Whenever suffering occurs in your life, whether coming down with the flu or not getting the job you wanted, you seek to know it fully rather than resent or deny it. Instead of distracting yourself, with fantasies, or worries, you focus your attention calmly upon the felt sense of what is happening. As you perform this task, you become acutely conscious of your reactive “arising’s” and the potency of their force. They too, are to be included within that, same wide, still embrace. You do not free yourself from narcissistic or self-disgusted longings by suppressing them, but by accepting them as the arising of habitual inclinations, which may be psychologically, culturally, religiously, or instinctively conditioned.
–Stephen Batchelor
When contemplating darkness and disguise in the throes of this wintry dirge, I think about the sacred energy medicine of Racoon. These sentient beings embody the self-defense mastery of the internal martial arts. When we play around with opening and closing our eyes in the 3D realm, we are playing with form by putting on a mask, and accessing a primordial creative power within. For those Star Wars geeks out there, the clip below reinforces the felt sense experience of letting go of our conscious minds by seeing without seeing:
Stepping into new dimensions and accessing deeper realms are real possibilities with Racoon consciousness. This spirit guide is a friendly reminder to do a deep dive into the popularly unpopular fear of the unknown. Rather than avoidance, we become inviting of spiritual awakenings into new ways of looking at ourselves. But if we choose to ignore such soul promptings; perhaps the reality based, felt sense experience might otherwise remain hidden or unavailable to our naked eye’d view our previously unexamined selves.
Racoon’s transformational vibrational frequencies align with traits that can support growth in fine motor skills, such as dexterity; as well as a sensory diet, like self-stimulation forms like self-massage, and bodily compression. They certainly can also inspire cleaner eating approaches, like washing our food, and emphasizing a plant based diet. Or maybe you like to pluck away on a musical instrument. Close your eyes, picture a racoon and see what happens organically.
From a heartwarming and mindbending felt sense of spaciousness, the internal martial arts help us cool down from the inside out. This differs from the so called external martial arts; which have traditionally emphasized relaxed on the outside, intense on the inside. But like astronomers and astrologers, social workers, psychologists and many therapists and other energy workers; you can be both and we need all of them.
Speaking of the internal martial arts, check out William C.C Chen’s demonstration below. He used to come to the place that I took classes many moons ago. The ‘Studio’ was heavily influenced by his teachings. And sometimes he would come visit, and do special weekend workshops. I remember meeting him once. He certainly filled the room with his form, which was a real shared felt sense experience by many of my old teachers and peers in that community:
May all Beings be free of suffering, and experiences Inner Peace as a way of Life,
“You can’t feel good when you’re feeling bad about feeling bad.”
-Rhonda Byrne
Looking back in the rearview mirror, I remember working with a spiritual counselor for many years, who reminded me that people get stuck in life, and can have a really hard time getting unstuck. His empathy statement still sounds true because, the truth is, we all get stuck.
Upon reflection, my old spiritual counselor’s wise guidance invited a personal awakening of an awareness that a big part of my own getting stuck at that time was that I was getting stuck on other people’s stuckness . . . and taking it personally. It can be hard to not to become moved by other people’s stuff. Although experience teaches that it is freeing to stay centered, and observe those entanglements soften and relax. Ah, letting go of victim consciousness is a process, like peeling away the layers of an onion.
Awakening to our true nature as spiritual beings having human experiences happens when we are surrendering to the will of the Universe by getting in alignment with it. Ancient meditative movement practices like Tai Chi supports this process by integrating the right and left hemispheres of our brains, and facilitating emotional regulation of our neurological systems by re-patterning them.
In addition to Bruce Lee’s beautiful introduction, the video below also features Professor Cheng Man Ching, who brought Tai Chi to the West, and some of his students who reflect back on their experiences with him. Both of these men had very strong rebellious streaks because they brought secrets of their people to the West. Sharing their knowledge with outsiders was strictly forbidden, and against the orders of their masters.
But they both knew that the West needed to be clued in to the mysteries of the martial arts. Although Professor’s students deeply respected him as a master, some have also said that he wasn’t an enlightened being, and that he had an ego. His playful soul and competitive spirit is probably what made him so approachable to his students. Not long before he died, he said that he was approximately 70% Confucius and 30% Lao Tzu. He also emphasized that he was interested in learning how to be human, and that it takes a long time to do that:
Reflecting back on my own experiences with getting stuck, and what to do about it reminds me of my last semester of college, many moons ago. At that time, I took an extra class as an independent study with one of my psychology professors so that I could graduate on time. Part of my stuckness back then was procrastination. It’s not that Grandmother’s Stop Procrastination tapes with subliminal message hidden underneath ocean waves didn’t work. It’s just that building ‘Righteous Chi’ works gradually, like the power of water. Once enough momentum is present, there is no stopping it.
