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A FRIDAY POEM FROM “RHYTHMS AND CYCLES” – Grandmother Moon (a reprise)
It hasn’t been that long since I published this poem. But for you new followers, in case you missed it, here it is again. And here we are again, sinking with the moon as she falls ever further behind in her race with the sun. I seem to be sensing the “death” of this particular moon, into the Leo sun, even more powerfully than usual. Maybe the Lion’s jaws are fierce and strong and Grandmother is falling toward them with more than her usual reluctance!
Do you feel the effects of the “old moon” a day or two before the new moon? Check in with your intuitive nature. The moon is there to support that feminine side of you!
Grandmother Moon
She is dying into the arms
Of the Father.
She is old and worn,
So close to his breast.
What will you give her
To offer the Father?
Her emptiness can hold all
You have to release.
Are your standards so fixed
To forgive and forget?
Let fly the high-horse
To Grandmother Moon.
Release your regrets
To her skinny white arms.
She’ll fold them and hold all
To burn with her heart.
In three days she’ll appear
Reborn and renewed.
Look to the west for the joy
Of her face and rejoice.
You too are new!
©2014 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.
The Moon and YOU! – Richard’s Commentary
Do you pay attention to the moon? Right now we are being inundated with rain here in Maryland, so I can’t see the moon. But I know she is waning after fullness last Saturday. We’ll soon be coming up on last quarter and then a week later a New Moon. The cycle repeats reminding us of rhythm. Moon cycles are like breaths; she swells from newness to fullness as with a two-week inhale, and then shrinks from fullness back to newness on her two-week exhale. She reminds us to breathe with her: big, full abdominal breaths.
As some of you may know I cast an I Ching Gua on every New Moon. A gua is a six-line hexagram made up of yin and yang(open and solid) lines. (My last post about this can be found HERE for the last New Moon.) I do this for a number of reasons but the key one is I am curious about what new things the New Moon is bringing in, especially what the energies, specifically the energies of change may offer during the month between the New Moons. It is fun to go back over the month and the “reading” of the I Ching to see the correspondences between the reading and actual events! I am amazed at the accuracy!
Another tool I use in conjunction with moon cycles is my Possibilities Playbook I created during Rosemary’s January Possibilities Playshop. My Playbook is a 12-month notebook filled with pictures, phrases, themes and other guidance that I intuitively chose to go into my book in January. Of course, the book is laid out according to the moon phases. Now I record plans, events, feelings and senses of how unfolding reality aligns with what I set in motion in January. This tool is like a “vision board on steroids.” The pictures, words, phrases are pulled from magazines not with desires, hopes, plans in mind but how I want to feel. Looking back on the process I had no idea why certain pictures appealed to me. Now as I examine the pictures in context of what is actually happening I get it! And I am continually amazed!
There are lots of reasons to pay attention to the moon cycles in your life. Certainly gardening and farming, fishing and boating are activities influenced by the moon. I was pleased to learn, during a tour of Napa Valley a few years ago, that at least one vintner, Grgche Hills Estates, uses the phases of the moon for planting, pruning and harvesting. As they say: “Committed to natural winegrowing and sustainability, we farm our five estate vineyards without artificial fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides, rely on wild yeast fermentation…”
The moon has so much to offer us if we let her into our lives. Think of all the songs we would miss if not for the moon! Pay attention. Note the days on the calendar when she fill, empties and goes dark for a time. Keep a diary of how you feel in relation to the phases. Note your dreams and if they are influenced. Be aware of peoples’ driving and how it changes with the changing moon. You too may be amazed at what you find!
ROSEMARY’S EXPLORATION: The Moon and YOU!
In honor of the coming Full Moon, here are excerpts from a message I channeled from The Divine Feminine about the Cycles of the Moon:
“Dear Ones,
We would have you look at the Moon, and understand that Moon energy is a part of every person on the earth. There’s a reason why this heavenly body is so closely aligned with what is happening on the Earth planet. One thing is that the Moon, in its travels around the Earth, affects every person on the Earth. It really touches every life on the Earth. It touches every plant that grows on the Earth. It touches all the waters. So, understanding that you are seeing the Moon and the Moon is working on you, is energizing you, but it is also having an effect on everything around you, allows you to demystify this heavenly body into something that is important in your life. It’s not just something to look at out there.
