Our Autumn of Oud enters its golden November hour, framed by this of-the-recent-moment song ‘Golden’, which aligns with all the planetary, astrological charting that Virgo is said to be enthralled in at this moment. I’m not totally buying it, as this fall was supposed to be groundbreaking for us, with all kinds of monetary windfalls, and all I got was broken dishwashers, dryers, light fixtures, and traffic tickets. More is going out than coming in, so all you Tik-Tokers spewing the Virgo glow-up have a lot of explaining to do. Where is the gold already?
I was a ghost, I was alone
Given the throne, I didn’t know how to believe
I was the queen that I’m meant to be
I loved two lives, tried to play both sides
But I couldn’t find my own place.
Called a problem child ’cause I got too wild
But now that’s how I’m getting paid on stage.
Manifesting something wonderful is a lovely way to set a tone and intention for the month ahead, provided there is some grounding in reality and reason, and a pragmatic understanding of the limits of possibility. I try to aim for the stars, while having a safety net of sensibility in place. Also, it’s helpful to be willing to land on an equally-lofty, if unexpected, perch, and be open to such shifts without thinking your way is the only way; there are beautiful tree branches and sparkling high-rise buildings en route to the stars. Many are delightful destinations in their own right.
I’m done hiding, now I’m shining like I’m born to be
We dreaming hard, we came so far, now I’ll believe
We’re going up, up, up – it’s our moment
You know together we’re glowing
Gonna be, gonna be golden
Oh up, up, up with our voices
Gonna be, gonna be golden.
This autumn has found its groove on the blog with the polarizing essence of oud creating drama and metaphor, specifically within the idea of oud coming about from an attack on the interior of the agarwood tree, ultimately resulting in something beautiful and rare and valuable. (Oud is the by-product of a fungal infection, which triggers the production of the aromatic resin as a defense; it’s been poetically described as ‘the fragrant molecules of a wounded tree‘ ~ a description that might pertain to many of us in the ragged world today.) To align oneself with oud, to make oud the fragrance of the season, is to understand the way we must take attacks and difficulties and turn them into something better – something rich, something wonderful, something golden.
Waited so long to break these walls down
To wake up and feel like me
Put these patterns all in the past now
And finally live like the girl they all see