Back to my last semester in college . . . I took a heavy course load to fulfill my academic requirements for graduation. My psychology professor was also a part time psychotherapist, who worked with a colleague who was also a therapist with his own full time practice. These two progressive men were both concerned about when their clients would get stuck during their therapeutic process, particularly between sessions. Part of their stuckness as psychotherapists was when their clients would get stuck. As therapists, they felt a degree of responsibility and helplessness about that.
Given that, both clinical psychologists were very interested in exploring a newly emerging therapeutic idea at the time called bibliotherapy. Basically, bibliotherapy is a medium to utilize reading, and other multimedia forms (movies, videos, podcasts, quotes, articles, etc.) to reinforce the power of the therapeutic process for change to occur. The independent study explored a deep dive into how bibliotherapy might be utilized as a medium to help clients get unstuck; especially during the interval between sessions or when they were outside of a therapy session. The three of us met weekly to discuss and unpack bibliotherapeutic experiences. I read a bunch of literature on the emerging subject, and wrote a paper based on my research, our clinically oriented weekly conversations, and reflections about what I learned from the experience.
Many years later, I collaborated with librarians, who were aware of the growing body of research on bibliotherapy’s efficacy. Plenty of counselors out there will assign “homework assignments” to their clients. In many cases this involves utilizing bibliotherapy as a medium to water the seeds of change so that they can take root.
Flash forward to today, experiences with getting stuck in therapy appears to be akin to how meditators talk about applying what we learn during sitting meditation to when we’re off the cushion, and going about the business of living our lives. A big part of why we get stuck has to do with our habituated mind, and cravings that block us from experiencing the present moment. Truly, this is a relatable experience to anyone who is taking an honest look at themselves, or in many cases feeling triggered by looking at others.
Finally, check out the video below by highly respected veteran spiritual teacher and nun, Pema Chodron, that further amplifies the sentiment. She has been a leading catalyst in bringing Buddhist principles to the West:
We began as mineral. We emerged into plant life, and into the animal state, and then into being human, and always we have forgotten our former states, except in early spring when we slightly recall being green again.
–Rumi
A Full Snow Moon on February 1st sheds moonshine on the birth of February, followed by the Imbolc aka Groundhog Day on February 2nd. Energetically, spring starts now because the seeds underground are starting to think about waking up from their winter slumber.
Whether the groundhog sees his shadow or not, the arrival of the Vernal Equinox on March 20th marks the official onset of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and the Autumn Equinox in the Southern Hemisphere. The equinoxes reflect the Nature’s balance of day and night; which reveals homeostasis of yin&yang/light&dark/masculine&feminine energies.
When I think of honoring the Imbolc tradition of the approximate halfway point between the Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox, I think of the shamanic energy medicine of Groundhog as an animal spirit guide.
How many of us would benefit from waking up to an elevated state of consciousness that Groundhog awakens as a metaphor for reincarnation?
There are evolving souls in the spiritual community, who have shared that they have an attachment to a desire to not incarnate anymore, and would prefer to stay in the spirit realm after their experience in this lifetime ends.
While I respect a person’s sovereign right towards self-determination, there is wisdom in the old saying, be careful what you wish for. In order to really trust the Universe, you have to do the shadow work. The voices of trauma can be exhausting at times.
Groundhog energy medicine awakens death without dying as a real perceptible reality during the gift and many blessings of this lifetime. In this experience, we are reminded of the cyclical death and rebirth aspect of life. In every breath we take, a part of us dies, while another part of us is reborn.
Besides, science has confirmed beyond a shadow of a doubt, that we have trillions of cells living within our bodies that change like tastebuds over time. From that perspective, we really aren’t the same person we once were, nor will be in the future. Might as well learn to illuminate every cell in our bodies and learn to make them smile. There’s God(ess) in that.
For you gamers out there, playing video games is akin to the shamanic death without dying experience. You get to hit the reset button, start over, get a new life, and explore different levels. The program is already there and reveals itself when the time is ripe. Beyond that, it’s up to you how to play the game. Freewill within the program’s matrix. Once you know the program, you can transcend it.
Knowing our true identities as mostly luminous, formless beings of light can be the torch that carries you toward the perceptible reality that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Sometimes, we have find the eyes to see that the sun is still there, it’s just hiding behind dark clouds. More importantly, there is light within, no matter how consumed with darkness we might feel.
