Maggie's blog: "Open Your Mind"

Night Light News is where I get alot of my weekly info on what's up amongst the planets and stars, lol! I've been wanting to provide the link and I hope this works. Not sure if it will, lol, but at least I've tried!! http://web.nightlightnews.com/OverviewfortheMonth/WeeklyHoroscopes/index.html Not exactly a link, but it works, lol!

I took this write up on the Venus Retrograde from Night Light News. You can get quite accurate info for the upcoming week; her weeks run Thursday to Wednesday, btw! Hope this helps fill in the info gaps, lol! Venus turns retrograde Friday morning at 10:28 am (Pacific time) at 2 degrees Virgo. Where is that degree in everyone's chart? Venus will re-enter Leo August 10th continuing its retrograde motion till September 7th. We know that retrogrades signify an inward movement of the planet's energy (and thus our energy). Everyone in the world will experience this Venus retrograde. Love, relationships, values and our possessions will be altered and will not function in ways we are used to. We will be called to look back upon that which is unfinished, including feelings about others, past loves and business relationships. We may have difficulty expressing ourselves for the energy of a retrograde activates inner levels. We will re-evaluate existing relationships. A new and higher level of harmony and balance will be sought. We will review the issues in our lives that have been difficult and attempt to discover other paths and ways of living that bring forth love, comfort, money and the Art of Living. Relationships that begin during Venus retrograde turn out to be quite different when Venus turns direct. This is a forewarning. Venus retrograde is also a time to review finances and evaluate the best and better ways to bring in, handle, save, and use money. DO NOT PURCHASE ANYTHING OF IMPORTANCE DURING THE VENUS RETROGRADE. Also, while Venus is retrograde a most interesting situation occurs. The value and price of things becomes unknown! Therefore one can find great bargain or one can spend extravagantly on an object no longer useful when Venus turns direct. Clean out closets and garages and give things away. Venus retro is a time to unburden ourselves from objects (events, jobs, relationships, ideas, beliefs, that couch, etc.) that are no longer serving us. Finally it's time to re-evaluate how we think about ourselves, how we look, dress, speak, and tend to our own care and feeding (on all levels including spiritual). It's really a fun time to observe others during a Venus retrograde. Everything's quite upside down. And the best fun of all is when Venus retro is over. The world has changed.

Interesting bits and pieces, running through my mind! Just finished perusing a mumm and almost commented - almost, lol. This mumm was basically about taking pictures of body parts for viewing by friends and family on CT. The question was: would you still take and post pictures of areas that had scars, scars due to an abusive relationship. I suppose it could also apply to any scarring, birth mark, blemish, etc. Would you expose that much of who you are on CT. Taking the risk to expose yourself, who you really are, physically or emotionally, can be a frightening thing. Your self esteem can take a hit, bigtime, especially here at CT! I suppose that is the reason you frequently find or hear about the fake pics, pics of more attractive and, yeah, younger individuals posted instead of the actual owner of the profile. I wanted badly to comment on that mumm! Wear those scars proudly, I wanted to say. You have survived and triumphed over that part of your life. You are beautiful for having come through it - this is who you are!! But I hesitated doing that. That is so much easier said than done! Although some might not realize it from the pics I have posted, lol, I hate photos of myself!! How I look to myself, my mental image if you will, looks nothing like the person I see in the mirror, lmao! The friends that know me well know what grief I put myself through to come up with pictures I consider to look halfway like me. My friend Stacey has a gift for taking really good pics of me, may the God and Goddess bless her, lol! She sees me as a beautiful older woman - and wants to grow up to be just like me, lmao!! My family sees me as Mom, Grandmother, Aunt, Sister, etc., and attractiveness does not enter the equation. I just need to fulfill the function of my role! Ah, to find the balance amongst all these different perspectives! There's the rub, thank you so much Mr. Shakespeare, lol! I know I'm not the only person struggling with balancing the person I am on the inside looking out, with the person others see looking back at the physical me! I said to one of my dear CT friends and past life companions yesterday, in fact I've said this to several, that we are all so much more than we appear to be from the outside, so much more complex! But snap judgments are made, just on appearances alone, all the time! A little like playing cards with the deck stacked against you, lol. Maybe this is ending up more of a blog on aging, or perceptions people have of individuals who have lived longer than they have, lol! Most people I come into contact with are amazed that I love to hang with people much younger than myself. I like all kinds of music, loved the Thrash metal last night, lol! Just keep the moshers away from me, lmao!! I love my tattoos and piercings - not your usual Grandmotherly way of thinking, so they say! But there were many last night, younger than myself, whose mouths fell open when I said I loved the music and who just about fell over when Andrea told them I had piercings! And some of the younger women were sneaking glances at me and chuckling, until they realized I was WITH THE BAND!!! (WTF!?) If you are reading this, you have read my other blogs, so there is no need to say much about what I choose to expose regarding my mental/emotional explorations and adventures! Maybe that is the thing: that I still choose to take the risks, exposing who I really am, knowing there will always be those that will make the choice not to understand or to really SEE! And that kind of risk-taking is usually associated with the young, lol! May there be more and more "experienced" men and women, willing to take the risk of exposing who they really are to everyone around them! While I'm making my wish list: may there be less hate, more acceptance, more tolerance, more LOVE! May you have as much Joy on your Journey as I have had and continue to have on mine! As the mummers say, it's time I STFU!!!!!! Love to all!

