A Goat’s Good Footwork

We are setting foot into a New Chinese-Lunar Year soon
After recently passing over the mid-point between
Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox

Many of us find this hard to believe
Given we are plowed in over our heads with snow
It’s so hard to hear the seeds underground starting to think about waking up
But then again, Beethoven heard the music even when he was deaf

We tend to make, struggle with and not always keep new resolutions at this time
Meditation on Goat can help us
Overcome our adversity through determination

Do you need to apply more effort to complete your goals and objectives?

No small feat, we just climbed over a Snowy Full Moon
Now descending on downward
Be careful scaling slippery slopes
Like reacting to images of measles, security compromises
and possibilities of hackers stealing your identity

In these changing times,
Now more than ever, we need the energy of Goat for keeping
sure footing so that we can trek onward toward the summit

The dying ways of an old world are no longer working for us anymore
It is getting harder to bury our heads in the sand
By changing channels and cutting to commercials

We see the arrival of a New Earth Age of Aquarius
Coming through the Womb of Life

On some level, we all experience

The darkness of Her labor pains

And the sunlight of intensifying Spring energy rising

Is Goat signaling you that a new endeavor is about to enter your life to
Pursue slowly, industriously and carefully?

Single-minded focus can be good medicine in a world where
Many folks are all over the place with their boundaries
But the catch to this level of targeted attention is
being overly stubborn, narrow-minded or too rigid
By getting boxed-in the ghettos of the mind

Have you been working too hard and need to lighten-up?

Chewing on Goat’s hearty food for soul
Helps us digest Its traits of ambition, perseverance and
Appreciation of Nature and earthly delights
Balancing frugality and modesty
With enjoying creature comforts and physical pleasures

See you further on up the trails,

Ari

Tunneling Underground with Groundhog

Groundhogs radically lower their body temperature, respiration and heartbeat
Securing a protected slumber to keep safe and sound while frozen in time
During this week’s Full Snow Moon

Do you ever feel like you are sleepwalking through life in a hypnotic trance?
Every day is the same
Like Bill Murray’s character in the iconic film Groundhog Day
Even when killing himself, he cannot escape his suffering

But there is a way out of our suffering by leaning into our pain

A Groundhog’s Winter hibernation
Symbolizes death and rebirth while we are breathing
Waking-Up the embers of underground unconsciousness
Unearthing mysteries of death without dying

Pregnant with dreamy seeds of who we want to become
When Spring Eclipse season buds into our consciousness
While slumbering in dark tunnels of our soul

Lucid dreaming sheds light on our underground digging and tunneling
Do you feel your subconscious mind waking-up?

Life and death are deeply mysterious unknowns
But we do not have to physically die to live
with a healthy relationship with our mortality

Regardless of the weather forecast, unexpected changes happen
Order and chaos are in a fluctuating tango
Our boarders and edges soften with time

Are you sending clear signals for boundaries you want respected?

Mercury in retrograde resurrects relationships from our past
Use this period to release and let-go of stagnant energies
Like feeling abandoned, rejected, resentful or bitter
Gently allowing healing to take place instead of developing an attitude

Regarding past regrets . . .
Remember that you win when you choose forgiveness
Give yourself permission to grieve so that you can move forward

Are you handling the accompaniment of mixed and conflicting feelings
that are rising up to the surface without getting stuck in global overwhelm?

But rather than skillfully avoiding our pain and discomforts
Through sophisticated symptom relief . . .
If only we develop our tolerance threshold, accept and even embrace
our internal deaths and rebirths with grace

We breathe in the fresh air of every living moment . . .
And then exhale its death in the next moment of kin . . .

We can let go of our resentments and digest bitter
Relaxing the charge we have felt by our pain

If only we learn to live in the present as it happens
We gently allow a distant past of abuses or projected future fantasies
Pass with care

We awaken to the metaphor of reincarnation
Transcending the Law of Cause and Effect
Reworking and revisiting Groundhog Day
Into a magical mystery tour of
Right Now!

See you further on up the trails,

Ari

Facing North with Lynx

Facing North with Lynx
We venture across space and time
Discovering hidden lost treasures

How do we allow past lives
Illuminate the shadows of the present
To set sail toward clear skies ahead?

Nature gives birth to our blueprint orientations
But we are free to make our own footprints

What has been passed on to you by your ancestors?

While tracking with our snow shoe paws
We awaken to Heavenly knowledge of Dreamtime

What secret forecasts are hiding behind the clouds?

Remember that solitude need not be a lonely experience

Are your distractions a sleep-aid to your soul promptings?

Think outside the box . . .
What solutions do you hear echoing from stillness speaking?

Do you see or hear an unseen core of truth?