Just as an example, the classic American film Groundhog Day captures the sentiment of moving beyond the egoic realm of egocentric manipulation to waking up to the realm of Oneness or Unity Consciousness. Remember that Groundhog Day, like Halloween, derives from ancient traditions honored by our ancestors. I first saw this movie in High School and thought it was hilarious. Little did I know that I would end up going to college in the Pittsburgh area of Western Pennsylvania, where the film takes place, and later realize the profound spiritual depth of this movie that stands the test of time.
And then in the next clip below, we have an open hearted and high minded spiritually oriented conversation between Oprah Winfrey and Eckart Tolle to further capture the sentiment. I remember when I first picked up Eckhart’s new book at the time, The Power of Now. This was back in my social work graduate school days in Miami in the late 90s. The trauma of my mother’s suicide was still a fresh deep soul wound, and I was craving finding deeper spiritual meaning in my life to deal with the loss so that I could move forward. Upon reading the this book, I was struck by how his own suffering transformed into a radical spiritual awakening. I was inspired back Zen, and continue to be right Tao.
Flash forward to March, 2009, when Oprah brought to life the first free online planetary book club that explored this spiritual teacher’s next book, A New Earth. Both of my grandmothers died earlier that Winter. I felt triggered by their deaths, my energy field was gravely depleted, and l really looked forward to their live weekly webinar sessions. It was a light at the end of the tunnel for me at that time. I had already been working for several years as a day treatment social worker, in the same Public School community that I worked in over the past couple of decades. I still don’t know how I got out of bed to go to work in the morning during that time. Because we had meaningful connection, a concerned School Nurse I worked with at that time could see auras, and commented that she could see how weak my energy field was. Between Winter’s dirge, and my own grieving process, the time was ripe again for some more transformational inner work.
Switching horses, we will officially enter into the Year of the Fire Horse on February 17th. Fire Horse’s energy reflects greater movement, decision, freedom and courage so that we can effectively gallop into unknown frontiers.
Perfect timing for much transformation on this year’s pathways ahead. But transformation isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Growing pains are part of the process, and we do need to get off of our cushions and live our lives. May the Chi of the Fire Horse heat up our saddles, and get us off our bums, so to speak.
Speaking of blazing saddles, the Eclipse Season further fuels the flames of transformation with a Solar Eclipse on the Chinese New Year, and then a Lunar Eclipse on March 3rd. Many of you are already feeling these energies before the first eclipse takes place.
Of course, the aftershocks of the Spring Eclipse season will carry on through College Basketball’s March Madness, the Ides of March, Vernal Equinox, and into the Aries time of year. The season of Aries the Ram starts around the onset of baseball season, and energetically always feels like a new year because it is the first sign of the Western Zodiac.
As we already know, eclipses are catalysts for change and shaking up the status quo in our inner and outer worlds. There’s nothing to be superstitious about with regards to any of these energies because, like the present moment, they are what they are.
More importantly, what matters is how we align with the energies at play. Hunkering down and riding the storm out are typical conditioned human survival instincts. But instead of running away from the weather by heading down to the shorelines to get washed out; consider what the animals like rams do in times of alarming weather fronts.
Rather than resisting and fighting ominous weather, they head for the mountains to gain a better vista so that they can intelligently secure deliberate footing that harmonizes with Climate Change.
Or you can curse the weather, fight against the current or push the river, so to speak.
May all Beings be free and live in the present moment of Inner Peace,
Holy Cow, we have made it through the Autumn Eclipse Season! Of course, the aftershocks will linger for some time; which is somewhat akin to the way Mercury in Retrograde takes time for the fog to lift, and we can reflect back with more clarity.
Eclipses have the potential to shake up your consciousness, invite spiritual awakenings, and loosen up the grip of the ego. Recently, I heard a spiritual teacher share a story of how she forgot how to drive a car after having a spiritual awakening. It isn’t that the ego doesn’t serve. Rather, after such an awakening, a new way of shifting gears can be discovered after a healing, if you’ll pardon pun.
Use the energies now to cleanse and purify any old emotions and memories that you are still holding.
What needs to be released in your soul at this time?
What has shifted within you?
How have you grown?
What have you released that no longer serves your personal empowerment and sovereignty?
Today, September 22nd, marks the Autumn Equinox because we officially say goodbye to summer and hello to fall, in the Northern Hemisphere at least. The leaves are changing, days are getting shorter, and the temperatures are dropping.
