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Monday’s Poem: Dark Lady
We are now on the downward slide to the new moon and the Lunar New Year. At the end of January we will be celebrating the Chinese New Year and move from Water Snake energy to Wood Horse energy. I am very much looking forward to this change. For one thing my dominant element in both my Chinese astrology chart and as determined by my personality and behavior traits is Wood. So, I am anticipating great things in 2014. But first we have some cleaning up to do. We have another dozen days to clear away, let go of the old energies and staleness of the ending Water Snake year. It’s time to use the waning moon energy to take away the dreck of 2013. Release the old to make room for the new!
And to celebrate this feeling of cleaning house and letting go, the shrinking of the moon to darkness, I offer this poem I wrote about four years ago, at another pivot point. From January 28, 2010:
Dark Lady
Companion of the night,
You lead the way down
Where the Moon hides in the Sun.
All secrets are revealed.
Lover of darkness,
You show deep shadows
Where the Sun cannot reveal.
The unknowable rests there.
Wife to my healing spirit,
You carry me down
To discover there, together,
The deep Truth known through all time.
©2010 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.
I CHING GUA FOR THE NEW MOON IN CAPRICORN
We not only rang in a New Year at midnight on January 1, we also experienced a New Moon at 7:14 AM Eastern time on the First. Lots of new energy to begin the year!
As one of my practices I cast an I Ching Gua (a hexagram of yin and yang lines) on each new moon to “read” the energies that are coming in for us. The I Ching or “book of change” can be used as a divination tool, not so much to predict what is coming but to get a sense of the energies of change that may be coming up through the month. This is another of the many “intuitive tools” that are available to us to help us sense beyond the usual three-dimensional ways through our five senses.
To help with the interpretation of the Gua I rely on a book by Taoist Master Alfred Huang: The Complete I Ching. I find his translation to be thorough, detailed and clear. Of course there is plenty of room for my own reading of the Gua because the words and meanings of the I Ching can be open and obscure.
For January the Gua I cast using a 50-yarrow stalk method generated this hexagram:
The “x” and circles through the 3rd, 4th and 6th lines indicate they are “changing lines.” Master Huang recommends reading only the middle changing line when there are three. So, only the 4th line is used to generate a new, changed Gua as pictured below.
But first we need to understand “Hindrance.” This Gua is made up of two trigrams, Earth is the lower one and Heaven is the upper. This is not a particularly auspicious Gua because Heaven is above and drawing away from the Earth. There is a block here against progress. It is the opposite of “Advance” which is the preceding Gua in the I Ching sequence. But this is a natural flow: after advancing there comes hindrance. And, naturally, after a time of hindrance there can be further advance.
For me the energy here is to pause, for a short time. The Hindrance-Energy is on the way out with 2013. (Note the volatility of this initial Gua with three changing line.) Yet, there is no need to leap into anything big early in the New Year.
Using only the middle line, the 4th, as the changing line yields this Gua:
The Guan here is the same word as in Guan Yin the Goddess of Compassion. The literal meaning of her name is “Watching Sound.” In this sense Guan means meditating or concentrating.
The message for me is to meditate on any actions for the month and proceed with caution. In all things be an example. Watch yourself and also remember you are being watched by others. Contemplate before action. This Gua is approached from Hindrance. While the energy barriers are lifting and Hindrance is shifting there is no need for haste. Be considerate.
A further way to interpret a Gua is to form a new one from the 2nd, 3rd and 4th lines as the lower trigram and the 3rd, 4th and 5th lines as the upper trigram. This yields the “mutual gua” – in this case Bo, Falling away. This too holds a sense of warning energy. Conserve what you have. This New Moon will wax to fullness and then wane again. Proceed with caution during the waning moon.
Hindrance quickly yields to Watching early in the month. Meditate on all action. As the Chinese say about Pi: pi ji tai lai, which means: “Out of the depths of misfortune comes bliss. At the end of Hindrance appears Advance.”
Enjoy this moon-cycle and the start of this fabulous New Year however you wish to interpret the energies captured by the I Ching!
PS: My friend and astrologer, Gloria Hesseloff, had this to say about this Capricorn New Moon: “2014 invites us to continue ‘planting the seeds’ for the next 26,000 years, or at least the next few generations.” Planting seeds for generations certainly requires thoughtful patience!
Reflections from 2013 = Guidance for 2014 – Richard’s Commentary
As my commentary on Rosemary’s important post from yesterday I simply want to trace the development of the reflections leading to the guidance for the new year and note why these thoughts and development are so important to our growth in consciousness.
