New Moon in Taurus

Tags

Blossoming, Desiderata, Doreen Vitue, Earth sign, Flourishing, Gunnera Manicata, Individuality, Max Ehrmann, New Moon, Nourishing, Rapid growth, Rich soil, Standing out, Support, Taurus, Uniqueness

 

Gunnera Manicata

When I thought about the moon cycle beginning in Taurus, an earth sign, this plant immediately came to mind. The reason is because this plant exemplifies all that this cycle has to offer us:

• Brightly colored
• A variety of textures
• Fast growing
• Warm, wet climate
• Rich soil
• Large greenery
• Diversity
• Medicinal applications

The Gunnera Manicata is a tropical plant, originally from South America. It is fast growing, once established, and the leaves have been known to rise to a height of more than 10 feet, with an equal diameter. Truly, magnificent proportions. As one might expect, this plant flourishes in warm and wet environs, with an incredible need for nutrition in order to thrive. The textures of the leaves are relatively smooth on the top, prickly underneath, and with a jagged edge. The flowers grow on spikes, similar to what one might see on a yucca or agave plant, and flaunt a striking vermilion color. If that weren’t enough, this plant has traditionally been used in South America as a medicinal plant to heal sexually transmitted diseases.

What incredible qualities available to us during this next moon cycle…especially to those who have been doing the deep inner work of purging, cleansing, releasing, and healing. The deep waters of Pisces, and the deep cleaning during Aries have created a rich soil for nourishing growth…particularly from the seeds of intention we choose to plant during this cycle. Our growth, both individually and collectively, has the potential to be just as spectacular as the Gunnera Manicata, and this is the message it offers to us during this potent time:

You can be a balm of healing for both yourself and others, but only if you allow yourself to fully thrive, flourish, and blossom in all the unique ways that are embodied by you. This means standing out and being seen in ways that might not have felt comfortable or safe to you in the past. And yet, with courage, if you choose to step beyond your fears, you will be deeply supported in this blooming time. For, by growing so unabashedly, you will attract those who will appreciate and value what you have to offer…extraordinarily so if you can hold those same energies within yourself for yourself.

The above message reminds me of a card from Doreen Virtue’s “Magical Messages from the Fairies Oracles Card Deck.”

The description in the accompanying booklet is as follows:

You drew this card because you worry about social acceptance. The fairies want to celebrate your uniqueness, since to them you’re delightful and perfect just as you are right now. The fairies love your creativity and urge you to just be yourself. Don’t squelch your true self in order to gain others’ approval. Pretending doesn’t work anyway, and you can’t please everyone. Instead, enjoy being authentic and trust that like-minded people will be attracted to you.

Additional meanings for this card:

Dress in a way that makes you happy. Trust and follow through with your creative ideas and visions. Speak your truth. Join the Red Hat Society, an international social group for fun-loving women over 50. Express your creativity through an artistic project or new business idea.

A word of caution.

Just as the environment of the tropics supports rapid growth of wonderful and helpful things, it also supports the rapid growth of poisonous and painful things, and could easily get out of hand…much like The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. The shadow side is not something to fear or qualify in terms of “good” or “bad.” It simply is…an environment to enable the growth of whatever it is you choose. So, choose your thoughts and where you put your energies and attention carefully…ensuring that you cultivate those things you intend. The good thing is, that with such a burgeoning season, you’ll be able to see the results of your thoughts rather quickly, allowing you to take action with equal speed to turn things around. However, doing so might take a little more effort to clean up, so be patient with yourself as you learn how to navigate in this environment.

And remember:

You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

~Max Ehrmann, Desiderata, Copyright 1952.

And so it is.

~Gysela

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New Moon in Aries

Tags

Aries, Attachment, Channelings, Fierce love, Flip principle, How to love myself, Humans of New York, Lemurian Seed Crystal, Love, New Moon, Perseverance, Self-love, Steam-powered movement, Strength, Super hero

by Nikolaj at Zastavki.com

A few days ago, through a series of unanticipated events, I found myself wandering in a store of gems. The gems ranged from an inch across to five feet tall…all quite remarkable and full of life. As I came around a display, one crystal seemed to reach out to me. When I looked in that direction, my eyes landed on a seemingly unremarkable piece, and yet, the moment I looked at it, my hands turned on and instantly became hot. Needless to say, that crystal came home with me. It was identified as being a Golden Lemurian Seed Crystal, and I have chosen to use it to facilitate some direct channelings for this moon cycle. Here is what has come through:

Aries: I can teach you single-minded, committed perseverance towards achieving a goal, or desire. The process may not be pretty or elegant, but incredible strength is the by-product. Eat your Wheaties, and meet me in the training yard.

Moon: When water and fire mix, steam is created…a product that is both dispersed and powerful. Steam powered many engines, moving people around the planet. Similarly, let this combination provide movement for you in positive ways. It may be sudden and unexpected, and has the potential to be abrupt at times, so tighten the seat belt and hold on, pretending you’re on an enjoyable roller coaster. 🙂

My Higher Self and Guides:

Greetings Dear Ones

We are here to encourage you. You have done tremendously well. We are so proud of you, if pride is something to exist on this side. Indeed, we tell others about you and marvel at your tenacity and ability to persevere in the darkest of times…and not only persevere, but persevere in hope. Oh yes, there are moments of despair, and this is to be expected, for it has been a dark time indeed. And yet. You keep going. And succeed. And this is remarkable to us. So we honor you.

We also wish for you to know that you are dearly loved. No one has greater insight into what you are going through than those who are here with you in every breath…particularly those of us who have been a human…sometimes alongside with you. Again, we marvel that YOU are the true super heroes, and you don’t even know it.

