Tag: inspiration

Now?

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“Letting go is not a one time event; it is a letting go as long as there is anything left to which one clings. For anything to which we cling is not our sacred self.” ~Robert Wolfe, Living Nonduality

There may be a dozen excuses why at this moment, now, it isn’t possible to wade through the thoughts and dive into the unknown, hands reaching out to feel the emptiness, no expectation of grasping anything and coming up free; empty handed and empty-minded. Now what excuse is there that would deny me everything?

From the Obvious to the Subtle

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“Our major struggles end up being with our own inner fears, insecurities and destructive patterns and not with outside forces.” ~Michael A. Singer, The Untethered Soul

Coming down from Franceschi Park recently there was a doe descending a slope. When my car came round the corner she quickened her pace and disappeared into the bushes. It was a surprising sight somehow. A large wild animal roaming free. It has been years since I have seen a deer in Santa Barbara. The occurrence startled me into contemplating its symbolic meaning. Especially at this time of the New Moon and in light of current turmoil.

In Celtic tradition there were two aspects of the deer: the feminine element, called Eilid in Gaelic, the female red deer, symbolizing femininity, gentleness and grace. It was believed that the deer called to men from the kingdom of the fairies to free them from the trappings of the earthly world and taking them to the world of magic. https://www.faena.com

It was a bit how I felt. Perhaps wanting to disappear into the foliage to discover what has given these seemingly delicate but mighty animals the ability to survive in ever changing circumstances. It must be magic! Though humans have the capacity to think we too are animals. When we stop thinking and tune into deeper waters we are guided with ease and grace toward the unknown. This may seem mysterious and it is somehow magical that Life will unfold without us ‘doing’ anything.

Deer symbolize the powers in nature that are not easily subdued. They are native to every continent except Australia, thus they are able to adapt very well to many habitats. They represent instinctual energy, independence, and regeneration, which stems from their antlers being shed and re-grown each year. This instinctual energy that deer represent tells us to trust our gut reactions…http://www.purespirit.com

With the constant flow of information that comes at us from many directions we may seldom pay heed to the deeper waters of the intuitive faculties. So many distractions! These days it may seem to require Herculean effort to still the mind and be in silence. Deer are quiet. At times they take on the cloak of invisibility. There she was in that moment, agile, moving with great ease. Then gone in the next moment. Leaving her message rather indelibly etched upon my inner eye. Everything is possible when we are irresistent to change. Animals do not think they know anything; are guided with perfection based on their wholly instinctive natures. We too have that capacity.

Deer also symbolizes the gentle, enticing lure of new adventures. Should a deer come into your life, Ted Andrews tells us to look for new perceptions and degrees of perceptions to grow and expand…http://www.purespirit.com

Beliefs are being examined and those that are limiting are being discarded. The approaching swell has the power to diminish all that has stood in time to guide us in ways that have created the under utilization of our truest qualities. Heaped upon them is fear.

Deer beckons us to go deeper into the forest, into the mystery that lies deep within. There in the quiet, the stillness we may be and contemplate nothing in particular and witness the self/ego disappear as the energy of ancient solitude settles into the bones. With a sigh, an exhale I realize I am that, this infinitude of peace.

New Moon: July 20th 28 degrees Cancer 27 minutes 10:33 a.m.

Not much fanfare around this New Moon. No eclipse or solstice or exact conjunction to any important angles or fixed stars as we had in June. It is the second new Moon in Cancer this year. June 20th saw the solar/lunar conjunction at 0 degrees Cancer 21 minutes. The alpha and the omega we could say here. In the beginning (June) the moon was influenced by the moon, ruler of the first decant of Cancer while the ending (July), the last decant, is represented by Neptune natural ruler of Pisces the last of the water signs.

Moon is our emotional, instinctive, instinctual self—in June, new moon in Cancer, we received a large dose of energy focusing on this area of experience. Neptune now alleviates the burden of self examination due to emotional upheaval, in favor of letting go of all things personal to feel the true lack of separation between “this one” and all else. We are offered a glimpse of the magic of freedom from suffering. The instinct is to be without boundary, without need to classify or identify. To not take things so personally.

