Pisces is, to put it bluntly, the wet time of year. The weather is soggy and we begin to wonder whether Spring will ever arrive. We tell ourselves that the showers bring Spring flowers but we can't see them yet so we need to trust that it is happening. Pisces exemplifies faith in the Universe, Transcendence, God or Goddess. Without Pisces, we would all be outside in the mud pulling up the tulips to see if they are growing.

A Pisces person is an imaginative and serene individual with a need to express their fantasies and imagination. On the negative side, they can be ungrounded dreamers who seldom complete anything. Pisces is a mutable and feminine water sign.

The monthly installment of The Great Astrological Light Bulb Joke:

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

A. Light bulb? What light bulb??

February 18^th The Sun Enters Pisces.

February 20^th is a New Moon in Pisces: The Moon and Sun are conjunct in the sky. The moon is dark and gradually increases to a crescent. This is the time to begin a new project, a ritual or to ask for a new vision.

February22nd is George Washington's Birthday.

February 24th is Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday: This holiday is most often associated with New Orleans but is still celebrated in Rio de Janeiro, Belgium, Trinidad and Tobago as Carnivale. This is the traditional party that takes place prior to Ash Wednesday when "sins" are renounced during the pre-Easter (Lent or Lenten) season. Kind of an "eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow ye shall be virtuous".

The title of the movie Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh, which is set during the New Orleans Mardi Gras, comes from original Latin meaning of the word "carnival," which meant "farewell to the flesh." -- From the American Movie Classics website.

For more information on this year’s Carnivale, click here to visit the official Mardi Gras website.

March 2^nd is Casimir Pulaski's Birthday: All you Revolutionary War buffs can check out the Chicago Public Library's website.

March 3rd is Ash Wednesday: Fact - The ashes that Catholics get smeared on their foreheads are supposed to be the ashes of the palm leaves from the previous Palm Sunday.

March 5^th is the Dunthor Open House and Get Together: Click here to see details farther down the page.

March 6^th is Alamo Day and a Full Moon in Virgo: The Moon and Sun are opposite each other in the sky. The Moon reflects all of the Sun's light. This is the time to perform rituals for protection, clarity of vision and consecration. 

March 10^th is Harriet Tubman Day.

March17th is St. Patrick's Day: It is not about beer. Well, okay, it's not just about beer.

Legend has him describing the trinity to his followers by referring to the clover or shamrock. This was a sacred plant to the Celts, honoring the triple Goddess, so using it as his analogy helped to create a bridge from the ancient to the new religion and contributed to his many "conversions." This is the origin of the shamrock emblem we still associate with him. The leprechaun, also associated with St. Patrick's Day, is an obvious reference to the elementals of Pagan Ireland.

Here is the history of St Patrick from Catholic Online.

Here is my link to the best traditional Corned Beef & Cabbage recipe. Meat substitutes work well with this one, too. Click here for Sunset’s recipe for corned beef and cabbage.

March 19^th is the Vernal Equinox, when the Sun enters Aries.

This is a delicate pendant made from a milky lavender chalcedony cabochon in a sterling silver setting crowned with graceful spirals. Lavender chalcedony is a translucent purple stone. It resonates to Pisces and Aquarius and will help you to feel less scattered and more in control of your faculties. According to tradition, it soothes the nervous system and strengthens the cleansing organs. Silver is a conductor of energy and is said to aid in communication, it improves the transmission of nerve impulses. According to tradition, it is a good metal for healing purposes because it is in tune with the body. Silver can reduce anxiety and help you to relax when solving problems. It is believed to help conduct the energy of stones into your body and auric field. $50.00 USD

To learn more about how to use Gemstones in your daily life, see "What Gemstones Should I Wear?" guide in our Library.

Click here to other handcrafted jewelry in Inga's catalog.

My brand new handcrafted jewelry catalog is now online! You'll find photos and descriptions galore and I promise to update it frequently. You'll find a link to at the top of all my webpages in the navigation bar. Just click on "Catalog". 

