals, and manifests another, as all truths are dependent on, and connected with, each other more or less." And this again is applicable to the Masonic doctrine which makes the Master the symbol of the sun; for as the sun discloses and makes manifest, by the opening of day, what had been hidden in the darkness of night, so the Master of the Lodge, as analogue of the ancient hierophant or explainer of the mysteries, makes Divine Truth manifest to the neophyte, who had been hitherto in intellectual darkness, and reveals the hidden or esoteric lessons of initiation.

Sun Lodge ☀️ Talon Abraxas

[doihavetosaymyname]

SIGNS YOUR MANIFESTATION IS ABOUT TO COME TRUE

Pick a pile and get a reading <3

Art credit: YOSHITAKA AMANO.

Pile one

4 of wands, the Tower,  king of pentacles, the Fool, 9 of swords rx, 3 of swords rx, 4 of wands (again), the Star. 

Channelled message: Don’t lose hope.

Phoenix rising from the ashes symbolism; a shocking event that will make you reevaluate your whole life might happen shortly before your manifestation. You may feel like you hit the rock bottom but you are  also free. The moment you have nothing to lose anymore your dreams will come true. 

Your manifestation seems to come true during the Aquarius season. Also manifestations may happen during the time you attend lots of celebrations: weddings, birthdays, baby showers, etc. 

Pay attention to 4444 synchronicity. 

Song: SZA —Far. 

If nobody wants you, you’re free. 

Pile two

The Strength, 7 of pentacles, 8 of cups. 

Channelled message: No need to proof anything to anyone.

You have been waiting patiently, you have been putting in work to hone your craft; you walked away from things that no longer serve you, cut off some friends. May feel bittersweet about it. Once you ‘tame the beast’ inside by doing shadow work, your manifestation will come and hit you out of nowhere. 

Leo season is important for you, you may have Leo in your big three, too. 

Occurrence of number 8, 8888 synchronicity may be a sign that your blessing is close. 

Song: FKA twigs — lightbeamers. 

Tell yourself you love you so

Lay down your fears, baby 

Ain’t anybody dies from it, no

Pile three

2 of swords, 9 of wands, king of wands rx, 8 of wands, the Emperor, 7 of pentacles, 8 of wands rx (again), the High Priestess

Channelled message: Keep going no matter what .

Expect your manifestation to come true during the Libra full moon (Aries season). 

You may feel like you do not have control over anything in your life, things would become very fast-paced and unpredictable. Lots of people may reveal their dark secrets to you; you may hear information you think you were better off not knowing. There is a possibility of getting into a love triangle, too. 

Fire element plays an important part in your life. Candles, lights, and even fire sign people may be a good luck omen to you. 

Song: Beyoncé — Break my soul. 

You won’t break my soul. 

Pile four

5 of wands, 9 of cups, the Devil rx, the Hermit, the World, 4 of cups, 6 of swords, queen of wands. 

Channelled message: Use your gifts for good and you will receive 10 times more goods back.

Seems like you will be blessed with material abundance in that period of time. Overindulgence, hedonistic approach to life, lots of sex with no genuine connection. All of it is fun at first, you even mistake your physical wealth with your manifestation coming true. Eventually this kind of lifestyle leaves you bored and empty. You will experience lots of fighting, too. 

And then, during that period of isolation, your true manifestation will actually hit you. There will be an opportunity to travel, to finally reignite the spark in your soul. You will regain passion for life and feel truly happy. 

Number 9 is important to you, you may be a life path 9. Capricorn and Virgo season are your most lucky times of the year, you may have those signs in your big three. 

Manifestation may come true during your North node/Sun/Venus/Jupiter 12th house transit. 

Song: Frank Ocean, Earl Sweatshirt — Super Rich Kids. 

Oh, real love

I’m searching for a real love. 

______________________________________________________

If you are interested in private readings, feel free to message me <3

If you like my readings, please consider donating <3

KO-FI

PAYPAL.ME

[lewisinho]

as the anon that asked for the race list: thank you!

now this is totally up to you if you have the time to spend on this, but this is my first year watching the races, and while I've been doing some background research to get up to speed, there is still a lot i don't know. i trust your judgment so what are some races and/or f1 adjacent things i should look into? i'm going through your McLaren list and have watched the last 4 seasons of dts and the brawn documentary. are there any other books/ documentaries/ races (especially seb's) / old youtube videos that are lost in the void that i should also check out?

again no pressure and thank you!

no problem!

(and btw welcome to f1 and the world of watching some glorified hot wheels every other sunday 😁 it’s great!)

i completely get how daunting it can be as a new fan in the sport. when i was getting back into f1 it also took me some time to get back up to speed with everything, especially all the techy stuff; i honestly learned the most through just watching the races (old and new), bc you get to see all the strategies play out, the pit-stops, the overtakes etc. and the terminology just becomes much easier to understand through sheer exposure. there are also some really cool f1 data analysis blogs you might want to follow on twt/x if you want some more detailed tech analysis and graphs if you’re into that sort of thing: (x)

as for seb, oh there’s a whole arsenal of recs i have!

monza 2008, rise of torro rosso wunderkind; i presume you already know the lore with that one but ig you can never get tired of it.

abu dhabi 2010, world championship no.1 “du bist weltmeister!”

interlagos 2012, the infamous one. this one’s a rollercoaster, chaos everywhere and the manifestation of murphy’s law: anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. amidst a title battle against nando, seb was fighting the weather, bruno senna’s front wing, a damaged side-pod, no radio, and somehow managed to claim p6 to win the championship

malaysia 2013, multi-21 (iconique), he was faster, deal with it. 💅

singapore 2013, domination masterclass from quali to the race. (also just all of his singapore wins...lion of singapore and all that)

india 2013, title no.3 secured, changed tyres on lap 2 and came out p17, was third by only lap 13 and then won the race by nearly 30 seconds. it was also his sixth win in a row. he went on to win three more. speaks for itself. also this:

malaysia 2015, first win with ferrari, can't forget that one, also features sewis’ gay knee-touching on the podium.

germany 2019, CHAOS, in which merc got bewitched by the special livery curse 😅, with crashes, spins, 50-second long pit stops, and also features one of seb’s best drives from p20 -> p2

i also highly recommend watching Floz's fan-made docus on youtube about 'the silver war' (there are also docus for the 2014 and 2015 seasons) as well as the merc v ferrari (lewis vs seb) 2017 fight and 'fight for five' in 2018, they're so much better than dts and actually give a full run-down of what happened during the season, with all the action on-track, with interviews and providing all the context! it's so well-edited as well (you literally feel like you're watching a movie about all of the seasons) and they are just incredibly fun to watch.

in general, i love rewatching races from 2017/18 (literally my comfort seasons), personal favs include spain 2017 (strategy galore and lewis v seb), baku 2017 (for obv reasons), austin 2017; and basically the 2018 season in its entirety...

as for books, there are many driver autobiographies e.g. jb (he’s even got two lmao), mark webbah etc. but i think the best f1 book out there is adrian newey’s memoir ‘how to build a car’ if you want lore + great insight into cars!

i’d also recommend watching some older races (i could do a separate post on which ones are my personal favs) but it’s all up to you in the end! go digging, look around on yt for some highlights and just keep exploring! 🫶💜

[astroesther]

MARCH ASTROLOGY - ISH MANIFESTING MARCH

Welcome to the end and beginning. March is my Birthday month and always feels rushed. The end of winter feels bitter sweet and Spring starts budding a bit too soon.

