Moving energy

I recently went to see my guru Swami Swahananda in Hollywood at the Vedanta Center. Swami turns 86 on June 30th.  I took a client of mine to visit with Swami because he was ready to have his consciousness shift into a higher plane and faster gear.

The minute we walked into the gardens of the Vedanta Center I noticed a huge uplifting within me and I immediately left the chaotic traffic and stress of flying behind me and I embraced the power of transcendence with every breath I took. Being in the presence of my teacher, meditating in the Temple and sharing a meal with Swami and other devotees and monks and nuns brought me to the middle place between masculine and feminine, left brain and right brain, where the soul lives. Being there was like what floating on a cloud must be like. All shards of anger and frustration, worry of the present or future melted away and I was in the moment.

There are many ways to rest in the soul space. Meditation leads there and journaling is a roadmap to solace within. I like to play tapes of classical music and sit in my garden and think of nothing—to empty out all thoughts that are diversions to just being. To sit with my eyes closed and practice dying—leaving behind remnants of karma and hopes, wishes and dreams that drive a wedge between me and the Divine within me—allows me to be reborn in the same body with the same fingerprints and with the same DNA that makes me predisposed to physiological challenges—but supremely different in how I view me and you and what my life’s purpose is. In those times and in those places I am at peace and there is no past, present or future but rather I am in the continuum of time and space where God whispers where I am to go next and what I am to do.

Where is your energy taking you? Is it time to slow down, sit down, empty out to be filled in the absolute precious nothingness. Om, tat sat. Om.

DIVINE VOICES

I was initiated as a devotee of Ramakrishna by Swami Swahananda into the Vedanta Society in February 1986. At the same time, I met the nuns of the Sarada Convent in Santa Barbara, California and we have been a true brother and sisters ever since. They run a bookstore on the property as well as maintain the Temple for meditation and worship services. I wrote about my relationship with the nuns in two of my books, Clearing for the Millennium and You’re Not Who You Think You Are.

My favorite pastime when I am in Santa Barbara (technically Montecito) is to have lunch with the nuns. The last few years, we here at the Sedona Intensive, have had Christine Dahl, one of Southern California’s best cake designers bake a birthday cake for each nun when her birthday rolls around. They have grown to anticipate their birthday cake because Christine lets them tell her what kind of cake they want. I just had one a few weeks ago when I broke bread with my sisters and it was hmmm hmmm yummy-good!

The Sarada Convent just released a beautiful CD, The Vedanta Choir In Celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Santa Barbara Temple & Durga Puja, and all the music was written by Varajaprana, a nun who has been in the order for more than 42 years. I heard the nuns sing in the Temple on May 6th and the music was breathtaking, so I wanted to make you aware of the CD so you could buy it and enjoy it.

DurgaPuja.pdf (372K)
Vedanta Bookstore, Hollywood
Phone: 323-465-7114
Email: bookshop@vedanta.org

It’s playtime in the heavens as the Sun moves into the fun-loving, “anything goes” sign of Gemini, the celestial twins. Remember that no matter what is your Sun sign we are all under the influence of Gemini for 30 days. You may feel a bit like going or a bit more like leaving a job or a relationship this month. It will all depend on how codependent you are in both areas of your life. Clearer men and women walk to the beat of their own bandmaster—the Divine within. It always amuses me how in the Gemini cycle I think I am for or against a person or an idea and then when I change planes I jump to the other side of the aisle. The challenge this month is to stick to what is true and what works for you.

Did you ever say or hear the expression, “Once in a Blue Moon”? The Maine Farmers’ Almanac defines Blue Moon as when in a particular season, Spring, Summer, Autumn or Fall, there are four Full Moons. On May 31st there is a Blue Moon Full Moon at 10 degrees of Sagittarius which portends a spiritual swell in Consciousness with more than a hint of resolution to spats or fights you may have been having with someone. The Full Moon also can foreshadow a positive outcome from what seeds you planted, what projects or ideas you hatched, under the influence of the New Moon at 25 degrees of Taurus on May 16th.

There is a New Moon—new opportunities—on June 14th at 23 degrees of Gemini. For all of us, especially you zodiac Twins, it is time to strike out in new directions, recover from setbacks and reload your arsenal for new challenges.

Gemini (May 21 – June 20)

Your omen from the sky this month is a mixed bag: stick to what you know to be true for you and you will soar like a kite with a long tail. Let someone else interfere with your game plan and you will find yourself in fourth down and too much yardage to make up. For sure, be careful what you ask the Universe for under the New Moon on June 14th—you just may have to deal with getting it in Spades. We recommend that you go back to what has worked in the past: pray, meditate and journal until you are in synch with what feels right in your gut—then unleash as fast as God would have it.

Cancer (June 21 – July 22)

Ante up if you want to stay in the game you’ve been playing. Aspects have been blessing you with all that Heaven allows. Watch out—along comes that devil-to-pay Mercury retrograde in the sign of Cancer on June 16th, so your momentum may screech to a halt until July 11th when Mercury goes direct. We suggest that you weed your garden and step on the scales to see if you have been eating your own cooking. You’ve reached a cycle of the year when it is time to take care of Waste Management—tidy out and discard what has outlived its purpose. (Don’t forget to stop trying to control everything and everybody).

Leo (July 22 – August 22)

With Mars in Aries during the Gemini cycle, you are benefiting from a Grand Fire Trine. A Fire Trine gives you all the inspiration you need to go for the gold in all areas of your life—except that Saturn is still in Leo which means that you had better check and double check that your Muse is not full of a lot of cockamamie brainwaves. The best course of action is to continue living outside the neighborhood of grandiosity and remember to receive to share your blessings with others. You have some really hot to trot, sure to succeed days this month and they are May 21st, 22nd, 30th, 31st and June 9th and 10th.

