Full Moon Afterglow

Just a little post-moon contemplation...

    During our Full Moon Water Ceremonies, I often give thanks to Grandmother Moon for beaming her light into the darkness ... literally and figuratively.  I find the light of her moon to be very helpful in revealing hidden aspects of the Self.  Our recent moon this week was no exception.

     Touching in with the astrological projections continuing into the coming weeks, it seems that the Universe is setting a backdrop for us to (choose 1: begin / continue) peeling away the masks we wear to conceal our perceived faults from ourselves and everyone else.

     In short, our Universe is throwing its doors wide open in support of our "Getting Real" with ourselves.  Letting go of false courtesy; pretending to be ok with something that you find contrary to how you really feel; laughing at jokes you find offensive; and one of my personal favorites: holding back my truth for fear of being rejected.

     Imagine what it would be like if:  we were able to speak our truth fully, with conviction, respect and compassion; gently offer an alternative to someone breeding doubt and fear, disrespect or lack of gratitude into the world; say what we mean while being open to learn a better way; let all the things that are bottled up inside of us OUT to dance and sing and play in the sun ... without transferring guilt to self or other!

     We are all innocent.  Our jobs as humans are to experience life!  No one ever said experience joy but not pain; truth but not falsehoods; success without failure.  Rather we are learning to experience life as it is so that we may learn to become catalysts of change for the better.

     A wise man once said:  You can't get to where you want to go until you are willing to be where you are.  What's hiding behind your mask(s)?

Transformation! Is it really happening?

Last week I gathered with a group of women for a 4 Seasons in 4 Weeks retreat sponsored by author and wise woman Suzanne Mathis McQueen.  We were a focused group, immersing ourselves in sacred ceremony and calling forth the embodiment of forgotten wisdom and power hidden within a deeper understanding of the significance of the feminine cycle. Within the cyclical nature of all life, there is a time for growth and rest, exuberance, shining one's light, taking on new responsibilities, and letting other ones go.  Which one of these energies are peaking for you right now?

It's a good thing to know.

We held a single intention during our time together:  that this deeper understanding of the natural power and skill built into our rhythmic nature would lead us to self knowledge that would awaken our greater potential and ability to thrive.  We were seeking liberation from a definition of the feminine cycle that, for millennia, shadowed our power in phrases like "the curse" and "post menstrual syndrome".

We were seeking transformation within our recognition of ourselves.

For me that transformation began during our retreat, and exploded during my 5 1/2 hour drive back to Ashland. An ancient knowing of the strengths and power inherent to my nature burst forth and threw off a host of counterfeit ideas and beliefs that I had clung to in their place.

Is transformation really happening?  For me it is.  I have found the greatest meaning of a very simple phrase:  What you seek is what you tend to find.

Notes:
Suzanne Mathis McQueen, facebook.com/4seasons4weeks, website 4s4w.com

A Gentle Art of Transformation

A Gentle Art of Transformation:  Being with ‘What Is’
May 23, 2014

Amari Gold

This morning’s episode of ‘what is’ showed up in the form of fear.  It had a particular tenor that was faintly familiar to me.  I say ‘faintly’ because, although I have experienced this feeling millions of times throughout my life, it has always been the kind of thing that screams “your life is in danger”!!  My habitual response has been to immediately turn and run for my life, bypassing any opportunity to actually learn something.

This time, recognizing my desire to be neutral to this experience of fear in my body/mind, I committed to allow myself to be present without modifying, justifying or judging whatever needed or wanted to express. 

I first noticed a discernible pulse/vibration in my belly/solar plexus that sounds a little like the buzzing of bees. This vibration, representing extreme fear lodged in my belly, is likely to have a profound influence on my gastro-intestinal dysfunction.  Is it because I translated the sound/vibration to mean danger?  Does something like the sound of bees put my life in danger?

Maybe 10,000 years ago it did.  Maybe the sting from the wasp when I was 5 years old contributed to its meaning.  Or maybe it was the yellow jacket that I stepped on while it was simultaneously licking the honey off of a piece of broken glass.

With further exploration I heard a more precise definition of its purpose: to inform me of the possibility that my choices today could be construed as unfavorable to the minds of the folks whose home and pets I am caring for.

This inner dialogue contributing to my well-being from the depths of my unconscious mind has likely taken form from a combination of many memories of fearful experiences in this and other lifetimes.

Through this exploration of what was happening in current time, I was able to recognize the true jailer.  The risk of rejection, of being thought to be wrong, incapable, or unworthy, the potential for conflict coupled with my inability/unwillingness to stand up for myself, along with my conditioning to think myself always in danger of making poor or wrong choices, is a reference point based in the past having nothing whatsoever to do with what is actually happening in the present moment.  It also represents the epitome of my personal resistance to accepting responsibility for allowing or co-creating a different outcome than the one predicted by a fabricated colony of killer bees.

