National Geographic Pic of the Year

Click on image to enlarge.

Don't Look Now but...

Excuse my double post today - but this is truly exciting and maddening and awesome.

An article came out today arguing that by observing dark matter, we have determined the fate of our cosmos - and that we have inadvertently caused the end of of the known universe.

This works because of the laws of quantum physics - basically everything on a subatomic level exists in a state of possibility. Basically a subatomic particle might be an apple, an orange or a diesel submarine, but it is also none of those things until you observe it. Then, let's say you observe it as an orange - it will forever be an orange. (As a super tangential side note, proponents of the multiple universe idea would say that in other universes that particle will exist as an apple or a sub.)

So... what scientists are now arguing is that dark matter was, like everything in a quantum state, not a "sure thing" until we observed it - and by observing it we have now made it fact.

And now the universe will decay and expand until it grows cold and dies.

We as humans seem to have a whole lot of power. Doesn't it give you a little rush knowing how much of the universe seems to be determined by our ability to observe it? Kinda lends to the idea that each of us are gods in our own right - creating on the go.

Einstein's God

If you're not exploring iTunesU yet, you should be. LOVING public radio - been listening to a podcast called "Speaking of Faith with Krista Tippett". Last night I listened to their segment on Einstein's Faith. It was really cool hearing Einstein's words describing his religion as being a cosmic spirituality.. and how it was more of a reverence for the intelligence, beauty and mystery of the universe. I also thought it was interesting how Einstein could not believe in a god who interfered with our deeds or who passed judgment on beings of his own creation. SO with him there...

Another interesting snippit (I highly encourage you to hear the podcast if this interests you): they were talking about how there is now room for god in science, in quantum physics - that because of the randomness of events in quantum physics - the rolling of the dice - that it was possible to conceive of god having a hand in the outcome of events... that there were those currently arguing that God is in fact loading the dice.

But when one gets to an indeterministic universe, if you allow quantum physics, then there is some sort of lassitude in the operation of these laws. There are interstices having to do with quantum certainty into which, if you want, you could insert the hand of God. So, for example, if we think of a typical quantum process as being like the roll of a die — you know, "God does not play dice," Einstein said — well, it seems that, you know, God does play dice. Then the question is, you know, if God could load the quantum dice, this is one way of influencing what happens in the world, working through these quantum uncertainties. Now, some people certainly have pushed that idea. John Polkinghorne is one who's spoken about it. Bob Russell for the Center for Theology and Natural Sciences in Berkeley likes that point of view of God not in any sense usurping the laws of physics, but working within the inherent lassitude that quantum physics provides. And it's a possible way of God to gain cause or purchase in the world without changing any of the laws that we know.
- Physicist and astrobiologist Paul Davies from the transcript of Einstein's God on American Public Media, public radio

I still don't know what I think about a deity - but I do know that there was an interesting remark about how some scientists dismiss the magic of the existence of life and how Paul Davies had a great thing to say about that:

And if you imagine playing the role of God and having some sort of machine in front of you with a whole lot of knobs, and you twiddle the knobs and change things — twiddle one knob, make the electron a bit heavier; twiddle another knob and make the strong nuclear force a bit stronger — you soon discover that you have to fine-tune those settings to extraordinary precision in order for there to be life. And the question is, what are we to make of that? And, you know, really, these things, at the end of the day, boil down largely to a matter of personal choice, because we can't really test either. Or certainly not in our current state of knowledge.

Memory Backwards...

I love stories of synchronicity... so here's one for you.

I'm at this folk/rock concert seeing my favourite lil Scottish troubadour in a large warehouse filled with 600+ bodies. My lil folk singer, halfway through the set, introduces her next song by telling us how it came to be.

She read this piece in a magazine, a Vancouver-based arts rag - and it moved her so much that she contacted the author to ask permission to use parts of it in a song. The man she contacted was thrilled, told her that he had in fact been working on another piece, a screenplay, based on that work and that she had come around at the perfect time - "help me finish it" he said. She gladly obliged and wrote a beautifully melancholy song that shared the piece's title.