I find this month really special. Whilst it's business as usual in the 3D physical realm, it's the end and beginning, death and rebirth happening simultaneously, and it feels like normal even though it's extraordinary.

THE WHEEL KEEPS ON SPINNING

I believe we are experiencing social turbulence as we fly the plane collectively. There is a sense of collective strength that those of us who have felt powerless and ruled over find some sense of power in ourselves. This is the rumbling of Pluto in Aquarius, a celestial foot soldier for we the people. So if we are indeed the people, then we certainly do have the power.

Pisces season feels like a lavender field: sweet, bright, and calm. It does carry us through the end of the zodiac cycle to the final crescendo of the orchestra.

New mindset, new understanding of POWER opens the door to Aries season. Feel that sense of courage and boldness, a real and permanent mindset shift. Live your days with confidence, the same confidence you have to know the sun will rise every morning.

Three's a crowd, but for you, it's a party! You have all the planets hanging out in your sign for the majority of March. You will be feeling clarity, creative, and even romantic for the majority of your Birthday Month.

Hey Aries, you enter your season towards the end of the month, as you know alongside the spring equinox. You have been in a long slumber and hibernation period, and for the most part, the month is uneventful until a love alarm wakes you up and then you get going.

Family reunion time for Taurus in March. I see a sense of going home, to your hometown, or to visit your old neighbourhood. You are a city dweller now, and as you walk around your old childhood haunts where you made memories and were true markers of your young adulthood, things don’t feel so scary anymore. The memories don’t feel so haunting. You can now have a different relationship with your past, your community, your OG tribe.

This month you are feeling dissatisfied with your career achievement or progress. You are disgusted as what you have achieved do not align with your values. So you almost don’t want to associate with your achievements. Are you being too hard on yourself? I know it may not be what you envision your morals and values will look like, but what can you work with, what is here to celebrate and enjoy about where you are at now.

Cancer, you are feeling nostalgic this month, looking through old Facebook photos or your old videos. Life feels like a vignette montage of all the highlight and love-filled moments. Is it someone special to you birthday this month? You are feeling very appreciative of your loved ones this month.

Leo, your 8 house is lit up for most of March. It's not about what is coming to the surface; it's about you diving deeper, to the deeper darkest depth, and shining a light into it where it has not been before. This is your psyche, parts of yourself that you have not explored. This may show up through experiences in your life with those around you, situations accusing, giving you the opportunity to scratch another layer of yourself.

Your day-to-day work and life take centre stage of focus for you, Virgo. But when does it not? Hey, but in this world where you would normally be the one, the glue, the person doing it all, this time it's for you to ask for help and lean on and rely on others.

Health, downtime, sleep, rest, fatigue, if you don’t need to go anywhere, stay at home in your bed in PJs. March will feel like a reset in regards to your health and wellness. Perhaps you want to try out a new diet or realize that you have not been treating yourself and your body well and you want to start seeing your body as a temple that also needs to be nurtured from the inside out.

Scorpio, this month feels blessed for you. Your chart ruler is coming alive, and you may feel a renewed sense of energy to keep on pushing. Fun and play may be becoming you, but you want to ignore those distractions and focus on the work. You have the endurance to go steady and continue till the end of the project and then set your sights on something bigger.

Sagittarius, March for you will feel like boredom, but with that, breath it in. The boredom is here to stay for a while for you, the routine, the monotony, but you need it. You are used to moving at your own speed, chasing the high and excitement, trying to connect back to that feeling. What is that feeling? Of being Alive, so what is boredom but aliveness in the moment without stimuli.

Capricorn, March is about new starts for you and tying up loose ends with your work life. I am also seeing a renewed interest in a creative project spike up again for you, or a new angle in which you can approach your work, your life, and your community. Some news through social media comes your way.

We have just left your Bday month, Aqua, and for you, it was a really great time. We are seeing the triumphant return of the old you, in some way. Hold onto this for a while, don't go back to the past allow doors to close and accept your new beginning is permanent.

[esshetic]

MARCH ASTROLOGY - ISH MANIFESTING MARCH

SPRING CLEANING

Welcome to the end and beginning. March is my Birthday month and always feels rushed. The end of winter feels bitter sweet and Spring starts budding a bit too soon.

I find this month really special. Whilst it's business as usual in the 3D physical realm, it's the end and beginning, death and rebirth happening simultaneously, and it feels like normal even though it's extraordinary.

THE WHEEL KEEPS ON SPINNING

I believe we are experiencing social turbulence as we fly the plane collectively. There is a sense of collective strength that those of us who have felt powerless and ruled over find some sense of power in ourselves. This is the rumbling of Pluto in Aquarius, a celestial foot soldier for we the people. So if we are indeed the people, then we certainly do have the power.

Pisces season feels like a lavender field: sweet, bright, and calm. It does carry us through the end of the zodiac cycle to the final crescendo of the orchestra.

New mindset, new understanding of POWER opens the door to Aries season. Feel that sense of courage and boldness, a real and permanent mindset shift. Live your days with confidence, the same confidence you have to know the sun will rise every morning.

Images to describe how each sign is doing this month!

Three's a crowd, but for you Pisces it's a party! You have all the planets hanging out in your sign for the majority of March. You will be feeling clarity, creative, and even romantic for the majority of your Birthday Month.

Hey Aries, you enter your season towards the end of the month, as you know alongside the spring equinox. You have been in a long slumber and hibernation period, and for the most part, the month is uneventful until a love alarm wakes you up and then you get going.

Family reunion time for Taurus in March. I see a sense of going home, to your hometown, or to visit your old neighbourhood. You are a city dweller now, and as you walk around your old childhood haunts where you made memories and were true markers of your young adulthood, things don’t feel so scary anymore. The memories don’t feel so haunting. You can now have a different relationship with your past, your community, your OG tribe.

This month you are feeling dissatisfied with your career achievement or progress Gemini. You are disgusted as what you have achieved do not align with your values. So you almost don’t want to associate with your achievements. Are you being too hard on yourself? I know it may not be what you envision your morals and values will look like, but what can you work with, what is here to celebrate and enjoy about where you are at now.

