Tag: Self

This New Moon, the Omega

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“Transmission is the moment when communication becomes communion and information opens into the possibility of transformation.” ~Forward to Roaring Silence, Traktung Rinpoche Dorje

Transmission is ongoing from morning ‘til night. Every moment, every day. Transmission can be felt in a moment of stillness when the body/mind comes to rest. Transmission occurs between enlightened master and student when for example, words cease. This is a moment when the real part of us is recognized. Words drift off and silence rides a wave that washes over our hearts and obliterates thoughts.

Any moment in which we stop, without any agenda, we may notice awareness. We notice in the stillness an all pervasiveness. Somehow we know this is not generated by the mind. This is prior to mind. The mind is hushed by the unfathomableness of this. We know and yet we do not. We have received the transmission, the frequency that ‘tunes’ us to what is beyond our apparent reality. Our apparent reality is a conditioned response to what occurs in our lives. We are therefore bound by a set of actions and reactions rather than having the freedom to simply experience. Great joy is knowing the freedom of an unconditioned existence.

“Joy knows itself. As children we didn’t even know the word joy, we were joy.” ~Francis Lucille, The Perfume of Silence

These 30 days, from the new moon in March until this new moon in April has been a time of accentuated adjustment. The new moon in March was at 0 degrees Aries, the beginning, and the April New Moon is at 29 degrees Aries, the ending. During the alpha and omega of the sign of the warrior we have been called upon to venture into new territory, to successfully navigate new ways of relating to life in all of its facets. Fortunately Aries is adept at this very task.

In this short time the warrior has assessed any limitations to progress (the progress being designed for our ultimate well-being) and has continued on with determination and resolve. There is no giving in or giving up! Abiding with resistance is intolerable. It causes stasis that creates a most uncomfortable tension within.

In March, Pluto, the ultimate destructive force, the precursor for re-building and transformation, was in a workable sextile to the Sun/Moon; a nudge to let go and move on. With Neptune conjunct the Sun/Moon, we were encouraged to dream beyond what is our familiar. In April, Pluto forms an out of sign square to Sun/Moon. We cannot ignore this combination of energy that annihilates in order to see our dreams realized. This New moon, Jupiter is conjunct Sun/Moon—bigger, more courageous, more daring, stronger. Rising of the impenetrable Self. The Self that is beyond question and remains even when all else is swept away. Aries is ‘I seek Self’.

We can, if inclined, take a last look at our current landscape knowing that we soon are relieved of this perspective–the lowlands, the ruins produced by old social, religious, cultural conditioning. From the same ground we gain a new perspective.

“There is no freedom at the level of the body-mind. There is absolute freedom at the level of consciousness. That which is perceived is not free. That which perceives is freedom itself.”~Francis Lucille, The Perfume of Silence

Even million year old footprints are washed away by the ferocity of the oceans as they erode the land upon which we exist. In Happisburgh, Norfolk, UK such footprints were recently discovered by a scientist from the British Museum, only to be lost to the encroaching sea a couple of weeks later.

As a result of the shifting landscape so much is being uncovered now that has lain hidden for millennia. We are seeing the beginnings even as we are observing the endings. Like the Alpha and the Omega, quotation marks around an empty sentence, between the beginning and the end has there been anything real?

“I am without beginning or end but all things begin and end in Me.” ~Rupert Spira,

If we feel into this question, and observe the impermanent nature of all things we know, does it not give us greater verve as we can continually create on an empty canvas? All things that precede anything have no reality including what I want to create now. It will all cease to exist at some point. It is not about the creation however but about what I want. I build this life based upon what I want. When the wanting has finally been satisfied (perhaps not in this lifetime) my direction becomes focused upon the very simple, peaceful being—a selfless being.

These two new moons at 0 degrees and 29 degrees are quotation marks around everything and nothing.

Everything that has been experienced during these 30 days across the globe contains all of the elements that have ever occurred. This can all be wiped away by a strong gust or a powerful wave. The quotation marks left hanging in the air, empty of meaning.

The 29th degree in astrology is called the anaretic degree. It is considered to be the point of karmic completion. It refers to ‘old souls’ and represents the ending of a cycle and is considered the degree of ‘faith’. Overcoming obstacles is an endeavor that we now realize happens based on our knowing rather than thinking. We are released from having to figure it out. With the 29th degree we have the gift of self-reflection that aids us in attaining higher awareness. ~reference, astrology.com

Bearing this in mind we can seewhat a powerful time we are in; to rely upon our vision, intuitive knowing and the empowering force that drives and motivates us all. Aries the Warrior as divine spirit leads us on a journey to conscious communion having transcended the limitations we experience due to adherence to a phenomenal perspective. The vista is wide open now for further exploration.

“Enlightenment is nothing more than the complete absence of resistance to what is. End of story.”
~Adyashanti, Emptiness Dancing

Letting Go…

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Old worn out broken leather boots.