In such times, it is easy to say that all is lost and there’s no hope, for it does seem to be the case, if we would casually look around us. Life continues as it always has, and nothing seems to be changing despite so many efforts.

And yet. When in your history has anyone in government been so influenced by constituents? When have judges received discipline over a ruling? When have so many women been able to unite so easily and be heard by a vast amount of people? When have there been such large groups of people joining together to speak truth, come what may, and be heard and make a difference? These shifts are because you have learned, as a collective. Humanity is beginning to live and respond with compassion and love towards the suffering. As the Humans of New York creator said, “[We are] followed by the nicest 25 million people on the Internet.”** And the number is growing…because of each of you. The more each of you taps into the heart and the love that exists in that space, the greater the effect you have on the planet.

Remember, though, that hate becomes more obvious in the face the face of great love. This does not mean that hate is stronger. No, indeed, for hate is a lower energy process, and is less coherent a frequency than love. So it must work ten times harder…nay, a thousand times harder than love in order to exist, much less create an effect. So, focus on the love.

Love what is easy for you to love…

love your children…

your partners…

your pets…

the sunny days…

the flowers…

the beauty…

the food you eat…

the comfortable beds…

the clean water…

the safety of your surroundings…

your vehicles of transportation…

Whatever brings you joy, love that with the fierceness of a warrior, for that is the Aries energy…use it to magnify the love in your life. In this way you will positively empathically affect the planet and the consciousness of humanity so that the negative effects of this fierce, warrior energy will not be able to get very far.

The more fear is shown to you, or the more fear that pops up inside you, the greater the importance to find the love that is inside you. Surround yourself with that inner love, and reflect that into the world around you. It doesn’t take a huge candle or a strong light to make a difference in a dark room. Be that small light, if you think that’s all you can manage…for even that small light will create ripples of change. And as you continue to practice holding that light of love, you will get stronger…and so will your light and effect.

So search for the ways to love…especially yourself. How? By celebrating your known strengths. What are you good at? As one little girl once said, “I’m really good at falling down!” And she was! If you are too, LOVE that part of you by appreciating your ability to fall down well. If you are good at making a particular recipe, appreciate that about yourself…deeply. If you are good at driving calmly, appreciate that deeply within yourself. Find the things about yourself that you can appreciate, and value them…appreciate them…express gratitude for them…bask in the feelings of them, and this translates to loving yourself. Then, as you fill up on your love and appreciation for yourself, it then becomes a very easy thing to love how you move and interact within the world externally…reflecting that inner love out on to the outer world.

This is the message for this new moon…increase your inner love with a ferocity akin to saving your life.

And with that, commit and attach only to your self and your frequencies of inner love. By doing so, you create a fire which will continue to intensify, thus burning off even more dross in the outer world. Yes, anger is a huge motivator and can accomplish much, and yet, love is more effective. Find the point of love in any situation…an art for a master, it’s true, but every attempt will yield great shifts and eventual results.

If you are having difficulty finding the love in a situation, imagine that the situation resolves in a way that brings you pure joy and your greatest happiness…which means that the outcome is of benefit to all involved. Let go of any attachment to another’s journey, and only want for yourself. In this way you honor the journey of another and respect that he/she can create his/her world just as you are doing for yourself.

Create your outcome by being in joy that it has already happened and appreciate that.

Value that.

This will generate love.

This is the ultimate existence.

You cannot control your outer world, but you can have an effect on it. And the greatest effect happens when you aren’t attached to that outcome, but instead, are attached to your own inner light and your own inner love. Others will respond or react to you according to their inner light. In such situations, remember the flip principle:

we do the opposite of that which we intend to master until we’ve gathered enough information that we can then flip to practicing that which we intend to master.

So when others respond to you in opposition, recognize that they are practicing the opposite for now, in an attempt to gather all the necessary experience and wisdom that comes with such choices. In doing so, they are just that much closer to flipping to practicing the positive aspect of that energy.

Honor their process and their journey and stay in your love.

Like a warrior.

Hold your sword high, and protect that love within yourself…especially if it’s just a little shoot of growth surrounded by the harshness of winter.

Fiercely protect your love and joy and happiness against those who seek to take it away from you.

Nurture it.

Cultivate it.

Feed it, so it can grow and affect those around you…without wanting anything for or of anyone else.

Just be.

Be the lighthouse in the storm.

 

And remember…all is well. Help is here, and it is you. You are a super hero.  And for this, we marvel at your greatness (joke intended).

And so it is.

 

**referring to this quote posted from earlier today:

One thing that makes me most proud of Humans of New York is the warmth of the comment section. There are exceptions of course, but generally the responses to each story are thoughtful and encouraging. I joke that Humans of New York is followed by the nicest 25 million people on the Internet. Often the comment section will take on a life and a narrative of it’s own.

New Moon and Eclipse in Pisces

Tags

Balance, Calm, Deluge, Destruction, Emotions, Ending cycles, Fish, Leaping to new spaces, New Moon, Pisces, Relationships, Shift of consciousness, Solar eclipse, Water sign

Chum salmon jumping. Photographer unknown.

Last moon cycle was about learning how to tend to one’s emotions and the riverbed in which they flow, so as to avoid flooding and destruction if one so chose.

This moon cycle is a time of great purging, and will include staying in control of one’s emotions in the face of deluge and destruction. As a water sign, Pisces dives into deep spaces…particularly with the emotions. The end result of this cycle will be to usher in a significant shift, as signified by the solar eclipse in the sign of Pisces. All the work that one has been doing to slough off the old and heal the scars and wounds of the past, is now finishing up, as in the final rinse cycle of a heavily soiled load of laundry. As the water comes in, all the muck is surfacing and releasing so it can rinse out.

