Today Philip and I went to Frome, where there was a Potato day and Seed swap event at the Cheese and Grain. We were very impressed! A huge stall in the middle with many potato varieties, vegetable and flower seeds, and it was packed with people! The stalls around the outside included book, bread and flower sellers, compost champions for the Carymoor Environmental Trust, Share: the library of things in Frome (can borrow 'things' like tools, games, house stuff just like in a library), the Frome Food Assembly (local free-range, organic produce available to order online from many suppliers and collect weekly), and many other inspiring people to talk to!

We are organising our own Seedy Sunday Seed Swap on 19th March, Red Brick Building, Glastonbury 12-5pm. And we left the Frome version today feeling very inspired and excited to make it a great day! 

Here's some piccies from today...

There is a little place near Totnes in Devon called Schumacher College,
and I just spent a month there beginning a masters degree in
​Ecology and Spirituality.

It's difficult to put into words exactly what this month has done for me.
I think people go there expecting some big life-changing, wake-up moment, but for me it happened in little moments. One moment can lead to many, many more and if the first moment didn't exist, neither would the others.
Like...

The moment that Jenny (course participant and room-neighbour) told me to chose a room overlooking a particular tree, which led to an in-depth enquiry about human attachments to trees, which I wrote about for my assignment, and changed forever the way I think about human-nature interactions.

​
The moment I jumped in the River Dart and the kingfisher flew past me, and for the next week I was attracting flying things: a ladybird in the classroom, a crawly-winged bug on a leaf during a meditation, an insect during a talk in Totnes, a robin hopping around my feet in Dartington gardens.

The moment our lecturer Andy arrived, his premature twins still in hospital, and held his head up and did a fantastic job teaching us all, which led to me questioning how me doing this course would impact future generations, and me realising that my future babies were indeed alive and calling to me to create their bodies, quick!

​
​And I know that throughout my life I will keep finding little moments that link back to these first moments at Schumacher.
Many ideas, beliefs, emotions and thoughts have taken root in me over the past month.
You may call Schumacher an academic college, a spiritual institution,
a beautiful place to live and study,
but what is it really?
In essence: it's a place for the future to take root.

​
www.schumachercollege.org.uk

​I had an astrology reading with Astrologer and Life Purpose tutor Sue Fletcher, who you can read about in this article. Here is my fascinating reading... I wanted to show you to give you more of an idea about me and my life! Enjoy...

I was born at 0 degrees in the sun sign Pisces and with my moon at 0 degrees in Gemini, meaning if I was born half a day earlier I would have been completely different in both aspects. I entered the world at the exact moment I was supposed to!

I have a huge amount of water in my chart, with both my sun and moon, 4 planets and Pluto all in water signs. This indicates a strong spiritual element, and all the things Pisces stand for. I can connect easily to the higher realms. Before this reading I sent Sue a story I had written about a past life, which helped me to heal a lot of issues with one of my friends. Sue felt the story was channelled, and believes I should be doing more of this kind of thing with my life. (Read this story here and tell me what you think!)

Jupiter was the original ruler of Pisces before Neptune was discovered in 1846 when it was decided to use Neptune from then on. So I have a strong connection with Jupiter, and my sun sign Pisces is next to it in the chart. This indicates an interest in higher knowledge, religion and travel. I was meant to travel, and will continue to do so throughout my lifetime.

Sue then says to me ''I don't want to make you big-headed but you are very special.'' I have come here to do something very special and specific, and she can see this in my chart. The sun, Jupiter and Venus are in my 9th House, which Sue interprets that I will be some kind of guru. She says at my age this will be difficult to take on board and sounds a bit bizarre, but this is how it will be. 

I have a lot of planets in mutable, which means I am happy to go with the flow, which is great, but sometimes I need a kick up the backside to do something! My Mars is mutable, meaning what I do has to speak to me otherwise I won't do it. If it doesn't 'switch me on' I find it hard to get motivated. 

