Life can be a study in contrasts. Take fall, for example. Bright vibrant colors with cooling temperatures and increasing darkness. Do you prefer the bright or the dull?
I’ll take bright, thank you very much. The foods of this season also compliment the natural hues. Think cranberry and pumpkin and acorn squash ; burgundy, rust, and gold.
The world of duality is ever present when one seeks perfection. I am a perfection fan, with North Node and Pluto in Virgo. With so much Virgo energy this season, the perfection vibe is palpable ( especially with Jupiter in Virgo square Neptune in Pisces.)
I grew up playing board games. I really enjoyed Candyland, Go to the Head of the Class and Chutes and Ladders. While Candyland was all about fantasy, the others were about upward mobility and pursuit of excellence. In grade school, we had the SRA independent reading program in one of my classes. We would read at our own pace and advance from one color coded level to the next. I do not recall anything about what I read, but I can tell you about the 2 girls who were the best readers. They were one level above me and I aspired to catch up to them.
My life lately reminds me more of Chutes and Ladders though. I experience great insights and movements of energy. Then later on, more losses occur and I find myself also losing my patience and peace of mind, not to mention my temper! This game reminds me of Saturn as it really is about fate. Your journey depends not on mastery, but on chance. Where you land is where you land, period. After that, how do you react to where you have landed?
While viewing Burnt, the latest Bradley Cooper flick, this point was driven home. While comparing Cooper’s and Jude Law’s film connections with Sienna Miller ( all 3 actors are Caps , and the male leads Cooper and Law are Caps with Neptune conjunct Sag Rising and about the same age and height.), I also considered how the lead character’s obsession with perfection was his Achille’s heel. Without giving away the ending, I will say that teamwork and consistency triumphed over control and isolated ambition.
If I can stop competing and appreciate the value of collaboration, the ups and downs will feel less personal and more communal. There is no class to peer over or mountain to scale. If only I can finally see with clarity that ” Winning” is only for the Donald Trump and Charlie Sheen caricatures of pop culture.
The film was meh, but the new recliner seats were sweet. I do like Neptune rising guys and wonder if Bradley Cooper will be the new Jude Law. For me, Jude Law was the new Brad Pitt. Brad Pitt was the new Richard Gere. Richard Gere was the new Warren Beatty. There will always been someone newer, younger, shinier, and smarter. But there will never be another you. or me.
Ever.
Oh, one more thing… If you live in the US, turn back the clocks one hour at 2AM Sunday for Standard Time ( and more dullness/darkness) .
And if you like candy and/or costumes, Happy Halloween!
litebeing chronicles 
What a lovely post Linda.. Loved reading your thoughts.. Here we have the board game Snakes and ladders. Keep climbing.. all of us get a throw of the dice.. and from time to time get doubled sixed.. But we are all winners… 🙂
Love and Blessings.. xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Sue,
I came upon this post via random oracle and see I did not reply to your comment! We are all winners in that we are part of something bigger than ourselves. The question is, what does winning really mean? Is it love, peace, wisdom, or all of the above and more.
love, Linda
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think it is all the above and much more, it how we view winning ourselves.. What makes us winners is focusing our intent and being satisfied with our lot in life…
I am often amazed seeing photos of people say in Africa or Vietnam. People who have nothing in regards as we would call material possessions.. Yet they are content with their lot. Happy within themselves.. Yet often their lives are not easy.. But again it comes from acceptance, not living in lack..
Something we have much to learn from in the western world..
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Linda. A lovely musing, and I remember Chutes and Ladders well. 🙂 An interesting and playful metaphor for life, to be sure! Happy Samhain week. Jamie
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hey Jamie, How are you? I have been thinking of you 🙂 Glad to know that a few of us remember that beloved game and accurate metaphor. Happy Samhain week ( and my birthday week) to you as well! Lovin the fall colors. x0 Linda
LikeLike
I love the pictures! The trees are like paintings. Such beautiful colors and light and shadow.
Insights and losses, yes, I can relate to that. That seems to be the way things work on the spiritual journey. It is as if we cross over a bridge. On the starting side A, we believe that we are the personality/bodymind. In the middle of the bridge, we are pretty much lost and know nothing, like a caterpillar dissolved in its cocoon. After arrival on side B of the bridge, the self-image shifts to all of it.
That’s quite a shift in self-image we have to undergo. No wonder there are losses. For every step to side B, there is a loss of side A. I know it feels awful at times to have to let go of so much, but it is just the way things work.
Hugs,
Karin
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Karin,
Thanks so much for all the photo-love. I was able to produce a few shots that exude bright fall colors. These are also some of my favorite hues. Nature can be an incredible painter!
Frankly I am so done with all the losses, but it is bigger than me. Sometimes I stay in the middle of the bridge, where all is foggy. However, I am becoming more at peace with whatever shows up, because peace is more important, bottom line!
Hugs, Linda
LikeLiked by 1 person
Bright wins every time…but the color of spring and fall would not POP quite so much without the gray tones of winter 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I remember Candy Land. I also remember that independent reading system with the colors. Somehow I missed Chutes and Ladders until working with kids. We played it a lot and talked about their lives in terms of the game. It was a useful tool. I love your pictures. So colorful. We still have a little color here, but most have dulled and gone to sleep. I prefer longer days, but sometimes it’s kind of nice to hibernate. I hope we get a lot of snow this winter. We need it.
Blessings, Linda.
Mary
LikeLiked by 1 person
I do love this time of year and I loved your foliage pic. We did play a lot of board games and Chutes and Ladders was a favorite. For some reason when you mentioned reading,it reminded me of living at my grandmother’s and reading all the Nancy Drew books she had from when my mother and aunts were young. I could devour them!
And I always love a Jude Law flick. I’ll have to check it out.
Much love,
Sarah
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hey Sarah,
I enjoy taking pics with my little phone, trying to capture my inside moment with a tech device to share with others. Both my parents loved to read and so did my MGM. My dad’s job was to sell encyclopedias and then later manage the salesforce. I can imagine you devouring books with glee 🙂 Cool that you also played Chutes and Ladders. I began to see life like this game and took it way too seriously!
This flick is with Bradley Cooper, but like I said they are kinda the same, so go see it if you are led.
Thanks for visiting me on this Hallow’s Eve.
love ya,
Linda
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah, I can relate to taking things too seriously. I have to remind myself of that a lot!
LikeLiked by 1 person
” If I can stop competing and appreciate the value of collaboration, the ups and downs will feel less personal and more communal.”
Oh how I can relate!!
As a fellow Scorpio….my only real help in this for me is my Mercury in Libra…other wise , I just might have ended up in jail…. or something worse!.. and as time goes on I have learned to love that Mercury in libra!
Blessings to you Friend!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hey Fran,
I have nothing in Libra, so the lessons are difficult for me. We are not rocks like Paul Simon said, but Scorps don’t usually play well with others, lol!
Happy Solar Return to you!
love, Linda
LikeLike