Each of us has a responsibility to ourselves and to others to learn how to live in community with the people around us. Evolution in conscious returns us to community. I say “returns us” here because as the human race was developing a few thousand years ago, we did so only in community. The “rugged individualism” of the so-called modern west had yet to arise. Humans depended on other humans, living together in social structures in which everyone had a role to play, a dependent and cooperative role. We need to return to that level of consciousness.
Reach out beyond what you can see to the possibilities that are there. Always reach higher. We are never finished with development. “After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.” There is no limit, no goal that can be achieved and sustained without reaching higher.
A crystalized belief feels like an energy block. Examine all beliefs; The Divine Feminine during the Winter Solstice message channeled by Rosemary, said our beliefs will be challenged in 2014. We will be called to defend them. Are you prepared to defend all of your beliefs? Are you prepared to release the ones that are holding you back?
When you find yourself stuck in a rut, or not sure what your next step is, remind yourself that you are always at a point of choice in your life. We are always at choice. This can be either exhilarating or daunting. Choose the freedom and exhilaration this requires and make the best choices you can with the information you have in the moment. If it turns out to be the right choice, celebrate your brilliance. If it turns out there may have been a better choice, forgive yourself, learn the lesson and move on!
It’s okay to consider yourself and your own needs. It’s not “selfish” to take care of yourself. You cannot serve from an empty container. You first have to love yourself in order to be able to love your neighbor, and your enemy!
When you put your attention on being instead of doing, your energy flows into being the you you were meant to be. We are humanbeings. Find the way to be, in the moment, in the present, right here, right now. Now is the only reality. If you find the way to be then you will have the energy and the motivation to do.
When you demand control of your environment, you limit the ways in which the Universe answers your requests. This is excellent advice for the western mind. We are all about control; we want things just so, the way we planned them, the way we expect them, the way they “should” be! But what if the Universe has something better in store? What if we pause, be in the present and listen? Letting go of that false sense of control not only opens the doors to possibility greater than we can imagine, it also relieves an incredible load of stress!
and
This message is from The Divine Feminine for us:
“Dear Ones,
The flames are licking at the Doors of Change. Those who fear change are trying to engulf the opportunities in flames so that you and others will not walk through them. Do not let these fear-mongers paralyze you.
Change and Opportunity are two sides of the same coin, of the same door.”
Choose change and you choose opportunity.
Community, possibility, examined beliefs, choice, self-care, presence, flow and fearlessness open the doors of opportunity. The change you find there will be of your own making! And it will make for a wonderful 2014!
PS: The Divine Feminine, as channeled by Rosemary on the Winter Solstice, offered amazing advice for 2014. Expect more change! The transformation continues! Their message is available as an MP3 recording for a modest price; check out the details here: Winter Solstice Mesage
ROSEMARY’S EXPLORATION: Reflections from 2013 = Guidance for 2014
Here are excerpts from selected posts from 2013. May they guide you into a happy and prosperous 2014!
From April 12, 2013
Each of us has a responsibility to ourselves and to others to learn how to live in community with the people around us. We are not private islands with ‘No Trespassing’ signs on our foreheads! The most important lesson to learn about living in a civilized society is to learn what healthy boundaries are. Learn what to let in and what belongs to the other person.
From February 22 2013
Reach out beyond what you can see to the possibilities that are there. Keep your mind open to optimism. Maybe things aren’t as bleak as they seem. Maybe the glass really is half-full and not half-empty. Take charge of how you think, speak, feel about something and it just might change around you.
From December 6 2013
A crystalized belief feels like an energy block. It is not negative or bad; it is merely a block where the energy feels stuck. It is important, though, because stuck energy prevents us from moving forward into our highest potential. And the longer energy stays stuck the more problems that block can cause us.
From August 30 2013
When you find yourself stuck in a rut, or not sure what your next step is, remind yourself that you are always at a point of choice in your life. What benefits are there to staying in that rut? Do you really not know the next step? Or are you afraid of what it might ask of you and, therefore, you choose not to seek help in identifying it?
Happy Birthday to YOU!!! Today is your birthday. You get to choose who you are today, right now, in this moment. You don’t even have to be the same as you were when you woke up this morning. OR you can decide that you like the YOU who woke up and you re-decide to celebrate YOU! Either way, it’s your birthday today.
From January 11 2013
It’s okay to consider yourself and your own needs. Sometimes we need permission to do that. You have that permission now. Focusing on what you need is vital to supporting your efforts to help others in need. Fill up your cup so you can serve from the overflow in the saucer.
