Marlene’s Letter to the Irish Times

Restrictions – logic and enforceability

Irish Times – Fri, Aug 21, 2020, 00:06

Sir, – The recent Government measures announced on Tuesday have only succeeded in producing a sense of exasperation. A substantial increase in our Covid-19 numbers can be directly related to meat production facilities. The risks associated with these workplaces were known months ago and sufficient measures were not taken then, when it could have made an actual difference. If proper testing had been in place in these high-risk workplaces, we would not find ourselves in this position. The measures announced this week do not properly address the main causes of our current surge. For example, we are relieved to be able to sit in a restaurant with strangers surrounding us, which was long overdue, but now we cannot have more than six people in our home. It defies logic and enforceability.

The vast majority of the population of Ireland have behaved in exemplary fashion, adhering to the guidelines, suffering all the restrictions without civil disobedience. And now we are asked to restrict our movements, our work practices and income, our family and social connections again but this time because of recent bad management by the Government.

This Government is not governing. It is unfairly scapegoating its citizens, undermining the sense of solidarity that created our social bond in the adversity. This Government has a lot to answer for. – Yours, etc,

MARLENE FFRENCH MULLEN,

Wicklow.

 

https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/letters/restrictions-logic-and-enforceability-1.4335124

As I began to love myself – a poem often attributed to Charlie Chaplin

As I began to love myself
I found that anguish and emotional suffering
are only warning signs that I was living
against my own truth.
Today, I know, this is Authenticity.

As I began to love myself
I understood how much it can offend somebody
if I try to force my desires on this person,
even though I knew the time was not right
and the person was not ready for it,
and even though this person was me.
Today I call this Respect.

As I began to love myself
I stopped craving for a different life,
and I could see that everything
that surrounded me
was inviting me to grow.
Today I call this Maturity.

As I began to love myself
I understood that at any circumstance,
I am in the right place at the right time,
and everything happens at the exactly right moment.
So I could be calm.
Today I call this Self-Confidence.

As I began to love myself
I quit stealing my own time,
and I stopped designing huge projects
for the future.
Today, I only do what brings me joy and happiness,
things I love to do and that make my heart cheer,
and I do them in my own way
and in my own rhythm.
Today I call this Simplicity.

As I began to love myself
I freed myself of anything
that is no good for my health –
food, people, things, situations,
and everything that drew me down
and away from myself.
At first I called this attitude a healthy egoism.
Today I know it is Love of Oneself.

As I began to love myself
I quit trying to always be right,
and ever since
I was wrong less of the time.
Today I discovered that is Modesty.

As I began to love myself
I refused to go on living in the past
and worrying about the future.
Now, I only live for the moment,
where everything is happening.
Today I live each day,
day by day,
and I call it Fulfillment.

As I began to love myself
I recognized
that my mind can disturb me
and it can make me sick.
But as I connected it to my heart,
my mind became a valuable ally.
Today I call this connection Wisdom of the Heart.

We no longer need to fear arguments,
confrontations or any kind of problems
with ourselves or others.
Even stars collide,
and out of their crashing, new worlds are born.
Today I know: This is Life!

British Birdsongs

A website with audio recordings of many British and Irish birds

 

https://www.british-birdsongs.uk/

Pesticides and antibiotics polluting streams across Europe

Wildlife and human health are threatened say scientists as Syngenta accepts ‘undeniable demand’ for change

Pesticides and antibiotics are polluting streams across Europe, a study has found. Scientists say the contamination is dangerous for wildlife and may increase the development of drug-resistant microbes.

More than 100 pesticides and 21 drugs were detected in the 29 waterways analysed in 10 European nations, including the UK. A quarter of the chemicals identified are banned, while half of the streams analysed had at least one pesticide above permitted levels.

The researchers said the high number of pesticides and drugs they found meant complex mixtures were present, the impact of which was unknown. Pesticides are acknowledged as one factor in plummeting populations of many insects and the birds that rely on them for food. Insecticides were revealed to be polluting English rivers in 2017.

“The importance of our new work is demonstrating the prevalence of biologically active chemicals in waterways all over Europe,” said Paul Johnston, at the Greenpeace research laboratories at the University of Exeter. “There is the potential for ecosystemic effects.”

The research, published in the journal Science of the Total Environment, found herbicides, fungicides and insecticides, as well as antimicrobial drugs used in livestock. The risk to people of antimicrobial drug resistance is well known, but Johnston highlighted resistance to fungicides too. “There are some pretty nasty fungal infections that are taking off in hospitals,” he said.

One of the world’s biggest pesticide makers, Syngenta, announced a “major shift in global strategy” on Monday, to take on board society’s concerns and reduce residues in the environment.

Click for full article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/apr/08/pesticides-antibiotics-polluting-streams-europe-wildlife

Jupiter Retrograde 2019: Find the Silver Linings

On April 10th, Jupiter stations retrograde in the sign of Sagittarius for four months, until August 11th. This does not mean Jupiter will actually be traveling backward in our sky. It’ll just appear that way as part of an optical illusion created by the orbital lengths of the Earth and Jupiter. You are most likely familiar with Mercury Retrograde, an often frustrating time when communication and technology breaks. Jupiter Retrograde is very different from Mercury retrograde and is certainly nothing to fear. Jupiter Retrograde is, in reality, a positive time of inward and spiritual expansion, which can renew our faith in our lives and our path.