It definitely has a place in an understanding of the energies of your body, and of the planet. But those who choose not to acknowledge it will have, what we would call, “hiccups” in their life; hiccups that would cause them to move in one direction, and then have this slight veering, one way or the other, and not understand what it is that is causing that. So, we would say the best thing to do is to pay attention to these Moon energies and to accept them.
So, when you see the New Moon, for example, and you understand that that is the time, the dark of the Moon, is the time when the most feminine energy is coming to the planet, and anyone on the planet is receiving this feminine energy and the ability to be in feminine power: nurturing, supporting, offering, that kind of feminine power…
So when that energy is happening at the New Moon, you take advantage of opportunities for your creativity to be expressed.
Now what happens two weeks later at the Full Moon is that the fullness of whatever opportunities you have offered from the New Moon can now come to fruition, but also they have demands for the next level. So you have, essentially, those two weeks of the waning Moon in which to decide which parts of that you will beef up or support towards the next New Moon; which parts you need to let go of. And the other things that are in your life at Full Moon start to be illuminated. The Full Moon is the most reflection of the Sun’s energy that planet Earth receives. So, at the Full Moon time you have the light of the Sun and you have the light of the Moon hitting you at the Earth. So, what is this? This is like having a lantern, like one of your laser flashlights, to beam the light on what it is that’s going on in your life.
What is inside of you? What, energetically, do you need to proceed? What do you not need? What is it that is hampering you so that, two weeks from now when there is another opportunity for a new Moon, and an offering from the feminine side, what is it that would keep you from stepping forward? What is it that would become an anchor, a proverbial ball and chain on your ankle to prevent you from really leaping forward; really flowing forward?
And when you start to ask the question that way, it becomes very easy for you to say “I no longer need that in my life. It does not serve me if, in the course of this time, it will prevent me from moving forward the way that I need to.”
So, at the Full Moon making the decision about what it is you’re ready to release is the first step…”
Do you have the Full Moons and New Moons marked on your calendar? The energies affect us for 3 days before and 3 days after each event. Try marking this for the next month and notice how you feel around these special times.
We are Earthlings learning to live in this Solar System. Here’s to your journey with the Moon!
The Divine Feminine via
MONDAY’S POEM: The King and Queen
Rosemary and I attended a deep “crystal bowl and grid” meditation Saturday evening. We’ve been going to these as we can; the energy, the vibrational forces and the gathering are always uplifting. This July event seemed particularly powerful and I traveled far! I met the King of Light and the Queen of Love somewhere “out there” well beyond our own galaxy. In writing about the experience yesterday, this is what came:
The King and Queen
The King of Light and the Queen of Love
Unite to show the way Home.
The portal, this dark gateway of bliss
Opens, yawning wide, hungry.
The King in all His brilliance radiates
The white clarity of creative power.
All, the manifest, the presence
Extends from His piercing eye.
The Queen in all Her luminosity absorbs
The black softness of everlasting Love.
All, the unmanifest, the Emptiness
Beckons from Her open Heart.
Rose Astara is the Queen of His Heart.
She embraces all within Her sphere —
And All is within Her sphere —
Trembling at Her call, Her touch.
The King emerges from His trance;
The dance of creating All subsides.
He rests in Her embrace, merging
Through the Portal, arriving Home.
©2014 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.
Problems? Be a Solver! – Richard’s Commentary
Rosemary posted her “Exploration” on this subject the night of the New Moon in Cancer. As I do on the New Moons I cast an I Ching Gua – a six-line hexagram consisting of open, yin, and closed, yang lines. I posted my results and my interpretation of this I Ching divination on Monday this week (Link). The initial Gua I obtained was “Hardship” – it appeared that I may be in for some “problems” during the month (I use the I Ching to give me a sense of the incoming energies for the month ahead from New Moon to New Moon).
Here is what Divine Mother Mary channeled through Rosemary had to say about problems and how they might be solved:
When people seek solutions to problems, answers to questions, they do not realize that they are seeking help in making a change in their life. They want something outside themselves to change without changing anything in their interior life, and they want that one thing in their life to change without their having to change anything else in their life.
I am fascinated by this Mary quote because here is what Taoist Master Alfred Huang, quoting early 3rd Century BC philosopher, Mencius, offered to help us understand “Hardship” –
If one loves others and they do not respond in the same way,
one should turn inward and examine one’s own love.
If one treats others politely, and they do not return politeness,
one should turn inward and examine one’s own politeness.