From July 5 2013
When you put your attention on being instead of doing, your energy flows into being the you you were meant to be. Doing, taking action in your life, then follows being yourself.
Where are there energy blocks in you, in your life? Identify the stuck places and take action to move the energy through the blocks. Free up any stuck energy so that you can truly be free. Focus your attention on manifesting your dreams and watch how much energy can then flow into that manifestation.
From March 22 2013
When you demand control of your environment, you limit the ways in which the Universe answers your requests. Your thoughts are projecting an often unconscious request to keep things just the way they are. And, yet, there are laws of the Universe about change being ever present.
For today, remember this equation:
EVENT leads to your REACTION and then you choose a RESPONSE.
While you might not control all the events that happen [Surprise!] and your reaction is your immediate ‘knee jerk’ feeling, you DO control how you respond. Put your energies into practicing Conscious Response – choosing the response that demonstrates your personal growth. Then you can relax into making peace with the ‘not knowing’ and enjoy the ‘Surprise!’
From May 24 2013
This message is from The Divine Feminine for us:
“Dear Ones,
The flames are licking at the Doors of Change. Those who fear change are trying to engulf the opportunities in flames so that you and others will not walk through them. Do not let these fear-mongers paralyze you.
Change and Opportunity are two sides of the same coin, of the same door. Opportunity is the invitation to Change. Every time you say ‘no’ to Change you are leaving a Doorway to Opportunity closed. Every time you ignore or say ‘no’ to Opportunity you are saying ‘yes’ to everything staying the same.
Is there something in your life that you wish to Change? Then you must walk through a Door of Opportunity or there will be no Change.
Are you seeking Opportunities in your life? Then you must Change something.
Those who prevent change also prevent opportunities from being realized. If you are one who wishes to preserve the status quo then you are not ready for increased Prosperity and Abundance in your life.
Think about the energy it takes to resist Change. The evolutionary forces of the Universe are not static. They are always and forever moving forward, taking with them those who are connected to growth and leaving behind those who wish to go backward, which is the same as attempting to stand still. There is no standing still. There is only moving forward or being swamped by the Tides of Change.
In every moment cells in your body are changing. With every thought your brain is changing. Energetically, your field is changing with every thought, feeling, heartbeat. What vibration are you emanating as these changes take place? You are changing and you are constantly generating an energy field around you. Your choices create the energy vibrational frequency of your field. What energy field are you choosing to present to the world?
Think about the people you have attracted to your energy field. Do they emanate the vibrational frequency that you wish to share? Think about the situations in your life right now. Are they what you wish to manifest in your world?
Now is the time for you to consciously choose the Opportunities you wish to pursue. What do you desire to Change? Which Doorway of Opportunity will bring about that Change? And what must you Change to take advantage of that Opportunity.
Opportunity and Change.
The only way forward is to walk through the Doorway.
And so it is.”
Happy New Year! For even more guidance for 2014 you may want to listen to a message Rosemary channeled from The Divine Feminine on the Winter Solstice; they offered guidance and advice on what we might expect in 2014, and how to approach the year’s upcoming energy. Expect more change! The transformation continues! The message it is available as an MP3 recording for a modest price; check out the details here: Winter Solstice Message
ROSEMARY’S INSPIRATION: Reflect on 2013, Ponder 2014
My short end-of-year video for this week: Reflect on 2013, Ponder 2014
PS: While you ponder 2014 you may want to listen to a message Rosemary channeled from The Divine Feminine on the Winter Solstice; they offered guidance and advice on what we might expect in 2014, and how to approach the year’s upcoming energy. Expect more change! The transformation continues! The message it is now available as an MP3 recording for a modest price; check out the details here: Winter Solstice Message
I Ching Gua for the New Moon in Sagittarius
There was a New Moon this past Monday, December 2 at 7:22 pm when the Moon moved into alignment with the Sun in Sagittarius. As I like to do during these important celestial events I cast an I Ching Gua, the hexagram of open (yin) and closed (yang) lines. Reading the I Ching each month is a great way to learn this ancient divination tool and offers insight into the shifting energies as we move through the calendar, the wheel of the Zodiac, the Sun’s position as we progress around it and the Moon’s position relative to Earth and Sun. All these incredible influences are at work in our lives whether we choose to believe in astrology or not!
As always the energies and the yarrow stalks I use to cast the hexagram (gua) are in alignment and reveal significant information about how I am relating to these energies. My hope is that you too can relate to the gua, the sense of their meanings and how you see the alignment of your own processes with all these influences that surround you.
