A Lunar Eclipse….so, between now and then we are in the Gibbous phase. Act Accordingly. Please. Best use during this 3 day period? Self-care. Self-reflection. Spiritual practices.
Om Shanti.
Category: <span>lunar phases</span>
at 4:42 pm if you’re on the East Coast. It’s in Aquarius where nothing is ‘predictable’ except when it is. It’s a peculiar zodiac sign and points out that which always feels a little bit….off. I wonder what this next 28 days will bring. Be alert around Feb 1-3 for something ‘dramatic’.
Practice Yoga…………..with a capital Y.
Here’s the chart for the Monmouth County Shore Area….Long Branch, Asbury Park, Neptune, Belmar areas. It occurs at 10:12 am this morning. That means that we should all take advantage of the remaining hours left of the Balsamic Phase to rid ourselves of whatever toxic waste, (ama) we have collected since the last New Moon. Capishe?
more later…… review the posts on Balsamic/New Beginnings & Endings. The search bar is over there on the right….scroll down.
It’s been a while since I’ve written any feng shui posts. It’s a frequent topic for conversation in a couple of my hatha yoga classes. Go figure.
Yoga. Feng Shui. Well, yes….it does make sense.
Feng Shui is all about looking outside of us to see the things that usually go un-noticed. Un-noticed, not because they’re hard to see (which is possible), but un-noticed because we have probably become habituated or quite accustomed to the sight of what we’re looking at.
For instance, my garage roof is looking quite………………………….untidy.
It’s been that way ever since I’ve moved into the house. It doesn’t leak or create any problems…..it just looks a little messy. It has an old wooden roof, moss growing all over it, one shake at the top/center is missing and, the old white aluminum door is partially green from lack of sunlight. Last year I spent the entire spring/summer season cleaning out the inside which is now quite orderly, for me. My garage sits in the south east corner of my property, sometimes known as the “resource” gua. In terms of local space feng shui (astrology) the garage is on the line that represents the North Node. Hmm. That’s a tricky one to delineate.
Talented feng shui consultants are able to look at things like my garage and get a felt sense of where this untidiness or disorder is showing up in my life. It may or may not have a direct effect on those areas of my life symbolized by the placement of the garage. It’s possible that a different ‘polarity’ is being affected. It helps to have a clear mind when considering (con-sider: with the stars) all of the possibilities. HOW WE CHOOSE TO THINK about something we see affects the outcome. Yes? Of course.
Yoga is all about what is going on inside. What is present emotionally/mentally (especially on the unconscious level) when I look at my garage? Am I disturbed?
I kinda like it, actually. …….adds a bit of a rustic feeling to the plastic veneer of typical suburbia. Cleaning it out was a good thing, it created clear space for other things to happen…………and A LOT HAPPENED during that time of clean out. Perhaps I’ll tell the story someday.
For now, I think I’ll just go and pick up all the sticks and branches that have fallen around the yard over the past few windy days. It’s good to keep the clutter to a minimum. There’s a New Moon today at 18 degrees of Pisces. The sabian symbol is, “In a gigantic tent, villagers witness a spectacular performance”
Sun’s out!
Bye.
I came across this old post and thought you should re-read it now that the Cardinal Cross is here.
Waking up to ice on my windshield on April 15 is a stunning reminder that things are indeed changing.
…more later
The new moon at 10 Aries. The Cardinal Square is aligning and the moon beginning today, will be giving us a taste of what is to come. So much change, so fast can be frightening and disorienting for many. Others get inspired by all the adrenalin that gets secreted during times like these. There is no right/wrong way to respond to major change in your life. There are simply too many variables with too many different context’s to judge. For me, Ram Dass coined the best mantra for times like this when he wrote: Be Here Now. And yoga has taught me that Now, is only 1 breath long.
Between April 16 – April 25, 2014 some of the certified planets of our particular solar system will be coming into an alignment that the astrologer’s call a planetary picture. Rather than get into the astronomy and physics of the upcoming alignment I’d prefer to write about how to manage our lives thru this unprecedented time in human history. Yes. It’s that big. We talked about it on International Astrology Day.
The planets involved in this configuration are: Pluto, Uranus, Jupiter, Mars, and on April 20 the moon will join the group and act as a trigger. The Sun moves thru the sensitive area beginning around March 30 – April 6, depending on what orb you like to work with. And then there’s Eris, a little bit too far away to factor into this Cardinal Cross, but, twenty-one degrees is not far away enough as she continues to inspire calamity & chaos whilst traveling thru Aries. More on Eris another time.
It’s easy to see the cross configuration that’s setting up, and the fact that all the planets are in cardinal signs will make this into a dynamic period of time unlike anything we have seen before. This particular alignment has never occurred before in human history.
more later…………..
may all beings live in peace
This upcoming planetary picture has captured the attention of astrologers world wide. It’s a pattern that no human, has ever lived through at least not with the planets currently forming this major grand cross. For that reason, we have no historical information to guide us. We are left thus with our education. our imagination, and our intuition as to just how this dynamic picture of planets is going to manifest. It’s complicated and the presence of Pluto & Uranus who are locked into their ‘square-dance.x7’, makes the whole picture quite life-changing on a global scale.