Cancer, you are feeling nostalgic this month, looking through old Facebook photos or your old videos. Life feels like a vignette montage of all the highlight and love-filled moments. Is it someone special to you birthday this month? You are feeling very appreciative of your loved ones this month.

Leo, your 8 house is lit up for most of March. It's not about what is coming to the surface; it's about you diving deeper, to the deeper darkest depth, and shining a light into it where it has not been before. This is your psyche, parts of yourself that you have not explored. This may show up through experiences in your life with those around you, situations accusing, giving you the opportunity to scratch another layer of yourself.

Your day-to-day work and life take centre stage of focus for you, Virgo. But when does it not? Hey, but in this world where you would normally be the one, the glue, the person doing it all, this time it's for you to ask for help and lean on and rely on others.

Libra Health, downtime, sleep, rest, fatigue, if you don’t need to go anywhere, stay at home in your bed in PJs. March will feel like a reset in regards to your health and wellness. Perhaps you want to try out a new diet or realize that you have not been treating yourself and your body well and you want to start seeing your body as a temple that also needs to be nurtured from the inside out.

Scorpio, this month feels blessed for you. Your chart ruler is coming alive, and you may feel a renewed sense of energy to keep on pushing. Fun and play may be becoming you, but you want to ignore those distractions and focus on the work. You have the endurance to go steady and continue till the end of the project and then set your sights on something bigger.

Sagittarius, March for you will feel like boredom, but with that, breath it in. The boredom is here to stay for a while for you, the routine, the monotony, but you need it. You are used to moving at your own speed, chasing the high and excitement, trying to connect back to that feeling. What is that feeling? Of being Alive, so what is boredom but aliveness in the moment without stimuli.

Capricorn, March is about new starts for you and tying up loose ends with your work life. I am also seeing a renewed interest in a creative project spike up again for you, or a new angle in which you can approach your work, your life, and your community. Some news through social media comes your way.

We have just left your Bday month, Aqua, and for you, it was a really great time. We are seeing the triumphant return of the old you, in some way. Hold onto this for a while, don't go back to the past allow doors to close and accept your new beginning is permanent.

[josephinekhawaja]

I see you, Bryce Dallas Howard. I see you and I appreciate you.♟♟♟♟

(...as if the frantic "No, it's too far!" in Chapter 23 were not further proof of their canon relationship. I have subsisted on far smaller crumbs than that for dinbo. There are 3 couples in Chapter 22 in support of the dinbo agenda, not 2. I did say the Precise Moment. Also, when Bo-Katan needs volunteers from both tribes, Axe is the one that immediately follows Koska, just as after a beat Din is Bo's first-ever volunteer. Mandalorian men "I'll join you"-simp for their women and I love that for them. Y'allllll, my 2020 self is beside herself right now with my 2 ships👫👩🏿‍🤝‍👨🏾I keep winning.)

Moving on to the next thing the general public seems to take at face value, but I gotta call bullshit on -- Paz Vizsla is not dead. I do not have a complex case for this or whatever, and I am not gonna pull another all-nighter to feebly argue my position -- but I do not get any sense of finality from the scene either. I have no sad feelings at all from this episode. I am pretty damn optimistic. Like forget about the season finale -- *dinbo nation rise* again in August for a family trip to Lothal or whatever. The Clan of Three cameo is coming, we do not even have to wait for Season 4. I am manifesting this for my birthday.

Of course, I could be wrong. And I may or may not feel personally responsible for having theorised his death. Though go figure, once it has appeared to have transpired, I am unconvinced of it. Paz Vizsla is a big boy, even if not Force-sensitive; and I have seen all kinds of characters come away from all kinds of deaths as if it is Easter Sunday, including and especially in this galaxy. I do not trust any Star Wars death, in particular, anymore unless I see all the receipts or their Force Ghost. Fool me once, shame on you; fake me out how many nickels, shame on me. Though I would gladly take a nickel for this. We need our teddy bear. Ragnar needs his father. And I need Grogu's paternal uncle to be frenemy homies with his maternal uncle and keep the Force in balance between them. This is the way. (...This Is The Way x 2, for Paz.✊✊✊✊)

[funky-astrologer]

Hi friends! 🤍

You guys loved the mini free readings and I had tons of messages & requests for them, and I wasn’t able to get to all of them. However, to honor the holiday season, I would like to offer discounted reading services.

Astrology Readings💫

2-3 Day Turn

*ALL PAYMENTS ARE IN USD & MUST BE SENT BEFORE THE READING*

Payment services : PayPal, Venmo, Zelle, or Cash App (only if necessary)

Natal Chart Reading - $25

An in depth natal chart reading, which includes an overview of your sun, moon, rising (big three), a mention of each outer planet, general asteroid bodies along with any additional ones at your request, the notable aspects within the chart as well as ones behind made to the solar return chart. I will also include a mention of the ongoing and upcoming transits for the year ahead. This reading is pre-recorded or written as needed and sent to your email.

Solar/Lunar Return $15

This reading is about the luminary returns and is similar to the mini reading in that I will explain the big three, and notable happenings in the chart. The only difference of course being the context in that it is only applicable for the current year/month. I will also mention aspects happening to the natal chart. This reading is also sent to your email and is pre-recorded or written as needed for your personal record keeping.

Synastry, Astrocartography, Draconic, & Persona Charts : $20

These readings are written and sent to your email as a PDF for your record keeping. Email me for more information if interested.

Solar & Lunar Return Charts

🌞solar return

A solar return is based on the Sun returning to the exact position it was on the day you were born. The chart manifests about 3 months in advance, and is in theory at its most ‘realized’ potential on your birthday.

The chart is created from the current planetary positions on said day. A solar return chart will forecast the themes for the upcoming year and where the focus of your self-expression and energy is at and made manifest. It can pinpoint energies, events and influential areas/themes in your life for the year ahead. You can utilize this chart for general predictions, to prepare for areas that may be easily affected, and to understand the lessons that you may be undergoing.

🌕lunar return

A lunar return is the chart that is created each month when the Moon returns to its exact position in your birth chart. It follows a much shorter cycle of course and it will help pinpoint emotional themes and motivations for the month. It can also help you decide where you may want to focus and hone your energies. It tells us about things that will flow for the month and any experiences that may feel a bit more difficult or strained.

I am accepting readings now, email me at : bloomingbeautifully@mail.com

That’s all for right now, thanks for the support🤍🌟

S.

