Saturn and Mars Retrograde

Ok, maybe everybody does not get severely depressed when Saturn and Mars retrogade together, in sextile. Maybe not everone feels like they are peddling fast to nowhere with no hope of moving forward. Or perhaps it is only the Leos and Libras in the bunch. After all, Jupiter and Venus are conjunct in Pisces--someone out there has to feel good. Don't get me wrong, Spring is springing gorgeously here. Sam and I have been enjoying the sun and breezes.

I just feel that we are getting nowhere. Sam is so caught up in his patterns and he is not sleeping or eating well--this always causes a panic for me. I do not want him to get a g-tube (for feeding for those of you who wonder what it is). But he needs enough food to grow. And with no sleep, plus worry and frustration, I become some sot of hell monster. On that happy note, I must run off to teach a yoga class and then meet with a fellow who wants to learn about IEPs.

Betcha Didn't Know...

No home of a kid with special needs is complete without museum putty, duct tape and industrial strength velcro. Run, don't walk, to the hardware store to get yours now. You'll be glad you did. You will need to attach things to walls, tables and trays so that your kid can reach them from his mobility device or manipulate things without knocking them down.

You can put the museum putty on handles of puzzles or on the end of a stick for picking things up (if you have furry pets, it wont last long, so buy lots). You will also need lots of that velcro, tons of batteries, various bits of foam for padding. Neoprene is fairly necessary also, for bracing and keeping hands on the trike or drumsticks. Never throw away any webbing or strapping, you will use it over and over. Maybe I will put some pics of our crazy house up so you can see what I mean.

Candlemas Eve

Tonight is one of the cross quarter days and Celtic Fire Festivals, Candlemas or Imbolc. It is particularly directed towards celebrating the triple goddess, Brigit; poetry and eloquence; and purification for fertility. Until fairly recently, I have been caught up in trying to stay sane as a parent of a severely disabled child. My spiritual life, as per Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, has been on the back shelf (except for teaching yoga and frequent cries of "Goddess!" and "God help me!"). This year, though, I am bringing it back to the forefront. It started with a wonderful Solstice celebration with some women friends and today moves back into the realm of Toltec Wisdom and Vedic practices.

I am also thinking of the irony of the festival in terms of astrology. Brigid is the bright arrow of Celtic mythology, but Mars, the bright arrow of our sky, is in Leo, a fire sign, appropriate to the day, BUT it is retrograde. Here we have some examples:

Today, Sam's augmentative communication teacher was finally supposed to come over and install Boardmaker on my computer, so I can make his communication boards on demand. She cancelled as she is sick. She is otherwise fantastic and supportive, but these damned retrogrades (Saturn, though happy in Libra, is also retro).

Today, I am supposed to begin my new class, Embodying Ancient Wisdom, Toltec and Yogic wisdom practices. Nobody has registered, even though lots of people have said they want to come. Perhaps the timing is bad, who knows. Blast that Mars retrograde, anyway.

So much for eloquence and healing (Brigid's other sideline).