Balti -More

Oh Baltimore,

How wonderful it is to know you always deliver, you always bring joy, excitement, love, and a sense of adventure. And then there’s the mystical essence you carry so well, with simplicity and confidence. Our reunion was a dream realized. It took a bit longer than my ego wanted, but it was really on Divine Time.

Baltimore and I go wayyyy back. My maternal grandmother was born in Brooklyn but her parents moved to Baltimore. She eventually returned to New York to live with a relative and met my grandfather, but many from her family remained in Maryland. While I only recall one visit to my great aunt’s home in Pikesville, my mother spent alot of time in the Baltimore area. I have taken a few trips there with friends but one trip was very unusual. In my twenties, I met a man at a party. While I have no idea how this was possible ( pre-computers) I interpreted his chart for him and we kept in touch. He invited me to visit him in Baltimore for a few days. I agreed to stay with a man I only met once. It was a spectacular time. We rode everywhere on his motorcycle, which I found both terrifying and exhilarating. We went to many local haunts and had dinner one night with his mom. I had a magical time and that memory still has sparkles!

I did not know if I would attend the NCGR Astrology conference until just a few weeks before as I waiting to see if I would get a scholarship. I did get one, which felt gratifying.  Not much later I learned about my supervisor leaving his job and with him went his offer to cover my caseload for me while on vacation.  I was so excited to go to my first out – of – town Astrology conference. The last one I attended was in 2013. Eventually, all was settled and Labor Day weekend 2019 was here!

Highlights: 

Eating crabcakes three days in a row

Making new friends

Catching up with old friends

A lovely hotel with a stellar view of the Inner Harbor

Spending time back at the National Aquarium

Getting off one’s thought and time loop and allowing life to happen

Few plans and few expectations

The energy of the city, vibrant people, and glittering waves of good cheer

The event dovetailed with my Second Saturn Return. My first one was non-traditional in that nothing “expected ” happened. What did happen is I became a student of A Course in Miracles and my inner circle became inundated with other astrologers. I studied with a group and met many new people as a result. I attended my first astrology gathering at this time and some of those people are still in my life today. This second return echoed the first. While my astro community is wonderful in many ways, it is filled with spirits in form with various personalities and egos. While the conference had some conflicts and mishaps, the joy totally outweighed the negativity.

One conversation was particularly otherworldly: I was attending a lecture and someone in the audience said he had Pluto on the Ascendant. I ran into him the next evening and as if in a lucid dream I thought : Let’s walk up to him and see what happens. So I did and very soon after two other people came over. I did not know them but we had much in common. I began discussing the Presidential candidates and my fondness for Marianne Williamson. This is a topic I did not discuss in astrological gatherings. It turns out one of the people worked on her campaign!  I was told about this theory that Marianne was the reincarnation of Abigail Adams. My mind was blown! We discussed the Course in Miracles and the times to come. I mentioned my timidness around a famous astrologer and how much I enjoyed his 2020 lecture. He came to join our tiny group as he was friends with one of the people I just met. It turns out the famous astrologer knows Marianne very well. Other synchs starting happening in rapid succession. I was feeling such awe.

I will keep the rest of that conversation private but suffice it to say that much magick was evident in mysterious happenings in Charm City. I discovered that my Saturn in Capricorn in the 11th house opposing Mars ( conflict, men, action) and trining Pluto ( influence, rebirth, disintegration) brought my 11th house matters ( astrology, friends, hopes, wishes, dreams. clubs, groups) to light. It was so freeing to be away from home in a city that is so vibrant and friendly. I realize that some of the charm is generated by the blending of my energies with this location, as not everyone shares my experience. Baltimore is ordinary in many ways but shimmers for those who notice.

Looking back almost one year later, I am so glad I made this trip happen. Money was tight and getting time off was difficult, but my soul needed to immerse itself with my soul group and roam around untethered. Some of the predictions made at the conference about 2020 did come to pass, but not in the way I expected. And I can live with that as I would not change a thing. Ripples continue and mysteries abound…

crabcake image credit ~ wikipedia.org, public domain