In addition to flushing out the dirt and grime, this emotional deluge will probably lead to destruction of some kind…most likely relationships between people, but not solely limited to this scenario. It will also include destruction of relationships between institutions, governments, corporations, and larger organizations. However, if one doesn’t know about the rinse cycle, it appears as though one will drown in the darkness of destruction. If one has such a perspective, it will be easy to fall into a state of alarm, panic, and fear. But, be brave, for not all is as it seems. In fact, things are ever rarely as they seem, in this dimension.

Imagine a fish (Pisces) swimming in the river in the spring. The river is muddy and fast flowing, giving the illusion that there is much destruction. And, to be honest, there is a bit of destruction the Spring, in order to make room for growth in new ways. In this way, the process of destruction also includes renewal. The muddy waters bring fresh soil to an area that either might need more, or perhaps, never had any. This fresh soil brings nutrients so that the seeds that were planted can sprout and grow with strong support.

Observe the fish in this river. The fish doesn’t fight the mud…the fish just allows it to be. The fish doesn’t fight the floods or strong currents. Instead, the fish uses those currents to propel it higher or lower…whichever is needed at the time. If you watch closely, the fish almost appears to be enjoying the rush…maybe even dancing.

Be the fish. Stay contained withinin your Divine Line, and do what you do best…live your life with grace, humility, intention, and awareness. Do not allow your emotions to be pulled into one extreme or another for then you will lose balance, and the planet has enough of that going on already. Be one who practices balance and self-assuredness in the face of what appears to be chaos and catastrophe. Trust that the muck is lifting up and out, and you know how to swim through it unscathed.

Additionally, for those who choose, there is an opportunity for great evolution of consciousness. You can choose to use the current to make leaps over obstacles and fly to new heights. It will take a little effort on your part, but not much…just a leap. It’ll feel a little uncomfortable…as a fish feels when leaping out of the water to jump up a cascade of falls. But once the fish is back in the water, all is well. You can be that fish too. If you choose.

All is well.

Have faith in the unfolding of a bigger plan.

You are never alone. In fact, there are thousands of beings surrounding the planet, aiding in the evolution of consciousness so that what has happened before will not…cannot…happen again.

Watch.

Observe.

Do not react.

Respond when appropriate.

Until then, simply live a life of compassion and love to all you meet.

This is the work.

And so it is.

~Gysela

New Moon in Aquarius

Tags

A whole new world, Aquarius, Choosing differently, Clarity, Coddywomple, Creation, Destruction, Detachment, Disciplining one's thoughts, Energetic terrain, Flooding, Hawk perspective, Responding vs. reacting, River of emotions, Water bearer

Photo courtesy of poster publisher Kenspeckle LetterPress

If there could be a theme song for this year, I would say it would be, “A Whole New World.”

Indeed, I know that many people, particularly in the United States, feel that what is happening in the political arena is moving us into the middle of last century. And, if we were only looking with the eyes this dimension provides us, such perceptions would seem to be true.

However, we have the opportunity to see from a higher vantage-point…a place that sees a bigger picture than our wee selves, on this planet, can see. As Animal Communicator, Joslyn Zale, channeled recently:

Message from Hawk: Fly high to get a bird’s eye view of the situation before making a decision. This clarity is important for you to move forward effortlessly and joyfully. Peace.

This message is so perfect, not only for the energetic beginning of this calendar year, but also because it highlights the pitfalls of the Aquarius nature…relying solely on intellect from the vantage point of our bodies.

Aquarius is known as an air sign…the sign of the intellect, and correlated with the tarot suit of swords. And yet, its name refers to water, and means “water bearer,” the images showing a man carrying a vessel containing water. To many, this sign is confusing, due to its seemingly dual, or even misleading nature. And yet, it can be a symbol of the perfect balance between the Sacred Masculine (vessel/boundaries) and the Sacred Feminine (water). How? Through detachment.

Embracing the qualities of detachment is what Hawk is inviting us to do this year. This does not mean that feelings and emotions are bad and should be ignored or repressed. Such experiences are energy in pure form and have tremendous capacity to heal and create movement, so it’s important to allow them to exist and listen to what they have to tell us.

Detachment does mean that one doesn’t allow those feelings and emotions to consume us and carry us away into a river of tumult and destruction. The difference is subtle to those seeking to master this, so perhaps the following will help:

Water is the preferred element to represent feelings and emotions in spiritual, alchemical, and astrological circles, so let’s imagine that that one’s feelings and emotions are a river. Sometimes the river is a trickle, or even dry, and sometimes the river is full, or even a raging torrent. A river is identified by the space in which it flows…a river bed and river bank…the edges and boundaries. So long as the river stays within its boundaries there can be much joy in witnessing the ebb and flow of the river…some even enjoy wading or swimming in it. But, when the river overflows the banks and floods the space around it, destruction occurs.

Destruction isn’t necessarily bad or good either…the old must fall away before the new can emerge, and sometimes destruction can be so massive that it’s hard to see what is being created in the background. Remember, destruction and creation are both qualities of the Sacred Feminine…also represented by water. However, there are always consequences to destruction. Connections are severed, foundations are broken up, wounds are revealed, and life as we know it is damaged…sometimes in ways that can never be mended or repaired. Again, such measures can be beneficial, but in this dimension, when one experiences such extremes, there will also be a sense of loss and grief that must be processed before the new can emerge.

