The Spring Equinox, Big Night & A Full Worm Moon

Artwork Created by Aunt Barbara Merlotti

Here on the ground, the arriving Spring Equinox on March 20th means that more robins are around, singing melodious songs about the early bird getting the worm. A Full Worm Moon, also called the Sugar Moon by the Ojibwe, takes place on March 28th. The Ojibwe name was inspired by the time of year when the sap of sugar maples starts to flow. Of course there are other names for this Full Moon as well. Moreover, in Northern New England on Big Night, the salamanders, wood frogs, and peepers are driven to make their sensuous journey to find vernal pools to procreate, and embody being good role models for sustainable living on our Planet. We can do our part by respecting their natural intelligence, and way of life. How do they manage to muddle along, in spite of overcoming incredible obstacles, such as scary predators, and paved roads full of human traffic? How do they do this without any guidebooks, lesson plans, compasses or maps to show them the way? Talk about taking back the night.

Remember in last month’s blog that we discussed coregulation, which in part just means the process of learning to harmonize with each other, and our environment. We become more equipped to do this when we are true to our core, and centered in our souls. Awakening to our soul’s purpose, and discovering our human potential is merely seeing that “the Earth is like a reform school.” Moreover, the transition we are going through is that we are getting back to our connection to each other, and our connection to our Mother Earth. What better way to honor Women’s History Month in March? In a nutshell, nurturing this connection means that we are taking care of our home, school, and community. Of course we can do this best when we are meditating and connecting with Nature consistently. But without women or Mother Earth, none of us would be here.

Additionally, in this dreamy Piceas time of year, meditation on Whale is a powerful spirit guide to tap into the heartbeat of the planet, and deepen our understanding of our empathic connections to one another. Keep in mind that whales carry the memories of our planetary consciousness. Of course we come from different pods, and have our diverse expressions. But in our multidimensional depth, we can all dive into the fluid and elusive nature of alternate realities, and who we really are. From this standpoint, it becomes easier to appreciate the wonder and beauty of the world. “Day turns into night, and back into day, the moon waxes and wanes, the seasons go through their dramatic and subtle changes. When a flower blooms and starts to fade, we accept the poignancy of that change. Even if the decay of the flower makes us sad, we can appreciate it as part of the movement of life. Imagine what it would be like if things existed in a fixed way. Wouldn’t life get boring pretty fast?”

Cosmically, sacred geometrical Arcturian wisdom reflects that the vibration of integration asserts that “the energy of integration helps you apply new truths in your daily life. The energy makes you aware that you are responsible for your own actions.” Moreover, the dimensional shift we are discussing here mirrors our movement into a New Age and Paradigm, aka an Aquarian Age or a New Earth. You already all know that the empowered freedom we like to highlight, is followed by the attached earmark of responsibility. But you don’t have to look at responsibility as a virus feeding off of its host of freedom. Same thing with taxes. If you’re making enough money to complain about how much you’re paying in taxes, then you might want to examine what’s underneath your disgruntlement. But try to remember to be gentle on yourself about it, and not too taxing in your self reflection, if you’ll kindly pardon the pun. Besides, alternative energy starts with you, just as it starts with me. Do you see?

Perceptually, marinate on the increasing phenomena of ETs or multidimensional beings as analogous to when our ancestors started to experience the arrival of Europeans in “Longer Boats.” For example, it wasn’t until a trusted Shaman or Wise Elder was able to integrate the reality of these crafts into their perception that they could report back their findings to the tribe. And then medicine people could share their visions so that the clans people could begin to see the reality of their new vision. Aborigines initially thought white people were ghosts from the Dreamtime, which to be dead serious, is both true and not true.

In much the same way as back Zen, the experiences right Tao are not all good or bad. Try to see these experiences as part of our collective, universal evolution. In that light, it is important to see the silver lining, and focus on making positive interpretations. This New Age of Diversity in Unity means that all voices matter, and that we should honor our differences. We all have different talents, and strengths. But that doesn’t mean that we have to go to war with each other or fight to make certain talents or strengths more or less valuable to the greater whole. That’s why cults and fascism are easy and seductive paths to the dark side, if we don’t do our own shadow work. Shining the spotlight on “power to the people” features the Divine Light of our better angels. The democratic process can get messy at times. But in the long run, a longitudinal and patient pace is preferable to the quick fix, and short term profits. It’s hard to go wrong with a diversified portfolio that supports the greening of the planet. BIPOC, LGBTQ, Super Pac supporters, and people who identify as “young conservatives” can all agree to disagree perhaps on their apparant divergent heritage or political differences without arguing or fighting with each other or taking their points of contention personally.

