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Guru Purnima 2013
Rosemary and I spent a wonderful 20 hours in Trenton, NJ this past Sunday. We drove up from Annapolis that morning to join our friends from Colorado to celebrate the Guru, and in particular, Sri Karunamayi Vijayeshwari Devi. We have been followers of Sri Karunamayi, Amma, for years and visit her as often as we can as she travels the US on an annual tour.
The July full moon is the occasion of the celebration of the Guru and is known as Guru Purnima. It is an incredible festival in honor of all Gurus through time and our individual Gurus through our spiritual lives. We have been to several of these now and each celebration, held in a different city each year, seems grander than the last.
The Guru Purnima this year included a rare, once-in-a-life-time puja, or special honoring and offering for deities. This year Amma offered the Sahastra Linga Maha Puja as part of the Guru Purnima celebration. This Puja is conducted only once every 60 years and we were privileged enough to be in Trenton to experience it. This Puja is an offering to Shiva; 1,116 clay Shiva Lingas were used in the ritual. Words cannot describe the experience. But imagine a ritual that can clear away all karma, not only of this life-time but of all life-times!
Am I now clean, clear and ready for Enlightenment? Well, all I know is something happened in that honoring and celebration of Shiva and the Gurus. It was a magical time and the transformation energy was at a peak at the conclusion of the Puja and as we then entered the honoring ceremony. As we honored beloved Amma I also conjured all of my spiritual teachers and gurus that have helped me on my way, my path to spiritual awakening. I have been blessed by many. And they all seemed to join me during this event and were there with the 400 gathered souls to recognize and honor all Teachers.
Why is any of this important? Yesterday my comment on Rosemary’s Exploration on Self-Protection included a suggestion that we protect ourselves from misguided choices. The prescription to avoid these choices is to rely on our intuitive powers to make the choices that lead us onward and upward, on our paths to awakening. Intuition, from the Latin ‘intueri’, means “to look inside.” To use our intuition is to seek a priori knowledge to inform our choices. And this brings me to the key teaching of Amma, repeated yet again in her “Guru Purnima Message”. I have included some of her words here because they are beautiful and they are highly instructive:
Your body is not the external body, the mental body, or the intellectual body. It is the fourth body, which is the eternal Self, ultimate pure spiritual consciousness. You have to connect with your Self to unleash the light within you. Self-realization should be the ultimate goal of every human birth. How can you make progress towards that goal? Meditate.
The Holy rishis and even the gods are seen often in meditative posture. What are they meditating on? They are meditating on their own Self, the Atman, the soul. All the divine souls are merged into one. There is no discrimination for the divine soul.
Meditation is the only path to connect with the Self and attain eternal bliss. That is the path Amma wants all of Her children to follow. Once you start meditating, pride with give way to liberality; I-ness, Me-ness will give way to We-ness; selfishness will give way to selflessness. You will love everyone and hate no one. You will not criticize others but accept everyone for who they are. You will start developing faith in all religions. You will come out of your small boundaries and will be on your way to ultimate spiritual consciousness.
Meditate. Look inside. Access intuition. From that place you are completely protected from poor choice. And you step on the path to eternal bliss!
Jai Karunamayi!
Cancer New Moon I Ching Divination
The New Moon in Cancer was Monday morning, 3:15 am Eastern Daylight Time on July 8, 2013. And as I like to do, I cast a Gua, an I Ching hexagram (6-line figure) to determine what the energies will be like during this next moon cycle, for the next 29 or so days. (The next Full Moon is on July 22nd, at 2:16 pm; and the Leo New Moon is on August 6th, at 5:52 pm).
For this divination I use the yarrow stalk method and I use Toaist Master Alfred Huang’s The Complete I Ching to help me with the interpretation of the Gua.
The divination on Monday yielded a complicated picture: the numbers I cast, from initial (bottom) to top were 6, 9, 8, 8, 8, 9. The hexagram this generates is pictured here:
The initial 6, and the two nines at positions two and six are all changing lines. This indicates a lot of change coming during the month – great potential for transformation. Master Huang’s advice when given three changing lines is to read the middle line only to simply the interpretation. The initial gua then is Meng which Master Huang translates as “Childhood.” The interpretation of this initial hexagram indicates the month begins with the innocence of childhood. Wisdom is covered or hidden and needs to mature. There is good energy in youth; strong energy to gain and grow in insight and ultimately wisdom. The image of the gua is of water flowing out of a mountain, or a fresh spring. There is vitality in this initial hexagram.
Then the second 9 (middle changing line), a weak yang line become a yin line. This generates a new, accomplished gua composed of five yin lines and a yang line at position six. The accomplished gua is pictured here as Bo, “Falling Away”:
The image of this hexagram is Mountain over Earth and represents a top-heavy, unstable and unsustainable situation. Energies may be fluctuating later in the month.