Here is my Freya story for the month: We drive to an espresso stand a couple of mornings a week, with Freya (gsd) in the little xcab section of the truck. The barista always gives us coffees and Freya a milkbone. So, one afternoon, I was walking with Freya and stopped at an outdoor espresso stand that I had never been to before. She waited patiently while I got my coffee, and I could see they didn’t have any milkbones so I don't even ask out loud, I just prompted Freya to walk away. She walked off the little porch, stopped, sat and looked at my coffee with her head cocked to one side. Then she ran back to the coffee window and put her paws on the sill and barked once. Like “wait a minute - I am supposed to get a cookie.” They thought she was pretty cute but had NOTHING for her. I would have been willing to buy a graham cracker out of one of their lunch bags! I guess I'll keep something in my pocket from now on. I had no idea her inductive reasoning skills were that good or that the cue of coffee/treat was generalized to include any stand since we only ever go to the one place and we drive.

I found this fun quiz. It pairs you with a member of the Greek Pantheon based on your answers to a quiz. “Which Goddess are you most like?” http://www.paleothea.com/quiz.html

Now a quote: Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. -- Frederick Douglass 

Next, a cute story:

" We've been back to this animal shelter at least five times. It has been weeks now since we started all of this," the mother told the volunteer.

"What is it she keeps asking for?" the volunteer asked.

"Puppy size!" replied the mother.

"Well, we have plenty of puppies, if that's what she's looking for."

"I know...we have seen most of them," the mom said in frustration...

Just then Danielle came walking into the office.

"Well, did you find one?" asked her mom. "No, not this time," Danielle said with sadness in her voice. "Can we come back on the weekend?"

The two women looked at each other, shook their heads and laughed.

"You never know when we will get more dogs. Unfortunately, there's always a supply," the volunteer said.

Danielle took her mother by the hand and headed to the door. "Don't worry, I'll find one this weekend," she said.

Over the next few days both mom and dad had long conversations with her.

They both felt she was being too particular. "It's this weekend or we're not looking any more," Dad finally said in frustration. "We don't want to hear anything more about puppy size either," Mom added.

Sure enough, they were the first ones in the shelter on Saturday morning.

By now Danielle knew her way around, so she ran right for the section that housed the smaller dogs. Tired of the routine, mom sat in the small waiting room at the end of the first row of cages.

There was an observation window so you could see the animals during times when visitors weren't permitted. Danielle walked slowly from cage to cage, kneeling periodically to take a closer look. One by one the dogs were brought out and she held each one. One by one she said, "Sorry, you're not the one."

It was the last cage on this last day in search of the perfect pup. The volunteer opened the cage door and the child carefully picked up the dog and held it closely. This time she took a little longer. "Mom, that's it! I found the right puppy! He's the one! I know it!" she screamed with joy.

It's the puppy size!"

"But it's the same size as all the other puppies you held over the last few weeks," Mom said.

"No not size ---- the sighs. When I held him in my arms, he sighed," she said.

"Don't you remember? When I asked you one day what love is, you told me love depends on the sighs of your heart. The more you love, the bigger the sigh!"

The two women looked at each other for a moment. Mom didn't know whether to laugh or cry. As she stooped down to hug the child, she did a little of both.

"Mom, every time you hold me, I sigh. When you and Daddy come home from work and hug each other, you both sigh. I knew I would find the right puppy if it sighed when I held it in my arms," she said. Then holding the puppy up close to her face she said, "Mom, he loves me. I heard the sighs of his heart!"

I end with a joke:

There were 3 sisters who lived together and were getting on in age. One day the eldest sister decided to take a bath. She put one foot in the tub and couldn't remember if she was getting in or out. So she called to the middle sister, 'Sister, Sister. Come help me. I can't remember if I'm getting in or out of the tub." So the middle sister started to climb the stairs and got halfway before she realized she couldn't remember if she was going up or down the stairs. So she called out to the youngest sister, "Sister, Sister. Come help me. I can't remember if I’m going up or down the stairs." The youngest sister says to herself, "When I get older I hope I'm not as forgetful as my sisters" and she knocks on wood. Then she calls out to her middle sister, "I'll be right there. I just have to answer the door."

We think of this newsletter as a community forum. You, our friends and clients, are welcome to participate. We celebrate diversity and we'll print whatever you send in be it Wiccan, Christian, Pagan, New Age, etc., as long as it reflects Love. You may choose a one-time holiday to write about or have a regular column. We'll give you space and a byline! Please send in your own book reviews, ideas for rituals, ideas about stones, your journal excerpts, your experiences and most of all, ask us questions. We love answering questions!