However, if one doesn’t wish for the destruction to occur…at least not to such extreme degrees…keeping the river within the boundaries of the banks is important. This can be done most effectively by maintaining the river bed and banks during low flow so that junk doesn’t pile up, causing obstructions to the flow of the water…for as the river rises, junk tends to appear. By keeping the riverbed and banks clean and clear, one can allow that junk to flow, unimpeded during high waters, resulting in improved health to the river and all who depend on it for life.

As someone who has lived a large percentage of her life in her head…only allowing the emotion of anger to burst through…I appreciate the insights and wisdom of those who are much more comfortable and familiar with the experiences of the heart. One such person is Karol K. Truman. In her book, “Feelings Buried Alive Never Die,” she discusses the process of emotions as first beginning as thoughts, which, when allowed to exist and are given energy by engaging with them, bloom into feelings, which, when allowed to exist and are given energy by engaging with them, bloom into outward expressions, or emotions. This is the beginning of what Mike Dooley means when he says, “Thoughts become things.”

Learning how to recognize the thoughts that lead to undesired, destructive, and overflowing emotions is the first, and biggest step, towards learning detachment and discernment. It is also the first, and biggest step, in creating something new and different…because one has chosen a different path, the result will naturally be different.

Additionally, since passing the tipping point of 2012, the energetic terrain of the planet has shifted tremendously, so that the old strategies of power of intimidation, distraction, lies, and secrecy, will be blatantly obvious. And, because they will be so blatantly obvious, people will act in ways they never have before. The old must be destroyed before a newer, higher frequency way can be created and established. So, there will be a while of uncertainty and instability as the destruction and creation takes place. 

So, as our outer world presents us with many, many opportunities for our rivers to overflow and exceed their boundaries as old patterns are destroyed in magnificent ways, we can practice disciplining our thoughts. In doing so, we can choose a different outcome…first for our inner reality, then reflecting that inner reality to our outer world. Indeed, how we respond or react to these situations will determine the direction in which our world goes.

It’s up to us.

Avoid floods.

Go high.

Find clarity.

Choose your path.

Travel purposefully down that path, towards an as-yet-unknown destination.

Create your inner world.

Reflect it on your outer world.

Recognize and celebrate the new world.

It’s up to us. 

And so it is.

~Gysela

 

Creating in the Void

Tags

Aether, Creation, Mercury Retrograde, Moving, Purging, Remnants, Sacred Feminine, Time out of time, Void

Have you ever moved?

If so, then you know that feeling when 99.99% of the stuff is packed and moved, but then there are the odds and ends of a bizarre collection of things you have absolutely no idea what to do with…some of it you may not even have a clue as to what it is or how you got it.

Once you finally do make those decisions and the house is empty, there’s all the cleaning, vacuuming, filling in the holes on the wall, and maybe even some painting.

During this time, you’re probably not living in the place you once called home. You may be living in your new home, or you may be staying in a hotel or with friends as you wrap up your life in this place.

This is the time we’re in now…that in-between space of moving from one home to another. We’re not ready to unpack in our new home, and we’re still finishing up the remaining muck from the last one. This in-between-ness I call The Void.

Another word for The Void could be Aether…the fifth state of matter that includes all that is and all potentials for what could be. It has no specific form, yet could take on any form based on one’s intentions. Then, as one’s intentions are given a thought-form, it gradually filters through the layers to the more dense layer of matter…earth…where it manifests in this dimension.

This specific period of The Void is approximately six weeks long. It began around the beginning of Mercury Retrograde on December 19, 2016, and will end at the first crescent moon on January 28, 2017. So, even though our calendars technically say we are in 2017, energetically, the year won’t begin until January 28. This is due to Mercury Retrograde and its post-retrograde shadow, which ends on January 27.

The year 2016 felt like one massive Mercury Retrograde…of purging, organizing, redoing, re-evaluating, renewing, and realizations. And, really, it’s no surprise that it has been such a year. Numerologically, it was a nine year…the end of a cycle that began in 2008. During this cycle was the five year of change in 2012…the midpoint of the 36 year shift towards the light. A lot needed to be processed this year, and yet, despite all the work that we have done, there is still a little bit left to do…the odds and ends, some of which we have no idea how it got there or that we even had it.

So, use this time out of time to finish purging as you create…creating the future you wish to see for this coming year. Sit in The Void of the potentials…the Aether…and allow the Sacred Feminine to show you what is possible. Once you choose your potential to manifest, spend a few seconds to minutes feeling what it would feel like to have that possibility be a reality. The longer you can spend in that emotion, the stronger and more powerful an effect your manifestation will have.

We are always creating, beginning with our thoughts, so choose carefully!

And so it is.

New Moon in Taurus

Tags

Abandonment, Clarity, Connection, Emotions, Excuses, Fear, Gentleness, Heart, Isolation, Loss, Love, Mercury Retrograde, New Moon, Personal responsibility, Puzzles, Reconfiguration, Release, Resurrection, Safety, Self-control, Self-love, Taurus, Uncertainty, Venus

© Sarah Fretwell

If your life feels anything like mine lately, it’s been a tad intense. The simplest tasks have required an incredible amount of effort…more so than it seems they should. It’s taking longer to accomplish anything than I think it should, or than it has in the past, and after completing only one or two items on my list I’m ready for a very, very long nap.

Additionally, I’m feeling a lot of emotions…intensely and sometimes in a blender…all muddled up so that I’m not entirely certain what I’m feeling…just that I’m feeling something and it’s really really strong. And those strong emotions happen in the oddest of moments…something very insignificant and small brings up all kinds of crap that seems to be unrelated to the situation at hand, and I have, on occasion, found myself feeling foolish and embarrassed afterwards, uncertain exactly as to what just happened.

