Check out my newly written, non-fiction short story that was recently published in the Edge of Humanity Magazine. Please feel free to click on the link below to see this inspirational writing that captures the the spirit of the “thinning of the veils” season. This writing was inspired by real events that took place in my life many moons ago and honors my Grandma’s presence in my life today. And while you’re at it, give our friends at Edge of Humanity Magazine a buzz by supporting the great work they are doing there:
Tag Archives: Dreamtime
Letting Go Of Old Ghosts, A Full Hunter Moon, Eclipse Season And Gratitude For Spirits In The Material World
Mercury In Retrograde ends on October 2, 2022. Reflecting back, our souls experienced a myriad of opportunities to review, re-process and re-program during this Twilight Zone rewind time.
During Mercury Retrograde, this writer was revisited by old bodily wounds that afforded him with a renewed opportunity for resistant free zones of being present, letting go and the gift of awareness. It’s less painful that way and we suffer less when we are in this space.
In much the same way as people and left brain faculties, it isn’t uncommon for machines to break down and amplify emotional intensity in the humans that rely on them.
For example, we had a particularly stressful day at the school that I work at recently. One of our coworkers just about blew her cork during an intersection between a student’s dysregulated behavioral episode that was amplified by a copy machine’s oppositional behavior.
But as we have discussed in this blog before, co-regulation is an empathic experience where humans can harmonize with their environments and support each other in relaxing.
Thankfully, my coworker friend used her words and stood in her personal authority by speaking her truth and letting go of it. Tempting as it was during that crazy train episode, I refrained from cracking any puns. Sometimes, silence is a higher form of honesty. Remember that inner peace is always a choice even amidst chaos. It is a dimensional shift.
Paradoxically, as the fog lifts after Mercury in Retrograde, our days will get darker as our clocks are turning back yin-ward. Peak radiant foliage brings leaf peepers throughout New England in early October, while November is typically the gloomiest month in Maine.
But it won’t be the darkest day of the year till the Winter Solstice in December, at least in the Northern hemisphere.
Furthermore, the Hunter’s Moon will reach peak illumination on Sunday, October 9. In Ojibwe, this moon is called the Freezing Moon, reflecting colder temperatures. This Hunter’s Moon always comes after the Harvest Moon, which is always closest to the Autumn Equinox.
Our ancestors understood this moon cycle signaled the time to go hunting in preparation for a long season of cold winter storage. Moreover, our animal friends understood that it is time to fatten up before winter.
Farmers cleaned out their fields under the brighter moonlight of the Harvest Moon. This gave our ancestors effective night vision to see the deer and other animals that came out to root through the remaining scraps. Also, it was easier to see foxes and wolves coming out to prey on them.
When I meditate alone in the woods, I reflect on Lao Tzu’s observation that “nature is the best physician.” There is magic in co-regulating with Mother Earth and we all win when we make this part of our sacred rituals.
Looking ahead, an October-November 2022 eclipse season will feature a partial solar eclipse on October 25, which is also a New Moon in Scorpio. Solar eclipses invite creations of new beginnings and bright new opportunities, as New Moons also reflect.
A total lunar eclipse arrives on November 8, which is also a Full Beaver Moon. Lunar eclipses are more emotional, for they bring on final endings, like the climax of emotional tides of Full Moons.
In the Universe’s energetic medicinal deck of cards, Eclipses are like powerful fanned out wild cards that inspire us to pay attention to areas in our life that need to change. They uproot us, surprise us, and light a fire under our asses.
During the intensity of Eclipses, our lives are rapidly shaken up so that we can transform into our new selves. The one constant of Eclipses is that they are change agents for rebirth. A death of the old self is taking place.
It is an interesting synchronicity that the New Moon in Scorpio, Full Beaver Moon and Eclipse Season intersects with the Samhain, All Soul’s Day, All Saint’s Day and The Day of The Dead at the end of October and beginning of November.
Of course the modern tradition of Halloween captures some of the spirit of our ancestors, who recognized that the veils between the physical and spirit realm appear thinner during this time. The ritual of wearing masks is a spiritual portal into alternate realities in consciousness and transformation.
The thinning of the veils can play tricks on us. But it can be a real treat to reconnect with the spirits of our ancestors who have left this Earth.
Meditation on Bat can empower your ability to hear spirit, if you wish to do so.
Try not to get spooked by your fears because negative energies tend to feed off of that.
Election Day is also on November 8th. The figure 8 is the sign of Infinity. It may seem like the Tao centered politics of a New Aquarian Age and Paradigm is far off in the future.
But a simple shift in mindset reveals that the New World is already happening. The old world is fading away into the backdrop and falling away, like the leaves on the trees.
May the forthcoming Eclipse Season become an infinite Election of new politics in our collective lives, if you’ll pardon the pun.
