exploring the patterns of the universe - cosmic creativity, astrology, sacred geometry, alchemy, symbolism, archetypes, love, synchronicity, transformation, and other wisdoms within the self...
I am so grateful to be a part of this collaboration with such amazing, beautiful, insightful individuals. It has been churning and crystallizing, and is finally here!
"26 bloggers/writers/artists share their experiences and perspectives on the strange and beautiful universe in which we live."
Alan Abbadessa-Green + Goro Adachi + Jason Barrera + Douglas Bolles + Peg Carter + Tommy Fulks + Kevin Halcott + Kyle Hunt + Sibyl Hunter + Stefan Jablonski + Jeremy + Andras Jones + Crystal Kanarr + Jon Kidd + Jake Kotze + Neil Kramer + Rammer Martínez Sánchez + Justin Gray Morgan + Will Morgan + Christopher "C" Myers + Eunus Noe + Jennifer Palmer + Jim Sanders+ Michael Schacht + Toure + Steve Willner
Since we entered the sign of Virgo in late August, the High Priestess archetype has been all around us. The High Priestess in the Tarot is associated with the Moon (which is the esoteric ruling planet of Virgo).
"The moon reflected on the surface of the water symbolizes the idea that is reflected in the form." ~ The Crowley Tarot
It is all too appropriate that The Sync Book would come to fruition during the Full Harvest Moon (in Pisces), but even more special is that today I realized that the book was conceived on the exact day of the New Moon in Pisces back in March. The new moon corresponds to the time of seeding new ideas, putting our hopes and dreams into the womb of the mother, so that we may start the process of nourishing that which we wish to manifest. The full moon corresponds to the part of the cycle in which the fruit of our hard work has fully formed and ready to be harvested. The sign that the moon is traveling in at these potent parts of the cycle, shows the energetic expression of that which is manifesting. The cycle is always happening, whether we are consciously working with it or not. This book is the perfect example of what inspiration, vision, intention, love and effort can bring!
Pisces is a mystical, intuitive, water sign, resonating with the collective unity of all things, which the subject of the book, synchronicity, continually expresses.
"Pisces, last of the water signs and the completion of the zodiacal cycle, embodies all that is most compassionate, most universal and most deeply connected with that deeper reality which underpins the whole of existence." ~Liz Greene, Mythic Astrology
La Lune/The Moon - the tarot card associated with the sign of PISCES, and the Hebrew letter Qoph
The Sync Book definitely embodies this energy through and through, I have no doubt that you will be inspired and embraced by the words of all of the individuals who put their hearts and minds into its pages.
I wrote the following over a year ago and wasn’t quite ready to share it with anyone, it was just a spontaneous outpouring of thoughts and feelings about the state of the world. My thoughts and feelings have continued to develop surrounding this topic since writing this, but for whatever reason, (well I suppose it is all this attention to the collective debt) I am finally ready to share it...although maybe still a little apprehensive, as these issues are hypersensitive. This is basically about humanity’s issue of self worth and the collective need to realize our own inner power and resources. I hope you will find something of value to you here, but please don't mistake me for trying to force my own thoughts or values on anyone else, mainly it was written as an exploration of my own values. I wholeheartedly admit that much of this could seem hypocritical as I obviously still participate in much of the current system. But these are the questions I'm asking, mainly of myself, and I think that is the first step. These days I am trying really hard to stay away from putting all my eggs in one basket and 'believing' in any one thing, but I don't think you can go wrong with questioning everything, arriving at your own conclusions (for that moment) based on the truth within your heart, and attempting to live by that. Anyhow, here it is:
EVERYTHING is Energy. That is an indisputable, scientifically provable fact. In this society, we use money as a symbol for our energy. We trade our energy for money through some form of effort. Then we trade the money for energy, such as food/calories. Whatever we give our money to grows. It is like feeding a plant; fueling, giving energy to an idea, a business, etc. This is basically the same thing as "voting with your money". So shouldn’t we be giving our energy (spending our money) on what we want to grow? We should be doing our research, paying attention to what practices go into the production of what we are energizing. Because the truth of the matter is, if we disagree with how people/animals/the earth/our own bodies are being treated and affected by the production of some material, it WILL shrivel up and die if we don’t give our energy (money) to it. If we don’t water the plant, it dies, and the energy is released and goes elsewhere. On the same note, what we do think is honest, healthy and uplifting WILL flourish with the flow of our energy and intention.
