Mood:  cool

I am not really sure how I missed posting yesterday.  Did it just disappear, was I warped right through it?  Is there hope for me yet?  I don't know! 

Good stuff happening in the business front, Dragonfly Mandala Studio is the featured business in the Lane County Microenterprise Newsletter (not to be confused with Captain Micro-Kirk's ship).  I stopped by Letterhead to see how the cards were selling (they are my biggest account to date) and they had sold at least one of almost every sign, were down to one Cancer and were OUT OF LEO's.  This is great-I was having some doubts about the pricing of them, because so many other artists are retailing theirs for what I wholesale mine for.  I do not apologize for the price difference, I cater to a unique market.  Mine have more to them and are really nice quality.  I worked hard to make them different from the rest. Doubt is what happens when we compare ourselves to others.   I am not them.   

     Another thing I have been doing lately is joining web-communities and trying to network in that way.  I think it is funny posting "my profile" and reading others.  I was struck by this one woman's that was only about one paragraph, but two sentences in she said "I suffer from depression."  and my first thought was "do you suffer from it?  Or are you enjoying it enough to make it last..."  Then I turned that on myself...what do I "suffer" from...and how can I find a way to enjoy it!   (what first!)

Posted by mandalafly at 7:39 PM PDT

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Mood:  lucky

     It's official, my little Bloglodite Amoebites-as of Monday, July 31, 2006, I am REVEREND MANDALAFLY.  I realize that there are several of you that may think I have lost my marbles.  There are those of you who have been trying to help me find them long enough that nothing really surprises you anymore.   One of my friends expressed the fear that people might actually listen to, and perhaps take me seriously!  (Amoeba Forbid!) and two (or actually 4, as the case may be) of my friends have dibs on my services for their weddings!  What FUN!

     This week, in addition to becoming a member of the clergy, I found myself among a new circle of Reiki practitioners-something I was very involved with back in Normal. but have been missing here in Eugene.  This week I am being attuned in a new lineage and also going to be introduced to a system called Eniology-which is energy exchange in connection with astrological and astronomical data!  (you can see why I am interested)  I am always looking for ways to expand my healing and intuitive powers.  This is exciting for my mandala art!    

     Speaking of mandala art, I am putting the finishing touches on a mandala which is for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Center in Vancouver, WA.  The donation for display in their permanent installation is to help fund breast cancer research.  To learn more about the project or how to donate go to www.mandalacreativity.com (found on my links page).

     For those of you who have expressed interest, I will soon be adding tarot readings to my site.  You will be able to order one with paypal, and I will call you at an agreed upon time for your personal tarot session!!!  Keep watching!
 

Posted by mandalafly at 6:30 PM PDT

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Mood:  happy

     It's a whole new week we get to play with, and I am glad that August is finally rolling around tomorrow.  It is Lammas, which is the Wiccan/Pagan marking of the halfway point between Summer Solstice and Fall Equinox.  It is also, the anniversary of the birth of my tribal "leader" Jerry Garcia (may he jam in peace). 

     I began my week yesterday with a visit to a local Reiki group that I have known about for some time, and was finally able to go to.  HOW WONDERFUL!  For those of you who are unfamiliar, Reiki is a method of hands on energy healing.  As a practicioner, you have certain symbols which you are "attuned to" by a Reiki Master (which is what I am!)  I recieved my attunements before I moved out here almost 9 years ago, but I left my group back in the flatlands.  I am thrilled to be a part of a Reiki community again, and it was SWEET to get a treatment from others. 

     The power of Reiki has been  affirmed for me in many ways, but the best evidence I have ever got was from my son "Thing 2" when I was first attuned at the master level.  He was about 6 years old, and I was getting him ready for bed.  He bumped his knee on the dresser, and I instictively put my hands on it, mom style, and said "oh, honey, are you okay?"  and he said "WHOA!  MOM!  You've got THE FORCE!"-that was proof enough for me! 

