Tag Archives: Diversity in Unity

The Rat Bows to the Chinese New Year of the Ox

Posted on by under Consciousness, Spirituality, Uncategorized
Artwork Created by Aunt Barbara Merlotti

Have you ever heard the meme singing like black crows to the following lyrical everyday magical tune: it is easier to fool someone than it is to convince them that they have been fooled? This conversational nuance sprung up in communication with coworker teacher friends recently. Following that, I reflected on the spiritual therapy of Coyote energy, regarding its trickster elemental, and the medicinal alchemy of balancing wisdom and folly that we have referenced in past blog entries. How will our Grandchildren look at the Good Old Boy network of greedy governmental narcissism, the elitist entitlement of the Trump presidency, and subsequent mob’s violent stormtrooping of The Capitol in Washington, D.C.? It’s hard not to be reminded of Obi Wan Kenobi’s Jedi wit, “who’s more foolish, the fool or the fool who follows him?” The next several years will not be easy. But I do believe that we will rise out of these ashes like a Phoenix, by bringing more balance to the Force.

Personally, the above dynamic is particularly challenging when in the company of others, as I have a strong, single minded streak, and have relied heavily on my gut instincts in life. While being single minded, and self deterministic can be a sound survival skill, and good strategy for living at times, it can also be a curse. Being overly single minded, and self deterministic can come across as entitled, and too selfish to other people. When reflecting on the reality of this perspective, I am reminded of working with the New Age of Aquarius in a balanced way. Like the Wolf Government, the politics of Aquarius dances with balancing individualism with collective group consciousness. How do we balance the needs of nurturing our individual souls with the needs of the collective souls? It’s not an exact science or fixed destination, but more of an unfolding process.

Additionally, there is the street credibility of giving respect to others when respect is shown to you. In much the same way as we see in the old world classic series Game of Thrones, respect is earned, and based on a strict adherence to rituals, rules, and edicts. But a deeper quality of respect does exist, if we only allow for it. When journeying into this dimension, we are invited to dig a little deeper to access this truth, which arrives intuitively from the Dreamtime. For example, a fellow spiritual traveler echoed this awareness by asserting, “the Wabanaki notion of respect is unconditional. It lives inside of me, and the more I become aware of that, then I naturally respect others.” Thankfully, we have spiritual teachers that have lived on this planet before, as well as those that are living on the planet today that are good role models for us. We can emulate them so that we can awaken these truths within so that they become self evident. The more of us that are awakening to this dimension of respect, the more it is becoming a shared experience. Check out this short video that further captures the sentiment at Indian Island Penobscot Nation: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pB1Y-s4UoNilF-zq0ETXzFv1tez2WEQs/view

Contextually, when watching the current events of your own life, are you finding yourself untangling from a complex web of your old self, past experiences, awakening to new beginnings, budding energies stirring within, and itching to spring forth out into the sunlight? That would make sense, as Mercury is in retrograde right now till February 20th. Keep in mind that Thursday is a New Moon, and Friday, February 12th is the Chinese-Lunar New Year of the Ox. Spring is on its way, and happening right now, energetically speaking. As we have discussed in earlier blogs, Ox symbolizes humility, hard work, and emotional regulation. What is more, their energies are good reminders that it is important that everyone be allowed to contribute in group work. Sometimes, it is good to stay in your lane, and trust that others will do their part. This process also invites us to be mindful of letting go, and surrendering to the will of the Universe. I can hear an old football friend’s wit, “There is no ‘I’ in the team, but there is a ‘me’“.

More importantly, Chinese Astrology tells a story about when the Buddha summoned all the animals to establish an orderly sequence to the Chinese Zodiac. Moreover, “in the race, the Ox would have taken the honor taking first place had it not been for the clever and cunning Rat, who rode the back of the Ox and jumped forward at the finish line to steal away the top award.” Given that rats are very shrewd, coupled with an apparant zeal for competition, their connection to the term rat race seems apropos. I hardly think it’s a coincidence, given that behaviorist psychology gained social science credence from the results yielded by studying laboratory rats in scientific experiments. The capitalist/socialist system that we live in today mirrors that science.

