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Choose to Celebrate! – Richard’s Commentary
The press does a great job of getting us into fear. This word is the center-point of Rosemary’s post. It seems, especially since 9/11, that there has been a deliberate campaign to keep us fearful. Call me a conspiracy theorist if you will, but think about it; watch the news (FOX or MSNBC) and listen for the undercurrent, the focus of the articles, the energy of the reporters or anchors. What is your sense?
Now, I don’t even want to go into the motivations for this, if there even are any. Sensation sells. And if the commercials on news channels are any indication then the news is all about selling. And maybe it’s that simple.
The key point here is we have choices. We can choose to listen and believe everything we hear on the news. If we do there is good reason for fear! Ebola is big in the news with a handful of people here in the US who have come down with the virus and one unfortunate death. But it is well controlled, contained and the chances of an epidemic here are next to none. So why all the frenzy and controversy? It sells; it keeps us tuned in. We have a choice – to tune out!
I am not suggesting a total “news fast” here, although there are many, including some of my esteemed teachers, who recommend avoiding the news, all media for that matter! I do limit the amount of news programming I watch and I watch with a very critical eye and ear, looking at the underlying story, motivation, nuance. And most importantly I choose how to react.
That said, if you ask Rosemary she would say I often over-react at the nonsense that is being spouted and reported as news. Maybe that’s my choice!
Here’s the key to Rosemary’s Exploration:
There are a lot of fear-mongers who would invite you to feel fear. There are a lot of situations in the world that, when focused on, will generate fear. There are, though, a lot MORE situations that invite us to celebrate.
Rosemary goes on to list many, even down to the functions of our bodies, the meals we eat and the air we breathe. Do you celebrate your stomach for taking care of the meal you just ate?
One of the methods I choose while practicing Qigong is the “inner smile” made popular by Mantak Chia. As my practice winds down and I begin the closing breathing and self-massage, I go through my inner organs in my mind’s eye and thank them with a smile! This is my way of celebrating my health, my body and my physical life. Fear, bad news, horror stories of violence and greed will not give me ulcers. I smile to my stomach and offer my thanks and praise for the awesome work it does!
And if that sounds too weird to you, then choose other ways to celebrate. Maybe it’s your safety record as a good driver. Maybe it’s a fabulous accomplishment by you or a family member. Look for the good news from the simple, everyday successes to the complexities of technology that allow you to read this half-way around the world, instantly.
As Rosemary concludes:
Celebrate! You are reading this. Fear reminds you that you have forgotten to celebrate what’s good, what’s going well. Choose to focus on celebrating and let the fear take a back seat. There’s always something to celebrate, even if it’s just that next breath that you take!
ROSEMARY’S EXPLORATION: Choose to Celebrate!
You are always at a point of choice about how you will respond to a given situation. The way it works is: an event happens, you have a knee-jerk reaction, and you respond. When you are living a conscious life, you pause after that knee-jerk reaction and CHOOSE how you will respond.
Life happens. Stuff happens to and around and in us. We have natural tendencies to react in a certain way. Your first response might be anger. It might be fear. It might be to blame someone else. It might be to assume that it is your fault. There are lots of ways that you can react to a stimulus.
But you CHOOSE the way you will respond to that stimulus. If you allow your unconscious mind to make the choice, it will choose to operate under the same strategies from which your knee-jerk reaction arose.
However, if you give yourself a chance to pause, you will have many more options for choosing a response.
There are a lot of fear-mongers who would invite you to feel fear. There are a lot of situations in the world that, when focused on, will generate fear. There are, though, a lot MORE situations that invite us to celebrate.
But do we focus on celebrating or on fear?
The chances are very slim that you will ever contract the Eboli virus. And, yet, many people are hysterically afraid of this disease which is, admittedly, not a fun thing to have. It is, however, very difficult to contract this disease. But you are certainly hearing a lot about it, often with an undertone of fear.
Now think about all the things that are going RIGHT with your body, right now, in this moment, as you read these words. You have molecules and atoms and cells and tissues and organs that are all functioning without your conscious mind having to direct the show. Air is going in and out of your lungs without your conscious effort, unless you choose to focus on your breathing.
The last meal you ate is digesting itself without your focus. You can reach for a drink of water without having to consciously fire off every muscle involved in the action. Your eyes and brain are working together to make sense of the images you read on this page.