Lynx medicine is akin to spiritual x-ray vision
We peer deeper into our empathic connections in relationship

What do we do with this information?

As we move further away from the Winter Solstice
Closer to Groundhog Day, Chinese-Lunar New Year and then Spring Equinox
It becomes easier to see the light at the end of the tunnel

But in this darkness, it is a good time for
watching our surfacing dark feelings with a gentle gaze

Painful as they may be, it is wise to be informed by them
Without holding onto the shores
Or becoming consumed by their emotional darkness

May we write injuries in dust, benefits in marble

It has been 20 years since my mom killed herself
Half my lifetime ago

Leaving behind so much grieving for all of us
Such a challenge digging through the dark without losing sight of the light
Hasn’t been the first time I’ve been knocked down
And it won’t be the last

But the bell I choose to listen to
Is a bell of mindfulness

When I look to the past, I live in the present, with my eye on the future
Whatever I get hit with
I’m going to keep getting back up
And you can too

Lynx is a good reminder to hold onto knowledge with watchful eyes
Knowing that sometimes silence is a higher form of honesty
Even in transparency, we respect confidentiality

Now Mercury is in retrograde
Let go of left brain, rational, logical trying to figure it all out cognitive processes

Might as well go with the flow and open up to allowing
creative, intuitive, illogical and feminine faculties
to come out and play

Are you trusting your instincts?

Open minds channel alternative pathways and novel thinking

Seeing ourselves as eternal springs with an unlimited internal well of resources
helps shift from a victim mentality toward our True soul power

Clean care and clean Love burns greener energy into our atmosphere

Feed your soul with full-bellied laughter
Let your love and light shine on by wearing a genuine heart-smile

See you further on up the trails,

Ari

Spiritual Awakenings with Hawk

Hawk swoops in this week
Circling our dreams
Visionaries of air
Are these spirited winged creatures

Akin to Mercury
Weaving creativity into our daily living
Awakening conversations with the Universe
Remembering magical songs like

We Shall Overcome

Even if this mantra feels like a Twilight Zone retrograde

Hawk medicine signals us to become observant of
Obvious signs lurking beneath shadowy surface realities
Shedding Light on synchronicity

Pay attention!

If only we can open-up to being clear channels right now
We can discern our intuitive hits
Amplifying our capacity for accurate reception of Universal truths
from illusionary realities

Imagine what a beautiful world we could live in
When the political will of intention
Reveals an abundant air of clear skies with clouds of shared resources
From neurons to neighborhoods

Supporting the rising tide of the overwhelming majority
Watering a critical mass of co-creativity
We work toward a common sense goal of mutual aid and respect

A heightened sense of awareness
Conjures up increased responsibility
to see the big picture
without getting lost in pesky details

Don’t get lost in ungraceful emotional reactivity and fixed ideas
Let those stories become introverted opportunities for self-reflections
Might as well allow for personal discovery of your judgments and positions
Be mindful of your feelings and keep them with self-control
rather than being a victim by giving away your power to someone else at close range

Like the light of Grandfather Sun
Seeing with a keen eye and bold heart
Hawk helps us know when to grab an opportunity
or hold discernment of hazards that counteract our freedom of flight
so that we remain grounded

Teaching temperance
Knowing harmony in moderation
We become strong and powerful
Through a soft and gentle way of being

See you further on up the trails,

Ari

New Year Pathways with Wolf

Wolves and humans share strong individualistic urges
Coupled with a strong kinship with pack family

Our legendary relationship with wolves
evolves from a shared distant constellation connection
Far out as Dog Star Sirius sounds
We all have star-dust encoded in our DNA

A passing Winter Solstice
Leaves behind many souls exiting Earth at this junction
But their imprint lives on

Honoring our ancestors helps guide us into new pathways of being together
In darkness and light we learn from our tribe

Wolf government balances pecking order
with democratic principles

What kind of new trails will we blaze into the year ahead?

We don’t always agree with one another
But may we resolve our difference in harmony

Energy is as energy does
Might as well relax into letting go of trying to control its flow

When feeling moved by annoying family members
Part of meditative path is adjusting ourselves on the inside
so that we are calm during the weather underground of another

Connections with moon
Unlocks knowledge and wisdom

What is lurking beneath your conscious experience with reality?

Wolf awakens a wise teacher within
Sitting with the unfolding mystery

Meditate on your experiences with anger for a moment . . .
Are you finding positive and constructive ways to channel your anger?