Must be time to make order out of the chaos in my mind - I'm waking up at odd times, early morning times, with thoughts running around like their hair is on fire (I love that expression, lol!!)! First, an apology of sorts, lol! If I have disturbed you with my thoughts and rambling, either through my blogs or when we are chatting, I am very sorry! My best friend Stacey believes that I am here to make people think about things they would rather not think about, lmao! That may be! At this point in my life, I am on an adventure and exploring new and somewhat uncomfortable terrain - in my mind, at this point! I am acknowledging my Dark or Shadow side and trying to find balance within myself. You can't deny your Shadow side, my friends, because it will eventually come back and bite you on the ass!! I'm a Gemini, friends! I am now and forever wanting to learn new things, understand what makes one do the things one does. Given the opportunity I would gladly learn about EVERYTHING!! But keep in mind, just because I am asking questions about certain things, exploring certain ideas and issues, it does not mean I am doing or have ever done some of those things, lol! I am open to looking at, discussing, ruminating, researching, thinking about almost anything! Note the qualifier: ALMOST!! I find I need to bounce things off of other people, get their viewpoints, etc. Unfortunately, I assume everyone is as open to exploration as I am, lmao! NOT! I have truly disturbed a few people, I think. I love all my past life companions dearly! One of the great joys in my life has been to find my old friends/lovers/family members again. Some are closer to me than others, lol, as you might guess! And not all are at the same juncture in their Journey, even though we have shared one or many, many lifetimes in each others company! I have to remember this - I tend to assume on occasion that we are all at the same place, lmao! WE ARE NOT! Now to the specific apologies, of sorts! I have been married 3 times. This lifetime has been fraught with romantic disasters for me!! I finally realized that standard marriage is difficult for my personality to handle, so be it! In finding my past life companions, quite a few of which are past life lovers/spouses/ friends with benefits, lots of past life affection - love, if you will - is presenting itself. I feel like I'm in the middle of my own bloody harem!!! Not a bad thing, but not particularly comfortable at times. So, I began a study of polyamory! I am not now, nor have I ever been in, a polyamorous relationship! I am however finding that love continues across the ages with at least 5 of my past life guys! No wonder I've had problems this time around - I'm still quite tightly connected to at least three!! Life lessons, all over the place! I'm learning to deal with myself, lol! Strange happenings lead one to study strange things!!!!! One of my past life companions has issues with my discovery of the pain/pleasure principle - guess I like my piercings a little too much for his comfort! That's OK, but I have found he has a very sensitive spirit in that regard. For many reasons, he spends very little time at CT now. I hope he cruises through and reads this apology, I truly did not realize it would disturb him so much! Some are finding me disturbingly openminded! There's that word disturb again! At CT you come in contact with all kinds of people with all kinds of ideas, all kinds of turn ons! I tend to move forward, rather than back away - I want to know what makes them tick, what in their lives have made them the way they are - being turned on by something most would consider gross! One past life companion is still not speaking to me because I CHOOSE to accept someone with ideas he does not understand and frankly finds gross! Sorry, this is just the way I am! I accept your behavior as well, sweetie! THIS DOES NOT MEAN I CHOOSE TO ENGAGE IN WHAT TURNS THEM ON!!!! I have a most diverse group in my friends list, just take a look at all of them, if you don't believe me, lol! Young and not so young, every spiritual persuasion you could imagine, every color and lifestyle imaginable! I like it this way! I'd like to think we all learn from each other! This is getting long! I had much more to talk about, but I guess another blog entry will have to cover the other topics, lol! I am disgustingly optimistic, I love unconditionally - I'm not talking sex here, OK, I am open-minded to a fault. Hate turns me off! We truly don't have time for hate! So sorry if I disturb some of my friends at times, but this is me! I like company on my explorations, but I will try to be more careful who I choose to include, for your sake! Much love, Dear Ones! Much love!

I am exploring the concept of polyamorous relationships. Why, you might ask! Long story, not sure I want to share it at this point in time, lol. Let's just say I've discovered my personality makes me better suited for that type of relationship, as opposed to the standard! I would like the opinions/ideas of my friends and family members regarding polyamory and the viability of such a relationship. Those comfortable with this topic can either post their opinion here or PM/cmail me! Thanks, everyone! Yeah, I think about the most interesting things, don't I, lol!! Much love, warm hugs, and blessings!

