What’s New with You? — Richard’s Commentary, and the I Ching for the New Moon

April 11, 2013 — Richard

One of the thoughts that caught my attention in Rosemary’s “Exploration” yesterday is:

“And what new stimulus is there in your environment to keep you growing? Or are you content with the status quo and resisting forward motion?”

We live in a totally dynamic Universe supplying our need for new stimulus constantly. All we have to do is pay attention to what’s going on and assess and respond to the stimulation around us. For example we are just now in New Moon energy (as of April 10, 2013 at 5:36 AM EDT) and we are just now in a new astrological year with the Sun in Aries. And Aries, the House of newness and action, is really full of stimulating planets right now. This is from our friend Gloria Hesseloff:

“The New Moon in ARIES holds special promise because 5 other celestial bodies are also in Aries! It can rock your world!

“(Note: Seriously, you may have noticed this unique Aries time is impacting many of us or our friends and family, especially those who have prominently in their charts Aries, Libra, Capricorn or Cancer. This energy can feel aggressive, angry, domineering, etc…)”

There is plenty here to stimulate growth, change, expansion, evolution. With all this energy in Aries, Spring time in the North, New Moon, it will be difficult to remain content with the status quo! It is a great time now to capture this energy to assist us in moving forward! Gloria goes on to say now is the:

“Time to reflect on:

  • What am I ready to bring to life at this time?
  • Where do I need to take a stand?
  • How can I take advantage of the unlimited possibilities available to me?
  • How can I make changes that are real, not just superficial?
  • The Universal energies are supporting courageous action with this New Moon.”

Gou-EncounteringIt is with all this Aries energy supporting me that I cast my I Ching Gua for this New Moon to take a look at how the month may play out and how I can best interact with these energies. And I received a surprising pair of Gua. Here is the first:

Note that the second line is a changing line (a nine) which yields a new “Approached Gua”. The initial Gua tells us something about the current energies, the status quo if you will, and the approached Gua tells us something about the changes we can expect. Since I cast these Gua for the month (the nextDun-Retreat moon cycle, or “moonth”) we start out with the energy of Gou (Encountering) and end with Dun (Retreat). Here’s the Approached Gua:

And here is my interpretation:

Gou is about encounters with other people. The I Ching expresses caution here, to be careful of these encounters, to not take people as they first appear; not to distrust, necessarily but to reserve judgment. And it is better to meet people in person rather than at a distance (indirectly, e.g. via email!).

The Approached Gua, Dun, indicates a retreat after this or these encounters. This is a positive retreat, one to gather strength for another time (next month perhaps).

Both of these Gua offer caution about “little people” and to avoid inappropriate or unproductive encounters with them. The wise retreat to gather strength and reinforcements. This tells me to not get bogged down with small stuff. Advance by retreating!

And note that if you are following my I Ching readings each moonth that my last Gua was Heng/Long Lasting, which is the Gua immediately preceding Dun. So, after remaining steadfast during the previous month it may now be time to step back to assess and regroup!

With the I Ching timing is everything. I also note that while both of these Gua this moonth urge caution, Gou corresponds to the 5th month (June) and Dun corresponds to the 6th month (July). These will be very productive months for the year. Now is a time to be watchful of encounters and to retreat into planning to prepare for the summer months.

Considering all this energy in Aries, these are very cautionary Gua to received. I will be storing up this energy, putting it into plans and getting ready for a big summer!

Do you use any divination tools in your life? They can help you with the ever-present influences from the environment, help with interpretation and with guidance on using the energies for forward motion, but only when it is advisable!

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ROSEMARY’S EXPLORATION: What’s New with You?

April 10, 2013 — Rosemary

Where is the newness in your life?  Are you in a rut?  In a routine that doesn’t allow you time and/or space to grow?

Now is the time to explore the ways in which you have gotten stuck and are holding yourself back from your expansive greatness.  Sometimes it seems easier to stay put, to stay where things are simple, uncomplicated, the same.  But are you growing?

