NEW MOON in Aries, tomorrow April 14, 2010 ENVISION NEW BEGINNINGS

The New Moon is a time to purposefully envision new beginnings.  In a wonderful and progressive way, we on Earth can tap into the energy of the celestial goddess and goodness of Mahina The Moon.  Our relationship with Mahina and the vardo sky above us, Pete and I learn to re-align or remember what it feels like to be in the flow with the universe and the hard wiring that was stamped into our natal astrology charts.  A couple weekends ago we were out in one of our favorite towns, Snohomish.  There we know a possibility for enjoying a Snohomish Bakery treat or breakfast in the sunny window seat is better than a kick in the keester.  'Getting out' is one of the major re-alignments that is a slow and deliberate activity.  Two years ago, there was no 'getting out' to join society; too many new experiences was re-tooling our knowledge base.  So, our outings to Snohomish have become a joy and a simple pleasure.

Though the trees had already begun their mating rituals (pollination!) I took a chance and thought a walk along the river would be worth the risk.  It was, at least for several minutes.  There in the middle of a quickly flowing Snohomish River were a quartet of ducks doing what smart birds know how to do:  "go with the flow."  It was instant inspiration and glee to see them.  The pollens were clogging me quickly but not before the birds lent their example to my love of nature's teaching.  It was perfect!

Today's New Moon in Aries is a time for us to get in the flow and set our intension with the added bonus of Aries' fiery energy.  Elsa P. one of my long-term astrology favorites has this to say about the Aries New Moon...

...Aries is the first sign. It comes rushing in so when you set your intention this month make sure to use the most of this inspired, fiery energy. Consider the house in your chart where the new Moon land (24 Aries) and look for a new beginning...
http://www.elsaelsa.com/archives/2010/04/05/transit-watch-new-moon-in-aries-april-14-2010/

The New Moon in Aries lands in Pete's 8th House of shared resources and rebirths.  The New Moon lands in my 3rd House of communication.  What do I envision for us with this next 29 days and nights?

I envision courage to continue honest communication about our needs and wishes for a place to live safely, sharing resources with people who 'get the conditions' of an MCS reality. 

One day at a time, Pete and I and others who live with Multiple Chemical Sensitivities walk a thin line of equilibrium.  Society has created systems that pave over the inconsistencies it would deem in need of control.  The construction industry depends upon pavement to erect its development.  The processes of development are toxic, expensive and costly to the health of all living beings.  This morning, the attached article was posted at The Canary Report.  It's the latest status of our friend Linda Sepp's living situation in downtown Toronto, Ontario.  Linda's eviction triggers the adjustment to my original post for ENVISION NEW BEGINNINGS. 

...For years, she’s been the last resident in an Ontario neighborhood slated for demolition by a landlord wanting to raze the area to build new. The place is decaying, crumbling and frequently vandalized. Linda’s house has a leaky roof and basement, problems with mold, a contaminated water pipeline, and a leaky gas stove (now disconnected). She doesn’t want to be there, but where is she to go?


The problem is, how does a disabled person with acute chemical sensitivity, who’s dependent on government assistance, prepare to move? How does a disabled person with acute chemical sensitivity secure and install a whole house water filtration system so she can bathe and wash clothes properly (not just for everyday health but also in preparation for a move); secure safe clothing and a washing machine in the first place (there is a reason why she’s naked in the photo, she only has about five articles of safe, uncontaminated clothing to her name); conduct a housing search and then properly prepare that house for an uber sensitive person? How does she do that? And if she can’t do it herself, how does she find a knowledgeable advocate to help navigate the entire process?
Link to read the entire article :  http://www.thecanaryreport.org/2010/04/13/lindasepp/

Many of us live on the edge, our precious ledge of safety tetters for any number of reasons, our world of stabilty fragile.  MCS is to a great degree a 'preventable' condition, contingent upon human decisions to step away from choices that do great harm.  My heart goes out to our friend Linda in Toronto.  My energy to continue is a store based on one day's parcel of energy at a time; and yet, I too slip into fear and I lose hold on the courage to dare to believe in something wonderful being in the flow.

How do you envision new beginnings for this New Moon?

If there is any doubt

"No wound does heal, but by degrees"

I am ever humbled by the quick change in the direct and pace of life.  It speeds up as one ages -- the pace that is.  Even though from the outside the eyes of youth might see my life as something less than rapid, time passes so differently today than when I was half this age. 

Since my last post I have been engaged in the work of attending to life, recouping and regaining equilibrium.  To update and also to chronicle (for myself, because without it I forget my successes) this very special heroic journey of R & R here I am at the keys and in the basement to make these notes.  For if there is any doubt that there is courage working through us this may help to bring it front and center.

