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MONDAY’S POEM: Horse
Last week Rosemary began her Unlocking the Mysteries of Intuition class. As an opening and centering exercise she led a guided meditation. She is a skilled hypnotherapist and because I am so attuned to her voice and inflections she always takes me deep. I had a wonderful journey if all too short – we did have to get on with the class! Today’s poem was inspired by my visions during that meditation. Past life? A small view into the Collective Unconscious Mind? My own wild imaginings? I don’t care about labels, just the experience!
Horse
Warm breath, herbal, green,
Envelops like an aura, a cowl,
A halo of golden light
Holding promise of travel.
Son and horse know dawn light
Brings them closer to horizon.
The Sun beckons, looms large,
Fire growing, welcoming.
Home moves on with the herd.
The grass follows that golden light.
Horse follows grass, Son
Follows Father, horse, light, love.
Warm fire, dried dung pungent,
Smokes the red Sun of dusk
To burnt metal glow.
Hobbled horse nips tender edges of green.
©2013 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.

“Conversations with the Goddess” – a Review
I just finished reading this book, Conversations with the Goddess: Encounter at Petra, Place of Power by Dorothy Atalla, a few days ago and am anxious to share it with you. I “encountered” this book when I was unpacking boxes of our books and putting them on shelves in their new home. It is a book Rosemary came across and was even asked by the author’s assistant for a review and comment some time ago. I put it aside in my “read pile” and something drew it to the top of that pile; I’m so glad it became a priority.
Atalla’s journey actually began in Petra, Jordan a number of decades ago. Several years after her trip the Goddess began coming to her in meditation and these “conversations” were recorded. It took Atalla even more years to put the conversations into book form.
You may gather from the title of this blog that I am interested in the Goddess. Well, maybe “interest” is a mild word for my passion. This passion was refueled by Atalla’s book.
It is not at all what I expected. I have read lots of “channeled” material. I often publish much of what Rosemary channels from The Divine Feminine and in many forms. Atalla’s conversations come through with a clarity and reasoned approach that is fresh and scholarly.
This book is much more than the Conversations with the Goddess Atalla recorded and reports. She adds layers of research to go beyond the conversations and into deep understanding of the Goddess. She references significant works from anthropology and archeology, from psycho-historical research and the philosophy of the development of human consciousness. She makes extensive use of resources such as The Great Mother: An Analysis of the Archetype by Erich Neumann, Up from Eden: A Transpersonal View of Human Evolution by Ken Wilber and the works of Joseph Campbell.
While the Goddess has plenty to say about herself through her conversations, Atalla adds her own research and the research of these great minds to offer a compelling and comprehensive vision of the Goddess, in action through the history of human development and even now as we move through a new phase of evolution.
The book concluded too quickly for me; I want more. I want to hear more about this evolutionary step we are about to take. The Goddess even concluded her conversations with a “teaser” – to quote the Goddess through Atalla:
The seed has been planted in many hearts. There is already a yearning for “something else.” Though many are not sure what this yearning is all about they feel its ache within their hearts, and that is because of the strong spiritual impulses toward transformation that are sweeping across the planet.
You can imagine why this book gripped me. How often have you heard Rosemary and me talk about transformation in the past months, even years? Yes, I feel this yearning; yes, it feels like an ache, like an emptiness that is drawing me forward. It is always good to hear we are not alone. And it is wonderful to hear the Goddess acknowledge this yearning!
I highly recommend this book to anyone who senses this yearning for the coming transformation. Through it you will gain a beautiful, and awesome, vision of the Goddess!