Take care of yourselves everyone,
Ari
Hawk Gives Us A Bird’s Eye View Into The Mystical Shorelines Ahead
Mercury in Retrograde, which has spiritual connections to Hawk, begins on September 9th and ends on October 1, 2022. Meditation on the energies of Hawk reveal spirit vision and guardianship.
Pay patient purposeful attention to the signs that will clearly reveal opportunities for you to see. Remember that we live in an energetic and sacred Universe. Hawk is a good reminder of the magic in it if our hearts and minds are open to it.
In a way, Mercury in Retrograde is like receiving messages from the gods of yesteryear. Relax and let go of left brain attachments and soar into the realm of right brain, intuitive faculties. Logic and rationalism are important forms of cognition.
But they are not the only way of thinking. Sometimes, it is best to let them rest and surrender to the irrational and creative forms of non-linear and non-localized thinking at this time.
It is a good time to get in touch with extraordinary states of consciousness.
For example, during meditation, our brain waves change form. Like with humor, changes in brainwaves gets us to look at things in a different light.
As always, be kind to your mind- machines too because they don’t always operate as seamlessly as they’re supposed to, especially when Mercury’s in retrograde. The Twilight Zone experience does not appear to discriminate.
Ever noticed how when your internal wires are crossed, machines also seems to short circuit and appear disassembled? Sometimes, I give Reiki to a machine that isn’t working properly and sometimes it will work. Other times, it doesn’t and I remember that it’s OK to walk away.
Distractions are everywhere, inside and out, in this world of 10,000 things. Mercury in retrograde is somewhat akin to AD/HD experiences, where we are can’t tell if we are going nuts or just forgot where we buried our acorns, like the squirrels in Nature.
Stay focused and keep your eye out for the signs to point you in the right direction. If anything, it’s a good time to sit with what is and not make any big decisions if you can help it.
Our old selves have very different lenses than our future selves. If hindsight vision is 20/20, then we can stand to allow this rewind time to inform us about the changes that we need to make.
Take flight, pause and reflect on this old episode retrograde rewind time period by reexamining what you see in the rearview mirror. It is likely that you will be revisited by past relationships in the form of dreams, visions and even in person encounters.
September’s Full Harvest Moon will peak on September 10. This Full Moon always happens closest to the Autumn Equinox on Thursday, September 22nd.
As we discussed in the last blog entry, in Ojibwe, the Full Moon during this time of year is called the Falling Leaves Moon. Watch the leaves falling and observe their process of changing colors. Seasons change no matter what we are doing or not doing. Might as well go with the flow of changes and embrace them as gracefully as possible.
Just after the official transition into Fall, a Libra New Moon awakens on September 25, 2022. New Moons are always symbolic of new beginnings and also a cycle of power for the energies of Hawk.
May the energies of the Libra New Moon ignite your soul’s expansion beyond the securities of your comfort zone and be open to exploration for all of life’s offerings. Spiritual wisdom reminds us to have an open heart and align with the Universe.
If only we can calm down and harmonize with our environment. This requires balancing tension of opposites, like the intersections between joy and pain, sunshine and rain. How do we make friends with that?
Libra symbolizes peacemaking. It wouldn’t be a stretch for a Libra working their soul energy in the positive to be an effective social worker, educator and civil rights advisor with children. This is an example of the love they embody.
Awakening to your soul purpose is in alignment with Hawk.
Till We Tweet Again,
Ari
A Bell Of Mindfulness, New Moon In Virgo, Full Harvest Moon And An Autumn Equinox In The September Of Our Years
Photo by Kristen Bouse
Have you ever heard the expression Bell of Mindfulness? Although this writer didn’t invent the expression, he recognizes it in his common language with regularity.
Many moons ago, my first inspiration of this meditative expression arrived when reading, At Hell’s Gate: A Soldier’s Journey From War to Peace, by an American Zen Buddhist Monk and Vietnam veteran named Claude Anshin Thomas.
Whatever your trauma, if you are a survivor and have put in the work, you know the journey from suffering to inner peace.
But when you work with that, it isn’t without its moments of struggling.
And if you are doing the work, you already know these journeys are not always linear and sometimes intersect and coexist with each other seemingly simultaneously.
Of course there is a tension of opposites, like when we were kids playing on the teeter totter.
Heaven and hell are inner states of consciousness that reflect back to us in the outer world.
Shamans called the current state of affairs a collective nightmare that we see playing out on the fiery Planet today.
Prophesies of a Golden Age are a co-creative New Dream. Remember that out of the ashes, the Phoenix Rises!
Truly, we all have what Taoists call the Chattering Monkey Mind, and this anxious mind can dominate our lives if we let it.
For example, chasing, clinging or indulging in darker thoughts (or any thoughts) are part of being human. It’s how we approach them that really matters.
Do we respond with mindful consultation with our Higher Self or do we react to the provocations of our lower self?
