New Moon in Taurus and Mercury retrograde

New Moon 05.17/18.15 @ 26 deg. Taurus 56 minutes
0:13 a.m. 05.18 EDT 09:13 p.m. PDT

Also, Mercury retrograde 05.18 @ 13 deg. Gemini and direct 06.11 @ 5 deg. Gemini. Practice patience and acceptance. Take time to reflect and relax. Be observant rather than critical and tolerant as “stuff” happens i.e. miscommunication, not hearing. Back up and approach from a new direction.

new moon chart 05 17 15The New Moon is preparation for this Mercury retrograde as slowing down and being still is what takes place naturally with the moon in Taurus conjunct the Sun—at peace, secure in proximity of the ‘greater’ luminary; basking in the warmth and light of awareness. Blessed with freedom to Be without restriction or incessant ‘worry’ about anything that has anything to do with this physical reality.

Taurus the sign of establishment, once knowing security of physical reality/illusion of duality, has the potential to transcend concern for the basic necessities and be liberated to express the higher octave of Venus (ruler of Taurus) unconditional love or our true nature. These two astrological ‘moments’ are simply unfolding with perfection as is all creation regarding our apparent movement toward Self realization.

It came to my attention recently that the moon due to the speed of the rotation of the Earth is or has been moving away from the Earth at approximately 3.8 cm. per year, an infinitesimal distance given the enormity of space. However, symbolically, this combined with humanity moving out of the Kali yuga and into the ‘lighter’ or less dense Dwapara yuga increases the grace and ease with which we may experience our Self. The moon symbolizes the instinctive nature and the past, those patterns of emotional behaviour that influence us and have the potential to create limitations and suffering.

The distancing of the moon from the earth=detachment or allowing and accepting what is rather than being controlled by the ego to react in such a way that is often uncomfortable.

There are very few close aspects to the New Moon. Saturn at 1 degree Sagittarius creates an out of sign opposition that has a 5 degree separation. Saturn’s weighty dynamic even when mutable has the effect of anchoring one to the ‘issue at hand’. That specifically will be different for every individual but essentially the same for all in that old patterns that do not serve us must go! Upon porcelain, every blemish is a distraction. Saturn, that stands at the threshold of the physical plane, whose rings represent beliefs that are grounded in relativity and as such hurdles to be leaped on the way to liberation is an enormous gift to us; the bracing slap in the face lest we are too distracted to ‘wake up’ from the dream.

See that humanity is cradled as a dew drop on a leaf, on a branch, on a tree, in the soil, on the Earth. See that humanity is a crest of the wave and the infinite ocean. See that I am that, could not be otherwise. A tiny fleck of water hurled through the air amongst the spray, falling back to the sea or dissolved by the noon day sun—gone while “that” remains, always, never changing, infinite. I am “that”.

This dance of two earthly elements Saturn and Taurus reaching beyond as far as the eye can see encourages us to elope with the unknown, to believe in our wildest dream and to actually feel the stability of having nothing and knowing nothing except what is in this moment—the perfection of that and the peace it is.

Mars, 7 degrees away in Gemini, the warrior has wings on his feet and is apt not to dally in whats, whys, whens or wheres. Flexible, agile and moving from experience to experience he has mastered every nuance necessary to complete his education therefore prefers to touch briefly as he assumes his flight of fancy. Woe be to those who endeavor to clip the wings and cage the beast. He will don the cloak of invisibility and be seen no more. With Neptune square the hero he may dash about tilting at windmills but in earnest while the rest of us look on at the scene through a vast picture window sipping mint juleps and adjusting our conversation.

Sweet Venus ruler of Taurus even sweeter considering her position in Cancer though an opposition to Pluto will ensure that desire remain on an impartial plateau and that nurturing, caring is inherent to all beings and as such there is no need that drives me to take care of you but to attend to my Self as a means of giving to all.

Undoubtedly these few days will pass by and life goes on as usual except that those invisible energetic waves that propel us forward or inward take us deeper without us even knowing. Therefore, nothing to do or be concerned about as ‘it’ is all happening as we speak. Freedom is and now for me to just accept that.

Good Monday Morning…Aren’t we all the best!

