Manufactured Goods and the Fishing Boat Captain - part lll (a fable in 3, now 4 parts)

skilled sailor cork ring

Captain Sully and his fishing boat captain friends, feeling the weight of a thousand other fishing boat captains on their shoulders, stumbled into their local pub.

The bartender who was used to people stumbling out and not so much used to them stumbling in, stood speechless.

Outside, a storm was kicking up. The wind howled. The sliver of a waxing moon filled the sky.

Sad Irish music (this) wafted from the jukebox although no one had put in any coins and hey, the bartender thought to himself, when the hell did that thing start working again?

At first the other patrons didn't notice the sudden storm and the determined and slightly vacant look of the fishing boat captains slowly filling the pub.

All at once they stopped their conversations mid-sentence and cocked their heads.

They looked at their watches. The guy in the john dropped his cellphone down the toilet and flushed it away. He was late - there was no time to lose.

The words pounded in his head. The word pounded in all their heads. LATE.

Most couldn't remember what they were late for - although some had vague memories of kid's soccer games missed years ago, papers not turned in on time, deadlines missed at work and then the promotion going to that jackass who always threw his empty water bottle in the trash can instead of the recycling bin.

One became haunted by her father's funeral, which she had missed 5 years before when a freak storm just like tonight's now that she thought about it - had delayed her trip home. LATE filled their heads until they thought their heads would explode if they didn't get GOING.

Outside as they stumbled onto the sidewalk, each head turned toward the moon in unison. The moon which had been only a sliver just minutes before now filled the sky over the Etsy Marina sign. The moon mouthed "YOU'RE LATE".

(cue the scary music here)

The bartender may have thought for a moment how strange it was that everyone was leaving at once but recovered quickly, filled frosty mugs with Guinness and handed each fishing boat captain a drink in turn as they stumbled past him on their way to the corner booth.

These were not folks taken to complaining. They were women and men of the sea after all and they had learned long ago that a smooth sea did not make a skilled sailor.

Tonight they sipped their pints slowly and nervously. Many didn't speak. A few grumbled about customers who wouldn't know a hands-on captain from a hands-off captain until the ship they were fishing on capsized. At least there would be no captain to go down with the ship, they muttered.

Captain Sully, a man of few words, looked each fishing boat captain in the eye (all at once, yes, all at once) and pulled out a ... treasure map.

(I guess this is a fable in 4 parts now - laughs mischievously and looks at the moon)

Manufactured Goods and the Fishing Boat Captain - part ll (a fable in 3 parts)

amos trout studio print

The marina had only one rule (see part 1 here) - the captain of the fishing boat must actually captain the boat - hands on the wheel, that sort of thing. The captain could have help of course, but the captain still needed to be the captain after all.

(the marina hoped not the kind of captain who went down with her ship, but that part was up to the captain as it should be)

Over time, more and more fishing boat captains were parking their boats at this marina.

The marina got bigger and bigger and hired more people. The marina took down the signs that said this marina was a great place to be a fishing boat captain and put up signs that said this marina was a great place to make money.

People who had never even thought about being a fishing boat captain decided this fishing boat captain stuff sounded like a good idea and joined in, too.

Over time there wasn't room for everyone's boats to be viewed by the vacationers who could choose which boat they would charter for their fishing trip. The marina solved this problem by making different boats visible to different vacationers at different times based on stuff that even the smartest and most cunning fishing boat captains were unable to totally figure out.

There came a morning -

(a storm out of a clear blue sky will probably be the way the story is told later, although any fisherman worth his salt could tell you there had been storm clouds brewing for years)

when the fishing boat captains reached their docks and noticed the marina's one and only rule - the rule that said the captain's hands must be the hands on the ship's wheel - the one rule that fishing boat captains had lived by for as long as there had been fishing boats to captain - well, that one rule had been erased from the marina's welcome sign.

The marina called a meeting to explain the changes. They assured the fishing boat captains that this was really a good thing. The fishing boat captains could grow their hands-on businesses now that their hands didn't have to be holding on to the ship's steering wheel.

Most captains were upset. Some were scared. Many were angry. A few were relieved that they could stop pretending to be fishing boat captains, expand their fleets publicly and hire other hands for that pesky "hands on" part.

