Celestial Harbingering 

I do enjoy noting how Claire can multitask – eating and ass scratching. Brilliant.

So, this week is the lead up to a brief but very busy writer schedule. I’m excited because of the celestial and seasonal events occurring at its doorstep.

First we’ll have the September full moon cycle Monday through Wednesday this week. In some parts of the world, it will also include a partial lunar eclipse. https://www.astronomy.com/observing/full-moon-calendar-dates-times-types/

On a spiritual level, full moons are great for reflection, release and healing.

However, it’s the manifestation aspect of a full moon that peaks my interest, especially leading up to this weekend and beyond through the rest of the lunar cycle.

“Intentions and Manifestation: Setting intentions during the full moon is a popular practice. It involves identifying and expressing desires, goals, and aspirations for the upcoming lunar cycle. By writing down intentions and affirmations, individuals can harness the energy of the full moon to manifest their desires and attract positive changes into their lives.”

https://spiritualityshepherd.com/spiritual-meaning-full-moon/

My intentions for this week is to do everything I can to help make the Debut Berthoud Literary Festival occuring this coming weekend a success. In the first instance that requires that I shamelessly tout the festival in every bit of writing, so there is no excuse for someone missing out. Indeed, I need to create the FOMO effect, so that at least the locals understand that this is not an event to be missed.

Next, I can do my best to make sure that the readings from The Claire Saga (Sat. 2pm, Berthoud Library) are interesting enough in substance and delivery to allow any attendees to enjoy my part of the event. I promise to bring my best game and will share any anecdotes that come to mind and answer any questions about any of the books or the characters that went into them.

I will also remain at the Lone Star Brewery (a few blocks away from the Library on Main Street) from 3pm until the last book is placed before me for inscription.

There, now my intentions are written down.

I’ll wrap my participation on the last day of Summer, as the Autumn Equinox drops in our area on Sunday, September 22nd, at about 6:43 am MDT.

I love the Fall.

It’s a time when we harvest our crops and prepare for winter. Sweatshirts are de ri·gueur. Halloween and Thanksgiving.

It is a time when the veil is thinnest. A time of balance between dark and light. It is a good time to release that which no longer serves you to make room for that which will.

https://spiritualityshepherd.com/spiritual-meaning-of-autumn-equinox/

My entre into this fall will be my first trip back to the Bronx in 7 years.

I’ll visit family and old friends.

I’ll do two readings – An Beal Bocht Cafe, Wednesday, 9/25, 7 (ish – Irish time) and Downey’s Bar & Grill, Friday, 9/7, 7 (ish – still Irish time) – and I’m hoping the crickets will be drowned out by the attendees enjoying themselves. Again, I hope to bring my best game to both events.

Finally, I’ll wrap that week up that first week of Fall 2024 with an event that, until a year ago, I never thought would happen.

Now, I’ve never attended a CS high school reunion. One reason. I never graduated from Cardinal Spellman HS in the Bronx. Left under a cloud after junior year. Completely my fault. As with a lot of important things in my youth, I didn’t appreciate what I had until I hadn’t.

Still, mustn’t grumble. Life gave me plenty of stories to tell.

Anyway, a year ago some old classmates who actually remembered that I was a student back in the day – thank you Lenny for mentioning me at the 49th Reunion to the ’74 Alumni Committee Danny C, Terry H, Pete F (RIP) and Mariann G – who then generously reached out and offered me the opportunity to hang once again with an amazing group of people at a momentous event.

In a way, it makes me appreciate the Scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz,

https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?q=Scarecrow+getting+his+diploma&mid=6A356DAAB2C5F7597AE06A356DAAB2C5F7597AE0&FORM=VIRE

For, I may not have gotten that Spellman sheepskin, but at least I’ve gotten that Alumni Reunion Badge, which memorializes that I spent some time in an impressive learning institution with a great bunch of people and probably, despite my best efforts, actually learned a thing or two that proved useful in later life. I look forward to seeing everyone. Thanks for the warm welcome.

Then it’s back home to Casa Claire, where Lisa will no doubt be at the end of her tether handling the diva demands of Claire and Honey in my absence. Better hide her gun.

In the meantime, I intend to lean heavily into the mystical to make this transition from Summer to Fall as fruitful as possible.

So, if any of you five, fine readers happen to reside near Berthoud or the Bronx, and are not doing anything on 9/21, 9/25, or 9/27, stop in one of these events and say hello. If any of you are a Spellman classmate, please buttonhole me at the reunion. If you think I was an asshole back in the day, my apologies, blame Lenny, he led me astray. If any of you have any copies of my books that you’d like me to inscribe, bring them all with you to any of the mentioned events. If nothing else they should at least get you whatever money you paid for them when you hawk them on eBay. And hopefully you’ve gotten a chuckle or two in the process.

Well, Monday is again upon us.

You five, fine readers get that coffee in you. Time to earn our keep.

Lawyering awaits.

But first, I’m going to go an cuddle some kitties and make my rounds.

And, no matter what else we get up to, let us make today a great one.