     I met a group of really great people, and I have the opportunity to do some studies with a new system that a woman in Russia has developed.  I can't wait!

     So that said, I want you all to be aware that WEDS is going to be quite a Mr. Toad's Wild Ride day astrologically.  We have the planet of responsibility (Saturn) in the sign of personal freedom (LEO) quincunx (at an odd angle) with the planet of surprise (Uranus) in the sign of the wishy washy (Pisces-sorry to my Piscean Pals...love you!).  This is basically like having your dad say "go outside and play by MY rules which I am going to MAKE UP as I go along, and CHANGE just about everytime you figure out what they are!" (which is a lot like what it was like growing up in my house, so I think I'll be okay!)   THEN add to that the SUN in LEO which is about SELF squaring (a difficult position) JUPITER (Luck) in Scorpio (Mysticism) which is basically saying Don't Press Your Luck!  Your secrets are NOT safe today!

     I have the double bonus of having Jupiter also squaring my natal Jupiter which was retrograde (moving backwards) in Taurus (the house of money and possessions), and Saturn quincunx my natal Saturn which is in Pisces (secrets,sorrows and self undoing) and conjunct Uranus!  I'll be lucky not to land in the looney bin with this combo-oh-wait...I think I already have!

     Word to the WISEGUY:  Anything Goes!  Keep your big mouth shut!
 

Posted by mandalafly at 10:54 PM PDT

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Mood:  hug me

    Today was a beautiful day at Saturday Market.  I hadn't been in a couple of weeks, and I was in a good mood.  I painted some new mandala rocks and had them in my display, and I designed a new card holder that looks really good too.  There are a lot of people in town visiting on summer vacation, and a lot of people out enjoying the PERFECT weather we had today.  Mercury went direct last night, which means things should start moving forward again-Hallelujah, and Amen. 

Posted by mandalafly at 9:55 PM PDT

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Mood:  spacey

     So, my little Amoebites, I have come to the place where I need to evaluate whether the grand experiment of being self employed is working (tee hee).  On Saturday it will be six months since my last day at Chez Bandito's, and it is time for my check-up.  Forgive me, oh great Amoeba for a rather wordy blog, I've got a lot of catching up to do!

     This morning I actually went on a job interview at one of the local all natural grocery stores.  Going back to school and then having Mom here slowed my marketing down to a crawl, and I am having some fear about whether I can get caught up in time to make a difference. I am thinking right now, however, that the interview was simply to kick me back into gear to make this truly happen!  I thought that it would be nice to go to work in a pleasant, healthy, environment, about 4 days a week, not worried about the pay so much as to just have a baseline, and a little socialization with the neighborhood folk.  I talked with the owners, it was pleasant, but I really realized what I was getting myself into-working 3pm till 10, stocking and lifting, standing, not having my own schedule, not being home with the boys in the evening, not being barefoot, not watching Independent Lens (or Wife Swap...which is a hoot!) while I paint mandala rocks...you get the picture. 

     The clincher comes at the part where I was leaving the interview, and one of the owners tells me I should talk to the girl at the counter about my zodiac cards (which the owners liked).  She liked them too, but said that "no offense to you, but expensive cards don't really sell here..." (but expensive beer does!)  I TOTALLY understand that part, and of course I want them to be in a place where they are going to sell, but do I want to work in a place that can't support my work?  I believe it is best to tell them that I have accepted a position with another company-MY OWN!!!

     On the money note, I have to share with you a mom story...

      My mom has always told us that "if you double a penny every day for a month, it becomes a million dollars in thirty days."  She even drew it out for us on a calender just to prove it at one point!

      She has this CONSTANT running tabulation of the little checks she gets for filling out surveys, taking back cans, giving speeches for NAMI, saving with a coupon, being a secret shopper(once), and a zillion other schemes which she will go on about ad infinitum.  At the same time,there is the tabulation of what she buys with it, and what the next thing she is saving for, and how many surveys she could fill out to get it, and...it goes on and on.  It is how she is, and it gives her something to do, but at the same time, on this end of it, it was like having the small print of my money issues read to me outloud for a month-which gave me plenty of opportunity to examine them.   Yup-they are there!