Of course, this should be examined even further. Why do we choose money to represent our energy? When you research the system of money, it really does appear to be close to the root of some very disparaging and horrific things in this world. It makes room for the greedy middle man. If you note the flow of the energy:
Effort, that is, physical and/or mental work (energy) --> money (energy) -->sustenance (energy)-->repeat.
What happened, why can’t it just be: effort (energy) -->sustenance (energy) -->repeat ?
Things are clearly out of balance here. A very small minority is getting large amounts of energy (money) by literally having the idea to produce and allocate said money. And the rest of us are doing a whole lot of work for that money so that we can attempt to gain the energy back that it took to gain that money. No wonder we are so tired, we are working our butts off for that money, and yet the money is decreasing in value, so our self worth is going down along with it. How much do we value ourselves? Why are we letting someone else, whom we deem an authority on us, decide how much our time and energy is worth? Furthermore, why do we deem anyone outside of ourselves an authority? Hey, I’m just asking questions here… If we were working for our own sustenance directly, rather than to sustain a system that rewards a minority, wouldn’t we feel a lot more fulfilled, inspired and energized? And when I’m speaking of sustenance I don’t just mean food, clothing and shelter, but what feeds our soul as well, whether that is music, art, science, philosophy, sport, whatever it is. Most of us don’t even have the time or strength to put energy into what makes us happy. What is the point of that? Why are we working so hard just to barely make enough money to give us the basic energy sustenance that we need? And not to mention the people who don’t have the opportunity or resources to even gain enough money to acquire the most basic material sustenance of food and thus don’t have the energy to put forth.
Additionally, look at our addictions: to food, to alcohol, prescription drugs, illegal drugs, shopping, watching television, sex, etc. It is all to try to FILL us up. We feel void, we feel like we aren’t getting what we need. We feel empty, hungry, tired, uninspired. All symptoms that we aren’t getting enough what? Yes…ENERGY! It is inevitable that we need to expend energy to gain energy, but when we are expending our energy for a symbol or an energy replacement that has an arbitrary value, we aren’t getting what we are giving, some will get more, and most will get far far less.
But we are not just giving away our energy for a return of a faux energy, we actually also give up our freedom of choice as well – because we must show up when someone else tells us to, no matter what our needs may be. Once again, whoever it is that has traded us our time and energy in turn for money is getting the real form of our energy, and what did they have to give in order to get the good stuff from us? Did they give us real energy in return? No they gave us energy replacement (money), which can change in value on a whim. That hardly seems fair. And you might argue that not everything in life is fair. But ask yourself, who decided that?
So the real issue is not actually money, the real underlying issue is our beliefs, which are symptomatically shown through our relationship to money and the people we give power to, that we allow to control the money/energy and thus, control us. It all starts with an honest look at ourselves and what we value. And as I’m sure you have noticed, I have A LOT of questions. Why do we need money? Who ‘owns’ the resources on this planet? What and who are we really working for? Who is the authority? Why are they the authority? And why do we want them to be the authority? Honestly, it appears that most of us don’t want to be an authority, because that would entail personal responsibility, so we place the power outside of ourselves and thus don’t have to look inward when things aren't going smoothly. We’re afraid of the decisions and we’re afraid of the really hard work. It is harder to choose to stop working for something you don’t believe in, and to work toward building something new, than to go along with a system that is already in place, (no matter if that system is working or not).
“Fear of fate is a very understandable phenomenon, for it is incalculable, immeasurable, full of unknown dangers. The perpetual hesitation of the neurotic to launch out into life is readily explained by this desire to stand aside so as not to get involved in the dangerous struggle for existence. But anyone who refuses to experience life must stifle his desire to live – in other words, he must commit partial suicide.” – Carl Jung
"The soft-minded man always fears change. He feels security in the status quo, and he has an almost morbid fear of the new. For him, the greatest pain is the pain of a new idea." - Martin Luther King
However, the real secret is that the hardest work brings the greatest achievements. We’ve always known the real secret, but we forget because it’s so simple that we take it for granted. We squirm at the thought of facing our fears and going through pain, but if we could just muster up the courage to go through it, something really beautiful WILL happen. Transformation. Fulfillment.