[gardenofhera]

Sekhmet, Bast, and Hathor: Power, Passion, and Transformation through the Egyptian Goddess Trinity

By Normandi Elis | GODDESSES IN WORLD CULTURE | 2010

Three very powerful goddesses take a single form as the oldest divine being in ancient Egypt. They are the lion goddess Sekhmet, the cat goddess Bast, and Hathor, the beautiful woman who wears cow horns. All three goddesses can be found in the Old Kingdom of pharaonic Egypt (circa 3000 BCE) and may predate the First Dynasty (5000-3150 BCE).

Hathor originated in the predynastic cult of the sacred cow, which saw the Milky Way as the body of the sky goddess. All the stars that lay therein were souls of her children waiting to be born or returning to her in the afterlife. Sometimes Hathor the cow was called Mehurt, whose breasts flowed with milk. Images of the dancing horned goddess were carved on the rocks of the Egyptian savannah as early as 6000 BE. The cow goddess appeared atop the Palette of Narmer, the first pharaoh of a united Upper and Lower Egypt. By the Fourth Dynasty, the face of the cow mother had turned into the sweet, beautiful face of a young maiden. In human form, she wore a crown of cow horns that cradled between them the gleaming disc of the moon or the sun. They called her "The Golden One." The diadem recalls Hathor's celestial home.

She was, at various times, both mother and daughter of Ra, the sun god, and the consort of many divine beings whose temples flanked the Nile. Most notably, at the Temple of Edfu, she was the consort of the hawk god Horus, who was embodied in the living pharaoh while the pharaoh's queen embodied beautiful Hathor. Through all of her incarnations for more than 6000 years, Hathor remained the most frequently seen goddess in temples up and down the Nile. In some form or another, all goddesses drew upon her attributes; even the goddess Isis, whose appearance in Egypt coincides with the cow goddess, was often depicted wearing cow horns and was, at times, called the daughter of Hathor.' Two other ubiquitous goddesses embodied the duality of her nature-Sekhmet when she manifested solar attributes. and Bast in her lunar attributes.

Bast appeared dressed in green, the color of fecundity. A nurturing presence, she exhibited those feminine qualities associated with the moon. Her presence in the niches of most Egyptian homes was a peaceful, loving one. She tended her children, fed them, bathed them, loved

them, and soothed their hurts. This cat-headed goddess was the tamed version of her bloodthirsty sister Sekhmet.

Powerful Sekhmet wore a crimson robe. Fiery, fecund, and magical-the energy of life itself--the lion goddess protected the pharaoh. More statues of her remain in Egypt that of any other divinity. On the walls of Karnak temple, the lion goddess may be seen dashing alongside the chariot of pharaoh Ramses II as he entered battle. Sekhmet was considered a great spiritual warrior. She protected the temples and borders and exhibited in female form the solar qualities most identified with the sun god Ra. When the wicked of the world wearied the god, Ra sent his daughter Sekhmet to deal with them.

The Solar Origins of Sekhmet

Sekhmet's main feast day in Egypt was celebrated when the star Sirius in the constellation of Canis Major rose prior to sunrise during the month of August. The rise of Sirius signaled the coming change and renewal that occurs each year following the "Dog Days" of summer. After the thaw of snowcaps in central Africa's mountains, the annual Nile flood begins to wend its way northward, ending the summer drought and initiating the season of inundation.

In dramatic fashion, the rising Nile waters pushed the flood from Khartoum in Sudan, down through Upper Egypt, and finally all the way to the Delta in the north. When the inundation first trickled forth, the waters looked greenish before they turned an opaque, dark ruddy color from a type of red algae pushed out of the central African tributaries and downriver by the melting snow and floodwaters. The Arabs called this the Red Nile.

The red flow soon precipitated a burst of life-generating activity along the Nile banks. It may help here to realize that the Egypt of 10,000 BCE was a different place than today's land. Rather than being primarily desert, Egypt was a lush savannah, teeming with life. Some suggest that the overgrazing of cattle and climate change may have caused the Sahara savannah to turn into desert. After this change, around 6000 BCE, life in Egypt shrank to occupy primarily the Delta and the narrow strip of arable black earth washed down into the bottomland on either side of the Nile.

One of the many festivals that celebrated the flood and opened the Egyptian New Year was called "The Inebriety of Hathor." The beer-and wine-drinking festival that followed the first sign of flood was connected to the intoxicating drink that soothed the savage Sekhmet, a solar form of Hathor. The festivities that accompany the festival of "The Ine-briety of Hathor commemorated the saving of Egypt from the ravaging power of Sekhmet.

Ra, who created all things, ruled the earth in peace for thousands of years. But as he grew old, his human subjects forgot him and no longer offered their adoration. Outraged, the god summoned his council, soliciting their advice. Nun, god of primordial waters, suggested sending forth Ra's fiery solar eye, Sekhmet. The idea of sending his lioness daughter delighted Ra, who imagined irreverent humans fleeing, trembling in terror, and cowering in the mountains.

At her father's bidding, Sekhmet began to teach humankind a lesson by devouring every man, woman, and child who crossed her path. She ravaged all the land in both Upper and Lower Egypt, through the mountains and savannahs east and west of the river. She started in Nubia and ate her way north toward the Delta. The river ran red with the blood of those she had slain (a reference to the Red Nile flood). As the fierce goddess waded through the carnage, her feet turned red with the blood of her victims.

Ra looked down upon the havoc Sekhmet had created and felt immediate remorse. The thirst of his daughter for blood knew no bounds. He tried to rein her in, saying, "Come home. Thou hast done what I asked thee to do." But Sekhmet replied, "By my life, I love the taste of blood.

My heart rejoices and I will work my will upon humankind." She would not be deterred.

Ra realized he had made a grave mistake, but neither god nor human could stop Sekhmet. But if she could not be stopped, perhaps her willful passions could be diverted. Ra turned to Thoth, god of wisdom. Thoth quickly sent his messengers to Elephantine Island, where the river burst forth from rocks. "Bring me the fruit that causes sleep," he said, "the fruit that is scarlet and its juice crimson as human blood." When the messengers returned, Thoth and Ra commanded the women in the city of Heliopolis to crush red barley and make beer. They mixed it with the juice of pomegranates and other magical ingredients, according to the recipe of Thoth. The women of Heliopolis made 7000 measures of this red beer.

At dawn, this soothing red brew was poured into a pool outside the city, where Sekhmet would find it. Thinking it was the blood of her vic-tims, the lioness lapped up the mixture until it was gone. When the potion took effect, the heart of the fierce goddess was soothed. Sekhmet lay down and purred, no longer seeking revenge. She stretched out in the field for a sweet little sleep, having transformed herself into the gen-tle, nurturing, loving cat goddess, Bast.

This myth shows for the first time the emerging dual nature of Hathor. Bast is the sensual, purring, nurturing aspect, while Sekhmet is the roaring lion, a goddess with a temper. Bast reveals the nurturing mother of her kittens; Sekhmet shows herself the protector of her pride and her cubs. When Hathor's solar qualities are the focal point, the goddess assumes Sekhmet's lion form, and when her lunar qualities are at play, she appears as Bast the cat.