When one does not realize what one desires,
one must turn inward and examine oneself in every point.
The message is clear from both Mother Mary and the I Ching: if you want to solve a problem look inside yourself for the solution. How do you need to change your perspective? What do you need to change to be a solver?
One must seek a solution to a problem by asking this question FIRST: “WHO do I need to BE in order that this problem be solved?” –Mary
Turn inward and examine oneself in every point. –Mencius
And the good news for this month is the “Hardship” doesn’t last! There is volatility in the I Ching and it changes to “Union.” I like that energy much better. It also suits the Cancer energy much better!
Enjoy your month of “Union.” Enjoy your problem solving by questing inside for the changes, the appropriate responses, the new perspectives that lead through the lessons to the positive outcomes you desire and deserve!
New Moon in Cancer I Ching Divination
For each new moon I cast an I Ching Gua – a six-line hexagram composed of open and closed lines. I do this using the yarrow stalk method. I do this to capture the nature of the moon’s energy and what she will bring to us in the way of benefits, changes, guidance and vibrational tone during the month ahead (moonth).
The moon was new (exactly conjunct the sun) in the sign of Cancer last Friday at 4:10 AM Eastern time. She is now waxing and as this is the third day after the conjunction look for her smiling crescent on the western horizon this evening, just after sunset.
The initial Gua I cast for this month is Jian, which means “Hardship” according to my main reference, The Complete I Ching by Taoist Master Alfred Huang. I have included a picture here.
The first thing to notice is the three changing lines in this initial Gua. There are two 6s (Yin) and one 9 (Yang). In this situation Master Huang suggests reading only the middle line, in this case the 9 which then changes to a 6, an open Yin line. With all these changing lines I think we can expect July to be a month of some change. But I don’t think this is necessarily a concern.
The second thing to notice is the initial Gua, “Hardship” follows Kui or “Diversity” in the order of the hexagrams in the I Ching. Diversity was the accomplished Gua from the previous New Moon Divination (link). Master Huang observes that Hardship can arise out of Diversity.
And here is the response that may be appropriate to this Hardship message. This comes from early 3rd Century BC philosopher, Mencius:
If one loves others and they do not respond in the same way,
one should turn inward and examine one’s own love.
If one treats others politely, and they do not return politeness,
one should turn inward and examine one’s own politeness.
When one does not realize what one desires,
one must turn inward and examine oneself in every point.
This hardship coming from diversity requires inner work. Notice that the lower trigram of the Gua is Gen, meaning mountain. This is a time to be still, like a 
mountain. The changing line at the third position also indicates a time to be still. Go inside to examine the diversity that led to this hardship. There is good news here: in this case the third line is the changing line that moves to a Yin line. Keeping still leads to “rejoicing and union.” When the third line changes it forms a new “accomplished” Gua – Bi meaning “Union.”
The new Gua is pictured here.
This accomplished Gua overcomes the hardship indicated by the initial Gua. Union is about love and harmony within a group of people, especially within one’s intimate relationships. To understand and strengthen these relationships this divination suggests that we go within ourselves to find the love and harmony. Then extend and reflect the inner love to the outer, close relationships. Choose wisely here. There are those who don’t necessarily want to be in relationship. Loving relationships can’t be forced. Release those who wish to go their way.
PS: My friend and astrologer, Gloria Hesseloff, writes this about the New Moon in Cancer: “Cancer brings up in all of us a yearning for a safe haven. The Cancerian feminine force calls us back to home and family. Give birth to new forms. Cultivate life. Cooperate. Be creative. Build community.” And she adds: “Life seems more mysterious than ever and Cancer energy invites us to probe deeply into our inner experiences, pressing toward the heart. A Cancer period is a time to penetrate the dimensions of our inner life.” This certainly sounds like a time for Union and for inner seeking. Astrology supports the I Ching in a most satisfying way!
Have a wonderful moonth!
MONDAY’S POEM: The Unfamiliar
I sense we are in a transition period. I’m feeling a bit betwixt and between. We are just moving into June; spring seems behind us, yet it’s not yet summer. Some graduations are behind us, yet, many are still in school. We are well into the New Moon, yet it is just now showing on the Western horizon just after Sunset.
It is within this transitory energy that I came across a poem I wrote under similar circumstances several months ago. If you are feeling a little unsettled, perhaps approaching some as yet unknown transition, you too may resonate with this.
