This past weekend I barely feel as if I caught my breath! It was non-stop from start to finish.

In fact since my last blog I have been really busy. Maybe this is due to the warmer weather erratically arriving?

On Wednesday after work Retha came for drinks and afterwards I cooked dinner. I made Mexican salads with spicy beef and they were yummy.

I did not have any leftovers for my lunch the next day and the girls at work naughtily persuaded me to use OrderIn to get sushi from Sakura Sushi Bar.

It was divine! I ordered:

• 1 X Prawn, Avo & Mayo Salad @ R48.00
• 1 X Salmon Roses @ R64.00
• 1 X Open Prawn Tempura @ R48.50

That day Norm sent me a message to say that my cousin ‘C’ had posted ‘RIP to her  sister ‘T’ who was ‘transitioning” on Facebook. Norm is C’s friend but I unfriended and blocked her years ago due to her random bizarre harassment on Facebook.  My Mom is still friends with T and so I messaged Mom to say that T had passed away. For some reason my Mom decided to ring T’s phone and got the shock of her life when T answered. Mom told T what C had posted online and then C starts harassing my Mother on a continual basis. I had to show my Mom how to block a phone call, what is wrong with someone who harasses a 75 year old woman for caring about her sister?? The crazy is strong in my family. One reason why I am quite happy to not be in the states.

Our house pictures went up on Property24 late on Thursday night. Several of the pictures were terrible and it really upset me. It upset me so much I could not sleep. I probably had 4 hours sleep on Thursday so all day Friday I felt dreadful. I messaged the agent and he took down the worst of them but none of them are great quality. They are blurry and yellow. The view and the outside of the house look amazing but none of the inside pics do the house justice.

Here is a link to the full advert: My House.

What do you think?

After work on Friday I went to Kevin, the Chiro who is coaching me on Mindfulness and working on my knee and back issues. He reminded me to focus on the now and to not obsess about whether the house will sell or what may or may not happen.

He took my blood pressure and it was 165/82 which explained why I had been feeling so rubbish all day. I had thought it was lack of sleep and stress. The question is did the stress or sleep interruptions cause the blood pressure issues or did the blood pressure issues cause the stress?

I am sure it is a cyclical chicken/egg type response.

I cooked baked chicken breasts, steamed cauliflower and spinach for dinner and settled in with a wee vodka to relax. I was so tired so I did not want to go out. I started watching Lucifer a series I had not watched before and it kept me amused for a few hours. I am really enjoying it.

I loved the lead actor, Tom Ellis when he was in Miranda and he is very funny and sexy in this show.

I was up early on Saturday as Caitlin and I were going to collect the pottery we painted on my birthday at Clay Cafe. The plates look so stunning!

 

After we collected the plates and my mug we had eggs benedict and a coffee.

Then we headed over to Earthworx garden centre to find a new plant for Caitlin’s flat. We had a little wander around and discussed all of the plants and then enjoyed gazing at the Fairy Garden they have set up.

Caitlin bought a plant and a new pot to put it in and then we parted ways. She went to the house to pick up some things she had left and to sort a few things before going to lunch with Wesley.

I headed into the city to the hairdresser to get my roots done. I snapped this when I got home.

Grey begone!! 

It was a gorgeous sunny day so I sat on the porch while Navajo and Panda had a mooch about.

Retha messaged me to ask if I wanted to come for a braai at her place and then she came to collect me. There were only a few of us there, it was such a warm day but in typical South African style once the sun set it was freezing so we layered up and tried to stay out of the wind.

I had far too much vodka and got to bed a bit late. It was made even worse when Navajo woke me at 5 am to go outside and then wanted to go out at 6 am again as well. He seemed to be feeling poorly.

Eventually I got up and started getting ready to go to the Introduction to Shamanism course that Michelle (Dancing Heart Spirit Woman) was putting on at Soul. I was very happy that Norm had driven me there before and I could follow my instincts to get back there as I am not very good with directions or new places I have never been before. I set off in plenty of time and was there a bit early. My friend Carol also attended. We sat outside in the garden in the sun until everyone arrived and was ready to start.

Eventually we all entered and got seated in a large circle around the room. There was a cloth in the center which Michelle had set up as an altar and we were all invited to place our items onto the altar for blessings.

I brought my new drum and drumstick as well as some crystals. Other people brought photographs, beads, cards and all manner of personal items they wanted to be blessed by the energy that day.

The altar had an item to symbolise each of the four elements:

• Feathers for Air
• A lit candle for Fire
• Rocks and crystals for Earth
• Seashells and a bowl of water for Water.

