This is part skywatching guide for the 2022 Venus-Moon morning sky alignments, and a deeper dive into the mythic and astrological meanings associated with the Venus Morning Gates. POST/TRANSCRIPT & DETAILED SKYWATCHING GUIDES https://www.katymorikawa.com/the-2022-venus-morning-gates/ LINKS & RESOURCES Find the exact date of Mercury’s highest elevation at your location by clicking the wrench icon after the city name in the description which begins, “As seen from (location)…” HERE https://in-the-sky.org/news.php?id=20220216_11_100 Same for Venus HERE https://in-the-sky.org/news.php?id=20220320_11_100 Stellarium Web online tool for visualizing the sky at any time and day of the year https://stellarium-web.org/ In-the-Sky.org free skywatching guides. Night Sky feed https://in-the-sky.org/search.php?ordernews=asc&feed=thesky See all the dates in the Venus Cycle for 2022-2023 https://www.katymorikawa.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/2022-2024-Venus-Cycle.pdf Shamanic Astrology https://shamanicastrology.com/ Free Astrology Charts https://www.astro.com/ Katy's PayPal.Me https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/katymorikawa

When terrible needs arise, it's natural to look for saviors. But there is another way: to respond with great generosity. This is the Jupiter Principle, and I'm going to illustrate this by telling a story about how I decided to take action about climate crisis, and how the willingness to be the solution has opened up all new possibilities. This is not meant to preach or pressure activism, but to offer a pivot for when you're feeling overwhelmed by dire needs. READ BLOG POST/TRANSCRIPT: https://www.katymorikawa.com/leaning-in-with-great-generosity-the-jupiter-principle/ LINKS Sustain Floyd https://sustainfloyd.org/ Household Recycling Problems (Google Slides) https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vRADcfWavsADPN9himFqpXTsW8jiAfBUTtdeW-b45ehwsIrOEV7ekxfTsL9TjvKKQOAKH2E7XdTFzmI/pub Download PDF slides https://www.katymorikawa.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Household-Recycling-Problems.pdf Household Recycling Problems for Industrial Designers (blog post) https://www.katymorikawa.com/household-recycling-problems-for-industrial-designers/ NETZERO COMPANY FEATURED PRODUCTS Stainless Steel Bento Boxes (3 box set) https://www.netzerocompany.com/collections/prep-cook-store-food/products/munchie-box-stack-3-sizes-of-stainless-steel-lunch-box-set Stainless Steel Bento Box (Small) https://www.netzerocompany.com/collections/prep-cook-store-food/products/small-stainless-steel-bento-box Stainless Steel Bento Box (Medium) https://www.netzerocompany.com/collections/prep-cook-store-food/products/medium-stainless-steel-bento-box Stainless Steel Bento Box (Large) https://www.netzerocompany.com/collections/prep-cook-store-food/products/large-stainless-steel-bento-box Insulated Bag for their Bento Boxes https://www.netzerocompany.com/collections/prep-cook-store-food/products/insulated-lunch-bag

This is a master teaching (not mine - you'll see!) about the adamantine particles, the smallest irreducible particles of matter, which quantum physics calls the Higgs boson. It is a cornerstone of cosmology and will form the basis of much of my map-making work. READ BLOG POST/TRANSCRIPT https://www.katymorikawa.com/the-adamantine-particles-building-blocks-of-reality/ LINKS Love Without End: Jesus Speaks on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Love-Without-End-Jesus-Speaks/dp/0966662318 The Fundamental Trinity graphic https://www.katymorikawa.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/The-Trinity-according-to-Love-Without-End-Jesus-Speaks.png [Video] The Higgs boson https://videos.cern.ch/video/CERN-VIDEO-2021-011-001 [Video] Neil deGrasse Tyson explains the Higgs boson https://youtu.be/aZLvHM_mt6Y The Lamb and the Lion, Glenda Green's story https://www.lovewithoutend.com/Miracle_Story_Lamb_Lion.htm Order Who Gives A Crap Premium 100% Bamboo Toilet Paper at us.whogivesacrap.org. This was part of my 2021 Holiday Eco Sampler Gift Pack. See the full collection here: https://www.katymorikawa.com/the-2021-eco-sampler-pack/

