…and a(nother) good time was had by all. Here are a few of the pictures I took. It was seriously overcast and somewhat sprinkly and cool outdoors. That alone will prompt another visit soon when it’s sunny. The outdoors is magnificent. Aside from the high tension wires and local vegetation, I could imagine myself transported to India.
Between my visit in 2017 and this one I have continued to learn about ancient architecture and the geometry needed to build such structures. However, it’s the inside, the decoration and the artistry that keeps my attention. In India they follow the principles of Vaastu Shastra, which is similar to Feng Shui. You have to be dead or heavily medicated if you don’t *feel* something upon entry. It is the definition of Awe-some.
Category: <span>NJ</span>
I’m now in my seventh decade of life here, this time around, and find myself still firmly rooted in the same vicinity of my birthplace, Neptune………… New Jersey, that is. The fact that planet Neptune is located near the nadir of my horoscope is a constant source of amusement. Synchronicity, you know?
During High School I was on the staff of The Megaphone, the APHS newspaper. At one time I was the official “typing editor”. Whatever. Hanging around with would be writers, editors, journalists, and graphic designers was a good fit for me, although I didn’t appreciate it at the time.
From the getgo I imagined this blog as an expression of the moment as filtered thru this brain with an attempt to connect to who? what? To self-publish anything and not have to go through the judgement and opinions of others was mind-blowing for this baby-boomer! I really learned a lot and education is never wasted.
As I repost this I remember that the chart for this post shows the moon at 26 Gemini which seems fitting with the nature of this post.
May all beings practice right speech.
About a month ago I volunteered to tell a story for the 8th annual Storyteller’s Tellabration. It’s been a few years since I’ve tackled this kind of creative endeavor and I’m a little nervous.
My genre of storytelling is a hybrid of personal memoir and ancient mythology. In the past I’ve delved into ancient gods/goddesses from different cultures and I’ve always learned something important. I’ve added some links below of stories told if you are interested.
Thanks to the internet I found my muse right away. She was hardly known in the pantheon of gods/goddesses.of Hindu mythology. She was called Akilandaeshvari and her name holds the key to understanding what she is all about. In Sanskrit, Aki is Universe, lan is ruler, and deshvari is Goddess…………..she is the Goddess who Rules the Universe and her powers are unmatched by any other. But the Sanskrit also says something else. Akilanda can be also translated as Never-Not-Broken. She is the Goddess of Never-Not-Broken. Reconciling those two translations took a bit of meditation and contemplation. Within days my obsession took over and I researched and read and tried to paint the image I found of her.
I looked at all the places where I was broken, physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. Slowly as I came to understand her story and the symbolism I could see why Never-Not-Broken = Ruler of the Universe. As a life long yogini I have learned what it means to ’embody’ something. I watched 
my self *embody* Ahkilandaeshvari.
Her story teaches us about resilience and how with each break, crack, rupture, trauma, crisis, catastrophe we survive, we become stronger.
I suspect that her fame will grow during these turbulent times we are living in. The way she rides the crocodile down a raging river is a lesson in itself.
…to be continued
Here’s an invite to our Tellebration if you want to come.
So, we’re in the middle of two eclipses and five planets are retrograde. You don’t really need to know much about astrology to get a sense of the epic time cycle we’re living in. It really doesn’t matter where you look there’s change, upheaval, and fluctuating conditions mostly everywhere. You can try to block it out using whatever methods/medicine/magic you have at your disposal. But relief is temporary. There really are some terrible things happening if we are to believe the images and words on our screens. It’s important to check in with the people around you since many are feeling fragmented, confused and hopeless. Anyway, it’s an auspicious time to Inquire Within and the stars will guide us accordingly. It might not read as a “fun, summertime activity” but, for those who understand how transmutation and transformation work, the opportunity provided to you from this upcoming program is priceless.
more later.
Many years ago I had the pleasure of working at the NJ Center for the Healing Arts. A wonderful group of various therapists, psycho-, massage-, art-, and other practitioners of the alternative/complementary arts/sciences all worked under one roof. The founder had a vision for how to treat mental illness in today’s society. She was a beacon of light to many and I applaud her for her accomplishments and the ripple effect of healing & inspiration she provided to the whole community, clients, and the world-at-large. I was honored to offer astrological & feng shui consultations along with some hatha & dancing yoga classes during my early years studying yoga therapy. It was a rich time.
While there, it was clear that much of the physical space was dedicated to art….The walls were filled with paintings painted by past & present clients. Every now and then new ones would appear. I loved peeking into the art room to see them in action. It never occurred to me that art or painting or drawing could be therapeutic, or healing, or anything other than a means to an end, a picture upon which lots of opinions/judgements might be heaped. “I like it” I hate it” etc. Of course, I proved myself naive, again, it happens a lot.
Anyway, today it’s nearly two decades later and I’m excited to be working around art again. It’s in a different context, of course, but after such a long time learning & practicing integrative yoga therapy I’m comfortable teaching whever the winds blow me.
Anything can be therapized these days and that’s maybe a good thing? It acknowledges that we all need healing. All of us. Everybody. This is something I know to be true.
And, the kind of healing that occurs when we fully engage in a process that eliminates words can be felt thru and thru. It has to do with how the hemisphere’s of the brain are organized. Healing, though, is not a right-side/left-side experience, but rather what happens naturally when balance is acheived. This is what yoga/meditation teaches us. That amazing blissful state that occurs after one does some focused hatha practice, is the same calm, blissful state that occurs when we’re in the zone of: artistic expression, dance practice,, or musical harmonies & rhythms.
