My first encounter with the desert hares was through a window , where I could see them very close up as they  came to drink from a tree well every day  .
I was amazed by the vivid  orange red color of the eyes, the length of the ears and the long limbs ,their silvery coats with black tipped ears and tails, and soon began to  realize  this  was a very different animal than the little cottontails I was used to seeing .

Then one day in  an open field I saw a group running over the plains, and they were not hopping or scampering but leaping and  bounding like deer, like antelope.
Years later when  a family of Hares  moved into the area near my home and I was able to see them continuously and experience their unique presence, their movements , habits , their spirits.
A believer in medicine animals , I felt they were symbolic of the creative life force, of renewal and hope for new beginnings.
Later I learned they are also associated with the underworld/afterlife as guardians and wayshowers in many cultures. One of their many interesting qualities is that they are said to gaze at the moon , sometimes in large groups.
They are  revered in Native American, Celtic, Nordic , Japanese, Chinese, Mayan and Egyptian traditions, among others.
Aside from the well known fertility aspect  , they are travelers, messengers between the worlds, teachers of silence , patience, invisibility, swiftness, agility, grace, and the pure joy of being.

In fact the Hare  hieroglyph on my Egyptian Hares image is WN which  means the essence of life.
I spent this summer doing watercolor & pastel paintings of my vision of the Sacred Hare  which has brought me a lot of joy,
and I hope that  these images capture that feeling  for others to experience .
Ive just  posted two of the best ones so far on my Imagekind site
in my ‘visions of spirit in nature’ gallery:

http://www.visionaryartoflisathiel.imagekind.com/

Terry Pratchett, who recently passed away, was one of my favorite authors. He was one of the few who could make me laugh out loud when I was reading, to the point I had to put the book down for a minute just to laugh.( in addition to the numerous  small chuckles and low level laughing which only required me to stop reading for a few seconds) I loved his absurd satirical humor, as well as his deep wisdom and understanding about Life and Death, and amidst  the humor I learned a great deal about everything from reading his books.

I loved his characters, especially the witches, who were portrayed as healers, the midwives, the seers, the counselors whose job it was to tend to the needs of those around them. He made fun of those who thought the most important thing was how big your pointy hat was, how much occult jewelry you wore or the splendor of your star studded velvet robes. He said the true craft wasnt sensational or showy but a real ,vital and ultimately humble occupation. Not that his characters were saints, far from it. They were were full of human faults, egos and ridiculous idiosyncrasy, but that made them all the more loveable and authentic.

I loved Hat Full of Sky, The Wee Free Men and Wintersmith ,in particular , the latter of which has some of the most hilarious Witch characters I ve ever encountered.  Most recently I just read  I Shall Wear Midnight, which was a beautiful and amazing conclusion to the Tiffany series, co authored by his wife, Lyn.

Terry’s brilliant humor and insight made his books healing tools in of themselves , for you felt were a better person for having read them,and for experiencing his unique (wacky) world view. I would heartily recommend them to anyone who (thinks they have)  lost the ability to laugh .

He was knighted in honor of his work and became” Sir Terry”, and Im so glad that  he received this recognition during his lifetime. I would say  that we are going to miss him but I know his spirit lives on through his remarkable words captured in time.