Virgo (August 23 – September 22)

Let’s tell it like it is—the Gemini cycle never finds you at your best. Geminis are messy—you are the modicum of organization. The Twins like to change horses with every new person they meet and you Virgins are as steady as the Rock of Gibraltar. Go about your business like the tidy types you are and just ask everyone to clean up their own spills. This might be a good time to go back to Alanon or join a 12-step group for codependence. You take everything personally when others are merely dealing with their own karma.

Libra (September 23 – October 22)

Having the Sun in the same element as you balanced boys and girls spells an easier, softer row to hoe this month. You’ll also get a big lift from the Full Moon in Sagittarius as well. My prediction for you “do I go left, do I go right or do I do nothing?” air heads, oops, I mean exalted thinkers and fair-minded mediators is that you will be in full sail wherever you go and whatever you do. But be warned: none of us can wait forever for you to make up your mind, so pick up pace. Around the first of June you have a big choice to make so turn it all over to the Divine within first.

Scorpio (October 23 – November 21)

Have you heard the expression, “pick and choose carefully?” Let me add, “Don’t take left overs and don’t let anybody treat you like second hand Rose”. You’ve been smoldering and nursing the hangover of an also-ran. Now is the time to make your move. If the audience doesn’t like your act, change plays. When those who are supposed to love you and adore you show less interest than you deserve, hide and wait. You are about to discover a lump of gold in the rubble that will help put you on a better path. From here on out, if they don’t appreciate you and clap long and hard at your handiwork, change partners—fast!

Sagittarius (November 22 – December 20)

Known as the bachelors and bachelorettes of the zodiac, it’s time for you tumble weeds to settle down. Celestial aspects are calling for you to pick and choose a partner who can stand the test of time. Career-wise you Archers are about to hit a bull’s-eye – marking the spot where you want to spread your wings and fly. If you are thinking of buying or building a house, keep your shekels in an interest-bearing account and shop around when the frost is on the pumpkin. With Jupiter in your Sun sign for a few more months, take chances that pay off in the end. All systems read “Go for it!”

Capricorn (December 21 – January 19)

If the stars have one suggestion for you this month it would be to break out of your shell and spice up your life. While no one is looking you could go out of your way to make new friends or to listen while someone’s trying to give you new directions. No one likes the expected and tried and true quite like you do. With a positive flow from Uranus in Pisces, the cosmos is trying to shake up your world without causing major damage. The planets are conspiring for you to learn something that will pay off big for you in two years. Look around and see if there’s a course of study that will widen your horizons.

Aquarius (January 20 – February 17)

Although it is your nature to show off in large groups on a global mission you might be called upon this month to pick a favorite from the crowd to get to know better. We know that you Water Bearers are original, inventive, intellectual, friendly and independent but are you ready to invite someone just as charismatic into your world of one? Entertainers testify that it is hard for them to come off stage and just be an ordinary person capable of engaging on the smaller stage, so take a quick course in self-analysis and see if you can sit at a table for two and let someone special in.

Pisces (February 18 – March 20)

If your escape artist has you so tightly in its grip and you are blinded by fantasy rather than adjusting to the cold world of reality, try your hand at doing something practical like balancing your checkbook or volunteering to help out at a shelter for runaways. No one can paint a more beautiful picture from his rich imagination or whistle a tune from the music makers quite like you can—but why not practice living in the here and now so you can feel the earth beneath your feet. Uranus is still breaking new ground for you and by Fall you will begin to lay a firm foundation for what you will be doing for the next three years.

Aries (March 21 – April 20)

When the referee says, “On your mark, get ready…” you are already out of the starting gate. Well, nothing will slow you this month with that sizzling Blue Moon Full Moon in Sagittarius in slam duck aspect to Saturn in Leo. Getting a trine from Jupiter in Sagittarius is also pumping the adrenaline for all the worlds you think you need to conquer. If you are looking for the best time to make a huge move toward the finish line may we suggest the 14th of June under the shadow of the New Moon in Gemini? There is no such thing as a perfect world with a flawless plan but this 30-day cycle may be as good as it gets. “On your mark…”.

Taurus (April 21 – May 20)

Some days you are just more easily bruised than others. And all the while everybody around you thinks you are tough as nails. Not! Your speed is slow, slower and slowest and your tendency is to say nothing until you trust someone at a deep core level. To break the news gently let us say that you won’t be picking up pace this month nor will you rush into the arms of a new lover or rise to the top in the pecking order in your career. This is a time to tend to what you have and watch your assets grow at a conservative rate. Let’s face it, you Bulls are not known to throw money around or overspend on a present for someone else. Count your blessings and wait for a rising tide.

Courage to ChangE

Have you ever felt that just when you think your life is as good as it gets the rug gets pulled out from under you?  Or when you’ve got all of your ducks in a row something comes along to throw everything out of kilter?  I saw on the news the other night that a tornado had annihilated the town of Greensburg, Kansas and wondered how those storm victims could ever begin to put their lives back together. Mother Nature has her own rules and we must abide by them. But it is times like these—the snafus in our own lives or major catastrophes—when courage is a very necessary quality that we must draw from in order to get through all of life’s challenges, big and small.

It seems like we all muster what it takes to handle the big stuff, like illnesses, disasters, financial reversals or even a broken heart. However, if you are anything like I am, it is the small things that seem to get us down.  Did you ever have a sinking feeling when someone gave you a strange look?  Are you often thrown by things that come out of nowhere, like someone misinterpreting something you’ve said or hearing gossip that isn’t true? Take a deep breath, ask for divine guidance, and find the courage to change the things you can, which is yourself, and let the rest of the world go by.