In other words, there are a whole lot of reasons for you to celebrate your body!
Are you feeling fearful at the moment about something that hasn’t happened yet?
Allow that fear to invite you into celebration of something that IS HAPPENING in this present moment. Get into gratitude for things that are working the way you want them to work. Think about the volunteers around the globe who are selflessly serving others right now.
Think about the Sun rising every single morning without your assistance. The things that you worry about are possibilities that haven’t materialized yet. Even if you have a fear based on something that has already happened, is that fear leading to the resources to make the optimal choice of response or is it constricting your vision so much that you can’t see any other possibilities?
Celebrate! You are reading this. Fear reminds you that you have forgotten to celebrate what’s good, what’s going well. Choose to focus on celebrating and let the fear take a back seat. There’s always something to celebrate, even if it’s just that next breath that you take!
ROSEMARY’S INSPIRATION: Choose to Celebrate!
Rosemary’s “Two-Minute” Video for this Week: Choose to Celebrate!
MONDAY’S POEM: Cosmic Aura
In case you hadn’t noticed, dear reader, I love the Fall. For many reasons it is my favorite season. One thing I particularly enjoy is watching the changing qualities of the light. Every day seems different, but the underlying quality is gold. My last couple of poems posted here are recent ones as I relish these shortening days filled with wonderful light, color, sounds, smells, all those sumptuous “flavors” of late harvest (so full and sweet) and the coming cold!
Cosmic Aura
Bright day follows cool morning rain.
That tale lingers in the glisten on the deck,
The scattering gray at the eastward edge.
Now is a fine day dawning.
There is gold lighting the canopy.
The trees reflect the Cosmic Aura.
That radiant light begins within,
Extends outward to fill
The entire known Universe –
And beyond (we don’t know much!).
It is a deep light, endless,
Dancing ecstatically at the edge,
Holding boundless love
In the gossamer fingers of God,
Arms of Goddess holding Cosmos to her breast.
©2014 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.
New Moon in Scorpio I Ching
This New Moon yesterday evening (here on the East Coast at 5:56 pm) was a powerful one and brought with it a solar eclipse. We had western clouds obscuring it here but here’s a picture of the eclipse from Griffith Observatory:
And the New Moon signals me to bring out the yarrow stalks and sit with them to cast a I Ching Gua (hexagram of yin and yang lines) to “read” the energies brought in with this New Moon in the Astrological sign of Scorpio.
Here is the resulting Gua:
I am please to report that this is an auspicious sign for the coming month (moonth) and it is a steady one, i.e. there are no changing lines in the cast so we can expect “steady increasing” through the month.
My main reference for the I Ching is The Complete I Ching by Taoist Master Alfred Huang. His book is deep, thorough and clear. My favorite segment of the text for this Gua, Yi, is the last verse of Confucius’ Commentary on King Wen’s Decision:
Increase means with gentleness and mildness.
It proceeds daily without limits.
Heaven bestows and Earth accepts.
Thereby things increase without restriction.
The Tao of increasing always proceeds in harmony with the time.
The picture here is Wind over Thunder. The gentleness comes from above, from the Wind trigram. And the power, the “daily without limits” comes from below, Thunder. The image of “Heaven bestows and Earth accepts” suggests this receiving of gifts without restraint – gifts from Heaven!
This interpretation comes from a transformation of another Gua formed by the Heaven trigram (three solid, Yang lines) above and the Earth trigram (thee open, Yin lines) below. By moving the fourth line in this hexagram (which is Pi-Hindrance) to the bottom we get our new hexagram, Increasing. The gift flows down from Heaven offering increase to the Earth!
We are in a period of change, rapid for some. Rosemary and I have been writing about this all week; the theme has been “change, transformation, transition.” Today’s I Ching divination supports this with good news! The transition phase we are in is bringing increase, steady increase that is both gentle and mild. Let’s enjoy this period of positive growth!
This Gua does come with a warning in the form of that top Yang line; the Yao text says: “No increase, but a strike. Not keeping the heart steady: misfortune.” The top line is at the extreme end of the Gua and is Yang. From here it is likely to shift unless close attention is given – “keeping the heart steady”! If we are consistent in our approach, remain aware of our purpose and proceed accordingly, steady increase is our reward!
