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Leap! – Richard’s Commentary
Somehow it doesn’t seem like we have leapt into Spring yet! We are at the day of the Equinox and there is still snow on the ground from our Monday storm. The temperatures are slowly rising. But then did I hear something about snow next week?! I don’t know about you but I am ready to leap!
Or am I? There is a higher, broader “leap” The Divine Feminine are asking us to take in their message Rosemary channeled. And it’s a challenge; here it is:
You are being called to bring your heart, your feelings, your emotions into your daily interactions because it is through your heart that you can access your intuition. By allowing yourself to ‘feel your answers’ you can better interact with other people from a place of heart-felt love.
This is not the smallest task The Divine Feminine has asked of us! I think (note that word I just wrote) that it is difficult to “feel answers.” It is especially difficult for men to “bring our hearts” into daily interactions. And yet how else can we ever hope to make progress into becoming truly 21st Century humans?
While we wait for Putin’s next move in the Crimea/Ukraine arena of what we thought was a long-dead cold war, it is a challenge to bring my heart into the process and feelwhat is going on there. When I look at Putin I see a cold, hard, calculating menace to world peace. But where is my heart in this? Can I treat Russia as a being and accept that this may only be a defensive reaction? Is the heart of Russia threatened by the potential encroachment of NATO and Western Europe into her sphere of influence? Can this be more of a “heart reaction” than a cold, calculating grab for power?
What if I look at all of my interactions, day-to-day, ordinary-to-extraordinary, from my heart? Some days this is easier than others. Tonight Rosemary and I are going to a monthly social meeting of a local LGBT community. We always have a good time with these wonderful people. It is so easy to come from the heart in this group, to think through the heart and be genuine. I just finished assembling all of our tax return information to be sent off to our accountant. I will mail the package with heart-felt thanks that my taxes are going for the best our governments can do for me and us (and I may even get a refund!).
As I write this I am writing from the heart. I am thinking of all of you, dear readers, wherever you are, and asking you to take a moment and think of two aspects in your life now. First think of something very pleasant, maybe some future event that you are looking forward to, and move into your heart to sense how you will feel. Hold that feeling. Now move into a situation you are avoiding (maybe it’s even pulling together your tax information!). Can you take that warm-heart feeling into this unpleasant situation and get a sense that you can come at this task from your heart? This takes practice, I know. But it is worth the effort!
It is time for change. It is time for humans to mold the world in the image of a heart! We can do this one person at a time as we, together, make the leap. And as The Divine Feminine urge:
Be the evolutionary human being that you were born to be. Make the leap.
MONDAY’S POEM: Moon Times
We moved through a powerful Full Moon in Virgo yesterday, 1:08 pm Eastern time. Unfortunately by dark and Moon rise we were under heavy cloud cover with the first flakes of snow falling! But I felt her swollen presence even if I could not see her.
In her honor I offer you this poem I wrote a few years ago. The Moon has been our constant companion across the eons; she helps us with time and she helps us remember.
Moon Times
(September 3, 2011)
The Moon waxes
Reminding us of the
Fullness of Time.
The Moon climbs
Reminding us of the
Need for effort.
The Moon appears
Reminding us of our
Inner work.
The Moon sets
Reminding us of the
Need for rest.
The Moon hides
Reminding us of our
Inner dark.
©2014 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.
A FRIDAY POEM FROM “RHYTHMS AND CYCLES” – A Hymn of Praise to Inanna
Inanna is one of the first Goddesses of Human history. She was written about and hymns composed to her in cuneiform preserved for 5000 and more years in clay tablets. I’ve included this hymn I wrote in the Rhythms and Cycles series because she was among many things the Goddess of agriculture and the harvest. She also, much like several later goddesses, including Persephone, spent part of the year in the underworld. She embodied the natural rhythms of Mother Earth. So we praise her:
A Hymn of Praise to Inanna
March 2, 2010
Inanna, Queen of Heaven
We praise your name
Holding it high.
We honor you, Holy Inanna!
Inanna, Mother of Earth
We hold you in gratitude
Praising your grace.
We honor you, Holy Inanna!
Inanna, Goddess of Under
We bow to you in awe
Singing our grief.
We honor you, Holy Inanna!
Inanna, Holy One of All
We offer this song of praise
Lifting our voices high.
We honor you Holy Inanna!
©2014 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.
Step Into Your Bodacious Dream! – Richard’s Commentary
How big are your dreams? Would you call them, even one of them, “bodacious”?
One way to get at this question is to look back over your life and take a look at former dreams and how they turned out. In her article yesterday, Rosemary gives us a good example of this with her dream to be part of NASA and then making it to that dream job working on the fantastic science produced by the Hubble Space Telescope. She dreamed big and her dream came true.