      Another part of the money thing with mom is all about finding change on the ground.  Whenever we got out of the car, she would say "gotta find my penny!"  and she ALWAYS DID.  On more than one occasion she found silver money, and was completely thrilled to have found several quarters over the course of her stay.  This part of the money thing was more tolerable, as it was funny to hear her say "I've got the eagle eye!" when she'd spot one, or "the streets are paved with gold here!" after finding a nickel.

     Since I was not doing as much business as I would have liked while she was here, the constant calculations tended to wear on me probably more than they would have otherwise, and I did give her some "feedback" for sure.

     She has been gone since Tuesday afternoon and I am glad to be getting things back in order around here so I can get back to business as usual, but one thing I have found since she left...IS A PENNY ALMOST EVERYWHERE I GO!!!   I even found one when I waded knee deep in the river with the dog today! 

I think I'll write a book about her and call it "Word to the Penny Wise".  (cuz I need a project, right?) 

What is the book about your mother going to be called?

Posted by mandalafly at 10:01 PM PDT

Updated: Thursday, July 27, 2006 10:04 PM PDT

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Mood:  cool

Well, I spent the day driving mama up to Portland to catch her plane to O'Hare where my Chi-town based sister will pick her up and send her on her way back to Wisconsin.  I love my mom, but honestly, I am ready to have my house and my time back.  It was important to have the time with her though , and we had a really nice visit overall. 

This is a picture she took at the coast.  We called it "Wave Bye-Bye" and got a pretty good laugh out of it-(I get a lot of my twisted humor from her.)  I am not taking any responsibility for the fact that a real tsunami hit the beaches in Indonesia the next day.  My heart goes out to them.

On the subject of my heart going out...Tomorrow night at7:50pm (Pacific Time) there is a very harmonious Jupiter (luck and expansion) and Venus (love and beauty) trine.  I got word that people were doing prayers for peace at this time, and I figured I should gather my crew too, so for those of you who want to send some energy to the cause, please join us in prayer, meditation, dance, ritual, communion, hula-hooping, or whatever your version of good vibration is and help us send a big chunk-o-love to the people who are disconnected from it. 

A suggestion for saluting the watery trine which is attuning us to an expanded concept of love, creativity, harmony and beauty, is to use three candles: 

Green for Venus (vanilla)-love, harmony, co-operation, pleasure, creativity.

Royal Blue for Jupiter (cedar): expansive thought, growth, higher learning.

Blue for Water (jasmine): emotional realm, empathy.

The rest is your game...Invent some words, speak your peace, or don't, write down things that are keeping you from feeling peace and burn the papers in the flames, dance in your birthday suit...and thank the kind folks at zbudapest.com for bringing this to my attention so that I could share it with you! 

On the subject of prayer, I thought you, my congregation, should know that I applied to be LEGALLY ORDAINED as a MINISTER, and as soon as it is finalized, I will be able to do all the little things that a minister is ordained to do!  It also means that I will be able to legally start my own church if I want to!  Actually, I do have my own religion already, I call it "Amoebism".  The belief is simple, together we create one big cell with the collective consciousness as it's nucleus, and the infinite universe as it's cell wall.  I guess that makes us as individuals Mitochondria(the energy factories)-henceforth known as Mitey-Mites...now be nice or we'll have to split!