Fast track to a yesterday, nearly a year later - said artiste is now on tour promoting her new album, which features the melancholy song I spoke of. I have been listening to it constantly - and know every word. I attend the concert. The chanteuse introduces the song and suddenly I realize what's happening. The man she's speaking of is not just "some writer" - he is my old mentor and university instructor from my school days on the other side of the country. I haven't seen this man in 4 years, but have thought about him constantly and have been meaning to email him. Voila - he's been brought to me!

So I find him in the crowd and head over to catch up.

I have no words for how great I think these moments are - when the universe reminds you that it's not as big as it seems and that we're all connected.

Love it!

Spirit of Giving

It's snowing today, a lot, our first snow of the year... and I'm starting to feel a little giddy about upcoming xmas festivities.

That's all it takes - just a little snow, some xmas tunes and I'm right in there, ready to get giving!

Speaking of, I'm really excited about Kiva.org. It's a site that facilitates microfinancing. If you're not familiar with it, it's the act of giving small loans (yes, loans which are in fact repaid 99% of the time) to entrepreneurs in third world countries who need a loan for their business - raising goats, selling vegetables at market or making bricks.

Each loan has a picture of the entrepreneur, a description of their business and how they plan to use the loan so you know exactly how your money is being spent - and you get updates letting you know how the business is going. The best part is, when the entrepreneur pays back their loan you get your money back - and Kiva's loans are managed by microfinance institutions on the ground who have a lot of experience doing this, so you can trust that your money is being handled responsibly.

Although I had never heard about it until yesterday, it's been featured on Oprah, has fans and backers like Bill Clinton, Nobel Peace Prize winners and more. It's gotten more press coverage than you can imagine... And yet I somehow missed it.

So in case you're hearing about it for the first time too - I encourage you to check it out and lend your third-world "neighbour" some dough. You have a better chance of getting it back from them than you do from your actual neighbour.

Click on banner below to find out more:

Little Bit of Magic

Today is the new moon - and a good time to cast spells or set intentions for those things you would like to draw into your life.

The general rule of thumb for casting and setting intention is that if you want to get rid of some aspect of your life that is unwanted, you 'cast' as the moon is waning (getting smaller) and by the time of the new moon it should be gone. If you want to attract something into your life, cast on or just after the new moon and watch as it sprinkles into your life in greater quantities as the moon fills up, climaxing on the full moon.

So ask yourself what it is that you would like to attract more of in your life and write it down on a piece of paper. Put it somewhere, under a mirror or a candle and set your intention of attraction. By the full moon it should be more plentiful in your life.

In general, I plan to set my intention on abundance. I find it's best to ask for blanket things rather than specifics.

For the single girls out there, an easy but effective spell/intention to do is to charge your perfume with intention.

Back before I met my husband, I set my intention on a full bottle of perfume. I said that before the perfume was finished I would meet the man of my dreams. Every morning, as I sprayed it on I was reminded of my intention, and calmed by the knowing that it would be so - but that it would take time. No one goes through a bottle of perfume in a day.

Sure enough, I was about 2/3 done the bottle when I met B. The rest is history.

And that, my friends, is a little bit of magic.

Conquering Fear?

There's a sore spot deep within that I've never articulated and I don't know why. Every time I think about it, I cry. And it's not what you'd think.

The thought that brings me to tears every time I think of it? My own power.

In the 'about me' part of my Facebook profile I state that I "often wish I had superpowers". It's a funny little statement that is meant to get a laugh, but the truth is I'm mostly afraid that I might have superpowers.

There's this blockage - this thing that prevents me from really going too deep in meditation, from honing my psychic skills, from diving deeper into the esoteric. A very psychic friend once asked what I was so afraid of and why didn't I acknowledge the extent of my gifts... And I just cried.

I've dabbled in a lot of things - but from a very early age I learned that I do have powers beyond measure and it scares the shit out of me. I did a love spell with a wiccan friend in high school and the boy targeted went from blissful indifference toward me to stalking me for a year.