And also notice that once that dream was reached Rosemary dreamed another dream.
There is no end to the dreaming. Each dream we activate and reach takes us to a higher level where the dreaming can become even more bodacious. We all are being called to step up! Here’s how Rosemary puts that:
This is a time for each individual to show up for their Soul Purpose and LIVE BIG! The Planet and the rest of us need for you to show up in your Purpose. Even if it is scary, Dream Big.
Step up, step out and move into flow with the you the Universe has called to. Again, Rosemary used her story as an example. From the Hubble project she responded to the call to be a “spiritual healer.” At the time she wasn’t even sure what that meant! But she did feel that the Universe was calling for her to step up. And she did. It was not easy. It was scary at times! (Scary for both of us, in fact!) But there is no looking back; and there is no questioning – not for the bodacious dreams!
Examine your life. Look back on the dreams accomplished. Feel good about your progress, but not complacent. Are you living your purpose?
I recently had a scan done for me by a medical intuitive. I got some really mixed results! The bad news is I am dealing with some pretty serious internal inflammation in my body. The good news is I can treat this with diet (more on that in a moment). The best news is I scored really well in the “Life in Balance and Coherence” categories (10/10 and 100%!). What she said about this is: “you are in alignment with ‘God’s Will’ – you are on your true spiritual path. This is rare.”
Wow! I’m still digesting this result. Of course I have to make major adjustments to my diet, eating more like a “cave man.” I have to reduce my food intake to pretty much an animal protein-based plan with some vegetables allowed. And here I’ve been working strongly toward a vegetarian diet! So much for that dream!
But on those Balance and Coherence measures here’s what I think she is picking up: I do have a bodacious dream, as I’ve mentioned before in these posts, to go to Ladakh, India for the Kalachakra Initiation offered by His Holiness The Dalai Lama this year. And I am working diligently on this dream at many levels. I feel very good about this, that it is in alignment with my spiritual path and congruent with my purpose. I am very pleased that it is “out there” to be recognized!
So here’s the other thing about those bodacious dreams: they need to be declared! And then the Universe responds by saying “yes, and now we will make everything align to support your dream!”
Dreams don’t come from nothing. And they definitely aren’t fulfilled without effort. As Rosemary concludes: when you have created your Bodacious Big Dream, step into it. Create the vision, feel the excitement, step into it and, in the words of Captain Picard, ‘Make it so!’
MONDAY’S POEM: Aligning Breath of Peace
On Saturday I was feeling out of sorts, disconnected, and uneasy. I did notice that the Moon was squaring the Sun, First Quarter. This may have had some influence. And I decided, whatever the source of my unease, to take some action. In writing my “morning pages” for the day I went into a meditation which did help me realign my energies. I wrote today’s poem in that energy to capture my methods of aligning with the environment rather than struggle with it.
I am now practicing with this breath when I feel I need to connect. I breathe this long slow poem and then follow it with three deep breaths, repeating this connecting breath three times.
Aligning Breath of Peace
Inhaling
From the far reaches of the Universe,
Source,
Through the grand curve of the All
To the Galaxy, Solar Ellipse,
Earth, Community,
Village, Home
Into skin, viscera,
Senses, feelings,
Mental mechanics
To High Consciousness.
Exhaling
From that high place
Through the inner curve of Mind
Deep feelings, settling flow
Of gut mechanics to surface;
Out to room,
Neighborhood, town,
Planet, Moon,
Sun, Milky Way
Through the grand curve of the All,
To Source.
©2014 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.
A FRIDAY POEM FROM “RHYTHMS AND CYCLES” – And I found You
Today’s poem is part of my Rhythms and Cycles collection; I wrote this one for Rosemary and my 25th wedding anniversary. But it speaks to much more than a simple relationship between two people. And I guess that’s probably true of our relationship: it’s anything but simple!
And I found You
July 23, 2008
Sun, Moon,
Earth, Sky,
Stars, Light,
Universes,
Extra-dimensionalities
And realities:
And I found you.
Beyond the beyond
We rest together
In Supreme Consciousness,
Then,
Now,
Always.
And Love
Of the Mother,
Divine Light,
Dwells in us
And radiates from us
For All
Who have hearts
To know us.
©2014 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.
Wake Up and Evolve! – Richard’s Commentary
This whole notion of “waking up” has been with us for millennia. The Aborigines of Australia refer to life here on planet earth as “dream-time”; death is a form of waking up! Twenty-five hundred years ago, Shakyamuni became The Buddha by “waking up” to the reality of his Four Noble Truths, the Eight-Fold Path, and all the lessons and sutras that followed. To a large extent this idea of awakening is about a choice; it is a conscious choice to “Wake Up”!