See you further on up trails,

Ari

Climbing the Mountain with Lion

King of the Mountain Lion represents the gentle roar of leadership
Leaving behind power without force in its tracks
Sometimes, being a leader means silently relishing in the growth of others

Climbing the final leg of the trail
Head on with graceful powerful balance of mind-body-spirit
Brings powerful intention into our physical world

Darkness ascends on the Winter Solstice meeting its zenith
Also coming soon we become a New Moon beacon of light
Resurrecting Christ Consciousness in our souls symbolizing new beginnings

Responsibility is a panic-free zone
Awakening to the ability to respond to any given situation

Do you remember the power of our tribal African shamanic brothers and sisters?
Fly away and meditate on the elemental forces of water and darkness for a spell . . .

How many times have we feared our own primal, dark and feminine nature?

The power of the internal martial arts is cultivated gradually
A cumulative effect of simmering softness of Yin energy

Particularly in America . . .
The heat of race relations is rising to the surface again
As is class consciousness and a desire for protective security
Stoking our embers and trigger points

Have you bought into learned helplessness
Or do you see an opportunity for transformative healing?

Yes, in terrorist fashion this land was squatted from our indigenous people
and then free labor was unjustly imported from the Motherland
And still today, a greedy minority balks at playing fair ball

We have discussed in this blog that the
dominant majority prefers to go unexamined
Picture the leaders of the Empire
coming clean and welcoming the rest of us to the bargaining table
in the spirit of trust and authenticity

But getting stuck in our own hate will consume us
so that we feed off this energy like the Walking Dead
Cannibalistic as that might sound
We are what we eat – spiritually speaking

We need to release our hate and set ourselves free of the bondage of slavery
Economic strangulation and unequal access to resources is a form of genocide

Our subconscious minds are lulled into repetitive negative thoughts
But we have the power replace our cognitive distortions
with simple positive affirmations
Believe in and feel them walking into our Being

We are mindful and diligent in our daily footsteps
Helping our Planetary and Universal consciousness internalize
a positive New Earth worldview
Becoming the change we want to see in the world

See you further on up the trails,

Ari

Shared Constellations With Bear

Narrow dirt trail winding through lush green forest with sunlight filtering
A serene forest path illuminated by soft morning sunlight

Bear Medicine represents introspection
Shy unless provoked – gentle giants are they

Meditation on Bear reminds us of the wisdom that
Truth is sweet like honey
Setting us free

Do you need to venture deep within yourself and
draw on your instinctive powers or other natural resources?

Our inner lights are fading yin-ward into the shades of waning Full Moon
Standing in the space of knowing is a marketing free zone
When we enter the center of a circle, there is nobody to convince or sway

Are your judgments off-center?

Do you remember when the stock exchange crashed
and the wealthiest Americans began paying around a 90% tax rate?

Meditation on the Taoist idea of investing in loss reveals
A Bear market knows the time is now to let our
Bullish and expansive material emphasis go into hibernation
We venture closer to the dark night of Winter Solstice

Now is the time to let our greed and arrogance rest in peace

There is a natural impetus to come back down to earth right now
in our relationships with one another, her creatures and our planet

A more sustainable and equitable way to live wants to express itself

The more the empire tightens its controlling grip
the more unwanted disorder falls through its cracks
and the more painful this process will be

We set our souls free from feeling trapped in our physical bodies
By knowing we are all created in the image of Creator

We bear witness to the death of the illusion of the material reality
Entanglement with form relaxes by
letting go of our sense of expectation and outcome

Do you need to withdraw from the ways of the world for a spell?
Or do you need to come out of your cave and be more social?

We become pregnant with ideas during dimming lights
Dreaming of planted seeds growing in the underground basement of our souls

Spring Equinox on horizon signifies
a rebirth with arrival of budding Spring Eclipse Season
Cubs want to come out and play

All we need is patience to think before we speak
Being open-heartedly inquisitive in our politics of living
Cultivates plasticity of the mind
Revolutionary zeal without the hate
Loving ourselves is loving our planet

Are you using your helping abilities properly?

Prayer is an active, yang-masculine way of stating our intention for
manifesting and expanding – like sending a message out to the Universe.
Meditation is a receptive, yin-feminine state for
contracting and welcoming messages from our
subconscious and unconscious faculties.

We are all an embodiment of masculine and feminine energies
designed for walking with one foot in spirit and one foot in ground

Edgy dark magicians are only able to pull the wool over
us as long as we buy into the hellish nightmare that we are separate from God

But Christ was an embodiment that shed light on a way and truth
reflecting the Kingdom of Heaven as an intrinsic state of Being
Happiness will not come about by the objects of our affection

Do you believe in your capacity to quiet your mind and
receive solution-focused messages from that stillness?
Can you hear your inner voice speaking to you through the sound of silence?