Captain Sully (yes, I decided the fishing boat captain from hub's trip was named Captain Sully; the most trustworthy name for a captain after all) who had been a fishing boat captain for so long he measured his time at sea in decades and the other equally crusty fishing boat captains had their own meeting at the pub that afternoon.

Now this is where my tale grows darker I'm afraid dear reader - this blog can't be cork and car parts all the time folks, I'm sorry - sometimes life is ... treacherous.

back tomorrow with part III (you may want to make like a lighthouse or a red roof inn and leave the light on)

Manufactured Goods and the Fishing Boat Captain - part I (a fable in 3 parts)

fishing locket - artwork by the amazing rbwatercolors

When hubs and I went on vacation last spring, George joined a boat charter for a 3 hour fishing trip. On the boat were hubs, the boat captain, one hired hand and 3 other vacationers.

One of the other vacationers (why do I want to type vacationeers, maybe because this took place in Florida), a guy who quickly let everyone know he was a "very successful" entrepreneur, was going on and on about what a great opportunity the boat captain had here and how he could be making a lot more money with his business.

The boat captain, a salty dog from way back, just kind of smiled indulgently at the businessman and asked him "why would I want to do that?" and the businessman was totally flabbergasted.

(this may be the first time I get to use the word flabbergasted in a blog post - I have been trying to work this word into my daily conversation for years, I just love it, you have to overlook the fact it kind of sounds like flatulence though)

Anyhoo, the businessman was getting himself all worked up. "You could have more boats! You could sit back and watch the money roll in! You wouldn't have to do so much work!"

The boat captain looking up at the sky and out at the sea, taking a long breath of clean ocean air and waving to the captain of another charter boat that passed them, his friend Jim who he would be having a pint with later on that afternoon, calmly replied, "I don't work now".

Now because I am that boat captain, but more importantly because I used to be that businessman, I understand both sides of this drama from my gut and my heart and 

I also understand how a boat captain (the artist in this little parable, in case I haven't been clear enough) who's never been a businessman (or at least not a "very successful" entrepreneur type businessman)

and a businessman who's never been a boat captain (the artist), can both shake their heads at the other guy's way of thinking about "success".

"Well," said the "very successful" entrepreneur, a man who prided himself on getting in the last word in any type of business negotiation, "If you don't do it, someone else will. Someone else will come in here and put all you guys out of business."

Now, here's where hub's fishing tale turns into a Stephen King novel

(yes, this is about to get gory readers, hang on to your breakfasts and don't get all squeamish on me later and claim I didn't warn you) -

the boat captain chuckled a little at the "very successful" entrepreneur who got to do for 3 hours what the fishing boat captain got to do every single day of his life.

He steered his boat back to the dock and parked in his designated spot in the marina, the marina he and his other fishing boat captain friends were so happy to call home - a marina called Etsy.

part II tomorrow - the marina gets bigger

blog break ...

... back soon - xo all

New Moon in Libra - time to think about what we are committing our energy to plus can Etsy really call an apple an orange and make us see an orange

with brave wings she flies

Back to this new moon because the ritual of having a new moon intentions process is very powerful.

Moving into Libra from Virgo takes us from an earth sign into an air sign so those of us already living in our heads tend to get more ungrounded (and also catch head and chest colds), have less energy and be less able to finish things.

Some tips on grounding here.

Of course, new moons tend to be low-energy times anyway, so just go with it right now.

Think of the new moon a little like a blank page - this one in balancing Libra is focused on finding peace and equilibrium and an excellent time to set intentions for what we need to have more balance and harmony in our lives.

Setting intentions and making affirmations are one of the first steps to making something happen

(after releasing resistance to it and creating the space for it) - 

people sometimes think of the intention as separate from the action, but intention, particularly when part of a ritual, is an action itself. 

It welcomes the thing we are focused on into our energy. 

Now is a great time to focus our intentions on Libra stuff : relationships, marriage, negotiation, harmony, teamwork, social activity, beauty, Libra health stuff : adrenals, sugar imbalance, kidneys

Some examples of stuff I am working with:

1. I easily see and follow the path to create a happy marriage
2. I feel internally balanced and peaceful
3. I easily cooperate with others in healthy, happy and tactful ways
4. I make decisions easily
5. I easily attract, absorb and implement the information that leads to a total healing of my low blood sugar

then I add my 5 most important intentions, more specific stuff, worded with a Libra focus (astrologer Jan Spiller always suggests 10 intentions - she calls then wishes - and 10 is a nice number to work with so I try to go with that).

