Simone Butler's Blog, page 2

Gemini New Moon: Taking Flight

I said, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest. I would hurry to my place of shelter, far from the tempest and storm.”…

Scorpio Full Moon: Answered Prayers

For two weeks, author Gregg Braden had acclimated his body to altitudes of over 16,500 feet above sea level. Along with 20 other seekers, he had crossed an icy river in hand-hewn wooden barges and hiked up the steep, jagged peaks of the Himalayas to a remote monastery, with one burning question in mind.…

Scorpio Full Moon: Answered Prayers

Scorpio Full Moon 2025: Answered Prayers

For two weeks, author Gregg Braden had acclimated his body to altitudes of over 16,500 feet above sea level. Along with 20 other seekers, he had crossed an icy river in hand-hewn wooden barges and hiked up the steep, jagged peaks of the Himalayas to a remote monastery with one burning question in mind.…

Taurus New Moon: Turbo-Charged

Mrs. T, the Welsh wonder tortoise!

A 90-year-old tortoise named Mrs. T made world headlines in 2015 after her front legs were gnawed off by rats while she was hibernating in a garden shed.…

Libra Full Moon: Justice for All

Things can go awry, often when you least expect it. You lose your job through no fault of your own. Someone you love gets deported and ends up in a foreign detention center.…

Aries New Moon Solar Eclipse: Stepping Up

Not long ago, singer Julia Price was getting some exercise, running along her usual path down a Chicago street, when she heard an older man yelling – loudly enough for her to hear through her headphones – “Sexy lady, hey hey hey sexy lady!”…

Virgo Full Moon Eclipse: Becoming Nobody

In his seminal book Grist for the Mill, Ram Dass shared his experience of teaching meditation to prison inmates, including those on death row. He observed that the inmates condemned to die welcomed the teachings.…

Pisces New Moon: Navigating Overwhelm

During a particularly harsh Arctic winter in December 1984, native folks near the Bering Sea spotted over 2,000 beluga whales trapped by thick ice. Masses of frozen water were rapidly closing in on the mammals, squeezing them tightly together.…

Leo Full Moon: Be the Light

Some years ago, writer Elizabeth Gilbert was stuck on a crosstown bus in New York City during rush hour. As she recalled, “The bus was filled with cold, tired people who were deeply irritated – with one another, with the rainy, sleety weather, with the world itself.…

Aquarius New Moon: Snake Power

When Luna first held a snake as a young child, she fell in love with it. Over the years she’s admired and handled a wide variety of (even venomous!) snakes, with the expert guidance of folks at the San Diego Herpetological Society.…