Nikki Starcat Shields's Blog, page 33

Saying No Means Saying Yes

I know I’ve mentioned before that I’m a Renaissance woman, someone who likes to dabble in many pursuits rather than focus on just one. The main challenge with this is that I’m living here on the Earth plane, where there only so many hours in a day. Ah, the restrictions of space and time and mortality. The other thing that becomes an issue is that most everything sounds like so much fun!

When I’m asked to attend an event or help with a project, I really love saying yes, especially when it’s som...

Starcat’s Favorites: Writing a Novel

Happy National Novel Writing Month! (aka NaNoWriMo)

Last year was my first time doing this, and BlackLion and I collaborated on a novel together. It’s a good story, especially for a first effort, and we’re still (very slowly) editing and adding to it. More about that in the months to come.

In the meantime, it’s November again, and this time I’m writing a novel all on my own! BlackLion is writing too, but he’s doing sci-fi, and I’m doing a sort of urban fantasy-mystery hybrid.

I’ve got lots of id...

A Contemplative Samhain

Greetings. Blessed Samhain and Happy Halloween to you! Joyful salutations of the Celtic New Year!

I’m celebrating in a quiet and mellow space this year. Our Dark Follies gig that was originally scheduled for tonight was cancelled about a month ago, and I told ElvenTiger I’d give rides to she and her friends on Halloween, wherever they wanted to go. They ended up choosing to have a bonfire at our place, so I get to stay home and feed the teens. I love it.

It’s delightful being at home, in my own...

Recovering From Mercury Retrograde

Well, that was certainly dramatic!

Mercury’s most recent journey through retrograde took place from October 4th through the 25th. These times of Mercury retrograde are when communication gets messed up – whether via technology or simple face-to-face relationships. We also have a couple of eclipses thrown into the mix for good measure.

So…. how was your experience this month? I noticed a lot of people around me, especially those involved in group endeavors, having huge emotional outbursts. Peopl...

Who Are You, Really?

When you were born into this Earth plane, it wasn’t as a blank slate to be filled up. You brought with you certain talents, inclinations, and preferences. Sure, you were influenced by your family members and early-life experiences. But from the palette of options that surrounded you, you made choices – even as a very young child – about what was most important to you.

Me, reading and pondering, age 2.

Why was I so determined to learn how to read by the time I was four years old? Yes, my family...

The Secret of Longevity

One of my Mom’s cousins is in his early 90s – I’ll call him Cousin H. Everyone who meets him thinks he’s much younger. He’s one of those people who always has a sparkle in his eye, and a joke or an interesting tidbit to share. He is retired, but has plenty of hobbies and projects going on. He quite obviously loves people. Apparently he’s also seen as quite a catch by some of his younger sister’s friends!

I’ve known him since I was a very little girl, and even though I was quite shy, he and I a...

Be Inspired by Sacred Geometry

I’ve just begun, very slowly, the study of a new creative thought process, and meditation technique. For a while now I’ve been inspired by the images of sacred geometry, especially the Flower of Life. There have been a lot of synchronicities, with the image seeming to follow me everywhere.

I know, I take a while to get the hint. But there are so many fun creative things to do that I just can’t seem to get to them all sometimes!

Anyway, ElvenTiger, BlackLion, and I decided to take a class in zen...

Starcat’s Favorites: Full Steam Ahead!

Dryst, ready for the next soccer game.

I’m not sure exactly why, but this fall has seemed even busier than the last few. Every day is full of activities, tasks, and projects – and at least one of them is always soccer! Dryst has been doing really well, playing as a senior on the varsity soccer team. He has just one more scheduled game, and then the playoffs.

As autumn progresses, though, I’m feeling the slowing down that comes with theseason, and looking forward to a bit of hibernation. I have...

To Solve a Problem

This is an excellent reminder for all of us.

“To solve a problem you begin to minimize its characteristics, diminish its importance, rob it of your attention, refuse it your energy.The method is the opposite, of course, of what you are taught. That is why it seems to be so impractical.I have said this so many times – and I do realize it is difficult for you – but you cannot concentrate upon two things at once.So to the extent that you concentrate upon your pleasures, your accomplishments, and...

How To Reclaim Your Personal Power

Do you ever see pictures or posts from your classmates on Facebook and think, “really, that’s so-and-so?! But they’re just an ordinary person, like me!” Particularly the men and women who were once “the popular kids,” arbitrators of all things “cool.” They were up there on a pedestal in high school: the golden ones, the jocks and the cheerleaders. Now they’re posting about their job or sharing photos of their kids or seeking support for a health issue, and you realize that they’re fully human...