My mind is working overtime these days! I'm journaling so much I need a new notebook already, lol! Trying to make order out of the chaos that is my mind, at times. What is it with these commercials about covering gray hair?! A man is wondering, as he strokes some gray that I can't even SEE, whether people will see the REAL him - if he doesn't cover the gray! WTF!? THAT IS THE REAL PERSON! Will others look deeper, to who he really is inside? That has nothing to do with the gray hair and lots to do with the quality of the people who approach him. Personally, if someone doesn't have the time or the inclination to know the REAL me, I don't want to know them!! On to more random thoughts, Amen! I had the pleasure this morning of being referred to as a wild woman by a friend, lmao! I think that made my day! Thank you, Serene!! I would like to encourage all the women, young and old, out there to aspire to be referred to as a "wild woman" at the age of almost 60. Hell, I want to be referred to as a wild woman when I'm 80, 90, and onward!! And I see absolutely no reason that I shouldn't be! Deal with it!! Life should be an adventure,up to and including ones transition to the next level! Here it comes, another Amen!! I want to take this opportunity to say thank you to all my past life companions! Sounds like some kind of farewell speech, lol - it's not!!!!! As we find each other, I am filled with such joy at renewing old acquaintances. One or two of you, I have had the privilege of sharing our Journeys over many, many lifetimes! Almost feels as though our energy has merged over time! It's a nice feeling, by the way, lol! More of you keep coming down the Pike every day or so, it's a little overwhelming at times. But I wouldn't change knowing all of you again, for who you are and who you have been, for anything in the whole world! Thank you for wandering back in my direction and making yourselves known. It fills me with great joy!! There is more, but that is of a private nature. So, I will take that to the handwritten Journal, lol! Enough for today, I think. Have a wonderful Sunday everyone! Much love and warm hugs to all, fans/friends/family! Blessings, all over the place! Each and every one of you warms my heart. I hope I am able to repay in kind!

So, here I am, awake at this hour again! I fought with my personal wakeup call this morning and finally gave in, lol! We, my friends and I, that is, are all on the fast track to personal growth, whether we want to be or not! Even the gregarious ones are pulling back into seclusion, dealing with the pain of it all. The strange and restless energy surges are not helping one little bit, either! Sadness, anger, despair, hysterical joy, uncontrollable attacks of weeping - we've got it all, friends, lol! Time for the heavy duty meditation. And lots of journaling to work this mess out! I've tried talking to others who are not "processing," but that does not seem to help. It's like the Universe is saying," You're on your own, kid; show us what you've got!!" Ouch, that hurts! It's become difficult to concentrate when treating clients as so much is going on in my head. Luckily, this is a slow week, lol! See how the Universe takes care of it all, lol!! I'm being reminded that I cannot fix everything! I'm a fixer, that's what I do! Or at least I try. I'm reminded that some things have to be worked out by the individual dealing with the problem. It's their pain, their issues, their lessons! I have my own lessons to learn; I don't need to learn their lessons, too, lol! I'm an Empath - I share people's pain! The issue is, I want to help them fix it. I need to remember that pain is a great tool for focus - I know this! Gotta just let them hurt, but bear it with them if necessary. God and Goddess, I dislike this particular lesson!! And here it is again!! Best learn it this time around, lol. So, beware the woman who is doing her painful processing! Hopefully, we'll all get a little break before the next round takes place, lol. But then, you never know! Blessings!

It just irks me that I have to even address this, but if I don't, who will! Hate to be "in your face", but which adolescent decided 30 year olds should be classified as "older women"? That is just insane! But then, maybe I balk at the Beauty Contest idea, anyway. There was this movie I saw once, I believe it was called "Logan's Run", but I could be wrong. Main premise of the movie: it was in the "future". Once you reached the age of 30, you were basically terminated as no longer of any worth! Wow, sci-fi - gotta' love it! Well, we may not be killing people off physically, YET, but we're happily killing the spirit of everyone over "a certain age." Youth has become EVERYTHING! When did we decide that youth garners respect and adoration, but a person who has survived their lifetime of learning and prevailed - without killing themselves - is not deserving of honor and respect. And love, for Pete's sake! Keep in mind, everyone reading this, hopefully, is going to make it to 30 and beyond! Yes, there is life after 30. But it will only be as incredible as the amount of effort and brain power you're willing to invest in it. Sounds like a good investment, to me! As an "Older Woman", I stake this claim! No one can keep me from being who and what I want to be. If I want tattoos and piercings at the age of 59 or higher, that's what I'll do. Why? Because I like the way they look. And they strike a primal chord for me.I acknowledge that I am, and will continue to be until the day I die, a sensual and, yes, sexual human being. Sexuality does not get turned off at any age! Deal with it! If I wish to admire the NSFW photos of my younger/older friends, I will probably do so if given access. I'm older, not dead!! I still admire a physically beautiful individual of any age. However, I've lived long enough to know that physical beauty is a very small part of a person's total makeup. I've known some physically stunning people whose energy was absolutely toxic!! I will look for that inner beauty, no matter what you look like on the outside. If it isn't there, you're toast! My friend and Sister, lily, has entered the Beautiful Older Woman Contest, and yes I consider her an Older Woman! God bless her, I think she is the absolute epitome of older women in their prime!! She is smart; she is funny; she is sexy as all get out! She has lived through traumatic circumstances and come out of it having learned something and stronger than ever before! To quote dear lily,"Women are like fine wine, we get better and better with age!" Can someone give me an Amen! Listen up, my young friends! Do not let anyone relegate you to the trash heap just because you're not 20 anymore. You will be more beautiful and so much stronger than ever before! My sermon has ended. Amen!