If you are alive in a human body then there is something more for you to learn.  That’s what the human life is all about.  We are learning machines, from the moment we’re born and we have to figure out how to get around in this physical world.

Babies are growing and exploring and trying new things all the time.  All those ‘No!’ messages are helping the baby to learn what can and can’t be done, what’s safe and what’s not, what’s accepted and what’s not.  As we get older we start giving ourselves those ‘No!’ messages for very different reasons.

What would you like to learn or explore that you are telling yourself ‘No!’ so you will stop exploring?  What learning experience are you denying yourself because of a list of reasons that might, possibly, be excuses for maintaining the status quo?  How are you holding yourself back?

Brain science is discovering fascinating things about how we think and how we can change our thoughts.  Every thought either reinforces a previous thought or creates its new pattern in our brain.  The thoughts we repeat deepen the groove of that thought and make it easier to revisit.  New thoughts must be repeated to create a deeper pattern and, if left unvisited, will wither away.

What are your patterns of thinking and what would you like to change?  There are techniques for making those changes, and to change your mind you have to be conscious of your old patterns and the new patterns that you want to reinforce.  You can do this!

And what new stimulus is there in your environment to keep you growing?  Or are you content with the status quo and resisting forward motion?

Living a Conscious Life requires that you accept yourself on a path of growth and that you are proactive about seeking to expand your awareness and advance your understanding.  You are not the kind of human being who believes you are done learning new things and are content to sit around without exploring any new ideas.  You challenge yourself to grow and to explore.

This task is not as easy in a vacuum as it is with a like-minded tribe.  Who is your Consciousness Tribe?  With whom can you explore ideas, share thoughts without concern about judgment or condemnation?  Where are the people who will challenge you to consider a viewpoint that you haven’t considered before?  Do you have these folks in your sphere?

Or are you content to hang out with people who represent the ‘you’ of decades ago, who will not challenge you to think outside the box of your old ideas?

Your tribe is yours to find.  Sometimes we need a new tribe.  Sometimes our tribe grows with us and we can stay with the same explorers while we all expand our consciousness.

Are you being challenged to find something new in your life?  Ponder this thought today and then look around you and your day-to-day life.  Maybe it’s time to try on something new and see how it fits.

What’s new with you today?

PS: New! Spring Book Special: Get Your Woman On!  Embracing Beauty, Grace and the Power of Women – The Amazon Best Selling book that I co-authored with some amazing women – is available this month at a very special price – $12 with free shipping in the US and some great bonuses!  This would be an inspirational gift for Mother’s Day for a woman who would like to read 39 stories of transformation.  Here’s how to get your copy: Book Sale

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INSPIRATION FROM ROSEMARY: What’s New?

April 9, 2013 — Rosemary

My video for the week: What’s New?

PS: Book sale! Spring Book Special: Get Your Woman On!  Embracing Beauty, Grace and the Power of Women – The Amazon Best Selling book that I co-authored with some amazing women – is available this month at a very special price – $12 with free shipping in the US and some great bonuses!  This would be an inspirational gift for Mother’s Day for a woman who would like to read 39 stories of transformation.  Here’s how to get your copy: Book Sale

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Change, the Brain, and Life Force Energy—Richard’s Commentary

April 4, 2013 — Richard

Change has certainly been on my mind lately—can you tell from my posts? Some of this change energy, maybe most of it, is coming from outside sources, including the influences of the planets, stars, heavens, recalling the quotes I used from my astrologer friend, Chris Largent, last week.

It is important to be aware of these outside influences in order to react, reflect and respond appropriately. And this happens on the inside, the only source and cause of true change. We have to consciously step through that gateless gate!

I was still in the middle of all this rumination when I wrote my “morning pages” this past Monday. Here’s what I’d like to share:

Everybody seems to be on edge, maybe a threshold, balancing on that edge, uncertain, teetering forth and back, wondering, hesitant, angry at the hesitance, fearful of the advance. Yet, advance we must straight into April and lovely days ahead to celebrate wakefulness.