Furthermore, when exploring the inner realm of meditative spaciousness, consider contemplating the Sacred Geometric Arcturian wisdom regarding balance: “The energy of balance helps you recognize yourself. If you are true to your feelings, if you recognize your own truth, nothing will be able to disturb your balance.” Reportedly, some of these Arcturian inspired, and recommended assertive I-messages are to say, “I release all thought programs that no longer serve me” and “clear out (toxic habituated) thought programs.” These are examples of how we can shift the spotlight of our purposeful attention from negative self talk to positive self talk. We can do this by embracing the Chattering Monkey Mind, rather than trying to push it away or throw it in the trash. Moreover, meditation on the spirit of Bear reinforces the power of respecting your own personal authority, and the boundaries of self in relationship with others. Set your intention to the Dream Lodge, and ask for safe travels in your sleep/dream cycle. This is not always easy during our waking hours, but it is a good way to let go before a good night’s rest.

Finally, when examining balance in our daily lives, it is always important to live with intention, and try to follow those footsteps with commitment. That is the trick to play with during our daily walking meditation along the trails of life. When we are walking in the center of the circle, we need to be mindful of not getting too swayed to the right or the left. Have we ever lived in such divided times? Indeed, these are the days to remember, where we are being called to heal the illusion of Polarity Consciousness. All that means is that our Higher Selves are bringing in higher energies to illuminate the shadows of our lower selves in the underground tunnels of our subconscious minds. In this awakening New Age and Paradigm, we are transitioning into an era of Diversity in Unity. We are all created equal, but are also uniquely diverse expressions of Spirit. And yet we are all part of Oneness. The Rainbow of Children under the Sun and the Moon that we all are. The Middle School Civil Rights Students I work with get that concept. Or like Mr. Miyagi captured in the classic film The Karate Kid so simply, “different, but same.”

Take care of yourselves everyone,

Ari

We Are Only One Song Away From Spring

Posted on by under Consciousness, Uncategorized
Photo by Simon Migaj on Pexels.com

For those of us that are looking through the spotlight of mindfulness, we can see that the old world and paradigm is fading further into the backdrop of our rearview mirrors. Looking back, the Trump presidency is officially over, but not forgotten. A new administration is establishing itself. Tis the season for the transition from the winter to spring spiritual saying, out with the old in with the new. If you were someone who got caught up in the good vibes of the election’s outcome, and predicated your cheer on a coveted new regime, you know that it didn’t take long for the chattering monkey mind to start up again with its negative self talk. But from a big picture/astrological lens, we know that we are shifting from an old Pisces Age that lasted a couple thousand years to a new Aquarian Age that will last for a couple thousand more. For we humans, a New Earth is awakening before our eyes. Diversity in Unity is front and center now as we move further into this New Age and Paradigm. 2021 will be breathing in more winds of change into the airways, as the rising tide is unstoppable, and inevitable. As we have discussed, we are in the birth canal, and the labor pains are being felt by all of us. Accordingly, we are all operating at different levels of consciousness. As such, we process these experiences in our own unique ways.

The formidable military-industrial complex will continue to crumble, but will not go without resistance. Remember that the dominant majority prefers to go unexamined. That is being challenged more loudly by way of the silent majority becoming less silent. As we gaze upon the chimes of freedom flashing, equality, and power to the people are becoming sentimental amplifications. White supremacy, and white privilege are being acknowleged, and examined in unprecidented ways. But keep in mind that most people who voted for Donald Trump are not Nazis, Klan members or racists. And yet they, like the rest of us have been programmed by a segregated, and divisive mindset that tries to seduce us into a cultural war of an us versus them mindset. Trumpsters just tend to be more in alignment with conservative-republican oriented values, which are not inherently right or wrong, just as progressive-democratic oriented values are not the only way out of the woods either. What is more, there are conservative factions in both the democratic party and the republican party. It is the nature of conservatism to resist change, and want to return to more traditional values. In actuality, it is natural for all systems to resist change, inevitable as change is. While I appreciate the gravitational pull of conservative mediumship, please remember “you can’t kill Aquarius.” Does it not appear that rank choiced voting must have its merits when the elites of the traditional two party system are outspoken against it?

