Tag: Silence

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

Puerta del Cielo

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Puerta del Cielo: Door to the Sky, Doorway to Heaven

As the fly bangs against the window attempting freedom while the door stands open, so we bang against death ignoring heaven. ~ Douglas Horton

Passing by a small church near Chapala and Mission recently, I was intrigued by their sign welcoming parishioners into their space. In large letters it said, Puerta del Cielo. I thought what a beautiful invitation, to rise above the clouds, the mundane, the daily travail and soar! Free to roam, to experience peace and leave the noise behind; to walk through this ‘door to the sky’. We look up instead of focusing our attention on the details. We breathe in the spaciousness and feel the expansion. We find our doorway to heaven. Now heaven is a word, unlike sky, which has as many interpretations as there are people (and then there may be some people for whom heaven does not exist). Heaven exists according to our idea of perfection; that can change over the years as we complete the fulfillment of desires. The doors are endless or at least as numerous as are our wants.

The doorway to the sky though, is the fast track. The sky can have its moods but it is always sky and we can reach for the sky or in other words seek the limitless, boundless, infinite and eternal nature of reality in a conscious manner. This means only that we are aware of a desire to dump anything that prevents us from walking through (symbolically of course) the one door. Sky, is rarely open for debate or religious interpretation. Things show up on the field of sky. Clouds come and go. We do not need however, to have our vision obscured by them. As John Butler relates:

‘Look up and go above the clouds forget about the mind.’ (4.22.20 video How to Overcome the Mind)

Butler further points out, from his idyllic village in the United Kingdom, the organic ever flowing nature of Nature that is and has been for millennia regardless of storms, rapids, extremes in temperature etc. As Nature, human beings are more than capable of the same patient, persistent, persevering qualities as that which exists all around us that has no mind. We deal with apparent catastrophic events and survive. Some would say and thrive…that quality that pervades “all things” is Truth of our Nature. The mind is a handy accessory.

The mind as we know is a very useful tool. However, when it garners control, as happens frequently due to old habits and patterns, we are confining our selves to experience only a part of this life that unfolds endlessly. Opportunities to create are limited by the mind!

At this time we can challenge our beliefs, habits and those perceptions (some that we are not even aware of) that have shaped our reality. Every day we can look for all those signs that show us the ways in which miracles show up. And, it might behoove us to redefine the word miracle or to newly establish, deep in the recesses of mind that miracles happen for everyone, at any time and anywhere. We are not victims. Everything that occurs here is an expression of our own design. What an opportunity to evolve this species beyond the victim mentality; to take responsibility for our own health and well being!

There are such moments in life, when, in order for heaven to open, it is necessary for a door to close. ~Jose Saramago

New Moon May 22, 2020 2 degrees 5 minutes Gemini 10:39 a.m. PDT

Gemini in general: Gemini represents the energy connection within creation. It is described as the “light of “inter-play,” meaning that it is Gemini that reveals the basic duality of manifestation, the relationship of spirit and form. All souls, as individual entities come into human incarnation as vital entities through Gemini. It governs the breath of life, the movement of spirit in form. In Gemini, the relation between soul and body emerges in which the body or form serves the soul. ~zodiacrealm7.wordpress.com

This New Moon deepening our awareness of Self in physical form. I am That, not the body/mind.

The mineral cell salt potassium chloride is specific to the sign Gemini. Gemini rules the nervous system, lungs, shoulders, arms and fingers.

From Truth Serum News 01 31 2018

“The mineral cell salt Kali Muriaticum (Potassium Chloride) is the mineral worker of BLOOD that forms FIBRIN and properly diffuses it throughout the tissues of the body…

In our veins and blood, fibrin makes up for 3 in 1000 parts of both.  When the molecules of Potassium Chloride (Kali Mur) fall below the standard needed amounts, the blood fibrin thickens.  This causes what is known as pleurisy, pneumonia, catarrh, diphtheria, etc…

When the blood circulation fails to throw the thickened fibrin via the glands or mucous membrane, it may stop the action of the heart, or what is known as a heart attack.  Embolus is a Latin word meaning “little lump” or “little ball”.  To die of Embolus or heart failure means that the heart’s actions were stopped by little lumps or balls of Fibrin that are clogging the auricles and ventricles of the heart. When our blood contains the proper amount of Potassium Chloride (Kali Mur), fibrin is functional and the symptoms above do not manifest.”

Check out the full article for details. It would seem like a good time to make sure your potassium chloride levels are optimal.

The most outstanding feature of this New Moon is it’s exact conjunction to the fixed star Mirfak, the brightest star in the Perseus constellation. Perseus is the hero who slew the gorgon Medusa and saved the princess Andromeda from being devoured by a sea monster. To accomplish his task Perseus was given the winged sandals and helmet of Mercury (ruler of Gemini) that provided him with intelligence and the freedom to fly.

This New Moon represents the rising of the hero who helps to rid humanity of an ‘evil’ that robs one of full expression. The gorgon Medusa was famous for turning anyone who looked at her to stone. Gemini is the breath of life and the movement of spirit in form. It is the interplay of spirit and matter and the interconnectedness of all things. During this New Moon we have an opportunity to nurture the seed within that is the hero ready to challenge all that denies us deeply desired human connection and freedom of expression.

Other aspects of this New Moon chart are a grand trine to Sun/Moon from Saturn/Pallas Athena and including the asteroid Juno, goddess of relationship. All in air signs, Gemini, Aquarius and Libra respectively—mobile, open and flexible in their attitude toward change. For Gemini change is the way of Life. Aquarius by nature is change and Libra promotes change for the perfect relationship be it with a person or the environment or space.

Saturn (focus, responsibility, the task master) conjunct asteroid Pallas Athena (wisdom, strength, creativity) will keep us on track as we rise up, look up and reach for the sky and disengage our selves from the fear and anxiety that has enveloped us for the last two months. We do not want to sacrifice human relationship for fear of a virus that, as Dr. Zachary Bush points out in a recent video, is only one of numerous viruses that are already in our systems that due to healthy immune systems do not affect us.

We can rise up, touch the sky and keep on going.

********

Pulling down the Heavens (Qigong exercise for clearing energy)

This exercise clears and builds energy in a simple yet powerful way.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iChfo6WudcE

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

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.

 

 

 

Russel Williams

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“…this is how we free ourselves, by seeing the nature of things. It is not by any great effort, but by letting go that we achieve this.” ~Not I, Not Other than I ~Russel Williams

Russel Williams was a remarkable man. Still ‘teaching’ or sharing nonduality with a regular group who came to his meetings at the age of 94. Pure and simple is the message that he conveys to listeners with a gentle, loving kindness. Relatively unknown, I was very fortunate to come across Mr. Williams and his only book (mentioned above), to learn about this man, now deceased, and his extraordinary life.

*apologies: when first posted Russel was spelled with two ls…

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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.