“The greater the tension, the greater is the potential. Great energy springs from a correspondingly great tension between opposites.” – Carl Jung
How can we balance the energy? The first step is looking inward, at the "good" and the "bad", the positive and negative, being honest with yourself about your fears. 'Face your fears.' We have heard this so many times that it has almost become cliche. But it is a core truth. The way that we can grow stronger is by digging deep into the nitty-gritty. We can treat ourselves and our community just as we would a garden. Little by little we can grow what we believe in, and starve what we don’t support. It’s all about you. It's all about me. It’s all about us. It’s about what we choose. With the direction of our personal energy, we create what we want to see. It doesn’t always happen immediately in this world, and it definitely doesn’t always happen easily, but effort will ALWAYS bear fruit eventually. All things require effort of some degree. It’s up to you, me, us to decide what kind of fruit we want to create…
I’m dreaming of a world, where everyone is recognized for their talents, where everyone puts their energy and time into what inspires them, and we do it well. How beautiful would it be, to live in a place where everything was created to the full potential? How nice for us all to live harmoniously together, exchanging our energy with each other honestly? Why do so many of us believe that a world like that is an impossibility? Where did we get that idea? Where do we get any of our ideas?
“…people’s beliefs and convictions are in almost every case gotten at second hand, and without examination, from authorities who have not themselves examined the questions at issue but have taken them at second-hand from other non-examiners, whose opinions about them were not worth a brass farthing.” – Mark Twain
"Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense." Buddha
And then there is the most important question of all...If allthe world is symbolic, ("as within, so without") what does the disharmony and energy squandering in the physical world around you represent within yourself? And by 'yourself', I mean 'myself'.
While I was working on this post, I discovered that my husband was leaving this comment at the very same time in a Reddit thread:
"...I give you this oft quoted, AND taken for granted, nugget from Einstein. 'We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.' Albert Einstein
I'm of the Carl Jung influenced persuasion that everything that happens in the outer reality is a direct result of our inner realities. (btw The idea holds up pretty well, when looking through the lens of quantum physics!) You don't have to look far (probably yourself) to find inner dischord among the populace. Until this is emphasized, all the voting, and politicking, and pointing fingers at others will be the equivalent of trying to wash a dirty window with an oily rag. Until WE ALL turn the attention within, THIS is what we are stuck with. The "State" is just a state of mind. A box that we need to start thinking outside of. Because, not only is this system not viable long term, it is spiraling into oblivion exponentially! ......Getting back to quantum physics, it has been widely demonstrated that, essentially, we are all intrinsically interconnected on an energetic level. If you really think about it, every time you help someone, you help yourself. But most importantly, every time you help yourself, you help the rest of us! From there, you could get into conversation on the collective sub-consciousness , and so on, and yadda yadda yadda. So as a step of change in the right direction (nothing is gonna get better over night) we need to shift our value system from one that is only of material wealth to one that recognizes more subtle forms of value. Subtle values which have shown to be absolutely vital to the harmony and order of the universe. Values like learning that the whole is greater than just the sum of its parts, how to learn, to share, to contribute, to love others, but most importantly to love yourself, and to learn to, AND how to, develop yourself (It will be different for each individual). For until each one of us realize that the only genuine sovereign authority is ourselves, there will always be problems with authority. And as long as we keep placing that authority outside ourselves, somebody will be there to usurp the role for us, and we will have nobody to blame but ourselves.." - MK
Guess it's the theme of the household :)
Now I'm pondering: If TIME is MONEY, and MONEY is ENERGY, than TIME is ENERGY...?
