Happy Year of the Wood Snake

For the past year we have traveled through the time of the Wood Dragon.  You might be noticing some ending of the energies of the dragon toward something different.  That difference is the energy of the Yin Green Snake or Wood Snake.  The Chinese New Year begins the second new moon after the winter solstice.  This year it lands on January 29th. Forget the confusion caused by looking at the Gregorian Calendar.  The timing is the same every year.  This time we are in another wood year and move to the next animal on the list the Snake.

First understand that the Wood Energy is associated with the movement to the Spring season. The Spring is about new growth, potential, birth and expansion.  When I try to encapsulate the energy of the wood, I think about the signs of spring with the light green leaves on the trees suddenly awaken from their winter slumber.  It is hopeful and gives an opportunity to think about the future and creative ways to approach life.  You can burst forward in life just like these leaves.

The Snake is an animal that is associated with the Fire element, Small Intestines and the cardiac system.   Being in the wood element this year is compatible since wood feeds the fire.  One might anticipate some adrenaline with all this wood.  However, if you approach things with an inner peacefulness, you can make creative opportunities ahead.

The Snake has his/her unique ability to shed her/his skin. We must honor this talent for he/she to makes room for growth.  Some snakes shed their skin every month when they are young as they require more space.  Apparently, it also is useful way to get rid of parasites.  Just imagine if we could shed our outer layer. (You actually can with Qigong). And it is a means to maintain youthful energy.

According to the Taoist theory, there is a kind of force in the human body which coils itself like a snake and can be released if humans practice Taoism well. It will increase the vitality and longevity.

The snake years are characterized by expanding consciousness, tenaciousness, wisdom, intuition, wisdom, and the capacity to cultivate warmth and modesty.  Because of the association with the small intestines, it is recommended that you eat lighter smaller meals to not overwhelm the small intestines.    It is a great time to savor the moment with creativity in your cooking.  Other than that, keep things calm to get to a state of higher consciousness.

During the 2 weeks before,  we let go of the past year and make the preparations for the coming year.   It takes a serious house cleaning.  Sweeping your place is required.  Clean every cabinet and take the time to release any things that no longer serve you.  As we make this transition on the 29th you want to make room for the coming blessings.  Get any personal things done like a haircut.  Be ready for the new year.

It’s a time to gather with your family and visit relatives. You want to share in the excitement for the upcoming change.  And last but not least you make prayers to your ancestors or as I like to say the beings around you who protect you.

I cleaned and cleaned.  The more that you do the more that you are in the spirals of time.   Through ritual and practices at these moments is how astrology whether western or eastern become real.

The celebration ends with the Full Moon and the Festival of Heaven.  Most people refer to this as the Festival of the Lanterns.

Spiritual Practice in Difficult Times

On Friday mornings I lead two classes.  One is a Heart Meditation, and one is Slow and Easy Qigong. Before we started Friday morning, one very experienced meditator was saying how some people are having trouble keeping up their spiritual practices at this time.  It is always challenging, but now it is easy to be overwhelmed.

Spiritual practices play important roles in your lives.  They strengthen your spirit and emotions.  Through having a specific practice, you can release the many thoughts and emotions that take seem to take over.  And if the practice is suited to you, you can arrive at what we call in Chinese Medicine as Yuan Shen. The Yuan Shen is your original self-absent all the imprints of experience and traumas that cloud our mind/spirit.  Getting to the Yuan Shen is a struggle sometimes but that is why you keep up practices so you can be defined by your original nature and not what you might perceive as inflicted on you. 

Now it is important to be in an expanded aspect in yourself and not to be motivated by fear.  It is far better to be able to offer love to all situations.

At the same time, I hear from many people that they have entirely stopped inundating themselves with news. While this is a natural response to everything happening.  There is another truth. Creating a balance between a strong inner world and participating in the outer world brings the potential for higher levels of consciousness. I’ve watched many spiritual people say to just not pay any attention to it.  Just stay grounded.  Breathe and meditate.   How can we find our stride? Avoidance won’t be a viable option long term.  Our society is a reflection of consciousness. 