I have walked a long way in these boots so worn, and yet they never seem to wear out–the story held in the soles, in the laces tied a hundred thousand times. My story. At the next bend in the road, I will stop and take them off. Yes, the next bend. The story as it turns out, is woven from illusion; evaporates like mist in the ferocious heat of the sun. In the blinding light of mid-day I see clearly as everything else dissolves. There is only endless pause and accompanying stillness.

………..

 

The sky is clear,

clear without even the hint

of a cloud.

Yet still,

it is the sky.

 

 

 

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.

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Crossing the Threshold

“We are here and it is now. Further than that, all human knowledge is moonshine.” ~ H. L. Mencken

We may stand peering across the ocean without expectation and all the while reaching out wanting to touch the answer. We’ve waited to hear it and have given up waiting, having listened for a life time for just the ‘right’ words. All the words that tumble from our lips with such ease are not it. They too sink into the abyss enveloped by the silence. Stillness makes sense; shakes me loose from this long established perception that the horizon is a line between the earth and the sky.

And sometimes when I sit with you, hear you tell me about the various complexities of life that create this feeling of ‘going no where’ I want to show you that the door for you, is always open; that you can cross that threshold as easily as you inhale and exhale. If you follow the breath you will find your self exactly where you want to be without anxiety, worry or unnecessary drama. The inhale and exhale happen and have nothing to do with the mind. Our movement through life, our living life, has nothing to do with the mind. The mind relishes the past. All of our thoughts are based on the past. Judgment rises from what we think we know. Glorious the moment that I know ‘nothing’ then, I appreciate the moment, observe it without thought; come to rest.

“This instant is beyond time. Time is also a notion of the mind. The mind is also a notion, like a wave rising from the ocean. That ocean of eternal peace is you. What is the difficulty that we suffer from? It is that we seek peace elsewhere and do not experience that we are peace incarnate itself.” ~H.W.L. Poonja (Papaji)

Listen, as you stand in this moment open to all directions and bending to the wind. I am a tree, not minding as thoughts shake loose and are scattered, skipping along the pavement no matter what the season. Their imminent demise a liberation.

Listen, as the rain becomes a torrent. Together we cascade over earth and rock. I am the rock, the mountain; standing oblivious to the earth that rises to a peak, to touch the sky, imperial blue, I am the sky. No matter the direction I face nor the element I meet, ‘That’ I am and all joyfully descending to the sea where silence quenches my thirst. I drown in ‘not knowing’ and relinquish the thought, I am not ‘This’.

I peer into this large breakfast bowl filled with bits of this and that and see the world swimming there. There is harmony in spite of all the various shapes and sizes, differentiation of color, all united, all destined for ingestion and integration. Oblivious though to the ‘process’ of ingestion and integration.

Simply floating in the sea from which they arise. ‘We’ are the observers observing our selves and rest in knowing That.

With these eyes I see that all that passes before me are expressions of something that the mind cannot comprehend. Yet the mind interprets—we need not listen to mind. With these ears we hear a symphony. The mind wants to analyze. If we focus on any particular instrument or a specific segment we may lose the magic and the mystery of the whole. Let the mind come to rest and we miss nothing, All continues to unfold with grace.

In the summer months when there may be many moments of gazing at the ocean and deeply immersing oneself in infinite possibility, often there is a loss of identification with the body mind, the self, and a sense of Being, peace and oneness. The line of separation between all things melts and we are free!

May we embrace the moment and fall into silence.

 

Happiness is…

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Happiness is not a Pursuit (thoughts for December)

There exists a way of being that underlies and suffuses all emotional states, that embraces all the joys and sorrows that come to us. A happiness so deep that, as Georges Bernants wrote, “nothing can change it, like the vast reserve of calm water beneath a storm.” The Sanskrit word for this state of being is sukha.

Sukha is the state of lasting well-being that manifests itself when we have freed ourselves of mental blindness and afflictive emotions. It is also the wisdom that allows us to see the world as it is, without veils or distortions. It is, finally, the joy of moving toward inner freedom and the loving kindness that radiates toward others. ~Arun Gandhi from a forward to Happiness by Matthieu Ricard

When we suspend judgment and see with the eyes of grace wherein everything is an expression of Divine Wisdom, there is a beautiful rhythm that rocks us, guides us, moves us. We touch the untouchable, drink in the dry desert, hear the silence, feel the stillness and dance to our hearts content in a world of marvelous mystery and limitless creation.
There are no thoughts of past or future only the resounding vibration that permeates all creation, establishing without thought, harmonious resonance in which the Being is freedom to play in the endless field of possibility.

Happiness is not a pursuit but the natural feeling that abides when we step out of the mirrored corridor of physical existence that causes us to reel in confusion. With which image do I identify A., B., C., or none of the above? If you answer none of the above the illusion/confusion disintegrates like a disturbing image in a dream that dissolves when we awaken. An afterimage may linger but it is known to be without substance (i.e: ultimate reality that underlies all outward manifestations and change) just as when we awaken to our true nature, the mind is seen to be an accumulation of thoughts that populate emptiness and are without substance. Whatever the thought, it is based on the past and is not the result of observation of this moment.