We all took a turn holding the talking stick and telling why we were there and what we hoped to gain from attending the workshop. Then Michelle began her teachings. She taught us about the Medicine Wheel and what the 7 directions represent. I’ve found a few different images to give you an idea of the different elements represented in each direction.

I do not have my notes with me so I got the following info from another site.

The Medicine Wheel, sometimes known as the Sacred Hoop, has been used by generations of various Native American tribes for health and healing. It embodies the Four Directions, as well as Father Sky, Mother Earth, and Spirit Tree—all of which symbolize dimensions of health and the cycles of life.

Different tribes interpret the Medicine Wheel differently. Each of the Four Directions (East, South, West, and North) is typically represented by a distinctive color, such as black, red, yellow, and white, which for some stands for the human races. The Directions can also represent:

• Stages of life: birth, youth, adult (or elder), death
• Seasons of the year: spring, summer, winter, fall
• Aspects of life: spiritual, emotional, intellectual, physical
• Elements of nature: fire (or sun), air, water, and earth
• Animals: Eagle, Bear, Wolf, Buffalo and many others
• Ceremonial plants: tobacco, sweet grass, sage, cedar

The one which stood out to me was the Coyote, who represents the South. He is known as a clown and a trickster and is there to remind us to laugh and play. I know as a Virgo I need this reminder often as it is not in my nature to be frivolous of spirit. I am a serious person and I need to remember to enjoy life.

The other 3 ‘directions’ were also discussed, Above to represent the ancestors, Below to represent Mother Earth and the Within to represent the here and now, the centre of self. The colours to represent these directions are:

• Above: Blue
• Here / now / centre of self: Purple
• Below: Green

We then had a gorgeous soup made from the vegetables that Michelle and Gordon grow at Sacred Ibis. There was also some divine fresh bread and a fruit salad for dessert. Simple, nourishing, healthy food.

We then did a few drum journeys. The first was to find your power animal. I was unable to go into a trance and did not see any animals at all. I had the same issue I have with meditating, my mind will not be still. I kept seeing pictures of hearts. Hearts everywhere but no animals.

We then had a second round where we were supposed to build up the energy of our newly discovered power animal and then blow it into one of the crystals or stones we had brought with us. We had to ask permission from the crystal to store the spirit animal there. However as I had been unable to connect with mine I just let my mind roam free. The word ‘All’ kept running through my mind. Was this supposed to combine with the heart from my 1st session to tell me to ‘Love All Animals’? I do not know.

The third drum journey was to connect with our Spirit Guides. I have always felt that one of my spirit guides is White Buffalo Woman. She has come to me in visions and in symbolism in so many instances. Even before I knew of her story, I would have mediums and psychics describe her to me and ask if I know who she is? Her message to me is always ‘do you know who you are?’. She has been trying to get me onto the Red Road for a long time.

I saw her in various forms in my visions, I saw her as the beautiful maiden, I saw her as the elder with white braids. But I knew it was her. She had a golden light surrounding her.

I was sad that I could not see my animal totem but seeing White Buffalo Woman was a privilege and it validated what I have felt for many years since I saw her and the other native women in my first vision which took me back to my roots. In that vision she handed me a pile of animal skins and said to me ‘Do you know who you are’? This is always her question to me.

I am finally trying to discover who I am spiritually.

Michelle had brought along some beautiful Smudge Wands she had made. I was drawn immediately to this one.

I bought it and Michelle told me that she had been gifted the Hawk feather and that she was glad that I had chosen to take it home with me. I love it so.

After the workshop was finished I headed home. Navajo had been sick a few times in the evening, I think he was objecting to the richness of the chicken gizzards he had eaten. I mopped up rivers of dog barf.

That will ground one back to reality pretty fast.

Josh came down on Sunday evening to stay for a few days of work on his project. Lily will be coming down to join him later in the week as they are going to a wedding this weekend.

Yesterday we woke to the horrendous news of the Vegas shooting  in the US and closer to home the shooting in Phillipi.

It is so sad that our world is so full of so much hate and pain. I pray for the victims and their loved ones.

Last night Retha and I went to meet her friend Lauren for dinner in Sea Point.

We went to Wonderful on Main Road. They have a special on for R89 where you get a bowl of soup, a spring roll, a main course and dessert. What a bargain!

I had the chicken and sweet corn soup.

Then a vegetable spring roll.

For my main course I chose the crispy beef with fried rice.

It was not the BEST crispy beef I have ever had but it was certainly not the worst. The beef was lean and tender.

For dessert we had the banana spring roll with ice cream.

It was a nice evening full of laughs and busy conversation.

Tonight I am having a quiet night in as I am exhausted! 

The coyote will have to find someone else to dance with him tonight.

Kisses from the Kitten xoxoxoxo