Have you ever heard the meme singing like black crows to the following lyrical everyday magical tune: it is easier to fool someone than it is to convince them that they have been fooled? This conversational nuance sprung up in communication with coworker teacher friends recently. Following that, I reflected on the spiritual therapy of Coyote energy, regarding its trickster elemental, and the medicinal alchemy of balancing wisdom and folly that we have referenced in past blog entries. How will our Grandchildren look at the Good Old Boy network of greedy governmental narcissism, the elitist entitlement of the Trump presidency, and subsequent mob’s violent stormtrooping of The Capitol in Washington, D.C.? It’s hard not to be reminded of Obi Wan Kenobi’s Jedi wit, “who’s more foolish, the fool or the fool who follows him?” The next several years will not be easy. But I do believe that we will rise out of these ashes like a Phoenix, by bringing more balance to the Force.
Personally, the above dynamic is particularly challenging when in the company of others, as I have a strong, single minded streak, and have relied heavily on my gut instincts in life. While being single minded, and self deterministic can be a sound survival skill, and good strategy for living at times, it can also be a curse. Being overly single minded, and self deterministic can come across as entitled, and too selfish to other people. When reflecting on the reality of this perspective, I am reminded of working with the New Age of Aquarius in a balanced way. Like the Wolf Government, the politics of Aquarius dances with balancing individualism with collective group consciousness. How do we balance the needs of nurturing our individual souls with the needs of the collective souls? It’s not an exact science or fixed destination, but more of an unfolding process.
Additionally, there is the street credibility of giving respect to others when respect is shown to you. In much the same way as we see in the old world classic series Game of Thrones, respect is earned, and based on a strict adherence to rituals, rules, and edicts. But a deeper quality of respect does exist, if we only allow for it. When journeying into this dimension, we are invited to dig a little deeper to access this truth, which arrives intuitively from the Dreamtime. For example, a fellow spiritual traveler echoed this awareness by asserting, “the Wabanaki notion of respect is unconditional. It lives inside of me, and the more I become aware of that, then I naturally respect others.” Thankfully, we have spiritual teachers that have lived on this planet before, as well as those that are living on the planet today that are good role models for us. We can emulate them so that we can awaken these truths within so that they become self evident. The more of us that are awakening to this dimension of respect, the more it is becoming a shared experience. Check out this short video that further captures the sentiment at Indian Island Penobscot Nation: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pB1Y-s4UoNilF-zq0ETXzFv1tez2WEQs/view
Contextually, when watching the current events of your own life, are you finding yourself untangling from a complex web of your old self, past experiences, awakening to new beginnings, budding energies stirring within, and itching to spring forth out into the sunlight? That would make sense, as Mercury is in retrograde right now till February 20th. Keep in mind that Thursday is a New Moon, and Friday, February 12th is the Chinese-Lunar New Year of the Ox. Spring is on its way, and happening right now, energetically speaking. As we have discussed in earlier blogs, Ox symbolizes humility, hard work, and emotional regulation. What is more, their energies are good reminders that it is important that everyone be allowed to contribute in group work. Sometimes, it is good to stay in your lane, and trust that others will do their part. This process also invites us to be mindful of letting go, and surrendering to the will of the Universe. I can hear an old football friend’s wit, “There is no ‘I’ in the team, but there is a ‘me’“.
More importantly, Chinese Astrology tells a story about when the Buddha summoned all the animals to establish an orderly sequence to the Chinese Zodiac. Moreover, “in the race, the Ox would have taken the honor taking first place had it not been for the clever and cunning Rat, who rode the back of the Ox and jumped forward at the finish line to steal away the top award.” Given that rats are very shrewd, coupled with an apparant zeal for competition, their connection to the term rat race seems apropos. I hardly think it’s a coincidence, given that behaviorist psychology gained social science credence from the results yielded by studying laboratory rats in scientific experiments. The capitalist/socialist system that we live in today mirrors that science.
Furthermore, when exploring the inner realm of meditative spaciousness, consider contemplating the Sacred Geometric Arcturian wisdom regarding balance: “The energy of balance helps you recognize yourself. If you are true to your feelings, if you recognize your own truth, nothing will be able to disturb your balance.” Reportedly, some of these Arcturian inspired, and recommended assertive I-messages are to say, “I release all thought programs that no longer serve me” and “clear out (toxic habituated) thought programs.” These are examples of how we can shift the spotlight of our purposeful attention from negative self talk to positive self talk. We can do this by embracing the Chattering Monkey Mind, rather than trying to push it away or throw it in the trash. Moreover, meditation on the spirit of Bear reinforces the power of respecting your own personal authority, and the boundaries of self in relationship with others. Set your intention to the Dream Lodge, and ask for safe travels in your sleep/dream cycle. This is not always easy during our waking hours, but it is a good way to let go before a good night’s rest.