Jupiter is the largest planet of our solar system. Jupiter is so massive that it almost became a second sun. Jupiter’s energy field is just as large and reaches throughout our solar system. If we humans respond to a planet’s energy, Jupiter will affect us more than any other cosmic body besides the Moon (which is the closest) and the Sun (which is the largest). Understanding Jupiter’s energy and its effects on our life can help us in many ways and can explain even more phenomena than Mercury Retrograde.

Jupiter is the planet of expansion, luck, abundance, and finances. Normally Jupiter’s energy moves outwardly. Jupiter’s place in your natal chart shows the area of life you have the most opportunities and what kind of expansion you can expect in your lifetime. Jupiter inspires us to make big leaps in our life and not sell ourselves short of our true potential. Jupiter wants us to push the boundaries of our comfort zones and climb to new heights where we can expand our horizons. Jupiter also gives us faith. Faith that things will work out, faith that there are no wrong turns and faith that no matter what, we are always on the path we were meant to walk.

Jupiter governs the zodiac sign Sagittarius. Jupiter is responsible for the archer’s wanderlust ways and constant desire for expanded consciousness. Jupiter is currently at home in Sagittarius, raining down even greater expansive energy to us on Earth. When a planet returns home, their power strengthens, and their effects amplify. Jupiter will remain in Sagittarius for its retrograde period. Retrogrades spin the energy of the planet inward. With Jupiter retrograde, we have a lot of normally out flowing energy spiraling inward, causing some deep contemplation and reformulation of our very consciousness. 

This period, lasting until August 11th, gives us time to process our evolution. It gives us space and time to catch up mentally to our energy. Jupiter retrograde does not mean we’ll have bad luck for four months, or our finances will dry up. It merely means that our path will be refined and tuned in to our priorities, including the things that bring us the most joy. Some of this refinement does come at a cost. Similar to Mercury Retrograde, we may experience things not working out the way we thought we wanted them to, only to find them taking an unexpected turn, and in the end, they work out far better than we could ever imagine. Retrograde periods remind us that sometimes we don’t consciously know what’s best because we don’t “know” all the details, but subconsciously we actually have the answers.

Our subconscious is connected to the universal knowledge and calls in the energy we need, even if we don’t “know” we need it. For instance, say you’re applying for a job, the perfect job, the one that will make your parents happy and will show the world you are a success. You think this is absolutely what you want, only to find you don’t get it. Heartbroken, you decide to take a month off and learn to paint as a form of therapy for your disappointment. Months later, you are an accomplished painter and far more successful than you would have been at the 9-5 job. You’re the happiest you’ve ever been, and it no longer matters what anyone else thinks of you. This experience is Jupiter Retrograde at its finest. Heartbreak leading to a coincidence, predetermined by your subconscious that will lead you to heart expansion.

Jupiter retrograde reminds us that everything happens for a reason, even if we don’t understand it yet. It inspires us to look back over our lives to find the silver linings and appreciate them. Jupiter Retrograde teaches us to take nothing for granted and be appreciative of every lesson, pitfall, and obstacle. This retrograde is a period to develop unwavering faith in your journey and understand what that adventure truly means. It means being grateful for everything.

Our job during Jupiter Retrograde is to keep returning to ourselves and appreciating every bit of our life. It is a spiritual journey of the soul with the deep understanding that happiness is an inside job. Abundance, as well as luck, coincidences, and expansion, are all inside jobs. Take this time to look at the details of your life, and enjoy the present moment, without looking five steps ahead. Relish in all the growth you’ve accomplished this year and last.

With Jupiter in Sagittarius, this period becomes a time to look at how you respond to expansion, and if you are blocking your growth in any way. Are you attached to your comfort zones? Are you attached to your fear? What old patterns are blocking your expansion and your abundance?  Perhaps you’re secretly afraid of success (which many of us are) and you’ve been preventing yourself from following serendipitous events that would lead you there. These are the types of questions to think about during this retrograde period.

Take the next four months to pause and reevaluate your energy. Think about your energetic evolution and how you can shift it from the inside out. Journal every day and spend time assessing your internal world. Notice how you respond to expansion, and how you react to setbacks. Often, our response to blocks sets the tone for what the universe will bring us next. Remember everything has a place in your unique journey. Gratitude for each piece with help you keep this perspective. Every day ask yourself “What am I grateful for?”, “What do I love?”, and “What do I need?” Allow these questions to purify your spirit so you are ready to outwardly expand and call in even more serendipity come August.

Our next four Full Moons and our next four New Moons will be affected by the energy of Jupiter Retrograde. Each Full and New Moon Workbook provides insights on how Jupiter will affect that corresponding Moon’s energy. Read all about it in the Workbooks. 

Cover Art via Rebecca Reitz

 

Original Article: https://www.spiritdaughter.com/blogs/align-with-magic/jupiter-retrograde-2019-find-the-silver-linings