Leonine Times

So, I'm here in my new home. I got a lovely package of Japanese incense in the mail from the 12th House. Thank goodness because this house is in need of some aromatherapy.

The house is over 100 years old. I've always made fun of pink houses (my apologies if you live in one by choice). I always thought is was a little silly. Well guess what? My new house is pink! A dusty, salmon pink to be exact. I guess we get what we resist.

The lady who owns it bought it to renovate with her Scottish husband. I guess he was an excellent electrician because the electricity in this old house is impressive. They did a lot of work on it and I think it must have been fun at times. Unfortunately, the Scottsman had a drinking problem and things went awry. I imagine she was happy to find someone like me to take care of her investment for her. I've met her twice now. She's lonely.

There's a rooster up the road who crows all day. It's far enough away to be charming. The other night I stepped out on this little balcony off the kitchen and watched a big horn sheep munch away at what looked and sounded like dead leaves. who doesn't love animals?

Moving is strange and I hadn't done it for while, and I certainly haven't gone this far from Denver in a long time. We've had to open new bank accounts, get the kids settled in school and look for the kinds of businesses we need. These are tasks I don't really excel at.

There's no recycling here, we have to drive it to a facility about 20 minutes via highway. There are lots of little things like that, where I suddenly realize what it really means to live in a small town. I feel like I've had to drive into the Denver metro area too many times. I'm looking forward to getting more rooted here.

I admit, I've been allowing myself to blow things off with the excuse of moving. Perhaps I needed a little time to regroup? Still, I think about the people I know who maintain whatever their responsibilities come hell or high water. I guess I can't count myself as one of them BUT I'm getting ready to come back. I'll be back on 12listen a lot this week in the morning and at night, so give me a call!

If you already have an account, I'll be sending out five free minutes tomorrow which will be good for seven days. If you haven't yet called, you'll get three free minutes when you open a new account. Schedule an appointment with me and I will offer you the reduced rate of $4/minute. That's 33% off! Let's talk soon.

I hope blessings of all variety are landing in your lap right now!
-j

I'm sitting here late at night. The children are sleeping in the big bed with their dad and it's just me and the cat. Come sit with me in my living room here in Denver for a bit and let me tell you a story.

We've been packing up for days but by the time you read this, I should be unpacking at my new, little house up in Idaho Springs.

I feel as if I put myself in one of those medieval catapults and cut the rope. Holy cow!

It's been an interesting journey, this whole "sell the house and move" thing. It really put me through a process that I knew would happen but didn't know exactly how it would feel. I'm saying goodbye to a lovely home and hello to the unknown. I could tell you a million stories about why I wanted to move. Depending on my mood, the stories might be uplifting or slightly depressing. I don't really know why we're moving. All I know is that I wanted to and sometimes wanting is enough.

When my house got a contract in three days, I spun out for a week or two. I experienced regret and hesitation, which quickly became panic because we had no idea where we were going. I'd had some vague ideas but once we got the contract, some of my ideas were quickly revealed to be untenable (it turns out that for me, living in a remote cabin in the windy mountains of Colorado has too much potential to become the shining. I kid, sort of...).

We looked all over the place and landed in Idaho Springs. Part of it is practical. About three months ago, my dear husband got a job up in Gilpin County. He's been through a lot of job turbulence over the last four years and this is a great job for him. The commute from Denver was tough and we knew it would be tougher still once winter set in. I was worried about him and how exhausting it is to drive up the canyon roads and then back again, late at night.

We also have talked for years about leaving Denver (where we both were born and raised). We've always wanted to live in a smaller town, with lots of natural beauty. I looked in Golden, Evergreen and up in Gilpin County but nothing seemed to fall into place. Idaho Springs gave my husband the easiest commute and still offered amenities, like a good school, a real community and the old west flavor I so love.

Idaho Springs is a funny place and I had hesitation about choosing it. It never seems to prosper. The highway slices through it and it often seemed to me just a stop on the way to somewhere else. Still, we had spent a lot of time here visiting the Indian Hot Springs resort. I say resort loosely because it's kind of run down. In fact, every time we go, I start dreaming about the many ways I would improve it if I were the owner. Fortunately, I'm not the owner and when we visit all I have to do is float in the big pool and let the troubles melt away!

The people we've met up here have been incredibly friendly. Just yesterday, we drove up to drop off some fragile items. It was cloudy and the pine trees on the hills were dusted with snow. It was unbelievably beautiful. Everything had been sprinkled with silver-white perfection. I was chatting with a man at the storage place (we have too much stuff for our new house but I'm not quite ready to let it all go) and I said "I just love days like today. It's so beautiful." and he said "Yes it is! I just love it up here," with so much enthusiasm that I felt really connected to this stranger for a second.