Here’s the key sentence from Rosemary’s article:
But, when you really decide to grow, to wake up, to evolve, you can change your beliefs!
Decide. Decide to grow, wake up, evolve. And once this choice is made there is no end to the awakening. As soon as some new concept is grasped another comes along to either build on it or tear it all down and build another conceptualization of some aspect of reality. Here’s the best part: there is no end to penetrating the truth or reality because as soon as we think we have it in our grasp, it evolves!
What, reality is evolving? What kind of notion is this? I suppose even this expansive concept is just that, another concept, another belief. But, if reality is in fact, the sum total of everything we “know” – our consciousness and our knowledge – then, our consciousness is growing, or evolving, and reality is evolving!
Rosemary and I are a part of a wonderful group of people who get together every first Wednesday evening of the month to discuss “spiritual” topics. We call our group The Spiritual Exploration Group. And our only “rule” for the group is “we gather for discussion, not dogma.” Our topic for the month, and probably the next several months, is “Consciousness.” In fact one of the articles we shared with the group stated that “spirituality” is really an outmoded term; “consciousness” creates a much larger context and is, perhaps, the more apt word to encompass the totality of our discussion topics. (We are in the process of renaming our group The Consciousness Exploration Group!) Another of our articles for consideration is by Ken Wilber who has thought and written extensively about consciousness. In his Integral Model of the world of consciousness he has defined levels; and he sees no end to the development of additional levels as we continue to expand our knowledge, our consciousness. This is evolution!
And we have a choice to be part of this evolutionary process. We can continue to learn, to think, to meditate, to study new concepts, to discard beliefs and form new ones, to tear down our ivory towers and open to the wide world of expansiveness, to “wake up.”
Some days it is easier to sit back and relax in our current set of beliefs, our world-view and enjoy the flow of life without strain. But there is so much happening in the world of consciousness, from discovering the very mechanisms of consciousness in the physical plane, to penetrating the mystery of how consciousness effects the physical plane that it is impossible for awakening people to sit still! It is these awakening ones who are pushing the envelope of consciousness, who are evolving!
Are you comfortable in your slumber or are you awakening? It’s a wonderful, expanding world out there! Join us.
I Ching for the New Moon in Pisces
For each New Moon I use the I Ching to provide an indication of what we can expect the energies coming in might bring us. The moon went through her “death and rebirth” this past Saturday, early morning here on the east coast. And after her rebirth I cast a Gua (a hexagram of yin and yang lines); I use the yarrow stalk method, a very meditative process of manipulating 50 “sticks” to obtain the six lines (note these lines are digital, just like computer bits, either open, zero, yin or closed, one, yang; maybe given my computer background this is why I am so attracted to this ancient method of divination!)
The Gua I cast for this New Moon and the next month (or Moonth) is Gen, pictured here. This Gua is made from the doubling of a single trigram, also Gen. This trigram means “mountain” so the picture we have is mountain standing on mountain. Can you picture a more solid image?
The translation of Gen is “keeping still.” What could be more logical? But what does this mean for the month?
First recall that the Gua I cast for last month, and since it was a New Year, that Gua has influence over the entire year (see earlier post) is Tai, meaning Advance. Now we come up to Keeping Still. After a fast start to the year through February it may be time to slow down, consider, regroup, and be sure of our plans! We are still in winter for another few weeks; inner work remains on the agenda. While the overall year may be one for advancing, we do need to ensure plans are correct and in alignment with our overall goals and our purpose!
Here is my journal entry on this Gua: “Mountain over Mountain – keeping very still. After the Advance it is time to become introspective. Be certain of plans, consider them carefully, sit in stillness to contemplate further action.
“The overall Gua and energy for the year is to advance. However, plans for that advancement need to be revisited. Think before action. This Gua contains great power, great energy – potential, not kinetic energy. Something great is coming. It is good to wait for it!
“By the next new moon we will be beyond the Spring Equinox. Take this last few weeks of winter to review and revise plans. Master Alfred Huang, author of The Complete I Ching writes: “keeping still is meant to prepare one’s mind and spirit to progress when the time comes.”
Also Master Huang quotes from Confucius’ treatise, The Way of Great Learning:
The way of great learning is to illustrate brilliant virtue, to love people, and to rest in conduct that is perfectly good.
By knowing how to keep still,
one is able to determine what objects he should pursue.
By knowing what objects he should pursue,
one is able to obtain calmness of mind.