It goes even deeper when we realize that no one is truly 'outside' of our Self
A brew of many previous posts, I am really feeling this within today ~
Your subconscious is not something that is hidden from you, and not something you only encounter in your sleeping dreams. Your subconscious is what you see reflected in the mirror and everything around you. The world you see is a manifestation of the ideas, thoughts, behaviors you have learned to know by heart, that which you enact and practice time and again until it is instinct, your belief of what is true. You have the power to create what you see by changing what is true to you, what YOU choose to tell your heart/mind...and that truth can be whatever you choose! It may just take some serious convincing. ;)
"Why then the world's mine Oyster, which I, with sword will open." ~Shakespeare, The Merry Wives of Windsor
From the Online Etymology Dictionary, Oyster: mid-14c., from O.Fr. oistre, from L. ostrea, pl. or fem. of ostreum "oyster," from Gk. ostreon, from PIE *ost- "bone" (see osseous). Related to Gk. ostrakon "hard shell" and to osteon "bone."
Oyster/Bone is the material, those ideas which have crystallized into form.
The world is my oyster, my bone, the structures I have built with my beliefs - and with my own word, my own vibration, my own truth - I will open/unfold/expand/change/evolve/create. Within the oyster, is a womb of creation/a vulva turning, spiraling, rolling around the pearl of wisdom, knowledge, truth and beauty which I/you hold dear.
"Opening oysters requires skill. The preferred method is to use a special knife..." ~ Wikipedia, Opening Oysters
We are already standing at the pearly gates of heaven.
Understanding symbols is important in the path to understanding ourselves and the world around us, as images are the language of the subconscious mind. Red Ice Creations has been a great source in my quest to become symbol literate, and so I was excited to discover that they have created this excellent Red Ice TV documentary about symbolism. I'm always amazed at how much information they can pack into a 1 hour program and they have done it again! They discuss in detail the logos of major corporations, as well as the ancient history and wide use of some of the most common symbols used today such as the sun, pyramid and vesica piscis. Seeing all of the symbols together gives a clear picture of just how much intention is put into the design of the logos that bombard us in our daily lives, and how influential they really are to us even if we think we are desensitized to them. I really enjoyed the round tables at the pub with notable researchers such as Michael Tsarion, Neil Kramer and many others.
In a previous post I mentioned my reemerging love for children's books and highlighted a few of the ones that I have found to be imaginative, inspiring, and full of simple wisdom. This holiday I found a few more goodins to add to the list!
The Dandelion Seed - written by Joseph Anthony, illustrated by Cris Arbo
This story follows the life of a dandelion seed, with a beautiful message about letting go and captivating artwork, this husband and wife team has created a gem of a book. I can't wait to read their other one, titled "In A Nutshell".
On the Day You Were Born - by Debra Frasier
Simply beautiful artwork and a heartwarming message that welcomes the reader and shows our connection to mother earth and all of the other earthlings. Makes you feel honored to be a part of it all.
When the Wind Stops - written by Charlotte Zolotow, illustrated by Stefano Vitale
I love a good story about the cycle of life, and this one is adorable. Written in the style of a young inquiring mind, with the question and answer format of which so many parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings and teachers are all too familiar. The illustrations are imaginative and colorful, just like the questions.
Beautiful Oops - by Barney Saltzberg
A book that helps us to realize that sometimes the most beautiful works of art come from what we initially think is a "mistake". Fun, creative, and dimensional!
Appearances: clearings through the masks of our existence - written by Rusty Berkus, illustrated by Christa Wollan
An illustrated book for the older children of the universe (aka teens and adults) in search of our answers. The images are delightfully reminiscent of my '80s upbringing and combined with a beautiful, peaceful, and encouraging message about remembering, loving and being who you are. My mother gave it to me as a gift recently and I read it occasionally for a good dose of nurturing. The author has a number of other books that I hope to check out sometime.
I've brought some show-and-tell: I used to write all of the time - just jotting down random thoughts automatically, creatively. Somehow I completely forgot about this old pastime until recently when my mom was trying to clear out her space and sent me home with a pile of old notebooks. Here are some thoughts that were flowing through me 10-15 years ago. (Well, these are the ones that weren't rooted in angsty love-lust). I look at them with such new eyes, like a mother amazed at the perceived big word that her toddler speaks. A time capsule: A young, limited experience, innocent - unaware, unconscious of what she did and didn't know. It makes me want to start writing again, in hopes that I may have some fun, inspirational reads to reflect on in another decade. I hope you enjoy, there is definitely a common theme!