Or if you’re in the Southern Hemisphere, you’re saying peace out to winter and good day mate to Spring because it’s the Vernal Equinox.
Regardless of wherever you are on the Planet, the energies of Light and Dark, Masculine and Feminine and Yin and Yang will be in equal alignment with each other.
A New Balance of creation is in the air and will show up in our footsteps, if we are paying mindful attention.
Whether you call it a Dimension of Spaciousness, the Kingdom of Heaven or the Light of Consciousness; the energy of these words describe a real attainable experience that exists within you, and is everywhere.
But we all know that the Empire are protecting old ways of manipulation that wants us to think otherwise. The clinging and grasping of the Old Guard continues to try to control us so that we behave as sheeple by convincing you that you are not worthy. Think of it as a commercial that wants you to buy into an idea that you are separate from everyone and everything; God included.
The truth is that we are awakening into a New Age and Paradigm where Diversity within Unity will become the new normal. All that means is that we will know our Oneness with each other, while at the same time discovering our individual uniqueness. What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.
Our interconnection with all sentient beings will become a self evident truth. Remember that Love and Truth are the Pillars that hold up the Universe. It has to be felt in the heart and without forgetting in the head.
During the season of Libra on September 22 through October 21st, we are always inspired us to balance what we give to our relationship with our self with what we give to our relationships with others.
A Full Harvest Moon will occur on October 6, 2025. This Full Moon gets its name because it is the closest to the Fall Equinox, and usually takes place in September. It is symbolic of the peak harvest of crops in many places. And it will be the first of three consecutive supermoons, which is like a Full Moon on steroids.
As Libra season ends on the New Moon on October 21, a doorway into deep healing in our relationships; including blood or extended family is possible, if only we are open to seeing beneath the surface of our long held patterns.
For example, most couples have known the experience of developing deeply ingrained and dysfunctional patterns in their current or past relationships. Whether or not you are still in the couple relationship, you can still heal and change these dysfunctional patterns within yourself, and the relationship can change. Or you can change the way you experience the relationship within yourself at least.
As this writer shared with you in the last blog post, he is on a Leave of Absence after serving as a social worker in the same school community for the last 20 years. Recently, he followed the wise guidance of a soul psychotherapist, and did an identity ceremony to honor, release and let go of who he was, his accomplishments, and also let go of what no longer serves him as he moves forward.
During the process, I thought about the good fortune it has been to have meaningful work. While trauma- informed practice in schools isn’t easy by any standard, it was important for me to honor the big changes that occurred, look upon them as all blessings, and choose what parts of them no longer serve me, and what I want to bring with me into my next chapter. It’s not a coincidence that we’re in the Chinese Year of the Snake, which symbolizes the shedding of the old skin, and transformation.
For those of you hip to the Chakras, my Solar Plexus Chakra was prompting me to do this identity ceremony, and has been giving me the clear message that it was the right thing to do.
Furthermore, as I look back upon the Mount Shasta retreat that I wrote about in the last blog post, I think about the arriving Massive Changes coming down the pike, as we move further into a New Earth Aquarian Age, and deepen our alignment with Unity Consciousness.
Check out the short video clip (approximately 2 minutes below) to see what we experienced as a group together on our retreat.
According to Gene Ang, our facilitator at the Mount Shasta retreat:
“We had a series of sightings over five consecutive nights where in the night sky you can see what looks like a star powerup to a tremendous amount and then power down. The series looks like 6-8 of these power ups occurring one after the other with about a 30 second to a minute pause between each power up. You can see a version recorded by Dr. Steven Greer . . . In the video, you will see Dr. Greer point out an object in the night sky with his laser which gets intensely bright and then powers down. What we saw this past August was the same thing but the object would power up and power down 6-8 times in a row before disappearing. The group saw this same pattern in some version on five consecutive nights . . . When I took my initial trainings with Steven Greer regarding extraterrestrial contact in 2009, he said that when a group in a circle outside sees these power ups, there is a tremendous amount of light and information that is sent into the group that assists in transforming their consciousness. Even healings can occur.”
During the various debriefing sessions and sub-grouping conversations, I repeatedly shared that it felt like we were being winked at during the powerups. Moreover, I drew the analogy of when we were kids and someone would signal to the highway trucker to pull his horn, and they would.