The beer that soothed Sekhmet was a staple of the Egyptian diet.

Because the brewing and fermentation processes made the Nile water more potable and healthful, beer was offered at breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

But wine was the favored drink of great celebrations. Whenever Hathor appeared as the "Queen of Happiness" and "Mistress of Drunkenness, Jubilation and Music" in one of more than forty festivals held in her temple at Dendera, alcoholic beverages were in plentiful supply. The sacred wine that induced a trancelike state may have contained psychotropic plants, says Robert Masters, possibly including belladonna, wormwood, or opium? C. J.

Bleeker believed that this sacred drunkenness was "the medium through which contact could be effectuated with the world of the gods."

Triple Aspects of the Goddesses

Bast and Sekhmet are such tightly linked aspects of Hathor that the three goddesses were sometimes sculpted standing back to back on the handle of a cosmetic mirror. Because the ancestry of all three goddesses reaches back into the early dynasties of Egypt, they may be aspects of a single, superlative feminine divinity. The goddesses names evoke that divine being by her attributes: Sekhmet (the powerful one), Bast (the soul of mother Isis), and Hathor or Het-hor (the house or shrine of the gods."

In later times, the Ptolemaic Greeks (circa 300 BE linked Hathor with Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty. Their reasoning is easy to follow, for Hathor's consorts were many. She was consort to Horus the Younger, the falcon god. She was linked as well to a number of gods, among them the crocodile Sobek, the ithyphallic Min, and the solar Ra. She shared her power equally with the gods but remained independent of the Goddesses

The festival of "The Inebriety of Hathor" calmed that inner rage and provided Egypt's general populace with an outlet for their pent-up emo-tions. "Similar festivals were celebrated at the end of battle, in order to pacify the goddess of war, so that there would be no more destruction.

On such occasions, the people danced and played music to soothe the wildness of the goddess."

The Blood Mysteries

Together Hathor, Bast, and Sekhmet create a unified image of the divine feminine as maiden, mother, and crone. The three goddesses represent the stages of the blood mysteries that rule a woman's life as she moves across the roles of lover, mother, and elder. Beautiful Hathor is the consort of Egypt's gods and the perfect embodiment of the queen partnered with the pharaoh who embodies Horus. Bast is the mother protector of children, surrounded by her litter of kittens; she is also the bridge between the sensual young adult woman and the older, but still sexual wife and mother.

Sekhmet embodies the cyclical blood that flows at birth and death; the blood that flows from mother to child in the womb; the blood on battle-fields, and the menstrual blood or the blood of circumcision that separates the budding young adult from childhood. It is the cyclical red flood of the River Nile that became equated with the red, renewing menstrual blood that cleanses and prepares the way for renewal and regenesis. This blood is a kind of communion, in which humankind partakes of the divine drink of the gods. That is the mystery of transubstantiation.

Blood held within was called the "wise blood," and menopause marked a time for women in ancient Egypt when the inner Sekhmet produced divisions and created magic. The red henna (or Egyptian privet) that adorned the heads of women in Egypt was a tribute to her and was said to be her "magic blood." Heads, hands, and feet were dipped in the colors of the goddess. Cheeks and lips were brushed with her paint. Even mummy cloths were sometimes dipped in henna as a sign of rebirth from the blood of the goddess.

To the left of the 'Temple of Karnak sits a small temple dedicated to the great trinity of Memphis Ptah, Sekhmet, and their offspring Nefertum.

During the Eighteenth Dynasty the pharaoh Thutmose III refurbished the temple to honour the trinity. He made his annual harvest festival offering of "Feeding the Gods" at that smaller temple rather than at Karnak. To this day, inside that temple resides a large, black basalt statue of Sekhmet, who was said to be "great of magic." In fact more statues of Sekhmet can be found at Karnak than at any other temple and more statues exist in situ than any other divinity.

Thutmose III beseeched Sekhmet by calling her Mut, a word used to mean both "mother" and "death"; its hieroglyph of the vulture symbolized both. Not only does the vulture lay eggs, but it eats the dead. On a higher level, nurturance often demands sacrifice. The goddess feeds her people, who in turn feed the goddess. Thutmose III provided thrones of gleaming electrum for Ptah, Sekhmet, and Nefertum. He filled their temple with vessels of gold and silver, with "every splendid, costly stone," with fine linens and "ointments of divine ingredients." On the day of her feast, Thutmose stood before the altar and made the sacrifices that restore Egypt to "life, prosperity, and health." His gifts line the offering table: many jars of wine and jugs of beer, ducks and geese, a multitude of loaves of white bread, bunches of vegetables, baskets of fruits, and "offerings of the garden and every plant."

The Healing Arts

The healing arts were part of the magical power of a wise woman, and Sekhmet was known as an important healing divinity. Inside one of the ten side rooms that surround the inner sanctuary at the Temple of Edfu, a medical library was kept, and in this place the healing priests, called wab sekhmet, conducted healings." On the left side of the doorway was inscribed the magical, repeating image of a lion-headed cobra. A serpentine Sekhmet seemed to unwrap herself from seven coils and rise out of a shallow basket, her lioness head held high, her eyes glittering, and her tongue thrust between her teeth. Here the goddess appears as the life force itself.

While the priests and priestesses of Bast were adept at soothing jangled nerves and easing depression with herbal potions and music, the healers who were "great of magic" were more often high priests and priestesses dedicated to Sekhmet. They wore leopard skins to link them to her powerful feline energies. Because these goddesses understood the powerful visions brought by intoxication, both Sekhmet and Bast were said to bring healing dreams.

The Beneficent Role of Bast

The cat Bast offered the image of a kinder, more nurturing feline form.

She often appeared as a woman with a cat's head carrying on her arm a basket with a litter of kittens. Mythologist Robert Briffault remarked upon the cat's great adaptability to motherhood and her ability to love substitute children equally with her own. Typically, cats who have lost a kitten willingly adopt the kittens from another litter.' In this area, Bast and Isis share the role of surrogate mother. Before Isis begat her son Horus, she mothered the jackal-headed god Anubis who had been abandoned in the desert.

A number of Egyptologists cite Greek sources that describe Bast as the "Soul of Ra"; like a cat that had nine lives, the sun god Ra had nine divine beings under his command. These nine primordial gods, called the Great Ennead, were generated from Ra's light substance. Other ancient Egyptians identified Bast with Isis as the true mother of all, whether she was mothering her own children or the abandoned children of others. Nearly every household with children had a wall niche devoted to Bast. Before her were laid fresh flowers, cups of milk, or other offerings. Statues of Sekhmet may have been the appropriate energy to guard the temples, the borderlands and the pharaoh, but Bast was the welcome guardian of the home. Little cat figurines of Bast with round head and pointed ears were produced in great quantities for private devotion. Families often owned a number of cats.