In this moment without thought is that which cannot be described with words or apprehended by the mind. It requires no effort, no thing, to be in this moment. The simplicity of this allows the body to rest in a way that it has not for perhaps a very long time. For this moment we have relinquished any desire for control over or attachment to any thing and abide in peace.

You must choose between your attachments and happiness. ~ Adyashanti

Happiness is knowing that there is nothing in the relative world that can displace what is always present, unwavering even in the face of worldly events. When we are peace—what a place of stillness to greet that world! May each and every day be filled with peace of mind and loving heart; that our steps touch the earth and each other in a way that amplifies the essence of wholeness, oneness, the Absolute. Let December be about giving of thy Self and reveling in this pure joy.

Sagittarius is the dominate sign for December and exists almost completely within the constellation Ophiucus the healer, known as such for the association to Asclepius the Greek healer. In mythic lore Asclepius witnessed a snake bringing herbs to an injured snake whence he developed the powers to heal. As the story unfolds, Jupiter was dissatisfied with this potential gift; that humanity might know immortality so he slew Asclepius and placed him in the sky as the constellation Ophiucus.

The constellation is the healer entwined by an enormous serpent, the serpent being representative of ‘wisdom’, the knowing of Truth. In the tarot the constellation of Ophiucus is associated with the Tower, number XVI of the major arcana. Number 16 or 7 reduced, is the number of tests or trials. The Tower is where we accomplish the letting go of old beliefs and patterns that we might be free to know the immortality of being; that our true nature is always, not influenced by weather or time. The Tower is the material plane, the structure that we create that we might feel secure and still wend our way to ‘god’. Yet if we believe that through this, in any way, we might discover Truth we are not clear. It all comes tumbling down—eventually—and, it is an event that can elicit great joy in a seeker, as then one is truly free, touching ‘god’ in everything, seeing ‘god’ as everything; knowing that ‘this’ is I and there is nothing I need do to uphold ‘this’.

If an additional card were created for the Tarot deck, making it number 22 of the major arcana, it might be a heart, access to the eternal Om, the pulse that infuses every cell every where. In Hinduism Om is ultimate reality, the Absolute, god. It is what is once we have mastered the journey of duality, the physical World (No. XXI major arcana). The number 22 is a master number that symbolizes the mastery of duality. Once we know the nature of duality we are at once aware of our true nature.

Our fears may run deep. That which inhibits us from knowing Self may rear up at us during those moments when we seem closest to Self discovery. If we have the Courage and Strength (No. VIII major arcana) to proceed through each moment, no matter how excruciating it may seem, we find what lies at the ‘heart of the individual’, deeper than the deepest fear, abiding in stillness and peace is ‘that’, ‘that’ is.

Happiness is ‘that’.

Thank you for your presence and the love that you are. May your holidays be filled with happiness!

Every day is a miracle…

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And everything together, all the voices, all the goals, all the striving, all the suffering, all the pleasure—everything together was the river of what is, the music of life. And when Siddhartha listened attentively to the thousandfold song of the river, when he did not fasten on the suffering or laughing, when he did not attach his mind to any one voice and become involved in it with his ego—when he listened to all of them, the whole, when he perceived the unity, then the great song of a thousand voices formed one single word: OM, perfection. ~from Siddhartha, Herman Hesse

One time, while looking in a mirror in the candle light faces roared across the surface as though on a movie screen, the film speeded up. Faster and faster they appeared and disappeared until my head hurt from watching so many images fly by. Old, young, black, white, yellow skin; hats, turbans, shawls, berets, bandages, cloaks, hoods, fierce eyes, grim, stern, laughing, smiling, loving. Faster yet and all became a blur. I closed my eyes and heard the roar of the ocean and finally fell asleep.

We rest knowing that it all comes and goes with haste, with deliberation, with certainty but that which I truly am is, always; expressed from the heart in multi-hued magnificence. Magnificent because it is everything. And previously I had dared only chip timidly at a corner of the stone that loomed over me, silently demanding to be chiseled away until only the truth remained. What was the fear that prevented boldly hammering away at the facade? Was it the fear that there might be nothing left when the process was complete? If only I had realized how very simple it is to embrace nothing as though a long, lost friend; the source of liberation and knowing Self.

Every day is a miracle, a mystery, an opportunity to discover something previously unknown. Being in the flow delivers us to the doorstep of the unexpected, what is in the moment, a miraculous opening of the heart—the heart crying out to the world in love—alive and listening. The vibration carries across the vast landscape of human experience soothing, caressing and cradling all into one exquisite expression and that is the eternal OM.

Let the heart lead in this dance of life so that each step is movement in harmony and peace. We listen without hearing. We listen with the heart and are transparent so that when the wind blows strong in late autumn days we are lifted into flight, set free to join the dance that has always enticed us, always moved us even when we have been most reluctant to take that next step.