One time, when I was asleep, I realized that I was in a deep deep state of consciousness and I asked about my purpose here - what was it all about. I was shown a picture of my mother. It wasn't an innately scary thing but I touched something in that moment, I went somewhere or saw something I wasn't
'supposed' to see - and the fear awoke me.

It reminds me of the "Our Greatest Fear" bit by Marianne Williamson.

It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us.

I've heard that our collective purpose in this age is to conquer fear. New agers believe that this is the spiritual reason (god's purpose) for all the terrorism in the world. We, as a collective unconscious, need to master fear.

I certainly do.

After listening to a very interesting UC Berkeley Q&A podcast of David Lynch speaking about his experiences with Transcendental Meditation - which I highly recommend downloading from iTunes U (a new audio 'university' where you can download podcasts of university lectures for free) - I've been looking into TM but the course fee is a bit steep.

Anyone have any recommendations on where to start?

Multi-Dimensional Dreams

My wonderful husband had downloaded hours and hours worth of Coast to Coast AM, a radio show that addresses esoteric topics of all kinds.

Since I was on the road yesterday, driving for 4 hours from Ottawa to Toronto we popped on a broadcast from September about dreaming.

It was a great guest speaker by the name of Robert Moss, who was promoting a new book The Three "Only" Things.

What I loved about listening to the broadcast was that it reminded me of a few dreaming experiences I had forgotten about, where I clearly tapped into something other than just my own subconscious.

Robert Moss was talking about the potential of visiting other dimensions, perhaps quantum dimensions, through our dreams. And although I remain mostly skeptical, I have to say that I have had vivid dreams of visits from passed love ones that I couldn't chalk up to subconscious reverie.

But I had another dream that is particularly convincing as an argument for the soul actually traveling to another place during dream state.

But before you say 'whoa' - you have to acknowledge that it is possible for energy to be in two places at once (in the quantum reality it's the status quo - see the Double-Slit Experiment).

My dream happened thusly. I was walking toward a tall apartment building. It was at least 25-30 floors and facing a big field. As I walked toward it a woman jumped off the 7th floor. I was aware of it, but unattached to the event and I continued to walk towards the building, eventually entering and heading up to my own apartment (because in my dream I lived there). I remember being spooked that I was in the same apartment building where someone had just jumped.

When I awoke I did my best to interpret it. Was I in some kind of crisis in life where some part of me felt like jumping off the balcony? I couldn't think of anything. I wasn't in any particular crisis mode. The dream bothered me for days because I couldn't find an interpretation that suited my current situation.

Days later, however, I was on the phone with a friend who lived in my building. We were talking about what a crappy neighbourhood we lived in. He casually asked if I had heard about that prostitute/drug addict in the building kitty-corner to ours. I said no. He told me "oh yeah, she jumped from the 7th story of the building". When I asked when it had happened... You can guess. It was almost to the hour of when I dreamt it.

Interesting, isn't it.

Energy Suckage

I love today's APOD pic - it's galactic cannibalism at its best, one galaxy merging with another and the inevitable suckage of energy, billions of stars, dust and the like.

I think it a truly universal concept that all of us are familiar with. We're all guilty, one time or another of being energy suckers. It's not our fault, we're weak, reaching out, forgetting our divine nature. And when we forget that we're connected to the source of all energy, we also forget how to fill ourselves up. We lose our inspiration, we feel down on ourselves. And the only way we can think of filling back up is to take energy from the first available source - usually the first person willing to indulge us our sob story.

Now this is natural behaviour from time to time. Well, I say that it's natural but it's certainly something to work towards overcoming. Moving past this point of needing others' energy means that you find a way, in your darkest direst moment, to fill up from the source.

The problem with this is that often, when things are going badly for us, we shove our heads up our arses so far we can no longer see the light. And then we become the victims rather than the heroes of our own comic book.

Be a hero in your dark moments. Here's how.

Step 1 : Remove head from arse.