Finally, when examining balance in our daily lives, it is always important to live with intention, and try to follow those footsteps with commitment. That is the trick to play with during our daily walking meditation along the trails of life. When we are walking in the center of the circle, we need to be mindful of not getting too swayed to the right or the left. Have we ever lived in such divided times? Indeed, these are the days to remember, where we are being called to heal the illusion of Polarity Consciousness. All that means is that our Higher Selves are bringing in higher energies to illuminate the shadows of our lower selves in the underground tunnels of our subconscious minds. In this awakening New Age and Paradigm, we are transitioning into an era of Diversity in Unity. We are all created equal, but are also uniquely diverse expressions of Spirit. And yet we are all part of Oneness. The Rainbow of Children under the Sun and the Moon that we all are. The Middle School Civil Rights Students I work with get that concept. Or like Mr. Miyagi captured in the classic film The Karate Kid so simply, “different, but same.”
It is with deep gratitude that I share this original poem with you that was recently published by Ephemeral Elegies. “Confessional Poetry” is their speciality, and you will find many talented poets at their website.
Also, here is a live recording of the song version of this poem that I just created in a single take. I recorded it in a way that is similar to leaving a voicemail to someone you are trying to reach on the phone:
Mountain Lion descends down the mountaintop this December.
Good thing for cats because they see effectively in the dark.
That’s true, even on the blackest of nights, on the Winter Solstice on December 21, and a Full Cold Moon on December 29.
This is the last Full Moon of 2020.
On the Winter Solstice, we start coaxing back the light, as it rises during our assent toward the Full Wolf Moon on January 28, 2021.
A long time ago, our ancentors heard wolves howling in the night louder than usual at this time of year, so they heeded their callback, and echoed their spirited wisdom.
A few days after that, it will be the Imbolc, aka the popular Groundhog Day in the USA.
Groundhogs remind us to meditate on death without dying, and the spiritual awakening that takes place when we look toward the light at the end of the tunnel.
The Imbolc marks an X on the hidden half way treasure point between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox.
And then the Chinese-Lunar New Year of the Ox begins on February 12.
Meditation on oxen, awakens group consciousness in the new Aquarian age, where we find new ways to work together, smarter over harder.
When I think about wolves, groundhogs, and oxen, I think about the dying old world tunneling and plowing itself further underground.
Black is the color of the heart of darkness, symbolic of the great void of priomordial creation.
It is through this venture into the darkness, that our souls travel through a magical mystery tour of unknowing that is really shaking up our collective consciousness right now.
The heart of Black Lives Matter is that enough is enough.
Reconcilliation is the rap of our heads and hearts.
How do we integrate our primal selves with our divine nature in judgement free zones?
Our egoic lower selves are good at directing judgements on ourselves or projecting them onto others, like when you carry an attitude about someone or something else.
Perhaps an old friend did something to cross your brow, that event or experience was taken personally, and now you’re holding a grudge.
This is part of a soul’s suffering, and draining energetically.
But it is healthier to relax those judgements, take back our projections, and view each other from the pearch of our Higher Self.
Call on Archangel Michael to slash away any attached strings that are pulling your soul from where it needs to go now to be free.
Some old tribal stories posited that humans are decendants of wolves.
And many of our anscestors believed we come from the Sky people.
These beings have also been called gods and goddesses, alien as that might sound.
Whatever the case, wolves are our friends, and copilots here on mothership earth.
Our days are getting lighter again, and light and dark energies will be in equal alignment on the Vernal Equinox on March 20.
I always meditate more clearly on gender equality, and general equinimity on the equinoxes.
The yin and the yang are in a perfect homeostasis with each other at this time.
If LGBTQ egalitarian rights aren’t front and center, they should be right now.
They reflect Nature’s coregulatory intercourse between masculine and feminine energies during these intersections.
It’s not a coincidence that the Earth’s crystalline grids are rising now, and that our multidimensional/planetary consciousness is going through a major shift.
Can you dig on the mulching, and unearthing composting process that is necessary for cross-pollination of a New Earth springing up, so that the fruits of our labor can sew the seeds of love across the planet?
We all have our individual strengths that want to come out into the sunlight, and support the power of group solidarity.