In this post, I answer the question I've been getting ever since I relaunched this website: what is the imaginal? It is a good question and an important inquiry. I'm actually surprisingly happy with where I arrived in my understanding by taking on the topic. This, by the way, is part of the revelatory nature of the imaginal process, and one of the reasons I love doing this so much. Here then is that understanding as I've come to it: I see the imaginal process as a creative access to higher orders of reality, orders of reality which, in an infinitely expanding universe, must continue to expand out in ever widening spheres. These higher orders of reality can be thought of from a theoretical scientific perspective as higher dimensions or unknown areas of understanding about the physical universe. They can be seen from an esoteric, a shamanic, or artistic perspective, or any area which is unknown and theoretically unknowable at the present time. And so the imaginal is a stance and an art (and for me a discipline, since I’m wired up that way) which is not bound to a particular location or type of question, just as the artist is not bound to a particular medium or subject matter. Perhaps there is a place called the imaginal realm, where all imaginal works can be found–a great confluence of intersecting realities, creative works, and artists, like a massive art studio. If so it would be a truly stupendous, wild and magical, dangerous and haunting and brilliant place indeed, as Tolkein described the realm of faerie: “The Land of Fairy Story is wide and deep and high […] its seas are shoreless and its stars uncounted, its beauty an enchantment and its peril ever-present; both joy and sorrow are poignant as a sword.”[8] For now, I am focusing on the imaginal as a method which holds potentials for revelation, and thus lends itself to grappling with mysteries. I look forward to these revelations in the coming months and years. READ POST/TRANSCRIPT https://www.katymorikawa.com/what-is-the-imaginal-and-how-does-it-differ-from-visionary-processes/ Astrology chart for Moon conjunct Venus on January 30, 2022 (1st Morning Gate of Venus) https://alittlemorefree.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Venus-2022-AM-1.png Becca Tarnas' book Journey to the Imaginal Realm: A Reader’s Guide to J. R. R. Tolkein’s The Lord of the Rings. Find the rest of my references at the blog post linked to above.

This is a skywatching guide for observing Venus in the morning sky in early 2022, as well as a reflection on Venus' mythological history and archetypal astrological associations. LINKS Read the blog post/transcript https://www.katymorikawa.com/reflections-on-venus-the-morning-star/ Andrew Huberman on Armchair Expert (go to 1:20:07 for the segment on low angle sunlight's health benefits) https://open.spotify.com/episode/6ARrJfjusp7Xm4ApY9QX1s Dates in the 2022-2023 Venus Cycle (more coming on how to work with these in a future episode) https://alittlemorefree.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/2022-2024-Venus-Cycle.pdf The *Starshine* Astrological Planner at alittlemorefree.com https://alittlemorefree.com/starshine/ Venus in culture. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 16:32, January 26, 2022, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Venus_in_culture&oldid=1066845266 Planets in astrology. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 16:33, January 26, 2022, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Planets_in_astrology&oldid=1066344802 Shamanic Astrology https://shamanicastrology.com/ Map of Venus in 2022 https://in-the-sky.org/findercharts/05venus_2022_1.png In-the-Sky.org charts for finding Venus (downloadable or interactive) https://in-the-sky.org/findercharts2.php?id=P2 For the Imaginal Journey step-by-step tutorial, listen to Episode 6 or visit https://www.katymorikawa.com/an-imaginal-journey-with-nature-in-7-easy-steps/

