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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And since many of you have liked my poetry over the last number of months, I’ve decided to offer some entries from the unpublished book.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!
ROSEMARY’S INSPIRATION: Surviving or Thriving?
Rosemary’s “Two-Minute” Video for this Week: Surviving or Thriving?
MONDAY’S POEM: Medusa
This past Friday I started another Qigong class; I’m offering a morning class for those finding it difficult to make it to my Monday evening classes. I am enjoying these opportunities to share one of my loves, ancient Chinese wisdom, the Tao and Qigong. Today I mix up a bit of the East with the Greek to explore common understanding.
Medusa
Death to Life.
Composted negative energy
Through the death process
Creating positive energy.
Vital Life Force – Qi!
Medusa’s dark blood births
Pegasus, the Flying White Horse:
Instinct, wisdom, imagination,
Intuitive understanding – Vital Life Force.
Flying Wood Horse Year,
Pegasus rising from Water Serpent,
Medusa. Negative to positive, dark to light,
Death to Life.
©2014 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.
A Topsy-Turvy Week!
Remember my lesson for the year I mentioned yesterday? Yeah, it was patience. And I got another test of it today. I’d like to think it was a “final exam” but I know better!
The “slide” of the week began about a week ago with the Full Moon on Valentine’s Day. We’ve been in a waning moon cycle ever since; and the energy of the week has seemed to wane as well. How have you experienced the week?
On Sunday Rosemary and I each had excellent experiences with a Shaman friend who led a wonderful workshop. I felt the afternoon session was well done, interactive, experiential; just the kind of workshop we both enjoy. But later that evening and well into Monday I felt down and in a dark place. I had some shadow work to do. I’m not sure if I got in touch with some negativity during my shamanic journey that I wasn’t fully conscious of, or if I simply had some issues to work through.
Fortunately I did work through them and by Tuesday I was on an upswing. I had a reasonably productive couple of days mid-week. Maybe the lessons of patience in the school of Love were getting a bit easier.
Ha! Don’t be deceived. True there are times when life gives us a break and lightens up a bit on the steady stream of the lesson plan. But never for long!
Thursdays are the days we produce Rosemary’s weekly Ezine, her MuseLetter which we publish early every Friday morning. Our goal is to work on this through the week, but we usually procrastinate (we are both Leos after all!) and leave it all to Thursday night. We shoot a video, process it, Rosemary writes the article, her Mystic Message, and the news article. And I format produce and publish it through our email application. (Oh, and I usually write this blog post as well.)
Yesterday was the usual full day so we began the Ezine with the video shoot at around 7:00 pm. Then I began processing the video using iMovie, as usual. Whoa! Nothing was “usual” about iMovie! I did vaguely remember processing an automatic update to the app a few days ago and thought nothing of it. But when I opened the app I didn’t recognize it. Wow, I’ve seen make-overs before, but this is a whole new model.
So, I’m back in school, learning how to process movies all over again. And I failed my first exam, badly! I could not save the video after I had processed it. At that point I was swiftly escorted into my next lesson in patience! I wasn’t even sure I would be able to recover until Rosemary suggested using her Airbook. Yes, it still had the older version of iMovie! Back to the familiar! So, another hour or so later I finally did get the video processed.
The lessons just keep coming. In my discussion with Rosemary on this whole subject of school and lessons she said two things happen as we learn: 1) we immediately get tested on how well we’ve learned; and 2) the lessons then get harder.
It’s about growth, evolution in consciousness. And Apple seems to be pushing the limits of my growth through patience!
I hope you can take a recess from the School of Life this weekend!
Still in School? – Richard’s Commentary
I’ve been in school my whole life. How about you? As I think about this I am continuously upgrading my skills with blogs, WordPress, graphic design, HTML, etc. I began my technical career in computer programming in 1971 and have never stopped learning new skills as the technology advances and honing old skills as the basic approach continues to stay pretty much the same when it comes to instructing computers.
Then there is my spiritual study which has also come a long way from learning Transcendental Meditation from students of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in 1969 to my current work with Kalachakra Tantra Yoga, refining this practice and learning everything about it in preparation for the Kalachakra Initiation offered by His Holiness the Dalai Lama later this year. Along the way I was ordained as an Interfaith Minister in 2000 after an intense two-year seminary experience and I spent a couple of years in Martín Prechtel’s Bolad’s Kitchen.
But my real school is documented in my fingerprints; and they tell me I’m in the school of LOVE. The fact is I have so many loops in my fingerprints (10) that I’m not only in the school of Love but my lesson is Love and my Life Purpose is – yep – Love! And since our fingerprints don’t change through life I will always be in the school of Love.
And we are all always in the School of Life. This is what Rosemary’s post yesterday is really about; that school of life lessons that seems always in session! Here’s what she says about that:
We are always facing circumstances over which we have no control. We do, however, have control over how we respond to those circumstances. That is what we do when we accept what is going on around us and seek the lesson.
“Seek the lesson.” This can be the hardest test; when in the midst of a life crisis, the last thing I want to hear is “what is the lesson in this?”! “I don’t care what the lesson is; I just want to get through this!”