Furthermore, give consideration that the reported close encounters with ETs or multidimensional beings is a vibrational shift of them “slowing their vibration down” in a way or framework that makes sense to our brain consciousness.  Reflect back to February 25th’s blog entry about coregulation. A simple shift in perspective allows for a co regulatory opportunity that we can meet together in collective consciousness, from a place of curiosity and empathy. These entities meet us where we are at, and we can meet them where they are at. When we step into our fears with courage, we can use the power of our visualization to build up “multidimensional immunity.” We can also see ourselves as protected by a “vibrational vaccine,” as a way to empower ourselves during this pandemic, and the Climate Change that we are weathering on the planet right now. Or you could just literally shake out any trauma or fears that you experience, like many animals do naturally. It is amazing what a powerful release this simple strategy can have on your mind-body-spirit. That’s why martial arts, dancing, movement, exercise, yoga, taichi, and qigong can be effective wellness practices for good mental health. Of course there is no replacement for good therapy for personal/spiritual growth. I mean, you get your oil changed for your car, right? Just sayin’.

Finally, we hear a lot about the Growth Mindset in education these days. Similarly, we have heard good and plenty about the decay that mental rigidity and fixed ideas do to our well being. Growth Mindset involves developing inner resilience as an opportunity for learning and growth. A Growth Mindset framework allows for a developmental, life cycle approach to learning. Rather than striving for perfection, it is understood that imperfections are just examples of mastery in brilliant disguises that just haven’t happened yet. Sometimes, growing up is one step up, and two steps back. But paradoxically, see those masteries as already happening, and on their way. This requires an agreement of letting go of control, being open to trust, as well as having an open, passive attitude about learning something new. Given my strong, oppositional streak, and built in anger, this has been a challenging life cycle issue for me to relax on, lean into, and embrace. Systemically, being vulnerable, fostering inclusivity and belonging are part of the cultural paradigm shift that needs to take root in the matrix that we are mixing it up in together. It comes from a synergistic bottom up, and top down fluidity, where we are all working together, in the spirit of common language, and win-win politics.

Take care of yourselves everyone,

Ari

Dolphin Tales

Dolphin guides us into creative yin waters,
Swimming into feminine depths, a masculine dominated world-view relaxes

There are intrinsic caverns inside your soul
that warrants soft, watery attention

A Full Worm Moon and Spring Equinox energies are arriving . . .
In spite of Winter’s frozen grounds, waning dark nights, and cold weather . . .

The forthcoming Full Moon remembers the wisdom that
the early bird gets the worm

But not at the expense of living in the present moment
or abandoning the wonders of Nature

The winds of change are blowing out and about . . .
How do you choose to ride out the storm front?

Divine Law reveals masculine and Feminine energies dance
in affirmatively active equal dance-steps

Nature celebrates equal light and dark alignment on Spring Equinox . . .

Let this energetic push for economic equality between the
sexes level the playing field!

May this encourage humanity, and all sentient beings to live in win-win realities!

See you further on up the trails,

Ari

Out of the Body Experiences with Penguin

Penguin leaps out of the water and takes flight into the air
In this space, we are propelled out of our bodies . . . .

Meditation on Penguin awakens powers of dreaming lucidly
We are given access to multidimensional exploration . . .

Our souls leave behind our temples to venture deeper into
alternate states of the astral plane

Gently connect with the tides of this Full Wolf Moon to
psychically stream into your dream-team

May our spiritual wings power our vessels further
into oceanic depths of the Dreamtime

Meditation offers us safe passages for traveling inward
into the vast galaxies of our inner skies with
a safe haven anchored back in this Earth

But facing physical death is an unknown transition . . .

Losing our loved ones to death can be rough on the living
Unexpected deaths can especially leave us feeling angry,
confused, depressed and with deep sadness

Sometimes we just want to hide away from the rest of the world

We survivors are reminded of our own mortality
and feel survivor’s guilt as well as struggle with the lack of control
that we truly have for what happens to us

But we can control how we respond to these tragedies
Painful as it is to taste this bitter aspect of life –
We might as well do the best we can to lean into our feelings and be vulnerable

We are here to learn how to cope with life’s stress in the living moment
while we are still breathing

Make peace with yourself and with your loved ones who have passed on
You can help them ascend through the power of surrender and forgiveness

Get out alone in Nature and sit in the elements for a spell
If you are uncomfortable or having a hard time sitting with what is . . .

Free yourself to get down with the elements and just “let it be” . . .
This is a healthy way to loosen our entanglements with form

Doesn’t the cold chill in your bones from the wind
remind you that you are still alive?