In the July New Moon chart there is a long trine—8 degrees between Sun/Moon and Neptune. Neptune only gently nudging these luminaries—a blessing and a whispering; to discover the treasures that lie within.

Neptune exactly trines the asteroid Vesta at 20 degrees Cancer elevating the notion of our task to one that serves the heart of humankind. Vesta is associated with the vestal virgins of Rome, the keepers of the flame. They tended the hearth that symbolically was the heart of Rome.

Vesta is where we find our deepest desires kindled; that are kept alive through great moments of victory or times of distress and devastation. Always alive within us is ‘spirit’ that which survives when all else ceases to exist, it is. Neptune and Vesta energy touches us in such a way that we cannot not sense the fire of spirit burning within. Each life is being altered according to the extent of openness we each have at this time. The cup cannot receive more than its capacity. The rest would be lost.

In exact opposition to the Sun/Moon is Saturn in Capricorn. A heavy hand to discipline, to teach us our lessons? Or the mature hand of wisdom that guides us toward a deeper sense of responsibility for the well being of all—not the victim but a part of the healing. And thank goodness for Saturn in Capricorn! It is the rudder that keeps the ship upright. It is the grounding that keeps us ‘heads above the water’. Neptune is in Pisces and Sun/Moon, Vesta and Mercury are all in water. Saturn provides an earthly anchor lest we feel in danger of being swept away. That of course is the thought, “I will be swept away, annihilated.” Saturn asks us to allow for old patterns to be swept away and to trust that what lies underneath the old structure is our greatest sense of security, our salvation.

The sign of Cancer with Moon rulership has not only to do with nurturing and nourishing the physical and emotional bodies but also the ‘soul’. This we do by diving into source.

The Moon XVIII of the major Arcana in Tarot rules the night the unconscious and represents our quest for freedom from the tyranny of the mind. It requires courage to plumb these depths, the darkness can be daunting. Fears are sequestered here. And yet, once we recognize that these fears are not of our making, that they are the product of conditioning we are freed from their grasp and free to gather the riches of these depths—stillness, peace, quiet that is the soul’s domain.

“In the stillness of the mind I saw myself as I am – unbound.” Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

Deeper than thought…Breathe

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There is one way of breathing that is shameful and constricted. Then, there’s another way: a breath of love that takes you all the way to infinity. ~Rumi

Even in this apparent chaos and turmoil, in this vital time of great change, letting go and feeling into a new skin, we can breathe. We can inhale deeply into and beyond all that seems disruptive, deceptive and disorienting. The inhale carries us into the quiet, the stillness unperturbed by any noise of this material world. We can inhale so deeply that our focus on anything external to the self ceases. We become captivated (in a sense) by a boundless peace; a knowing that accompanies this, that ‘this’ is Truth. We slowly become uninhibited; shed daily experience like water from a duck’s back and are free to embrace presence, the present moment, every minute detail existing here but previously invisible to the preoccupied mind. With the deepest inhale illusion is shattered and love cascades in an endless outpouring of Life. It is as simple as that, one breath to reacquaint one self with eternal, infinite now.

The practice is simply this: keep coming back to your breath during the day. Just take a moment. This will give your mind a steadiness and your breath a gracefulness…. There’s so much to let go of, isn’t there? Your nostalgia and your regrets. Your fantasies and your fears. What you think you want instead of what is happening right now. Breathe. ~Rodney Yee, Yoga: The Poetry of the Body

New moon/summer solstice

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A spacecraft's view of an annular solar eclipse in 2012.

So, where do we Begin: New Moon/Annular Solar Eclipse/Summer Solstice!

“So where do we begin? It seems that the practice of not-knowing begins with a trust in the unnameable space that holds us, in the mysterious atmosphere in which we all live”. ~Mark Nepo, Seven Thousand Ways to Listen

Every day begins anew! And every day light shines upon us in a slightly different way—a little more perhaps, or a little less; a reflection of the light from within. It is all the same light. And now? So many conflicting stories. As many conflicted leaders. The numerous messages whirl about us in chaotic disarray.