Some clients of mine are feeling something a bit different. They’re experiencing a profoundly deep sense of loss, abandonment, fear, and uncertainty. There is a sense of not knowing where they’re going or what to do next, and a sense of isolation that is causing them to want to reach out and connect with others in an almost desperate way…sometimes even to people they know aren’t the best for them, but the desire to be with them is almost overwhelming.

Still others I’ve observed are feeling unsafe because they don’t know what’s going on…just that something is happening and that they can’t control it or stop it or change it, so they feel as though their entire life is spiraling out of control. In response, they seek to control their outer world as much as possible, hoping that it will alleviate the internal cyclone that is raging. These same people are also experiencing an opportunity to increase personal responsibility through accountability, but are resisting it because it feels unsafe. To be held accountable for something equates to being corrected, which equates to being disciplined, which equates to being punished, which means (to them) that they are a bad person. Therefore, because they receive the message that they are a bad person, it then is translated to mean that they are either not good enough or not loveable. So, they resist and defend and excuse their attitudes or words or behavior because it’s unsafe to admit the truth.

In working with my clients, I’ve noticed an interesting pattern that beautifully describes and/or explains the process that is generating these experiences. It’s related to this theme of Resurrection, as well as the theme that will be present for this next moon cycle…puzzle pieces.

We’ve each created a life for ourselves using puzzle pieces that we’ve collected along the path of life or lives. The resulting picture is one that has guided us or defined us and has been helpful and beneficial for us…until now. Over the past year it has become increasingly clear that this picture we have used is no longer as useful or effective as it once was, and in the past six weeks we have been handed a new picture for our puzzle…using the same pieces but in a different configuration.

This new configuration will have gaps…because it’s a bigger picture with room for new ideas, new adventures, new people, new projects, and new potentials. In time, the gaps will fill, and the new picture will make sense, but at the moment it doesn’t. This is because in this moment all the pieces are disconnected from one other so that they can be put together in a new way. In this disconnected state, there is no reference point from which an individual piece can identify itself because the new picture orientation hasn’t fully completed. And, it may not fully complete before the pieces begin to come together again, resulting in a feeling of uncertainty, disorientation, confusion, and panic as we wait for clarity.

This, then, is the key…the theme for this cycle…waiting…with Love.

This is not a passive waiting, nor is the Love an external love. The Love is an unconditional self-directed Love that we actively practice daily…or hourly…or breath-ly. It will require slowing down, accomplishing less within each day, and giving ourselves permission to let that be ok. It will require holding a space of compassion for ourselves and our limitations during this time, accepting these limitations and letting those limitations be ok. It will require an adjustment of our thoughts towards ourselves, and saying affirmations of love and support toward ourselves so that our limitations are not entangled definitions of our worthiness, or lack of worthiness, of love. It will require a daily practice of some kind of act of kindness or love towards ourselves…such as a salt bath or a massage or dancing or reading a favorite book or doing your nails or getting a hair cut or taking a vacation or taking a nap or cancelling an appointment. Whatever someone does or says or gives to you that evokes a sense of love within, do for yourself. Create that feeling within, so that there is no dependence on another to provide that feeling for you…because, let’s be honest, right now, with this energetic configuration, you might not be able to depend on anyone giving you what you need…except yourself.

This is all being played out astrologically as well. This new moon is in Taurus, an earth sign, and a sign of personal security and luxury and wealth. Taurus wants material comfort and will work patiently and diligently to achieve it. It is also a sign of sensuality and pleasure, it’s ruling planet being Venus, the goddess of love in all its forms. So, by focusing on the things that bring you pleasure, you will be magnifying Love in your life and elevating your mood and frequency above the muddled confusion of this restructuring time.

Additionally, Venus is currently in Cancer, a water sign, ruled by the moon. This particular water sign deals with the emotions of the home life, signifying the potentials for long-standing issues at home to come to the surface for healing and growth. Mercury will also begin its retrograde motion during this time, offering many opportunities for slowing down and choosing words carefully when communicating with loved ones…especially towards yourself.

As with all Mercury retrogrades, take the time to slow down and adjust your timing mechanisms so that you can easily flow through these next three weeks. Stay present and go within in order to maximize the benefits that this space has to offer you. And, be aware that there are many around you who won’t be doing this, so be particularly careful while driving, speak slowly and softly, and avoid unnecessary stimulation as emotions will be running high in others not practicing self-love.

Things will balance out again in mid-June, so take heart and keep going. Each breath is an opportunity to try again…to love again…to practice again…to release and heal and evolve…resurrecting from the ashes…building a new picture piece by piece.

May we create the Love we seek, holding it on ourselves, for ourselves, and reflecting our fullness into our outer world…with gentleness and ease.

And so it is.

~Gysela

Resurrecting and Boundaries

Tags

Boundaries, Celebration, Change, Completion, Empowerment, Manifesting, New Terrain, Resurrection, Transformation

Photo by Dennis Scholl

The theme of Resurrection and Boundaries has been quite prominent in my life over the past several weeks. In some ways, I’ve felt like I’m coming out of the water and breathing air for the first time in a long time, the memory of breathing had been almost forgotten.

For the past six months, my life, again, has been in a constant state of change. I still find it curious that, after so many years of intense and constant change, that the continuation of it is also still so stressful at times. I know that life is movement…I think I’ve finally learned and accepted that truth. And yet, this change I’ve experienced is deep and profound…wordless in its all-encompassing destruction.