I Ching Gua for the New Moon in Scorpio
We have had quite a time of it! Halloween, the last day of the Celtic Year, Samhain; All Saints Day, All Souls Day, The Day of the Dead, Diwali, New Moon in Scorpio and to top it all off, a Solar Eclipse! This has been a powerful time; if you are feeling a little “winded” from all this celestial activity, you are not alone!
To help myself come back to earth from soaring with the Moon, I really enjoy sitting with my yarrow stalks to consider the incoming energies with the New Moon, to see what the month ahead might look like. If you have been reading this blog for a bit you know I do this divination as close to the New Moon as possible. (And if you are a new reader, search back on “new moon” for previous I Ching readings.) I did my work Sunday morning, just after the eclipse and New Moon at about 8:00 AM Eastern Standard time.
My yarrow stalks did not let me down; the energies they revealed are exactly in line with all the other divinations and readings I have seen about this time; from numerology to astrology and to the channeling from Rosemary’s sources, all energies seem strongly directed to Transformation!
The hexagram I cast is Da Zhuang which means Great Strength. It’s pictured here. Beginning with Great Strength is very auspicious but this does not mean that immediate action is required. In fact it is better to “stand your ground” at this time. The initial weak yang line (a 9 which is a changing line) indicates an infirm base. There is no need to move out quickly; be patient. Yet there is great strength here, a solid and imposing Gua of power. There is high energetic potential here. The power needs to be used wisely.
In Da Zhuang the upper trigram, Thunder, is yang energy on top of the lower trigram, Heaven, which is also strong yang. Remain solidly passive holding the inner strength.
Notice that there are two changing lines in the hexagram, the first (bottom) and the fifth. The bottom line is a 9, a weak yang line which can change to a yin line. The fifth line, a 6, is a weak yin line which can change to a yang line. Master Alfred Huang recommends reading the yin changing line. This means that Da Zhuang changes to the accomplished Gua, Guai which means Eliminating. It’s picture here.
The built-up potential energy of Da Zhuang can be held in check no longer. It is time to use the power, the Great Strength, to Eliminate darkness. Shine the light into the shadowy places. Yet, even as this great potential is built, there is need for caution to be sure everyone is onboard with the program. Consult the constituents. Proceed with the energy cautiously.
This action can happen later in the month. Again, there is no need to rush into this. Nevertheless, great outcome is possible. The power can overcome the dark. This is very auspicious.
There is one more Gua that can be derived from this cast. The Mutual Gua, which holds a secret or inner meaning, is created from the 6 inner lines, taking lines 2, 3, and 4 as the lower trigram and 3, 4, and 5 as the upper trigram creates Heaven over Heaven. The hexagram with all 6 yang lines is Qian which means Initiating – Transformation! The conclusion of all of this celestial energy in Scorpio, here at the end of the Celtic year and the beginning of a new cycle is – Transformation – with Great Strength to Eliminate whatever is in the way of the New.
And just to confirm there are other indications that this energy is with us, here’s a snapshot from Gloria Hesseloff’s newsletter on the New Moon in Scorpio:
Scorpio is ruled by our beloved and respected Pluto. Thus, the higher levels of Scorpio include nothing less than TRANSFORMATION. This is a call to restore back to sacredness that which has become taboo. This includes our Shadow. Scorpio represents our shadow. We usually think of the shadow as our lower frequency qualities. However, the shadow also holds anything we have repressed, including our talents, our authenticity and our light.
It will be quite a month!

New Moon and Solar Eclipse in Scorpio
Here on the east coast of the US there is a big astronomical and astrological event in store for us. As we move into Samhain and the Celtic celebration of the beginning of a new solar cycle we also, on Sunday morning, experience this Sun/Moon conjunction and eclipse.
I am already feeling the effects of the “dying” Moon as she slips ever closer toward the Sun. As I write she is at almost 14 degrees of Libra while the Sun is 9 degrees of Scorpio. Only 25 degrees separate them and the Sun is winning the race; he always does.
I always look forward to the New Moon, the rebirth and emergence back out of the Sun. The energies clear and there is a freshness to the astrological patterns. And I cast a new I Ching Gua to get a handle on the patterns developing for the next Moon cycle. (I’ll publish my findings here on Monday.)
Meanwhile we are still approaching this event and we need to prepare for it. In Rosemary’s “news” post today (link to that post) she writes this:
Are you ready for something new in your life? The New Moon on Sunday, November 3 at 7:49 a.m. Eastern Standard Time is a Solar Eclipse and supports you in bringing in the new energies that support your transformation.
Here is what astrologer Steve Nelson says about the event:
“The Nov 3 Total Eclipse of the Sun is the most powerful celestial event this century so far… An eclipse is an opportunity to eliminate old patterns of thought and behavior from the world. As old forms dissolve energy set free is moved into new forms, this is transformation.”
And here is a slightly expanded version of Steve’s thought on this transformational eclipse:
As old thought patterns break energy is set free for new creation. Energy flows where attention goes. All we need to do is focus on what we wish to be, feel what is needing to be let go and breathe. Energy moves with the breath. As old forms dissolve energy set free is moved into new forms, this is transformation.
I particularly appreciate the ease about this event Steve permits: “let go and breathe.” Transformational work can sometimes feel hard. I think this is the ego’s way to defend against change. The ego does not like to “let go.” I know mine doesn’t! But I certainly do like the “breathe” part – even my ego appreciates my breath work!
So I think to slip into Hamsa. This mantra is always there, of course, but not always top of consciousness. Part of the allowing of old patterns to slip away as the Moon slips into the grasp of the Sun is to set our attention on the breath, to follow the mantra “chant” as we breathe through our whole bodies. On Ham we breathe in the energy of change, the energy of the eclipse to allow the approaching event to consume old patterns, old thought-forms, old structures. And on Sa we exhale the old, expelling those patterns that no longer serve in this new awareness.
With each breath-cycle there is an opportunity for transformation. With each Moon-cycle there is an even greater opportunity for transformation. And with this approaching eclipse there is “a most powerful” opportunity to eclipse those old patterns totally and breathe in Transformation!
However you celebrate these exciting astronomical and astrological events do remember to breathe through them and simply let go!