From Jessi:

Finally I have quote for the newsletter!  “We do not raise children, we raise adults.” I think if more parents realized this it would truly solve a lot of problems. :) 

From Scott:

"They who willingly give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary security, deserve neither liberty nor safety." -- Benjamin Franklin

Brainteasers from Denise:

1. A murderer is condemned to death. He has to choose between three rooms. The first is full of raging fires, the second is full of assassins with loaded guns, and the third is full of lions that haven't eaten in 3 years. Which room is safest for him?

2. A woman shoots her husband. Then she holds him under water for over 5 minutes. Finally, she hangs him. But 5 minutes later they both go out together and enjoy a wonderful dinner together. How can this be?

3. There are two plastic jugs filled with water. How could you put all of this water into a barrel, without using the jugs or any dividers, and still tell which water came from which jug?

4. What is black when you buy it, red when you use it, and gray when you throw it away?

5. Can you name three consecutive days without using the words Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, or Sunday?

6. This is an unusual paragraph. I'm curious how quickly you can find out what is so unusual about it. It looks so plain you would think nothing was wrong with it. In fact, nothing is wrong with it! It is unusual though. Study it, and think about it, but you still may not find anything odd. But if you work at it a bit, you might find out. Try to do so without any coaching!

Yes, Inga has answers to these Questions!

We've always wondered what would happen if we got the friends we've made through Inga's Earth Magic (IEM) into a room together. Why? Because every one of us has a unique gift to offer to the world. And if we get enough of us in one place at the same time, something magical is bound to occur.

• 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 and plenty of microbrews and red wine. If you have specific preferences, please bring whatever you'd like.
• How long: Until the good conversation ends! If you'd like, you can spend the night on one of the couches with the kitties or bring your sleeping bag and mat and camp out on the floor of Inga's office.
• 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!

Diver Dan Returns To The Sea:

February 2004: Well, it's time to learn something new, time to stretch the old brain cells. It's feeling a little dusty upstairs. So what's it going to be?

• Piano lessons? (Nah! I'll get all hung up in how bad I am at first.)

• Take up the accordion? (That can wait until I'm older. No rush.)

• Sing in a professional choir or barbershop quartet? (I'm still bummed that I'm no longer a tenor. Sorry Teri!)

• Learn some new programming language? (Nah! I'm craving something physical.)

• Fencing? (Nope! Too many rules!)

• Ah! How 'bout ballroom dancing! (Nuts!)

Inga has suggested a return to SCUBA diving, something I haven't done for over 20 years. Wow, does that bring back memories! After skin diving in Northern Wisconsin for a number of years as a teenager, I was rather dubious about the appeal of SCUBA. I viewed all that heavy, cumbersome gear as very inelegant compared to the natural grace of snorkeling. Additionally, skin diving was a solitary refuge for me from the chronic pain and mental anxiety I suffered from. In hindsight, having a very fiery astrological natal chart with little or no water energy in it, it's no wonder that total immersion was superb, meditative therapy for me. Plus the thought of hanging out on the beach with a bunch of people and having to agree on a dive plan amongst a mountain of clumsy equipment really turned me off.

Then my brother, Paul, brought a US Divers SCUBA equipment catalog home from school and as I looked at all the pictures of Jacques Cousteau diving in exotic locales, my mind began opening up to the possibility of SCUBA. As I watched National Geographic specials on TV, the Captain became a hero of mine and I began dreaming of becoming a diver and working on his research vessel, The Calypso. A classmate at high school finally convinced me to take the plunge so I became certified in 1976 at the local YMCA by a bunch of old, crusty Navy divers. Despite my trepidations about it, I surprised myself by becoming the star pupil. Underwater, I was free of pain, eerily calm, composed and graceful, a marked difference from my surface existence. The only drawback was that the instructors made me do every tough drill first to show my classmates that it could be done. I still remember being told to swim underwater two lengths of the pool, 150 feet, while holding my breath! Realizing that they were putting their faith in me, I made damn sure I pulled it off with style. I basked in the approval and began naturally coaching others on overcoming their anxiety about learning new skills. It felt really good to serve others and assist them in experiencing new realities. Hmmm...that sounds familiar! As I write this, I can clearly see that part of my personality emerging for the first time.

