artycelia.com

Well, what an alarming time to be alive. Each day resembles an episode in an unbelievably bad and depressing TV drama. If only we could turn off the TV! The magnitude of the economic disruption caused by the coronavirus, or caused by the government in response to the coronavirus, is so unbelievably huge that it's almost impossible to take in. The virus itself is bad enough but the response is making me feel so sick and worried for our future, the future of the UK and the rest of the world, that that feeling of dread is creeping into my bones and suffocating my spirit. I see happy, jumping children transformed into hunched worried waifs. I see smiling, busy parents white faced and deep frowned. I see jolly waiters grey with worry, empty tables, and barren kitchens. I hear worried silence where there should be laughter, quiet murmurings where there should be singing, stiff bodies where there should be dancing. The streets are empty, the shelves are bare. The schools where laugh...

  The Full 'Magick' Moon lights up the sky tomorrow, 31st October, it will be full at 14.49 London Time. This is an incredibly special 'Blue' moon in Taurus. It is rich with creative energy and magic. It symbolises death and rebirth, intuitive and psychic abilities and heralds' transformation. Suitably spooky for Halloween! This moon encourages you to innovate, change and transform. You are advised not to make any big decisions this weekend, though, especially those related to your love life! Plan but don't act, especially in haste.                                  

Having been brought up in the sixties and seventies I think the hippie outlook on life served me well. I can still make great Daisy Chains, Pom Poms and Cats' Cradles. I was always encouraged to read and constantly had my nose in a book. Enid Blyton taught me not to be afraid of spiders with her stories of Aaron the spider who was really a prince. I have infuriated my daughters over the years by my insistence that that huge hairy eight-legged specimen in the bath was actually a prince trapped in a spider's body. They learned from an early age how to use a pint glass and a piece of card to let the arachnid out of the window. Same with bees and wasps,' Buzz, buzz, buzz busy bee, busy bee, buzz if you like but don't sting me.' (I made that one up) Walking around the park would have me singing 'There once was an ugly duckling....' although I certainly didn't read that book to my own children repeatedly, like my mum did to me (I still bear a grudge) As a...

                                                    The Harvest Moon: October 1st, 2020. Full Moons are 'honest', they illuminate hidden truths and ask us to challenge preconceived notions. Under Aries, this Harvest full moon demands that you come back to a place of self-love and self-respect. a quiet place, where important conversations can take place and solutions can flourish. Has any of the self-judgement and shame that has been plaguing you, been working for you? Is it working for anyone? There is an immense amount of confusion and chaos in the world right now, clouding many people's perceptions of themselves and causing them to be stuck in destructive cycles of criticism. Let the clarity of the Harvest Moon provide the healing and self-reflection to break these cycles. Be kind. To yourself and to others. Love and Light.

Billy Bear the morning after the night before. As a Cancerian I am used to the effects the moon has on my moods. Quite literally 'a loony' at times, full of beans, dancing around the kitchen, singing at the top of my voice, usually to Oasis tracks, Cigarettes and Alcohol and Live Forever being firm favourites. Then at other times quiet and fragile, thoughtful.  Away with the fairies on some days while deep in serious political discussion the next. Of course, I suppose I could simply be described as a 'moody mare' and have been in my time, yet the big white globe in the sky provides me with all the reason I need to exercise my attributes. Today however I just feel cream-crackered. And the little boy pictured above is to blame. He is not a Cancerian, he is a Taurian so has no real claim to being affected by the moon, well, other than being a dog and therefore related to the wolf, and we all know about their relationship with La Luna. Billy didn't spend t...

The whole family had colds over Christmas. Coughing and spluttering our way through Eva's first ever visit to Father Christmas, though was an enchanting experience. Christmas dinner was a success, fun and joyous, everyone getting on. The first Christmas with a grandchild will always be extra special with fond memories that will last forever.  Christmas and New Year wrapped up, a few of us were still a bit sniffy but nothing to worry about. I walked my dog, Billy every day, it was cold, I was cold and was still 'with cold' but I didn't think anything about it. January 7th and my bones seemed extra cold, why would my bones feel cold? I dismissed the feeling. I went to bed and could hear a strong 'boom, boom, boom' noise. I got up and went downstairs to check the boiler. The noise wasn't in the kitchen, but I could hear it in the bathroom, in my bedroom, under my covers. (I later discovered that the 'boom, booming' was my blood pumping furio...