Today we're entering the dark Moon phase, which will last until early Saturday morning...
* In these final hours of the lunar cycle, the reflective light is lost
* The world exhales, softens, quiets
* And death settles upon winter one last time
* We are also nearing the end of the dark half of the solar year. In the next week, we will cross into zodiacal Spring.
* Transitions are difficult. We are naturally creatures of habit because we are each eternal spirit/souls, unborn and undying. As we pass through this world of flux and change we are constantly looking for shelter from the storms of life in the material world. Our entire human world is in fact designed to help give us shelter from the difficulties of nature's changes and impermanence. The problem is that we don't feel happy with simple shelter from the elements. Generally speaking, once our basic material needs are met we still feel unsatisfied. And so we go on constructing things that we hope will give us shelter and happiness. The problem is that whatever we construct will eventually break down or fall apart, and when it does we tend to lose our sense of whatever happiness or comfort we've been deriving from whatever temporary shelter we've built for ourselves. Transitions are inevitable, and transitions are difficult.
* During times of transition, if we remain ignorant about the basic impermanence of things, then it becomes tempting to try to assign blame or to rage against the changes taking place around us. If we stay aware of the impermanent nature of things, then when the inevitable changes of the material world take place, transitions become easier.
* One great transition we all face is material death.
* But if we observe this coming and going carefully, we start to notice that despite whatever comes and goes there is something simple and untouchable that remains. The realization of ourselves as eternally conscious, spirit/souls emerges, dawning on us like the first rays of Spring.
* This is not the Spring that leads to Fall. This is the unending fountain of spiritual spring, beyond the literal light and literal dark but also within both the literal spring and literal fall.
* One great thing we all share in is eternal, spiritual life.
* So how do we live in this world of shifting sand without getting lost in each new transition? How do we not end up feeling utterly defeated, constantly? For example, often people post in response to daily or monthly astrology forecasts, saying, "I feel like I've already been through so much, and you're telling me there is more to come?!" Yes. Because this is how things are here. The waves keep coming in. Thank God they are at least somewhat predictable!
* The reason we do astrology is to help us understand the nature of these shifting sands, these constant transitions and changes, specifically so that we can avoid getting lost in them and specifically so that we can start to identify the kinds of spiritual shelters in this material world that last longer specifically because they reflect our true, spiritual nature.
* It's a good astrological moment to remember all of this because whereas seasonal transition periods may remind us of the reality of impermanence, seasonal beginnings regularly tempt us into forgetting it.
* So in these last few days of winter lets be sure to take time out from the hustle and flow of this liminal space in order to recognize the eternal in our midst.
Prayer: May we feel the blessing and find the light within each season. May every change utter your name, as it reveals to us our souls, whose lips are always singing in your ever-loving service.
* In these final hours of the lunar cycle, the reflective light is lost
* The world exhales, softens, quiets
* And death settles upon winter one last time
* We are also nearing the end of the dark half of the solar year. In the next week, we will cross into zodiacal Spring.
* Transitions are difficult. We are naturally creatures of habit because we are each eternal spirit/souls, unborn and undying. As we pass through this world of flux and change we are constantly looking for shelter from the storms of life in the material world. Our entire human world is in fact designed to help give us shelter from the difficulties of nature's changes and impermanence. The problem is that we don't feel happy with simple shelter from the elements. Generally speaking, once our basic material needs are met we still feel unsatisfied. And so we go on constructing things that we hope will give us shelter and happiness. The problem is that whatever we construct will eventually break down or fall apart, and when it does we tend to lose our sense of whatever happiness or comfort we've been deriving from whatever temporary shelter we've built for ourselves. Transitions are inevitable, and transitions are difficult.
* During times of transition, if we remain ignorant about the basic impermanence of things, then it becomes tempting to try to assign blame or to rage against the changes taking place around us. If we stay aware of the impermanent nature of things, then when the inevitable changes of the material world take place, transitions become easier.
* One great transition we all face is material death.
* But if we observe this coming and going carefully, we start to notice that despite whatever comes and goes there is something simple and untouchable that remains. The realization of ourselves as eternally conscious, spirit/souls emerges, dawning on us like the first rays of Spring.
* This is not the Spring that leads to Fall. This is the unending fountain of spiritual spring, beyond the literal light and literal dark but also within both the literal spring and literal fall.
* One great thing we all share in is eternal, spiritual life.
* So how do we live in this world of shifting sand without getting lost in each new transition? How do we not end up feeling utterly defeated, constantly? For example, often people post in response to daily or monthly astrology forecasts, saying, "I feel like I've already been through so much, and you're telling me there is more to come?!" Yes. Because this is how things are here. The waves keep coming in. Thank God they are at least somewhat predictable!
* The reason we do astrology is to help us understand the nature of these shifting sands, these constant transitions and changes, specifically so that we can avoid getting lost in them and specifically so that we can start to identify the kinds of spiritual shelters in this material world that last longer specifically because they reflect our true, spiritual nature.
* It's a good astrological moment to remember all of this because whereas seasonal transition periods may remind us of the reality of impermanence, seasonal beginnings regularly tempt us into forgetting it.
* So in these last few days of winter lets be sure to take time out from the hustle and flow of this liminal space in order to recognize the eternal in our midst.
Prayer: May we feel the blessing and find the light within each season. May every change utter your name, as it reveals to us our souls, whose lips are always singing in your ever-loving service.
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