Welcome to April! We are now officially in Aries, the first sign in the Zodiac, corresponding with the March 20 Vernal Equinox.
This would be a good time to check things out with your local, trusted astrologer. Let them get you up to speed on all that’s happening from their astrological perspective, and see what resonates and works out.
This April has many religious holy days — Passover and Easter being the most well known here in the U.S. Many of these days reflect Spring celebrations and beginnings. Eggs are set at the table for Easter and Seder, and lamb and greens are served at both celebrations. Yes, whatever your religious persuasion, a table with lots of food to eat makes for a grand time.
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know that for many families during this holiday season, what is very important is enjoying the children who are smiling and having fun. Coloring Easter eggs, going on Easter hunts, etc. At Seders, the little ones get to sit next to grandma and ask four questions.
One theory holds that the symbol of the bunny rabbit on Easter stems from a pagan tradition, specifically the festival of “Eostre” — named after a goddess of fertility whose animal symbol was a bunny. Rabbits, known for their energetic breeding, have traditionally symbolized fertility.
I recently traveled to Chile. OK, you’ve heard me rave about Africa, still my favorite trip. But I now have to say that Chile comes close to tying Africa as my favorite destination. If Chile is not on your travel list, I would highly recommend that you add it, and don’t hesitate to go!
I know many of you have heard about Patagonia, a famous place in Chile (seen in the picture above). However, there are many other beautiful places there, including deserts, lakes, and mountains where the third largest glacier is.
Mother Earth (Mama Pacha, as the Chileans refer to her) is revered by the indigenous people who live in harmony with the Earth, and do all they can to preserve their traditions, land, and country. Chileans are very proud of their country, and are very willing to express their love of Mother Earth with others.
A shout-out to Almendia, who enlightened me regarding the Chilean land, history and culture. Lots I didn’t know. For instance, there is a huge German population that emigrated to Chile.
People travel from all over the world to get to Chile, and it’s very cool to interact with those fellow travelers. Mostly I met Brazilians and Argentinians, but there were also lots of Brits, Germans, Canadians and Asians, as well as many Americans.
Interestingly enough, although Chile is a Catholic country, while there I heard that many parents have left the Church, because they are disappointed with much of what’s going on within the Church itself. The holidays remain important in relationship to the family, but not the Church. I’m sure many of you can relate.
I’ve always been a big believer that sometimes we need to stretch out of our comfort zone, to better ourselves. Traveling to Chile, or to another country, or even another area in your own state, is one way of stretching out.
There are many ways to travel, and many wonderful companies that can arrange your adventure at a very reasonable rate. One thing I’ve noticed is that many retired teachers love to travel! They deserve it for all the services performed to help educate children.
Speaking of children, I’m doing a fundraiser on April 4th, for TEEG (Thompson Ecumenical Empowerment Group) — a small grassroots non-profit social service agency in North Grosvenordale, CT. They began in 1985 as a group of volunteers that joined together to meet the needs of “Three Rows”, the largest mill village in the North Grosvenordale section of Thompson. The community volunteers determined their focus was to create a safe place for children to play and to foster “self-help.” In 1988, TEEG was incorporated as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. At TEEG, they have always believed that the quality of their service rests on two things: Compassion for those who seek their service, and accountability to those who fund their programs.
Ah yes, Spring is here! Enjoy this wonderful time of the year. And kids, it’s time for those seeds to be planted! Quite literally, and of course symbolically on other levels as well.
I look forward to seeing many of you at my upcoming events. Yes, it’s all about those we love.