And, to be fair, I’ve created this change. I’ve asked for it. I have made this change of direction and internal health the single most important event of my life for seven years. My attention to manifesting the other side has been equally all-consuming. And the results are astonishing.

I’m here.

I did it.

I made it happen.

It actually worked.

Holy *&^$ @#&$  &#&$*@!!!!!!!

Now what?!

Well, now I learn to enjoy the fruits of my labor! I learn to slow down, adjust my energy fields to the now, and maintain all the abundance and support and commitment and peace and Love and joy and connection that is here now.

I resurrect into my new life with a greater understanding and appreciation for the lack of boundaries in it. I can define myself in whatever way I want.

And, I find it so fitting that this process is being reflected to me in my outer world through the artistic community. My local symphony recently performed Mahler’s Second Symphony, also known as The Resurrection, and my local art museum hosted an exhibit on aboriginal art, entitled “No Boundaries.”

As I sat, again, contemplating these aboriginal pieces…wanting to understand what I was seeing and simultaneously fascinated and drawn to them…I saw a paragraph in the exhibition catalogue that seemed to sum up this experience for me:

[For these painters, painting] came in their twilight years, at the time when most would be looking for a quiet retirement. In Western art, we are used to senior, established artists becoming fixed in their ways; stuck repeating the triumphs of their youth. For Aboriginal Australians it is the reverse: it is only because these men were assured in their identity and fully in command of their cultural corpus, that they could leave behind the comfort of old ideas.

So, if you are in the process of transformation, whether it’s in the beginning stages of awareness, discomfort of place, destruction, loss, internal isolation, glimpses of a new direction, seeing the synchronicity of life’s support as you rebuild, or the holding of the final product in your hands, rest assured. None of this could be possible unless you had completed something…assured in your identity and fully in command of your cultural corpus so that you could leave it behind in order to ascend to a new level…a new dimension…a higher existence.

Congratulations!

You did it!

And so it is.

~Gysela

Filling in the Gaps

Tags

Completing contracts, Completing cycles, Details, Full moon in Virgo, Impatience, Life purpose, Maturity, Releasing, Revelation, Slow progress, Tediousness, Understanding

by Gysela Gervais

Recently, I became enchanted with counted cross stitch…again. And in my enchantment, I pulled out my supplies and came across several unfinished projects…some rather recent, others not so much.

My obsession began when I was about 10 or 11 years old. A family friend introduced me to the orderliness and simultaneous creativity of the craft and I wholeheartedly threw myself into the counted cross stitch domain. I was not very discriminatory with my project selection…I simply wanted to create. So I did. Even without a plan for the end purpose of the project once complete.

Soon, I started piling up projects. I didn’t know why I was doing them or what I would do with them once I finished them, so two things happened: I left some projects alone, and others I gave away. The above image is one such project that I abandoned. So, as the pattern still appeals to me, I picked up this project to complete.

Then, some odd things began to happen. As I began to review my progress compared to the pattern, I began to remember things…thoughts I had, emotions I felt, experiences with other people, places I was…all things that were current as I stitched various areas of this pattern. And, the memories spanned several years. Apparently, I’ve set this project aside more than once.

As these memories came back to me, I noticed some connected emotions to them…some pleasant and some not so pleasant. At one point, my memories became so strong that I had to put the project down and simply focus on my remembering, because my emotions were starting to flip-flop all over the place. So, I surrendered to the journey, trusting that there was a purpose to it.

Several minutes into the surrender, I found myself awash in emotions…some of which I thought I had completed and released years ago. I couldn’t understand why these things were coming up yet again. I asked my Guides for support, and they told me that I didn’t need to wallow in the sea of emotions…it was a process I would understand better by continuing to work on the project. So, I did.

I continued to compare the unfinished work with the pattern and I soon noticed a pattern in my stitching…I had skipped over some rather important parts…the detailed parts…the multitude of half cross stitches in various colors. Looking at those gaps, I remembered the moment of decision to skip them. I remembered being impatient that I was spending so much time on the details that I felt as though I was accomplishing nothing. I’d spend hours on the pattern and no one could tell that anything had changed. So, in frustration, I decided to skip the “hard and tedious” parts, and only work on the sections that would go quickly…even though it was going to make the “hard and tedious” parts more difficult later.

As I looked at the piece now, realizing all the clean-up work I had ahead of me as a result of my younger decision, I also realized how much I have changed since those impatient and impetuous days. It was a surreal moment of time travel to meet myself so starkly from another existence.

At first I was annoyed with my younger, immature, instant-gratification self. And then I realized that those were simply my limits then…the details were overwhelming to me at that time, so I shifted my approach to the project, allowing me to still accomplish the task, yet do it in a more enjoyable way. Pretty clever of me, actually. And, even more clever, is that the me in the now, the older and more mature me, actually enjoys the detailed and tedious work…the finer points of the project, because, it is these finer points the make the end product so appealing.

These parts of the pattern were the reason you chose it to begin with.

Yes, it takes a long time to work them out, and yes, it takes up more embroidery floss to address these areas than if I had done so when stitching the rest of the areas, and yes, despite the many hours I have put into this project recently, I doubt most people could tell me what I did. But. They would know that something had changed…the picture was clearer…they could understand areas they couldn’t before.

And this is the lesson of this time and your memories. You chose to be here for these detailed moments of completion…of understanding…of seeing the picture in ways you never saw before. These detailed and tedious moments are why you chose this lifetime, and why it had to be now instead of before…you weren’t ready.

So, as I work on this project, now with an end goal in mind, I’m not only filling in the gaps with thread and needle, I’m also filling in gaps of spiritual and personal understanding in the bigger picture of my life…and it will continue to fill with small pieces…little moments of clarity…wee snippets of understanding…until enough has been done for me to have that big “AHA!” moment, complete the project, and release it from my life for good.