Do we resist and fight our shadowy thoughts or do we gently let them pass till an awakening of clearer thoughts emerge? We all have emotions and feelings that tend to accompany our thoughts. It is wise to take personal inventory of them through the light of loving compassion.
A New Moon in Virgo will happen on August 27, 2022. Feeling safe is connected to order, clarity and emotions right now. Perhaps there is a need to organize everything chaotic and disorganized.
Working Virgo energies in the positive tempers the self-critic with self-acceptance and finds self-expression of its soul purpose through service. In this way, you are more likely to take care of others if you are taking care of yourself. The inner critic is leveled by an internal state of acceptance. The situations are what they are. We might as well say yes to them on the inside, instead of meeting them with resistance (what we resists, persists!). From there, we can take corrective action if necessary.
Inner peace is a practical replacement for going to war with yourself (or others). It’s easier to replace with inner peace than it is to extinguish going to war. More inner peace replaces the likelihood of going to war.
Virgo stands on mutable ground to teach us that it is healthy to give consideration to being more tolerant and accepting about life’s imperfections. It is better to trust life and let it run its own way. Not everything must be according to our expectations or controlled. The Japanese spiritual tradition of Wabi Sabi reflects this way of being. Beauty exists in taking risks and making mistakes. It’s very Growth Mindset.
In many ways, we live in a Virgo world. It’s easy to get caught up in the do’s and don’t and should and should nots and consumed by fixing problems and perfectionism in the material realm. Chaos is especially hard on Virgo. But there is order in chaos and disorder is part of balance. Movement into the New Aquarian Age awakens possibilities that might be hidden or unseen to the predictable mindset or preoccupation with the headlines.
Energetically, Autumn is a good time of year to practice letting go. Tis a good mantra to Fall back on, if you’ll pardon the pun.
September’s Full Harvest Moon will peak on September 10, 2022. This Full Moon always happens closest to the Autumn Equinox on Thursday, September 22nd.
In Ojibwe, the Full Moon during this time of year is called the Falling Leaves Moon. Watch the leaves falling and observe their process of changing colors. Seasons change no matter what we are doing or not doing.
Furthermore, feminine and masculine energies are equal around the Fall Equinox. Meditation on balance of the yin and yang is in perfect equitable alignment with Nature at this time. Give this special consideration when you see people struggling with their identity issues, like sexuality and gender identifications. Appreciate the confusing times we are living in with open hearts and minds. In much the same way as race, disabilities, religion and ancestry, these are key Civil Rights issues to be mindful of in the here and now.
Reflections on the Harvest Moon, invites looking back at when our ancestors farmed the land before artificial light existed.
Back then, their work day depended on the natural cycles of the sun and the moon. They were more active and slept less during warmer weather and brighter days. Conversely, they were less active and slept more during shorter days, colder temperatures and darker nights.
This is the only Full Moon that rises at nearly the same time for multiple days, giving farmers several evenings of extra moonlight to finish their harvests before the arrival of fall frosts. Abundance is in the sky and on the ground. The harvest is in and yields its bounty.
Today, it is wise to pay attention and return to these natural rhythms and cycles. There is a time to do and a time to rest. Meaningful work is good for the soul. So is play.
Take care of yourselves everyone,
Ari
Back To School: An Intersection Of Old And New
As I sit here writing this post, this writer took a moment to hit the pause button to reflect on a meaningful, mundane transaction on today’s to do list. Specifically, I shuttled our teenager off to their final early morning summer cross training workout.
It’s not cool to call things like that day camp or playdates anymore (all too tempting). And you don’t call it practice, it’s now called training.
To wit: it’s hard not to hear George Carlin’s spirited questionable assertion, was it ever cool to call getting together with peers or friends playdates?
A vocational internship, community service hours, college tours, soccer season and the beginning of a new school year are all happening and on our household’s horizon. With a kid in school and dad who works in them, that’s what’s up. It’s a process many parents and caregivers have experienced before.
As parents, we’re trying to be mindful of our approach, because like any responsibility, it’s easy to fall prey to the doing, become robotic, and lose sight of the sacred moments along the way. That can happen in all aspects of life, if you’re not careful.
Speaking of transitions, the one constant is change along the trails of life. Are you noticing the subtle hints of Autumn are in the early August air?
These sense experiences mix alchemically with the microscopic, minority radiance of vibrant hues of leaves turning, whilst offering an early prequel to a backdrop to Nature’s theater. May we bear witness to everything old beginning anew again.
It won’t be long till the Equinoxes are here in later September, where light and dark are equal again, and peak foliage colors the tree lines again, if only for a brief moment in time. Ah, the yin and the yang at play!
Looking ahead, our days will get shorter until the darkest day of the year on the Winter Solstice in December. However, if you live in the Southern Hemisphere, Spring is springing, and it will be the Vernal Equinox at that time. Those days will get longer until sunlight peaks on their Summer Solstice.