1. SATURN SQUARE NEPTUNE~ PIERCING THE VEIL
3. During this interesting time that we find ourselves in, Saturn, planet of structures and lessons to be
5. learned ( aka karma) is now making a challenging aspect (square) to the current Neptune ,
7. planet of formlessness and dissolution.
9. As you can imagine these two planets are as different in nature as they can be ,yet both play an essential role
11. in the great cosmic process and working together create  a necessary dynamic balance.
13. Neptune dissolves what needs to be released and Saturn rebuilds the new foundation/structure.
15. A square causes a dynamic tension that  requires a new  structure to be made  between two signs/planets
16. creating  a new relationship between them.
19. The signs that the respective planets are in, Fire and water are also seemingly at odds and yet they too
21. have a symbiotic alliance that creates life.
23. Saturn is in  the sign of Sagittarius a mutable fire sign and Neptune is in its native water sign of Pisces,
25. which is also mutable, signifying   the ability to change.
27. Sagittarius is a sign of philosophy, religion, belief systems ,thirst for knowledge and above all the quest for truth.
29. Pisces/ Neptune represents the  domain of the spirit world, from the astral realms of fantasy and illusion
31. to the highest levels of spiritual  realization and enlightenment.
33. As Neptune in Pisces gives us an opportunity to incorporate spiritual elements into our lives, it also gives us a chance
35. to examine our illusions  of self limiting beliefs  . By definition an illusion is something that appears to be real yet upon close
37. examination is seen for what it is -insubstantial . Its like when you are driving down a highway on a hot day and you see
39. on the road the gleam of what you would swear is water on the asphalt , yet as soon as you get close it disappears
41. because it was never there . So the current Saturn in Sagittarius is the lesson of  finding ones own essential truth
43. and  the bright light of this fire sign is like the sun piercing the veil of the  fog of  nebulous Neptunian illusions.
45. One of the ways that Sagittarius can balance Pisces is to challenge questionable  emotional beliefs/fears with the scrutiny of truth.
47. Questioning ones feelings at this point is a good thing, as intuition and feelings can be heavily influenced by Neptune and therefore
49. may be less reliable than usual. So , asking oneself regarding a belief  that may or may not be positive or true,’ do you know for a fact
51. that it is true,do you have any proof that it is true, and if so, is it necessarily true or applicable  in this/ your particular circumstance?’ ,
53. can be helpful at this time.
55. Anything that has real  validity will stand up to scrutiny whereas an illusion will almost always disappear upon close examination-
57. just as the water on the road.  I qualify that because some illusions are trickier, more deep seated and obscure than others
59. and in some cases we need an outside opinion/assistance  to get a grip on them.
62. If during this transit of Saturn which only lasts approximately  three years, one  can
64. clear away/ tame  enough of the illusionary aspect of Neptune in the psyche, it can make way for the illumination of
66. true spirit guided   intuition to come into the consciousness .
68. This,to me,  is the spiritual purpose of this short term Saturn  transit intersecting  with the longer more far reaching Neptune transit.
70. There are many ways that these energies can manifest and play out in our lives and in the world,
72. but to understand the basic  spiritual evolutionary purpose helps makes sense of all the seemingly random consequences that occur as a result of these influences.
74. Saturn squaring Neptune offers us a possibility of utilizing the  vast  energies of Neptune  in a positive , practical life affirming way, creating a structure for the formless,
76. and conversely Neptune/Pisces can soften the  harsh glare of  extreme  aspect of the Sagittarian quest for  truth (ig. Spanish Inquisition )
78. and bring true intuitive wisdom to our belief systems and philosophical constructs, and well as compassion and tolerance for the beliefs and life paths of others.

From all accounts from my  friends and associates, the Year of the Horse ,

noted to sometimes be fractious and unpredictable,was true to its reputation.

Not without blessings and opportunities,but difficult and tumultuous all the same.

This new year of the sweet artistic  sheep ( also referred to as goat in more traditional Chinese

astrology ) promises to be mellower and a little more relaxing for us all. For a fantastic in depth look

at each Chinese year sign’s forecast for 2015 check out Shelly Wu’s site at this link:

http://www.chineseastrology.com/2015-your-year-ahead.html

In the meantime heres to  the prospect  of a little more peace in the coming year! BB!

In ancient times the planet Saturn was called “the Great Malefic” , in other words our “curse’, causing people to fear and resist its influence.

Modern Astrologers now  view it as symbolic of  our lessons to be learned, but also the restrictions in our life that often force us to experience and “get” the lessons. Hence its bad reputation!

But I have found from my own personal experience and observing charts of numerous people for over  40 years, that Saturn is a teacher, a gift and a liberator if we work with and most importantly understand its purpose.

Saturn is the crucial point of a chart that tells us what the soul has to learn /experience in this incarnation in order to progress to the next level of awareness .It represents our essential structures and the need to reshape those structures for the purpose of soul growth and development . It is the key to our  evolution , and  in the process becomes a lock that holds us in place  to prevent  us from avoiding those necessary  lessons /experiences, but eventually becomes the doorway to a new existence if we can step through it.