PS: The Astrology supports the I Ching! My friend, Gloria Hesseloff offers a New Moon newsletter each month and I am always tickeled (not surprised) with the mutual support between what the Yarrow Stalks tell me and the Astrology tells Gloria. Here’s a snippet from her MAGNETIC MOON NEWSLETTER month:
This month take the Pluto/Scorpio Path of Self-Empowerment. This is a vital part of this Great Shift. Be part of the movement where folks like us, seeking higher consciousness, are practicing right use of power for the higher good. Be especially diligent about what you are thinking and feeling. What are you broadcasting to the Field and what are you praying for through your thoughts and feelings?
Be aware that we are also experiencing a Solar Eclipse which is offering us the opportunity to jumpstart our consciousness, asks us the question, “Are you ready to move to a higher octave?”
Thanks, Gloria!
Change, Transformation and Transition – Richard’s Commentary
The shifts are here. The transformation we have been waiting for, wondering about, anticipating with both excitement and maybe some fear, is here! I have heard from several sources now that proclaim the big shifts predicted by the Mayan calendar are happening. Rosemary’s mystic message and her channeled message from The Divine Feminine this past Wednesday evening both speak to this Era of Change we have entered.
Do you feel it? Are you reacting to this sense of change we are experiencing? It may be a good time to take some proactive steps toward living more consciously! Here’s an example of what I am doing:
I have had a number of signs show up in my life that suggest that I need to rise before dawn and greet the Sun every morning. As a kid helping my Dad on the farm I was usually up before the Sun. But I am not a morning person. When I have a choice I prefer to sleep in! One of my most esteemed teachers, Martín Prechtel, strongly suggested we make a practice of greeting the Sun each morning. When I was attending Bolad’s Kitchen I was faithful to his suggestion, but my commitment to this important practice was easily released when away from Northern New Mexico. More recently I read a novel about the Cherokee and the Trail of Tears. The Cherokee greeted “Mother Sun” every morning.
I have begun this practice again. For the past several days I have risen before the Sun to great Him/Her. And this has been wonderful. It not only feels right, but I sense a deepening shift in me that is more than enough reward for (what use to be) my reluctance to rise early!
This may seem a small thing to do. But it is a shift I am making consciously. And it is a response to a call to make this shift. As Rosemary writes:
Conscious Living means being aware of your Self, your Purpose and taking charge of the changes you make in your life. Awareness is key to moving consciously through any change, small or gigantic. Observing yourself in the midst of a sea of change can be a way to weather the change while feeling peace inside.
Are you responding to the shifts? Have you sensed any energy changes and made adjustments? Rosemary goes on to say:
It is not just you as an individual going through changes that is the energy of this experience of the 21stCentury. We are all, whether conscious or not, experiencing the great shift that is the transformation of Planet Earth. Nothing is staying the same. Hold onto your hat!
These are exciting times. Some people may go into fear around the signs of change; they may become uncomfortable during the transition as we move through the changes into the transformation. But we have help to support us through these times.
The message from The Divine Feminine from October 15 gave us much to think about and offered incredible support. They said fear is a signal to us that we are transforming. In those moments we are called to bring in more light. Move into the light. We are the light! This is just one more sign to me to rise before dawn to greet Father/Mother Sun. Rosemary concludes her message:
The entire Planet Earth is transitioning now into the New Earth. Each human being is evolving into the New Human. You can resist or transform.
And:
This transition is glorious. Each of us is emerging as a beautiful butterfly. Celebrate!
Adjust to the shifts; and be glad!
PS: The Divine Feminine offered incredible guidance for our evolution and support for our change, transformation and transition! On October 15 they offered amazing help as we begin to become aware of our Cosmic Bodies and expand into our Cosmic Auras! The recording can be purchased for immediate downloading and support from Rosemary’s website: TheScientificMystic.com
ROSEMARY’S EXPLORATION: Change, Transformation and Transition
My email inbox is full of invitations to ‘change,’ ‘transform,’ ‘uplevel,’ etc. I’ll bet yours is, too. Are you ready to change?
The only constant in life IS change, but sometimes we slide into change or it is thrust upon us by circumstances outside of us. Has this been happening to you?