And, perhaps, it will also be the same for you through this full-moon-in-Virgo week. If so, may you be supported with compassion, wisdom, and much Love.

And so it is.

~Gysela

Time Out of Time

Tags

Astrological year, Choices, Choosing, Christ Consciousness, Decisions, Mercury Retrograde, Mercury Shadow Period, Pisces, Pluto and Uranus Square, Renovation, Seventh Chakra, Transformation

 

Mercury Retrograde has ended. Usually that means that slowly, time gets back “on track,” life picks up speed and things take off rather quickly. But, this time, Mercury Retrograde doesn’t feel fully completed, and I see a few reasons for this incompleteness.

Firstly, even though the retrograde motion has completed, there is still the “shadow period” to finish. The shadow period is that space over which the planet Mercury travels three times during the “retrograde” process. If you look at the path the planet takes during its backwards motion, it retraces a portion of the path it took just prior to its turning backwards. This is the first shadow period…the time before Mercury Retrograde during which issues that arise gives one clues as to what will be addressed fully in the backwards motion of the planet. Similarly, once the planet begins its forward motion again, it must retrace all the steps it took as it went backwards…going over that space path for the third time. So. Just because we’re moving forward, technically, it doesn’t mean that “stuff” is finished yet. In fact, it means that we still have the completing to do…the healing…the finalizing…the repairing…the rebuilding.

Secondly, in the past couple of years, the first Mercury Retrograde of the calendar year has fallen later in the year…February into March…so that by the time it ends, Spring Equinox is happening, the astrological year begins again, and off we go. This year, we experienced Mercury Retrograde an entire moon cycle earlier, leaving a good 4-6 weeks of time between the end of the retrograde motion, and the beginning of the astrological year. So, rather than ramping up for a “GO!,” instead, there is a slowing down and an additional introspective time as we move into the sign of Pisces, the culminating water sign, and final sign in the astrological calendar.

The ruling planet of Pisces is Neptune, which is the planet of illusions and dreams, giving us a clue as to what will be revealed to us during this time. Add to this mix the seventh, and final, Pluto/Uranus square which will affect most of the month of March, and we have a really good picture as to why we are not quite ready to move forward yet. There is still a bit of work to do…the last deep dredges of muck to clean out.

These Pluto/Uranus squares began in June 2012, and have continued to meet up every few months for a total of seven times. These squares have highlighted various aspects of our lives and society, and forced us to see the dark spaces and confront the dysfunctional aspects of ourselves and our place within an evolving consciousness. If you take a moment to look back at your life since June 2012, I’m sure, at this point, you can start to see some patterns, some clues, some clarity around why certain things happened, and maybe even where you might be headed next.

Pluto is the planet of transformation, and really doesn’t much care about our pain through the process. Rather, Pluto is most concerned that it happens and will be relentless until the goal is achieved. The easiest and most gentle way of getting through Pluto’s demands is to surrender to the process and allow it to happen…completely out of our control. Uranus is the planet of rebellion, dissolving barriers, freedom, future developments, creativity, rule breaking, system demolishing, and sudden, radical change. In terms of the tarot, I would compare Uranus to the Tower card…swift and sudden destruction in order for something better to have space in which to be built. So, it’s fairly easy to see that when these two planets square each other, shit is bound to hit the fan.

As I have done personal research throughout these squares in order to understand all the inner chaos I was experiencing, I came across several blogs that highlighted the idea that these seven squares coincide with the seven major chakras of the body…each square having a theme as it played out both personally and societally. I won’t recommend a particular blog on this topic, as each reader will resonate with different ones at different times…just like I have. And yet, there is something really beautiful about this synchronicity, regardless of how people have interpreted it. Every single square has dissolved and rebuilt some huge aspect of my identity within each chakra and its corresponding area of my life. Which means that this final, and seventh, square, is all about higher consciousness…some might even call it the Christ Consciousness.

The Christ Consciousness is not to be confused with Christianity or Jesus in most ways. It is not a religion or a person or a creed. It’s a way of being…a way of living…a way of viewing life and one’s place within humanity as a whole. Jesus was thought to embody this consciousness, which is why he was called “the Christ,” just as Buddha did, Gandhi, and many other significant spiritual teachers. It is what Jesus referred to when he talked about the Kingdom of Heaven being within you, this Christ Consciousness…an awareness of self at the soul level as well as at the egoic level and finding more evolved ways to live and move and be in duality. This, should the pattern continue, is what will be addressed in this seventh square…both within self as well as within the outer world collectively.

As we work through these transformative processes, we will have to make a choice. A choice exactly like a couple has to make on one of HGTV’s “reality” shows, Love It or List It. In the show, a homeowning couple faces a dilemma of daily living. Something in their home no longer works for them, and it usually has been a problem for quite some time. However, now things are at a critical point and something must change. Their options are: to renovate their existing home, or move to a different one. During the course of the show, both options happen…the couple shops for a different home while renovations are taking place in their current home. At the end of the renovation, the couple must decide…are the renovations enough of a change to support continued living in that space, or will they sell the home and move.

What is always fascinating to me in this show is the incredible transformation that is possible within the structure of their already existing homes. I am always mesmerized by the potentials that the designer sees that I often cannot, and I feel the frustration when, during renovation, larger issues are discovered…requiring eliminating some item on the renovation list. Sometimes, the larger issues are so large that it is almost impossible to make the home livable and safe, much less address any of the issues that the family needs in order to continue living there. In those situations, it becomes abundantly clear that they must let go and start over.