Do we allow ourselves to be caught up, swept away in emotional turmoil? Or do we turn our attention inward to the ever present peace and calm whence we feel assured? It is not assurance of a continuation of any thing in the material world to which we have become familiar. Rather it is the knowing that everything that occurs is an expression of that which we feel rather than what we think. And that which we feel unfolds with divine continuity—seamless, nameless, not less, not more NOT different.

Truth does not flucuate in chaos. In this is peace, an assurance. Truth is changeless in the face of change.

As has been mentioned before, in silence there is an opportunity to feel into, deeper and deeper and in a manner of speaking, the ever present nothingness that is without mind. Without mind—no fear, no suffering. Without which we resist not but gracefully become one with the river of life immersed, embraced and embracing. Touching everything whilst not holding on to anything.

Free falling through life. A blessed feeling. Our limbs are free to reach out, explore within, dangle, thrash about, spiral, gyrate, hug, dance, pray…openness unlimited…peace. Let us not limit our self. Let us not feel limited by anything external to self. Consider the conditioning! That we so frequently think we are bound by…

New Moon 0 degrees Cancer 11:40 p.m. PDT June 20th, 2020

This new moon certainly deserves our attention. It coincides with the Summer Solstice that takes us into the months in which we want to be outside, free to play and feel our selves as one with the elements. In our memory banks are the carefree days that we enjoyed as children—no more school for a few months. Adventure ahead! Warmth, sunshine and creating from moment to moment our reality.

Also during this new moon there is a solar eclipse the significance of which is:

“Astrologically speaking, they (eclipses) speed up time: They open new doors by slamming others shut, so we often find abrupt and sudden shifts occurring during eclipses. Though the shifts can be jarring, they can help us by speeding up the inevitable.” ~Aliza Kelly Farager

During a solar eclipse we are cut off from the light of the sun representing our conscious self and connection to the external world and find our selves turning within and attending to our emotional world and our spiritual nature. We look at everything under the rare light cast by this occurrence that on the 20th is known as an annular eclipse. We see everything anew…people, experiences the world around us.

An annular eclipse, also known as the ring of fire occurs when the moon is at apogee or furthest from the earth. Therefore when it crosses the sun, it appears smaller than at perogee, does not fully obscure the sun and leaves a circle of solar light that demarcates the moon—is the only time we can ‘see’ the new moon. Symbolically, this new moon focuses our intent upon not only the obvious opportunity for new beginnings but also that which lies deep within the known world; what lies in the center of that blazing light of the seen.

The third aspect relating to this new moon is that at 0 degrees Cancer it conjuncts the world axis at 0 degrees of the Cardinal signs. Starting off, best foot forward, leadership role from the all important sign of Cancer which is all about feeling, nurturing and nourishing. The qualities of ‘mother’ that we typically, inherently know to give the basic support an individual requires to navigate life from an emotionally mature perspective.

Let us utilize the surreal light experienced during this solar eclipse to highlight areas where we are weak in terms of emotional development. To be a leader with clear intent it behooves us to have pacified the emotional turbulence we often experience as adults expressing from a place of need. May we all become mothers in our approach to others; that is accepting, accommodating and unconditional not at the expense of self but knowing that all selves are ‘me’.

Another significant aspect in this new moon chart is an exact inconjunct (150 degree aspect) from Saturn at 0 degrees Aquarius to the sun/moon conjunction. Here Saturn in Aquarius will focus our actions and reactions on what serves community rather than specifically the individual. How we determine to continue moving forward must be for the ‘good’ of all. It doesn’t work to leave anyone behind or in a position of want. We consider how those steps towards creating freedom for self will actually result in greater freedom for all. It occurs by letting go, inhabiting the change and creating according to the deep peace ever present.