For the rest of us in the living moment, a Full Moon is waxing and will fully reveal itself in the second week of August. Historically, Full Moons go by different names. One of the traditional names, as indicated by many of our ancestors, is the Full Sturgeon Moon.
These mighty freshwater fish still thrive in the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain regions in the Middle of the Americas. Like turtles, sturgeons have been around at least as long as when dinosaurs roamed Mother Earth.
In much the same way as everyone else, these fish are at risk in today’s changing tides. And yet, these living fossils are still around. Moreover, sturgeons reflect the power of survivors, and as such, are symbolic of resiliency. Like the murky waters these fish stir up, we need to swim through them with resiliency in our tackle box, if you’ll pardon the pun.
But what is this resiliency we speak of? After nearly two decades of social work practice in Public Schools, it is a dream come true to see that we are paying more attention to building resiliency in school community settings.
It’s no secret that we humans come into this Earthbound experience with our own unique, prewired blueprints. While our core temperaments don’t change, our personalities are an evolving process over our life cycle.
Resiliency is something that we are equipped with, and have an aptitude for- some more than others. But we can all build resiliency, which has a positive ripple effect on each other.
Systemically, one way we can all develop our capacity for resiliency is to create and follow a self care routine. I’m a big fan of the Keep It Simple Sweetheart (KISS) model.
Like any healthy self-care routine, building resiliency starts with yourself and invites an intention and commitment to a daily routine of mindful attention.
For example, teaching more meditation, mindfulness and social emotional learning (SEL) as part of the school curriculum supports resiliency and facilitates the challenging process of learning how to be human.
Strategies like focusing on peaceful, calming thoughts, positive self talk, mindful belly breathing, relaxing our judgments and learning to be gentle on ourselves are healthy ways to build an internal state of resiliency and harmonize with our environment. Of course drinking mostly water, emphasizing consumption of plants and being more meat minimalist doesn’t hurt.
Remember that saying yes to self care means that you are saying yes to your own mental health and well being. The rising tide of Inner Peace awakening increases as the more of us become living role models of these behavioral changes. Further, the more we make waves in this dimensional shift, we will collectively see ourselves becoming the change we want to see in the world.
Here is a practical self care/SEL demonstration below in the form of the The Mirror of the Mind meditation. Regular practice of this powerful strategy will support sound mental health and well being in your daily life:
Take care of yourselves everyone,
Ari
A Gemini New Moon, Full Strawberry Supermoon & The Energetic Butterfly Effect
A New Moon in Gemini will arrive on May 30th, 2022. These changes in latitudes and changes in attitudes are reminders about the spontaneity of life. May a sense of safety awaken from an awareness about your feelings and sharing them with others. Remember that our heads and hearts want to be in harmony with one another because we need them both to function effectively. Gemini are mutable twins with a lot of teaching energy around them. They are natural storytellers and journalists and have a perceptibility for allowing the light to illuminate the shadows. Being able to see both the light and the dark in a balanced way recognizes the equanimity of life. You can’t have the light without the dark or the masculine without the feminine. Given how difficult it is to differentiate between fact and fiction these days, this is an especially good trait in the times we are living in. Effective communication is a balancing act between speaking and listening. Some people have the gift of gab, while others are natural listeners. We need to develop both forms for healthy communication. Learning to control our minds helps tame the Chattering Monkey Mind. This helps us discern between impulsive hot thoughts versus intuitive or psychic hits. Thoughts that are repetitive and loud need to relax.
A Strawberry Supermoon on June 14 will be the second supermoon of 2022. Its name trances its ancestry from the Algonquin, Ojibwe, Dakota, and Lakota peoples, among others. This time marks the ripening of strawberries that are ready to be gathered, as June reflects great abundance and manifestation. Alternative European names for this Moon include the Honey Moon and the Mead Moon. June was traditionally the month of marriages, and is even named after the Roman goddess of marriage, Juno. Following marriage comes the honeymoon, which is in spiritual synchronistic alignment with this sacred time. The Summer Solstice will happen on June 21st, marking peak sunlight in the Northern Hemisphere. After that, days will gradually start getting darker till light and dark are in alignment again on the Autumn Equinox in later September. In the Southern Hemisphere, it will be the Winter Solstice, the darkest day of the year. And then days will gradually start getting lighter till the light and dark are in alignment again on the Spring Equinox. Like our brains, Planet Earth has two hemispheres that are not separate but are naturally desirously dancing together in harmony.
Artwork by Barbara Merlotti
Full Strawberry Moon yields a fruitful harvest for this sweet crop.
Light peaks on Summer Solstice.
Summertime begins and our spirits want to flock together like birds of a feather.
Float with Butterfly to lighten up your soul to the energy of joy while following your bliss.
External outer-directed energies are in full swing now.