The Unfamiliar
Different, strange,
Dark, peculiar,
Low energy,
Unfamiliar.
Rest in this new
Environment.
Take it easy,
Let it ferment.
Adjustments come
To all who wait.
There is no rush,
Just hesitate.
Relax, just be;
There’s time to know
And when it’s right,
There’s time to go.
©2014 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.
New Moon in Gemini I Ching Divination
The Moon was exactly conjunct with the Sun, now in Gemini, at 2:43 PM Eastern time on Wednesday, May 28. Ah, I felt the energy shift as we moved through the New Moon. And the weather shifted, and the driving shifted…there were several accidents in the Annapolis area Thursday afternoon tying up traffic all over the region. Welcome to the shift!
As I do just after each New Moon, I cast a Gua, a six-line hexagram consisting of Yin and Yang (broken and solid) lines. I do this using a traditional yarrow stalk method and I use Taoist Master Alfred Huang’s The Complete I Ching as my guide into this deep and ancient text used for divination.
The hexagram I first received is pictured here. Its Chinese name is Shi He which Master Huang translates as “Eradicating.” Loosely translated this means “removing an obstacle to peace and harmony.” The removal or eradicating is done justly and swiftly. When we look at the two trigrams which compose the hexagram (the pair of three-line figures), we see that Li, or Fire sits on top of Zhen, or Thunder. This is like a thunderbolt striking swiftly to eradicate the obstruction.
The result of this swift action is good progress.
To complicate matters the second line (counting from the bottom) is a “changing line.” The I Ching is the “book of change” so it is good that there is a changing line in the hexagram. This indicates that things, events, energies are not static for the month. Changing the second line from a Yin line to a Yang line generates a new Gua or hexagram pictured here.
Kui is interpreted by Master Huang to mean”Diversity.” Its actual meaning is “to go against or oppose.” This happens when people have differing points of view. The I Ching indicates that this is a positive thing. There is strength in diversity. One Chinese saying suggests that we “seek harmony in diversity and good fortune will follow in little ways.” And I particularly like: “resolving diversity should be as natural as the clouds accumulating and bringing down the rain.”
So, what does this mean for the month ahead? How do these two Gua inform us and help us with the energies we may encounter through the coming four weeks?
Early in the month there may be an obstacle or two we need to deal with. But we can cut through this blockage as swiftly as a thunderbolt as long as we are justified in our action. Act fairly; consider all sides. Then swift action leads to good progress for the remainder of the month.
After the obstacles are eradicated we may encounter some divergence of opinion around some life issues. The advice here is to consider all sides (just as we need to do with the obstacle). The key is to seek harmony, to compromise in the larger issues, find common ground across the diversity and thereby gain strength.
These Gua offer good advice for any time: cut through obstacles and gain strength through compromise when opinions diverge. Good progress and auspicious outcome are the result in both cases!
Watch how you deal with obstacles that might pop up for you this month. And observe the diversity that appears in your life. Seek compromise and make progress!
Oh, and my friend and astrologer, Gloria Hesseloff writes this about the New Moon in Gemini: “Mercury, the ruler of Gemini wisely informs us that if there is any magic in the work it is…a shift in our perceptions!” She suggests: “‘THIS IS A TIME FOR SETTING A NEW COURSE IN LIFE’ Fear may arise as we make these changes. The opposite of fear is LOVE. Find a way to love what you fear!” Seems to me this approach is a great way to cut through obstacles and harmonize diversity!
ROSEMARY’S EXPLORATION: What’s the ROI for Staying Stuck?
This is a good question to ask yourself when you feel stuck in some area of your life and confused or unsure of the next step for you to take. Staying stuck IS an investment that you make, every day, until you decide to take some action to get unstuck and to move forward.
Every marketing seminar that you take will have you look at the Return on Investment (ROI) for various choices that lie in front of you. You’ll then be guided to take the road with the greatest ROI. But most of the time, when someone is using this term, they are actually measuring money. Is that really the only commodity that matters, though?
Think about your work or your job in terms of the hours that you are investing in it. Look at your time on the job as well as your commute time or the time outside of work when you are thinking/worrying about work. Are you focused on living your Life Purpose? Are you giving to others only the hours and energy that you have left over after your working hours? Are you being compensated for your real measure of your contribution to work?