“Look around you. Everything changes. everything on this earth is in a continuous state of evolving, refining, improving, adapting, enhancing, and changing. You were not put on this earth to remain stagnant.” Dr. Steve Mataboli

Below is a link to a video with Pamela Gregory who gives a detailed talk about the three eclipses now (June 5, 20 and July 5), their significance and the astrological features that highlight this year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orAjVWh61Nk

Qigong for Grounding

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Mimi Kuo-Deemer master qigong teacher shares her short sequence for grounding, centering and calmness. All of her videos are very helpful for a sense of ultimate well-being and clarity. Connecting to the subtle energies within and without is a vital and positive way to maintain stillness and peace no matter what goes on in the external environment. So wonderful that she most often can be found outdoors in nature where the very energy of the planet contributes to our grace and awareness.

In Praise of Silence

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“A day of silence can be a pilgrimage. A day of silence can help you listen to the Soul play its marvelous lute and drum.” ~Hafiz

So much is being said about these days and what they mean…really, do we know? Our words are supposition, digging in the past and projecting into the future. Neither are effective. Words seem inadequate to describe unfamiliar circumstances the effect of which has us occasionally spiraling out of control.

We are not in control. We do not know. And yet, we are not victims. Whatever goes on here, we are all in the same soup. We create, we experience—we react—we learn—we evolve. No matter what the circumstances we are presented with, we always have the option of creating with our best foot forward. In challenging situations human beings are very good at giving their best.

Most of us see this as an opportunity not to feel that we must go to battle but to take a look at whatever fears we may have based on the current situation. As much as we may miss connections with our loved ones, friends and family, we honour this time as a reprieve from the routine that may keep us focused externally. It is a time to ‘abandon’ our thoughts, give our selves space to have clarity; to listen to the silence. In silence there is no suffering. In silence we find there is no separation. Even in this current circumstance of needing to physically separate, we find there is no separation. We come to rest between the thoughts, a length of time that eventually has no measurement. There is only Now.

“Now is quieter than the mind.” ~Adyashanti (April 5th livestream)

Silence, though ever present is not what we are accustomed to. Silence though, is peace. It provides a moment in which to notice and feel into the inexhaustible, infinite nature of Reality. A moment here is enough to carry us forward to further inner inquiry. We are pulled, called to go deeper. We seek Truth.

“What am I between my thoughts? Where do I end and the trees begin, the sky…” ~John Butler

It is very possible to side line our attention to all the goings on, the noise of our human community and listen instead to the stillness, the silence. Reflection occurs and realization happens. Realization that the ‘me’ I thought I was exists as a thought. In the silence I do not find ‘me’. Me is what stands between one and freedom.

“Me stops us from going deeper. When we listen deeply we forget about me.” ~John Butler

Recently I came across the videos of John Butler and his expression of Truth after his many years of meditation and inner focus. His way of communicating may be of interest to some. Included at the end of this article is a link to one of his short videos, Silence is never boring. John also shares his very simple way of Being that promotes listening, looking and feeling, a meditation that allows for deepening. That in another video. The basic steps I share here.

According to John: Keep your feet on the ground. Feel the weight of your hands on your thighs. Look at what is around you, take in all that is in your environment. Listening, looking and feeling. Being the observer and being aware that I am the observer we become aware of infinite presence. This stilling the body and the mind in a very simple way helps create peace and calm as does any form of meditation; sitting with what is and noticing that.

“True knowledge comes through revelation.” ~J. Butler

New Moon April 22 Taurus 3 degrees 24 minutes @ 7:26 p.m. PDT

Conjunct with Uranus and Square with Saturn, expect the unexpected and emotional ‘unrest’

How can we best utilize this New Moon in Taurus? What might our intention be to assist the realization of the vision we nurture, wherever one is on their path. We can look at the qualities of Moon in Taurus as a reference point. Moon in Taurus people appreciate stability, to feel secure and to know that they are cared for. Taurus, ruled by Venus (Roman), Aphrodite (Greek) is the sign in which we learn what has value to us and where we seek pleasure and happiness. Taurus, an earth sign is most often regarded as that which acquires all things material.