Here is what we have done in the last days since posting:

1.  Continued to heal and mend a fracture to my arm and elbow. 
There is very little pain now, I am conscious of the daily ease with which I can use my dear old right arm.  I spend time soothing her my very used and recently injured dominant arm and hand.  The sesame seed milk has done its job of aiding in the rebuilding of calcium where needed.  Gentle massage and attention to how I use this right arm brings me back to mindfulness.  How much I do take bodily function for granted.

2.  I can do more cooking and have begun to drive again.
When I am unable to do the daily bits, Pete must take them on.  His is already a loaded share, so the increase is more than enough.  He does it and all else.  I feel guilty for it and on the best of days, I am able to forgive myself the weigh of guilt and it pases. 

3.  Pete is involved with this community in ways he has wished, and that gives us more diversity.
The community garden patch is growing nicely with Pete's help and the help of neighborhood folks who contribute their skills and their time.  It's a resourceful group there in Lowell by the river; I'm grateful Pete has that outlet and we have a garden planted with peas, onions, carrots and beets so far.

4.  The Canary Caravan Carnival is in the making.
Bloggers and allies have thrown their hats into our 3 ring circus as the May MCS Awareness Event here at VardoForTwo is planted.  There's still plenty of time to join in.  Consider contributing and being part of the sharing on May 14,15 and 16th.

5.  Pollen season is in full bloom here.
Last Friday I joined our friends for a dinner (a very big thing for us with MCS at this level of severity).  It takes a lot of effort to be vigilant about the exposures when I am with 'others'.  I made a choice to take myself inside the house for a Friday night dinner with 7 friends.  There were precautions made to get me to the table:  the gas stove and oven were used for dinner so the room was aired before I came in.  Usually I try for 15 minutes inside as my limit.  I stuck to that.  I made it through a dinner.  Sat at the table in a 'proper chair' and chatted while I ate fresh-caught salmon and potato dinner across from three friends.  That is a huge thing!  I asked for an open window to blow fresh air in ... that is usually a good thing.  Friday night that proved to be the wrong decision.  A bank of broad leaf maples and a lilac bush are in full pollination or just about to bloom and that combined with the contruction site next door combined to set out allergies and reactivity. 

I have been recovering from the episode using all method of R & R including NAET treatments, saline solution nasal rinses, Lomi lomi treatments, high levels of Vitamin C, increased drinking of fresh young coconut water, cleaning the vardo and basement(thank you Pete) of dusts and pollens, 18 hours of watching the Brit film series "The House of Elliot", asking our friend Doug to cut the lilac blooms and stowing them away to take to work and finally yesterday I ordered a tank of oxygen to have as needed. 

6.  This morning, I am back to the basement for the first sit down at the keys since Thursday, and the chronicle is laid down.  Doing whatever it takes to take the next breath, and make my way through the relationships that I have with people is a full-time job.  If there is any doubt life is full, I have only to look again at the words strung together here or look at the reality of life's character etched in my face, the face of my dear Pete.  Getting through the rough times of getting through an exposure is process ... messy and progressive.  I hope my healing is building on a foundation that needed reinforcing and humility may be my reward for learning compromise and cooperation. 

Is compromise and cooperation easy for you; are you good at it?  

Kolea Nani

Kolea Nani ... beautiful golden plover

Thank you CKB for the lovely photo!

Back on O'ahu, the beautiful Kolea our adopted totem bird-'aumakua is very busy eating to plump itself for the trans-Pacific flight to the Alaska tundra.

Eat well sweet bird

Fly safe

Make the journey that reminds me

Earth is home ... here & there

Link here to read a bit more about the beautiful Kolea, Pacific Golden Plover

and listen to its sweet song, too.

CANARY CARAVAN CARNIVAL ... the excitement builds

MAY, 2010 is MCS Awareness Month on The Planet and an excellent time for Canaries to spread the word about Multiple Chemical Sensitivites.  Events and activities are in the works, and here at VARDOFORTWO we are planing to gather and celebrate the grand and the mini-step successes of a life lived well.  For three days--FRIDAY, May 14, SATURDAY, May 15 and SUNDAY, May 16, bloggers will circle the wagons and bring their TOOLS, ALLIES and PROSE to the first three ring circus of hope, innovation and inspiration for those of us who live, thrive and learn from the experiences of Multiple Chemical Sensitivities.