AFFIRMATION TIPS: get into a happy frame of mind - always make affirmations from a  positive place (positive meaning both happy and certain) - write your affirmations down by hand, speak them out loud - I always write my affirmations on strips of paper and put them into a bowl of rice so I can mix them around every now and then with my fingers if things get stagnant - then release your attention from them knowing that your intention is known. Know these things are already yours.

A couple words about Etsy's announcement this week since it will affect different sellers in different ways and celestially speaking couldn't be better timed. Etsy's solution to the factory stuff that litters it's pages now, is to find a way to make that stuff fit even if it means redefining handmade to include factory made.

 

They can decide what is allowed on their platform - but they can't just call an apple an orange and have it become an orange. 

 

(unless, of course they have some kind of Monsanto genetically modified fruit seed patent we don't know about in the works to do exactly this ...)

 

If your Etsy business feels like it has been built on shifting sand it is only because everything is shifting now - you would be feeling this stuff no matter where you had planted yourself.

 

This new moon in Libra, the part of our hero's journey that is all about balance and other people, is the perfect time to step into our authentic power - which is always sourced by spirit - to co-create better relationships and more harmony in our lives. It's also a great time to sacrifice whatever it is that causes us to sit on that fence!

(which reminds me that I recently sat on a white fence without realizing it was vinyl and bent it - my neighbor's brand new fence now has a forever impression of my left buttock which must be heavier than my right buttock now that I think about it unless I slouch leftie and I can't say the word buttock without hearing Forrest talking about his battle injury ... xo and have a nice weekend all!)

 

 

New Moon in Libra - a grand cross call to action this month

Sullivan is rocking his Libra mommy's world right now

I have been AWOL planning and throwing a baby shower (yes, I threw the shower and not the actual baby) and hosting family in from Oregon!

Anyone who reads astrologer Susan Miller knows she has been predicting a bumpy October for most people.

This is not your typical New Moon because it is going to not only activate the Uranus/Pluto square but form what is called a Grand Cross.

This Grand Cross is where the action amps up big time and it plays out with the New Moon and Sun together in Libra on one corner of the Cross - Uranus opposite in the sign of Aries on another point of the Cross - Pluto squaring up in Capricorn on the third point of the Cross - and Jupiter in Cancer sitting the fourth point of the Cross.

Grand Cross configurations want something to change, move forward, rev up, and with New Moon energy behind the cross we are in for a real call to action

(we can see this all being played out in Washington right now with healthcare and Etsy with Chad's announcement this week and in our own lives).

If it feels like some kind of stability is ending for you, remember that stability is not the experience we are here for (we still want to be grounded though). The ego seeks to keep us safe (that's the ego's main job after all) which doesn't sound like a bad thing until you think of the toddler who would never take her first step if the ego had its way. On the one side of the coin, there is no inherent safety now for any of us (there never has been, the danger was just hidden from our view before) - on the other hand, nothing real can be threatened, so anything that looks like it is being threatened isn't real anyway.

Pluto (Capricorn, the authority) seeks power, Uranus (Aries, the warrior) seeks freedom - both are stubborn, tenacious cardinal signs that stand their ground and make things happen. When Pluto moved into Capricorn in 2008, our financial system crashed - when Uranus entered Aries in 2010, and then moved to within a few degrees of its square to Pluto revolutionary movements began to spread throughout the world.

Personally right now we may be reacting to something new happening or steering our ship into new waters ourselves (always better to grab the wheel - not to try and turn the boat around but to best avoid the rocky shore).

The New Moon gives us a full 2 weeks to make something happen or deal with what happens and it really culminates 6 months from now with the Libra full moon.

We also have mercury about to go retrograde so it's a good time to follow this new moon to its completion this month and wrap stuff up before the 21st. For most people, even though this is a new moon, it might be better to hold off and start new things in November when the new moon isn't followed by a retrograde (especially if you are a fixed sign person - I'm talking to you: Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius).

I'll get back to all of this tomorrow (our new moon affirmation stuff as we makers journey through Libra and some stuff on Etsy's announcement), but just wanted to post this now.

Happy Thursday all - baby shower pics are coming! xo