By knowing how to obtain calmness of mind,
one is able to succeed in tranquil repose.
By knowing how to succeed in tranquil repose,
one is able to obtain careful deliberation.
By knowing how to obtain careful deliberation,
one is able to harvest what he truly wants to pursue.
Master Huang adds: “In the final stage of one’s life, if one can manifest one’s brilliant virtue, love people, and maintain one’s goodness to the end, it is a true blessing, and there will be good fortune.”
Seems to me it might be well worth the time to sit, reflect, and confirm the plans for “advancing” for the year!
PS: my dear friend and favorite “cosmic astrologer” Gloria Hesseloff, says this about the New Moon in Pisces: “MEDITATION is Pisces favorite activity and is highly recommended… this New Moon, is a powerful time to set intentions. The New Moon in Pisces is a significant time to activate the Consciousness of ONENESS throughout the planet.” As always her readings are exactly in alignment with the I Ching!
A FRIDAY POEM FROM “RHYTHMS AND CYCLES” – Dark Goddess
If you are reading this blog at all regularly you know I publish a poem on Mondays. Why only Mondays? So here is a poem for Friday.
A few years ago I committed to publishing a book of my poems; I planned to call it Rhythms and Cycles. As plans sometimes go I have not published that book yet. But I have collected a number of poems to include. And since many of you have liked my poetry over the last number of months, I’ve decided to offer some entries from the unpublished book.
This first Friday Poem is in honor of the New Moon coming tomorrow. And I’ll be casting an I Ching Gua for the next moon cycle to publish on Monday, so this entry will carry you through to next Friday’s Poem…
Dark Goddess
February 26, 2010
As the Moon waxes to fullness
We know She will collapse,
Again, into darkness.
As She collapses into Herself
Descending into the underworld
We know She will rise again.
She is the Dark Goddess, The Dark Mirror.
Her inner light is hidden deep within,
As She reflects, at times, the light of others.
She is a deep and mysterious Goddess.
She absorbs all our cares and woes.
Like the Grandmother, She comforts.
This Dark Goddess has a rhythm
All Her own. She is an independent
Wanderer, this Wonder of the Night.
As She rides through Her courses
At times blotting even Sun
We watch in awe and praise Her.
©2014 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.
Survive or Thrive? – Richard’s Commentary
The Divine Feminine challenge us in Rosemary’s article to make the key choice in this life: we can either scrabble for survival in what many think is a “dog-eat-dog world”; or we can step up and out to live our True Purpose, the reason the Universe supported our birth in this time and space, and thrive!
It really is that simple. And it really is a choice. Here’s how They put it through Rosemary:
Many people on Earth in 21st Century Societies are greedy for what they don’t have – riches, power, control, freedom, pride. These people are distracted from what is really important.
When one seeks to live one’s purpose, one finds that collaboration with others supports thriving in life.
There are the choices: survive or thrive.
Interestingly They do bring up karma, more as a threat than a factor in our choice. They say: Don’t think that you can thrive by pushing someone else to the brink of survival. Those who believe that this is acceptable will learn exactly what the rules of karma are. But doesn’t karma affect our choice, our purpose? Are people merely in survival mode because they have past “debts” to work through?
I am in the middle of asking this very question of myself, working through the process of purging karma, some from my younger days and likely a whole lot from past lives. I am practicing an intense “yoga” in preparation for Kalachakra Initiation, known asKalachakra Tantra Six Session Yoga composed by the First Panchen Lama. And things are coming up. Some days in the midst of practice I ask myself if I am making any progress, if all this is worth the effort. Can we really purge, burn up, karma? And, is this part of the choice we must make to turn mere survival into thriving?
When I ask the hard questions I am often blessed with answers. Today I received two “replies” to my deepest seeking. The first is from Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda. He quotes his guru, Sri Yuktesvar: “Forget the past. The vanished lives of all men are dark with many shames. Human conduct is ever unreliable until man is anchored in the Divine. Everything in future will improve if you are making a spiritual effort now.”
My second answer came from my Goddess Cards, art by Susan Seddon Boulet and words by Michael Babcock. Today I drew Hathor, a Great Mother Goddess. And here is what Babcock says of her: “Hathor reminds us that we, too, must acknowledge all parts of ourselves, that what we call destructive is sometimes necessary to allow our creativity and compassion to flourish.”
Wow; thank you, Universe! Ask and you shall receive!
I have full permission to step into my purpose and thrive. I will most certainly continue the Six Session Yoga to see what comes up next.
And you, too, have the permission of the Universe, in fact the demand, that you step into your purpose and thrive! The choice is yours!
Men and The Goddess 