It is good to wake up. It is good to be alive. Yes, I have met with irritation today, my old friend. And he is as grumpy as ever, rasping about people in his way, people with attitudes, people not following the rules – his rules. I have met with him and asked him to leave. I have too much to do to deal with irritation. It is a pointless and wasteful feeling. He is gone and I welcome the clear, clean air of April.

And maybe I’m a fool to seek happiness and joy in all things. There is often good reason to be in irritation’s field. But reason doesn’t make it right. The foolishness of joy is not wrong. Maybe it is unreasonable but never wrong.

I will seek out joy today. I would much rather be in his company. Some days I would rather be happy and irrational, living with Pi and Phi, than living in my left brain with the thinker, too often stinker.

Flow, goodness, grace, Tao. These are the way. This is The Way, the Immortal Way. How can an irritable man ever be good company, live as an Immortal? This is not the way!

And so I write, I look for the change. The door to Immortality stands wide open. The threshold of that door is joy. Happiness lives beyond. The simple act of crossing that threshold concludes the Pursuit of Happiness. It is right there, a fool’s paradise, so easy to reach out to, beyond. Just beyond.

Is this an April Fool’s joke I’m playing on myself? Can it really be so easy? And what if it is? Isn’t everything I write about choice? I believe it is. Stepping across the threshold is a choice. And this door of the threshold? It is that gateless gate of Zen. It swings both ways. There is always the “anti-choice” of reversion to old ways, meeting up with irritation again! Why I would want to do that is a mystery but it does happen. But maybe with the support of Heaven it doesn’t have to be that way. Maybe I can stay on the grace and happiness side of the gate. Maybe the world over there is perfect, just as it is. There is nothing wrong on that side of the gate that needs my attention. It is all good, just as it is. All I have to do is see it that way. And maybe some would say this is looking through “rose-colored glasses”. So what? Those who say that covet the glasses!

Is there sickness, old-age and death on that side of the gate? Of course there is! All the people caught up in all their desires are still there. Those still pursuing happiness are still there. It is a gateless gate—there is nothing that gate separates! In this sense nothing has changed. They have not crossed the threshold. It is I who have changed. It all only bubbles up from the inside. The gate that is not a barrier is inside. The threshold of joy is inside. The choice to cross the threshold is made in silence, promised to no one, confessed only in the stillness of every moment.

Change is that simple. And this may be the most difficult vow I can take and keep. Is there any way that I can say goodbye to irritation, dismiss him forever? This is only one step to take beyond the threshold. And from that new place I can hope to say, yes to this promise. One step into the new current is all it takes. And the flow will take me in a whole new direction…I am willing to let that current take me.

This is the water of my life. It is moving now, spinning beyond the stagnant backwater I have been stuck in for too long. This pretty April day with Sun, high sky, light breeze ringing bells is a brand new day for this fool to let go of old companions of irritation and rules and head into the unknown space of happiness flowing with whatever currents will come to jostle, cajole, and rejoin me onward beyond joy!

…so it all came tumbling out! And in tomorrow’s post I’ll offer a sequel to this flow toward change, toward happiness I stepped into this week…

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ROSEMARY’S EXPLORATION: Change, the Brain, and Life Force Energy

April 3, 2013 — Rosemary

Breathe into the base of your spine and allow the breath to move all the way up your spine into your brain.  If there is any constriction along the spine the breath cannot move energy all the way into the brain and thoughts die.

All thoughts in the brain need the energy of Life Force to be maintained but this energy does not just come from conscious thought.  The unconscious mind can also energize thought by repeatedly visiting that thought and giving it power.  This is how ‘old tapes’ can remain powerful in one’s life, even at the unconscious level.

What thoughts are gaining power by being revisited at the unconscious level?  What do you believe about yourself that you are not changing because you keep reinforcing the old belief?

