Queen of Swords

On the way home from school today, the Pixie decided to hit me with a barrage of questions.

Who does God look like?

Is God a boy or girl?

Where do we find God?

How do we see God?

We wound up having a wonderful discussion about what God is. We decided that S/he is found when we hug our puppies. She discovered that God could look like the homeless man at BJ's who has an empty tummy, or that God could look like her. That God is a boy and a girl, and that God is all around us. She found God in the snow, and heard God in the wind. Pixie learned that the song "God is everywhere, God is one", is real, and means that God is everyone and everything and everywhere. That God is so big and huge that we are surrounded by God all the time in the trees, and the water, and our food, and in all people and living things everywhere. That acts of love and kindness and compassion let us be part of Her/Him. That taking care of others is taking care of God too.

She said that she was happy that she could see God whenever she wanted by just looking around.

Scary, how a 5 year old can develop a pretty sophisticated idea of the divine. Maybe we all need to think like children.

I've been trying to write a paper for mythology class while struggling with my yearly December migraine hell.  Unable to concentrate, I set my kitchen timer for 15 mins.  Unfortunately, what I got instead was a one shot about Esme, the "mother" of the Cullen clan.  Takes place during Breaking Dawn, the evening that Bella gets turned.

The song lyrics are from a hymn written in the 1860's, to comfort a dying child. Whitney Houston sings it in "The Bodyguard".

 

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I am watching history being made.  As a woman of color, I feel such immense joy and pride at today's result. 

I have been moved to tears. 

There is hope for us yet.

Here is a good laugh.  Enjoy!


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Got this in an email from a friend. so I decided to do it here and see who responds!

Welcome to the 2008 edition of getting to know your friends.   49.        How many will respond?  see above

Hello out there!

Pixie's oral challenges went really well.  We have added soy, peanuts and seeds to her diet.  Yay!  We will be challenging tree nuts and whole, lightly cooked eggs in august.

I had a wonderful first day at the beit midrash.  I'm definitely a bit out of my league, but that just makes it all the more fun.  I loved my biblical hebrew class, and my class on Choni and the positive commandments of shabbat (we are spending the next four lessons in that one just studying Kiddush.  Awesome).  My class on gender and Judiasm rocked my worls - the instructor is a woman who is an advocate in israel trained to go before the rabbinic courts on behalf of agunot.  She quoted Catharine MacKinnon and other 2 wave writers.  Fun!

Today I had a class on bible and parshanut focusing on Exodus.  I hate it.  My teacher won't allow me to use translations of the commentaries even tho I'm the only woman there who didn't go to day school and don't have vocabulary.  She was unreasonable, and worst yet she does my lecture in the class before on the weekly portion which went on so long that Ihad no time for lunch; it also left us with no chance to discuss the text.

My Midrash class was much better.  I had a great study partner (a second year rabbinic student) who freely gave of her time and knowledge.  The instructor was funny, and had a wonderful way of making the midrash accessible.

Well, tomorrow is an early day.  I'm in an hour before class for a lesson from a classmate on laying teffilin.

I've managed to be good this week.  I went to dance class on Wed; first time back since I hurt myself last summer.  I had a great time, and in my honor the instructor pulled together a mini routine for the shines portion of class.  Wheeeeee!  Hard work, lots of fun.  My skills at shines really suck, so the challenge of pulling multiple shines together while maintaining timing was helpful (and tiring).   Partnering was much more fun, since it's my strong point, but it was good to see how much one retains after months or years of not doing a thing, and humbling it was to see how much practice makes perfect.   I got to work on some leg styling, and cleaned up my arms.  Yay. 

Sunday's practice and social was fun, but my foot really started aching after 45 minutes.   Good news:  the new dance teacher at the studio told me I was a pleasure to lead.  Bad:  Multiple spins still strain the foot I hurt last summer too much.  Still, for the 45 minutes my foot held out, it was a blast.  Its a round robing, so that everyone dances with everyone at least once before they open the floor up, which forces you to get used to dancing with different leads, levels, etc without intimidation, especially for beginning students.  I danced with one man for whom it was his first class.   He probably wouldn't want to dance with me otherwise, but the set up makes sure that he does.  I just spent the entire song counting out the beats for him and helping him find 1.  And yes, I had fun doing it.   I wish more socials did that. 

It feels really good to dance again.  I'd only been dancing a few weeks last summer after a 4 year break when I hurt my foot.  I hope this go 'round goes better.  I love when I manage to hit a groove during a song where you've internalized the clave and it just flows and the brain shuts down.  I managed one really good song Sunday, the last one before I had to ice my foot, where I was able to just let go and let the music take me along for the ride.  You need a good lead for that, and the partner I had for that song managed to hit his groove, and it rocked.  Those are the moments where you are able to execute the complicated turn patterns with ease while performing multiple spins and, if it really goes well, the styling flows, all because the counting stops and the two of you are in the same groove.

I love mambo.

So, I'm working on decluttering and organizing, which means I have to eventually hit my office and work on my bookcases.  Thankfully, they aren't too bad, but I need a better system for organizing and storing my decks, especially since some have now gone out of print (OOP), or are no longer available in the original formats, etc.  I've culled the herd some, and the list is much shorter now.  I'm down to the following:

Bohemian Gothic Silver Edition (OOP)
Dragon Tarot (Suckling)
Dragons Tarot
Druidcraft (trimmed)
Edward Gorey's Fantod Pack (oracle)
Fairy Ring Oracle
Fey Tarot (LS)
Gothic Tarot
Legend: The Arthurian Tarot
Liber-T
LLewellyn Tarot
Lord of the Rings Tarot
Nigel Jackson  (mini kit OOP)
Pagan Tarot (LS)
Sacred Circle Tarot
Sacred Rose
Thoth Deck (USG)
Universal (Miller)
Witches Tarot (Reed,  original yellow box OOP)
World Spirit  (mini kit)

This year, I want to add a regular edition Bohemian Gothic, the Slayer's Tarot,  and a Deviant Moon.  First, I have to figure out a better storage system.  It's not a bad system, it's just not convenient.  Most of my deck's bags need replacing as well.  It's quite a project. 

I can hear you asking: how many do you actually read with regularly?

Well, when I was doing parties (and I haven't done a party since I moved), I usually take a few for people to choose from.  Usually around 5 or so.  It varies by crowd and age.  I never use the LOTR deck cause it sucks, but it was a gift so I never part with it.  Some decks I've never done parties with, some I use quite often.  Some I only use for one on one readings. 

Tarot was my after school job in high school.  I would love to use it to make money again but I"m really out of practice.  The hours and flexibility are great for moms.  And, I was good at it.  I just read every once in a while for friends now, about every 2 months or so. 

Why am I whining about my insane hobbies to you guys anyway?  :P

It's been nuts.

June 14th approches.

Pixie is back in school.

I"m back at the dance studio.

My pitty keeps stealing chocolate.

I'm awaiting the latest Doctor Who Comic.

Tarot Deck winging it's way to me by mail, yippee!

It's all good.

I went in to see the nurse practitioner for a tetanus shot and a breast exam since I found a funky thing in my right breast.  She found a troubling lump in the left.

I walked out with an appointment for a mammogram and sonogram tomorrow. 

I am truly afraid.