(2000-2001)
The only thing I understand in this world is the desire to escape it. And the only thing I desire to excel at is breaking all of these limitations.
The worn path will wear you.
I miss being young and free I miss the feeling of not knowing intoxicated pleasure but just the moment itself I will forever need my mothers nourishment, I now realize Nourish yourself; her wisdom
What is wholesome? What is good? I watch us take each step carefully along the hard, narrow cement after one another Conformity? Is that good? All of these gigantic boxes really get into my head sometimes And I long for the water, the air that tunnels through trees and passes through my body awakening my senses and thoughts with each inhale I long for moments in life where my eyes easily close without the heaviness of the material world pressing in on my brain and exhausting my intentions to try to free myself from the assembly line.
You've always resisted opening your eyes underwater because you're afraid of the sting. But you get used to it, and then you realize how much you were missing, and how many wrong turns you made, just because you feared the discomfort that seeing entailed.
(1997-1998)
This Blank Piece of Paper This is my bible Whatever I write I follow If I disagree with myself... I cross it out and rewrite These words that I have written This is what I follow This is what I believe These are my thoughts, my faith in myself This Blank Piece of Paper This is my bible.
What would you say if you bumped into yourself? Would you say 'excuse me' or would you blow you off? Swear to your mother or plot to kill your soul Save you from the cowardly planet Save you from the dog next door Save you from the fire in the sky Save you from the vision of the MAN wearing that weird bow tie. If you listen closely, you can hear the sound of a man working on the chain...right next to you. If you watch carefully, you can see that the small print reads "I wouldn't sign this if I were you, but instead I'm me, and I'm getting paid to sucker you in."
The slope of the shadow along the torso leads to the nature, the long, since prehistoric obsession The touch, the smell of living, breathing It is within only your comprehension that the mystique is uncovered Your own eyes, your own hands Your own heart, YOUR OWN Where we come from What we search for Its more than flesh, its more than blood And although senses mightbe heightened, its not what you'll feel for eternity In that place between
Go through the maze and reach for the light.
On your mark, get set...go
I feel as though you understand And that even though you don't know my place of birth, you know who I am, I am you You know my passion that remains hidden - and you didn't even have to look. You're special. You are on fire. You feel and your soul is lifted by the steam of your heart. I love you as a person - you're a true human - you feel. Hold my hand like the grass is rooted in the earth. Complimentary.
Recently watched the dvd series "The Pyramid Code" with the husband. The documentary series, produced by professor, author, researcher, explorer and filmmaker Carmen Boulter, is amazing and ground breaking! It explores the scientific indications that the pyramids were power sources (not tombs) among many other things.Watch the trailer below. Then watch the full series on YouTube if you like. And visit the website. You also might be interested in taking a listen to this interview on Red Ice Radio.
We often look to visual artwork, movies, commercials, poems, songs, etc., as expressions of ideas with the use of symbolism. But lately I'm thinking about this 3 dimensional realm that we live in, and that literally everything that we see and touch around us is a symbol for an idea, a collective belief that we all have. We create/manifest our thoughts into material existence. Some people reject this idea, thinking that this statement implies that when you think something it instantly appears. Following this line of thinking - seeing as that this obviously doesn't seem to happen for most of us (based on our definition of "instant" in our concept of time), the statement doesn't seem plausible. But who decided that manifestation had to be instantaneous? Every object around us has originated with a thought, something non-material. First came the idea/thought/belief, then came the act of using our tools to build something based on that vision. So we literally do manifest our reality, whether it takes billions of years, or some amount of months, or a 30 minute meal. So I am interested in the part of the physical reality that most of us can't see - the slippery, elusive thought matter behind every thing we have created.
con*cep*tion [kuh n-sep-shuh n] -noun 1. the act of conceiving; the state of being conceived. 2. fertilization; inception of pregnancy. 3. a notion; idea; concept: She has some odd conceptions about life. 4. something that is conceived: The machine is the conception of a genius. 5. origination; beginning 6. a design; plan. 7. the act or power of forming notions, ideas, or concepts.