Affectionate and graceful, they made great companions, and they kept away mice and snakes. When a cat died, it was mourned as a beloved family member, mummified in great ceremony, and buried with honour. Fifteen centuries later when the Suez Canal was being dug, workmen had to stop for weeks at a time to clear away the multitude of cat mummies they had uncovered in ancient pet cemeteries.

The cat goddess sometimes wore a necklace bearing the healing Eye of Horus, called the wadjet. At other times she wore on her breastplate the lion's head of her sister Sekhmet, a reminder of her fierce other self and of the mercurial ability of the feline goddess to change from lap kitty into warrior in the blink of an eye.

The dual nature of the goddess-her loving nature on the one hand and her wild anger and abandon on the other are nowhere more tightly woven than in the myths of Bast and Sekhmet. Prayers to Hathor are quick to praise both aspects, lest one offend the other. This Hymn to Sekhmet-Bast appears in The Egyptian Book of the Dead:

Mother of the gods, the One, the Only. Sekhmet is th name when thou art wrathful. Bast, beloved, when thy people call. (Sekhmet) daughter of the sun, with flame and fury. . .. Bast, beloved, banish all our fears. Mother of the gods, no gods existed Til thou . . . gave them life.

In the Nile Delta Bast retained her stature from prehistory down to the reign of the Ptolemaic Greeks (343 BCE. According to the histories of Manetho, Bast's sacred city Bubastis, was active as early as 2925 BE and influenced the theology of the priests of nearby Memphis, Heliopolis, and Sais." During the Fourth Dynasty, pharaohs Khufu and Khafre kept laborers busy refurbishing and adding to Bast's main temple, in addition to building the pharaohs' grand pyramids. One royal inscription found on the Giza Plateau near Khafre's pyramid reads: "Beloved of the Goddess Bast and beloved of the Goddess Hathor."? Such an inscription linking Bast and Hathor is remarkable, since no other inscriptions of any kind occur elsewhere on the site.

During the Twenty-Second Dynasty, pharaoh Sheshonk I elevated Bast from local patron to the stature of a national heroine, chiefly because his lineage descended from her sacred city of Bubastis. By 930 BE all Egypt adored Bast. King Sheshonk I, who considered himself a son of Bast, boldly moved the capital city from its long-standing home in Thebes to his hometown in Bubastis.

Although only a few crumbling walls remained in Bubastis, Sheshonk restored the Old Kingdom temples and erected new temples to honor the cat goddess. According to Herodotus, who visited the city around 600 BCE, no other temple compared with the grandeur of that of Bast. It was built in the very heart of the city, situated on an island enclosed by two divergent streams of the Nile that ran on either side of a single pas-sageway. Each stream seemed 100 feet broad, and on the banks of the river were "fair-branched trees, overshadowing the waters with a cool and pleasant shade." A tall tower could be seen clearly from every part of the city. Inside the enclosure wall a beautiful garden of trees shaded the priests who carefully tended it. Part of the temple was said to have been built around an ancient sacred persea (avocado) tree. At the center of the temple stood a beautiful golden statue of the goddess Bast.

Throughout the Delta in general, and at her sacred city Bubastis in particular, Bast was adored for her sensuality, congeniality, and loving nature. The Greeks especially loved her, and Bast festivals were never more popular than during the Graeco-Roman period. When migrating Libyans appeared in the Delta around 100 BE. the nonulation of the city soared once again.

Herodotus calls the "Great Festival of Bast at Bubastis" (April 15) one of the most important festivals in Egypt. At times bawdy, at times ecstatic, the festival celebrated Hathor as the consort, while it also celebrated Bast and her sister Sekhmet. The three were never found far apart. This may have been a result of the wine- and beer-drinking that accompanied nearly every feast day in Egypt, all the more so when one is reminded of the mystery of blood that transformed the ravaging Sekhmet into the purring Bast.

During the Great Festival visitors came from far and wide, clattering through the streets, clustering along the riverbanks, and crowding their boats onto the Nile. The festivals often drew over 700,000 people_-including men, women, and children-and the days were filled with dancing, music-making, love-making, and wine-drinking. Drinking wine was viewed as a high religious sacrament, for its color was reminiscent of the blood of the divine and a reminder of spiritual renewal. Bubastis was the wine capital of ancient Egypt, its rich Delta soil providing large pharaonic estates bearing the choicest grapes. The white wines of Lower Egypt were called the Wine of Bast, while the red wines of Upper Egypt were called the Wine of Sekhmet.

Bast's island temple could only be reached by the crowded little ferry-boats that plied the waters of the Nile. Some of the larger boats filled with richly adorned noblemen and women sailed down river all the way from ancient Thebes. As they approached the little towns along the Nile, villagers heard the swelling strains of music coming from the flute players and the women playing castanets. They heard the songstresses and sometimes trickles of laughter. Long before Bubastis was reached, the wine and beer had begun flowing. As the boats neared town, the villagers came down to the edge of the water to greet the entourage. If the boats stopped in town to freshen supplies, even more people crowded aboard to join the sailing party.

Herodotus said that more wine was consumed in Bubastis during the festival than at any other time of the year. Delicious foods included honeyed breads, raisin cakes, pomegranates, figs, roasted fowl, and meats.

The streets fairly writhed with dancing, music playing, and singing all day and night.

Hathor: Goddess of Dualities

The ubiquitous goddess Hathor who reigned in heaven, on earth, and in the afterlife was the patron goddess of all women in whatever stage of life, but she is most beloved as the consort or divine wife. Her name Het-hor literally meant "the house" or "the shrine" of Horus, the falcon god. That shrine was her sacred womb.

In older myths, Hathor was the mother of Horus the Elder when he appeared as the solar child that the sky mother birthed onto the horizon.

In later myths, Hathor became the beloved of Horus the Younger, whose mother was Isis. Whether she was connected to the elder or younger Horus, Hathor remained always eternally youthful and beautiful, even though she was older than Isis.

Her temples were found at Memphis, Thebes, the Sinai, and elsewhere.

She was honored at Edfu, Kom Ombo, and Esna. The most important and well known of her temples was the Temple of Hathor at Dendera, which in its present condition is a Ptolemaic temple built around 332 BCE, but its inscription says it was built upon the previous site where the Fourth Dynasty King Cheops erected a temple to the goddess.!* Its most famous attribute is its dramatic astronomical ceiling with symbols of the zodiacal signs that can clearly be recognized as the twelve familiar constellations.