I'm so excited by the wonderful positive response I'm getting from the 'ohana of canaries who want to be part of the whoopa!  So far these friends are adding their ika (energy) to the excitement:

Mary and Keith who author Mary and Keith's Excellent Adventure!
Susie Collins from The Canary Report
Liberty from Moving Beyond MCS
Julie Genser from Planet Thrive

I have emails of invitation ready to send to other MCS friends, and allies of MCSers who bring insight, joy and positive energy to the Canary Caravan Carnival.  Since my last post about the Carnival, my brain has been storming (in a good way!) with topics for our three ring circus and storytelling jamboree.  So far, it looks like these are the three basic categories for blog posts/articles/activities.  Like a good TAP DANCE, we'll fill the Canary Caravan Carnival with our brands of cavorting.

The three rings or circles at the Canary Caravan Carnival of storytelling and sharings will offer:

Tfor Tools, totems and tangents

Toot your hoot with the tools that make your life with Multiple Chemical Sensitivities a life-in-progress.  Tell your stories about the totems -- images, charms and sign-posts that tether you to your strength and serve as affirmation to the unique being you are.  Tangents are the unexpected and often unplanned paths or off-shoots of a life planned; places and experiences that spontaneously happen because we are human and because MCS might have had something to add to the old 'normal.'

Are there tools, totems and tangents that make a difference in your everyday, or perhaps showed up at the perfect time along the way?

A for Allies, angels and angles

We are in this space ship together!  No doubt, that there are times in each of our individual lives where we are lonely, and more often than we'd care to believe, MCS can become an isolating reality.  Through the vessel of cyberspace -- the internet and blogging, the connection with Allies we could not have imagined become part of our net of belonging.  Personal and collective angels come into our lives and a new and unplanned angle appears as many of us connect to the vast universe, the stairway to the nurturing celestial bodies or the sound of nature that persists inspite of the odds.

Share the allies, angels and unsuspecting angles that support you in your journey. 

Pfor Prose, poems and prayers

Canaries, those of us who have included all manner of masks to shield or filter the toxic effects of others' choices also find creative expressions to make sense of life with change.  The mask can also be an incredibly vibrant and beautiful second-skin or other face that says something grand/potent/humorous/gut-wrenching about our experiences at the moment.  Story in prose, poems and prayers have long been a way for the human being to connect and communicate with the god/goddess/higher power within. 

The Canary Caravan Carnival offers a circle for the stories that you have found, written or created to connect with that power that is ever present. 

If you would like to contribute and make a submission to the Carnival, please leave a comment in the Comments or email me with your idea/submission:  ssvardo@gmail.com  Let me know which category you'd like to be apart of, too.

More details and a deadline for submissions will be posted as the days and nights roll.  There's still plenty of time to join in, so please feel welcome to add your uniqueness to the activities.  Help me fill in the white space, and be unafraid to color outside the lines (ahhh...there are no lines!)

Let our canary roars be heard!


Aloha,
Mokihana

Clipart credits go to  http://www.designedtoat.com/  for all the graphics, save for the canaries

'OLE DAYS AND NIGHTS OF THE HAWAIIAN MOON CALENDAR

The three days and nights of the 'Ole Cycle (the 21st-23rd nights of the Moon)... the reflective, review and inventory, weeding time attending to what has been planted in thought, word and action since the previous times of 'Ole (the 7th-10th nights of the moon)... begins tomorrow, Sunday, April 4th.  Our practice here at VardoForTwo is to refrain from new posts and new projects.  There is always plenty to review, readjust and consider during the 'Ole Cycle as Mahina (the Moon) wanes into the New Moon.

Zodiacarts a wonderful site created on the Northshore of my beloved O'ahu in the Hawaiian Islands publishes a wonderful monthly Moon Calendar that I have come to consult regularly.  You might like to see what Mahina will be doing during the month of April.  Click here to pull that April Moon Calendar up.

Until next time,
Aloha ... Mokihana and Pete

P.S. Tomorrow (whoops, that would be Monday and not tomorrow, Sunday) we celebrate our 1 year anniversary of life from the tiny home/sleeping loft VardoForTwo.  What a year it has been~

One year ago on Vardo For Two the wheelie home was mobile  LINK to April 4, 2009

And another link:  Oldtime fabulous rockers singing "End of the Line" ... what a time!

'OLENA Easter Eggs ... shades of yellow for a gentler color

We got a sweet Easter card from my son yesterday...got me thinking about the years of Easter baskets I would fill for him when he was a kiddo.  He is an only child, and when I think about the simple hiding hunt-for-the Easter egg things we did for him I wonder and then I remember how fast life really is moving at this age and smile at the card he sends to us who forget what day it is on a regular basis.