Sound familiar? Then you probably don’t want to hear Rosemary’s next advice:
No matter what your circumstances are there is something for you to learn from those circumstances. No matter what you feel you lack, you have everything you need right now, in this moment, to learn the lesson that is there in front of you. Still can’t see the lesson? Then go inside and seek the answer there.
Sometimes the answer is to learn how to wait for guidance. Sometimes the lesson is to learn patience. Sound familiar?
Ah, “patience.” I’ve mentioned here before that my word for 2014 is “patience.” Yes, I am finally going to embrace this lesson and, if not fully learn it, at least make some gains on it!
I have a difficult time learning my lessons in the moment. But I do find myself going inside later and examining the circumstances, asking the questions about lessons, examining reactions and how they could have been managed better. I use the “nightly review” for this: before going to sleep I review the day in reverse and consider the big events, how I handled them, what could have been handled better, what there was to learn. And this is working for me; it’s like doing my homework; honing skills in life.
ROSEMARY’S EXPLORATION: Still in School?
As I write this we are experiencing a huge snow storm on the East Coast of the US. Schools have been closed, businesses are closed, even the Government Offices are closed. No matter what plans had been made, what meetings were scheduled, what classes/tests/speakers were planned – they are not happening.
Life happens like this all the time. We create a PLAN, our very own statement about how things are to go, and the Universe arranges a different way for us to learn our lessons. For that is really what every incident in our lives is – an opportunity for us to learn a lesson.
We are always facing circumstances over which we have no control. We do, however, have control over how we respond to those circumstances. That is what we do when we accept what is going on around us and seek the lesson.
Of course, you can curse what is happening, or bemoan the lack of what you had wanted and planned, but neither of those choices advances your learning. What if, instead, you were to ask, ‘What is the lesson in this for me?’ and spend your energy seeking the chance to grow?
There is a popular saying that you must ‘Bloom Where You Are Planted.’ I would change that to, ‘Learn in the School in Which You Find Yourself.’
No matter what your circumstances are there is something for you to learn from those circumstances. No matter what you feel you lack, you have everything you need right now, in this moment, to learn the lesson that is there in front of you. Still can’t see the lesson? Then go inside and seek the answer there.
Sometimes the answer is to learn how to wait for guidance. Sometimes the lesson is to learn patience. Sound familiar?
And sometimes the lesson is to let go of fear and take a big step out into your Life Purpose! Maybe now is the time when you can’t hide from your Self and everything else becomes an excuse to avoid growing and moving forward.
It takes more energy to stay stuck than to let go and move forward! And, yet, for many, choosing to stay where you are seems less frightening that moving forward. Just because the familiar seems the comfortable place, doesn’t mean it is the best place for you to realize your highest good.
Look around your life and see what has stayed the same for a long time. Are you staying in your comfort zone because you are waiting for lightning to strike or the time to be perfect or for someone else to change? Or are you staying in a place where the lessons are becoming more difficult for you to learn but you are afraid to move out into an unknown classroom?
Seek out your lessons. Move out of a space where you cannot learn anymore. Leave behind a place, job, relationship, town where you are ready to graduate and learn new lessons. The school that you find yourself in will always present you with an opportunity to learn, but what if the lesson is that it is time to graduate and move on? Are you ready to complete that class?
Long-term relationships last because the people in them support each other in learning their lessons and continuing to grow. This is true of intimate relationships, friendships, jobs, associations. Are you feeling stagnant? Then ask yourself if you can find a new classroom, a new school, where you can learn and grow and expand.
Love yourself enough to learn the lessons! Step out of your comfort zone and learn the graduate level classes. You left kindergarten and grade school and high school behind you when you were ready. Maybe now it’s time to move into the Graduate Academy of Life and keep learning!
There are no ‘snow days’ in this Academy of Life!
MONDAY’S POEM:
My Dad’s birthday was yesterday; he would have been 93. In part to honor his memory I did some shamanic work with a dear friend hosting a circle for study and ritual and journeying. And my own fatherhood and grandfatherhood became a central point to my ceremony and celebration! It reminds me of a Mayan expression about the Holy; my rough memory in crude English goes something like: “We remember you remembering us remembering you”!
So in honor of and remembering Dad, here is a poem I wrote some years ago on his birthday:
A Memory of Dad
It was early morning, maybe 4
A cold March wind blew out
Of the North; drafts found
Their way through thin walls.
Snug in bed under piles of quilts
I heard the back door close tight
Behind him as he went out
To check on the pigs.
The brood sows were ready;
Anytime now they would drop
Their piglets in the scratchy
Straw of the pens.
But this cold night with dawn
Still far away, heat was required
For the newborns to survive.
As always Dad was there.
The Sun was well up when I paid
A visit. The wind was down.
I climbed the fence of the yard and
Entered the hog-house –
And delighted in those soft warm
Wriggling pink lives.
Thanks, Dad!
Big Dreams, Joyful Exertion
In yesterday’s post and my commentary on Rosemary’s message on big wishes and dreams, I revealed my big dream for the year to attend the 2014 Kalachakra Initiation event offered by His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Ladakh, India. It is a dream I am visualizing and in one way or another working on every day.