Posted by mandalafly at 11:44 PM PDT

Updated: Wednesday, July 26, 2006 12:07 AM PDT

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Mood:  spacey

Well. Hello there my little pretties.  I have just been on one adventure after another with my mom in tow, showing her around our fair state...and trying to get her to say it correctly-OR-Y-GUN (actually the GUN part sounds more like GN)  On Thursday and Friday we gave each other massages using the Young Living Oils Raindrop Technique which consists of 9 essential oils and a specific order to put them on for maximum benefit.  Each one has special properties for detoxing, anti-inflammatories, improving circulation, healing and a whole list of other things too numerous to mention.  I highly recommend it!  If you can find a practicioner in your area who does it, GO THERE! or order a kit for yourself and have a friend or family member trade you massages (I suggest seperate days, after the first person recieves it they need to rest) 

     Since I live in Oregon, I cannot legally do massage for cash without first becoming a Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT).  This costs a lot of money, and time, and I am not interested in the least in doing so for many reasons.  I have however been contacted by a woman who is a Reiki Master, and has been "warned" that the Oregon Massage Board can fine her for practicing REIKI without a massage therapist licence.  The law governing massage does not specifically say Reiki in it, but it is written so that if they wanted to make a case of it (and people do), they could say that you are using touch and therefore it falls under Massage and you can get in trouble for it by the Board which is powerful enough to have the authority to fine you.  So far the people who have been contacted about being fined have apparently either been scared into quitting, taken it underground or went and actually got their massage licence which they were probably going to get anyway.

     I have been a Reiki Master since 1997 before I moved here.  I do not give Reiki for pay, I use it for my mandalas, I use it for friends, I use it all the time.  Reiki is a powerful energy force, and a wonderful tool.  It cannot be taken away once you receive the attunements. It is sad to me that the President of the Massage Board has to make this stretch and threaten the livelihood of a person who simply wants to lay their hands on a person who is fully clothed, and give them calming, loving, Universal energy.  There is no manipulation of the muscles or any of the other things that massage does.  A massage therapist can be a Reiki Practicioner, but a Reiki Practicioner should not be bullied into being a massage therapist, it is not even close to the same thing. 

     As a crusader for the underdog (and  Reiki master) I am putting it out there that interested parties might help us get a written exception added to the massage law that exempts Reiki, and the Laying on of Hands by ordained ministry, and any other form of energy work that is not massage so that the great and powerful OZ...er, I mean Massage Board can stop threatening to fine people for doing something that has not been recognized by the medical community as a healing practice like massage is.  I will keep you posted as this develops and I encourage you to toss ideas and support into the hat.    Thanks! 

      More Power to the PEOPLE!!!
 

Posted by mandalafly at 11:38 PM PDT

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Mood:  d'oh

Got a reply to my yesterday BLOG by my best friend and DJ "Johnnie" because Home Sweet Home is by MOTLEY CRUE , NOT AEROSMITH.  I have screwed that up since forever because of the song "Last Child" by Aerosmith...which came first, and was imprinted in my teenaged brain as the "Home Sweet Home" song-though I know that I really did mean the Motley Crue one...

This little snafu is indicative of pretty much my whole day yesterday, I was CRANKY!!!  It was one of those days where every time I tried to do something, there was something that made it take AT LEAST twice as long as it should have.  I am feeling some pressure due to the fact that my mom is still here, and I am not getting the amount of business or correspondence done that I NEED to be making happen.  I keep telling myself to slow down, all good things in all good time, and that I should just enjoy my mother's visit and not worry about doing business until she leaves (at the new moon-and as Mercury is coming out of retrograde...) and I remind myself that it is all about UNIVERSE time and not what I think is supposed to happen NOW (I WANT AN OOMPA LOOMPA!).  It doesn't help though when my bank balance says "more, please" and I have to say...I need a miracle!

There are still plenty of little things that I can get done.  I am working on my artist's bio for stores that have asked for it, and looking for some other displays for stores that might ask for that (because they have).  I really need to be talking to more people than just the few that I have contacted here in Eugene.  That is my mission for today, find and call stores that might be interested in different areas-Salem, Corvallis, Portland, and get on it!  I need a clone, so one of us can get some artwork done!