More importantly, it is a new hope to perceive the new administration as bringing in “more peace, more connection, and less narcissism” into the political arena. The politics of Diversity in Unity underscores the individual person balancing their authentic selves with the unity of group consciousness. In this awareness, we respect each other for our differences in a way that facilitates unity. For example, the heart of Black Lives Matter is about being pro black, not anti white. It is about leveling the playing field to say that black people are entitled to the same human rights as everyone else, and should be treated with the same dignity and respect that all human beings deserve. The same holds true for Indiginous People’s rights, Women’s rights as well as LGBTQ+, people with disabilities, and people affected by poverty. Regardless of your status, it is empowering to stand in your own personal authority, find your voice, and speak your truth. It’s when we get identified with our postions, develop an attitude about them, and forget to be mindful of our own projections that become part of the problem rather than being part of the solution.

Furthermore, from a multidimensional perspective, a growing body of research is revealing more evidence of the existance of UFOs and the existance of extraterrestrials. Moreover, there is an increasing reporting of evidence by the mainstream media that corroborates the informational disclosure process. Try to realize that the disclosure about the truth about UFOs and extraterrestrials is less about a single event, and more of a process. These days, it isn’t always easy to discern between what is human made technology versus what comes from another planet. Interestingly, the forthcoming astrological eclipse season in November/December 2021 is reportedly the same as when the Roswell incident took place back in 1947. Following whatever really happened in Roswell, reports of similar incidents skyrocketed, if you’ll pardon the pun. It wasn’t that we hadn’t experienced foreign visitation before, but the reports of unexplained phenomena in this area proliferated significantly, as well as the subsequent cover ups and secrecy. While the reality of this information is mysterious, there does appear to be a relationship between humankind’s development of atomic energy, and creation of nuclear weapons on Planet Earth. At least a faction of ETs appear to be concerned with humanity’s destruction of our Mother Earth, coupled with an intention to help wake us up to taking better care of ourselves, and our home. Ponder how what happens in our dimension might affect what happens in other dimensions. Is their plan for us a form of Divine Intervention?

Additionally, communication through I-messages or feeling statements is not something that can be argued with when it comes to standing in your personal authority, and speaking your truth. According to Sacred Geometry and inspiration by the Arcturians, “the energy of communication makes you aware that you are able to communitcate with your body, thus understanding its signals and solving discomforts. This energy brings your body and your spirit in deeper contact with each other.” For example, if someone calls you crazy because you say that you believe in aliens or makes a racial epithet as a way to make you feel inferior about yourself, then you have the assertive right to say, “I feel offended by that comment.” After that, you can stand by your statement without feeling like you have to argue or defend your position. Nobody can argue with you about your feelings because they are yours for you to own. Or maybe you’re just a bystander, and are being invited to tune into how the said comment makes you feel intrinsically. Perhaps you now feel called to stand up for someone else by being an ally to them.

Finally, a Full Wolf Moon arrives on Thursday, January 28th. Full Moons are a powerful time to charge your items of power, like crystals, rocks, and water by leaving them underneath the moon’s magical energies. The Imbolc aka Groundhog Day arrives on February 2nd. Groundhogs symbolize death without dying. Not coincidentally, this is the approximate mid-point between the Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox. Thus, the rising light of spring seedlings are firing up underground, even though it is still cold outside. If you tune in, you can feel their stirrings. “Meditation on the in between times, mystical, mysterious energies, inner planes, echoing silence, void, and heartbeat” are good callbacks to tune into. Consider following the KISS (keep it simple sweetheart) model. Spiritually, Groundhog symbolizes death without dying, death of the old self, and the perception that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Remember that you can’t get to the light if you are not willing to go through the dark. The darkness, yin or turning inward into feminine energy is not something to be feared or demonized. It is something to be empathically curious about or a journey of awakening that wants to come out into the sunlight.

Take care of yourselves everyone,

Ari

Sometimes Slow and Steady Wins the Race by Following a Turtle’s Pace

Posted on by under Consciousness, Native American, Shamanism, Uncategorized

In today’s fast paced, high octane, and trigger happy world,
doesn’t it feel like a politically radical challenge to hit
the pause button, and remember to hit the BAR?

Just pull up a chair, and Breathe And Relax!

May this be a mantra to live for on this Full Snow Moon.

I was talking with a coworker recently, and he admitted
that he worries about having panic attacks, and gets
nervous about focusing on his breath.

He’s probably in the normal majority of people in that way.

But what if only we take a moment to picture a turtle to slow down,
and accept the sublime invitation into the present moment?

Who would I be if I tuned into the sacredness of the
life force that lives in my body?

The showtime of the living now is all there ever really is.

And when you awaken to right now, you start to recognize
that you might as well say yes to it.