When you are faced with the challenge of changing the latitudes
of your attitudes . . .
Remember to float with the
joy of Butterfly lighten-up the color of your soul
Where are you at right now in your growth?
Are you a caterpillar inching along?
Or are you a grub in hibernation — just waiting
for something new to break out of yourself?
Or are you ready to spread your new wings and fly into new places?
Flitting away from Spring, we feel the ripple effect of the
rising sunlight peaking on the Summer Solstice’s to illuminate our way . . .
A Full Strawberry Moon celebrates this sweet season for harvesting strawberries.
The light of masculine-yang is at its energetic peak on the Summer Solstice.
Time to break out, expand and drink in the festivities of summertime!
In the Southern Hemisphere, the dark nights of feminine-yin energies are climaxing.
Southern lights start slowly waxing.
Might as well float through the season with the joy of Butterfly!
Spread the spiritual seeds of love for all to enjoy . . .
Becoming a future self in the here and now.
We are creating ourselves anew.
Butterfly’s position in our ecosystem gets us to reflect;
on the their effect on our
Waking up to the realm of possibility . . .
Summer is a good time to nurture outward growth and
Become a bit of a social butterfly.
We all need to breathe through these trying times . . .
Breathe out the force of fear;
Breathe in the power of love.
Butterfly is opening up our hearts to smile!
Remember to be gentle on yourself and others . . .
Release judgments and prejudices –
Open up to the courage to examine their grip on your own identity.
We are all One, albeit colorful and diverse expressions of that oneness!
Butterflies are pollinators of transformational seeds of growth into our souls.
Commentary
In the theater of life, the one guaranteed constant is change. The great thing about observing the naturalistic environment of Nature is that we see evidence of transience in the changing of the seasons. Think about how crazy it would be to try to rush away winter before the seeds of spring were ready to wake up. The moon doesn’t feel resentful of the sun’s heat, the sun doesn’t get fired up about the moon’s control of the tides, nor does the Earth say to the humans that have plundered Her resources that we owe her.
Do you really think God is egocentric enough to be jealous or vengeful about our behavior? If Jesus, believed by many to be the Son of God, was able to release judgements and forgive his perpetrators while being executed, then surely Creator was more in touch with Their better angels, rather than reacting to the atrocities like the crucifixion without reserve. Meditation on being created in the image of the Universe reveals that, as spiritual beings having human experiences, we understand that we are part creature and part divine. Awakening to the realm of possibilities is about learning how to become freewill within the humanity of our actions, rather than be enslaved by a mechanistic worldview of probability and statistics programmed to worship the suffocating ways of materialism. The energy of Butterfly shows us the real possibility of transformation. But transformation goes through stages. What stage of change are you in right now? Our spirits tend to rise with the light, and it’s hard not to feel inebriated from drinking in the sunlight. After the spring thaw, the natural impetus to be outside and walk in the sun is good food for the soul. All creatures have an excitability to their energy. Outward movement is reflective of working toward energetic expansion. It’s a good time to branch out of comfort zones, and broaden our social networks.
Don’t get sucked in or seduced by the programmed fears that live inside of you or are pushed onto you by the outer world. You all know that we are living with a proliferation of toxicity and pollution. But getting consumed by it isn’t helpful to you, anyone else or the world we live in. Remember that inner peace isn’t about living in a protective bubble. It is about finding that inner calm amidst the turbulent storms in your orbit. A healthy self care routine, including meditation and a trusted professional are all helpful change agents. None of us can do it all on our own. Let go of your pride and control issues, and allow yourselves to be vulnerable in a healthy way. If you have a voice in your head that says, “that’s not me”- ask yourself, who is that voice that makes this convincing argument?
Higher Love is such a divine feeling. It’s not an elitist or hierarchical position of judgment against lower dimensional thinking. Rather, this direct experience of the sublime is a vibrational shift where inner peace, happiness as a way of life, joy lives inside your being, and following you bliss is your way of life. This is where we ride the thermals of our better angels, or our Higher Selves. You can always gage where you are at in our own map of consciousness by how you feel. Are you in a scared, timid, frightened nervous woodland creature place? Might as well picture a butterfly to fly into a sphere of light-hearted floatation. The time is now!
Take Care of Yourselves Everyone,
Ari
Scuba Diving In Seas of A New Moon In Pisces, The Tides Of March, Whale Consciousness, A Full Worm Moon & The Arrival of Spring Equinox
We will experience a New Moon in Pisces on Wednesday March 2nd, 2022. This time reflects heightened sensitivities and perceptions of our surroundings. Be mindful of feelings of insecurity, being passive and following a wait and see approach to life. With Pisces, soul travel is as natural as escapism lurking in the shadows because upstream and downstream personalities are part of our identities. It is wise not to get lost in the undertow of tempting fate. Stay engaged in creative and spiritual blueprints, and flow with powerful Pisces imaginative processes.