Someone else’s challenges can be supported by another person’s strength.
Boundaries are becoming less rigid and more fluid in this New Age.
People need to find new ways to communicate and work together.
It is more important than ever to honor our diverse expressions of Great Spirit.
But we need to remember our oneness, because in our uniqueness, we are all connected.
We are all both individual, and collective embodiments of Diversity within Unity.
Wolves are here to remind us that the new world we are cocreating is not about an either/or socialist/capitalist order.
Besides, try not to be jarred by labels. They’re just attachments that try to stick to you like glue.
If there is no jar, then there is no glue.
There are many tricksters out there. Don’t be fooled by them.
Coyote, a hybrid of Wolf, can help you balance your wisdom and folly by seeing through the trickery.
Wolf government is not a rigid paradigm, dictatorship or a fixed idea.
Rather it is a complex hybrid of democratic hierarchy, where the alpha and omega communicate with one another so that pathways are created to harmonize with the environment.
There is wise guidance in the eco-balanced consciousness of Wolf political action that is in alignment with universal/natural law.
Picture a Divine Government that embodies a level playing field where each one of us personifies the Golden Rule, and visualizes this in action seven generations ahead.
A fiery summer
solstice blazes in the air.
How will this new You
Tube make your hearts sing to share?
Plant your feet on our Mother!
Black Lives Matter now,
As does Me Too and LG
BTQ as well.
No more band aids to quell us
Raise your fist, and take a knee!
Together we are
standing tenuously on
Native lands we call
the Americas today
this is our home that we share!
Our spirits should be
puncture proof but true that words
do hurt wounded souls
Release, and let go of pain
that no longer serves you now!
Awaken brothers
and sisters around the globe
We are one and yet
not all the same because we
shine light in different rays!
Here is my latested YouTube interview with my coworker friend, and fellow High School Chemistry Teacher. Included in this video, Quincy demonstrates his use of the Tarot to awaken/engage consciousness. This interview, and more can also be found on my new school website:
When I think of June,
I reflect on the energies of Butterfly,
and the powerful transformation they symbolize.
A Full Strawberry Moon arrives on Friday, June 5th.
It is also a Lunar Eclipse, marking the beginning of an
atypical three eclipses during an astrological eclipse season.
A Solar Eclipse adds heat to the normally rising intensities of
peak sunlight light during Summer Solstice on June 20th,
while the Winter Solstice comes about in the Southern hemisphere.
As such, it will be the longest day of light or night,
depending on where you are on Planet Earth.
The day after that, a New Moon reflects new beginnings of a new season.
And then the last Lunar Eclipse arrives on July 4,
Independence Day in the United States, followed by
a Full Buck Moon on July 5th.
Remember that Deer is symbollic of gentle allurment
into new adventures in consciousness.
Everything is changing so rapidly in the Universe today.
It is more important than ever to be gentle, and kind
on ourselves, and with our one human family.
But that can be challenging when examining institutionalized oppression,
like awakening to the reality of white privilege, white supremacy,
and resentments that run deep from those power imbalances.
What is underneath the protests, and rioting going on right now?
The truth is, nobody wins from abuses of power,
not even those on top of the pyramid.
A system that is set up to divide, and conquer winners versus losers
is unjust, and immoral – regardless of what line in the sand you stand.
Notice how the growing cost of these disparities invite more chaos
to level the playing field.
And then watch how chaos fuels increased security controls,
like the militarization of the police as people take to the streets.
But now more than ever, with the virus affecting our planet, and
the down-bound economic train affecting the human plight –
It appears more self-evident to me that the movement of labor pains are
intensifying as an old world dies, and a new one is being born.
We have been discussing this theme for many years now in this blog.
This is analgous to the way many people choose to have another child,
after their first experience with childbirth –
often do so because they often forget how painful giving birth is,
and how much work the labor of love is during the early stages of child rearing.
Some people say that about forgetting the reason we might choose
to incarnate as a soul on the Earth, or make the agreement to become mortal.
The miracle of childbirth is akin to any rebirth,
as well as the birth of a New Earth.
And within the blessing of these miracles,
there are also courses in curses.
Going back to the familiarity of an old world,
and an old paradigm is akin to the better the devil you know mentality.
Back when Lincoln was President, a lot of people didn’t want
to end slavery or deal with the consequences of systemic change.
Same thing with the 60s, when old roles, and ways of doing
things were changing, as is always the case during
cultural wars, like we are in right now.
There are those who say they just want things to go back to normal.