And yet, its pole star is not in Ursa Major but in Draco, the constellation that it would have appeared as pole star around 4500 BE, an age that predates the temple having been built by Cheops. This representation of the sky and the temple of the sky goddess Hathor seems to point to the dawning of ancient Egyptian civilisation.

In her temple Hathor's statue was venerated and venerable, adored and adorned for thousands of years. Thus, the statue acquired the power to heal, to speak, and to bring dreams to her worshipers. Pure Nile water poured over the base inscriptions of her statue could heal diseased bodies, minds, and spirits. The pilgrims wrote stories of their miraculous healing in prayers, poems, and inscriptions through the Dendera temple.

As the oldest goddess in Upper Egypt, Hathor was assimilated into nearly every other goddess. Isis the mother and Hathor the consort become interchangeable. Wherever there was a temple that honored Hathor, there was also a smaller temple that honored Isis, and vice versa. In the Temple of Isis at Philae, the inscribed "Songs of Isis" praise the beauty and majesty of Hathor.

Oh, Lady of the Beginning, come thou before our faces in this her name of Hathor, Lady of Emerald, Lady of Aset, the Holy!'S Because there were so many temples devoted to Hathor, many more women than men served in priestly offices engaged in her service, a custom unlike that of other temples in Egypt. At daybreak the pharaoh engaged in a ritual in which he broke the clay seal on the door of her shrine in order to gaze in silent adoration upon the beautiful face of the goddess. To the mistress of heaven he offered incense, the menat necklace, the sistrum rattle, and maat, the image of truth. 'These were among the pharaoh's gifts to his beloved, for Hathor was the goddess of the queen and thus coming before her was the culmination of a love story.

The sacred marriage of the pharaoh (as the embodiment of Horus) and the queen (embodiment of Hathor) was celebrated in May, during one of many harvest festivals. The festival began at the Temple of Hathor in Dendera and lasted about fourteen days, ending in Edfu at the

'Temple of Horus. During the festival, the statue of "The Golden One" was carried along the Nile by boat amid music, dance, and song. The union of the two most important lights in heaven was the culmination of the meeting of Hathor and Horus in Edfu. Their marriage took place precisely on the day of the new moon, when the sun (Horus and the moon (Hathor) met in heavenly conjunction. The ancient Egyptians called this "The Day of the Beautiful Embrace."

On the inner face of the east pylon of the Temple of Edfu is a description of the annual festival of the sacred union. The ritual marriage took place privately inside the temple where the divine couple remained for three days, consummating their holy marriage. Meanwhile outside the temple walls the entire population of Edu continued their celebration: drinking, feasting, singing, and dancing.

One song performed for the wedding celebration was called "Hymn to the Golden One." It was sung in chorus by several priestesses while the pharaoh enacted the offering rituals:

The pharaoh comes to dance. He comes to sing for thee. O, mistress, see how he dances! O, bride of Horus, see how he skips! ... He offers thee This urn filled with wine. O, mistress, see how he dances! O, bride of Horus, see how he skips!!?

The first record of a celebration of the sacred marriage appeared during the reign of the Middle Kingdom pharaoh Amenemhet I, around 2000 BE. Linked with the harvest season rites, it commemorated the first fruits of the field and was held in honor of the ancestors.

In the union of the god and the goddess, all life had its regenesis. Of all the festivals in Egypt, this truly was Hathor's day. It was a festival in honour of the bride, for it is she who becomes mother of the holy child.

The hierogamos or sacred marriage was a union of opposites. In this pair, Hathor is the divine mother, the sky, and Horus is the falcon god and the earthly king. It is a sacred marriage of sprit and flesh, heaven and earth. Every royal couple who ever lived reenacted the marriage sacrament as much for the renewal of the land and their people as for themselves.

Three days after the hierogamos was celebrated, the festival of the "Conception of Horus" occurred, which celebrated the seed that means the renewal of life. This was also considered the conception day of the pharaoh and of the child who would succeed him. From lovemaking came the heir to the throne. Here, father and son were merged into one.

Hathor's love was sexual, maternal and spiritual. These triple aspects represent the deep passion for love, life, and light that runs through all her cosmic creation. Her powers generated "constant and ceaseless becoming." Her love for humankind was eternal.

Notes

  Normandi Ellis, Feasts of Light: Celebrations for the Seasons of a Woman's Life Based on the Egyptian Goddess Mysteries (Wheaton, IL: Quest Books, 1999), 144.

  Robert Masters, The Goddess Sekhmet: Psychospiritual Exercises of the Fifth Way (Woodbury, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 1991), 44.

  C. J. Bleeker, Hathor and Thoth: Two Key Figures of the Ancient Egyptian Religion (Leiden, Netherlands: E. J. Brill, 1967), 91.

  Ibid., 132.

  Masters, The Goddess Sekhmet, 44.

  See the "Cannibal Hymn of Unas" in Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, vol. 1, The Old Kingdom (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1975), 36-38.

  James Breasted, Ancient Records of Egypt (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1906), 2:225-248.

  Normandi Ellis, Dreams of Isis: A Woman's Spiritual Sojourn (Wheaton, IL: Quest Books, 1995), 178.

Robert Briffault, The Mothers New York: Macmillan, 1927), 594.

    Margaret Murray, Egyptian Religious Poetry (London: John Murray, 1949), 103.

    E. A. Wallis Budge, The Gods of the Egyptians New York: Dover, 1969), 1:445.

    Marilee Bigelow, "Bast," Khepera 2, no. 2 (March 1991).

    Budge, The Gods of the Egyptians, 1:449.

    Bleeker, Hathor and Thoth, 76.

    James Teackle Dennis, The Burden of Isis (London: John Murray, 1918), 55.

    Lucie Lamy, Egyptian Mysteries: New Light on Ancient Spiritual Knowledge New York: Crossroads, 1981), 80.

    "Hymn to the Golden One," in Bleeker, Hathor and Thoth, 99. Reprinted with permission.

Bibliography

Bigelow, Marilee. "Bast." Khepera 2, no. 2 (March 1991).

Bleeker, C. J. Hathor and Thoth: Two Key Figures of the Ancient Egyptian Religion. Leiden, Netherlands: E. J. Brill, 1967.

Breasted, James. Ancient Records of Egypt. 5 vols. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1906.

Briffault, Robert. The Mothers. 3 vols. New York: Macmillan, 1927.

Budge, E. A. Wallis. The Gods of the Egyptians. 2 vols. New York: Dover, 1969.

Dennis, James Tackle. The Burden of Isis. London: John Murray, 1918.

Ellis, Normandi. Dreams of Isis: A Woman's Spiritual Sojourn. Wheaton, IL: Quest Books, 1995.

Ellis, Normandi. Feasts of Light: Celebrations for the Seasons of Life Based on the Egyptian Goddess Mysteries. Wheaton, IL: Quest Books, 1999.