I was born in a quarter moon, meaning my future is already set in stone. I will forge ahead, I am already on the path and won't come away from it. The 10th House is about my career: Mercury is in detriment there which means my career will not be 'normal' but will be alternative, and communication will be part of my career path. Jupiter is very strong indicating a healing profession, or expanding other people's perception as a teacher or guru. 

My Jupiter trines the Moon, suggesting a deep respect for everything, particularly the earth, as the moon rules earth energies. Sue believes this is my connection to crystals and the earth energies that come with them. (To see my crystal artwork click here.) I also have a deep respect for all things motherly and feminine and have a wealth of emotion.

Jupiter means for me wisdom, ethical values and a search for meaning. The moon means for me emotional values, instincts, physical nourishment and fertility. The Moon-Jupiter archetype is 'The Wise Queen'. My Jupiter-Sun connection indicates travel, success, a deep interest in the world and why I am here. It also means I am humble and reliable! 

My Venus is next to Mercury in the 9th House, meaning the ability for writing. My Moon is trine Venus meaning I am capable of deep, genuine love and devotion, and have great empathy for others. All this together shows great powers of the soul, the ability to help and mother people, and healing and transforming others. 

My Pluto is in Scorpio suggesting bringing secret knowledge into light. Where Pluto is also indicates the ability to hypnotise large groups of people! I am a high powered person with leadership qualities, capable of mobilising the powers of soul, influencing other people and accompany others through the depths of life.

The sun progresses through life, and for me began in the 9th House, indicating philosophical influences as a child (true- I loved mythology and ancient history as a child). At age 9 the sun moved into the 10th House, and it is still there. It will move into the 11th House in 2030 when I am 44 years old. From now until then I will be sorting out my career. When it moves into the 11th House I will begin transforming groups of people in some way. It will stay this way until I am 91 and it moves into the 12th House. The North Node is what we should be doing in this lifetime, and this is in the 11th House of Groups. This is what I have come to do. 

When I was 29 years old the sun moved into Aries, and I became more assertive and more like an Aries! And I will go into Taurus when I am 59 years old in 2045. For the next 30 years I will be more aggressive, determined, into getting projects done and wanting to win!

The moon phases progress faster, taking 30 years to go around the chart. So we can have 3 phases in a lifetime. I was born in the first quarter moon, had a new moon age 19 (the first time I got involved in charity work- a very Piscean pastime!), and my next new moon will come in 2035 when I am 49. This is a most significant time of our lives as this is a time to start something new and plant new seeds. We have 4 years to do this until our earth is full and no more can be planted. Then on the full moon 15 years later is the time to reap what you sow!

The second new moon (age 49 for me) is the most significant as we already have life experience and know what we want to achieve. A person can plant weeds so it is important to plant the right things! At age 48 I also have a Jupiter return, indicating new beginnings. So 48-49 will be a very significant time for me.

Chiron is a half man half beast, whose mother abandoned him because he was born ugly. Where Chiron is in our birth chart is where we are wounded. He is in my 12th House, which is to do with healing, indicating healing work or working with dreams. He is square to Venus, which Sue interprets as a heavy-duty past life karmic pressure to do with gender identity. This resonated with me hugely when Sue said this, for many things that have happened in my life.

In esoteric teachings we are taught that in each lifetime we chose a gender identity, which balances our polarities. As we become more evolved we must experience both sexes. Chiron and Venus in this area of my birth chart indicates this stress: maybe I have had a lot of male past lives and am now trying to cope with being female!

Chiron is opposite Mars, which is the sacred warrior archetype. This is very powerful and not really understood in our culture. It shows a great compassion for the oppressed, wanting to fight injustices and finding the power of the sacred. It is difficult to work with this archetype and it is easily misunderstood by my nearest and dearest, meaning I find it difficult to fully be myself around them. But it's meant to be! Chiron is also opposite Saturn, again showing I am a great fighter for humanitarian causes.