So, from now until around the end of March 2015, we will be experiencing this Time Out of Time…this continued introspection and dissolution of things and self that no longer support a higher consciousness and an evolved way of being and living. It will be intense, as this is the last hurrah of this particular series, at the end of which we will have to choose…do the inner changes require a simple renovation of our outer lives, or will they require us to begin again in brand new ways. Once the debris is cleared and the choice made, we will begin again…adjustments made, dreams re-dreamed, and appropriate structures for support in place.

May we find gratitude and blessings throughout the process.

And so it is.

~Gysela

New Moon in Aquarius and Mercury Retrograde

Tags

Air sign, Aquarius, Cleaning, Crossing to Safety, Emotions, Impulses, Inner life, Inner safety, Inner transformation, Limiting beliefs, Mercury Retrograde, New Moon, Reckless behaviors, Release, Societal restrictions, Vulnerability, Water

Packhorse bridge at Carrbridge. Photo from The Press and Journal

This cycle’s new moon fell on 0° Aquarius two days ago, which ushered in the beginning of Mercury Retrograde proper yesterday. When I sat this with energy, Aquarius spent some time with me before Mercury did, because it can be a rather complicated sign, and one I have had trouble comprehending. And, while this time usually focuses on those whose sun signs fall in this space in time, everyone has Aquarius in his/her chart, and it could be quite revealing to find out how this particular sign affects you, regardless of your sun sign.

Aquarius has been an intriguing sign for me, because, despite the sign’s symbol of waves, the name, and the description of the water bearer, it is, in fact, an air sign. Air represents intellect, metal, ideas, wit, and logic, and Aquarius embodies these attributes quite well. Aquarius tends to be an excellent business owner and boss with the ability to analyze and evaluate data clearly and with insight. However, what is often forgotten is that water exists in the air as well as the ocean, and, under certain conditions, that water can result in quite a storm. In such situations, Aquarius often is impulsive and headstrong and abundantly certain about situations, particularly as relates to others, without realizing that these perspectives are usually clouded by an inner storm of emotion rather than the sharp mental analysis Aquarius thinks he/she is providing.

For all of us, this particular Mercury Retrograde provides a unique opportunity for balancing these unknown tendencies by becoming aware of the emotions, as well as the insight, by going within. Whenever a planet goes retrograde, it is an opportunity for us to slow down and go within. The sign containing the retrograding planet gives us clues as to where we can find the treasures, wisdoms, and pearls that are supported and revealed during this time. Mercury, being the planet of technology, communication, and travel, highlights the opportunity to slow down, recalibrate our timing mechanisms, and go within…communicate with self more than others. It offers a time to disconnect from technology and reconnect more deeply within…to travel through our daily lives with a clearer and deeper awareness because we are seeing with our hearts as well as our minds. And, because Mercury-in-retrograde’s mantra is “Re-,” (revise, renew, regenerate, review, reorganize, reorient, readjust, reevaluate, etc.), there is always an element of transformation. And this specific combination is particularly potent.

The analogy for these next 3-6 weeks comes from Wallace Stegner’s Crossing to Safety, namely through the relationship between Charity and Sid…Charity representing Aquarius, and Sid representing the transformational opportunity within Mercury Retrograde. This moment for Sid comes when he verbally confides in Larry that he doesn’t know how he will survive when Charity dies. Charity, with her clear and confident opinions and directions, has essentially taken over Sid’s life, paralyzing him from making his own decisions and living according to his inner compass. He has both depended upon and resented Charity for this, and now that she’s dying, he has to face the reality of the transformational opportunity in front of him…moving from finding safety, comfort, and stability in her confidence and direction to relying on his inner truth which will guide him in a new direction.

For each of us facing a similar process of transformation, we may experience impulsive and reckless movements and outbursts as old, completed behaviors and attitudes end…either in the waking or dream worlds, or both. However, rather than repeating the cycle, as has been the way for many years or even generations, we will have an opportunity to see these behaviors and attitudes for what they are. And in doing so, we will see another path…another door…another way…where none previously existed. We can then choose…to practice a new and more evolved way of living, or repeating the old familiar cycles. Both choices will be honored.

For those who choose to move in a new direction, spend time connecting within in order to notice from where these impulsive and reckless urges stem. Listen to the wisdom of these feelings, keeping the pearls and releasing the behaviors, expectations, patterns, directions, and restrictions that no longer serve your greatest happiness. Take time to recognize that these have served a valuable purpose, just like Charity, in providing you with societal and familial acceptance. However, down this new path, the outer will become less important as the inner alignment with Self increases. Gradually, those old and familiar ways will be replaced with a deeper self-love for the uniqueness of you, a confidence in your inner wisdom, and clarity in the direction that is best for you. This shift is supportive of a preparation for a humble and joyous expression of the heart that will continue to unfold throughout the calender year.

Yet, should this unfamiliar way feel lonely, know that there is always support available as we do this inner clearing. For best results, confide only in those who have the capacity to both fully see and accept you…who have the capacity to both unconditionally love as well as counsel…those who have stood the test of time through a variety of circumstances, as the transformation within will not only be enhanced through these associations, but will also protect you from a sense of isolation and desperation.

Ultimately, what we can potentially experience for the first time, or learn in deeper ways, is how to find safety in vulnerability…to choose to reach out to another when one would rather withdraw…to practice keeping an open heart even in the raw and uncensored moments…to discover new truths within…to finally crossing the bridge to another by first coming home to Self.

May you find safety in the crossing.

May you find peace in the blending.

May you find joy in the freedom.

May you find love within.

And so it is.

~Gysela