The only way to change is to change.  Change the thought pattern that generated the behavior that resulted in an action.  Trying to change without addressing underlying beliefs and thoughts is doomed to failure.  ‘Trying’ to change is just that – ‘trying.’  Changing takes real change.  Anyone who wishes to change must start by changing something, even one little thing, to signal the brain to embrace the coming change.

If you wish to change your eating patterns and diet, then change something about how you eat.  Don’t sit in the same chair, eat at the same time or table, buy at the same grocery store.

If you wish to change how you exercise or move, change the clothes or shoes you wear.  Choose a different location, partner or time of day.

If you wish to change work habits then rearrange your work space.

If you want to change the energy at home then redecorate, change lighting, play different music, open different windows, use different doors.

Change something first, then change the brain.  Change the brain and you can change everything else.

Your Life Force Energy is within you as a fire burning brightly but sometimes your perception of it is dimmed by the blinders of your thoughts.  Ramp up the fire, the flames of Life Force Energy, and burn away the blinders.  Shine that Light upon the world around you.

All of this energy relies on an open spinal column through which the energy can flow, from root to crown through the brain.  You have the power to open this energy channel through a combination of visualization, physical exercise and energy work with light and color.

The focus is on the column of Light that is YOU, the individual.  Use color and light to set the vibratory frequency level that opens you to your own greatness.

Then Be that Unique Greatness – YOU!!!

PS: Do you want some help with the changes you are inviting into your life? Apply for a Discovery Session with me; it’s easy! Do it here

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INSPIRATION FROM ROSEMARY: Winds of Change

April 2, 2013 — Rosemary

My video for the week: Winds of Change

PS: Are you resisting change? Are you holding on to old forms that may no longer serve? It  may be time to speak with somone about how the winds of change are blowing in your life! I offer everyone a FREE introductory Discovery Session where we can meet and you can explore ways to work with A Medium, A Muse, A Mystic! Apply Here (it’s easy!)

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Surprise!!! – Richard’s Commentary

March 28, 2013 — Richard

While thinking about my response to Rosemary’s article on this subject I received an email from a mentor/teacher/friend, a deep scholar and also a gifted astrologer, about the energies of the times we are experiencing. I’m quoting a bit of his latest offering to set the stage for my thoughts about surprises.

More on the BIG astrology now – it IS that important – from Chris

“The aspects of the end of this week represent a rupture in consensus reality.  In other words, what we take to be true about ourselves, our community, our nation, and our planet could be challenged or expanded (or both).  My best advice is that if we see an opening in the “medieval fort” of everyday, programmed awareness, we should run through that opening.

“The possibilities for expanding consciousness are huge.  But we have to choose to engage with those possibilities.  We have to step outside the fort and challenge things we take for granted.”

Chris Largent

 Surprise!!!  A “rupture in consensus reality” certainly has the element of surprise embedded in it! Wow! But what does this really mean?

We have been anticipating big shifts with all the thought-energy, the expectations generated around 2012.  While much of the hype is gone, many understand that the Winter Solstice, 2012, was a turning point, not THE EVENT itself. We are now in the midst of that long turn. Some are suggesting that we may see big shifts with the Summer Solstice as the transformation to a new era begins to unfold in earnest. And many astrologers are aligning events in the Heavens with the correspondences of ancient calendars to conclude big things are happening.

Beliefs are certainly shifting and rapidly. Just look at one example around the issue of same-sex marriage rights. No matter what side of this issue you might support there has been an incredible, rapid shift in American acceptance of the LGBT Community and their rights to equal treatment under the law! Consensus reality is reforming here in a surprisingly positive direction. Chris goes on to say:

“The consciousness doors that open now will allow for big inner and outer shifts through the summer of 2014 – but the opening is NOW.”