Zodiac signs can be either Cardinal, Fixed, or Mutable, and each category has its own quality of expression. The Cardinal category includes: Aries, Libra, Cancer & Capricorn. Those of us who have a predominance of this ‘cardinal’ energy will really feel the ongoing effects of this alignment. The rest of us will be impacted (greatly) simply by osmosis. Cardinality is dynamic, active, and is fond of beginnings. They like to start things in an active way.
Countries, Organizations, City/States, all have horoscopes too. The USA is Cancer, born on the fourth of July. If one looks at the horoscope of the USA what stands out in flashing neon is the fact that we are experiencing a return of Pluto to our natal Pluto in Capricorn. The timing begs for deep discussions of where our country is heading in this 21st Century. If you add the Cardinal Cross to a Pluto Return you quickly realize that we are truly living in “some interesting times” as the ancient Chinese curse so states.
The Sanctuary
Asbury Park, NJ
732.531.9013
Are you in earnest? Seize this very minute:
What you can do, or dream you can, begin it:
Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.
Only engage and the mind grows heated;
Begin and then the work will be completed.
(Goethe)
There are 13 lunar cycles to a calendar year of 12 months, 13 opportunities for new beginnings.
The New Phase of the Moon initiates the waxing half of the lunar cycle. Waxing means growing in light, representing formative processes. Dane Rudyhar writes that the waxing time represents the “power of instinct”. Thus, during the two-week waxing period we need to express our spontaneity and instinctive behaviors. Beginning is paramount; outcome is incidental.
At the New Moon the sky is dark. The exact time of it by direct observation is impossible. Metaphysically, the dark represents the unconscious mind, individually and collectively. It is a reflective time, a time to be open and receive clues from the Universe.
The phase begins with a gradual emergence that feels like unfinished business or something pressing to do, but, you’re not sure what it is, it’s “dark” out. If we neglected to do our mental/emotional/spiritual housecleaning during the previous phase/cycle, it requires effort to shake off the lethargy and the hovering ghosts.
The new phase also represents the passage from nothingness to the more active part of the cycle. It is the stillness behind the motion, the state of suspension before the birth, steeped with hope, possibilities, and significant beginnings.
It’s an interesting practice to investigate the space between endings and beginnings. May find that both happen at the same time, and time becomes a wheel.
During these days/months we need to express energy instinctively. Becoming attuned to ourselves and less focused on the external environment, unless you practice spiritual feng shui in your home. This period may also be experienced as a state of confusion, being completely in the dark about the “why” of our actions. Spontaneity and impulsive actions are okay to practice now. Like Nike said, Just Do It.
When the sun and the moon come together at the New Moon, our sense of purpose and our unconscious responses become one and the same, blending their energy. Yin and Yang are one, briefly.
It is a time to trust our unconscious and let it be our guide. The Universe will open the door now. Watch, listen, pay attention to what you attract.
If you are astrologically literate and familiar with your natal chart take notice of where the new moon falls. What house is it in and does it aspect any of your planets?
It seems logical to begin things during the time of the new moon. After all it does represent beginnings! However, because the unconscious element is so prevalent at this time take heed. The results you get from starting projects during a new moon may not always be the results you plan for. The unconscious is in control during this time. And, sometimes, most times, our unconscious is a mystery.
I recommend you use this phase to practice being in the moment, aware of sensations in the body, thoughts, emotions, and breath. Give your self some moments of long stillness and then give yourself permission to be (safely, responsibly) impulsive. Let it be okay to not have a goal, or make a new one. Watch what comes to you. Journal.
Later, after a few cycles have completed you can look back and see the significance of the events that began at this time.
Coming: Yoga Practices for the New Moon
A beggar had been sitting by the side of the road for over thirty years. One day a stranger walked by.
“Spare some change?” mumbled the beggar, mechanically holding out his baseball cap.“I have nothing to give you,” said the stranger. Then he added, “What’s that you are sitting on?”
“Nothing,” replied the beggar, “Just an old box.I have been sitting on it for as long as I can remember.”
“Ever look inside?” asked the stranger.
“What’s the point? There’s nothing in there.”
“Have a look inside,” insisted the stranger.
The beggar managed to pry open the lid.
With astonishment, disbelief, and elation, he saw the box was filled with gold.Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, Novato CA, 1999; p. 9
Let’s come together this Sunday, January 8 and resume our practices of loving-kindness. We begin in silence, so please remove your shoes and place them on the rack before you enter. Come in, find an empty space and sit down. We sit silently from 3pm until approximately 3:30, at which time we will begin discourse & discussion.
Metta (loving-kindness) practice will start around 4:15pm.
We’ll close with the following chant:
ॐ
असतो मा सद्गमय ।
तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमय ।।
मृत्योर्मामृतं गमय ।
ॐ शान्ति शान्ति शान्ति ।। – बृहदारण्यक उपनिषद् 1.3.28.
om
asato mā sat gamaya
tamaso mā jyotir gamaya
mṛtyor mā amṛtaṁ gamaya
om śhānti śhānti śhāntihi – bṛhadāraṇyaka upaniṣada 1.3.28
Translation:
Lead Us From the Unreal To the Real,
Lead Us From Darkness To Light,
Lead Us From Death To Immortality,
Let There Be Peace Peace Peace. – Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.3.28.