However, as Aphrodite was born of the sea, from the remains of her father Uranus’s genitalia, there is a deeper aspect to this planet’s expression that is taken into consideration at this time as Uranus is conjunct to this New Moon. Uranus is known as the ‘awakener’ in astrology, as its presence is responsible for significant change—revolution for evolution. Uranus disrupts the usual in favour of freedom to Be. In order to Be we shed the accumulated conditioning that has encapsulated this planet for—a long time.

‘To be that which you cannot, not be.’ ~Bob Nickel

Uranus will direct attention to a deeper level of Taurus ability that relates to the five senses. Taurus is sensitive to the feeling nature, listening, observing, smelling, tasting and touching. These heightened aspects in human beings gives one a greater sense of security in the world, knowing what dangers one might need to deal with. When we give deep attention to our senses, as is possible at any time but more so during this New Moon, we discover a new ‘area’ accessible to all. Here there is Truth when we experience depth of being through our senses. We gradually let go of the material to achieve peace. Detachment for Taurus is a healthy achievement. Through detachment we eliminate emotional limitations.

To assist in this process is Saturn, the planet of discipline, focus and work squaring Sun, Moon and Uranus. The taskmaster is overseeing our travail to make sure that we dutifully approach the acknowledgment of patterns and conditioning that inhibit greater awareness.

Taurus is earth, the farmer, those tuned into nature with a natural ability to appreciate how all in nature unfolds without the need for thought. If we stand and listen deeply, no matter where we are, we can hear the rhythm that moves everything. This New Moon can guide us deeper to a permanent security known through ever present interconnectedness—no separation.

Also in this New Moon chart, Point of Fortune in Scorpio opposition to the New Moon. Here is another call to deepen. Scorpio wants depth and to connect with the vital nature of existence, the essence. Scorpio does not abide with pretense. The Point of Fortune is where we find our greatest sense of fulfillment. Venus, ruler of Taurus is being called upon to exhibit what lies within not just the beauty without, for which she is most often appreciated.

“You want to overthrow the established order and transform it into something better because you know that true security can only be found by being in touch with the source of life.” ~Jessica Davidson from Point of Fortune in Scorpio

In conclusion, this New Moon offers us an avenue for deepening, emotional growth and realizing an imperturbable security with which we proceed with greater confidence and sense of well being. As we are exploring new territory at this time, our vision is to be open to the unfolding of ‘this one’, the deeper expression of what ‘I’ have known to be true thus far. Sharing the light within that so beautifully illuminates this world in which we live.

Video: John Butler-Silence is never boring (one of his lovely offerings)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SVxdnE84bM

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“The immanent Reality alone is. It is infinite.” ~Ramana Maharshi Teachings of Self Realization by Robert Wolfe

Our true nature is infinite. And even in this stressful, demanding global situation we are creating healing. Humanity has infinite resources, abundance, intelligence, compassion and LOVE. No matter what appears to be going on all around us, the cure is rising out of omniscience. Each of us can reach deep into our own knowing to find peace, calmness and the strength to overcome and all the while supporting a collective rising into well being.

This New Moon at 4 degrees Aries is a good occasion in which to envision a strong society guided by our passion and intention for balance and harmony. We are the solution. We are the creators.

Undoing the doing

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[Word for 2019: chosen by Dictionary.com is existential. Notable among searchers and employed by Greta Thunberg regarding the real threat of climate change. “No doctrine is more optimistic (than existentialism) since it declares that man’s destiny lies within himself.” ~from Treehugger 12.03]

Unlearning

#48

Studying and learning daily you grow larger.

Following the Way daily you shrink.

You get smaller and smaller.

So you arrive at not doing.

You do nothing and nothing is not done.

~Tao Te Ching, Ursula K. Le Guin

In a dream, there was a root in my hands that I began to pull and pull and pull. This went on for a time, all the while a voice encouraging the continuation of this action. “It is the ego deeply rooted in conditioning that perpetuates the notion of separation.” It is this root, I felt certain, wherein lies the basis for beliefs and fears that inform us daily. I was looking for the end of the root and the dissolution of the illusion. To be free of the habitual reactions and responses that determine how life shows up rather than allowing for the organic unfolding of what is. I wanted to undo the conditioned doing.