Most of my time is spent on my spiritual development.  I attempt to be in an expanded, grounded state and find higher states of being.  At the same time, I pick and choose what outer world things I participate in. I’ve written to my conservative Senators about nominees twice. I could just as easily be working on something ecological or for women’s rights or for the homeless.   I honor myself by working toward protecting the earth and all people. The truth is that I’m not living in fear. I’m doing what I can to contribute.   And I don’t feel weak at all. 

The moral of the story is to keep up your commitment to your spiritual practice regardless of circumstances. From your place of clarity let yourself participate with your light and love shining through.

Happy Happy

We are fast approaching the Winter Solstice. It is that moment when the night is the longest night, and the day is the shortest day.   As all of you know I enjoy being active and walking to the beach to watch the sunrise.  However, I feel these long nights conspire against the walk.  I remain tucked under the blankets getting more shut eye than I would normally tolerate.  And this is because of yin/yang.  The traditional definition is that yin is the dark side of the mountain and yang is the sunny side of the mountain.

The darkness and Yin requires that we retreat and become quiet and still.  One makes an effort to conserve our energy for the cold nights and short days.  I spoke with a friend in Alaska asking what time the dawn was there.  What I heard was that a little after 9 am, they have light.  I would remain in bed.  It isn’t laziness at all.  It is following something natural that tells us exactly what every moment requires from us.  It is the darkness that allows you to sink into the pillow, forget the to-do lists, and know the peace of the dark.

What are the virtues of darkness?  It is not forgetfulness.  It is stillness.  It is the possibility of reaching the expansive emptiness.  When I studied with Jack Kornfield, he used to speak of one of his teachers saying empty, empty, happy, happy.    I talk about that emptiness when teaching meditation, and it is a natural state of being in this moment of the long nights and in the movement of the earth.

What do we do with this time to make the most of it?  As we celebrate this still point, we are in constant movement.  Allow yourself to sink into it as you do in the pillow.  Ride that wave of stillness.  Explore it.  As within the yin/yang symbol we remember that there is always light within the dark and dark within the light.

In the holiday celebrations, we light candles.  Even in the darkness we will find the light within and see that it actually is constant movement.   In celebration of the solstice, I will be offering an early Qigong class on Saturday the 21st at 8:30 AM.  Contact me for the registration information.  The actual moment of the Solstice is 4:00 AM on the east coast.  We could of course get up then, but we won’t.

Astrology corner

So much is happening right now.  We just had the last of the four Super Full Moons on Friday.  So many people who are Scorpios reported feeling aggravated and out of sorts from this particular full moon as the full moon in Taurus was conjunct Uranus.  What in the world does this mean?  Uranus brings the unexpected, the innovative, the move to outside your comfort zone.  As such it also brings surprise and even losses as you sometimes need to release old ways of doing things.  So yes, for some of you who have the sun, moon, or rising sign in Scorpio or Taurus this might have been difficult.  The hope is that this will be an evolutionary movement to take you on a path that will give you a better sense of yourself and life path.

Saturn went direct on Friday as well, after being retrograde since June.  If you have planets in Pisces or other mutable signs of Virgo, Sagittarius or Gemini you may be going through some learning which requires that you step back and take a good look at what has been going on with the idea of things that need to change.  I have had Saturn on my Mercury and Venus for months now and I’ve been considering things that need to change so that I can live the joyous life that I imagine.  Saturn isn’t all bad, but you do need to pause and come to an inner understanding of how you want things to be when they aren’t working.  I’m hoping that I have done all the work that I have needed to do, and I look forward to the future where I am not just figuring it out.

Let’s not forget the cardinal signs of Libra, Aries, Cancer and Capricorn.  You have had 16 years of feeling Pluto hitting on your door.  Pluto is the master of the underworld and serves up all the things that are beneath the surface.  All you need to do is to read that sentence where you can conjure up dark shadowy images that affect you.  But it can help you realize your essence buried beneath what is usually seen. There is evolution and adventure at play here, but it isn’t just like taking an elevator.  People need to dig deep and afterwards find the treasure of their lives.  Though one of my late degree Capricorn friends is just thrilled to finally imagine this heavy load not being on him.  He can’t wait for Pluto to be in Aquarius.