Pisces has an understanding of consciousness itself. A positive self talk mantra worth examining is that we are aware that we are aware. In its deeper and higher truth, meditation should be a goal-less discipline. But that doesn’t mean that we avoid setting goals. It just means that we are becoming spiritual watchers in the waves of letting go of outcomes. The ebb and flow of life’s attachments are a real part of the human experience. As part of our multidimensional reality, we are luminous, formless, energetic identities that are alive within our physical bodies. The Kingdom of Heaven is what Christ Consciousness spoke of through in his human form, otherwise known as Jesus. Similarly, Buddhist Psychology says that we have a say in how we experience beyond the networks we are all programmed with. Our souls are reflections of Creator’s luminous image, and as such, we are creative beings with infinite imaginative faculties. Einstein said that imagination is more important than knowledge. We can use our imaginations in meditation to become the change we want to see in the world, like Ghandi said. The prophecies of old were foreshadowing the New Aquarian Age we are transitioning into now.
A Full Worm Moon illuminates the sky on Friday, March 18, 2022. Like all Full Moons, this one goes by many traditional names, including the Eagle Moon by the Algonquin, the Goose Moon by the Cree, and the Sugar Moon by the Ojibwe Indigenous peoples. This moon marks the time of year when the sap of sugar maples starts to flow, and these trees are tapped in late winter to gather buckets of sap to transform into maple syrup. Traditional Full Moon names reflect the spirit of the season, such as when animals appear or reappear on the lands they inhabit. Humanity needs to realign with their spirited energies, as well as the spiritual energies of Nature. Mother Earth is a living organism. We are part of Her and She is part of us. We are all part of a cosmic connective web of consciousness.
Artwork by Barbara Merlotti
When a Whale of a tide rolls in and the shifting seas come crashing in
Take a deep breath and let it sink into your belly . . .
Hit the pause button, reset and
listen to your drumming heartbeat.
Tap into your inner oceans of empathy and compassion for others.
What does whale have to say to your heart?
Are you hearing the hearts of what others are saying to you?
A Full Worm Moon signals robin’s return.
Whale reminds us that our soul purpose evolves with the
shifting connective tides of our planetary consciousness.
Spring Equinox celebrates equal light and dark days in Nature.
We look forward to peak light on Summer Solstice in June.
Water symbolizes creativity.
Dive into the depths of the unchartered seas of your soul
to retrieve the creative powers of your human element.
With Whale, we dive into archives of our planetary consciousness . . .
Their energy breathes an air of discovery into waters of our soul purpose
During our swim here on Mother Earth.
Meditation on Whale invites us to hear the universal heartbeat of
Mother Earth’s oceanic sea of consciousness.
Spring Equinox blossoms a fleeting energetic balance of light and dark . . .
We move into a time when feminine yin begins to wane as masculine yang waxes on –
Sunlight climbs to its summit on the Summer Solstice;
Arriving in later June in the Northern Hemisphere
The converse is true to our friends in the Southern Hemisphere –
It is their Autumn Equinox there.
Light and dark energies are equal but their darkness grows in power;
Climaxing on their Winter Solstice . . .
Where darkest day of the year precipitates a slow resurrection of light.
A Full Worm Moon brings the arrival of the robin –
Signifying that Spring has sprung!
Our ancestors identified this Full Moon as the last of winter –
What better medicine to remedy March Madness!
Whales are dedicated to their family.
Their sonar is akin to an acute form of empathy.
In the sense that we can learn to listen in;
and hear subtle stirrings inside with relationship to self and others.
This process increases our sensitivity.
Drinking in deep and relaxed belly breathing.
Is what’s on tap for a clear walking meditation . . .
May we all be spring fed lakes that leave behind
Clean water for others to follow in our wake.
Commentary:
Equinoxes are a good time to reflect on getting in touch with our masculine and feminine energies that coexist within our own selves and our planet. In much the same way as our planet has hemispheres, so do our brains. We are living in a time where we need to wake up to balance by dismantling, healing and unifying the illusion of separation. The sun does not dominate the moon. Rather, they both do their part to sustain homeostasis. Nor does male need to subjugate female. Without the creative energy of feminine power, none of us would be here. Energetic equanimity will help us transition more gracefully into an era of a co-creative we consciousness. Instead of a divisive us and them mentality, we can move deeper into a time when we realize that we all need to work together as uniquely diverse expressions of divine oneness. We need to embrace the tension of opposites and relax into that in our modern world. Yin and Yang are always in flux and Nature reflects that to us. Spiritually, the energy of Whale represents an awakening of our soul purpose. March is a time of seasonal transition between the winter and spring. Ideally, we are more introspective and inward during the darker months of winter. But when spring arrives, our budding inner work may blossom outward in a more yang-oriented and external fashion.