Here is the initial gua I cast. Heng meaning “long lasting,” consists of Zhen (thunder, the top trigram) over Xun (wind, the bottom trigram). Notice that the bottom line is a 6, meaning it is a changing line moving from a yin line to a 9, or yang line. This is where the change occurs, remembering that I Ching means the book of change.
Long lasting here means endurance; it can refer to a marriage of long endurance, a mature marriage or relationship. However, because the initial line is a yin or weak line in a beginning place (the bottom of the gua) it may be premature to expect a long lasting situation or relationship to appear. Patience is indicated. Master Alfred Huang, whose book, The Complete I Ching, I use as my main reference, says: “Everlasting relationships take time to cultivate.”
The approached gua, the hexagram that results when the bottom 6 moves to a 9, or yang line, is Da Zhuang meaning “great strength.” This hexagram retains Zhen or thunder on top and replaces the bottom trigram with Qian or Heaven. Thunder here indicates movement and Heaven below indicates strength; together they indicate strength in motion, or “a positive advance for further achievement.” Strength here does not necessarily mean physical strength but moral strength. From Confucius’ commentary on the decision we read:
What is great should be righteous.
When righteousness is great,
The truth of Heaven and Earth can be seen.
Use great strength wisely and cautiously. Don’t overdo it; rely on moral rather than physical strength.
It is interesting to note that for the last New Moon in Scorpio I cast Da Zhuang as the initial gua which then moved to Guai or “eliminating.” (See the November 4 post). The mutual gua for the approached gua this New Moon in Sagittarius is Guai. We seem to be moving in a tight circle about Great Strength!
PS: a wonderful astrologer friend, Gloria Hesseloff, posted this about the New Moon in Sagittarius: This is the time to question our basic assumptions and be open to new revelations and possibilities. It can be so much fun to look at life with new eyes! Doesn’t this New Moon fit so perfectly with the momentous times we are experiencing during this Shift of dire beauty? I love this phrase “shift of dire beauty”! As we examine our beliefs and assumptions the I Ching seems to be telling us to eliminate old beliefs that no longer serve, enter into new beliefs cautiously and let them grow and become long lasting with patience; they will become strong through perseverance.
ROSEMARY’S INSPIRATION: Find Compassion in Yourself
Rosemary’s “Three-Minute” video for the week: Find Compassion in Yourself
Note: this clip was taken from our November gathering for Satsang.
PS: You too may experience channeled messages from Rosemary. In fact you can receive personal messages from Guides, Spirits, Angels and loved ones who have crossed over at the next event: a Conversation with The Other SideDecember 6 at 7:00 pm Eastern. Click for details
Love Energy + 3rd Eye Energy = Transformation – Richard’s Commentary
Several confirming and affirming events conspired last Friday to give me a boost on my journey. We all need boosts (kicks in the pants) from time to time. These are reminders of who we are and why we are here! They are what might be considered the “little transformations” in our day-to-day lives. And sometimes the little kicks build up to a big one, as we experienced on Sunday with the New Moon and Eclipse in Scorpio.
The events of Friday leading up to the New Moon were the publication of Rosemary’s Ezine in which her message of yesterday’s post here was first published. Then we hosted a Conversation with The Other Side that evening. Here are the key paragraphs from the Ezine that provided the first boost:
And, as every entrepreneur knows, working on yourself is working on your business. Everything boils down to personal transformation and the continuation of a path of personal growth.
Relationships depend on growth or they stagnate. Careers, businesses, parenting skills, partnerships, education – all require that there be learning and growth to succeed.
“Personal growth” is required for anything and everything to succeed. I cannot succeed in my purpose if I fail to keep growing, changing, transforming.
Then Friday evening during the Conversation a male bald eagle flew into the room to greet me and remind me to fly – to treat myself more lightly so I can fly – fly with him! I knew this eagle; I fly with him when I journey to the lower world. I took part of his message to mean I needed to return to visit him. I had not journeyed for a couple of months!
I do not ignore the call to my spirit guides! I journeyed and there I flew with Eagle surveying the lower world in all its splendor. And I also joined Mama Bear on this journey, another of my “familiars.” She took me deeper and into myself where energy rose up my spine through her powerful connection with the Earth. This tremendous power and Earth energy collected in my Heart. There it created a gravitational field that began to pull light and energy from the Heavens, Celestial Beings down to the Crown of my head, down through my 3rd Eye and Throat where this energy too collected in my Heart.