The tail ended abruptly and a head with gaping mouth appeared. The word ’ouroboros’, the symbol for eternity and wholeness, flitted across my mind just before being swallowed into darkness, emptiness and silence. Comfort, being, freedom. No sense of individual or separation. No sense.

“The I-thought is therefore the root thought. If the root is pulled out, all other [divisive] thoughts are at the same time uprooted…” ~from Ramana Maharshi by Robert Wolfe

We have heard time and again, we create our reality with our thoughts.

I saw the Earth as a flower blossom opening and unfolding in perpetual motion, new opportunities arising over and over and our understanding of what life is gradually replacing the idea that ‘doing’ is what ‘being’ is about.

This ‘life’ is a shadow moving, undulating in Essence. The many comings and goings, the creations and moments of contemplation all arise from the same source. They are the world unfolding in unceasing motion. Problems arise when I disagree with that unfolding and want to do something differently, to achieve more or something better. What occurs is the perfect alignment of self/Self or recognizing that the individual is a projection, a thought, and is not. Not separate from Truth. The thought of individual existence is a fleeting appearance across the expanse of eternal Truth.

“Whatever I do or consider doing, is really God’s doing. Nothing ultimately belongs to me.” ~from Ramana Maharshi by Robert Wolfe

By No Means

#40

Return is how the Way moves.

Weakness is how the Way works. Ten Thousand things

are born of being.

Being is born of nothing.

–Tao Te Ching, Ursula K. Le Guin*

Not being attached to the doing or having an agenda for the doing simply allows us to witness the ever moving ‘beauty’ of that which is. We are peace and fully appreciating the magic and the mystery that is this world. The old voices in our heads often perpetuated by emotional imbalance/emotional immaturity slowly recede. In our wisdom we are aware of the injustice humanity has perpetuated by ignoring the emotional body in its vulnerability; by judging what is weakness and inappropriate for display. As evolving beings we appreciate the space created by emotional healing; the space in which authenticity arises. Without fear, without ‘need’ we no longer look to any thing for completion. We are free to follow the breath wherever that leads.

“Don’t underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can’t hear, and not bothering.” — Pooh’s Little Instruction Book

New Moon December 25 PST @ 4 degrees 7 minutes Capricorn 9:13 p.m.

The perfect opportunity to begin anew, to establish simple intention; that in this moment I am open to knowing that I don’t know and don’t need to know. With that intention there is a ‘pattern interrupt’. As soon as we create space for something unknown or not yet experienced to replace the familiar we have achieved greater freedom.

The great gift of Capricorn Sun/Moon (with the addition of a conjunction to Jupiter) is the power to conquer, to persist and succeed! The inner drive (Moon) and outer expression (Sun)=unified intention for rising, surmounting and surety. With the conjunction to Jupiter there is an additional element of faith and trust that diminishes any sense of needing to work at it (Capricorn can be a workaholic) and that working at it is actually a liability as we are engaging the mind which much of the time presents us with the ‘tried and true’.

Saturn now 2 degrees away from conjuncting Pluto suggests an earnest and focused need for taking responsibility for being the best that is available to us. There is a palpable energy moving us to shed it and step up. It is exciting. It is challenging (all these planets in Capricorn) and perhaps for some frightening. The best part, it is attainable, the goal—right there in front of us! What is that goal? Where does this new moon fall in your chart? That will indicate to some small degree what areas of your life are being targeted for rising up and rising anew and for exciting new breakthroughs.

Not just the last New Moon of the year and decade but a Solar Eclipse as well. What ever cosmic wisdom comes down the tubes will instigate a six month period of establishing a new order—where Capricorn aspires to is rarefied air so exercise, of a cardio nature will prepare one for the ascent. And there is no doubt (that Jupiter influence) that we will achieve the goal.

Worthwhile mentioning that this New Moon trines Uranus (Trine 120 degree aspect that represents ease-energy that moves and flows without obstacle) the planet of revolution for evolution. So to be sure that goal we keep mentioning is related to the ‘highest good’; the evolution of human consciousness. Venus in Aquarius elevates the desire from personal to communal and Mars in Scorpio will not give up.