Our ancestors told stories about whales carrying the consciousness of our planet, like a universal library. Some people have had the good fortune to swim with whales in their natural environment. I’ll never forget the first time I went whale watching on a school field trip in Cape Cod, Massachusettes. Growing up in Great Lakes region in the Mid-West, you had to travel far to experience such a thing. But with meditation, we can virtually light up the same centers in our brains, and perceive the tidings that whales bring into our sea of consciousness. Picture Whale and take the emotional plunge to bring back the depths of their teachings.
Equinoxes are times of energetic balance on our planet. In that, we can see Nature’s outward reflection of where we are moving on the inside. Given that, we are given an opportunity to work with natural forces to nurture the energies going on in our being. Like the Yin and Yang, masculine and feminine energies are always in flux, yet paradoxically seeking homeostasis. Even when darkness abounds, there is light at the end of the tunnel, just as when the sun lights up a room, there are dark corners out of sight. Yet we know they are all there. God is everywhere, the alpha and the omega, light and dark, masculine and feminine. That is the image we were created in.
Psychic ability is a natural part of our human superpowers. Some say that empathy is the highest form of psychic ability. Given that we need to build a lot more empathy on our planet, we might as well meditate on the collective wisdom of whale to do that. Empathy is like anything else – some of us are born with more or less of it than others. For some, it has to be learned intellectually, and then from there might take root in the heart. For others, it is a natural, heart-centered place to be. Regardless, every moment of being human is an opportunity to remember empathy as a way of life. You don’t condone or excuse someone’s bad behavior with empathy. You just show them you care about their plight regardless of how they got there, and are coming from a place love, and trying to understand. Be forewarned that this exercise requires moving beyond judgments and assumptions.
Today’s invasion of the Ukraine, is yet another tragic and unjust example of the consequential imperialism of the military-industrial complex. Can you imagine waking up to tanks, bombs and missiles in your own backyard? Concentrate the spotlight of mindfulness from your own head and your heart. Beam this orb within and onto the outer world around you, and beyond to help free your own suffering as well as the suffering of others around the planet and the outer rims of the expanding Universe. Remembering to breathe is a simple way to come back down into your soul, and into the present moment. This is where empathy lives. And it is home.
Take care of yourselves everyone,
Ari
A Full Snow Moon & Turtle Spirit Guide Podcast
Transformation Within During The Process Of Letting Go Without Revisited – Classroom Mothership Earth
A Podcast Version Of An Article Written By The Author.
A New Moon In Aquarius, Full Snow Moon & Turtling Along In February
A New Moon in Aquarius on February 1, 2022 aligns with the same date as the Chinese New Year of the Tiger. It is also the Imbolc/Groundhog Day on February 2nd. Our ancestors honored the Imbolc because it is the approximate midpoint between Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox. At this time, we are reminded that, in spite of the colder temperatures outside, daylight is gaining, and Spring is on its way. This is a complicated time with emotions, as there is a strong need for emotional freedom now. We are in the early stages of the Age of Aquarius, and this transition into a New Age and Paradigm is not without the experience of labor pains. Can’t you feel the contractions on the Planet right now? Life is always with its tension of opposites, or duality. As we have discussed, the Chinese symbol of the Yin and Yang reflects this. Meditation on the energy of Duality helps you feel at peace with your own inner duality. It helps you live in balance, in oneness and harmony, so that you may continue your path in a cosmic consciousness. It helps you discover life through enjoyment and play.
Truly, the energy of Aquarius has an assertive need for being an individual with a fiercely independent streak. But Aquarius also begs the question of how do I be my authentic self, and at the same time, fit in to group consciousness? As such, among groups, it can be easier to understand your feelings and free yourself from negative emotions such as fear, anger and jealousy. Linking up to the right groups can support us in accessing our inner genius, to think in new ways, even divergent from what we have been taught by family/societal conditioning. Getting in touch with inner freedom can be liberating for a soul in a way that transcends rules and defiance of them. Diversity in Unity is the Aquarian mantra. Gone are the days of the Lone Wolf.
Also, a Full Snow Moon arrives on February 16th. The Ojibwe called this moon the Bear Moon, while the Algonquin called it the Groundhog Moon. Winter is a good time for human forms of hibernation and nurturing our inner cubs before they are ready to come out into the sunlight for the spring thaw and begin manifestation on the Spring Equinox.
Artwork by Barbara Merlotti
When Turtle swims into your stream of thoughts
Remember to picture Mother Earth
loving you with patience and kindness
The river does not need to be pushed
Slow down and take it one step, one breath, and one
moment at a time
How does slowing down help you stop and smell the roses?
What happens to the river’s rapids, when we go with
the flow instead of pushing the river?
Do you need to curl up in your shell and hide, or do you need to come out
into the sunlight and be with people?
Our ancestors celebrated the Full Snow Moon as the peak snowfall accumulation.