Rosemary has this to say about consensus reality:

“As a human being, it is easy to fall into the trap of always wanting to be in control of your life. That would be nice. But the Earth is inhabited by other human beings who also want to be in control of their lives. What happens when these two desires collide?”

What happens is, willing or not, consensus reality is reformed around that collision. Of course it doesn’t have to be a collision! Chris says:

“…we are like currents in a river.  In other words, we look at the world in terms of fluid processes (and whole systems).  If we look closely at our lives, that’s what we see: we flow within larger patterns, and we create patterns as our life-processes flow with other life processes.”

I love this analogy of lives that flow together, but there’s no doubt that there is colliding yet to come as we bump through the next months of transformation! As consensus reality dissolves around us we need to be prepared for the reformation of our reality. These are exciting times! And while I don’t always like surprises (I’m one of those people who likes to be in control) I am now at a stage of life where anticipation of big changes and moving forward on the evolutionary path of consciousness is very appealing.

What other cultural surprises might we anticipate? Well, they wouldn’t be surprises if we knew about them in advance! Are you prepared for the long predicted and anticipated shifts? Are you ready for the BIG SURPRISE?

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ROSEMARY’S INSPIRATION: Examine Your Expectations

March 12, 2013 — Rosemary

My video for the week: Examine Your Expectations

PS: I did an interview with BlogTalkRadio program, Explore the Afterlife, the other day. You can listen to the recording here!

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It’s a Sign!!! – Richard’s Commentary

February 28, 2013 — Richard

Inside-outside; optimism-pessimism; half-full-half-empty. There’s a spiral of thoughts here in Rosemary’s Exploration to digest. And somehow the article this week points directly at me!

I’ve been an optimist all my life. And I live a reasonably healthy internal life and do look for confirming signs all around me. And then I went to the doctor last week.

It’s funny Rosemary should use the example: “You might have been given a medical diagnosis that you don’t like.” My doctor visit, the first in several years, was just routine; I thought I should get a new base-line of all the numbers western medicine is so fond of analyzing. I feel in excellent health, eating well on a pretty strict regimen of raw nut, seed, fruit and vegetable smoothies for breakfast and lunch, exercising with yoga and qigong, meditating, working for myself and a pretty gentle boss (Rosemary); all good things right? So, the nurse took my blood pressure and seemed pretty alarmed; “all the celery in your smoothies doesn’t seem to be working” she remarked.

OK, I’ve had an issue with high blood pressure before; it’s a genetic condition. I have taken medication in the past but then controlled it reasonably well with Chinese herbs, acupuncture, etc. I thought I was good to go for life! Not so! The external sign here is a warning that things need to change even more.

And I am resisting this change; my resistance is not improving my blood pressure a bit! I am ignoring the external signs, but struggling to change the internal perspective in order to see the external signs change. While I remain an optimist my glass seems to be closer to empty than full! Am I fooling myself?

Since my experience at Qi Revolution with Jeff Primack I have been practicing his Level 1 Qigong Form every day. I am getting prepared for Level 1 training this Saturday. And I am planning to go for certification to teach Level 1 a week later on March 9th. I am optimistic that I can achieve this goal. I am changing my diet to include many of Jeff’s recommendations in his Conquering Any Disease book, following many of his suggestions for reducing high blood pressure (yep, more celery!) and curing heart disease. More internal changes.

Now, I realize this is a life-change and not an over-night change that I’m working on here. It’s only been a week since that doctor visit. But the optimist in me is looking for the external signs to support my internal changes. And my blood pressure remains high; that half-full glass is looking even more empty!

And the spiral continues, but in a downward spin. What is this about? All signs, whether they are inward or outward, point to lessons. There’s something karmic here; something much deeper than qigong practice and meditation. And I need to dig down where that spiral is drilling to wedge out this darkness that is shadowing my optimism. And no matter how deeply we dig for the lead or the gold, there is always another layer to dredge up, examine and alchemically transform. The signs point the way; they are critical signs to follow.