Think about how a turtle just knows the futility of
trying to push the river.

It’s kind of like the self defeating absurdity of trying to
kill your ego or make it an enemy to demonize.

Or the quackery of giving the Heisman pose to your Higher Self.
What are you afraid of saying yes to by accessing your personal divinity?

From a developmental psychology framework, we know that
the first stage of human development is trust versus mistrust.

Human beings are prewired to trust.

But of course that doesn’t happen when we don’t feel safe or
that we don’t belong to a greater community.

Of course, it is incumbent on all of us to learn how to work
with that on the inside.

And we all have to do our part to both manage ourselves,
and create a better world for all of us to coexist peacefully in.

Yeah, it may feel daunting at times, and we have a long way to go.

But if you think about a turtle dreaming about waking up, while
they are sleeping under a white, wintry blanket –
perhaps it will inspire you to ponder . . .

Do I need to come out of my shell and be more social?

Or do I need to turn inward, and be compassionately curious
about slowing down, and retreating from the world’s hurried pace?

Speaking of a slow, and low tempo, we can look forward to Big Night,
arriving sometime between the Spring Equinox in late March,
and early April.

That’s when the Frogs, and Salamanders head
for Vernal pools, and make their way across dangerous
crossroads of pavement where cars, and trucks traverse, in New England at least.

In our hustle, and bustle, we could stand to take stock
in Nature’s way, and follow a long term game plan
of Mother Nature’s creatures that have been here longer than we have.

Besides, an outgrowth of energy, and a faster pace will be budding
once we make our way to the equality of yang and yin energies
by Spring, and then increasing activity levels into the Summer Solstice in June.

They do have an innate wisdom about them, and we could stand to
pay more purposeful attention to their intelligence.

Celebrating our diversity within unity is something all
creatures can win by way of profiting off of mutual aid.

Till we tweet again peeps,

Ari

The Howlin’ Wolf Full Moon, and the Chinese New Year of the Rat

Posted on by under Consciousness, Native American, Shamanism, Uncategorized

A Full Wolf Moon blows in the cold winds on January 10th.

The distractions of the holidays have passed, and the
Sun driven Gregorian New Year eclipses us.

And now many are feeling depressed, as the void of coming down
into the wake of winter’s slumber is setting in.

These feelings are natural, even if demonized, and
feared in our glamorized world of being up all the time.

But we can look forward to a New Moon on the 24th, that is followed closely by
the arrival of the Chinese-Lunar Year of the Rat on the day after that.

Meditate on the tracks of Wolf government . . .
Wolves embody a delicate balance of hierarchy, and democratic principles.

Be mindful of the shrewd inspiration of rats to remember
our intellect to reflect, and evaluate on our current human plight.

Legend has it that even the Buddha was impressed when
Rat was the first one to come learn when he
invited all the animals to his teachings.

You don’t have to look very far to see
the climate of changing tides on the Planet today.

There are many things to grieve about the suffering
we see among our human brothers and sisters.

Yeah, it might be hard not to get seduced by the
enemies of hate spreading like agent orange across
the sands of time.

Watch the dinosaurs of the old paradigm fight tooth and nail
to protect a dog eat dog conditioned mentality that is oppressive.

Remember that those people are suffering the most are afraid
that their power is slipping away by believing that they
don’t have a place in a New Earth.

But everything about that kind of thinking
are merely examples of erroneous zones.

Even if you don’t understand what polarity consciousness,
or diversity in unity means, you probably already realize that
people are more divided nowadays more than yesterdays.

That’s why we souls have come here at this time,
because we must heal the illusion of our perceived separation.

But then again, every soul’s waking up process happens in
its own way, as does their personal transformational process.

As long as I have been on the planet, I have seen this
more pronounced now more than ever.

This is part of our awakening, spiritually speaking.

I was born right around the time that Richard Nixon resigned –
probably right before he would have been impeached.

People forget that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,
left his comfort zone of black churches.

He did that with great courage by venturing out into the unknown
to protest the Viet Nam War, and social injustices by crossing over into
the the dominant White, Middle-Class America, and the world at large.

Civil Rights is about asserting the right for everyone to
have equal access to resources. It is about asserting
that we all deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.

Now we have a Billionaire Class gangster at large in the White House.

But he is just part of the Old Testament Goliath
that represents a dying old world.

The vanity fair of the ego should be our servant
but not our master.

