Signs of Saturn

I stand with strangers who stand for their right to freedom within their indigenous communities. Today's petition to release Tep Vanny is here: https://www.amnesty.org/en/get-involved/take-action/defend-cambodia-human-rights-defender-tep-vanny/

I have recently discovered the Georgia-filmed gem Walking Dead. Like many other people, my favorite character is Daryl Dixon, portrayed by Norman Reedus. Unlike most of the other characters, Daryl did not come from the comics which inspired the series. Rather, Norman auditioned for a different part and made such an impression that Daryl was created just for him. I love that, in addition to his work acting and modeling, Norman has founded Big Bald Head . According to the website, the "recurring theme in his images is making the disturbing beautiful."

"Directed by Raz Degan, The Last Shaman is the story of James Freeman, a young man who decides to take matters in his own hands when faced with incurable depression. He undergoes a life-changing journey in the Amazon jungle that brings him a deeper understanding and acceptance of self. Along the way, he experiences the healing properties of the tribal plant medicine Ayahuasca and the world around it." The Last Shaman, Official Site

I saw the book the day before the hurricane winds swept upward into northwest Georgia. I read it by candlelight. The trigger warnings at the beginning read like an invocation. I am grateful for the boundaries explored and obstacles overcome. Death, loss, depression and transformation all are here.

Original sketch by Aliya Smith "Now, I’m not saying that kids should be exposed to the realities of death, not fully. There is always a need for age-appropriate discernment. But to hide the truth, hoping that it makes them gentle – man, that is a huge dis-service. And demanding that others lie about their own reality in order to keep your own fantasy-land intact? Wow. And of course, those of us here know that refusing to acknowledge that death exists does not in any way protect you from it. Refusing to allow discussions about illness and death just means that when it does happen, the child will have absolutely no skills to deal with their grief. He’ll just know that it’s not okay to talk about. This whole avoidance of death thing creates generations of people ill-equipped to respect the reality of grief. It creates legions of people feeling grief, without any capacity to speak to it, or handle it, or treat it with respect and understanding." - Megan, Refuge in G...

Yolandi Visser came to me via the movie Chappie, an inspired take on robots, consciousness and humanity. It moved me in unexpected ways. So does Yolandi.

The theme for the Women's Conference in Detroit last weekend = Reclaiming Our Time. How Saturnal. By reclaiming our time, we re-define our boundaries in a powerful way. I didn't make it to the Women's Conference, but I did show up in DC last January for the Women's March. Today I'm followed up with the three action steps which conference leaders distilled from the fray: Declare that it's an American value to welcome refugees. Join MomsRising in telling Congress to 1. Avoid cuts to Medicaid, Medicare & SNAP 2. Pass the Dream Act 3. Take a healthy and balanced approach to healthcare which is respectful of women's rights.  Pledge to contact congressional representatives about passing a clean DREAM Act and join marchers in DC and other cities November 9.  You can participate here: TAKE ACTION. 

Selfie with Susan by Kelli Lynn After my cemetery walk, I locked onto a recent copy of Good Housekeeping at the local Dollar General. Susan Sarandon's cover shot grabbed me.  At 71, she looked so young--grounded within herself yet open. I instantly associated her with Saturn. Red-headed and radiant, she seemed to have little in common with the decidedly more time-worn images of the crone which usually call to me. I felt confused until I opened up the magazine and saw her words. On the worst parenting advice she received, Susan said this: I think it was 'Don't have the baby.' . . as though it would ruin my career, and I was so old anyway. I had my first baby at 39 and my third at 45, and with each child, [people were like] 'Are you crazy? Don't!'   And on happiness : Just surrender the idea that you're going to do everything right because the odds are not in your favor.   There is a side of Saturn which draws new boundaries and create...

photo taken by Kelli Lynn from a hill in the cemetery behind Queens' Chapel in Kingston, GA, USA I took a dare tonight, the eve before Halloween, and walked alone to a local cemetery after dark. I had been there about 12 years ago in the light. It was just before I decided to marry my husband. I had watched the movie The Hours for an upper level English class, and for some reason that film left me wanting to release a lot of energy surrounding the relationship I'd just behind left in Athens. I laid down among the graves and wept. My palms pressed into the ground beside me, I gave the Earth all it would take. I wanted to bury a part of me. Tonight, I took that back--transmuted, transformed. Lying down among the unknown confederate dead, beside a memorial to other soldiers native to my town, I asked the Earth to give me back the medicine distilled from my pain. I laid down holding a lit stick of Palo Santo and slipped into the deeply comforting dark. I took several breaths...