Beneath Winter’s dirge,
stirrings of Spring are beginning to think about coming out of Plato’s Cave.
Picture a Turtle protected by an invincible shell,
securely anchored deeply into Mother Earth.
Turtle’s spirit is an ancient reminder of our soulful connection to our living planet.
Our ancestors celebrated the Imbolc,
the mid-point between Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox.
Also, this February brings the Chinese-Lunar year of the Tiger.
Now more than ever, meditation on Tiger can inspire a deep freedom for
cultivating our passions, power, devotion and sensuality.
Running a hurried up offense is a popular way to live on Earth today . . .
Might as well wise up to Turtle’s wisdom to remember
Do you need to escape from the worries of the world for a spell?
Mother Earth’s ancient wisdom to slow down our tempo and anchor in Her ground
Or do you need to come out of your of your shell and be more social?
Meditate on Turtle for a deeper understanding of
patience and planetary connection
A Chinese-Lunar New Year reminds us that Spring is arriving energetically
In spite of probable peaks in snowfall accumulation . . .
Do you feel the seeds underground starting to think about waking up?
Time to bury your ideas in the ground and let the sunlight do its business . . .
So that they may organically blossom in the Spring
Turtle’s age-old shell symbolizes soulful protection –
In these hard times . . .
May we weather Climate Change with mindful wisdom
Commentary:
Turtles are older than dinosaurs and carry an ancient wisdom on their backs. If there are any spirit guides to help us open up to the idea of Karma, Turtle is a good role model. Karma can easily be understood as the law of cause and effect. If you are paying attention to the big picture, you start noticing how cause and effect impacts your life and then have ability to transcend it. Have you ever noticed that the more you hurry or try to expedite a process, the more your hurried pace slows you down in the long run? Through patience and compassion, we become equipped to harmonize with our conflicts. T’ai Chi is often practiced in slow motion. The idea behind this slow and meditative internal martial art is that if you practice it at a slow pace, you will be fast if and when the situation calls for fast action. When we slow down, observe the moments as they come without judgment and learn to be with what is. May we cultivate energy gradually and powerfully like water.
In my orientation, I came into this realm strongly aligned with the energy of Rabbit. I remember Grandmother taking me to see story hour at the local library in my Preschool years. I had a hard time understanding the story of the tortoise and the hare. But that makes sense to me now, especially because I was raised in a culture that did not teach us about opposites. We were taught that it’s either this, or that . . . just say no, just do it. Living in America was a sea full of mixed messages that mirrors growing up as a child in a psychotic household. Meditating on Turtle helps relax any pressures of the cultural river we might feel we are pushing against. Just knowing that these creatures are older than dinosaurs helps me appreciate a long range perspective. Rome wasn’t built in a day. All we really have is right now. Might as well take it in. If you need to, go within your shell to take refuge from the worries of the world, or you can come out of your shell and congregate with others. Knowing when to turn inward, and when to socialize is about knowing balance within yourself. Some people are naturally more monkish and hermit like, while others are more pod oriented, and thrive on others to feed them. Nature just reflects to us where we are at and what we need to work with. Let Turtle guide you in wise council.
Like many, I have been in a place of wishing the weather was different from what it was. After I was a child, back when enjoyed being outside regardless of climate, I started to internalize an adult-centric perspective about certain weather being preferable to others, namely complaints about the cold, dark and stormy, and the like. For many people, it doesn’t really matter – it’s too hot, bright, buggy, windy, the laundry list is endless. But for those of you who live in a northern climate, and really hate winter – knowing the half way point between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox happens this month may help you appreciate that the sunlight is rising, and warmer temperatures are on their way. I remember being up in the Andean mountain range in South America, and the little Indigenous children were trying to sell us rotten berries for a buck or two. It was a sobering reflection for me to see such a pristine, natural habitat, and yet such abject poverty. Privileged first world people were traveling here to appreciate the natural riches of this land, and yet the Indigenous people who lived in this natural treasure were fighting for survival.
I remember some of my old football coaches telling us that we should play every down like it’s our last. It was a good metaphor for life. Like the Hopi say, we are in the 11th hour, and we are the one’s we have been waiting for. The time is now. We are at a point in our current experience that we have the power to make ourselves go extinct or awaken to a massive shift in our collective consciousness. The reality is that an old world is dying, while the trumpet of a new world sounds its call. Out of the ashes, a phoenix rises. May we become beacons of light in a world of darkness. Mindfulness isn’t a cure. It is a way of paying attention to the present moment, and noticing what it is, without getting sucked in to labels or judgment.
Take care of yourselves everyone,
Ari
It’s The Eye Of The Tiger In The Chinese New Year on Tuesday, February 1, 2022
Transformation Within During The Process Of Letting Go Without Revisited – Classroom Mothership Earth
A Podcast Version Of An Article Written By The Author.
Classroom Mothership Earth 