Advice

Alacazem 2009.10.29

October 29 to November 5, 2009

Visible Planets: Morning: Venus, Mars and Saturn  Evening: Jupiter

Open the door to a week of mystical illusion and metaphysical possibility.  Spirits dance and souls cross, witches fly and ghosts haunt. We have reached the dramatic end of the pagan Celtic year and the celebration of Samhain, a three-day festival honoring the season’s harvest and marking summer’s end. In ancient times, bonfires dotted the nightscape and families gathered in groups and villages to share the fruits of their labors, tell stories, evoke spirits and pay homage to their gods and goddesses.

In the Catholic church, the end of October and the first days of November are marked by All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, times set aside for prayer and remembrance of those who have passed on. Cemeteries are visited and cleaned, private altars are built and the departed loved ones’ favorite foods and beverages are set on tables or placed on gravesites.

Today these ritual holy days have morphed into our modern day Halloween. In a blend of tradition, belief and fantasy, costumes and candy honor the dead, celebrate the harvest and invoke the mysterious. As the season of darkness reigns, the veil between life and death is thin. The crack between the worlds opens. Spooks walk and spirits cross. Keep your eyes and hearts open, set out those treats and take note of the annual full “Hunters' Moon” on Nov. 2nd – Dia de los Muertos - at 12:14 p.m. MST in the Scorpio/Taurus polarity. Happy hunting!

Dog’s Best Friend: Helping Second Chance

The Telluride region's Second Chance Humane Society is one of a number of no-kill facilities in the state that rescues hundreds of homeless pets each year, many of which have become beloved Telluride pets. But many of the dogs who are given a "Second Chance" have been badly abused and/or neglected. Once they are rescued, they need a leg-up (no, not that kind) to find their way back into society to become a cherished family member. Enter Telluride Inside... and Out's expert dog trainer Ted Hoff of Cottonwood Ranch & Kennel in Crawford, CO. This past week, Ted has been very busy training several groups of rescue dogs, new adoptions, including Lulu, from Second Chance.

"The moral of the story is these dogs are very resilient, very trainable and so glad to find a good, loving home," explains Ted. 

Alacazem 2009.10.22

October 22 to 29, 2009

Visible Planets: Morning: Venus, Mars and Saturn  Evening: Jupiter

The Scorpio Zodiac Month of Magic, Mystery and Metaphysics

This week we enter the realm of mysterious, magnetic Scorpio. The Sun enters the zodiac’s eighth sign on October 23rd at 12:44 a.m. MDT, and in so doing, opens the cosmic door to magical experience and metaphysical reality. While air-apparent Libra was social and mental, Scorpio is mystical and private. Libra loves sunlight, billowing clouds and shimmering rainbows, while Scorpio prefers moonlight, shadows and the intriguing possibilities of darkness.

As heavenly influences transform, check out inner clocks and internal dialogues. Do you feel yourself moving from a place of relative intellectual “lightness” to a position of deepening emotion, traveling from the intellectual realms of mind to the intuitive, psychic waters of the soul? Look for a shift from the frivolous to the focused, and direct attention toward deep desire. Examine motivation and intention as you do.
   

 Scorpio is the sign most associated with the taboo, the hidden, the clandestine and the secret. It rules the private areas and most precious, intimate pieces of our lives.  It is where we become possessive, obsessive and passionate. The evolutionary intent of Scorpio is akin to the sacred science of alchemy, which describes the process of transmuting one’s own material, physical “darkness” into a purified product of spiritual gold.  So, as we creep our way through the first week of Scorpio and move ever closer to Halloween, check it out. Get out the brooms and candlesticks, wands and witch hats. Collect bones and gather herbs. It’s the season of ghosts and goblins, spirits and spells. Light the fire and prepare the potions!

Alacazem 2009.10.15

October 15 to 22, 2009

Visible Planets: Morning: Mercury, Venus, Mars and Saturn   Evening: Jupiter

This morning I awoke to a delicate crescent Moon paired with brilliant, beautiful Venus. Less bright Saturn was shining above the Moon and the faint light of Mercury shimmered below them all, not far above the impending light of dawn.

I’m lucky to live in a place where I can see the rising sun break day. Our view to the east is unimpeded. Wrights Mesa stretches to the rim of San Miguel Canyon, and beyond are the mountains of Telluride, Ophir, Dunton and Dolores. The Dallas Divide stretches to the north, above Ridgway, and then the horizon flattens out in the shape of the Uncompahgre Plateau. There is a wide expanse of sky between east and west. The sunsets are awesome.

Alacazem 2009.10.08

October 8 to 15, 2009

Visible Planets: Morning: Mercury, Venus, Mars and Saturn   Evening: Jupiter

A little fat-cheeked, healthy baby came to visit me last weekend. My brother Jeff’s daughter, Devan, my older sister, Pam, and her husband, John, packed up the essentials and made the journey from the Front Range to our home here in the wild West End.

 Autumn is a great time to travel. Fall colors in Colorado are notoriously brilliant. Seasonal changes evoke inner transformation. The dancing leaves, the cooling breeze and the still warm Indian Summer sun excite the senses and ignite physical, mental and emotional fires. The conscious and subconscious delight in the visual and sensual - stimulating memory, creating thought and birthing inspiration.

Alacazem 2009.09.24

September 24 to October 1, 2009

Visible Planets: Morning: Venus, Mars and Mercury   Evening: Jupiter

Autumn and Telluride's Magical, Metaphysically Magnetic Mountains

The first full week of Autumn delivers the characteristic Colorado weather we know and love this time of year. Cool, cool evenings and brisk mornings awaken us to the season of changing colors, morphing landscapes and freezing temperatures. Frost is on the pumpkin and fruit is on the vine. Fires are kindled and quilts once again find their place on laps and couches.  Coats come out of closets and hats are put on to brave the chill. Water is on for tea.

Last week, the late summer Telluride Blues & Brews Festival delivered pouring rain, inches of mud and, eventually, crystalline blue, cerulean skies. It was Telluride in all its pain and glory. Suffering in an on and off deluge of rain, sleet and hail, my husband, Richard, and I stuck it out every single evening to see and hear Joe Cocker - the very best of show! - Buddy Guy, Bonnie Raitt and Taj Mahal. We saw a lot of other fantastic acts as well and plenty of good old friends and allies. Then on Sunday we were blessed with one of those blue ribbon Colorado days - the magnificence of autumn in the Telluride valley was stunning. I was once again - after over 30 years of living here - struck by the awesome beauty of these magical, metaphysically magnetic mountains and their undeniable power. Wow! I am humbled and blessed.

Happy Autumn blessings for All.