If you’re working 40 hours a week and commuting one hour each way and all you are left with monetarily is enough money to pay for child care, then maybe there is not a good enough ROI for you and your lifestyle. Maybe there is, but don’t you want to assess that so that you are making a conscious choice to spend your hours and energy that way?
If you are in a relationship that does not support your personal, spiritual, mental and emotional growth, why are you staying in that relationship? Sometimes there are other benefits or payoffs but, if you are living a conscious life, it’s important that you be honest with yourself about all of your relationships. You don’t have to measure tit for tat, give and get in equal measure, but if you are investing in a relationship that does not help you to live your Life Purpose, then examine your reasons for staying.
You can make a conscious choice about every investment that you make – financial, emotional, mental, spiritual. What thoughts are you investing your time in considering? Do you tend to worry, investing time and energy in focusing on what you do not want to have happen in your life? Do you realize that there is a huge ROI on investing in these thoughts? You attract that which you energize. Why invest here??!
Examine your thoughts throughout the day. Catch yourself investing that energy where the ROI is not what you want to receive in your life! Then turn your thoughts onto the investment in what you DO want to receive.
Have you examined your limiting beliefs, the ideas you might have embraced as a child that no long apply but that your unconscious mind holds onto and brings up whenever it serves you as it has in the past? Were you told that you are ‘not good enough’? Were you picked last for the sports team and so started to believe that you are not good at doing sports? Did you have a teacher or classmates who belittled you so that you became afraid to speak your truth? There can be insidious beliefs that you are investing in by allowing them to continue unexplored and unchecked. They bring an ROI of unwanted behaviors!
Become conscious in your life. What choices are you making? Do those choices support you in living your Life Purpose? Are you free to explore new possibilities so that you can choose to invest in something that brings with it the positive ROI that you seek? Are you investing in staying stuck and losing out on investments that you would rather choose, those with the ROI that you seek?
Do the work. Your personal growth work is the best investment you can make in yourself and your life. The ROI is tremendous – Joy, Peace, Harmony, Happiness, and, yes, even Prosperity and Abundance!
Choose your investments wisely!
Who is Your WHO? – Richard’s Commentary
Rosemary’s question this week is:
WHO is it that you are serving?
My first reaction to this question is to think about my Qigong students; they are my clients and I do feel that I am serving them when we are in class together, when I am leading them through a form, focusing on breath, gathering and storing Qi for health, well-being, and peace. The beauty of my “who” is I am serving myself as well. I am doing the research into Taoism, the basis for the effectiveness of Qigong. I am going through the form with my students, leading myself to health, well-being and peace. And I am working with the forms on my own as well, practicing the forms every day. I continue my research and reading on the subject to go deeper so I can take my students deeper.
In response to Rosemary’s statement:
If you don’t take care of your own health, no one else can do it. You know this. You accept this. But what about your spiritual and psychological health? Your emotional health? Your mental health? Are you serving yourself by taking care of yourself in those areas?
I can feel pretty good, right? Qigong covers all these aspects of my life. Qigong contributes to my health. And the study of Taoism supports my spiritual and psychological health. Reflection on the Five Elements, the basis for Traditional Chinese Medicine, helps me work through my emotional and mental issues. Through all these levels I am serving my students and I am serving myself at the same time!
If only it were that simple!
Everything I’ve written above is true. And Qigong does help my students and me work through issues. But what about others I serve?
What about Rosemary? She is my client as well. I support her business,TheScientificMystic.com, through managing the technology to operate the business, handling the finances, and helping her with the messaging and marketing of her services. How am I doing with that?
Here I can’t be quite as glib with my answers! Sometimes I grow impatient that Rosemary doesn’t work to my schedule! Whose business is this? Sometimes I get frustrated with the procrastination. But I am a great procrastinator! And too often I get bogged down with the technology rather than focusing on what drives the business – Rosemary’s talent!
So, I need to take Rosemary’s advice here:
My work is to build a relationship in which I support them.
My work with Rosemary is to create the best possible business relationship we can have in order to best serve her, as my client!
And I need to do this analysis for all of my relationships. Everyone is a “client” of everyone else. It is important to nurture client relationships and it is vital to nurture all of our inter-relationships.
Who are your clients? Are you nurturing them? Are you nurturing every relationship with others as if they were your client? Are you nurturing the relationship with yourself?
What a world it would be if this were the case!
Men and The Goddess 