My understanding of this gentle art of being present to what is truly happening in current time is where our freedom resides. There is nothing further to do.  The union of our consciousness with the moment at hand opens a unique opportunity for a process of transformation to unfold in its own time, whatever that may be.  Until that act of coexistence occurs, the unconscious fearful dialogue or emotion dwells within our personal stockpile of experiences that we have claimed ownership of.  It is universal law that what we take hold of as our own cannot be taken away without our consent, or very good karma.

Hmmmm.  I wonder what other gems I may be hoarding away in my stockpile of resistance?

PostScript:  There was a mountain lion on the property this morning that helped to fuel my sense of fear.  When looking up his totem I found this:

Mountain Lion Spirit Medicine brings the gifts of  Guardian, Bravery, Personal Power, and the energies of Intention, Boundaries, Freedom.

Blessed be.

Sacred Living - Consciousness, Authenticity, Unworthiness, and the Divine

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I've taken to sneaking out early in the mornings before the rain begins to walk in Lithia Park amidst the Ashland Creek, squirrels, ducks, birds and trees.  For me, being in nature allows greater clarity.  I find it easiest to recognize deep truths within myself when I am in this place.

I began my morning walk contemplating how I relate to my Divine.  The term "my Divine" was introduced to me through Oneness University and the Deeksha Oneness Blessing.  It's meaning has to do with the way in which each of us defines our own divine aspects and the divine aspects of life and the universe.  Some may regard this higher power as God, or Light, or Universal Intelligence.  Some may talk to Angels or Faeries, Buddha or Jesus, Creator, Saints or Ascended Masters.  Some may regard Nature itself as the entire expression of Divinity.  Others may have a beloved family member no longer embodied here on earth with whom they share their most intimate thoughts and to whom they most readily turn for help.

According to the Avatars, devoted Monks and sages at Oneness University, to whom or what we relate doesn't matter so much.  Each of us has full authority to define our higher power in an image and likeness that suits us.  It's the "if" and "how" we relate that can make a profound difference in the quality of our life experiences.  We've been advised that the best way to cultivate a strong, loving and powerful relationship with our Inner Divine is to use the very best relationship of our life as a model, be it mother or father, sister or brother, husband, wife, minister, mentor or friend.

Personally, I would suggest improving upon even our best relationships by adding qualities that may be missing.  How would you describe the very best relationship you could ever have with someone?  Would it be loving? Joyful? Playful? Productive? Respectful? Truthful? Empowering? Trustworthy? Dependable?  What if you could throw in 'capable of providing everything you could ever ask for’?

Through the years that I've been contemplating these questions I've come to the conclusion that my Divine Indweller has many different faces, but the benevolent characteristics and capabilities that I've assigned to each of them are very much alike.  The issue confronting me was not the nature of my Divine, but the nature and quality of the way in which I engage with it.

This is where my contemplation about unworthiness enters the picture.  And authenticity.  I can't expect my very best relationship to reflect qualities that I myself do not demonstrate or honor.  And considering that Divine Consciousness has no self-concept and is bound by the Universal Law of free will, any response it generates to me is likely to be of the same manner in which I engage with it.

Divine.  Omnipotence.  Unconditional Love.  Supreme Consciousness.  Mother Father God. The Source of All That Is!  Have I felt worthy enough in my requests and expectation of results, or trusting enough of the profound power that is available to me?  Have I really been transparent and truthful in my relationship with my Divine?

I have learned that my personal authenticity is key to my ability to be integral in any shared relationship.  This awareness was not necessarily something that was instilled in me during my upbringing.  However, I do believe that each of us has the responsibility to cultivate inner integrity which means to be truthful with one’s self first and foremost.  Only then will we be able to share in the grace of authentic relationship with others, even the Divine Intelligence of life itself.

Speaking to and with God is certainly not a new concept or idea, but if you are anything like me you might appreciate updating or even upgrading your understanding of how to best commune with this higher source of wisdom and knowledge. Even miracles are possible when we learn to engage through our authentic self.  It is entirely up to each individual to determine what that truly means and how to go about it.  For me it has become a daily contemplation.  I am learning to be a witness to myself, my behaviors, and the stories I tell myself and others.  It is the willingness to be honest with one’s self that is the means by which we become conscious of our behaviors and the untruths that we harbor within us. Conscious awareness is all that is necessary for change to happen.

Sri Bhagavan, the Avatar and founder of Oneness University, has this to say about the presence of God and access to the benevolent nature of the Universe: “In Oneness there is no creator 'God', the creator and creation are one in Oneness. But there is also universal consciousness, which is not the creator. This universal consciousness has no qualities or form, nor any name. But it embodies all qualities. Like a tree is embedded in the seed, all qualities are embedded in this universal consciousness. You cannot relate to it in its entirety. You could draw out certain qualities from this universal consciousness. What you draw out is your personal God and it depends on you. You cannot be a pity person and create a big God. It’s not possible. 