I am reading those signs carefully; I am taking my blood pressure multiple times a day. I am asking many questions and looking deeply in the dark mirror, working to clear it of dust. I am watching but not expecting new external signs any time soon. And that’s OK; I have time.

And I’m taking a newly prescribed drug (two, actually, in one pill). Yes, I have at least temporarily resorted to western medicine’s approach to my condition. I am hopeful this will improve my pressure and give me more time for the natural approach to kick in.

Yes, I read the sign, and while I didn’t like the direction it pointed, I realize there are many more lessons for this western man to learn, many more internal adjustments to make and many more years to practice!

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EXPLORATION: It’s a Sign!!!

February 27, 2013 — Rosemary

Spring is busting out all over!

Ha! Ha!  Fooled you!  It’s still winter here and we experienced a wintery mix just yesterday.

BUT I did see some flowers popping up through the frozen ground this week.  That gives me hope.

If you look for signs, you will find them.  If you keep your eyes focused on the little bits of snow or the frozen, leafless trees or bushes, that is what you will see.  What are you looking for?

In life we are given many opportunities to declare ourselves optimists or pessimists.  The glass is half-full or half-empty.  The fact is that the 8 ounce glass has 4 ounces in it, but the way we perceive that fact colors how we think about it, talk about it, feel about it.

How are you feeling about yourself, your life, your relationsips, your work right now?  Could that feeling be based on how you talk about something, which is based on what you think about it and how you perceive something that can be reduced to a fact, like the glass holding 4 ounces of liquid?

What signs are you looking for, or are you waiting for something to happen (externally) to change how you feel (internally)?  This, I think, is the crux of the ‘feeling stuck syndrome.’  We keep ourselves focused on that ‘something’ that we expect to change and then we wait for the external to shift so we can shift how we feel internally.  This is bass-ackwards!

Shift inside FIRST and watch the external situation change!  Reach inside yourself for the truth and act upon that, not your perceptions of the so-called reality you see outside yourself.  Where does your hope come from?  Are there signs that you are ignoring because you are looking for something to back up how you are feeling instead of shifting your interior state so that you can see the signs that help you to move forward with great hope?

This game of ‘inside-outside’ can trap us in every area of our lives.  We dislike a person, often projecting unconsciously our own insecurities and faults onto them, then they react to that negative energy.  We are so sure something isn’t going to work out that we talk about that expectation, reinforcing that thought, speaking it over and over again, and then we are so cocky when we say, ‘See!  I told you it wouldn’t work out!’  Often we never even looked for a way to make it work out because we were so sure that it wouldn’t.

And that is what happens to us – we don’t even seek solutions or improvements because we’re so convinced that there are none.

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.

You have the ability to shift your thinking, speaking and feeling.  Sure, there might be some circumstances that aren’t exactly the way you’d like them to be.  You might have been given a medical diagnosis that you don’t like.  You might be in a complicated relationship.  You might have financial issues, or a job you don’t like.  There are lots of things that could be happening around you.

BUT, and this is huge, you have the power to change how you interact with circumstances.  You can get angry, at yourself or someone else.  You can get depressed and close yourself off from others.  You can choose to do something about your situation, such as see a counselor or coach, change your eating program, get another job, move on to a different relationship.  And you can always choose to examine your own thoughts and feelings to decide if this is the level at which you wish to change.

Watch for signs that bring you hope.  If you see something that reinforces a thought that seems pessimistic, take the time to look around for what an optimist would see.  Play the game for yourself, by yourself.

After all, Punxsutawney Phil didn’t see his shadow on Groundhog Day so we’re sure to have an early Spring, whether you see the flowers yet or not!  It’s a sign!!!

PS: If you are in the Annapolis, MD area check out my Rainbow Balance Color Therapy class coming on four successive Thursday evenings in March, the 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th. Special pricing for this class expires March 1.  If you are not in the area you’ll be able to take the class online soon. Stay tuned for the details.

If you can make it Click Here for Details

 

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