"...We work with being, but nonbeing is what we use." Lao Tzu
While having the stream of thoughts flow through my mind, my eyes focused in on the railing around our porch, which I normally don't even acknowledge or think about. "What does a railing symbolize?" I thought to myself. It signifies our belief that we need a boundary wherever we find a railing, that for whatever reason we believe that we need a reminder that without that boundary we may find or inflict harm or discomfort if we go there (wherever there is). That there is a need to keep something in, or keep something out. The belief that we can separate inner from outer. If we did not have these beliefs, we would not have created railings and fences, for there would be no reason for them, as it would not yet have become our conviction that we needed to attempt to isolate one part from another. In exploring the symbolism of the railing, we can ask:
What would the world be like without boundaries? What was it like before we brought about this symbol of separation? And if we removed such a symbol, would it alter our belief that we need such boundaries?
This of course, is just one example of the symbolism that is all around us. Paying attention to the meaning inherent in every structure gives new perspective and profound meaning to the world. It makes you think about what your beliefs really are, and what you want them to be. If we want to change our collective beliefs, then manifesting a physical structure - or maybe more importantly removing structures and things that aren't relevant anymore, is our task. Of course, this brings us to the realization that there are some groups of individuals that are well versed in shaping the collective belief systems simply by introducing the idea into our physical environment. (One obvious means of doing this is through the use of media). This you probably recognize, also happens to be explored in the movie "Inception".
*update 9/16/10* Today I read this quote which is all too fitting with the subject of this post! "...everything on the material plane takes on new meaning because it is seen as a symbol for an inner quality or state of being." Liz Greene, from her book Saturn: A New Look at an Old Devil
What do we believe? We can see by looking at what objects and symbols we surround ourselves with. And what do we want to believe? What ideas and frameworks still have value, and which ones are outmoded and should be deconstructed to build something new? Hmmmm...
And who knew a porch railing could be so mentally stimulating?
Recommendations:
*The previous post "crystallization" also relates.
*For further exploration of the power of your beliefs, I always highly recommend the work of Dr. Bruce Lipton.
*The work of Michael Tsarion and his study of symbols, words and history has also enriched my life and added perspective.
*The work of the individuals over at the The Sync Whole (and the myriad of other blogs that interweave there), make amazing connections and decipher symbolism through the observation of film, pop culture and more. Their stream of connections is enlightening, but is also just plain fun and inspiring!
This past week I went camping in the rain forest. Although I am fortunate to live in an apartment in the city that is near many trees, it had been years since I had spent continual days in nature - eating, sleeping, laughing, thinking, urinating, being. After my first night's sleep, I awoke with a stirring of energy that I hadn't felt in some time. My dreams were colorful and vivid. And insights rushed in, just from observing the life around me. In particular, on one of our day hikes, I remember looking down at the ground littered with pine cones. I instantly thought about fertility, and how a tree grows and eventually drops thousands of cones, but very few actually result in a new tree. However, the mathematical perfection and beauty of the cone is creativity all its own. I thought to myself, I want to allow myself to BE, like a tree, create my "cones" and let them go - proud of them whether they grow into something else or not. Or perhaps they will grow into something unexpected, like a holiday wreath.
Not knowing much about pine cones, I immediately started researching them when I returned home to my computer. I had no idea that trees had both male and female cones. I must have missed that somewhere along the line in elementary school. The male cones are the small, compact little nubbets (yang) that you may notice everywhere amongst the pine needles on the forest floor, and they contain and release pollen. The female cones are the quintessential larger cones that are so familiar (yin), with their open scales splayed out. These female cones contain ovules, which wait to be penetrated by the wind with the pollen of the male cone. Once fertilized, a seed is created which is then released by the female cone - and provided that conditions in the earth are fertile - a new tree is born. Beautiful. I now understand why the pine cone has been depicted as a symbol of fertility throughout the ages. It is a symbol of how we may cultivate our creativity, simply by being open to receiving the pollen (the messages of the universe). Taoism is about celebrating our inner spaciousness. In Dr. Randine Lewis' book "The Way of the Fertile Soul", she gives this quote from Lao Tzu:
"We join spokes together in a wheel, but it is the center hole that makes the wagon move. We shape clay into a pot, but it is the emptiness inside that holds whatever we desire. We hammer wood for a house, but it is the inner space that makes it livable. We work with being, but nonbeing is what we use."