And yet, the normal we all knew was really a nightmare that was
merely the better devil otherwise known as a security blanket in consciousness.
Some people call the Age of Aquarias a great awakening of
our superhuman powers, a new human, or Homo Luminosity.
When we focus on the positive, and look for the silver lining, it doesn’t
mean that we don’t notice the dark, and stormy.
That would be like an ostrich burying its head in the sand,
or a toddler plugging its ears, and making noise to tune out
the unwanted perceptual experience.
What it does mean is that we can focus on our breath or a mantra to
help us be in the present moment, and realize that we can’t control
everything that happens to us.
Instead of paying attention to the 10,000 things that are waiting to
distract us from the truth of who we really are, we are training our selves
to pay purposeful attention to waking up to self-actualization, or our soul purpose.
But, to a much larger degree, we can control how we respond or
react to what comes our way.
Yeah, it does take work to adjust to the changes that accompany
movement from a grub to a caterpillar to a butterfly.
It is unrealistic to spiritually bypass one form over the other.
Before you can fly in the heavens,
you have to learn how to move along on the ground.
May we recognize the butterfly effect of our actions.
What are you building in the shadow areas?
What will they look like if they were to come out into the sunlight?
Through the polorizing rise in nationalism, and globalism, we can relax this
barrier by stepping into a unified field of awareness.
Just imagine the possibilities of sustainable green energy jobs, access to
energetically clean resources, like quality education, health care, meaningful
work for our human family, and all sentient beings.
Many people were very skeptical when the New Deal came about during
The Great Depression era in the United States.
But when the private sector dried up, and people were without jobs, there was no
more hiding behind the veil of band-aids, and skeleton life support systems.
Humanity does have a tendency to be at our best, when we are at our worst.
And humans do have a strong survival instinct, and are socially driven creatures.
We are creatively cognitive creatures craving meaning with deep feelings.
You can try to quell those with a garden variety of distractions.
But at the end of the day, it would be like
trying to convince a grub to not turn into a caterpillar,
or trying to con a caterpillar not to transform into a butterfly.
See you further along the trails,
Ari
Please feel free to check out my recent you tube video with my coworker friend Nick Bucci, and featured guest Paul Knoll:
I can picture dolphins, whales, and other creatures of the deep coming about, and swimming peacefully . . .
My pineal gland’s third eye releases righteous DMT!
Within the depths of my own oceanic consciousness . . .
In these changing tides, may we scuba dive into mysterious whirlpools of femininity.
Rocky coastal edges of old school masculinity are washing away by softening chi of feminine tidal waves.
Intrinsic soulful caverns awaken their soft, yin-ward watery dimensions.
But not at the expense of breathing in the present moment by exploring the wondrous watery caverns of under-explored darkness.
The winds of Climate Change are raining a dirge onto crashing waves of shadowy human-centric doubts.
Walk with Spider in the center of the Web of Life with your head and your heart scripting a balanced dance-step.
May communication with Dolphin bring lighthouses of curiosity and empathy into the gales of our inner tapestry.
Let us give birth to a New Earth, and let the dead ways of the old one go with forgiveness.
Like moths, and seasons, the one constant in life is change!
May we gently, gradually, and gracefully allow the bountiful ocean to clear away all salty toxicity on these hard lands.
In the meantime, may a whale of a heartbeat spring forth empathic connections to your own soul power that aligns with the mystical vibrations of Universal Consciousness
Ari is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, ReikiMaster, Published Author, and Educator. He has over 20 years of social work experience, and has been working in Public Schools in Gardiner, Maine, for over 14 years. More importantly, he has been a husband for decades, and is a dad, and animal lover too. Ari is also the MSAD 11 School District Wellness Committee Chair, Facilitator of the Mental Health Awareness Team (MHAT), and Middle School Civil Rights Team Co-Advisor. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology in the Pittsburgh area of Pennsylvania, and Master of Social Work degree in Miami Florida. Ari’s office is located at the Gardiner Regional Middle School, where he spends most of his school days. Ari also works at the High School, and visits the Elementary Schools periodically. He was born in Alaska, grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan during his formative years, graduated from High School in the Hartford area of Connecticut, and lived in Australia while studying abroad in College. Ari has hiked in the Andean mountain range in Venezuela, and also all of the 48/4000 footers in the old White Mountains of New Hampshire. Ari’s name means lion in Hebrew, he was born in the Chinese year of the tiger, has lineage connections to a band of gypsies that fled Spain to Italy during the Inquisition, Judy Garland, the mighty Cherokee, and more. Also, he’s been meditating consistently for over 20 years, has been in a lot of therapy himself, and still goes regularly to unpack his backpack. Here is his new school website: https://abouse22.weebly.com/
After my grandfather left this Earth recently, I’ve been thinking about my mother,
and grandmothers, whose souls departed our planet many moons ago.
