Kreativ Blogger Awards

Way back in February 2010, Lua Astrology received a Kreativ Blogger Award from Anne Whitaker at Writing from the Twelfth House. Well aware that almost 4 months have passed since, I am embracing the ‘better late than never philosophy’ and finally saying a public thank you and also passing on the award.

Anne is of course the author of Jupiter Meets Uranus: From Erotic Bathing to Star Gazing which I reviewed here on Lua. Of course Jupiter and Uranus have already started their dance together a few days ago so what better time to read this book! Anne’s website is full of insightful astrological articles. I specifically recomment the 3 part series ‘An Astrologer at work’ which offers a fascinating glimpse into life as an astrologer. Thank you Anne for passing on this award and er…sorry it took so long…:-)

Now here are the 6 rules for the Kreativ Blogger Award which you will need to follow if you are chosen:

1. Copy/paste the Kreativ Blogger Award picture onto your blog
2. Thank the person who awarded it to you and post a link to her/his blog
3. Write 7 things about yourself we do not know
4. Choose 7 other bloggers to award
5. Link to them
6. Notify your 7 bloggers of their award

So – Here we go then:-

7 Things about me that you might not know about me…

1) My Great Great Grandmother was Romany

2) My Grandmother was born with the caul. It was given to a sailor as a good luck charm against storms at sea.

3) I’m fascinated with Portugal, the Portuguese language, the people, the culture. I aim to be fluent in the language by the time I’m 50 (8 years to go!). It isn’t hugely surprising considering I have a stellium in the 9th house with Sun, Mercury, Venus, Saturn plus the MC and North Node all tenanted there. During the next 2 – 3 years Saturn will be travelling through my 3rd house kicking off my stellium in a myriad of ways. If you want to know more about my passion, check out In Love With Lisbon.

4) I saw my first ghost when I was 5; a spirit who materialised at the side of my bed whilst I was reading a Rupert the Bear Christmas annual. I was too scared to look into his/her face but I still remember putting out my hand to touch theirs and watching it dissolve into nothingness. I screamed the house down! Spirit must have had a good giggle when they decided to bestow mediumistic abilities on me.

5) I’m a musician and play a variety of instruments as well as sing.

6) Whilst being quite the spiritual hippy, you will occassionally find me indulging in watching a game of football and swearing at the referee – especially whilst the World Cup is on. Go Portugal 🙂 No, I can’t explain the offside rule to you but I can seem to tell when a player IS offside – weird. I blame this all on my 10th house Mars.

7) I have an endless fascination with vampires and angels. The mythology of both captivates me. Perhaps something to do with my Jupiter square Neptune. That square is now pushing me to write that novel…

So, now you know 7 random facts about me. On to my 7 nominations for the Kreativ Blogger Award.

1) April Elliott Kent – Big Sky Astrology

April is the author of the Star Guide to Weddings and the face behind Big Sky Astrology. Her blog is currently celebrating its 10th Birthday so Happy Birthday! I’ve been following April’s blog for quite some time now and have been very inspired by her. She  posts regularly on the moon cycles and has a fabulous collection of other astrological articles. If you are an astrologer in training, I definately recommend reading through the articles in The Astrolounge: Articles for Astrologers which is an intimate guide through her own journey to becoming a practising astrologer. April’s writing is fluid and eloquent and her observations sometimes poignant, sometimes funny but always deeply perceptive. You can also find her podcast This Astrological Life on Itunes.

2) Lynda Hill – Sabian Symbols

When I first encountered Sabian Symbols I have to confess I wasn’t impressed. They seemed confusing and odd and just didn’t speak to me. That was probably around 12 years ago. In the last few years however suddenly they have come alive and I find myself using them more and more often and drawn to explore them. I think coming from a background as a tarot reader and dream interpreter, it is natural for me to work with very visual systems. I still don’t know why they didn’t capture me initially but I am definitely glad I gave them another chance.