The sign that Saturn falls in within the natal chart gives us  a clue to the character/ theme of the lesson. Each sign has a spectrum of expression much as a color will exhibit a variety of hues yet still remain the same color. There are also  the many states of evolution of each sign, from the least evolved to the ideal, and everything in between. Ive seen in individual’s charts that throughout their lives  many aspects of the Saturn sign will often manifest, as opposed to just one theme.

For example in the sign of Cancer ,( home , family, the Mother), it may show a need to be a Mother ,or  one’s Mother being a significant teacher in one’s life. But it can also, depending on how it is aspected,  show restrictions related to the Mother energy , in the form  of  lack of Mothering, absence of  Mother, etc, all this is deeply ingraining the importance of the Mother energy, via the ‘lack.’ This is part of the ‘locked door’ where the native experiences the restriction ( lack ) of Saturn in order to understand the importance of the lesson. ..  In this case the importance of family/emotional  foundation , of nurturing and caregiving and creating life.

In the sign of Scorpio, sign of desire and creative life force ( power) there could be reoccurring power issues that come up in ones life, for example . Or lack of power, to bring home the  importance of right use of power, lots of sexual experiences or  lack of – periods of celibacy to allow a restructuring reorienting of the desire nature. Naturally as humans we perceive this lack as a kind of punishment , but its really for the purpose of contemplation of a new way of being. The house placement further shows us what arena of ones life this will most affect- career, relationship , sense of self etc.

Saturn shows us where we are stuck but it also offers a new paradigm  to move into, signified by the most evolved expression of the astrological sign in which it is found in the natal chart. The key is to learn embrace and incorporate the  ideal qualities of that sign,  into our lives , and when we  have accomplished the lesson  it then  becomes the gift ,  and  the Door.

It seems that every year, right at Candlemas/Imbolc my Ocotillos sprout their bright green leaves as if on cue. It always moves me, as a reminder of Brighid’s  healing green mantle spreading over the earth. In the desert green is rare and precious and literally symbolizes new life , as does the season.
It is the promise of spring around the corner,of faith and hope for the new cycle of the year, and the power of renewal that the green energy brings.
I find myself thinking how can this cycle be different, how can I approach old patterns in new ways and truly make this a new beginning?

Many of us hope that if we keep on doing the same things in the same way life will eventually change around us. But what is most difficult is to actually change ourselves from within, our inner patterns/ programming to create the changes without in our world.
When I was very young I had a teacher and no matter what I said about my wanting to change circumstances in my life he would say “change yourself”.
” I would say no, no you dont understand there’s this and that going on” and he would just repeat ” change yourself -that is the only power that you truly   have.”
Although frustrated at the time at his answer, over the years Ive seen the wisdom of his words. So at this time in the blessed energy of new life and new beginnings I plant intentions for positive change in my psyche, waiting for spring.

Returning  to the Radio show” Stirring the Cauldron ”

April 3rd at 9 pm eastern time

to discuss Ann Bolinger- McQuade’s new book Everyday Oracles

Im going to be joining author Marla Brooks on her Radio show “Stirring the Cauldron ” March 13th on Para X Radio  9:00 pm ET

Marla Brooks is an author, tarot reader and the host of her own show, Stirring the Cauldron, on the Para X Radio Network.  She  brings a little bit of Pagan into the paranormal with interesting and informative guests from both realms in order to help clear up misconceptions, remove the fear of the unknown and above all, celebrate our magickal world.

Lisa Thiel will be performing at the annual Phoenix Pagan Pride Day festival

~please go to their website for more information:

www.phoenixpaganprideday.org/home
Phoenix Pagan Pride Day
Sunday, November 10, 2013!
Steele Indian School Park
Amphitheater Area
9:00am to 5:00pm

Songs Of Healing  ” physical” CDs have just been posted on my CD Baby site  – and on my Ladyslipper site as well (see Ordering Info page  for link) . Enjoy and Happy Summer  Solstice !!  click on link to go to my CD Baby page:  http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/lisathiel5