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And.... The Omen Reports

AUGHDec. 26 (corresponds with February 2013): An hour this morning spent on the phone dealing with a mixed-up medical bill. Caught in the midst of a system changeover, the charge posted to the "old" system went into a billing black hole and was eventually sent to collections for my "unresponsiveness." AUGH! And this was true even though I had paid the bill in full on the "new" system. Sigh.... Does this portend frustration and mired red tapeyness in February 2013? Stay tuned....

Dec. 27 (March 2013): This morning, it's all about the birds. I woke to see a hummingbird fluttering around the feeder outside the kitchen window. Last night I was thinking I hadn't changed the nectar in the hummer feeder for several days-- it's been around freezing, so leaving it for a few days works fine-- and had decided to boil up a fresh batch (1 tablespoon white sugar to 1/4 C. water, for those who'd like to try this). So, this morning, this little ruby-throated guy (or gal) reminded me, and I went out to switch feeders, hanging up a clean one full of nice, cold, juicy nectar. While out there, three Western scrub jays started up a racket, so I tossed a handful of peanuts (raw, in-shell) out into the labyrinth in my side yard, and they immediately swooped down and began gathering them up. All of this activity then alerted the crow pair who live behind my home. They landed on the adjacent power lines and began cawing. So.... I tossed more peanuts. And just as I did this, there was a gorgeous flyover of two huge V's of Canada geese, flying from west to east and finally settling, amid lots and lots of noise, into the wetlands behind the house.

All of this happened in a five minute period. So today, it's apparently about birds, and perhaps about patterns, and interrelationships, and maybe expectations versus independence. Then there's that whole west-to-east angle....  I'm going to have to ponder this for a bit....

Addendum at noon: Took my dog out for a walk an hour ago and had a very large great blue heron fly across my path, moving from north to south. Gorgeous bird-- they look like pterodactyls when they fly past.... Yup: it's bird day!

P.S. The pic above was taken on my deck, just outside the kitchen, in the summer of 2012 by my friend Heliette.

Dec. 28 (April 2013): Today was uncharacteristically quiet and peaceful. I relaxed, puttered, finished a couple of projects, read, napped, watched a movie, and capped the day off with a get-together with a few dear friends. So again: quiet and peaceful. Perhaps this indicates a lamb-like March.

Dec. 29 (May 2013): Woke to the first frost of the season and 32 degree temperatures. To me, this says that winter has definitively arrived. Everything was softly white and glittering, with crunchy grass and me breathing puffs of steam into the chilly air. Brrr! Perhaps April will likewise mark the full onset of spring? Or maybe it'll just be cold!

Dec. 30 (June 2013): Today's momentum was directed toward travel-- make that travel with a goal, as I headed to Redmond, OR., to see family. Queues of people at the airport. Lines.... Holiday tensions without aggravation. Upon arrival in Redmond, I was greeted by a cold, snowy landscape-- while it was a little scary to drive around in, the setting was icy and gorgeous. Risk-taking?

OrionDec. 31 (July 2013): I returned home today-- after my quick trip-- and was reminded of the joy of homecoming. Perhaps June will be about heart and home and the gratitude of having both.

Jan. 1 (August 2013): I stepped outside shortly after midnight (happy Gregorian new year!) to "water" the dog. It was a gorgeous, clear night, and looking up, my eyes went, unbidden, to the constellation Orion, which was hanging directly in front of me. Now there's an omen for the new year. Orion, the hunter, and one of the cyclical constellations whose arrival in the night sky indicates full-on winter. Astronomically, Orion includes a number of large-magnitude stars and a spectacular nebula. All kinds of divinatory possibilities here.... And check out this cool link I found while poking around: Star Lore of the Constellations.

Jan. 2 (September 2013): Today's outstanding event was the putting away of Christmas lights and decors, which was all bringing the holiday season to a close and preparing to move forward into the new year. Perhaps August will likewise be about some sort of conclusion or transition? I suppose that could correspond with the summer harvest season. Also, in putting the goodies away, there is always a sense of wistfulness and a kind of loss-- but along with that is the promise of something new to come.

Jan. 3 (October 2013): Today was a day of difficult, even heartbreaking decisions. Today was my mother's 83rd birthday. And today, per her advance directive wishes, we made the decision to discontinue her aggressive (and failing) medical treatments and transition her to hospice care. Sometimes, the best decisions are the hardest. Perhaps the message here is not to be clouded by emotion when it is not the way that best serves. And sometimes, pragmatism can be even more uncomfortable and raw than simple emotion.

Jan. 4 (November 2013): Another bird day today. My backyard crows talked to me when I brought out the morning peanuts. Twenty minutes later, I took the dog to Day Care and another crow perched in the building roof and talked to me as well. Crows are one of my guardian animals, so I believe I'm being guarded or protected-- maybe "swaddled" as I deal with my mother's passing. An hour later, a large flock of robins came through the yard, busying themselves among hawthorn and apple trees-- allusions to magick/feminine magick. And hour after that, a flock of juncos patrolled the front yard, busy and methodical.

Jan. 5 (December 2013): Today, I benefited from the kindness of strangers. I took a new iPad mini up to the local Mac Store to have help setting it up from Mom and Joe. The young man behind the desk spent almost an hour with me, and when I told him it was from Mom and Joe and about Mom being in hospice, he refused to charge me anything for the session. I then took the iPad to the UPS store to get it overnighted-- I know the people there, and when they asked who it was for and I explained, they boxed it up and insured it at no charge and gave me overnight shipping for the cost of UPS Land. Will keep this in mind next December-- it'll be perfect timing for the spirit of the Yule season.

And now, the fun begins: tracking these omens for the year. Stay tuned....

 

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Susan “Moonwriter” Pesznecker is a writer, college English teacher, and hearth Pagan/Druid living in northwestern Oregon. Her magickal roots include Pictish Scot and eastern European medicine traditions. Sue holds a Masters degree in nonfiction writing and loves to read, stargaze, camp with her wonder poodle, and play in her biodynamic garden. She’s co-founder of the Druid Grove of Two Coasts and the Ars Viarum Magicarum Magical Conservatory (school of magic). Sue has authored Crafting Magick with Pen and Ink and The Magickal Retreat (Llewellyn, 2009-2012) and regularly contributes to the Llewellyn Annuals. Visit her at on Facebook.

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