I have been taking classes on the movement of Pluto into Aquarius for 2 years.  There is so much to say about it.  I will be writing about it in the next few weeks.  Aquarius is innovative and individualist. It is also about the collective.  We will learn lessons on how to be individuals within the goodness of the group and for the greater good of the group.  Aquarius is the water bearer which represents how we provide the group with the essential supply of lifegiving water.   This is of essence to the community.   Our biggest hope is that we learn to hear one another and take care of each other’s needs. And the fixed signs of Aquarius, Leo, Scorpio and Taurus will feel how to do this  most intensely.

If you aren’t sure how all of this affects you, contact me for an astrological reading.  It is really helpful to give perspective and show positive ways forward.

Relying on the Magic of Crystals

I went to a Qigong Teachers Training with Robert Peng well before the pandemic- maybe 2016.  I don’t know the exact number of people there, but for argument’s sake, let’s call it 100.  After a couple days of training, he gave each student a number and then picked a number out of a jar to see who would teach first.  This way the frequent volunteer wouldn’t stand a chance.  However, I was the person whose number was picked so I was going to be the one in front of the whole group.

Even though by then I was at least in my 60s, with decades of teaching experience, I am not someone who would have enthusiastically raised my hand to be the example of both the good and bad ways to teach.  Though in all honesty, it wouldn’t have even mattered as the instructions were to stay as close to the script that Master Peng used as possible.  Sticking with someone else’s words was a challenge for me.  I hope every person finds their voice especially in teaching something spiritual and physical.  It is so much more interesting to hear from a person’s heart and truth.

I was so nervous about needing to follow the script.  I meditated, sought support, and decided to put some crystals in my bra to hold my energy.  I put in an amethyst and a carnelian.  The amethyst is in the quartz family with the addition of manganese and iron.  I associate its healing power with calming the nerves and helping to develop the upper chakras.  I needed to remain calm and connected to spirit to do the work.  The carnelian which is an orange red color and is in the chalcedony category of stones. It helps with the lungs but doesn’t address phlegm.   It is often associated with the second chakra as well, and I used it this way.  I wanted to stay both grounded and spiritually connected.  Mostly, I needed to feel safe.

I had all my emotional and physical support in place.  Then I started to teach and it initially all went well.  Then one movement required my arms to swing above my head and down.  The crystals fell from my bra and cascaded onto the stage.  Would people notice?  The only thing that I could do in front of all these strangers, was to act as if I was unaware of the shower of crystals coming from my bra.  I couldn’t laugh.  Though it was so funny, it allowed me to separate from my own fears.     After I finished and had a nice round of applause, I nonchalantly picked up the stones and went to my seat.  The crystals orchestrated the whole thing, I am sure.

As you can surmise, I’m deep into the reality of crystals.  I meditate with them.  I study from the books. And I can’t stop making these bracelets. I think everyone should have the opportunity to experience the healing power of these friends who come from the earth.

This week I’m featuring the famous amethyst and carnelian stones, sunstone, red jasper, kyanite with ruby, moonstone, kunzite, and red jade.  Please let me know which ones I must save for you.

Radiance

Behold an amazing moment around 7:30 in the morning.  It struck me how the light blazed through the layers of grey and white clouds.  While the sky was dark, the light could be seen and felt.  I was mesmerized by the feelings of light.  Different from the sunrise this light managed to penetrate deep within me and bought with it sweetness.  How does light do this?

In some ways that emergence of light is what we all seek.    Despite all the confusion and chaos that clouds our inner essence, we know light is there waiting for discovery.  Sometimes it involves a long road because there are layers of pain, hurt or fear to release.   In-between the light and dark there is a momentary gap where we find our true selves.  It takes work on our part to find it.

It brings to mind the yin/yang symbol.  Obviously being a student of Taoism all these years, it is a symbol I’ve looked at and contemplated.  It carries a bit of the dark within the light and a bit of the light within the dark.  In this particular early morning, it was there.  I was seeing both the light within the dark and the dark within the light.  The yin/yang always involves movement though it looks static. It is meant to depict movement.  It all requires movement.

This has been the greatest discovery in practicing Qigong.  It moves that which is stagnant to create an expansion and contraction in every moment.  And with that allowing you to live within the healthiest version of yourself.  Your life is as remarkable as the light shining through the clouds.

In Honor of my 70th Birthday on 2/25- Finding ones Passion

What are your great passions?  Are you living your life with these in mind?  Do you find a relationship to yourself through these passions?  Within this context does your life make sense? These are very simple questions but sometimes difficult to answer.