photo by Ted Metz of Peachtree NORML on lobby day at GA Capitol Courtesy of NORML.org: The bill, S. 1689 , would (1) remove marijuana from the US Controlled Substances Act, thereby ending the federal criminalization of cannabis; (2) incentivize states to mitigate existing and ongoing racial disparities in state-level marijuana arrests; (3) expunge federal convictions specific to marijuana possession; (4) allow individuals currently serving time in federal prison for marijuana-related violations to petition the court for re-sentencing; (5) and create a community reinvestment fund to invest in communities most impacted by the failed War on Drugs. This needed bill was introduced by New Jersey Senator Cory Booker. I sent a letter urging my congress people to please sign in favor of the bill. Others can do the same here: http://norml.org/action-center/item/the-marijuana-justice-act-of-2017-introduced Saturn likes action. 

Me & Nini Ritual comes in the form of what we repeat with intention. I recently planned a memorial service for my grandmother Laura. In my parents' sun room, we hung a portrait of a hummingbird. I stood beneath it and read this eulogy: Laura Alice Allen Yarbrough, affectionately known as Nini, spent 81 years alive on this earth. The time I remember her best was here in Rome, Georgia, taking me on after school adventures, falling asleep (against my orders) during movies, giving tours of the plants in her yard and making sure that everyone had enough to eat. She had a bold sense of humor and a level of social and academic intelligence which surpassed the norms of her time, especially for women.  Her final years of life centered on the challenge to take ownership of her own healthcare. In many ways, she succeeded in this. Nonetheless, her body still had its final say, and she gracefully released her soul to become part of whatever exists outside our human perception ...

Cannabis is associated with Saturn. I love cannabis for its healing power and ability to expand and uplift my mind. I love how it is at the crossroads of so much political debate right now. I love how it can be abused usually without causing catastrophic harm, and I love how it can be used responsibly with an abundance of positive side effects. Most of all, what I love about cannabis right now is the research which emphasizes the ways in which different aspects of the plant must collaborate with each other to achieve the best results. The whole plant helps itself be its best despite individual's attempts to market pieces of it in isolation. I write extensively about cannabis in my column NORML Mom . A great source of practical information about each stain is Leafly .

photo released by NASA I just discovered that Cassini is a spacecraft which launched in 1997, arrived within Saturn's orbit in 2004 and has been recording data and amazing images there until it was finally torn apart by Saturn's atmosphere this September. I am in awe of all this. I also think this article , which appeared last year in The Atlantic , is awesome.

Dark Tower: Charyou Tree by Deviata Saturnalia existed before Christmas and was essentially transformed into the Christian holiday for political purposes. Pre-Constantine, ancient Romans celebrated Saturnalia as a time of general year-end merriment during which social norms were turned on their heads and slaves were allowed temporary freedom. Saturnalia strikes me as though the word is aflame. Tonight, it makes me think of Charyou Tree from the Dark Tower. The protagonist Roland's one true love Susan Delgado was burned on a Charyou Tree harvest bonfire for being perceived as a threat to the establishment of her time.

photo by Manuel Librodo I went online to search for a face of Saturn. I discovered Rosalinda, a cigarette vendor who launched the career of photographer Manuel Librodo. Manuel shoots from his heart to share portraits of humanity. Through the photo, Manuel and Rosalinda channel the energy of the Crone, an aspect of Saturn. I wish to see myself through her sight, to draw back my cloak and unveil infinity galaxies.

selfie by Kelli Lynn by Kelli Lynn Some say, Saturine dreams already saturate us, set the boundaries by which we live as slaves to time, stir the stones up from the Earth, building the walls which imprison, the most creative parts of our consensually conscious mind. And yet. . . . In my life I see the sun's bold burning wisdom light up my little Leo's eyes as he finds the words to speak. Doctors diagnose us with depression and autism, so I swallow bright St. John's Wort and know that joy is mine to keep. When it comes to Mercury, there's medicine and poison; my daughter and her daddy bring this message to my feet. Through coyote tricks they heal me, and I always will adore them. We'll create new stories when the old ones are complete. The vanity of Venus inspires a sense of vengeance. I look upon her paintings and want to smack her off her shell. Then, Libra that I am, I would just lie beside he...