And there is Mercury in Sagittarius (the goal of which is to seek/know Truth) conjunct Pallas Athena the asteroid that is named after the goddess of Wisdom.Be receptive to a cosmic experience without possibility of returning whence we came!

The Chandra Symbol* for 4-5 degrees Capricorn is: Tall dark cypress trees in a cemetery.
The vertical dimension prevailing completely. Bearing the authority of life, of death, and of the two worlds brought into synthesis…standing tall and erect and strong. Staying aligned with the will. Intensely involved with humanity and the sufferings and longings that saturate the world. Singularly and purposely assigned to bring into present time the truths from beyond this world that can sustain this world through her travail. Simply knowing the way it is and the way it must be, and breathing that truth as fiber and backbone.

This New Moon is located in the 1st house of the United States and if it has influence over these next 6 months we may be in for a powerful ride as opposing forces collide to eventually bring things into balance and harmony. The New Moon stands in opposition to the US Venus/Jupiter conjunction in Cancer urging us to consider ‘that which is for the highest good and to stand firm in our resolution to see change now. The second half of the first house relies on what has been learned in the first half. In Sagittarius—the Truth will be known.

Very best wishes for your rising up and achieving all that your heart desires.

*Ramana Maharshi by Robert Wolfe at http://www.livingnonduality.org

*Tao Te Ching, Ursula K. Le Guin* available at Paradise Found 17 E. Anapamu St. SB

*Inside Degrees: Developing Your Soul Biography Using the Chandra Symbols by Ellias Lonsdale

#78 Paradoxes

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From Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu and through the eyes of *Ursula K. Le Guin

Nothing in the world is as soft, as weak, as water;

Nothing else can wear away the hard, the strong and remain unaltered.

Soft overcomes hard, weak overcomes strong.

Everybody knows it, nobody uses the knowledge.

So the wise say:

By bearing common defilements you become

a sacrificer at the altar of earth;

by bearing common evils you become a lord of the world.

Right words sound wrong.

*Ursula K. Le Guin (1929-2018) author of more than fifty books of fiction, poetry and essays. She has received many literary awards and is internationally well known.

The Tao Te Ching is possibly 2500 years old. The first copy Ms. Le Guin knew belonged to her father, a first edition 1898 copy by Paul Carus. It became a part of her life as a child as it was a frequent reference book of her father. She lived with this book her whole life.

Beyond Resistance. Approaching 2020

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Resistance is a widespread phenomenon in biological, social and psychological domains of human cultural development. ~Nandita Chaudhary

Though there is truth in the above statement, it follows that this wide spread phenomenon is part of the ever evolving nature of existence and that we constantly are moved toward greater awareness and less resistance. This is evident all around us. Global movements that suggest opening and embracing with compassion and the desire for the well being of all beings. Has always moved us, though slowly, by greater numbers.

Justice, discrimination and benevolence. These fine qualities of which humans are capable are familiar to us, known to us. That which is not in abidance with these qualities seems quite clearly, out of place; an imbalance that hurts. Tired of the pain we open and in opening we address our fears, the basis for the resistance; we free all.

The last month of 2019 feels pivotal in our journey. We do not cower in the tempest but bravely stand guard for what wisdom tells us, is the only way to go.

Peace on Earth is every day. What does the dawn illumine? From the perspective of this year’s end we find the rather important asteroid Pallas Athena moving through Sagittarius and for the first weeks of December, conjunct to the Sun. What does this mean? Pallas Athena is the goddess of wisdom, protection—standing tall for ‘the highest good’. She leapt fully armour clad from the brow of her father Zeus. An adult woman, she is a warrior and yet has overcome aggressiveness. Creative intelligence guides her and to see all forces united rather than divided through war.

Athena stands for justice and the pursuit of Truth. The peoples’ needs are considered rather than those of the individual. With Pallas Athena in Sagittarius there is noble intention and faith and trust in this intention to align all with the single purpose of realizing our undivided Reality. From this arises great compassion. Athena in Sagittarius carries us into 2020 as a marker for our higher intent. How does this affect us on the individual level?