A tao centered way of an Aquarian New Age is on its way,
but we are in the labor pains right now.

It is a similar feeling to when you experience loss
when someone you love dies, moves out of your life,
you go through a death of your old self, your child leaves
for college, you go through a break-up, a divorce,
or leave a job, along with coworkers you see everyday, etc.

Perhaps the gender identity, or your sexuality has
changed, and you now view that part of you as dead,
and a new part of you as born.

Out of the great void, arises a new light, and energies
that come alive inside of you when you
let them flow through your Being.

But around here, part of playing the blame game,
and being a blamenator, is to take things personally.

In this sphere, we see criticisms as personal attacks,
and then become defensive.

I know this because I have been good at those things during my lifetime.
In fact, I have been gifted at it.

At some point, you have to get sick of being sick, and realize
that by softening your will, and by surrendering to the
will of the Universe, you aren’t losing or selling out.

If you can access faith and trust, it will shed light
in the tunnel of darkness – however dimly lit.

By not drawing your sword, and going to war with another person,
you are actually getting in touch with yourself on a deeper level.

Remember that the definition of insanity is to keep doing
the same thing over and over, and expecting different results.

And here we are with our weapons of mass destruction, wars, cyberbullying,
and deleting each other because we fear our apparent differences.

We have to stop attracting this kind of energy if we are
going to stop creating it.

We can have our philosophical disagreements, and work
them out through peaceful, and non-violent means.

If you want make a difference, like Ghandi said,
you have to become the change you want to see in the world.

Instead of being seduced by your anger, hate, fears, etc.,
listen to your internal informers, and be curious about why
you are really feeling that way.

Respect isn’t an entitlement.
It may be earned, but it should be given no matter what.

Might as well make respect a daily habit.

Do you remember the Golden Rule?

Heaven and hell are inner states of consciousness.

You always have a choice about which gate you go through.

You can heed the call of your lower self (demons), and make
the transition into your Higher Self (better angels).

It isn’t about walking around with a yoke around your neck,
or following the dictates of what society says you should.

You’ll know when your head and heart are in alignment when
you do the right thing just because it’s the
right thing to do out of your own goodness.

It doesn’t matter who agrees with you, or who is on your side.
Just try to see souls over roles when you co-mingle with our human family.

Till we tweet again peeps,

Ari

Riding Out Summer Storms with Finch

Posted on by under Consciousness, Native American, Shamanism, Uncategorized

Finch flies in along with a Full Buck Moon this week . . .

But just to amplify the growing heated points right now,
we are lured further into positive summery vibrations
with the gentle nature of Deer

True, subtle momentum of Yang might be slowing down
as darker energies have been moving Yinward since the Summer Solstice

Yet intensities and activity levels expand in conjunction with magical opportunities

Witness the old world and your old selves dying
while at the same time a new world and new selves are budding

Kind of like Butterfly . . .

It can be hard to sit with the darker emotions and darkness in our world today
We sit in the tension of crisis and opportunity

But the power of love is transformative
The calm of love relaxes nervous woodland creature energies

How will we co-author a new script for our one human family,
including all other energies that share our
multidimensional unfolding budding reality?

Time to dance to the beat of a soulful Tango . . .

Step outside of your comfort zone into the realm of diversity in unity:

“If you understand, all are one and the same;
If you do not understand, there are thousands of differences and distinctions.
If you do not understand, all are one and the same;
If you understand, there are thousands of differences and distinctions.”

We are living in changing times, where it is becoming more challenging
to bury our heads in the sands of denial

Let go of the viewpoint that we are all divided and separate,
because we are all cut from the same cloth

Make friends with the magical bird inside your being
Sunlight and dark nights all matter

There is God in letting go of judgments and allowing for forgiveness . . .

We all are a matter of spirit!

Spirit wants us to make friends with that!

Everything that you see outside of yourself is really within you

You might just need to search and find in your soul what you are looking for
Might as well do so from a position of curiosity, compassion and empathy

Move closer to love and further away from fear

See you up the trails,

Ari

If you would like to see my first interview, check out the following link:

http://www.tolivefor.org

For information about my first published book, please see the following links:

http://bookstore.iuniverse.com/Products/SKU-001055991/Something-to-Chew-On.aspx

Just Do It

Posted on by under Consciousness, Energy Medicine, Native American, Original Prose, Shamanism, Uncategorized

Action-oriented Antelope is an ancestral embodiment –
Beyond a modern world Nike commercial . . .
Revealing a deep spiritual message to Just Do It.