The key here then is to shore up the erosion and regain some stability. Support will be required; be prepared to ask for help.
Another key is to trust in the transforming energies. We’ve known for some time now that 2013 is a year for great transformation. And the only way forward toward transformation is through the gateway of change, of instability. Awareness and preparation of our energies here is vital to moving through the transformation process as smoothly as possible.
The bottom line for me is to be prepared for the coming changes and also, going back to the “innocence of youth”, trust in the outcome.
PS: Here is another form of divination, and a great way to prepare of coming changes! Rosemary’s next Conversation with The Other Side is scheduled for this Saturday, July 13. It promises to be another wonderful evening. For a sample of the depth and detail of the messages you can expect to hear, she has posted some samples on her website: Sample Messages. Go to the link to hear and see how this works and how you can benefit with messages from The Other Side! Attendance is easy from any where in the world! Get the details here
Butterfly Maiden
When I was a kid growing up in Wisconsin we used to plant corn when the oak leaves were as big as squirrel ears. I loved this way of letting nature guide the farming cycles. Nature knows more about how to grow things than we will ever know with all our weather predicting technology and modern methods. This reminds me that we are patiently waiting for the first delivery of spring harvest from our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm here in Maryland. But with the cool, wet spring things are late and we are probably still a couple of weeks away from first delivery. For a farmer from Wisconsin there should be no surprise here!
I wrote this thinking about corn planting and growing – the old-fashioned way! And I hope Butterfly Maiden is watching over our CSA vegetables!
Butterfly Maiden
The corn is planted;
The spring rains have come.
The holy ground is rich;
The loam warms the seed.
Soon there will be a splitting;
Soon the full moon will shine.
Soon the earth will feed that seed;
Soon the sprout will reach for sun.
Moon watches through the night;
Moon wanes through a fortnight.
Moon withers toward rising sun;
Moon winks out as the sprout sees dawn.
Butterfly Maiden sheds her cocoon;
Butterfly Maiden warms in the sun.
Butterfly Maiden grins at the grinning moon;
Butterfly Maiden guards growing corn.
©2013 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.
PS: Qigong starts this evening, Monday, June 3 at 7:00 pm. If you are in the area of Annapolis/Severna Park please join me: Details here.
MONDAY’S POEM: Shadows
I wrote this in anticipation of the Full Moon/Lunar Eclipse we experienced early Saturday morning here on the East Coast. Unfortunately it was cloudy here and we didn’t “see” the eclipse, but all other senses were engaged as the earth’s shadow shrouded the Moon in a dark veil. Did you feel it?
I love the Moon; I have since I was a kid and would watch the moon follow our car as my Dad drove along the country roads of Wisconsin. I’ve been fortunate to see many eclipses; so, while I did not see this Sagittarius Moon eclipse with my normal eyes, I certainly know what it “looked” like!
Shadows
They loom large
Cast by the rising Moon
Full up in the East.
What’s this? Shadows
Dim as the light fades
Swallowed up too soon.
Gone but for a blood
Red rim and rusty face,
Smoke and a faint glow.
But, wait; there’s more:
A grin begins to crack
The dusty rim.
Shadows brighten
And recede walking
Toward the rising Moon.
Alone, the path lies
Dark with shadows
Cast by the rising Moon.
©2013 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.
Richard’s Message from A Conversation with The Other Side
As promised in yesterday’s post I am providing a link here to a recording of the message I received via Rosemary from The Other Side, this past Monday evening, May 20. The message is just over 10 minutes long and is a great example of the kind of information Rosemary channels from the guides, angels and loved ones who show up at these events. And the special feature of these messages is they are both personal and universal.
Here’s the link: Message
Note that toward the end of this message, there is information about the Full Moon/Eclipse that occurs tonight (actually early Saturday morning); May 25 at 12:25 am Eastern time. Be sure to listen for it.
So, be careful out there over the long, Full-Moon-influenced weekend!
PS: Rosemary has scheduled her next Conversation with The Other Side for Friday, June 14, 2013 at 7:00 pm Eastern time. If you are interested in receiving a channeled message like the ones I receive then get more information on Rosemary’s Website!
MONDAY’S POEM: Qi
I am still in that flow from Qi Revolution! Read this poem slowly; breathe with it; feel the qi!
Qi
Breathe in,
Expand.
Breath out,
Let go.
Slow moves
Outward.
Slow down
Inward.
Flame builds,
Brightness.
Flame dies,
Darkness.
Moon fills,
Grows large.
Moon wanes,
Release.
Wind moves,
Blows strong.
Wind drops,
Relax.
Creek flows,
Running.
Creek slows,
Pooling.
Tree boughs
Nodding.
Tree stands,
Stilling.
Feel qi,
Fill space.
