Outstretched Arms

Album covers for The Crooked Moon

In Jewish astrology, the month of Sivan and the sign of Gemini are all about the ultimate cosmic bridge. The Hebrew name for Gemini translates directly to ‘twins’, and Jewish mysticism views this symbol as representing the relationship between the heavens and the earth, the soul and the physical body. It’s a mirror image showing that everything we experience in our physical lives is a direct reflection of a higher spiritual reality.

This specific cosmic timing is all about balance and integration. In our ancient mystical text Sefer Yetzirah, it’s taught that this period was created with the spiritual faculty of movement and progression. It’s a time designed for turning abstract, lofty thoughts into practical reality. The energy of Gemini is a mutable air sign, which brings immense intellectual curiosity, adaptability, and the power of conscious communication. Kabbalists actually view speech as a tool of creation, meaning that what we express during this time has the power to build entirely new paths in our lives.

The real mystical work right now is achieving what Kabbalah calls Tiferet, which is the energy of harmony and beauty. It’s the exact point of balance between the upper and lower worlds.

My illustration aims to capture this exact energetic flow. One twin symbolizes the grounded reality of earth, while the other represents the infinite expanse of the heavens. Both are pouring out light from their vessels, spilling consciousness and insight into the universe. Between them sit the sun and the stars, marking the perfect center point where human life and divine inspiration meet.

Ultimately, this energy reminds us that we are living conduits. We don’t have to choose between being deeply spiritual and completely grounded in the real world. The goal of this month is to hold both vessels at the same time, pouring our highest ideals directly into our everyday actions.

Shabbat Shalom 🌞💫🌿

Ozempic, Wegovy, Trulicity, and similar compounds mimic the GLP-1 hormone. They signal the pancreas to release more insulin upon high blood sugar and protect the heart and kidneys. They were created primarily for Type 2 Diabetes (insulin resistance) control. They also suppress appetite, hence their application for weight loss.

In 2024, as I think most people know, GLP-1s experienced a massive shortage. People with Type 2 Diabetes and people who needed to lose weight (for MEDICAL PURPOSES) could not get the TREATMENT they needed because so many were using these drugs off label. That deficit is marked as resolved.

So why am I mentioning this?

See, the shortage wasn’t just the GLP-1s themselves, it was their delivery mechanisms: plastic pens, single-use ones. You know what other shortage has been going on? Insulin. Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk still experience low supply for several products. Some vials, some penfills, but the group also includes Fiasp FlexTouch prefilled pens (which I currently use) and Levemir Flexpens, both single-use.

Novo Nordisk manufactures Ozempic and Wegovy, and Eli Lilly makes Mounjaro. Hm.

Now, I’m not an expert on this. I could be missing a big piece, and I don’t want to spread misinformation. Do your own supplemental research, come to your own conclusions.

But these companies are loud about the fact that they do not care. It’s not as profitable for them anymore. Novo Nordisk has stopped focusing on cell therapy and diabetes cures. They’ve announced that they’ll be discontinuing several kinds of insulin from 2024 - 2026. Both them and Eli Lilly are actively pivoting towards this more ‘marketable’ and monetarily satisfying venture.

In addition, the GLP-1 struggle isn’t really over either. The FDA’s proclamation partially halted compounded formulas, but demand remains high, and so do prices. PEOPLE WHO NEED THEM STILL STRUGGLE TO GET THEM, AND NOW, ALSO STRUGGLE TO PROVE THAT THEY DO.

I hesitate to stray to the anecdotal, but this isn’t merely data for me. It’s my life. I have experienced insulin pen shortages through Novo Nordisk. I have had to ration my LIFE-SAVING MEDICATION. I know many, many people who have had to do the same. And it worsened at the same time as GLP-1 usage exploded.

Alright witches, webring be upon ye! If you're a witch with a personal, handmade website where you talk about witchcraft in any capacity, click here to join the Witching Hour Webring!

What's a webring?: A webring is a network of websites that link to each other in one big circle. I link to the site before me and to you; you link to me and the site after you; that site links to you and the site after them... and so on! If you click through the carousel on each website, you'll eventually end up back where you started. We use them to help site visitors find more websites in a similar theme.

How to join: Click the link above or below or right here, read the guidelines, and read the instructions.

Once I check your site and add you to the webring list, you're all set! Yippee! Now we're holding hands and spinning off into the world wide web together, like the internet was meant to be.

Llanowar Elves (Secret Lair Countdown) - Ampreh