That zone, that particular kind of present moment is a very seductive state of being, and once you’ve experienced it your entire being becomes engaged with trying to have the experience again. The challenge & difficulty is to get there naturally, chemically & substance free. But, I digress. Neptune is one of the astrological significators for spiritual practice, yoga, imagination, fantasy and more. For more keywords of Neptune go here.
On July, I’ll be facilitating a weekend of workshops on yoga & creativity at The Sanctuary. For the *intensive* on Saturday we’ll be at a local art gallery. I’m excited to see what happens! Namaste.
….and I’m still experiencing the joy of learning with every new pattern that I put together. I’ve moved on now to what’s called stitching and weaving. This pattern I focused on stitching. I don’t have the energy right now to explain in words what that means artistically . . Suffice it to say that I fell in love with the technique and choose to continue. Here’s my latest, painted to celebrate grandson(s) and birthday’s.
I’m gonna start an absolute beginners yoga therapy class in June for 6-8 weeks, yoga….for the rest of us.
I sent an email newsletter to my list today. Are you on it? Do you want to be? There’s a widget for easy signup onsite.
May I devote my life to learning.
May my highest self shine forth
May I uplift my soul through meditation & prayer
May I join with others to share love & truth.
This Sunday we’ll be practicing Metta Meditation at The Sanctuary. Metta, or loving-kindness is one of the heavenly abodes according to Buddhist thought. It’s a particular state of mind, of being, that is imbued with peace, love, & harmony. It feels good. It feels great to practice it with others. Lot’s of others.
The spiritual practices of the east are very comforting to me. Yoga relaxes the flesh and Meditation reorganizes the mind. Once you’ve got flesh & mind calmed down life is good. The difficulty is that something inevitably changes, and peace is disturbed. When a pebble lands in the pond, the mind alerts and the body, due to the time and culture we live in, immediately goes into fight/flight/freeze. There’s very little pause and reflect anymore, which of course is a YUGE problem everywhere.
When we meet for metta practice, we are acknowledging that some of our life’s challenges are other people, or better said, our relationships with other people. Metta Meditation is a way to relieve the stress of our internal conflicts with people, places, or things.
The Jersey Shore is packed, already. It’s like it was when I was a kid. It’s time to see with ‘new eyes’ again.
Jai Bhagwan. Om Shanti Om.
Election shenanigans continue to heat up and Hilary’s exact birthtime is still a well kept secret, as it should be for any high-ranking Scorpio. No doubt she has had some guidance from the astrologers, we’re always lurking around the power centers, if we’re not one ourselves.
Gemini Trump is a poster-child for one who is unable to ‘focus’, the exact opposite of Scorpio.
It’s quite the conundrum, Gemini vs. Scorpio.
Since we’ve just moved into the season of Scorpio, here’s a list of other notable Scorpio’s, lest you judge the sign by Hilary alone. Bonnie Raitt Nov. 9, Vivian Leigh, Tatum O’Neal, Roy Rogers Nov 5, Ted Turner Nov 19, Sally Field Nov 6, Goldie Hawn Nov 21, Whoopie Goldberg Nov 13
That said, today I refer you back to this post. Scroll down to where I’ve listed some dates and you will see that Nov. 9 is when Mars/Saturn begin to move into the next phase of their new cycle which began in August. At 45 degrees of separation a certain subtle tension begins to set in, it happens during the crescent phase of the cycle. (360 divided by 8 = 45 degree phases) However, Mars is dreadfully close to Pluto at this same time, around Nov 8. This is not an easy planetary picture, for anyone & everyone. We are certainly “living in interesting times”, as an ancient Chinese curse proclaims.
The SALON FOR ASTROLOGICAL DISCOURSE will be meeting to discuss all of this and more at our next meeting, WED, NOV 2, 7PM. If you are in or around Asbury Park, NJ and would like to attend please contact Ida at Time & Space Consulting for details.
” Reading makes a full man, meditation a profound man, discourse a clear man.”
~Benjamin Franklin
I have so many questions for you today. I wish you were here. I miss the quiet, calm, presence we shared when we sat together. What would you make of this world in 2016? I’d love to hear what you’d say regarding the current political situation! And, there’s no doubt in my mind that you’d be sitting with at least half a dozen digital screens around you….you were pre-geek.
Well, wherever you are now, may it be peaceful, loving, and kind.
Love,
Your Daughter
The emphasis is still on yoga at The Sanctuary and more of you are discovering what is possible with a commitment to practice.
Kripalu Yoga & Integrative Yoga Therapy are my chosen yogic methodologies to teach. The group classes are slow, gentle, challenging and oriented towards healing and removing the obstacles that prevent us from being fully authentic. If you are interested in simply exercising your body, another class/teacher might be more appropriate. Please read some of the articles on this website to gain a sense of the teachings that are offered. I began my yoga studies in 1976, became a full-time teacher in 2000. I teach from decades of experience & years of training.
Group Yoga classes are multi-level and suitable for all bodies. If you are a beginner to yoga call ahead and let me know you’re coming. I’ll be happy to meet with you before/after class. Or, just show up if that’s the best you can do. 732.531.9013 is the number to leave a message if you wish to speak to me. Be patient. It may a day or two to return your call.
PERSONAL YOGA THERAPY is available by appointment. To support your commitment to well-being and spiritual development I’m offering a Summer Special for new clients and returning clients. Please call to arrange a free interview to see if this is right for you. Sessions can be at your home or at The Sanctuary.
For up-to-date- info Go to Class/Workshop Schedule Page