All was going well until we went to a flooded rock quarry in Racine, Wisconsin for our checkout dive. Instead of diving with in t-shirts and swim trunks in a warm, safe pool, we were donning full wet suits, heavy weight belts and buoyancy compensators and diving in a cold, dark quarry. The instructors took the students down to 25 feet or so, ran us through some skills tests and then invited us to check out the sunken automobiles at 35 feet. But two instructors motioned for me to follow them and we descended deeper. As we did, it became progressively colder and darker. When we came to a stop and stood on the gravel bottom in the gloom, I looked at my depth gauge and it read 70 feet! My thermometer read 38 degrees! The water was visibly thick, only 6 degrees from becoming ice cubes. An instructor checked with me via a hand signal to see if I was ok and I thought that was an odd question. I'm very cold, it's very dark down here and I'm not having fun. As I couldn't think of an effective way to indicate all this, short of flipping him off, I signed back that I was ok. They then proceeded to swim in and out of a car on the bottom and I just stood there thinking how amazingly bogus this was. This is what diving in the Midwest is like? This is fun? No thanks! I did not do any more SCUBA dives that year.

I started my first year of college that Fall and noticing a SCUBA class on the schedule, I took it thinking it would be a fun, easy way to earn an A. It was. Better yet, the instructor said we could accompany him to Florida that March and do our open water dives there in warm, clear water. We still had to wear that cumbersome wetsuit because even 70 degree water chills the body after a short while. But doing many dives, sometimes 3 per day, over a short period of time, finally made me feel comfortable and confident in all that stuff. I found that I really enjoyed the sport and my skill in the pool transferred to open water. Before the trip was over, I was accused of having gills and was nicknamed "The Fish" by my fellow divers. (Must of have been that time when holding my breath, I skin dived to the bottom of a freshwater spring and then swam deep into a cavern. I startled a bunch of SCUBA divers by tapping them on the shoulder, waving hello and smiling, before swimming back out.)

I went on to learn just about every kind of diving: cave, ice, wreck, reef, salvage, search and rescue, and night. I became a Divemaster and Assistant Instructor and started teaching year round along with leading trips in the Midwest and to Florida. This was real adventure! Now all I needed to do was to figure out how to join Jacques' crew aboard the Calypso. In 1981, I tried real hard to get hired as a diving counselor at a kid's camp in Florida, to no avail, and I soon learned that it was just as well. The Universe had something much more important in store for me.

Inga and I met in January of 1982 and we signed up for a SCUBA class together. I knew she'd make the perfect dive buddy and I wanted to share this magical world I had come to love so much. But when the medical doctor said that she could not dive under any circumstances due to perforated eardrums, I promptly, and without regret, decided to hang up my fins for good. I had always vowed to never have a SCUBA widow home alone while I was out with the boys every weekend. So as newlyweds, we explored new hobbies together like hiking and backpacking. Plus now that I was married to a Scorpio, I found someone every bit as magical, delightful and nurturing as the Sea itself. Many years later, Inga says that I really surprised her when I announced at 40 that I was going to take up motorcycling. She thought for sure that it would be diving. She, in turn, surprised me when she said she didn't mind if I went off to roam the Northwest with the boys. Instead, she was grateful that she didn't have to come with as she's quite content to stay home while, according to her, all we boys do is sit around the campfire each night, tell lies and fart anyway. (How did she find that out???) Inga clearly doesn't have the strong Sagittarius yearning for adventure that I have!

I walk into the local dive shop in February 2004 and start discussing how one returns to a complex sport after a 22 year hiatus. In the end, the shop owner and I agree that it is best that I just start over from scratch. I think what clinched it for me was the fact that he has a corner of his shop setup as a diving museum. In it, he has a dummy dressed up in the kind of gear I used back in the seventies! So I donated my ancient snorkeling gear to add to his collection and brought new gear. I start classes at the end of February.

The gear has changed along with the instructional materials but as I stand in the dive shop and talk about the sport, a doorway opens in my psyche and I discover that highly developed mindset is right there. This is going to be fun! I'll keep a running log and update the website as I go. I'm ready to get wet. I can hear the water elementals calling me. -- Scott Bruce Duncan */:-)

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