Lamy, Lucie. Egyptian Mysteries: New Light on Ancient Spiritual Knowledge. New York: Crossroads, 1981.

Lichtheim, Miriam. Ancient Egyptian Literature. Vol. 1, The Old Kingdom. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1975.

Masters, Robert. The Goddess Sekhmet: The Way of the Five Bodies. New York: Amity House, 1988.

Murray, Margaret. Egyptian Religious Poetry. London: John Murray, 1949.

[albertfinch]

WHERE IS THE LIMIT TO YOUR FAITH?

In Ezekiel 37, the Prophet Ezekiel was carried in the Spirit to a valley of dry bones. These bones represented the house of Israel, but also speak of structures, as well as anything that has been dead for so long it no longer even resembles its former appearance. God led Ezekiel to walk around the dry bones, and in verse 2, the Bible makes three things very clear:

Ezekiel had to walk around the bones very many times.

The amount of bones was enormous, so much so that they couldn't be counted.

The bones were very dry.

The amount of detail that the Prophet goes into about the bones speaks to the fact that he was in the midst of a situation that he could not easily escape, walk through, or just gloss over. God specifically had him going around in circles so that he could get a detailed look at the condition of the bones he was in the midst of.

CONFRONTING OUR IMPOSSIBLE SITUATIONS

 In the same way, many of us have been in the midst of situations we could not escape.

 Every time it seems like we get free, it seems like we're right back in the same place we started out! Season after season, over and over again, we're made to go around the same problems and issues!

Walking around a dead situation long enough can sometimes dampen even the most brilliant and powerful faith! However, it's just these times where God comes to us and asks us like He asked Ezekiel, "Can these dry bones live?"

After you have heard the darkest and most depressing news, do you still believe that God is able?

God's question to Ezekiel was never about the bones. What God was really asking Ezekiel was, "Where is the limit to your faith?" After seeing all the death and devastation, God needs someone who will rise up and declare, "MY GOD IS STILL ABLE!" That is what God is looking for TODAY! God needs your voice to declare His power! Someone around you needs to hear that God is still able to save, heal, deliver, defend, provide, and bring victory!

The answer the “end times” generation gives to the question of "Can these bones live?" is going to determine the level of breakthrough that we experience.

START PROPHESYING!

When God saw Ezekiel's faith arise to the challenge, the answer was simple -- START PROPHESYING!

He told Ezekiel to prophesy to the dry bones and command them to listen to the Word of the Lord!  Right now creation is moaning and groaning, waiting for the Word of the Lord to bring forth God's manifestation, but it can't because the sons have not arisen to declare the Word of the Lord!

As Ezekiel began to prophesy and declare God's will, the release of faith and authority began to cause a shaking!  Right now God is shaking things loose in the heavenlies and in the earth! As the Bible says in Haggai 2:6, "For thus saith the LORD of hosts; 'Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land...'"

THE WIND OF DESTINY

Right now, God is releasing a fresh wind upon us, the wind of destiny, to blow us into a desire to understanding of our Christ identity and into our Christ calling!  Winds are the vehicle of the spirit realm. From Moses to Elijah, even to the Day of Pentecost, the winds of God have played a part in bringing us to understand our part in bringing God's will into the earth!

Ezekiel 37:9  -  "Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man.."

Declare today that the four winds are about to bring you into your place of purpose, power, prosperity, and passion as you are delivered into your DESTINY!

Declare that the winds of destiny are being released over you right now!

Declare that the north wind is bringing forth God's presence and rain!

Declare that the east wind is blowing to bring judgment to the forces of darkness in your life and release you into fruit bearing that remains for God’s Kingdom!

Declare that the west wind of God is bringing forth God's mercy and God's miracles in your life!

Declare that the south wind is releasing God's blessing and provision as you walk according to His purpose for your life (your Christ calling)!

This is your finest hour! Receive the winds of  your God-given DESTINY  and rejoice!

ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

[wynetteslanding]

Why Dreamer is a true trans superhero.

What makes a superhero? Everyone has their own answer and mine comes down to three words: Selflessness. Hope. Courage. The first of what we know today as a superhero, Superman, was not created to fight supervillains or to save cities from falling meteors. Before there was a Lex Luthor, a General Zod, or a Brainiac, Superman used his spectacular powers to fight real world issues the readers of 1938 knew and readers of 2024 still know all too well. He selflessly prioritized aiding the downtrodden in any way he could, gave hope for a better tomorrow to the readers who saw their own experiences on the page, and most importantly gave them the courage to stand for what's right and do for others what their hero had done for them. For Trans Day of Visibility I would like to celebrate DC's Dreamer, a true trans superhero.

Nia Nal was created for the fourth season of CW’s Supergirl as a primary point of focus in a storyline featuring villain Ben Lockwood, who uses his website to spin transparently dishonest rhetoric that radicalizes his followers into violence against innocent people as his own personal army; The Sons of Liberty. In the second episode of the season when Brainy (an alien friend of Supergirl’s from the future) has his cloaking technology hacked and doesn’t look sufficiently “human” enough for the restaurant owner’s liking, Nia is the only one who places herself between the peaceful alien super genius and a metal bat, demanding the attacker to back off from his own patron. It’s after this encounter that Nia reveals to James Olsen (“Jimmy” to his best pal) that she is a transgender woman, and the two prepare to push back against Lockwood and inform the general public of the lies his grift is built upon.

Later in the season it’s revealed that Nia is precognizant, able to see cryptic visions of the future in her dreams, a power passed down by her mother, an alien from the planet Naltor. Nia visits her family troubled by the fact her mother’s power is only passed down to one daughter per generation, and she has to tell her sister, who has waited her whole life for it to manifest, that she inherited it instead. When her mother passes during the visit, her sister discovers the truth and is outraged, saying the power wasn’t hers to inherit because she “isn’t a real woman.” But her mother’s final message was clear; that inheriting the power is proof that she was always her daughter. And her father passes along one final gift from her mother; a supersuit.

As Dreamer, Nia becomes an ally to Supergirl and a part of her team as they uncover not only the truth behind Lockwood’s rise, but also that of the hand pulling the strings. It’s cathartic to see our heroes triumph and put an end to such a deadly wave of hatred, but any trans person can tell you that Ben’s methods, the harm they cause, and the active threats of violence presented to the main cast during their everyday lives throughout this season’s arc are not a work of fiction, they are a reflection. The fight for transgender acceptance, understanding, equality, and safety has been going on for longer than any of us have been alive. But if we stand between the innocents and their attackers, if we push back against the words that have been sharpened to weapons, and if we do it fearlessly as who we know we are against those who tell us we will never be, we can end this fight once and for all. But it’s going to take all of us. Every single one of us. Not just the Dreamers.