Symbolic of mental speed and adaptability of mind.
Awakening to a Higher Purpose –
linked in to Third Eye and Crown Chakra communication channels.

While clearly keeping our wits about us.

Inner knowing facilitates adaptability –
when sailing the seas of Climate Change.

Do you need to insulate yourself or come out of hiding?

What is rising to the surface in your life?

Increased psychic vision for prediction – clairvoyance.
Forethought is useful for psychically sniffing out situations.

Nurturing organic new opportunities –
quenching thirst with minimal resources at our disposal.

Our time on planet earth is sacred but limited.
Becoming aware of our own mortality need not be a death sentence.

You are the power of now.

Remember we shall overcome when set-backs and roadblocks get in our way!

Picture a tree to center yourself –
Rooted in earth . . . Conduit to cosmos.
Staying grounded and high-minded with confidence and security.

Full Moon nudges us to relax our moods and emotions,
while getting down to business.
We can become smooth sailing and whistling while we’re working.

Adaptability is necessary when facing variable fronts . . .
Perhaps viewing yourself unfolding during a social situation
by mentally hitting rewind, fast forward or hitting the
pause button while galloping gracefully through the game of life.

Meditation on Antelope brings in energetic footprints
In alignment with shifting our mind-sets to open up to
Divergent ways of looking on our horizon.

Merely a few more strides down yonder . . .
Autumn Equinox breathes in balanced footsteps of light and dark.
And then masculine wanes, while feminine power gains momentum.

See you further on up the trails,

Ari

Staying Afloat with Duck as an Emotional Guide

Posted on by under Consciousness, Native American, Shamanism, Uncategorized

Whatever our circumstances might look like in this lifetime, our human brethren are emotional creatures that feel a strong yearning to belong and be included in fraternal sisterhood. Some of us, try as we might appear hellbent on avoiding and killing that aspect of ourselves. Living authentically however, is sobering us up to our need to regulate our emotional plight. Sure, we have plenty of things to distract us from our emotional bodies, like “work to do and bills to pay”. But those distractions only make it conveniently inconvenient to suppress and repress our emotional tides that inundate. During this powerful eclipse season and Full Moon coming soon to a theater of life near you, our emotional realities are intensifying. Between the Spring Equinox and Summer Solstice, the masculine energetic light of day is rising, as are our spirits. Meditation on Duck is a free guide to tune in to. Its energies want to share its spiritual wisdom with you. When we allow Duck’s Chi to paddle into our souls, we are given emotional comfort and protection. We are in our element with water and given assistance while floating in the astral and emotional realms. Duck helps us drink in the waters of life and swim effectively and stay afloat in our emotional waters. Duck is a powerful spirit guide to maintain our Earthbound connection and let things roll off our backs when things get heated. If only our CEO-Government friends running the business of our military-industrial-complex would marinate on consuming Duck’s free-spirited teachings.

As the world burns, soapy pundits on the tele remain engaged and driven to distraction vis-a-vis the pontificating of ego-centered debates. Admittedly, fascism has its romantic undertones, but we need not choose to buy it. Words are used as weapons of mass distraction, but we have weapons of mass destruction that we need to clear. The time is now to shift our focus away from looking at our Mother Earth as a finite resource to deplete, to a living Being that gives us sustainable life. The engrained business as usual model that has been indoctrinated into our brains needs a new cognitive map. When we are identified with our minds, an endless sea of mental concepts and incessant accompanying emotional reactions are typically dominated by unrealized anxiety. And this hypnotic trance has a tendency to propagate a sleep walk through life. But in every breath we take, we have an opportunity to wake up. Rather than check out, we all have our part to do. For some it’s putting down the 40 ounces to slavery. For others, it might mean seeing through the veil that capitalism and socialism are really just opposite sides of the same coin. Instead of concretely looking at one another as separate and disconnected, one religion being right and the others wrong, qualifying the winners and losers mantra–we become in touch with our strong impulse to shift toward unity in our consciousness. We are leaving behind a bi-polar world of angels and demons, while co-authoring a New Chapter that includes a pluralistic and multi-polar New Earth script.