Posted by mandalafly at 1:12 PM PDT

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Mood:  smelly

     Hey Y'all-yesterday was a big energy shift as Venus the planet of love and beauty moved into Cancer-the sign of home of family.  This puts our focus on the family front, and we may find ourselves wanting to take care of those little chores that make a house a home.  Yesterday the sun was conjunct Mercury which is still retrograde until the 28th.  Think about what was going on around the 4th of July, and apply what you learned yesterday, but don't act on it until Mercury turns direct!  Getting the chores out of the way will open yourself up for...

     This weekend, on the 22nd, the sun moves into Leo, and confidence and activity turns to having fun.  Get your ducks in a row now so you can take advantage of the opportunities that arise.  Also on the 22nd, Mars moves into Virgo, the sign of Work, Service and Health.  The focus is on self respect and respect for others.  Things that have felt like they are on hold, should start moving forward quite nicely at the end of this month.  That doesn't mean you can coast till then...like I said, take care of the little things now, because big things are on the way!

Posted by mandalafly at 4:22 PM PDT

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Mood:  caffeinated

     AHHHH...I spent the Pisces moon afternoon walking along the seashore in Florence with Mama, Babboo, and Leetle Dog Too.  I also managed to sell a set of cards to the folks at "Athena's Lotions and Potions" in Old Town Florence, and open the door to an outlet at the "Silver Lining"-a SWEET boutique in a geodescic (sp?) dome on Highway 101.  The owner there also mentioned me hanging a show in the gallery upstairs at some point!  Guess I'd better get some artwork done!!! 

    Speaking of work, I was having some of those long running dreams early this morning.  In the most vivid of these, I was working at TGI Friday's (yes-I have had to don the dreaded "flair" in my sordid past...) and I had two trainees, one male and one female.  Babboo and my mom came by with the dog, and we went to Alton Baker Park in a car.  The male trainee was with us, and I started getting really edgy about ditching work and the other trainee, and saying that I needed to go back there.  We get to the park and Leetle Dog runs after a ball, and comes back tied by the tail ("stubber nubber") to TWO dogs that look a lot like him, but one is all white, and one is all black and both of them are showing teeth and being aggressive.  We untangle them, and I started to make friends with the dogs, and calm them down. 

     I got the sense from this dream that I am really feeling guilty for not having a "real job".  I am making contacts, and getting out there, and doing what I should.  It is difficult, however, to know that I don't exactly know where my next dime is going to come from.  I am not very good at that kind of question.  I think that is probably true of most people.  I know that I have a good product with the cards, and as soon as I get enough out there, I will have a base on which to build ( ...such a CAPRICORN-GEEZ!)  Custom Mandalas are really where I live and breathe.  

     I looked at Mrs. Random's BLOG this morning and on Friday she was saying she was feeling like she did not play enough.  This was exactly what was going on with me, but I feel like I have been playing, and I feel like I am not supposed to.  One of the difficulties with the business at this point is that it is ALWAYS on my brain.  I cannot leave it alone.  I am always looking for the way to make it easier.  I am looking for the way to not have to be the marketer, but the creator.  I LOVE to create mandalas, and I LOVE to talk to people about astrology and help them get in touch with their creativity.  Maybe it is this that I feel GUILTY about...that I am having so much FUN when I am working!!!  Designing and drawing custom mandalas, and researching the information for them IS A BLAST!  And when people get them it makes them happy too.  This is a win-win! 

     Perhaps I do not need to worry about whether I am working or playing, but I rather figure out how to de-program the 8-track loop in my head that tells me that work is supposed to be hard, and play is somehow supposed to be seperate from it. 

     MAYBE I CAN'T HAVE IT ALL (where would I put it?!)  but there is PLENTY for me and ENOUGH left for all of you too!!!

             Now go outside and get some fresh air!!!
 

Posted by mandalafly at 1:55 PM PDT

Updated: Sunday, July 16, 2006 1:58 PM PDT

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