This morning as we puttering in the basement I told Pete "We'll need to dye a dozen eggs for Easter."  He turned in my direction but I dare say I heard no comment to the suggestion.  A dozen eggs would sit a long time in our tiny frig but maybe if we had a little fun project to make 'OLENA (turmeric) colored eggs there would be a something to do. 

I found this link to using turmeric over at The Canary Report, part of an article about "PREPARING FOR MCS AWARENESS MONTH."  Yellow is for Canaries ... us who live with MCS as kin to the yellow feathered song birds.  I love the idea of using 'olena, a spice and a root I have used for making preparations for ear aches.  (Squeeze a small nib of fresh 'olena root with a garlic press, into a shallow, small dish.  Add a tiny amount of olive oil/or oil you know you are tolerant of.  Mix the 'olena juice with the oil to blend.  Use a clean glass dropper and suck up the mixture ... it may be thick, that's okay.  Lie with head on a pillow with a cloth that can be washed ... 'olena will color whatever it touches (which is great if you don't mind).  Drop one or two drops of the 'olena oil into one ear, and then the other.  Dap up the drips that will come from your ear and keep a cotton ball bit to cover if you're able to tolerate the cotton.

Here's that link for using turmeric to color hard-boiled eggs.  I think I'd do that this weekend for a fun thing to entertain my dear self. 
http://kids-holiday-activities.suite101.com/article.cfm/yellow_colored_easter_eggs_dyed_with_turmeric


Have you used other spices or gentle to you egg dyes?

The Canaries Caravan ... a BLOGGERS CARNIVAL to Celebrate MAY MCS Awareness Month

May is MCS AWARENESS Month throughout the globe.  Susie Collins and the community of canaries at The Canary Report have been chirping and organizing for months in preparation for MCS AWARENESS Month.  For our regular readers, the journey of these two old dears as we learn to ID the realities of environmentally triggered illness is what weaves in and out of the stories, posts and links we put here at VardoForTwo.  Over the while those who come to this blog place become witness to the multiple schemes of experiences a being has as the illness and the conditions affect who we have been; and the core of our humanness morphs, uncovers or becomes more and more who we are ... new, different, unexpected, triumphant, shattered, debilitated, recreated.  All or none of these might suit on any one day, at any one moment.

Today is April 1st ... APRIL FOOLS DAY.  A perfect time to announce a sort of bloggers' carnival.  It would be fun and empowering to use that month of may to give voice to the very well and very resilient force of human power alive in the examples of women, men and children who live with MCS.  I'm inspired by the wonderful Astrology Carnival that my cyberpals CJ Wright and Donna Cunningham concocted to celebrate National Astrology Day.  No fool'n!

Here's the idea ...

• Friday, May 14, Saturday, May 15 and Sunday, May 16 are CANARY CARAVAN Days it's a time to circle the wagons and come to tell our stories.  We who live with the affects of Multiple Chemical Sensitivities are as similar and different as the shades of yellow, or the hues of the color blue; there are so many shades of yellow or blue (or green or purple) and what we know comes from who we are at the core.  Posts by bloggers with links or related articles will appear on VardoForTwo on these three days.  Written to inspire and offer space for the incredibly rich and creative expressions of our lives I hope to circle the wagons for a time of collective strength.

• I will be chatting behind the scenes with my blogger friends who live and thrive with the realities of a life affected by MCS, hoping to enlist the help of two other bloggers who will also post CANARY CARAVAN stories on their blogs.  Even as I write this to the page, all is not firmly in place so if you have ideas or thoughts please leave me comments or email me at ssvardo@gmail.com.  This is a totally new project for me so please join in.

• There may be categories of stories over the three days of CANARY CARAVAN.  I'm thinking:

1. Poetry and Prose:  Words and images poems, a photo essay or short story that reflect your life with MCS
2. Tools and Practices:  Stories about the medical, physical, emotional and spiritual supportive practices that aid and create foundations for an evolving life

What other categories would you like to see at the CANARY CARAVAN?

We have six weeks to put together some really fun and inspiring blogging that can educate, infuse and make a difference.  If you're interested or curious let me know in the comments or email.

Aloha,
Mokihana

Gypsy Caravans Photo Credit:
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1dd46zqevGTbXvZ7X7gaJP0OYlKAqebHKEZLRjLm8ehyRaUpZsglAZJv4Ba_hb0eZT8noAI9pYmJ4Nbvc3p7hEqsx-Y0odERpIjktPkwDSC22uef910eT5D3xw3LJ4TlmZ6h9jd9r1Gg/s1600-h/gypsy-caravans-pic-sm-41652864.jpg