OctoOracle & Priestess of Artful Living

11/29/2025

May we always seek the simple things in life.
It is where love is born.

11/23/2025

From Artist/Writer
Jan Sky

The Otter Who Carried Laughter
They say the river once held a secret
a small creature who knew how to turn sorrow
back into water
and let it flow away.
It began with a village
pressed beneath too many heavy days.
People worked, worried, whispered,
and even the children played
as though someone had dimmed the light in their eyes.
The river felt it too;
its surface grew still,
its songs muted.
One morning, an otter arrived.
No one saw where it came from.
It simply appeared on a flat stone
in the river’s bend,
slick fur shining like polished dusk,
whiskers twitching
as if catching distant laughter on the wind.
At first, the villagers ignored it.
What difference could such a small creature make?
But the otter began to drift through the water
in wide loops and rolls,
twisting its body in ways that made ripples
sparkle like spilled silver.
It cracked open shells with perfect joy,
floating on its back as though the river itself
was a cradle meant only for it.
Sometimes it would hold a tiny stone
with a tenderness that made people pause,
as if it were guarding something precious
from a world that had forgotten softness.
Slowly, the river changed.
The water stirred again,
giggling against the banks
the way it had long ago.
Children wandered closer,
drawn by the otter’s freedom.
Their laughter slipped out first in small waves,
then in bright bursts
that startled the silence into remembering itself.
And the adults
those who had forgotten
how to let go
found themselves watching
the otter’s easy joy.
It reminded them
that the world was not only weight and duty.
That sometimes, healing began
with something as simple
as letting the river carry
what the heart shouldn’t hold.
One evening,
as the sun softened into amber,
the otter climbed onto a rock
and looked at the village
with eyes that understood more
than any words could say.
Then, just as quietly as it had come,
it slipped beneath the water
and disappeared.
But its presence remained
in the way the river laughed again,
in the way children chased light along its edge,
and in the small moments
when grown hearts unclenched
without noticing.
And sometimes,
when someone sits by the river
with worries too heavy to name,
they swear they feel a small ripple of joy
bump gently against their feet
as if the otter, wherever it has gone,
still sends pieces of its laughter
downstream
to those who need it most.

11/23/2025

As we begin to close the Snake year and prepare to step into the Fire Horse, it is essential to understand the shift in energy we are walking through.

The Snake taught us to shed, soften, release, and see ourselves with new honesty.
The Horse asks us to rise, clarify, focus, and move with both freedom and direction.

These are not opposing forces. They complete one another.
The Snake clears the old skin.
The Horse carries the new version of you forward.

Use these energies intentionally.
Honour what you’ve learned.
Clarify where you’re going next.
And let this transition guide you into a more aligned, empowered, and heart-led 2026.

Fire Horse
Chinese Zodiac Meaning, Personality, and Myths:

The Fire Horse is a Chinese zodiac sign known for the traits of being intelligent, passionate, charismatic, and energetic, which are amplified by the fire element.
These individuals are often adventurous, headstrong, and may be seen as rebellious, but are also considered lucky and vibrant, with a love for action and excitement.

The "Fire Horse" designation, also known as "Red Horse" (赤馬), is applied to those born in the specific years of 1966 and 2026, representing a year of great vitality and potential for change.

11/22/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1ACvVauZWL/?mibextid=wwXIfr

‘An Irish Fairy Song’ by Rev. J. B. Dollard.

By the light o' the moon, at the gray cairn stone
A wondrous sight you'll see;
By the light o' the moon when the banshee's croon
Comes faint o'er moor and lea,
Weird cloud-shapes hurry athwart the sky,
The drowsy glens are still
And the march you'll see of the Sluag Shee
By the light o' the moon on the hill.

By the light o’the moon you’ll hearken soon
strange music throbbing sweet,
The harp-notes bold of the bards of old
Your tranced ear shall greet.
For theirs are tunes and the mystic runes
By the fairies filched away
And they echo still on the moonlit hill
When the elfin minstrels play.

From ‘The Freemans Journal’ 16 November 1901.
Art by Florence Harrison.

11/21/2025

Sunstone carries the pure warmth of sunlight — bright, uplifting, and life-giving. It is known as the Stone of Optimism and Empowerment, awakening your inner light and reminding you of the brilliance that already lives within you

11/19/2025

Breathtaking

11/19/2025

A Lunar Halo in Perfect Circles 🌕🌈

Last night, the moon rose wearing a crown of light ... a flawless multi-ring halo shimmering above the trees like a celestial doorway.
Each color and glow formed as moonlight bent through millions of suspended ice crystals high in the atmosphere.

Lunar halos aren’t just beautiful — they’re physics made visible.
Tiny hexagonal crystals scatter the moon’s light into circles, arcs, and faint rainbow fringes, creating patterns so precise they feel almost unreal.

For a moment, the night sky looked like a portal .. a quiet reminder that even gentle moonlight can reveal hidden wonders in the air around us.

A rare sight.
A gentle wonder.

11/18/2025

Ever see a sign and wonder WTH happened here?

Photo: Janis Ian

11/17/2025

Grand Trine (Sun in Scorpio, Jupiter in Cancer, Saturn in Pisces). Mercury in Sagittarius sextile Pluto in Aquarius - There's a flow of feeling, the rush of an inner tide. We're steeped in mystery, intrigued by the unknown, enticed to go deeper. The more we understand ourselves, the easier it is to support ourselves. Faith and karma, lofty topics of conversation, sit side by side with basic needs and loves. There’s a poignancy at times too. Echoes of ‘don’t worry my dear, it’ll all come out in the wash.’ It’s grandmother mopping up tears, soup for a cold, the smell of roast potatoes on Sunday.

Here too is light at the end of the tunnel – and the beginning. For every ending is a beginning. All we need to do is set the mind straight, focus on the higher path. What you say today has power. Choose your words and thoughts carefully to echo your deepest truth. New roads will open, when the time is right.

Painting - Mountain lake by Lev Lagorio

Degrees and Times
Sun 25°Sc06', Jupiter 25°Cn06' R – 05:07 (UT)
Sun 25°Sc15', Saturn 25°Pi15' R – 08:55 (UT)
Mercury 01°Sg39' R, Pluto 01°Aq39' – 20:35 (UT)

© Leah Whitehorse

Substack: https://leahwhitehorse.substack.com/
Patreon : https://www.patreon.com/posts/list-of-articles-33857592
Website : https://www.leahwhitehorse.com/

11/14/2025

11/14/2025

Messages and spirits pass through the veil of Auroras.

Captured by Kristoff Druva.