It doesn’t matter what appears to be going on here or there or what the mind is conjuring. There is pervading stillness, emptiness in which this occurs that is always. This is what lures me home. This is home.

Aren’t we all the best!
No matter what we are doing,
Doing our best
Or, as always, moving toward
That, even if at a snail’s pace
While everything else leaps through
space at speeds greater than
our minds may imagine
we dawdle along
thinking
doing
in earnest
that which provides us
with a momentary sense
of satisfaction
a moment of stillness
the mind erupts in a
tiny smile
light in the silence
home in the heart.

Good Monday Morning…It is the Same.

A Different View

Pale grey skies

pierced by red shingled roofs

and a line of trees,

ragged silhouette upon a soft horizon.

In between here and there,

metal towers carry rows of wire for miles

across narrow strips of vacant land,

a slice of green in an otherwise homogenous zone

of concrete and pavement and compliance.

Still, the ocean roars,

the late afternoon breeze still brings with it

an invitation to roam;

to discover that there is nothing between here and there

except the knowing of love and beauty

that is the nature of everything–

never mind the appearance to me while glancing over this very different view.

It is the same.

pickering ontario good monday morning

Sunrise Pickering along Lake Ontario

New Moon April 2014: In Adoration of Venus

New Moon April 28 11:14 p.m. PDT /April 29 02:14 a.m. EDT
@ 8 degrees Taurus 52 minutes

Selling Your Art

At the very least you are a vital cell in a cosmic holy body.
And everyone works so hard no matter what they do.
There is no place for you to go but onward into a greater freedom.
The poor man rarely parties because of so many cares.
We should put an end to that.

Knowledge can be pawned for a good sum.
Find some truth and mix it with your talents.
If you can get the balance right between you and others,
and you and death, shops will start selling your art.
And maybe even a masterpiece you will become,
Your every gesture.—Hafiz (from A Year with Hafiz by Daniel Ladinsky)

venus for new moon april 2014New moon in Taurus is about the grace of Being so that every relationship is experienced as a gesture of the truth that surrounds us all in an intimate embrace. We ‘love’ the absolute simplicity of flowing without destination, without thought free of the mind to rest in stillness, to abide in deep peace. Suffering is the result of resistance to the very easy act of surrender. What could be less stressful than resting in this moment without expectation? Embrace the truth and slip into the ease of Being that which you are.

Venus is about luxuriating in the ease of knowing Self and attracting same. This is beauty, creativity; a romance that defies temporal existence. And Venus in Pisces dissolves into all that is as effortlessly as she arose from the depths of the sea. Her home is boundless, unlimited and offered to all just as we are ‘offered’ the air we breathe and we take it in just as easily as we ‘take in’ our true nature. Why does the mind prevent us from seeing this? Because here, the mind has no jurisdiction. It is seen that we are not in need of the mind, that we move and function regardless of its activity. What joy in that!

Venus requires no words for conversation or thoughts to inspire but is inspired by Being. Being is inspiration, passion, relationship, art—love and joy. We taste the beauty of Being with our human mouths, see the radiant expression of “that” in every form, touch intimacy, smell Reality and hear the silence of life in accord. Venus is so much more than she appears superficially and why she stands naked before all—do we dare delve into what lies beneath the porcelain exterior? Can we move beyond the physical pleasure to which we cling, thinking we are the body/mind, to know the true nature of our Self?

New moon, no reflection encourages us to go within to find our answers. Self-inquiry is so simple. It involves only this right here right now and nothing more. And though we think we know, we know nothing because the mind does not understand. This is the beauty and grace of Venus. She knows nothing but experiences with the utmost presence and radiates “that” from within. Love and happiness flow.

Happiness is your nature.
It is not wrong to desire it.
What is wrong is seeking it outside
when it is inside.—Sri Ramana Maharshi

Happy new moon in Taurus. Bring it home!

 

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Good Monday Morning…The Infinite, Stress Free

stillness blogpost 03 31 2014“The Infinite is working in everything. All the different eddies of motion called life are controlled by that Cosmic Intelligence”~Paramahansa Yogananda

If so, there is no need to be concerned for this or that, run here or there, feel less than or that anything should be more, better or different as it is exactly as it should be. How could it be otherwise? As such we can all enjoy a stress free and peaceful Monday leading into a whole week of the same.