I’ve been asking myself these questions this week.  It’s my last week as a woman in her 60s.  Yes. Somehow this baby boomer is reaching 70 years old.  Most of the time just before my birthday I feel a wave of criticism about my life, sometimes a slight depression, as I take my inventory of what I have accomplished.  Not this year though.  Maybe getting a little riper I know a few things.

The first is that the inner journey toward healing yourself and developing yourself is the essence of life.  This is why Five Element Acupuncture was so very appealing to me as a young woman in my 20s.  It was so clear to me that treatments allowed me to shed different kinds of energetic pains and to become more myself.  Exploring the theories and seeing the energetic movement in nature gave me joy and understanding.

The second is that there are always ways to take whatever abilities you acquire to make a contribution to society.  Being of service is of utmost importance to me as I made my way from one season to the next.  It continues to give me a sense of purpose as to why I was on this planet.

The third is that there are always more teachers for every area of life.  There may be teachings that are short-term for just several years and then there are the long-term commitments to learn different practices such as meditation or Qigong.  At any rate, when you are ready for them the teachers appear.   Sometimes as in my case, you might travel all over the world for these studies to be with everyone from Mayan Elders to Qigong Masters in China.

This is why I’ve been thinking about passion this week.  I had an insight that I have always pursued my passions.  The passions changed from decade to decade, but I have always used these passions to help and serve.  Who knew that my avocation of astrology would become as important as it is for me now?  I didn’t know.  But it was a passion.  And there were decades where I pursued dance.  I loved it.  Another passion.   And now I write.  Things come and go as far as interests, but we look to see which things remain over time.

I think that if you aren’t passionate about what you are doing right now it’s time to question into that to make yourself a better reflection of who you really are meant to be.  Life will not feel meaningless when you are excited about things.  In my imagination at the very least there is more to be explored as we go deeper.  I go for deeper always.  So, remember answer the questions about your passions.

 

Preparing for the Year of the Wood Dragon

The year of the Wood Dragon is almost upon us. The Chinese New Year begins the second new moon after the winter solstice. This year it lands on February 10th. Each year we mark the rotation to a different element and a different one of the 12 animals. What can we expect as we transition from water to wood and from Rabbit to Dragon?

When we are in the water years as the past 2 years, we can find stillness and take a deep dive into the things that we want and desire to create. Each of us needs time to germinate ideas and projects and realize what are the priorities in our lives. This quality associated with water is will and during these time periods it is best to learn and discover our will.

Now we move with the wood element. Wood is how we experience the energy that rises in the spring. The nature of wood is birth and expansion. Think of the way it must feel now in the cold with the bare trees and you are in anticipation of those first green leaves. When they arrive, it is like a sudden burst of energy. With this energy shift it is an excellent time to vision for the upcoming months. Whenever there is a shift in the animal cycles to wood one thinks of prosperity and future visions. I think of it as an outstanding creative period. We have an expansive time ahead. The spirit associated with this element is benevolence. May the visions be able to benefit all.

With the dragon you have the lucky sign of the 12 animal signs. Dragons in Chinese culture are found in water or in the clouds. For one thing the clouds depict how close to heaven they are and the water within the seas there are 4 dragons for the King of the sea. On an earthly level the dragons bring healing, rain, and dancing; and on the heavenly level they are thought to be benevolent creatures associated with kings and rulers. Within Taoism the dragon represents the centered way. In Chinese Medicine there are dragon treatments necessary to do major energetic resets. The dragon is important in all cultures but especially in Asian cultures.

Those born under the dragon sign are not only lucky but are bold, charismatic, ambitious, and are strong. A wood dragon will be expansive, lucky, and strong. The triad of the animals associated with the Dragon are dragon, monkey, and rat. It also has a special relationship with roosters. So, all those individuals born under these signs will likely be taking advantage of this shift. The rest of us will benefit from it as well, but maybe not as dramatically.

From now until the 10th there is much to do in order to celebrate the New Year. The first thing is to clean the house. This means every cabinet and take the time to release any things that no longer serve you to have a home that truly gets rid of the old making room for the coming blessings. If you need to take time for yourself and get a haircut. Do it now. It’s good to set off fireworks in celebration.