Ducks are sound creatures of habit and are good reminders to return to safe and comfortable aspects of ourselves when we need to feel safe within our Being. Their energies help us cope with our emotions gracefully. Meditation on Duck helps us acquire and access strategies in the areas of balance, emotional comfort, adaptability and adventure. Life is a journey, not without its labor pains. We all feel that right now, especially during these changing times of transition. The old world is burning, while stoking the embers of the Phoenix Rising. Do you need to establish balance, increase or pay more attention to your emotions and close relationships? Meditation on Duck is ready to help you receive consultation to those questions without charging a bill.

See you further on down the trails,

Ari

Dreaming a New Dream with Groundhog

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Here in the Northern Hemisphere, it is a hump day of sorts.  In America we celebrate Groundhog Day, but its precursor is otherwise known as the Imbolc, the mid-point between the Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox.  Many of us feel the cold wind whistling deeply in our bones and get uncomfortable with the deep silence reverberating within our souls.  But we also know that in stillness, there is a wisdom that speaks of an arriving light from the heart of darkness.  This is a time in Nature’s cycle when we are “pregnant with the seed of the sun.”  Groundhog is good medicine for waking us up to that.  With Groundhog as a guide, we understand death without dying and the metaphor of reincarnation.  Moreover, we are at a powerful time to rise above our egotism and heed the call of our soul’s purpose.  As spiritual beings having human experiences, our priority while traveling here is not merely to make money and become a celebrity.  It is only when we become identified with those goals, where the ego feeds on our Being like a psychic vampire.  Rather, our purpose is to wake up to the reality that we are one with All-That-Is.  We all have star-dust in us, are influenced by the energies of the planets, their moons and we all rock.  In that light, Groundhog helps us dig through the mysterious underground tunnels of our souls and bring back hidden treasures of the Dreamtime to seed into our material world.

In our digging, We The People are waking up to our soul’s prompting that America needs to model effective leadership by shifting Her values away from bottom line profits and violence.  Instead of liberally funding corporations and Pentagon pork projects, we shift our resources toward the health and safety of our global citizenry.  We are moving into a consciousness that is waking up to celebrating our Diversity in Unity.  In this process, we are co-creating a world where we are all entitled to knowing the power of Love and being treated with dignity and respect, regardless of how much material wealth we have accumulated or privilege we were born into.  But there is great resistance to the Climate Change we face.  Like anxious rabbits, our friends in Congress are fleeing from enacting effective legislation that will take military assault weapons off the shelves.  The more that we resist gun control, the more the movement will persist.  If we don’t proactively adopt some Common Sense discipline here, like a parent setting a limit with an acting out child with a toy, our right to bear arms will be taken away.  This is a paradox that the NRA and folks that pack heat because they can must understand.  There is a far greater and sustainable fire power in peaceful and non-violence strategies for societal change.  The violence is waking us up to that, as evidenced by the Peace Movement being larger than we have ever known.  But you probably won’t see that on the News tonight.  In Maine, there is a grassroots movement to stop Tar Sands oil from flowing through pre-existing refined oil pipelines.  Also, there is movement for ranked choice voting, or ‘run-off’ elections that will impact our legislature and Governor that represents the manifestation of spiritual values into politics.  But we must let go of our addiction to war as a way of life and let this die without killing ourselves.  We have a war on hunger, poverty, crime, obesity and drugs, etc.  Last time I checked, we are losing all of these wars.  As we have discussed, there is a way out of this insanity.  My mom didn’t whack herself because she wanted to die.  Rather, she took her life because she wanted to escape, avoid her pain and the dramatic, ego-centered suffering she attached to her pain.  Although there is Freewill, our actions have consequences.  In her case, she created much more pain and suffering, not less.  She has since walked into the Light, though it has taken hard work that was a missed opportunity for her to do while she was breathing.  How many folks could stand to tap into the energy of Groundhog?  How many premature deaths could be prevented and lives sustained with the help of Groundhog medicine?

When we keep Groundhog in our meditations, we are equipped to learn how to die without actually physically leaving Earth.  Groundhog has great power to guide us through the darkness, so that we see light at the end of the tunnel.  During this journey, there is a restful sleep during the dirge, a parallel process to the slower heartbeat deep within the Earth right now.  May Groundhog help you allow the light illuminate the shadows within your souls so that you see this reflection in your outer field of vision.