Conscious Living means being aware of your Self, your Purpose and taking charge of the changes you make in your life. Awareness is key to moving consciously through any change, small or gigantic. Observing yourself in the midst of a sea of change can be a way to weather the change while feeling peace inside.
It is not just you as an individual going through changes that is the energy of this experience of the 21stCentury. We are all, whether conscious or not, experiencing the great shift that is the transformation of Planet Earth. Nothing is staying the same. Hold onto your hat!
At the time of these great shifts we have an opportunity to allow the change to be transformative. We can move ourselves, our understanding, our spiritual selves into a higher level of functioning on the Planet. We are really RESPONSIBLE to the Planet and her inhabitants to experience this kind of transformation.
When circumstances invite you to change, do you make a graceful transition to the next level? Or do you resist, fighting the change until it becomes inevitable and then you just give up? How well do you accept change?
Sometimes it is easy to change when we are the instigators of the change and we see the destination toward which we are moving. We can be positively elegant when we change in this manner.
At other times, we fight, we resist, we try to ignore, we might even try to go backward as we argue against a change. Energetically, these tactics make that which we are resisting more powerful over us. The transition to the new level becomes difficult, tedious, sometimes even painful.
As the Borg say (for all you Trekkies out there), ‘Resistance is futile.’
When we are in the transition stage of change in our lives, we can experience the most energy of the transformation that is taking place. Think of yourself as a caterpillar shifting into the butterfly. It might be a process that is frightening, uncomfortable, even unwanted. But what a beautiful result there is after the transformation!
The entire Planet Earth is transitioning now into the New Earth. Each human being is evolving into the New Human. You can resist or transform.
This evolutionary process requires a lot of changes in our daily lives. We are being called to become more conscious of who we are, our authentic selves. We are being invited into the transformative process to partner with others who are willing to move forward into the state of being a New Human.
Life can become simpler for us if we shift out of old ways of being, of operating in the world. Relationships become more intimate when we drop the pretense, the masks we used to wear. We create conscious businesses. We make conscious choices. We listen with our hearts. We collaborate and support.
This transition is glorious. Each of us is emerging as a beautiful butterfly. Celebrate!
PS: The recording of The Oracle Speaks channeled message from last week is now available. The Divine Feminine offered incredible guidance for our evolution and support for our change, transformation and transition! They offered amazing help as we begin to become aware of our Cosmic Bodies and expand into our Cosmic Auras! The recording can be purchased from Rosemary’s website: TheScientificMystic.com
ROSEMARY’S INSPIRATION: Change, Transformation and Transition
Rosemary’s “Two-Minute” Video for this Week: Change, Transformation and Transition
PS: The recording of The Oracle Speaks channeled message from last week is now available. The Divine Feminine offered incredible guidance for our evolution and support for our change, transformation and transition! They offered amazing help as we begin to become aware of our Cosmic Bodies and expand into our Cosmic Auras! The recording can be purchased from Rosemary’s website: TheScientificMystic.com
MONDAY’S POEM: No-place
Today’s poem is a bookend to Friday’s. Our Autumn weather here in Maryland is wonderful. Now all we need is a frost to bring out the colors!
No-place
It is a beautiful day with mild air and brilliant sky;
The trees, their light branches and leaves still so green,
Dancing in the breeze,
Doing their Qigong practice with the breath of Nature.
It is a high-pitched light vibration
That whispers joy, peace and surrender,
Echoes through the bubble that is time eternal.
It is a gentle kiss flirting with my light mood.
It tickles me with the chuckle of baby boy,
The chiree of high-flying hawk.
Then it settles, relaxing into a still space;
I exhale to rest in this no-place.
©2014 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.
FRIDAY’S POEM FROM “RHYTHMS AND CYCLES” – The Fall
We’ve had some gloomy days lately here in Maryland and the warm weather continues into our deepening fall. How much longer can winter hold off? Everyone is talking about a hard winter and the signs for one are there. Yet we wait. Today’s poem has this same mood about it:
The Fall
The predicted rain
Remains suspended.
A light breeze plays
In the mostly green trees
Just beginning to show signs
Of age.
There is a waiting quality to
This Presence.
It’s as if something momentous
Is about to happen,
Yet it holds, a bit longer
Building anticipation
For the Fall.
©2014 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.
Please enjoy!
Men and The Goddess 