Sue then did a Referenciale reading for me, using tarot cards based on my birth date. The 19 card (born on the 19th) is the Sun: this is what I present to the world. My quest is the High Priestess who has a book of secret knowledge. My Mission is the Hermit, who holds a lantern. All this indicates shining the light on the world and bringing secret knowledge into consciousness. My Gift is in birthing projects and going around the world with them. My life is about evolving and evolution. 

My blocks are the Emperor, to do with authority issues and men trying to be authoritarian over me. Also the number 15, which is about finding it difficult to stand in my own power or allowing people to manipulate me. My ancestral card is number 7: the Chariot. This is what I have come to change for myself and my ancestors: stopping and starting things, stagnating, energy blocks and having a lack of energy. Other things I lack are: a lack of earth, meaning I find it difficult to get excited about day-to-day life; lack of cardinal, meaning I sometimes miss opportunities or find it hard to take advantage of them; and a lack of focus meaning staying on course may be difficult.

Saturn squaring Venus means I undervalue myself, and if I am in an emotionally draining situation I stay there when I shouldn't. Saturn conjunct Mars means I care what others think, I sometimes have inertia and can't do anything, my energy and assertiveness goes. I have extreme swings in confidence, fear of failure, and a defeatist attitude. All of this is of course untrue but I can feel it, meaning these things are blocking my success.

Sue then finishes by telling me that I am here to do a job, I will be guided and will help others in a charity way or by standing up in front of people in group situations. I will be led, I am already on the path, I just have to continue. I connect to higher realms, my information is God-given and I just have to listen!

Sue and I believe we were drawn together, and this can be seen in our birth charts too. She is Virgo rising and Pisces descendant, meaning she needs more Pisces energy. She says I can teach her about spirituality, fantasy and connecting to higher realms, and she can teach me about paying the bills! What I lack is the earth element, and she says I need to spend more time with Capricorns. At the time I didn't think too much of this, then a few days later I met my new man- and he's Capricorn!

See: it's all in the stars!


To discover more about Sue Fletcher please read my article about her:
Sue Fletcher Life Purpose Tutor 

To book your own Astrology reading see her website: www.astrologysue.com 

In my opinion there is not a single environmental issue that is more important than this, in the UK, today. So please PAY ATTENTION. 

Fracking has already been given the go-ahead in Lancashire, and plans are to cover 1/3rd of the country in drilling sites, damaging the environment, water supplies, and polluting the air we breathe.

Here is a map of the planned fracking locations... chances are it's happening near you so get informed and get involved!​ 

For more on Frack Free Yeovil and what they do, please read my fascinating interview with Micheal.  

Michael is the poet in the video below... enjoy!!
(The poem where he talks about 'the 600', means the concoction of 600 chemicals these fracking companies think its OK to pump into the ground. What will the affects be in the future? No one knows.)

It's been an excellent few weeks since I launched this website, so many things and people keep coming to me. I feel I have opened up Mary Poppins' bag and an endless amount of 'stuff' is coming out!

Highlights of my week have been:

~ A visit to Tinker's Bubble, an incredible eco community in Somerset, which had an open day last Saturday, such an inspiring place to wander around!

~ A wonderful interview with Philip: The Spiritual Gardener and founder of Hortus Spiritualis. Thank you so much Philip for talking to me! We are considering going to visit Schumacher College soon, which he talks about in the article, so watch this space!

~ A trip to Bath with some friends, where we ate at The Green Rocket and visited some other ethical food places. All in all a fantastic week!

I have also been working on a social media strategy, and considering what things I can post on my Facebook page to get people engaged and excited... so hope to step up the game regarding that very soon!

Lastly I would like to say a huge THANK YOU to all those who have subscribed to A Woman's Words so far. It's a great idea to sign up for my bi-monthly updates so that you don't miss any of the exciting articles I post: just click on the 'Subscribe' button in the side bar to the right, and follow the instructions. Much appreciated!

Love and Light, always
Amy Lou