And then there are the making of red lanterns to welcome the new year. I had to attach this lovely photo. https://thewalters.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/lunar-new-year-paper-lanterns.pdf

It’s a time to gather with your family and visit the relatives. You want to share in the excitement for the upcoming change. And last but not least you make prayers to your ancestors or as I like to say the beings around you who protect you.

I just started the cleaning up this week and I have a long way to go, so I want to give you all the opportunity to have at it as well. The more that you do the more that you are in the spirals of time. Through ritual and practices t these moments is how astrology whether western or eastern becomes real.

Moving toward the Fall and letting go

On August 7th, according to the Chinese calendar, the movement to the Autumn season and the Metal Element begins.   It’s easy to lose track of it as there is really another element that forcefully makes an appearance before we feel the Metal element.  This is the Earth element which is the first sign of the slowdown from summer and tends to be realized as a kind of sinking into relaxation.  The fruits and vegetables are glorious at this time and the bounty often requires canning, making jam, pickling, or preparing dishes that you can freeze.   Often this late summer weather is humid.   And it is a time I find that I languish in the accompanying stillness.  I recall the hammock often used in the backyard when I was younger.

I got used to that slow moving pace in keeping with the hot and humid.  This week though I faced the change.  I woke earlier and found I was not accosted by the humidity and instead I was taking in deeper breaths. (Notice the photo from predawn.)   The dog wants to run around more.  I know that much of the Mid-Atlantic states are in an awful heat wave.  It’s hotter there than in Florida.  But the Chinese never anticipated the effects of global warming.  No matter the weather, in the fall brings the experience of looking forward to the events that come with this change of season.  There are the calendars for the upcoming seasons for performances and classes.

Additionally, the Jewish holidays begin this week. For me, it is really that holiday that allows a deep dive inward.  As the metal element is so much about letting go it is the kind of holiday that I associate with the fall and the metal element.  Its focus is releasing and renewal.   In my family of origin, we would ask each other for forgiveness for any pain that we caused, whether unintentional or intentional.   We would begin with one another to create a clean slate to make a spiritual clean slate with whatever needs to be addressed.  The most important relationship in life is truly with spirit, no matter what belief system you follow.  And the Metal element is also about the connection to the heavenly spirit.

I invite you to welcome in the metal element.  See it in the air, the leaves, the birds and mark this moment with your own practices which will create the connection that you want with spirit.  If that isn’t the place that you normally explore, just take a moment, and sit with it to discover what is important to you about your relationship with spirit.  I hope that when you do this you will find the spirit in yourself, and support from others that allows you to make some sweet connection of your longing.

In honor of the Metal shift all the offerings this week will be oriented toward purging, letting go, inspiration and finding your inner sense of worth.  These are all related to the clear functioning of the metal element on the body/mind/spirit levels in our lives.

 

Finding the Sacred Self

This past week in the Mid-Atlantic states people were warned not to go outside due to the terrible air quality.   I decided to attach this article because the photos are so shocking.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2023/05/11/canada-wildfires-smoke-hazy-sunrise-dc/

Finding balance in a world that is suffering huge environmental crises is becoming a daily reality that can’t be avoided.  I felt it driving throughout the country, whether it was damage due to extreme heat, tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, or fires.   I listened to the weather reports endlessly as I traveled around trying to avoid the various crises.

Other signs of problems are also here.   When I was growing up in Florida, there were acres upon acres of citrus groves throughout the state.  You could smell the orange blossoms from the late fall to the early spring.   And there were watches for bad weather which affected this huge part of the Florida economy.  But now all I hear about is how the dwindling number of acres there are each year and the diseases that are killing off the trees.

It’s important to focus on these problems as we need to address every level of disharmony in ourselves and in nature.

Every morning I try to take the mile and half walk to the beach, and when I get there, I say a few prayers.  It is beautiful, but it is more that I begin my day by acknowledging the sacredness of the beauty that I witness and then I can find my inner sacredness.  I invite everyone who is reading this to go to their own sacred place each day and find your prayers and find your relationship to the earth.  It can be looking out the window at a tree, or on a trail, or at some birds in the yard.  We can make a difference if there is an allowance for the sacredness of all things.   As we honor all things perhaps, we can heal the earth.