Pneumatised!

So you must have been thinking “Where did Cassandrah go?” since I haven’t been blogging as much as usual. I think there just wasn’t much I wanted to publish and share on here (mostly because there were a ton of things better not said). I’ve now moved on and started working on my own projects again, which gives me the freedom to write, write, write to my heart’s content about the various things I’m working on. 😀

Life has been better for me lately. I was in a little slump for a bit there, adjusting, re-prioritizing, re-organizing, and re-vamping my life. As Nate has commented, I’m always happier when I’m training. I’ve been back at the do jang again, and it does feel good. It feels good to know that I can go and I don’t have to think about much else afterwards but for a nice meal of protein and carbs and a hot bath to soothe my aching muscles.

Ah, but I do have my own little projects. Thankfully, I can go at my own pace. I still have my many interests and the focus for my website hasn’t changed much. I will still be working with reiki and will be offering reiki courses again in the new year (date to be posted later). I still believe there is a connection between the Japanese healing art and martial arts and I’d like to explore that further.

During this past year, I started studying astrology again in more depth. I think I’ve got a firm understanding of interpreting the basic (natal) horoscope, that is, at least how to study the basic (natal) horoscope. I’m currently keeping track of transits and observing how it affects me and in general everyone else. The most recent transit occurred today at 3:25 a.m. when Mars turned retrograde (that is, it appears to travel backwards in the sky due to Earth travelling faster and overtaking Mars relative to our observation of the background stars). What effect does Mars turning retrograde have? So far, I’ve observed a drop in attendance at the do jang this past week, perhaps a build-up to the actual retrograde? Yesterday was peculiar. As I arrived at the do jang and started walking down the stairs, I didn’t hear the usual sounds of kicking and chatter as people train. I realized I had arrived just in time for my class and the previous class had already finished. It turns out most people had already left – the few who actually came to train. Asking a few people, I was told the previous class was quiet too and some people were running late. (I was a tad late for class and so was another girl.) Huh? Interesting. Mars is currently in Cancer. Now that it’s turned retrograde, will this make people prone to just staying at home reflecting on their own thoughts? The strange thing is that I feel like training! I feel just as active as if Mars was in Aries, but then again I have a Mars in Aries in my natal horoscope. Perhaps people overall will feel less aggressive, which might be a good thing. Perhaps let the people with Mars in Aries in their horoscopes be the aggressive ones, huh? It would save everyone some grief. You really can’t be more aggressive than someone with a Mars in Aries, you really can’t. A Sun in Aries comes close, but not quite, unless you have the Sun and Mars in Aries like I know a certain someone has. 😉 Quite interesting. The Mars retrograde will end on January 30, 2008.

Speaking of training, here’s a short update:

October 12, 2007 – I went for a mile run.
October 15, 2007 – I went for a run, 1.5 miles. Later, I went to the do jang, then went to the gym for my usual workout. I even added five minutes on the bicycle to loosen up my knee and get the fluid in the joint moving.
October 17, 2007 – I went to the do jang and then the gym after.
October 19, 2007 – I went for a run. I think I broke it up into two parts – one mile, then a 3/4 mile run back.
November 2, 2007 – After a few weeks off training, I went for a 1.5 mile run and then to the gym.
November 7, 2007 – I went running again (1 mile), and then headed to the gym.
November 9, 2007 – A short run, and then the gym again.
November 12, 2007 – I went to the do jang after missing it for a few weeks. (I was still in a bit of a slump and with the Mercury retrograde in the last few weeks of October, I ended up taking a retrospective look at my music collection and doing a cleanup. Yay! for Mercury being direct as of November 1 because now I can write again.) I went to the gym after the do jang.
November 13, 2007 – I went for a mile run. My time was 8 minutes 53 seconds – a tad slow, but getting closer to my fastest time which was achieved in the warmer months. You technically run a little slower in the colder months because of the weight of the extra clothes you are wearing. The more clothes you have on, the more drag pulling you back when you are running.
November 14, 2007 – I went to the do jang and then to the gym.

I have been reading again lately. While I was mulling over my thoughts on what to do, I picked up some manga and a graphic novel series called Fables. (I started to get into the graphic novels after I read Emily the Strange.) Fables is amusing. The artwork is quite good in my opinion, and the stories are quite interesting – a reimagining of our traditional fairy tales. The author has found a way to weave many of the traditional fairy tales and create a fantasy world. The base story is that all the “fables” (fairy tale creatures) have been forced to leave their “homelands” due to an evil emperor known by them only as the “Adversary”. The first collection of the comics into novel format is called “Legends in Exile” where we find out that the fables have been living in New York City in a hidden community called “Fabletown”. Non-human fables live on a farm in upstate New York. I’m currently reading book six, and my favourite fables are Bigby Wolf and Snow White! Curious yet? Go get the novels.

Okay, I think that’s enough of my rambling thoughts this cool November day. There’s enough there for you to mull over I think. Trust me, you’ll like Fables.

Perhaps I’ll be back later with a book review or two.

~~~Cassandrah
Brigid’s Flame