Feel qi,
Empty.
©2013 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.
PS: Happy Full Moon; today, Monday at 3:26 pm Eastern time.
Old Moon-New Moon
Are you feeling heavy these past few days? It feels to me as if I’m walking through a cloud with weights all over my body. No, I’m not really ill, although I do have some mild aches and pains here and there. I’ve been up, out and about taking care of others in the family who are also feeling this weight. What’s going on?
Is this the mid-winter doldrums? The post-holiday blues? The weather is actually reasonably nice here in Maryland as I write this Thursday afternoon; the Sun has been out and the temperature reached into the 50s! And yet there’s this drag to the day.
Oh, right! The Moon is very old, dying as I write and nearly conjunct the Sun. To give you exact numbers, I am writing at 4:41 pm EST. The Moon is 8 degrees Capricorn and closing fast on the Sun at 20 degrees 49 minutes Capricorn. If you could see the Moon now it would be 1% visible, but it is so close to the Sun we can’t really see it with a naked eye (expect just before dawn on the Eastern horizon).
And as you read this (assuming you read it the moment I post it) the Moon is just now brand-new. It conjuncts the Sun exactly at 2:45:17 pm EST. And then it begins to move away from conjunction with the Sun and is born anew. Yay! We should begin to feel the lightness return. And as you look to the clear western sky at Sunset in about 3 days you’ll see the baby crescent peaking over the horizon. From there, of course, it will grow to full over the next two weeks.
I have been aware of the Moon for as long as I can remember. As a kid riding in the back of my parents’ car at night I would follow the Moon as the Moon seemed to follow us. I loved the play of peak-a-boo with the Moon as we drove. And in deep clear Wisconsin winters I would watch the phases in the brilliantly lit country sky of my youth.
And now I am acutely aware of the Moon and her phases each month (moonth). And if I forget about her, especially around this time and full Moon time, she is the first to remind me with her tug on the waters of my body. Yes, we feel the Moon just as the oceans feel her pull; we are, after all, more than half water (the human body is about 60 to 70% water!). As the tides ebb and flow with the Moon’s courses and phases so too do our bodies.
As with everything awareness is the first step in sensing, working with and balancing our inner tidal actions. Beyond tuning in to the Moon and her activities here are some things I do to work with her energy:
• For the “dying” Moon as she wanes to darkness, as we just experienced, I offer up things to her. I release emotions, I let go of limiting beliefs, I even give her little gifts, offerings to be shared with birds or other creatures. The key words are “release that which no longer serves.” And this makes room for something new to come into my life.
• Just as the Moon is new, as it is today, I cast an I Ching gua to determine what the energies coming in with the new Moon will feel like and what my preparation for and use of the energies might be.
• During the waxing phases of the Moon, from now for the next two weeks, I work with the Moon’s energies pulling in newness: fresh ideas, new beliefs, and I work with my commitments and resolutions. It’s a wonderful energetic time. “Welcome in the New.”
• And then the downward slide of the waning Moon begins again. Energies are still high and I use them, but I also begin looking toward another weak Moon and consider what I may need to purge for this next cycle.
These are my approaches. There are many ways to work with the Moon. The key is to think about this major body in our sky and how it influences the planet and us as creatures under her smile.
How does the Moon affect you? Happy New Moon!
More from QRS on Time
As I wrote my “daily pages” today I thought about time, especially as 2012 runs down, the moon cycles to full and I continue to examine this construct that the “Floating Heads” – QRS from the future – are bringing to my attention. And as soon as they come to mind they begin their dictation. Here’s what they offered today:
The Full Moon is nearly upon you. Pay attention. As the moon swells it fills with all the energy for you. It is full of love energy. Take it in, breathe it in and breathe in the emotions of the Universe, including our love energy. When you draw your cards today you may want to pay close attention to them and even blog about them. Divination for the blog is a good thing and you have been neglecting that element lately.
We would speak to you today about circular time. It is a bubble-like thing, expanding. It is not unlike the expanding Universe itself, moving away from itself. Time, Space, Matter, gravity are all closely related concepts in what you have known as a unified field. It is less like unity and more like singularity. It is, at root, all one thing, all inter-related and inter-dimensional. Your Thich Nhat Hahn speaks of “inter-being.” This is the word he chooses to speak of these concepts. Time is a component of this inter-beingness. This is how the past and future inter-relate with the present; this is how they can all seem as one thing, all existent at once. This is how Rosemary can talk to dead people, see and hear historical figures, sense us and reveal us to you. She sees and hears through this singularity of time. And this is how you are writing our words which are coming to you from the future. This is how you can reach forward into the future and empower the present from what you bring back. We are repeating ourselves here to be sure you get the concepts through different metaphorical approaches.
Write about this and your cards.