See you further on down the trails,

Ari

Resurrecting the Light with Beetle

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Last week, we followed Dog tracks.  Along the trails, I found myself being more affectionate with my family and mindful of boundaries in relationships. While celebrating the Winter Solstice, we noted hot topics of gratitude and letting go, while coaxing back the light.  On the Gregorian calendar, we embark on 2013 and continue pressing onward in our Consciousness’ assent.  We are in the process of Climate Change and co-creating a New Earth right now and you are It.  Some folks were terrified of Doomsday scenarios that promised the end of the world.  Others were disappointed about being disappointed that our dying old world didn’t fall off the cliff, while immediately being transformed into a Golden Age on the day after.  But aliens didn’t take over and Hillary Clinton went to the hospital–thankfully receiving quality health care without worry of how to pay for it.  Soon we welcome the arrival of the Chinese-Lunar New Year, as Spring begins budding underground with Groundhog.  Before too long, we will know energetic balance again on the Spring Equinox in March.  I awoke the other night to a clear vision of a Beetle gleaming across my inner sky.  Like the Sun’s movement across the sky, Beetle moves from East to West.   Mother energy has been revisiting us at this time, as feminine-yin energy is dominant and we are turning more inward.  Meditating on Beetle medicine is like tapping into a mutable orientation.  Whether we are Franz Kafka or an Average Joe, we are all capable of metamorphosis.  Is anyone else inspired by a bug’s capacity to radically change from an egg to a grub stage and then fly away as a winged creature?  In women, this is somewhat akin to menopause or “mentalpause” as I have heard it called.  Do I embrace this heated change or fight it like a war on something I reject? 

During our tracking right now, many of us remember our heavy heartfelt losses.  There is much pain and it is hard to make friends with that.  Picture the horribly uncomfortable position of grieving the death of a partner, while giving birth to a new child simultaneously.  Some folks have lost their jobs, their homes or gone through gut-wrenching break-ups, separations or divorce.  Even our worried well in the pampered West, are waking up to the hard times we are living in.  Others feel like they don’t know who they are anymore and are uncertain of who they are becoming.  In the mystery of Life, has anyone ever lost a loved one to suicide, unexpected death or any other permanent physical good-bye?  It is a mixed blessing to feel the spirit of the season and also really feel the deep hurt and anger regarding our myriad of deeply traumatic soul wounds, including the inequities, pain and suffering on our planet today.  After I lost my mom to suicide, I felt abandoned and forced to enter into adulthood with deeper wounds than your average Bear.  I had already felt that before she whacked herself, but the void widened, part of me died as well.  But it wasn’t the first time I felt that way, nor will it be the last.  Tempting as it was pursuing career goals, objectives and being driven to distraction–doing the inner work is always what yields fruitful  and sustainable returns.  Living isn’t really sustainable until we wake up to our deeper feelings, while stoking the fiery embers of passion and courage to move toward intimacy, while letting go of egocentric avoidance tactics that keep us asleep.  Some of us have fantastic avoidance mechanisms in place that get in the way of us getting in touch with our deeper souls. 

The old world of white privilege is dying too and it is OK to grieve that.  Some white folks feel like they are losing their country and for them, things seem to be getting worse and they are feeling resentful about it.  Some complainants at the top of the economic food chain do not think it is fair that they might have to pay a little more if the Bush tax cuts fade away.  But a simple perceptual shift reveals that when the playing field is leveled for everyone else, there is enough and we can all win.  When I see a community of straight white men going out on a limb and intimately sharing their feelings around a fire and cheering for gay folks being allowed to join our formerly exclusive club–it fills my heart with hope to see Karma being cleared.  Yes, social change is slow and Great Spirit works in mysterious ways.  Human rights, gay rights, gender equality, civil rights, worker rights and culturally sensitive mental health assessments and testing and equal access to resources are all manifestations of our forward progress.  But we need to remember that conservative energy anchors us in our traditions and be sensitive to that too.  Sometimes this looks like taking one step up and two steps back. 

We cannot always be in control of our lives and remain in our inner peace bubble.  Spiritual beings having a human experience need to come down from the mountain and learn to be on the ground with our fellow brothers and sisters.  Sometimes, our securities wane gradually, while at other times they wash away instantly.  We need to remember that we can control our attitude and how we respond to the cards that are dealt, regardless of how uncomfortable we feel about them.  But the democratic process is messy.  We are all in this together and we all have a say in the great waves of changes coming our way.

Stay True,

Ari