Mabon Blessings! Happy Autumnal Equinox!

And so, today, with the turning of the wheel of the year, another season begins, another cycle commences.

I love all the seasons, each season has its special thing about it.

I love Autumn for its colours, its scents, and what I associate it with.

Soon the first rains will fall from the sky (and the emanating petrichor), as will the orange, red, brown and gold tree leaves falling to the ground.

And I cannot think of nothing better than getting home, changing to comfy clothes, preparing some hot tea, grabbing a book or a good movie, a blanket, and going for a lovely "couching" session, while listening to the rain outside. Soooo relaxing! 

As you know, the end of Summer and the beginning of Autumn is associated with harvesting, of ripping what you've sown. Something usually done as a community (or, at least, with the help of family and friends) - at least in Góis (Portugal) it is a bit like that.

How can you celebrate such an event?

Think of growth, maturity, change, and how magical that is. Think of apples, pears, corn, grapes, and so on.

You may want to celebrate (by yourself or even over dinner, even if you're the only one in the know) by adding cornbread, apple pie, pear cake, wine or grape juice... You get the point.

Whatever you choose to do, have fun while doing it. Otherwise, you won't be celebrating at all.

Image found online

Tired

Today that is how I feel.

Not because today was a long day and I slept little. Which is true and it was for an awesome cause - I went out with a friend, to chill and talk a bit while listening to an outstanding live band play: here's XPTO Band's Facebook Page, should you be curious enough to get acquainted with them.

And not because it was training day, though it always makes me want to go to bed early. I train with an awesome Personal Trainer every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

I am tired because the world we live in is not always nice or fair.
To be fair, it is not the world - the world is a beautiful place. To be fair it is some people that don't play nice nor are they fair to the rest of the world.

People that think of numbers instead of human beings, people that choose power and money over people, people that use and abuse their fellow human beings, people that choose war over people because it suits them financially or power-wise.

Unfortunately, these people are in places of power, where they can make decisions over lives as if we're pawns on a chess board, where they can create laws so as to benefit themselves.

This is not fair, this is not right, and it should be illegal.
Our votes provide them with a job and we are basically their bosses. They should be working for us, and not for their hidden (and, sometimes, not so hidden) agendas.
And we should be allowed to fire them and throw them in jail for being incompetent and/or corrupt.

Image taken from here.

Woman, Writer, Thinker - Maya Angelou

Image taken from here

Maya Angelou (April 4, 1928 - May 28, 2014), one of my favourite Poets, was an American award-winning author, a civil rights activist, and a brilliant Thinker.

You can find her biography here, should you choose to learn further on this great Lady.

I will leave you with one of my favourite poems, part of her legacy to the world.

Phenomenal Woman (1978)

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.

I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size 

But when I start to tell them,

They think I’m telling lies.

I say,

It’s in the reach of my arms,

The span of my hips, 

The stride of my step, 

The curl of my lips. 

I’m a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman, 

That’s me.

I walk into a room

Just as cool as you please, 

And to a man,

The fellows stand or

Fall down on their knees. 

Then they swarm around me,

A hive of honey bees. 

I say,

It’s the fire in my eyes, 

And the flash of my teeth, 

The swing in my waist, 

And the joy in my feet. 

I’m a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That’s me.

Men themselves have wondered 

What they see in me.

They try so much

But they can’t touch

My inner mystery.

When I try to show them, 

They say they still can’t see. 

I say,

It’s in the arch of my back, 

The sun of my smile,

The ride of my breasts,

The grace of my style.

I’m a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That’s me.

Now you understand

Just why my head’s not bowed. 

I don’t shout or jump about

Or have to talk real loud. 

When you see me passing,

It ought to make you proud.

I say,

It’s in the click of my heels, 

The bend of my hair, 

the palm of my hand, 

The need for my care. 

’Cause I’m a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That’s me.

Poem taken from here.

I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!

...I know I've been away, but it was for a good cause.

Góis, Coimbra, Portugal - partial view. By Ana Simões

I told you you would be bumping into Photography every once in a while, as it is a subject I am quite fond of.

These past 2 weeks I was away, in a stunning place (small village and municipality, in the middle of forests) called Góis.

So... How do you find Góis?!? Góis is a little municipality (and village) in Portugal, at about 40km away from Coimbra district.

I was there on vacation walking, sleeping, taking photographs and revisiting lovely friends!

And where can you find my photograps? Too easy!

Either on my DeviantArt profile or on my Flickr photostream.

Here are a few examples of what you can find there...

Manueline Bridge, Góis. By Ana Simões

Wild flowers. Ana Simões

On the edge of the forest. By Ana Simões

Kitten on a wild path. By Ana Simões

Loreena McKennitt - All Souls Night

Tonight I am sharing a song that speaks to me in so many ways, in such deep levels, that takes me to a different place and time, and that wakes up my Pagan side. It makes me happy, makes me feel like dancing under the Moon, fills me with energy.
This song makes me feel at peace.