And so I have…
And here are the cards I drew today. Take these as the energy of this Full Moon in Cancer.
From the “Goddess Guidance Oracle Cards” by Doreen Virtue I drew Green Tara:
And from the Crowley Tarot I drew the Princess of Wands:
Green Tara urges us to “Start Delegating – Ask others (including me) to help you instead of trying to do everything yourself.” For me this relates to community, as I wrote about in yesterday’s post. We can’t do everything ourselves, “it takes a village.” Green Tara is a helper in community building. As we move into 2013 with this full moon energy behind us we can look to community for both what we are to do, how we are to be and where we can take refuge.
The Princess of Wands is youthful, feminine energy; she is full of passion and love. She represents the young Tara and unites us all through her love energy.
These are two wonderful goddesses to take with us into this full moon time. We can use their energy and their wisdom to help us build community, the Community of 2013!
ROSEMARY’S VIDEO: The Steps to Balance
Here on the East Coast in Mayland we can certainly use “steps to balance”! As major storm, Sandy, roars through the area we are all being challenged to remain centered and resourceful. The storm combined with a full moon is really taking a toll on emotions! Breathe, remain alert, present and resourceful! And take the advice of Rosemary’s video here:
Goddess Guidance Oracle Cards: Abundantia and Grammie Freedom
Happy Monday! Since I ended last week with Oracle Cards I thought it would be good to begin this week with some new guidance. For the weekend the cards from Friday suggested rest and quiet time. And since I wasn’t feeling my best physically I did just that. In fact we canceled plans for Friday evening and Sunday afternoon so we could take it easy.
Then I got an email “astronote” from our friend, Chris Largent, who shed some “light” on what’s going on in the sky! It seems we are still being impacted by the old Mercury retrograde which left us on May 11 but is still having some influence. Here is what he offers about the rest of the month:
“Greetings, everyone!
“For those of you who noticed the overwhelm of the last ten days or so, it’s clear that this is one retrograde shadow that is almost like the retrograde itself! As planets move into Gemini now, collective consciousness should feel lighter – and so will demands and tensions. So, I hope we all get plenty of rest and prepare for a lighter time.
“The good news is:
(1) the retrograde shadow ends just before Memorial Day (and is fading everyday between now and then),
(2) aspects symbolizing enthusiasm, optimism, and sudden opportunities and insights come into play the end of this month through the summer, and
(3) most of us have trained for these times on some other level of consciousness, according to various elders – so we can make the best of our struggles (and we all hope that this is true!).
“One cautionary note (and what would astronotes be in this era without at least one of these annoying things): there may be sudden releases of energy at the end of the month, coinciding with Memorial Day weekend, so in addition to my usual ‘please drive carefully’ note, I will add ‘please drive VERY carefully and deliberately and keep an eye on others on the road.’
“I hope you have a productive week and a great holiday weekend!
Chris”
Note that you can subscribe to Astronotes and contact Chris through the following email address:
ideahse@aol.com
And now to the cards for the week:
As you might guess Abundantia brings Prosperity. She says: “The universe is pouring its abundance out to you. Be open to receiving.” I like this card! But I do take careful note of the “receiving” part of the message. And to receive we have to recognize, be open, listen, watch, wait, and then, accept. Dr. Doreen Virtue goes on to have Abundantia say: “I’ve heard your prayers, worries, and affirmations…expect unforseen windfalls and gifts. Notice the new ideas, feelings, and visions within you. This guidance gives you clear direction about actions to take in conjunction with my assistance. Together, we’re unstoppable!”
This is a powerful message for any week; and I also notice the Moon is filling waxing to fullness on Thursday. This is an expansive period; I also take note of point (2) by Chris as we move into this expansive period of “enthusiasm, optimism, and sudden opportunities and insights.” These will be coming from Abundantia; watch and wait and listen for them. The ideas, feelings, insights, visions are all inside; bring them out. It might be a very good time to meditate and journal. Watch your dreams as well and ponder the messages coming from your unconscious mind.
And Abundantia’s message this week is reinforced by Grandmother Card, Grammie Freedom who is the “Guide of Promise” for the whole deck of Grandmothers! I’ve scanned in her image today because she is so beautiful and full of promise from so many directions and sources. Here is her message:
“You heard the voices calling from very far,
You heard the voices calling from distant star.
You heard the voices calling…
“You came as Freedom Child.
You sang your song,
You wrote your story,
You saw your vision,
You built your shield,
You made your dolls,
You became your dream,
“‘You are the patchquilt of your heart. You are the heart and spark of our Grandmothers.’
“Namasté” And thank you Megan Garcia, for your beautiful images and Grandmother messages!
Call and response. We call and the Universe answers with abundance. When the Universe calls it is up to us to respond in kind!
Blessings for an awesome week!
Men and The Goddess 