A Forty-Day Retreat...

[Arian Maverick]

I have decided to take a forty-day retreat of sorts from the Internet in honor of the season of Lent, in order to go inside myself without distraction. You all have been invaluable in my journey of self-discovery so far, but after reading Sita's post last night, I realized that I may benefit from spending some time alone to stoke my own fire...hopefully I will reemerge a stronger person, ready to contribute more valuabe insight than I have in the past. Wish me luck, and please chase me off these forums should I reappear before Easter :wink:

Aquarian Maverick

[Draco]

Hi Beth,

Good luck in giving up the internet for lent. I know I would find that quite difficult. I'll see you after easter should you not give in to temptation and come on before then.

I'm sure you'll have loads of posts to catch up on after forty days. Best of luck.

Draco :wink:

[Arian Maverick]

Thanks, Draco! Fortunately, I still have today to glean as much enjoyment from this experience as I can...carpe diem, indeed! :D

Aquarian Maverick

[C1]

Cool, Aqua Mav!

What a project.... going inward
(a seed is put into the earth....)

And so....see you in spring :)

Sita's post was so strong!

Your awareness & response-
ability are very refined,

(you are acting on it!),

not "nervous" or "anxious"

but more, like, Viva! Vida!

...like that mystic
named Hildegaard von Bingen
who experienced the power of the *green*
(i.e., the true power of life)
so abundant in this hemisphere of Mother Earth this time of year....


C1 8)

[Kite]

Have an insightful and FUN 40 days. BTW 40 days is used quite a lot in the bible as time used to go within. 40 is the numerological value of the Hebrew letter Mem. Mem is said to mean water or receptivity. The word for water in Hebrew is Yamiem.

[Elianah]

Hi Kite,

Mayim is water, Yamim is seas. From general to specific. :wink: :lol:

Elianah

[Kite]

Thank you Elianah - I am impresed with your Hebrew knowledge :!:

I was a lousy Ulpan student in Israel 8)

[Arian Maverick]

I just asked the Sabian Symbols' Oracle (http://astrologyweekly.com/sabian-symbols/index.php) if I would be able to do this and received the following message:

205__(25°)
FALLING GOLDEN LEAF TEACHES LIFE TO REBELLIOUS SCHOOLBOY Discovery of deeper elements of wisdom after intellectual knowledge wearies. Growth through awareness of basic meanings.

___*When positive, the degree is spontaneous adaptability and an unswerving and instinctive fidelity to ultimate goals and meanings, and when negative, fascination with the trivial and delight in unbridled fancy.

I nearly laughed out loud at the rebellious schoolboy part...I think this fits, n'est-ce pas? :wink:

Aquarian Maverick

P.S. I couldn't help myself with that bit of French...Happy Mardi Gras, everyone! :D

[C1]

:o oui,
bon mardi gras!
(fat tuesday)

....tres, tres, tres
appropriate, Sabian, Aqua Mav :lol:

So, nous sommes les bon vivants,
l'astrologiere/jardinieres
mysteriouses y rebelliouses.

:mrgreen:
C1

[Draco]

So it is, I had no idea it was pancake day today. I haven't had any pancakes! :(

C1,

I am baffled,

So, nous sommes les bon vivants,

Literally, 'we are the good alive' or 'we live the good life'.

l'astrologiere/jardinieres
mysteriouses y rebelliouses. ? :? ?

seems like 'astrologers/gardeners
mysterious and rebellious

I don't get it. :?

Beth,

We'll miss you Sweetness. x :wink:

Draco.

[Arian Maverick]

So it is, I had no idea it was pancake day today. I haven't had any pancakes!

Pancake day? Where did that tradition come from? :?

Aquarian Maverick :mrgreen:

P.S. I'm confused by the translation, too...

[5th house moon]

Hey AM

May your journey be an enriching one. See you when you return.

"And the day came when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom" Anaïs Nin

PS: are you sure you're not taking 40 days off to revistit all those Monty Python flicks? :P

5th.

[Arian Maverick]

PS: are you sure you're not taking 40 days off to revistit all those Monty Python flicks?

Now that you mention it... :wink:

Aquarian Maverick

[5th house moon]

:D Ha ha!!!! I knew it! The allure of Cleese and co would be too hard for an idle Aquarian ascendant to resist!

Take care

5th

[Draco]

Hi Beth,

Pancake day? Where did that tradition come from?

You are probably off on your retreat now, but In England we call shrove Tuesday, 'pancake day', and it's traditional to eat pancakes, although I'm not sure why.

Draco :wink:

[Arian Maverick]

I have been debating with myself for some time whether this retreat was a good idea, and now I am beginning to have my doubts...ironically, the incentive that spurred me to make public knoweldge of my intention to do this in the first place has now become my biggest obstacle. I had originally hoped that I would be less likely to fall back on the promise I made to myself and God if I publically declared these intentions, but now I must risk being perceived as a weak person with little willpower (which may be true--I am an Aries :wink: ) in order to follow my heart.