One of my practices this year is to work with a card deck, CD and DVD published by Sounds True called Living Wisdom with His Holiness The Dalai Lama. The cards are photos of His Holiness taken over the years by Don Farber. There are six sets of cards for the Six Transcendent Perfections with guidance on the Perfections from His Holiness on the reverse side from the photos.
The Transcendent Perfections are Generosity, Ethics, Patience, Joyful Exertion, Meditative Concentration and Wisdom. I draw a card each day after my “Morning Pages” and meditation. And the Perfection of the day is always right on the mark for what I need to hear and learn!
Yesterday was no exception. After writing my post the day before, I thought about the effort I’m putting into this Kalachakra Initiation Project I have set for myself. I wrote about that in my pages and then drew a card, The Transcendent Perfection of Joyful Exertion! And here’s His Holiness’ phrase that jumped out at me:
In spiritual matters, we should not allow ourselves to be too easily content, because truly there is no limit to our spiritual potential.
He goes on to say the only limit is to our lives. The real meaning of Joyful Exertion is to continue to explore, to search and seek the truth in all matters Spiritual; it is a life-long pursuit.
Practicing Six Session Guru Yoga as part of my work on my Big Dream is not an easy undertaking. Getting in three sessions during the day and three during the night means getting up in the middle of the night, sleep, to sit and practice. Yesterday morning at 4:00 am, falling snow not yet changed to rain, I wondered if I could continue. When I drew the card and read the words: “no limit to our spiritual potential” I received my answer. And for the remainder of the day my practice, my exertion, was joyful!
There is a Zen evening Gatha (prayer) that comes to mind:
Let me respectfully remind you,
Life and death are of supreme importance.
Time swiftly passes by and opportunity is lost.
Each of us should strive to awaken.
Awaken! Take heed!
Do not squander your lives….
How deep can you go, spiritually? His Holiness says there is no bottom to the depth of exploration. The only limit is the shortness of our lives.
I do not intend to “squander” my life! How about you?
Dream a Big Dream! – Richard’s Commentary
Rosemary begins her message with a question:
Do you know your Heart’s Desire? Do you have a Big Wish?
Well, do you? The very first step in moving forward with your life is to visualize it, see it, dream it! As humans we are good at making pictures. We are an extremely visual species. Consider the simplest of things we do; if we want to go out to the store, in the snow, to get that last loaf of bread, we first make a picture of the store, the way to get there, the car, the road conditions, and a thousand other images that pop into our minds just to accomplish this simplest of tasks. We create a “map” of the task to “see” us through to successful completion. No matter how simple the action we visualize it before acting.
And what if the task is bigger; what if we are talking about a “heart desire”? Then the visualization needs to scale to the level of the desire.
I’m using a visual perspective here because we are strongly visual. But if we engage all of our senses, our emotions, our intuitive senses and even our spirit in creating a dream-environment how much more powerful the “map” becomes to get us there. If we begin to hear the desire, smell how it might be, taste the flavors anticipated, feel the quality of the air and imagine being in the midst of that desired condition we can actualize the dream that much more powerfully.
Let me give you a personal example: my Big Wish for 2014 is to travel to India to participate in the Kalachakra Tantra Rite of Initiation being offered by His Holiness the Dalai Lama this year. He is offering it in Ladakh, in the north of India in the Himalayans. This dream touches on many of my wishes – travel back to India, travel to the Himalayan Mountains, visiting Buddhist Monasteries, participating in Buddhist rituals – the list is quite long. And as I begin to picture this dream it becomes very large, almost to the point of overwhelm. But I am taking my own advice:
The first thing I have done is to read more deeply about the Kalachakra Tantra Rite of Initiation. I have read Jeffrey Hopkins’ translation of His Holiness’ work by that title. And now I am practicing the Six Session Yoga as a prerequisite of the Initiation. I am visualizing the practice, visualizing Kalchakra and Vajradhara and beginning to get a deep, heart and soul understanding of this Tantra.
I am also reading about Ladakh. And I am remembering the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, feelings and wonders of being in India. I have only visited three cities before, Mumbai, Bangalore and New Delhi. I have not been to the north or anywhere near the mountains. But I have been above 14,000 feet in Colorado and I have been above 19,000 feet in Africa; I can combine my various experiences to begin to form a picture of what it might be like in the highest mountains in the world.
I have also visited Buddhist monasteries, practiced Buddhism there, enjoyed the beautiful art, heard the bells, chanted the mantras, smelled the incense, tasted the simple fare, felt the cold hard floor of early morning meditations in the middle of winter and shivered not with the cold but with the moving spirit of the sangha.
I am putting lots of pictures, experiences of all the senses, and deep feelings of my past into as complete a picture as I can of my Big Wish, what it might be like. I am energizing this wish. I am empowering it and sending it into the cosmos as something already done. And I let go of the particulars of how; I leave that to the Universe. I am doing my part!
Rosemary asks another question in her message:
So what do you want? What is your Heart’s Desire?
Answer that question, and the rest is up to you to paint the picture of your Heart’s Desire. Go for it!
Men and The Goddess 