Happy Birthday Aquarians!

The rise of the constellation Aquarius indicates the beginning of the planting/harvest cycle coinciding as it did with the annual flooding of the Nile in ancient Egypt. This association with Spring is borne out in our time by our celebration of Groundhog Day. Aquarius is a time of awakening from the hibernation of Capricorn: A time when we look around us to see how we can bring our lives into better alignment with the future goals of humanity. Aquarius is an Air sign and therefore has yang or masculine energy.

From Inga's Table of Intentions, here are some Aquarian activities:

Committees, peace, cooperation.

From Inga's "What Gemstones Should I Wear?" chart, Aquarius stones are:

Color: Mixed colors

Gemstones: Malachite, chrysocolla, dark opal, pietersite.

Qualities: Progressive action, revolution, humanitarianism.

A Stone Of The Sign - Pietersite:

The monthly installment of The Great Astrological Light Bulb Joke:

Q. How many Aquarians does it take to change a light bulb?

A. Well, you have to remember that everything is energy, so....

Note: I have no idea who originally wrote this. Erika sent it to me years ago and I still think it’s as funny as it is insightful!

The Monthly Dunthor Open House

Please come join in the community that has been created over the years with the friends we've made through Inga's Earth Magic. You'll find insight, sharing, healing and fellowship and you are most welcome. 

• When: The 1st Friday of every month. Please join us for dinner. We start eating around 7 PM. Or join us for dessert later on.
• Where: Our place (click on LIBRARY in the navigation bar at the top of the screen and then MAP ROOM for directions)
• What to bring: Just your enthusiasm and love! There's a big pot of pasta on the stove, salad, bread, veggies, fruit and plenty of microbrews, red wine and Martinelli's Sparkling Cider.  If you have specific preferences, please bring whatever you'd like.
• How long: Until the good conversation ends.
• RSVP: Just let us know in advance via e-mail or phone if you are coming and if you are bringing guests so we don't run out of food or beer.

The Duncan Domain

Whew! I, for one, am glad to see the back of 2007. During it we suffered the loss of loved ones - Inga's Grandma, my brother, Paul; three of our kitties, Eddie, Angus and Nicky; our beloved Spruce tree in the front yard and the near loss of Stephanie, Inga's mom. Throughout the year, many friends and coworkers personally suffered losses as well. It seems that few were spared such grief and there was no refuge from it except what I could find in deep meditation. Despite the extreme trials of 2007, it did contain many blessings and healings, fresh insights into the ways of Spirit, new adventures and shared experiences with friends, old and new, and signs of synchronicity everywhere. We added two delightful dogs, Robbie and Geoffie, one a rescue and one not, to our "wolf pack" and there isn't a day go by that we don't marvel at their beauty and bask in their affection. They even have Freya following their lead and allowing people to pet her!

We were blessed in 2007 with the gift of more time with Stephanie and were able to provide her with a healing sanctuary each month after chemotherapy, something that will continue in 2008. We ended up doing very little boating last year but I do recall sharing the sunshine of a glorious summer day in Olympia with her and encountering tall ships in Budd Inlet at the south end of Puget Sound. What a day that was! 

I was able to ride with my brothers, Eric and Paul, last May through the breathtaking beauty of Northern Arizona and Southern Utah and savor the camaraderie we shared. Best of all, I watched my brothers really getting to know each other for possibly the first time in their adult lives and coming to realize that they truly enjoyed each other's company. All of my rides with my "brothers", whether by blood or friendship, are memorable but this one in particular will always be especially poignant due to losing Paul the following September. Even if we had been told it would be our last ride together, I don't think we could have made it any better. It was truly a gift and one that I'll treasure for the rest of my life. 

I spent a number of days riding at the local racetrack in 2007 which is always exhilarating, challenging and rewarding. After a glorious, sunny, last day of the season in mid-October, I declared that I wasn't ready to hang up my spurs yet before the long, wet Seattle winter set in so riding buddy and “brother”, Stew Stremel, and I trailered our bikes to Los Angeles in early November to do one more track day with my brother Eric and it provided a highly satisfactory sense of closure for 2007. Just for good measure, we rode the next morning up into the hills above the Pacific Ocean for breakfast at the Rock Store, a famous hangout for motorcyclists, and then down to the sunny ocean itself before heading back to the cold, wet Pacific Northwest.

I worked part-time for most of 2007 and that resulted in many blessings. It meant working from home quite a bit and a lot more time with Inga and our furry, four legged kids which is always wonderful. It meant a lot less time commuting and having the time to do a 12 week weight lifting program that enabled me to achieve a level of fitness that I'd never experienced before. It gave me a very necessary reprieve from many years of full time corporate work and the chance to work with some really talented, dedicated people at Microsoft and Safeco who gave me a tremendous amount of validation for what I do really best at work - facilitating process engineering, fostering teamwork and encouraging people to have fun.

More good stories about 2007 are now coming to mind as I'm writing this and that's helping to heal my 2007 scars but that's enough of that. 2008 is here and already zooming along. It's time to suit up, focus and watch for the gifts, blessings and potholes it is sure to contain. – Scott Bruce Duncan */:-)  (click on the photos to enlarge them)

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