After fasting for a complete 24 hours on Ash Wednesday and attending mass, two events which I had highly anticipated for the spiritual purpose I so fervently believed they would instill in me, I found that I felt empty and devoid of life...as if I was simply following customs out of fear instead of true love. I will still attempt to limit my time on the forums as part of my oath, yet to completely deny myself one of the most spiritually fulfilling experiences in my life for the sake of spiritually is something I simply cannot justify to myself.

However, I do believe that some good has come out of this little venture, if only because of my simple discovery that organized religion--nor anyone for that matter--has a copyright on God. He/She is something beyond all human comprehension, and cannot--nor should not--be contained by our limited reasoning. I am sorry if I have disappointed anyone.

EDIT: I just asked the Sabian Symbols' Oracle (http://astrologyweekly.com/sabian-symbols/index.php) if I made the right decision by returning to the forums, and I received the following answer:

153__(3°)
TWO ANGELS BRING PROTECTION TO FAMILY IN THE WILDERNESS Divine guarantee to man of supply of all his needs. Divine help when human efforts fail. Unconscious sense of strength.
___*When positive, the degree is a sure conviction which enables man to proceed to an effective fulfillment of his dreams, and when negative, vain pretence and self-importance.

Aquarian Maverick :wink:

[sita]

Glad to have you back. :wink:
It was beginning to look like a long 40 days here on the board....

did you get my PM?

Big hugs,
Sita

[Arian Maverick]

Glad to have you back.
It was beginning to look like a long 40 days here on the board....

Thank you...and I felt like I had already been through the entire forty days without the support of this community. Impatient Aries energy at its best :lol:

did you get my PM?

Yes I did, and I sent you a fairly long response...but with Mercury Retrograde, I would not be surprised if the entire correspondence gets lost in cyberspace :roll:

Aquarian Maverick

[sita]

hmmmm.....
its so not in my box.
i love the prankster aspect of a retrograde...
it makes me feel like I'm back on the playground again
.....recess from rules time.
it's fun., even if I can't get my mail.

see you tomorrow,
sita

[Draco]

Hi Beth,

I am sorry if I have disappointed anyone.

Why would you have dissappointed anyone in coming back?

I'm glad to see you back too. :)

Draco ;)

[Arian Maverick]

hmmmm.....
its so not in my box.
i love the prankster aspect of a retrograde...
it makes me feel like I'm back on the playground again
.....recess from rules time.
it's fun., even if I can't get my mail.

see you tomorrow,
sita

Fortunately, I was smart enough to save my message in Microsoft Word before I sent it...who knew that a bit of astrological knowledge (and slight paranoia) could save one so much trouble?

I'll try to PM it to you and see what happens. Retrograde Mercury can be such a prankster! :mrgreen:

Why would you have dissappointed anyone in coming back?

I'm glad to see you back too.

I guess I feared someone would be dissappointed in my lack of determination and discipline...but fortunately, my fears have thus far been unwarranted! :wink:

Aquarian Maverick

[Radu]

Thanks for coming back AquMav! Next time we'll join you in fast and prayers. Communities are so important in one's life, they provide support and enjoyment in everything one does...

Now, let me brief you with the latest happenings around here: among other interesting & exciting discussions on astrology, people discovered that the online tool at http://sabiansymbols.astrologyweekly.com can be used to understand more than names, but also phrases and even more: get answers to their questions.

Ok, here we go:

The letters in A FORTY-DAY RETREAT... sum up to 76.

The Sabian Symbol asociated with this number is:

A WOMAN ACTIVIST IN AN EMOTIONAL SPEECH, DRAMATIZING HER CAUSE.

How about this? :mrgreen:

[Arian Maverick]

Communities are so important in one's life, they provide support and enjoyment in everything one does...

I totally agree :D

Now, let me brief you with the latest happenings around here: among other interesting & exciting discussions on astrology, people discovered that the online tool at http://sabiansymbols.astrologyweekly.com can be used to understand more than names, but also phrases and even more: get answers to their questions.

The letters in A FORTY-DAY RETREAT... sum up to 76.

The Sabian Symbol asociated with this number is:

A WOMAN ACTIVIST IN AN EMOTIONAL SPEECH, DRAMATIZING HER CAUSE.

How about this?

WOW! A woman activist (my inner Aquarian) in an emotional speech, dramatizing her cause (Aries stellium)...it's absolutely amazing, that out of all the possible titles I could have given this board, I intuitively chose the phrase that corresponded with this Sabian symbol. I think I'm in awe of the Universe :mrgreen:

EDIT: I just relized (quite belatedly, I might add)...this is the Sabian symbol of my natal Mars!

Aquarian Maverick

[Arian Maverick]

The season of Lent is quickly coming to an end, and although I did not follow through with my original intention, I feel that I have accomplished much in these forty days. I have just returned home from Holy Thursday mass followed by a Stations of the Cross rehearsal--more than four hours total at Church! Tomorrow is going to be an extremely busy day, so I may not be able to spend much time on the forums. I am also attempting to fast for twenty four more hours, so wish me luck! :wink:

Arian Maverick