This week I've been asked to be part of a presentation by Sustain Floyd to an Industrial Design class at Virginia Tech, shepherded by Martha Sullivan, the Department Chair and an Assistant Professor of Practice in the Industrial Design program. It was such an honor and exciting for me, because as you may know, I believe in good design! Sustain Floyd is sponsoring a sustainability design contest, and I was asked to present problems for the students to think about from a householder point of view: everyday recycling challenges. I had so many! I thought I'd share the presentation with you. I'm sure most of y'all aren't industrial designers, but anyone involved in product creation, non-digital marketing materials, and even everyday folks just trying to do a good job recycling might get some food for thought from this. (Also, I didn't have time because of this presentation to write a brand new post). SLIDES: https://www.katymorikawa.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Household-Recycling-Problems.pdf LINKS Seaspiracy, Netflix documentary https://www.netflix.com/title/81014008 Breaking Boundaries, Netflix documentary based on the work of Johan Rockström, founder of the  Stockholm Resilience Centre https://www.netflix.com/title/81014008 The Nine Boundaries from the Stockholm Resilience Centre https://www.stockholmresilience.org/research/planetary-boundaries/the-nine-planetary-boundaries.html Preserve Recycled Plastic Manufacturing pioneers https://www.preserve.eco/ Plastic by the Numbers from Eartheasy Guides & Articles https://learn.eartheasy.com/articles/plastics-by-the-numbers/ Check out my 2021 Eco Sampler Gift Pack which features a collection of daily household items that are both affordable, effective, and make a big dent in issues like carbon footprint and environmental costs: https://www.katymorikawa.com/the-2021-eco-sampler-pack/

This is an easy step-by-step process for creating a richer relationship with the natural world as well as with the imaginal. It offers a doorway for healing the disconnect between human and nature, self and other, inner and outer, and the mind, body, and spirit. Following the post, there is a deep dive on one of the products from my Eco Sampler Gift Pack this year: Earth Breeze Liquidless Laundry Detergent Sheets. Read the post/transcript https://www.katymorikawa.com/an-imaginal-journey-with-nature-in-7-easy-steps/ Becca Tarnas' 2019 Rune Soup interview https://open.spotify.com/episode/1JrZMneLQYJAR3lNa9mYUc and dissertation The Back of Beyond: The Red Books of C. G. Jung and J. R. R. Tolkein  Chris Jordan's photo essay: Midway: Message from the Gyre (2009 – Current) http://chrisjordan.com/gallery/midway/ and link to "Albatross at Midway Atoll" https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/Albatross_at_Midway_Atoll_Refuge_%288080507529%29.jpg The Full Eco Sampler Gift Pack https://www.katymorikawa.com/the-2021-eco-sampler-pack/ Earth Breeze Liquidless Laundry Sheets https://www.earthbreeze.com/

This New Year's Eve at midnight, I greeted the star Sirius, having received the shamanic teachings about this moment from Jade Wah'oo Grigori. It was one of the most vivid experiences of synchronicity I've had in years. Read the post/transcript at https://www.katymorikawa.com/sirius-gift-for-the-new-year Watch 2021 interview with Jade Wah'oo Grigori, Curator of the Sacred at https://youtu.be/ImjXrXqchDg Jade's website https://jadegrigori.com/

I wrote this post in March of 2021. And I never recorded audio for it, but I've decided to do that now with the launch of this new project of mine at katymorikawa.com and the new podcast. It felt like it might be helpful for listeners who are not readers to have the audio for this, what's a deeper dive into Who is Aran? And how did I start working with him? Read post/transcript at https://www.katymorikawa.com/weekly-check-in-march-27-2021/ Read “Reflections on Harry and Meghan,” or listen on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/episode/5FUY1e1dpHLIOhlt37XBQz

One of my New Year's resolutions is to re-read The Lord of the Rings, making this the 17th time but the first time in 20+ years! I did rediscover fantasy a couple years ago, and have now sampled some of what's come out since Tolkein broke the mold in 1954. This is the Fantasy and SciFi that kept me sane during the pandemic. These are not deep-dive reviews, but rather, informal reactions to: Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive, Robert Jordan’s (groan) Wheel of Time series, James S. A. Corey’s The Expanse series, Uprooted by Naomi Novik, Vorkosigan Saga and the Penric the Shaman series by Lois McMaster Bujold, and Mary Stewart’s The Crystal Cave and her other Arthurian novels. I get virtually all of my reading done by listening to audiobooks - no surprise. I use Jabra Elite Active wireless earbuds, which are great for the price point: far less expensive than Airpods or Beats and the microphone is pretty good so they're great for hands-free talking on the phone. (Not an affiliate, just an enthusiast who has spent too much time nerding out over gear and happy to pass along my finds). Read the blog article here (transcript): https://www.katymorikawa.com/a-pandemic-reading-list-in-fantasy-and-scifi/