And then isn’t the forecast of a scalding hot shower, saltwater bath or fire
something to look forward to?

Let go of that thought for a moment and just be mindful
of your surroundings and let yourself quiet down

Pretty soon, the animals will speak up and do their thing
What messages does Nature have for you to receive?

Let your inner child remember the surprise birthday party of every moment
Expectations are forgotten as exploration and discovery is your experience

May we be empowered to flex our co-creative dreaming muscles consciously –
so that we can weave them into our waking reality

We have explored how the Empire prefers to remain hidden by going unexamined
As such, we have been told a patriarchical story that
glamorize a dominant script of masculine power

But the Emperor Penguin is a good role model for redefining masculinity . . .
Showing us that Father Sun nurtures Mother Earth with loving warmth

Historically, a nurturing role has typically been ascribed to women and femininity
Penguin alters our traditional ideas of gender roles into a

New dream for humanity where we sew creative feminine threads
Woven together into a new masculine tapestry with energetic equanimity

Hope to see onward up the trails,

Ari

Accessing the Resourcefulness of Racoon

Raccoon cleverly guides us into a powerful enterprise of spiritual understanding –
All the necessary resources are available to us

A fragrant Flower Full Moon
Awakens our senses to the Buddha’s blossoming light of compassion
Shining onto our collective consciousness

“Fair isn’t that everyone gets what they want . . .
Fair is that everyone gets what they need.”

Do you believe in Divine Will –
that the Universe will provide us with everything we need?

In a more equitable, fair and just rebirthing New Earth . . .

This truth of abundance will become more self-evident!

There is no need to greedily concentrate global resources into the top 1%
Or by wearing a concealed criminal mask underneath a white or blue-collar –
Behind closed doors or out on the street

“Don’t believe the hype!”

Is Raccoon prompting you to get organized or mask your objectives?

Like humans, raccoons are highly adaptable creatures –
We need to access this inner resource during our transition into a New Age

Raccoon’s mask is symbolic of the magic of transformation . . .
Leaving behind who you once were,
while branching out into a budding new identity –
Spring forth and cross over into new dimensions

Faith, trust and a meditative heart
Will open you up to an infinite field of solutions –
Know that the resources you need are on their way

There is no need to hoard or plunder our home planet Earth’s resources anymore
We all win when we treat Her and one another with dignity and respect

Raccoons are natural martial artists
“Be a defensive driver in Life.”
Breathe in the calm in the eye of the storm . . .

Are you able to harmonize with your conflict?
Do you hear the attached emotions within your self or
from that pesky other person that is triggering you?

Are you being agile enough to make friends with inner peace –
Instead of externally demonizing another person, place or thing?

Try not to become seduced by making up sensational stories
about how you have been wronged or persecuted by others
Or by playing the blame game or beating up on yourself or someone else

Raccoon can guide you into finding a peaceful way
toward greater empathy, compassion and understanding
for yourself and your relationships

Given that we are all connected –
Try to see yourself in all that you encounter . . .
Especially when hiding behind their more distressing disguises

What aspect of yourself is masked behind darkness –
Just waiting to walk out of the shadows and jump into the sunlight?

See you further on up the trails,

Ari

Soul Power

Sometimes saying no is saying yes
(and)
Less is more . . .

Working in rest into daily routine paradoxically
creates more space for productivity . . . Smarter not harder

The Tao does nothing and yet does nothing undone

Soulful authenticity opens doors for heartfelt mutual exchanges
When branching out with birds from a different flock
Let go of fear-based rejections that blocks authentic connections

In hardship, buried treasures are waiting to be unearthed when digging on
dormant lying old wounds woken up
But pain is an informer (lick them with a patient tongue)

Rushing? What’s the hurry to kill the living moment?
Sitting with what is – a walking meditation
Indulging in awakened doing oriented rituals with sacred meaning
rather than automated drone-like roboticism

Remembering to choose trust relaxes the Doubting Thomas
Faith in folks blazes a trail that boomerangs positive responses
Ripple effects Cosmic Karma

GMO labels and no drilling in Alaskan Chukchi Sea puts the safety button on the
Global Warming trigger . . .
May we weather Climate Change more gracefully

Listen to the Wise Sage within to smoke out avoiding our problems
serving super-sizes meals of conveniently inconvenient distractions from our pain
Running away instead of weaving into a walking meditation

Speaking your truth, while honoring your feelings without being invested
(and)
Letting go of it is the antidote to co-dependency in couple relationships

Thank You to woman’s circles that inspire us to bring in an energetic perspective that asserts,
“the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”
Integration of the feminine reaffirms and therefore increases the power of redefining masculinity.