And there I sat, traveling with the drum, absorbing and absorbed in the powerful grip of Earth and Heaven energy, all while riding astride Mama Bear. And I realized the message was one of Love. Love is the force; Love is the glue; Love is the creative energy; Love is the power to propel this personal growth we are called to embrace. Love is the purpose. Love is the source. Love is the goal.
And here’s Rosemary’s question:
Are you committed to your own personal growth and transformation? Do you know how to do that? Are you willing to ask for help or start learning some new ways to grow?
I do not ignore the call of my spirit guides. And I do not ignore their message. Love yourself enough to accept your call and grow!
PS: Are you looking for messages about your personal growth? Every 3rd Saturday, at 7:00 pm Eastern time, Rosemary hosts Satsang for all who would join her in the exploration of evolving consciousness. It’s an excellent opportunity to ask questions. This event can be attended in person and online using video-conferencing services.
Get more information and sign up here The next Satsang with Rosemary is November 16 at 7:00 pm Eastern.
ROSEMARY’S EXPLORATION: Love Energy + 3rd Eye Energy = Transformation
Every human on Planet Earth is responsible for their own personal growth as well as their contribution to the evolution of human consciousness.
And, as every entrepreneur knows, working on yourself is working on your business. Everything boils down to personal transformation and the continuation of a path of personal growth.
Relationships depend on growth or they stagnate. Careers, businesses, parenting skills, partnerships, education – all require that there be learning and growth to succeed.
Are you committed to your own personal growth and transformation? Do you know how to do that? Are you willing to ask for help or start learning some new ways to grow?
Let’s start with the energy of Love at the heart center level. Self-Love starts with an acceptance of who you are, right now, right here, just as you are. In this place you can reach the elevated level of Love vibration. If you have self-doubt or self-criticism you anchor your heart energy to a lower vibration.
What do you know about your 3rd Eye? It is in your forehead between your eyebrows and connects you to the higher wisdom in the Universe. This is your antenna. It is not just an idea but an energy center that vibrates at a high enough frequency to connect you to the wisdom vibration.
Think about the power of connecting these two centers, allowing two high vibrational energy frequencies to unite. The power is the energy of transformation. And YOU transform YOURSELF!
Through meditation, soul work, counseling, shamanic/spiritual healing and other spiritual technologies you can clear away blocks and lift your vibration to these higher level frequencies. If you practice regularly, you can grow and expand on this path of transformation.
The wisdom of transformation abounds in the Universe but it is your job to find a connection to that wisdom. Love energy is the glue that holds the Universe together and Self-Love is the greatest appreciation of the gift of your life that you can show the Universe.
On a personal level, when you connect two energy centers in your energy body, you lift the vibrational frequency of your whole field. Does this all sound a bit woo-woo to you? Frankly, it’s not. You have an ability to connect to wisdom in the Universe and this description speaks to the ‘receiver’ in your head as your crystal radio. Tune the dial and hear the Wisdom Show!
Love? That’s not woo-woo. It just is. Love is the attracting force of the Universe. Love is not a romantic thought or Valentine’s Day feeling. Love is an energetic force that has great power in our lives and in our societies.
Now combine these frequencies and feel the power of the shift we call ‘Transformation.’
Transformation is the energy, the engine of evolution because it is such a powerful energy. Your personal transformation work carries all of humanity along with it. Your learning how to transform yourself contributes to the evolution of human consciousness
Yes, that’s a big responsibility. Remember that you signed up to come onto the Planet Earth at this time so that you could transform for the good of all!
Thank you!
PS: This post is a deeper exploration of a topic from Rosemary’s evening Satsang event in October. Every 3rd Saturday, at 7:00 pm Eastern time, Rosemary hosts Satsang for all who would join her in the exploration of evolving consciousness. This event can be attended in person and online using video-conferencing services.
Get more information and sign up here The next Satsang with Rosemary is November 16 at 7:00 pm Eastern.
ROSEMARY’S INSPIRATION: The Energetics of Evolution
My “Two-Plus-Minute” video for the week: The Energetics of Evolution
Note: this clip was taken from our October gathering for Satsang.
PS: This message is a brief clip from Rosemary’s evening Satsang event in October. Every 3rd Saturday, at 7:00 pm Eastern time, Rosemary hosts Satsang for all who would join her in the exploration of expanding consciousness. This event can be attended in person and online using video-conferencing services.
Get more information and sign up here The next Satsang with Rosemary is November 16 at 7:00 pm Eastern.
Men and The Goddess 