During that same week after camping, I spent some time with my mom. We were discussing life, as we often do. I can't remember her exact phrasing, but she used the beautiful example of a closed fist - in which nothing can get in, but by unclenching and opening your hand, you have the ability to receive something new. Such powerful examples of how to be are all around us.
A new understanding is brewing in me about how sacred space is. I am seeing the real error in our attempts to fill the void and hold onto that feeling of fullness. For this spaciousness is where creativity thrives, and whatever we are using to try to fill it up, be it food, drugs, shopping, another person's affection, etc., is creating such a clutter that we can't access our vitality. Clear the memory card, make room for inspiration. Inspire is literally to breath, to receive and then to let go, and repeat.
Two thumbs up! Check out this video by filmmaker Jay Weidner featuring astrologer Rick Levine, who gives an eloquent and concise introduction to the symbolism and patterns of energy that planetary movements represent. Through looking at the patterns of movement of the stars and planets in the sky, throughout time we can see obvious patterns of events on Earth that correlate with such celestial movements. Giving meaning to the ancient's saying, "As above, so below."
As we "grow up", many of us forget about how good it feels to be imaginative and creative, and how to be full of wonder as we live in the world. Lately I have been working (and by working i mean playing) to bring back this state of mind in my life, to dive back into the purity and joy of learning, dreaming, dancing, creating and loving. (And I am delighted and inspired to see the expression of the inner child of my friends too, such as the lovely Tanya and the forever youthful miss Jennie). One of the things that I have discovered, is that I still really enjoy reading children's books! My initial reasoning for reading them was because I wanted to find stories for my nieces and nephew that were fun to read and had a positive message about life. As I "researched" books to share with my kindred, I found that I was having just as much fun reading them. Here are 4 of my favorites that I have found so far and I highly recommend:
The Sun in My Belly - written by Sister Susan, illustrated by Sister Tin Nghiem, and introduction by Thich Nhat Hanh A delightful story about forgiveness, the interweaving of life, and our connection to each other, to the animals, to the food we eat and the earth. And the water color painted pictures are absolutely beautiful!
All I See Is Part of Me - written by Chara M. Curtis, illustrated by Cynthia Aldrich This story also tells about the universal oneness of everything. A little more poetic and "right brained" than the above book, it is peaceful and full of wonder and the images have a very soft feeling to them. Additionally, it is a recipient of the Body Mind Spirit Magazine Award of Excellence, and everyone likes a winner.
The Land of Smaerd - written by Andrea von Botefuhr, illustrated by Bryn Barnard Another award winner, this story invites creativity and it has a message of positivity and a reminder that whatever you dream can come true. I especially loved the artwork in this book, it is full of color, imagination and has sacred geometry sprinkled throughout.
Owl's Secret - written by Louise Gallop, illustrated by Shannon Cartwright This is a cute book, written in a style remindful of the tradition of the Native people. A tale that celebrates the differences in all the creatures of the Arctic, and encourages finding your own talents and strengths. I also like the glossary of flora and fauna in the end of the book.
Viewed the never ending story last night! I hadn't seen it in many years and the part toward the end where the dark/evil/nothing serving wolf is talking to Atreyu, is hitting pretty close to home. I mean come on, there is an agenda to crumble humanity's hopes and dreams, in order for the powers behind the nothing to have control...doesn't that sound a little familiar? But who is behind the nothing? There sure is some heavy psyche delving in this lovely childhood classic... It truly is the neverending story - we are facing the demise of our hopes and dreams, and the only way to stop it is to face our shadow, and to re-unite with our inner child in order to know our true self and to start dreaming once again, and then we can frolic in Fantasia (create the world in which we want to exist). Love it!