There may be a fire burning within you; an ember that sparked awareness in recent months (or years) that now consumes fear and old patterns of behaviour. Ready to confront all resistance and be free of all limitations we are the spiritual warrior whose mission it is to obliterate the illusions to which we are attached. Everyone has Pallas Athena in their chart. We are all the hero/heroine prepared to stand tall for the highest good.

For each of us to fulfill our quest it is necessary to release one of our deepest encumbrances; that of self judgment. So many wounded children struggling to be adults. Such compassion for our hearts in their state of emotional distress. How to accomplish the letting go?

Acceptance is the key to a peaceful existence. Creating a deep mental state of being that rejects nothing is the best form of refuge there is. This means you allow yourself to be as you are. This does not mean complacency. It means actively cultivating the ability to allow yourself to receive the grace of being. ~Judith Hanson Lasater, Yoga Journal

Grace informs us that nothing is lacking, nor can we add anything to what is already perfection. In my simple existence is perfection. If I care to argue with that it is not Truth but the ego putting forth recommendations that have no significance to what is. What others have to say is again the ego (most of the time) on its way to self satisfaction and self perpetuation—all illusion as neither are permanent, will cease to exist. Bring no lasting joy. So much suffering would be ended if we all knew that everything we do is in perfect alignment with what is and could not be otherwise. Every thing we do is a learning process. We cannot be judged for wanting to grow and evolve. “Mistakes” are inevitable.

We circle and circle and circle fearful of the dive that carries us deeper, through the illusion, the patterns of conditioning (ancient and persistent) toward the mighty pulse of Reality that is the life force of all things. If all that I have on this seemingly perilous quest is an intention to be open, to hold out my hands in order to receive, my doing is ended. There is joy knowing that there is no effort required. “I” cannot make a mistake. There is no need for judgment.

With deepest and most sincere intent we embrace these powerful opportunities to embrace Self and one another until we have crossed the great divide. Peace on Earth is the dawn of every day. It pours forth from our hearts—one heart and is not extinguished. This is our prayer as we close 2019 and prepare to step into New Being.

This New Moon 11.26 7:06 a.m. (PST) at 4 degrees Sagittarius: Is in the 12th house of spirit, where all dissolves into the essence of Truth. We no longer seek, we have found. Each one of us will have an aha moment that propels us into 2020. It may feel like a Tsunami or it may feel like a gentle breeze tugging at fall leaves that willingly give way to the changing of seasons. We continue to ‘rise’, the continuing cycle sees us freer; fewer limitations.

The New Moon conjuncts the ascendant (7degrees Sag.) from the 12th house. What we bring into being at this time is a deep well of Truth and knowing. Beliefs are let go. Knowing is different than knowledge that gives a sense of pride. It is without thought that we feel an abiding peace and joy. It is that Truth. The ascendant represents what we contain and reflect on entrance into duality. This New Moon contains and reflects Truth. That is the Archer’s mantra–”I seek Truth”. What is that Truth, lest we lose sight of the goal? Truth is abiding awareness that has no beginning and no ending; that there is no separation. We understand the nature of duality and so are home.

We talked about Pallas Athena at the beginning of this article residing in Sagittarius (presently 7 degrees Sag.). It exactly conjuncts the ascendant and this New Moon. Our highest aspirations gain altitude and the warrior within will not be denied rising above. This brings us a great sense of fulfillment and satisfaction (point of fortune also at 7 degrees Sag.). It is where we most want to be.

The Archer’s flaming arrow never misses its mark. Its mark is everywhere and sets our hearts afire with desire for simple Truth. As the flames burn away what is superfluous one feels a deep sense of peace. Simplicity of ‘what is’ allows us, after a very long time to rest and Be. The joy resounds. No wonder that these Sagittarians are known for their wonderful sense of humour. They get it!

In this season of giving thanks we may express gratitude for the many synchronicities that place us in the right place at the right time. When we are open and without resistance we feel the Universe moving through us in miraculous ways that we, on some level, know can not be otherwise.