Finally, most adult children can remember magical experiences at some point during their childhood. Even if it was the sense of adventure and promise that a new day might offer; whether a specific encounter with an animal, a field trip at school or an unscripted experience on a summer day during unstructured play, or dreams or visions that resonated and felt so real they were hard to shake. Perhaps it was an experience that your known paradigm couldn’t explain. Not everybody remembers or even had these experiences necessarily. Today, people are far more plugged into their devices, and are more likely to miss these opportunities. But there is a growing body of people who are intensionally experiencing them more than ever by slowing down their pace, stopping to smell the roses, and being mindful of the sacredness of the living moment.
May all Beings be free and awaken to the vibrational shift into the dimension of Inner Peace,
A New Moon In Cancer on June 25th emphasizes a feeling of safety with relation to home, family and other back to hearth-related activities such as cooking and gardening.
Cancer reflects the water element, and the creative-imaginative realms that keeps our chi flowing in abundant ways.
However, be mindful of the power of water and the accompanying emotional fluctuations thereof.
Remember there is God in forgiveness, and letting go of past transgressions so as to to avoid depression and excessive thinking.
Further, when we succumb to the psychological experience of analysis paralysis, rigid thinking and devilish ideas; they will take over our energy fields, and we will lose our wits about us.
Keep in mind that digesting bitter is a taste to appreciate but not overindulge in.
Trauma is a real experience that is inviting an opportunity to let go of and rework into new pathways for empowered living.
Release any lingering blocked energies. They will allow for any renewed vision at the New Moon.
Deeper play calling of self-care and soul nurturing should be highlighted in life’s game plan.
May we tune into heightened intuitions and telepathic awareness at this moment in time.
Be mindful of dreams and deeper psychic impressions, inner visions, and soul promptings.
A Full Buck Moon will happen on July 10th 2025. In general, Deer symbolize a gentle allurement to new adventures.
Meditation on the energy of Deer can help you effectively connect with Creator, God, Great Spirit, the Universe or Higher Self.
The key dynamic is to not demonize demons or get sucked into fear or any negative energies. We all have the sovereign right to connect with the Divine.
Alas, if you are committed to watching the news ‘to keep informed’; kindly give yourself the assertive right to turn it off after 30 seconds or so. By then, you’ll get the feed that you desire.
After that, it will be hard not to get sucked into consuming the peddling of fears and fall prey to hate.
You know how it goes, the Empire makes a killing off of the marketing and selling snake oil . . .
Yet, in this Year of the Snake- that’s a paradoxical pun to awaken personal alchemy in spite of global toxicity. In the venomous snakebite, a healing tonic is waiting patiently to awaken.
By allowing ourselves to rest, unplug and slow down to a turtle’s pace . . .
May we unhook from the dramas of the so called outer world.
Remember the power of prayer and meditation.
And in those prayers and meditation; try to stay as close to love and as far away from fear.
Given all the chaos and conflict in the outer world right now it is so important more than ever to stay grounded, connected to nature and live in the dimension of inner peace as much as possible.
Ah, an age old question that does not seem to be disappearing anytime soon; for humanity at large at least.
Of course, humanity in general is addicted to work and it shows up in our lives in a myriad of ways. With this attachment comes with the price tag of negligence on the home front. Or maybe you don’t work enough, have the good fortune of meaningful work, or spend too much time on the couch and checked out from connecting with coworkers or people outside of your home?
Who doesn’t do this? Even asking the question points us in the right direction.
But it is important and no longer a luxury in our evolution to not give ourselves intensional time for non-linear and non-localized time as a powerful form of self-care. We need to do this to rest, recharge and keep ourselves online; in our brains, consciousness and otherwise.
I keep in touch with an old friend who gives himself time to daydream everyday because he realized he needed to build this into the structure of his daily routine. It’s different for yours truly because daydreaming is something that has always come naturally to me. If anything, I’ve had to learn to temper and contain this tendency; without squelching the gift entirely.
More importantly, we are human beings, not doings. And yet, we have been well trained or conditioned to feel fed and feed modern society with work to do and bills to pay. I remember when one of my clinical supervisors in social work school taught me that if you give 110% all the time, when you give 100% people will think your slacking. Reminds me of the American saying, keeping up with the Joneses.
In my experience, home and work life balance is not an exact science, and requires regular self-awareness and self-examination; not without giving mindful reflection and attention to peer feedback. As more priority is giving to a healthy holistic balance in home and work life, self-care is becoming more encouraged and accepted. For example, self-care is now in our Code of Ethics as social workers; as well as other forms of counselors working in the mental health field.