“If you have grown, you then could draw out many qualities from this universal consciousness. What you draw out becomes your personal God, and you make use of your personal God for your benefits, it could be worldly benefits or spiritual benefits. Just like you make use of solar energy you could make use of your personal God for your own benefit. As you keep doing this, you grow and as you grow your God grows.  And the bond between you and your God keeps increasing.”

I find this understanding to be profoundly uplifting.  Through these words I have come to realize my part of the co-creative process of personal healing and growth with the help of beneficial influences from the vastness of the Cosmos.  Oneness even offers a teaching about designing our own God to help us learn to relate in the best way that suits our personal preferences.  Seeing myself from this perspective has enabled me to recognize my worthiness to receive profound guidance and enormous help from such a vast repository of supernatural power. 

I am also of the opinion that, as a whole, humanity can use all the help we can get!

Pulling the Plug on Unworthiness

Following my blissful state after last month's 'Transcending Broken Heartedness' Sound Encodement & Crystalline Clearing, I began to encounter some underlying belief structures that revealed themselves as contributors to the grief that was previously stored in my heart.  Hark!  With what I had learned from our encodement of 'Embracing the Light' earlier this year, I was prepared to deal!!  So I called in my family of light and began to sit vigil as witness to the untruths that my unconscious mind was using to guide my life.

Wow.  That's a profound statement to see in writing ...  'the untruths that my unconscious mind uses to guide my life'!  Our offerings of Soundcodes and Crystalline Clearings aim to not only support self discovery but to harmonize and transmute discordant anomalies of thought patterns and belief structures that are disruptive to our advancement in all aspects of peace and happiness.

This next offering, 'Pulling the Plug on Unworthiness' aims to dissolve the underpinnings of some of the most pervasive and deeply embedded illusions assigned to our self worth.

Imagine: guilt, blame, shame, fear, stupidity, carelessness, lack of sophistication, anger, hatred, ugliness, unloving or unlovable, lack of education or status, hurtfulness, greed, selfishness, stinginess, lack of remorse or forgiveness, bad hair day ... we can judge ourselves for anything and everything given the right set of circumstances.

Peering into this caldron of worthlessness requires eloquence in expression and understanding in order to recognize the delicate symbiotic relationship between our shadow (meaning "unseen untruths") and our path to transcendence.  When we gather as a group we have the opportunity to see the variations within each of us that reveal our likeness in this self inflicted river of obscenities.

Come one, come all as we dare to open the drainpipe and let the sourness of misguided self reflection flow to the wayside ... for the light of self-love awaits!

In person:  The Gresham Room at Ashland Library, Saturday February 8, 2014, 4 - 6pm  Ashland, Oregon
Tele-Cast:  Thursday, February 13, 2014, 7pm Pacific Time  Call in details to be provided after registration

Welcome to the Year of the Wood Horse, Atlas Balancing, and Soundcode Encodement Concerts 2014!!

The Year of the Horse represents betterment for all, good fortune, protection and friendship.

It's been a full year since my last post and much has happened throughout 2013.  It was a fast-moving and powerful year for many of us,  and although we may think that we learned how to pace ourselves, 2014 is proving to challenge us all the more to stay present with each moment.

In this new year I am expanding my Sound Healing practice to include Atlas Balancing and, with a new partnership with Shazna Jai and her Crystalline Clearing work, performing Sound Encodement concerts.

The combination of Sound Encodement and Crystalling Clearing delivers packets of information to our conscious and unconscious minds bringing conflicting belief structures into harmonization while helping to transmute and transcend non-supportive environmental and cultural conditioning.

Our first concert entitled "Embracing the Light" was delivered to a live audience during the Winter Solstice of 2013.  In January we performed an encore tele-concert to friends around the country,  and finished the month with a live and tele-cast performance of "Transcending Broken Heartedness.  Our cues for choosing the topic of each concert stem from three main sources: our own personal process work; the issues presenting from the collective; and the advantageous planetary astrology that serves to deliver tools for overcoming the hurdles and obstacles at the present time.

This February we are opening with "Pulling the Plug on Unworthiness". This topic is most timely suited to assist us in opening our hearts and senses to reap as much benefit as possible during the debut of the Wood Horse of Chinese astrology.  The first several weeks, if not months, of its reign bring us a buffet of planets in opposition creating an ideal agility course for humanity to sharpen our skills of transcendence.  During these most challenging and beneficial times of opportunity, how well we succeed and prosper may have everything to do with how willing and ready we are to change.  The right mindset for dancing with the fluctuations of a crumbling reality and the birthing of a new world is highly recommended.

Our Sound Encodement & Crystalline Clearing concerts aim to awaken higher wisdom and readiness to embrace a new reality of self love and acceptance.  We are grateful that so many gifts to guide us through this course of awakening are available to us at this time.  Our intention is to continue offering concerts and clearings on many topics that help to open our doors and turn on our lights to higher states and frequencies of joy and love.