It seems that the people who gravitate here aren't really upwardly mobile like their neighbors to the southeast in Evergreen. I get the feeling they're here because they love the outdoors, or they're seeking simplicity. If I'm right, I know it will be refreshing for us. I've struggled with Capricorn ambition at times, the materialism and the desire for more. I wonder what it will be like to be in a community that doesn't necessarily reward or value this kind of ambition?

The house I'm saying goodbye to is so freaking beautiful! I put a lot of energy and resources into making it a Neptunian oasis for me and my family. The problem is, it started to become a bit of a gilded cage. Though it's a lovely home, I have this terrible neighbor and no matter how much I tried, I just couldn't heal the relationship. On top of that, the urban noise is intense and there's a frenetic quality to the block that grates on me. The neighborhood school is troubled and though my son had an amazing teacher (a Yale University grad! Don't you love those idealistic, young teachers? Thank goodness they're out there!) I still felt that it wasn't the right space for him.

I'm not one who believes in geographical cures. I've moved around enough to know that wherever you go, there you are. I don't imagine this move will magically change the things I struggle with. If you've been hanging out here and reading for awhile, you may have observed that I'm not about happiness exactly. Happiness is a bit of fickle friend. Give me experience, expansion, experimentation and permission, all of which can be uncomfortable at times. I'm about being human with all the glory and gore that comes with it. I wanted to grow and this is one way to do it. Certainly there are multiple options when it comes to growth and I imagine that staying would have offered a different kind of growth. Perhaps one of acceptance and commitment? Those two are challenging indeed!

As far as the quick sale, I kept saying over and over "wouldn't it be great if the first person who came to see this house bought it?" Everyone looked at me like I was nuts, but the first person who came DID buy it. Now that's pretty freaking cool! As it unfolded, I was a little annoyed at how much I had been seduced by the bad economy/slow real estate message. I hadn't trusted my ability to manifest with ease.

Strangely, I met the buyer the day the house went on the market. I was out in the front yard, noticing the increasing attention energy with the sign in the yard and was just about to dash inside when this lovely woman came running up. She looked like my kind of person. I could tell she wanted to talk. I did not. (My kind of person or not, I'm a bit reclusive and I wasn't in the mood to chat up the house. Call my agent for heaven's sake!).

I reluctantly went down to the gate. We chatted about the area and she said straight up I WANT THIS HOUSE. I was like "yeah..whatever," because I've bought and sold a few houses in my time and the whole thing is so darn slippery but she was insistent and damn if she didn't make it happen!

I'm happy that this house has someone new to love it. A family in fact with two kids. I know they'll enjoy it here because it's a great house in a neighborhood that just keeps getting better. I've had more than a moment of grief at the thought of leaving an area that so many want to be in. In my darkest moments I found myself wondering why I didn't appreciate it more and why I was so quick to cast it off. The full moon in Taurus the day after Halloween popped that bubble, thank goodness.

Like I said earlier, I'm not really sure what just happened and I'm not sure we'll live the rest of our lives in Idaho Springs. Perhaps we too are just on our way to somewhere else? Still, it feels amazing to be going through this. After talking about it for years, we're finally taking action. This process has pushed me to purge, not just the stuff that's been collecting around here but also aspects of my identity and my values. Who am I? What do I want? I imagine I'll be pondering these questions for the rest of my life. It's occurred to me lately that taking life too seriously is a silly thing to do. I don't want to be afraid to change the shape of things or live with hesitation. I want to be a leap into the void kind of gal and maybe I am after all.

Thanks for hanging out with me as I stumble through this. I only tell you this story because so many have asked. I hope the fresh, mountain air and my visits to Indian Hot Springs will refresh me and give me more material to write about. I have so loved this space of Leonine Times and the many wonderful connections that have come to me because of it! Your letters and comments of support mean a lot to me. I'm also certain that my psychic reading/teaching space will get a shot in the arm as I relax into a more quiet kind of life. I can't wait to see what unfolds.

You can be sure I'll let you know what happens!

xoxo
Julia

ps. Idaho Springs is about 30 miles from Denver but it feels further because it's really the gateway to the Rocky Mountains. If you're one of my local clients, you can still contact me for a reading in person by email. I have use of a lovely space near Cheeseman Park and will be coming down for readings and to visit my Denver peeps quite often. You can also find me at 12listen.com for phone readings. I'll be expanding my hours there after we get settled. Remember that when you schedule an appointment, I have the ability to offer you a deep discount!

pps. Are you trying to sell a property? Call me because I'm starting to think I have more real estate mojo than I originally thought!!

Leonine Times

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Small Town Living

Monday, November 23, 2009

Fortune Forecast 11/23 - 11/29

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Reflections

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