Furthermore, when I notice squirrels outside; I remember their wise spiritual guidance on learning the balance between work and play. These creatures reflect this important balance in life, and it is wise of us to heed their spiritual wisdom. I’m not sure there’s any other creature on the planet that are bursting with nervous energy. Squirrels have an incredible work ethic; and yet they seemingly integrate play while they work. I have spent more time than I care to admit meditating on how I and we can learn from squirrels in this way.
Giving ourselves time in Nature, and connecting with the animals and nature spirits is a powerful form of meditation that is so replenishing. As Lao Tzu would say, Nature is the best physician. I can’t tell you how many times I went into the woods feeling depleted or drained. After about 20 minutes, the forrest seems to embrace a human who is willing to sit, watch and listen.
And then as I walked out of the woods, a feeling of being refreshed and recharged magically awakened within. As with anything else, the seeing yourself experiencing this balance transforms itself when an intention and commitment to the mirror of the mind meditation is followed through with consistently.
In my profession, there is always something else we can do to help people. However, like one of my favorite life mantras that resonated from the book, Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff; the incoming box is always full, and the outgoing box is never empty.
The Full Beaver Moon will happen on November 15th, 2024.
Beavers reflect the origins of this full moon because the first snow historically falls in the northern US and Canada at this time. Most of the trees and shrubs have shed their leaves, morning frost appears, and beavers are beginning to build their dams before the ground freezes. And November is historically the gloomiest month in Maine.
Beavers enter and exit their lodges through hidden underwater channels. They spend most of their time in their homes during the Winter, and keep their living quarters well stocked with Winter supplies during the colder months.
How many extraterrestrials, high ranking secret government officials or undercover journalists are enamoured by the elaborate and perceptibly invisible native beaver engineering projects that are invisible to the naked eye?
Ponder that Beaver is the animal spirit guide of the Freemasons, and that their energy medicine captures the design of political area of Washington, D.C.
Water also symbolizes the connection to the elemental forces of creation.
Beavers foreshadow the arrival of the winter months. Keep in mind that Winter reflects the death cycle in Nature.
Their energies beg the question: are we ready for Winter yet?
Ready or not, it will be be the Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere on December 21st. This marks the darkest time of year.
And then after that, we will coax back the light as our days will get a little brighter every day till light and dark are equal again on the Spring Equinox in later March.
What seeds will grow inside of our inner lodges during the colder and darker months?
If it feels like the ground is shaking underneath your footing, and things are being flipped upside down in your world . . . Try to look at these shakeups as part of your spiritual growth; as well as giving yourself consideration about what is awakening inside of you.
Speaking of any upside down energies showing up in your lives . . . Remember that people in the Southern Hemisphere are moving away from their Spring Equinox. Their days are getting longer, till the light peaks on their Summer Solstice in later December. Even in darkness, there is light.
What spiritual lessons and gifts want to be dug up, unearthed and show up in your life?
It can be hard to examine the magnified shadowy side of humanity when it comes out into the sunlight. Remember that the purpose is to wake people up vis a vis the process of energetic cleansing and purification. This is a form of soulful mulching, composting and transformation.
Regardless of how intentional our commitment to our spiritual development might look like, we humans will always have attachments while we are in this form aka the 3D realm.
For example, after a long election season; The Donald was crowned President of the United States again.
By and large, the American Public, and many from the General Public around the world continue to show their support for Trump’s Cult of Personality.
And while many assert a radical opposition to another silver spoon candidate . . . We clearly have an attachment to a convicted felon who has won the American Presidency again.
Do you remember the good old days- when conservative republicans asserted that an American President should be a statesman- over an electable candidate that can win at all costs, if you’ll pardon the Billionaire Class pun?
Liberals and progressives have parroted this mindset as well. And they too, have shunned their coworkers who have deviated from voting from their perception of Coke or Pepsi being the lesser of 2 evils.
Is Coke or Pepsi Democrat or Republican?
This is how the American Public and General Public on a global scale continues to be hoodwinked and vote against their own interests. Know your history!
Think about it . . . If you identify as a white woman that talks tough on affirmative action or replaces Black Lives Matter with an asserted All Lives Matter correction . . . Do you realize that white woman have benefited the most from affirmative action policies (as in how women now edge men out in college enrollment?).
Being pro-black doesn’t mean you’re anti-white. White privilege isn’t something you have to hide behind or deny. There’s nothing wrong with privilege. Just don’t be a con artist conning yourself that you don’t benefit from a leg up in race or class.
But as always, a deeper spiritual transformation is happening on the consciousness of our planet and universe throughout. And in case you hadn’t heard it through the airwaves . . . the ringing in our ears is getting louder.