Loreena McKennitt - All Souls Night

Bonfires dot the rolling hills

Figures dance around and around

To drums that pulse out echoes of darkness

Moving to the pagan sound.

Somewhere in a hidden memory

Images float before my eyes

Of fragrant nights of straw and of bonfires

And dancing till the next sunrise.

I can see the lights in the distance

Trembling in the dark cloak of night

Candles and lanterns are dancing, dancing 

A waltz on All Souls Night.

Figures of cornstalks bend in the shadows

Held up tall as the flames leap high 

The green knight holds the holly bush 

To mark where the old year passes by.

I can see the lights in the distance

Trembling in the dark cloak of night

Candles and lanterns are dancing, dancing

A waltz on All Souls Night.

Bonfires dot the rolling hillsides

Figures dance around and around 

To drums that pulse out echoes of darkness 

And moving to the pagan sound.

Standing on the bridge that crosses

The river that goes out to the sea 

The wind is full of a thousand voices 

They pass by the bridge and me.

Photograph taken today, by yours truly

What if we want to be alone?

An open letter for those that don’t wish to date or to be in a relationship

We keep bumping into great articles (and others not so great) on how relationships are awesome, in regards to falling in love, how to cope with falling out of love, and how to get back on the dating game.

Image taken from here.

But what if we want nothing to do with that? What if we just want to be by ourselves and we are not the least inclined to date, let alone to start a relationship? What if we are happy with being just by ourselves and to have fun with friends?

Don't get me wrong! I've dated before. Some dates went well, some did not.

And, yes, I've been in relationships before.

But, for quite a while, I've been feeling like I am focused on myself, my well-being, my personal growth and development, and I don't have emotional availability to have someone else in my life.

I don't want to feel obliged to spend time with someone, to go out and do whatever with them, and it would not be fair for that person to be in a relationship with me and be alone all the time because I'd rather be doing something else than spending time with that person.

I want to do things for myself that make me happy, I want to achieve goals of my own, learn music, write, read, and not having to put up with other people’s expectations and demands.

I don’t want to worry about having to make room for someone else in my life, when I just want to care for myself.

You may think that I am being egotistical? Perhaps I am. But this is how I feel, and I am not changing to please someone else other than myself. And until that change comes (should it ever come), this is how it’s going to be.

And I know so many others in the same mind frame! We just want to have fun, to live our lives on our own terms, to revel in our alone time with our chosen activities.

But there is this social pressure to start dating (even some friends pressure us to start dating) that makes us feel awkward, weird, like we're doing something wrong.

My friends, allow me to share with you my 2 cents: we are not doing something wrong. We are following our hearts, and that is perfectly fine!

It does not matter if we don't want to date now, or if we don't ever want to date!

It's our lives we are talking about, and we should be happy living them (as long as it's consensual and we're harming none), and we should be free to live them the way we want to!

Image taken from here.

I don't mind being weird: I know I am, I've made my peace with being weird, and I've come to cherish my weirdness dearly – I could never be happy without my weirdness.

We are the way we are, and we don't have to live in a grey world where everyone is the same, and think alike.

Be yourself, be happy the way it feels right to you. Don't be afraid to be called weird for not wanting to date.

If you want to date, go on dates.

If you don't want to date, then don't.

Either way, we are all normal within our own standards, and it is perfectly ok to live our lives as we see fit.

Wanderer

I am called the Conjurer

Only darkness they see

Moon and stars light the path

For the Wanderer in me

I am shadow, I am light

I am all I can be

I am the force in my life

As I will it, I roam free.

Artwork by Catarina Formigo. See link below for other works by her.

Poem written for a friend's design, whose DeviantArt page you can check by clicking here.

Why starting a blog?

I enjoy writing, and I mostly do it for myself, be it in Portuguese (my native language) or in English. Soon (I hope), I might even give French a try.

I write on word files on my computer, I write on physical notebooks that I keep in my room and my library.

I write poetry (one of my poems was recently published in a book with poems written by several authors), social criticism articles, deep thoughts, scientific articles regarding Psychology, whatever floats my boat.

"So... Why start a blog? Why now?", you may ask.

I've had blogs before, but ended up giving up on them - I was a lot younger then. I was a student, and I found it hard to juggle school and other activities at the time.

Mainly because I think it's about time that I start sharing my thoughts with the world, and to get feedback from whoever has the patience to read them, and feels like communicating.

Lets face it: it's a huge world, and the internet allows us to "visit" places, meet people and touch and be touched by cultures other than our own that we most likely would never be able to experience otherwise.

That is how we learn. And, as I see it, once a student, always a student.

What can you expect from my blog? Expect the unexpected!

You'll most likely bump into poetry, deep thoughts, personal development articles, music (I love music and I take great pleasure in torturing friends, family, neighbors, coworkers - I can sing all day!), book reviews and recommendations (I love reading!), photographs I might take (I love Photography, but I am only an amateur, so please bear with me), social criticism articles, travelling...

If it pops in my mind, it might end up on my blog!