Speaking frankly, my primary caretakers are gone with the wind . . .
And yet they will always be with me,
just as yours that have passed on are with you.
This is a sobering experience,
and not without feelings of grief, sadness, and loss.
Mercury in retrograde is a good time to revisit and reflect on past relationships.
You can also work with the intensities of summer eclipses that
bring back past experiences to the surface.
It can be hard not to wanderlust into an internal widespread panic,
with regards to your past fears or regrets . . .
But their spirits keep on streaming into our world . . .
They want to connect with us in spirit together,
and help us co-create Heaven on Earth.
Can you hear them wanting to help us lighten our load, and feel peace in our hearts?
What baggage are you ready to give back to them that was passed on to you?
Releasing what has weighed you down in this lifetime is a good karmic clearing.
We have all been handed down landfills
that need to be composted, mulched, and cleared.
Yeah, entanglement with form is natural for spirit,
till it leaves its mind-body connection . . .
It is also natural for it to feel free when it let’s go of the ties that bind.
Many of the children that I have worked with have lost their parents to
sudden deaths, such as drug overdoses, homelessness, incarceration, and are now
being raised by aging grandparents, extended family, or the foster care system.
We all need to keep working on love – by being in our hearts with one another,
even when tough love is called upon, do it with compassion.
It can be challenging to know how other people are going to feel
much later in life when their parents leave them behind.
It can bring up unexpected feelings of abandonment.
Regardless of your chronological age, it really doesn’t matter how old you are,
as the feelings you deal with are the same, like with our animal friend pets, etc.
We might process them differently, and we all grieve in our own ways.
But these feelings are universal, and they need to be supported, and processed.
I remember a High School teacher once sharing some wisdom that children
become adults when they wake up to the reality that their parents aren’t gods . . .
Rather they are human beings.
That bell of mindfulness resonated with me back zen,
and it rings true even more with me right tao.
I understand that many people get stuck in a vibration that looks like:
Clinging to a belief that you should hold tight to your loved ones, and
that your children should lean on you.
There is a voice that says that you deserve to suffer, and be driven by
guilt, shame, a generalized sense of duty, and sacrifice, feeling unworthy of
receiving from others, and being afraid of the mystery and adventure of life.
There is a hard-edged, nose to the grindstone security in that mind-set.
You might even feel empowered by trying to control everything in your life.
But it is a recipe for perpetual disappointment, let down, and unhappiness.
And it is difficult to Let Go and Let God in that vibration.
Consider shifting your mind-set into a receiving perspective,
of welcoming your goals and objectives as arriving, but without getting hung up
on the outcomes you desire or prefer . . .
Be open to receiving the abundant possibilities
that you might not have planned for!
Take in your experiences, whatever they are, and observe them as a
spiritual watcher of whatever events come up in your field of vision in real-time.
In this waning New Moon and Chinese-Lunar Year . . .
May we allow Dog to guide us with faithful loyalty . . .
Serving as protection us in this 2018 year ahead
Winter is here, but Spring’s beauty is just around the corner
What is real, and what is normal?
Is normality a manic stock market, bloated military-industrail complex,
coupled with a profiling notion that there is winner/losers,
and you get what you deserve?
Does that kind of status quo, business as usual mind-set sound nuts to you?
Can you imagine what our planet would look like without big monied peddled
corporate products, and weaponry that are intellectually
designed with the intent to kill capacity crowds of Earth’s creatures at large?
Talk about wrestling our planetary consciousness into
a body slam that puts global politics in a systemic sleeper hold!
That being said, I can appreciate Dog’s unconditional
patient, and kind understanding of human shortcomings . . .
Regardless of past abuses, dogs don’t stop coming back or
quit teaching us about meditation on trust
It almost makes you think we are descendants of their kind,
and that we have their traits encoded in our DNA
Are we barking up similar trees?
May the energies of an early Spring astrological eclipse season
help you move into the change you want to see in the world!
Won’t be long before masculine/feminine/yin/yang/light/dark
energies are equal again in both hemispheres . . .
Our friends in the South understand Autumn energies are kicking in –
where they will be moving further into the dark
But in the North, we’ll be moving toward the light,
where an action-oriented catalyst provides incentive for crocuses to spring up!