Power is often perceived as a tool or a means to achieve ends, whether in personal relationships, societal roles, or spiritual quests.
The pursuit of power frequently stems from an unconscious sense of disempowerment. Individuals may seek power as a way to compensate for feelings of vulnerability or inadequacy.
Like the changing seasons, the best thing we can do is to go with the flow, and remember that change always offers us the opportunity to keep trying, and make the necessary improvements.
In much the same way as shedding dead skin; letting go of the ancestral baggage that has been passed down to us, gives birth to new vantage points.
On November 19th, Pluto will moves solidly into Aquarius for the next 20 years. Like Beaver’s penchant for industry and multiple exit strategies; we will have the power of love to illuminate the shadows of what has stayed hidden in the darkness.
Release the old paradigms that no longer serve. Awaken to new ways of being that will create a New Golden Aquarian Age in alignment with Unity Consciousness.
The Empire’s pushback toward the inevitable changes coming down the pike reflects the patriarchy’s last stand. The chimes of freedom flashes a system that is naturally leveling itself and expelling dead air one breath, one step, and one moment at a time.
The Astrological Eclipse season ended at the beginning of October, but it’s aftershocks can still be felt.
What shakeups have you noticed in your inner and outer worlds? Are you clinging and grasping to who you were before or are you welcoming the changes with open arms?
A Full Hunter Moon will happen on Thursday October 17. Although this moon goes by many names, the name Hunter Moon was inspired by the hunting of game animals in mid-late autumn; particularly deer, turkey, and pheasants.
Cooler temperatures also make it easier for storing and preserving meat for the winter. Falling leaves and more Moonlight allows for better vision to see and hunt animals at night; as well during the day because brush is not as thick and hunting and tracking are easier.
The energies of Fox are also associated with this time of year. Fox reflects the art of camouflage, which also reflects adaptability and shapeshifting. Meditation on Fox can help you fade into the backdrop, and blend into your surroundings without being noticed.
Scorpio season takes place at October 22-November 21. During this time, be mindful of highly transformative and emotional vibrations in 2024.
Meditation on the archetypal energies of the Shaman awakens new pathways revealed in our field of vision. The capacity to acquire and access novel ways of thinking are key dynamics of Growth Mindset. Meditation on shamanism reveals non-ordinary states of consciousness.
At the end of the month, it will be Halloween. Our ancestors honored the traditional observance of the Samhain on October 31st; which is where Halloween gets its name.
Other relatable spiritual celebrations include; All Saint’s Day, All Soul’s Day & The Day of the Dead, which are honored through November 2nd.
A New Moon in Scorpio on November 1st is a good time to set an intention of shedding our old skins. This process clears space for an awakening a developing new self underneath the old version of who you were before.
Our cross-cultural ancestors observed, and named this period as the thinning of the veils; where the lines between the spirit & material realm are believed to be thinner. That’s why it can be harder to differentiate between the 3-D world and spiritual realm.
Costumes, including masks are traditionally worn during the thinning of the veils period. From a consciousness perspective, the wearing of the masks can awaken shapeshifting, transformation, and portals into other alternate or imaginative realms.
But there’s nothing to get spooked about!
For example, brain science has confirmed beyond a shadow of a doubt that brainwaves do change during this extra or non-ordinary states of consciousness. By simple shifting our awareness to the Third Eye, we can experience perceptual shifts into different dimensional vibrations.
People who become consistent meditators change their brains, their DNA, and their general experience with life. That’s why it’s really hard to go back to the old ways once you awaken to these novel neuronal pathways. This transformation is Alchemy.
On deeper levels, our journey is a balancing act of feeding our humanity versus feeding our souls.
It can be enticing to get too caught up in the material world or the spiritual world. This is why our ancestors came up with the mantra of walking with one foot in spirit and one foot in ground.
Finally, Mercury in Retrograde will happen on November 25–December 15, 2024. This is a good time to look into the rearview mirror, and take a closer look at what issues we may not have yet resolved in the past.
And then we can reexamine the direction we need to go so that we can move forward to see from new vistas. When we change the way we look at the world, the world changes the way it looks right before our eyes.
How do you express your gratitude? That’s a good question to reflect on . . .
I try to carry an attitude of gratitude in my backpack along the trails during the walk of life. It’s always a key ingredient for feeling pleasantly full when consuming energy medicine, if you’ll pardon the pun.
Paying mindful attention to our breath is the most important way I know how to remember gratitude in every moment. When I forget, I remember to focus on my breath, and give thanks for the breath of life in the present moment that it is given and received. There’s a lot of moments in everyday life to capitalize on this opportunity.