Contemplation of the weight of the world is a heavy-hearted mind-set.
But we should not let that block pathways toward opening our minds to . . .
“grand and wonderful possibilities.”

See you further on down the trails,

Ari

Resurrecting the Light with Beetle

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

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

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

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

Stay True,

Ari

Dreaming with Salamander and cleansing withTurkey Vulture

I remember walking along the trails with a student, when he noticed a salamander.  After exhaling dead air, I felt alive after taking a conscious breath of fresh air.  Further along the festival of Life, I became engaged in another conversational flow with one of the cats I roll with from around the way.  After helping him pick up some fallen branches left over from Hurricane Sandy, I said a prayer of gratitude for the storm’s minimal impact in our neck of the woods, while simultaneously expressing a silent blessing to our friends to our South that were affected more dramatically.  Given that I had just cast my absentee ballot, our conversation quickly cut to a commercial about going blue.  Although I didn’t turn into a wolverine or get depressed while listening to my feline friend’s assertion to vote in that hue, it saddens me that we are merely one step away from a dictatorship here in the United States, in that we are more polarized than ever in our collectively boxed-in mindsets.  But seeing two women on a presidential ticket here in the USA fills my heart Chakra green with hope!  When we truly walk in alignment with Nature, we shift our focus less on the odds by levitating into the realm of Infinity, where holographic possibilities abound.  With turkey vulture and salamander as a spirit guides, we ride the thermals of life, elevate our Auric vision and invigorate our energetic field around us.  Moreover, we shed our old skin to make way for rebirth and effectively navigate the elemental forces of land and water.  In this process, we co-create Heaven on Earth by consuming a healthy spirited diet, while feathering each other’s ripple in a positive vibration of Love and Light.

If we are to co-create a more egalitarian culture here in the Nation, the Americas, Planet and Universe throughout, we need to heed the cadence of Classroom Mothership Earth and the heart of Great Spirit.  All creatures, great and small, above and below are equal in the eyes of Great Spirit and we are all nourished by our Mother Earth.  Nature has an organic way of leveling the playing field and we see that play out in Climate Change.  Some of you have noticed that I have selected Tom Brady as a metaphor for staying calm in the pocket, especially when blitzed by unpredictable and turbulent weather patterns in the form of Giants.  Tom Brady personifies someone who may not have been blessed with the greatest natural talent, but he has become greatness by avoiding catastrophes time and again.  Specifically, the future Hall of Fame quarterback effectively demonstrates T’ai Chi like subtle movements in the pocket, psychically reading and adjusting to relentless defensive storm fronts and maintains a wide open angle gaze downfield, while believing in the possibility of making a big play, against apparent all odds.  Now if you think I’m throwing low balls at the rest of the team around him, I’ll bet that turkey vulture would concur that would be a foul ball.  Like a salamander, Brady slithers between the elements and demonstrates metamorphosis right in front of our eyes.  Like switching gears from running and passing, Mother Nature shows us similar shifting fronts of waning light and movement toward the dark.  Here in the Northern hemisphere, we officially turn our clocks yinward in the week ahead.  Masculine-yang energy is fading to black as feminine-yin energy is becoming more dominant, until it’s climax on the Winter Solstice and the end of the Mayan Calender on December 21, 2012.

Given the corporate media’s compartmentalized view of Nature’s new normal, we must get into alignment with Climate Change by embracing this phenomenon, rather than resisting it.  Humanity has a say in how we navigate this process and rather than hate the media, we must become the media.  On a personal spiritual front, experiential wisdom reminds us that what we resist persists and we must become the change we want to see in the world.  Yes, large socialist mega-corporations that continue to rape and abort our Mother need to wake the f-bomb up and stop fracking around folks, as my Midwestern aunt that likes to rant provocatively asserts.  We are spiritual beings having human experiences.  As such, we have the capacity to right the ship, come about and lead an unprecedented shift in consciousness while floating on the waters of life.  When we see things in our field of vision that are alarming, the Universe is providing us an opportunity to send the power of Love to whatever floats in our orbit.  That means that we acknowledge our anger and other flood of negative emotions that arrive and then gently breath those feelings out, while sending them Love for compost.  In a sense, we swim on land and surf the shifting tides into a New Age and Paradigm, one step, one breath and one moment at a time.  This kind of mulching has a much more pleasant stink to it than getting stuck in the muck.  By sending Love to our inner space, we shift from pollution to healthy renewable energy for all to share. 

Stay True,

Ari