I first landed on Lynda’s main website and immediately was drawn to it as she has the symbol of the Whitehorse of Uffington as the logo on her page. This symbol has followed me since childhood – the place itself is of profound importance to me and the reason behind my name. Whilst I had already started working with the Sabian Symbols again, I credit Lynda for inspiring me to go deeper. Her phenomenal work on the symbols has gained her a remarkable following in the astrological world and her willingness to share what she has learned through her blog, her book and her lectures is I believe, of profound importance to the further understanding of astrology. Her contribution to the world of astrology is significant.

3) Tony Vowles – The Astrology Blog

The Astrology Blog is a rather gorgeous looking blog run by Tony Vowles who describes himself as an Amateur Astrologer, Social Networker and Poet. I have to say I really like this blog’s design as well as content. Tony writes about all manner of astrological events and occassionally treats us to his astrological poetry as well as scattering famous song lyrics that seem to capture the astrological climate. Tony also seems to go out of his way to contribute to the online astrological community, generously retweeting and having a great following on networked blogs via Facebook.

4) Chris Brennan – The Horoscopic Astrology Blog

Chris is well known in the astrological world as the president of the Young Astrologers Association and also the Research Director of the National Council for Geocosmic Research. The Horoscopic Astrology blog is aimed at astrologers, astrology students and astrology enthusiasts. Chris’s particular interest is Hellenistic astrology but his blog also draws on other traditions. Articles range from helpful tips and techniques for astrologers (both students and practitioners) to astrological philosophy and history to current news in the astrology world. I like Chris’s approach which is technical but clear and sometimes humorous. Do catch his post Everyone Who is Freaking Out About 2012 is Stupid  🙂

5) Molly Cliborne – Molly’s Astrology

Landing on Molly’s site you can almost smell the calm of the lavender flowers in the the logo. It comes as no surprise then that Molly also studied plant medicine as well as astrology. Her site evokes a healing vibe and her posts are thoughtful as well as practical. There’s also an excellent ‘Tutorials’ section on her site which provides a great introduction to astrology.

Clicking on the articles section will bring up a whole host of archives. There’s enough reading material to keep you going for a long time.

6)Lynn Hayes – Astrological Musings

Lynn is a prolific writer and her blog is chock full of tasty astrological goodies. I have come to the conclusion that this lady has found a way to create a 48 hour day! Her posts range from current planetary happenings (her monthly Skywatch is excellent) to linking news and events with astrology. I find her work to be inciteful and thought-provoking and thoroughly look forward to each post. As an astrologer she says she “focuses on therapeutic and healing approaches which encourage greater empowerment and personal growth“. Lynn makes every effort to accomodate both the interested layperson and the professional astrologer. As well as the plethora of posts on Astrological Musings, I strongly recommend checking out the generous list of articles at her main site Astrodynamics.

7) Jessica Shepherd – Moonkissd

Here’s another adorable looking blog with a luscious, sexy vibe that befits the author. Jessica is the author of ‘A Love Alchemist’s Notebook’  and specialises in love and relationships. Her posts are a woven tapestry of experiences in a her daily life set against the backdrop of planetary movements. As a counsellor as well as an astrologer, her articles have depth and an eloquent understanding of archetypal symbolism. Moonkissd to me is a very human journey of living with the stars. Another prolific writer, Jessica has been published in a variety of publications and websites and also runs another blog on astrology.com Venus and Beyond: Love on the Outer Planets .

I also have to give a shout out to two blogs that Anne Whitaker already included in her list namely Susannah from The Lion and the Lightening Bolt and Donna Cunningham from Sky Writer. Both terrific blogs, both highly recommended and both would have been on my list of 7 had Anne not already awarded them 🙂

When I first started reading about astrology, the internet didn’t exist. I was in a vacuum, my only connection was an occult shop set on the back streets of the town I lived in (to whom I am eternally grateful!). It seemed almost impossible to make any connection to other astrologers. The internet has opened up the world. Between us we can share our observations, discuss our specialisms, argue our points. The internet has created a vibrant starry eyed community and I am deeply grateful for the wisdom and friendship I’ve found within cyber space.