Also, I will typically say a little thanksgiving or thank you to conclude my daily meditation practice to honor the support available, and offered to us from the spirit realm. It’s like hanging up to signal the end of the conference call with the Universe.
One concrete strategy to bring spiritual power into the material realm is to walk with one foot in spirit, one foot in ground, like our Indigenous ancestors would say. Moreover, those tuned into this blog know that I am a big fan of cultivating a walking meditation in life. Yes, it’s good to sit on the cushion. But the application of what comes up on the cushion needs to be enacted in the moments in our routine when we are not sitting in the ritual of quiet meditation.
During our more focused spiritually oriented conversations, an uncle turned me on to a simple walking meditation strategy. In that conversation, he taught me an abbreviated children’s version of how to play with an effective walking meditation to awaken gratitude, and be present in our everyday moments. This form comes from Thich Nhat Hanh’s spiritual teachings from his own experiences (as well as the experiences of others) with silent walking meditation. This technique a great way to invite spirit into the act of ‘counting steps’, like many folks do today as a way to stay in shape. Based on feedback from many adults and kids alike, this strategy reportedly really resonates with them.
All you do is say ‘yes’ when you take your first step and then ‘thank you’ on your second step. The idea is that by saying ‘yes’ on our first step- we are saying yes to what the present moment has to offer by being open to the experience without conditions or judgments.
Everybody experiences judgments and resistance. But with the ‘yes’ footstep, we are willing to move beyond them so that we don’t get sucked into the past or future mental projections. And then by saying ‘thank you’ on the next footstep, we are giving thanks to what is; regardless of whether the experience is pleasant, unpleasant or neutral.
The present moment is what it is. So we might as well say yes to it and then say thank you for the paradoxical blessing or curse of the present moment with gratitude in our hearts and heads. Easier said than done. But it is a skill we can develop and also makes for a nice positive self talk mantra.
Of course, when I look outside and see turkeys doing their thing in Nature; meditation on their energy reminds me of the shared blessings of everyday life. And for that, I am deeply grateful.
Thank you,
Ari
A Special Thank You To Artwork by Barbara Merlotti
Pisces time of year reflects endings and beginnings. The fish bring in tidings of change, and the mystical intersection of shorelines and seasonal transitions between the death of winter and the rebirth of spring.
For example, the Fish are at the tail end of the Zodiac and they swim in between Winter and Spring. Like the oceans receiving the rest of the waterways, all the other signs flow into Pisces.
A Full Snow Moon on February 24th reveals the waning peak wintry conditions mixed with the promise of new growth, longer days and warmer weather as we spring ahead.
This will be the last Full Moon of the Zodiac before the Spring Eclipse Season in later March and early April. The winds of change will be blowing into our individual and collective souls during this time. Shakeups in consciousness are in the airwaves.
Seasons reflect the spiritual Law of Transience; everything changes and is ephemeral. The stirrings of spring are happening both below and above the ground. Can you hear the forrest coming alive?
Time to let go of the old self and whatever old narratives that have defined your life and make the transition into the new chapter or new book. There is a feeling of starting over, which can be both exciting and mysterious. What magical new adventures are awaiting?
Keep in mind that it is natural to grieve the death of the old self and say goodbye to old relationships. But it is best not to indulge in those feelings or be a suckerfish to your grieving process. Might as well say yes to the new growth that wants to manifest into new frontiers.
We made it through the tunnel! Use these energies to light your way into new pathways.
Like the yin and the yang, the two fish will come full circle and return to a new endpoint. In the death of endings, there is rebirth in beginnings. The Spring Equinox is symbolic of balance between masculine and feminine energies, as they are in equal alignment with one another at this junction.
And then around the Spring Equinox, fiery Aries carries the torch into new beginnings. Energetically, this is like a new year. It’s no coincidence that baseball season starts around this time; America’s pastime. While the Fish go with the flow and swim around in circular fashion, the Ram is I Am consciousness and wants to knock it out of the park, if you’ll pardon the baseball pun.
The Spring Equinox shows light and dark energies are equal, like the shorelines do. Water and Land are diverse expressions of elemental forces. They mark the flowing mystery of life because they are in between land and sea. May we walk with them in an ancestral footprint of one foot in spirit and one foot in ground.
Remember when the fiery energies of spring are arriving, gently allow the cool waters of Pisces to vaporize them with an ocean spray of fresh air.
Classroom Mothership Earth 