Our treatment of bears mirrors how serious we are about
the preservation of our environment and natural resources
Reminding us of the possibility that bears, humans
and all God’s creatures can live together in harmony

After this latest American election cycle – beyond the cheers and jeers
of preferred or unwanted outcome
Are you seeing the good deep within all situations?

See you further on up the trails,

Ari

Moving on up the Trail Head with Owl

Elusive Owl extracts wise old secrets . . .
Effectively penetrating the dark caverns of our Collective Soul.

Criticisms and sarcasms can be a hard rain falling
for a sensitive heart and soul to take
Is it just another’s misdirected negative energy to shake off?
Or constructive feedback to a hidden self
basking in shadowy parts unknown –
Patiently waiting to be unearthed to see the light?

Instead of being deceived by illusionary demons.
Courageously we stand with the gentle gaze of Deer –
Welcoming in our better angels.
All we have to do is ask!

A.K.A. Cats with wings –
Our spirits silently soar . . .
To magical places where we foresee
Seeds of new realities sewn consciously.

Returning power to sender.
Rather than giving it away –
or taking the energy of another.

See through ulterior motives
With keen observational intuition

Holding a vision of the whole truth
Unveiling the curtain of master illusionism

Knowing our shadow sides –
Detailed oriented Mouse and other small rodents
Relaxes our fear of the dark.

Owl symbolizes death and reincarnation . . .

What is hidden within you that is frightening to look at?
Even in darkness, there is light.

Old Man Mountain breathes fire . . .
Into the din of ordinary Life.

Good fences make good neighbors.
That’s just the way it
is says the old guard –
Berlin Wall Border Patrol in the Americas –
All Along the Watchtower is a virtual Fourth Reich . . .

Simultaneously cross-pollination cultural diversity in community
is born into a New Earth.

Breaking common grounds gives inner peace a chance.
But a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.

Power off alliances between drummed up
war boundaries that fear one another.
How do we make friends with the tension
of protecting, relaxing, redefining and clearing away our boundaries?
From Neurons to Neighborhoods,
How Smart are these technologies?
Try not to get too swayed from the Middle Way.
Remember that the same systems that oppress can liberate.

Why not only kill with kindness?

Autumn Equinox arises –
Transiently we know balance in our masculinity and femininity.
Thereafter – dark night rises.

The 60’s man . . .
Massive changes coming today we can hardly fathom.
Might as well say yes to the Universe as it is –
Rather than resist it with old self ego attachments.

See you further on up the trails,

Ari

Preparedness for a Rainy Day Storage without Going Nuts

Meditation on examining our fears and uncertainties is a revolutionary revelation.
Forgetting where we buried our acorns jogs our memory of why we are here . . .

Part of the joy ride of watching a captivating movie
is the thunderous road of what the end will bring –
Uncomfortable as that might be, it keeps us well seated.

Autumn Equinox is rapidly approaching . . .
Here we are standing here my dear –
Gathering in preparation – getting organized and storing away
what we might need for a later day down the strand.

In these changing times and fortunes . . .
It is as if our nervous woodland creature friends on the trails are
Quarterbacks signaling cadences to us to command the field
for a sustainable game plan come playoff time –
Sensitively without driving ourselves or others nuts in the process.

We all need to learn how to manage our own energy.
There is a time for being active and a time for rest.

Getting in Lordship alignment with Universal Mystery
with empathy, curiosity, forgiveness and understanding –
rather than resistance – is good medicinal chi.

Out with the old, in with the new . . .
Letting go of clutter instead of hoarding promotes general welfare.

Sharing and releasing our greed is good harmony for all God’s creatures
with a free-spirited genetic blueprint to live
in accord with rhythmically balanced and soulful dance-steps.

See you further on down the trails,

Ari

Bear Leads Us Deeply into Our Soul’s Den

We are becoming more introspective Now
with Bear’s medicinal power –
Truth tastes sweet like honey . . .

When we open our eyes . . .
Looking beyond a cursory glance –
Deeper into our soul’s den.

Bear guides us to see . . .
Stillness speaking when quieting our mind to heed its call.

Do you see the many alternative solutions . . .
Abounding in the Dreamtime?
So that we might consciously weave this knowing into our waking reality?

Intuitive right brain feminine energy . . .
Receiving the fruition of our goals with our Third Eye –
Seen first in our imagination
Before we have manifestation.

Weaving spirit into our doings –
Loosens up our entanglements with form.

Allowing our soul’s light to shine on . . .

Fear and resistance dims our souls –
Remembering positive self talk . . .
Digging in to find our self-worth and security within.

Rather than reacting to the business of our outer world . . .
Are you listening to old mental tapes going on in your head?
Are you ready to create new recordings in your mind space?

Meditation on the energy of Bear facilitates inner knowing.

See you further on down the trails,

Ari