Step 2 : Remember you are a divine being. You are only light and energy inhabiting a body for a short time.

Step 3 : All you have to do to feel better is open yourself up to the universal energy and be a receptor. Be open. Resist the urge to close up shop and shut everything out. This isn't going to help you.

Step 4 : Visualize the energy pouring into you and warming you from the inside out.

Step 5 : Let go. Move on. Your life is waiting. And it's better than you can imagine.


Don't get the impression that I'm saying you shouldn't reach out for a sympathetic ear from time to time. We all need love and friendship. But getting beyond the need for others' energy means that we are truly exploring our own potential for self-healing.

Now let's see if I can listen to my own advice next time life dishes out citrus.

A real treat on Halloween

It never occurred to me until last night that there really might be something to the notion that Halloween is one of the times of the year when spirits can make contact with the physical world, and when magic is most potent.

But last night I dreamt that my friend Mikey (who passed about 3 years ago) was alive and well and sitting in a living room having a conversation with my brother (who was his best friend when he was alive). I asked him about it - as I always do - with the ever-so-subtle "aren't you dead?" question. He answered calmly that he had the day off - and was visiting.

I kissed him - for a really embarrassing amount of time. Not in a romantic way - but in a way that was the purest way of expressing my love for him. I felt somehow that by kissing him as hard as I could he would understand how much I loved and missed him.

After the kiss I had other places to be.. So I said goodbye to him and ventured off to begin another (much less important) dream.

My subconscious is such a tease.

Anyway - I do like that it happened on such an auspicious night - the night some believe the departed can touch us. At least we know that no matter how gone they are, they live on in our hearts, minds and dreams.

Pain as...

I had a little thought on the way to work about the nature of pain and the purpose of it.

I've been in pain for the last 4 days - crippling pain thanks to my monthly cycle. But it's not without reason. The pain and cramping comes is a by-product of a natural body function. Pain as reminder of fertility.

Pain is good sometimes. Like this morning, when the water glass broke while my hand was in it, pain let me know that I needed to get my hand out and tend to my wound. Pain as protector.

You stub your toe. Pain, intense pain but only for a minute or so. This pain is there to remind you not to stub your toe. Pain as deterrent. Highly effective.

But physical pain is easy, easy to set aside.

Then there's the pain of heartbreak - that heart/gut wrenching pain that comes with loss of loved ones or the end of a relationship. This pain leaves you writhing on the floor with no end in sight. Pain as ...?

This pain is a little harder to understand, because it serves no actual purpose. Or does it?

I believe that we're all connected - but that through our relationships with people those ties become stronger. We absorb their energies into our own and they become an extension of our energetic bodies.

But the mind can't distinguish between the physical and energetic body. Severing an emotional/spiritual bond with a close one is as painful as severing an arm, because in a way, they have become a part of you.

By feeling the pain of loss, you're feeling through your second body, your energetic body. It reminds you that you are not a self-contained, vacuum-sealed packet of energy - your spiritual body extends in all directions, across time and space, connected still to every person who has ever touched your life and every person whose life you have affected.

Pain as reminder of our true nature.

Stormy clouds

Had a beautiful but powerful dream last night. Today's APOD Picture of the Day reminds me a little of it (see above).

I was in a pond, a natural springs in the middle of a forest. I was bathing in it - completely immersed. Great winds struck up - started blowing and blowing, bending the trees this way and that. The sky darkened, giant grey whisps of clouds rolled in and it got very cold... But I was just the observer, because somehow, the water remained unmoved by the winds - kept me warm from the cold. I was in the middle of the storm, but not affected.

It was terribly cinematic, reminding me yet again of how much I wish I could paint my dreams. They're so beautiful, so colourful, so vivid. In a way, they're so unlike reality which often smacks of drab - with only hints of true depth. Dreams are like reality intensified, injected with drama and meaning and history.

Anyway - any and all interpretations on the dream above are welcome! Thanks guys. You're the best.

Let's Think Clean

Had to share - yesterday my father and I attended a lecture by Lynne McTaggart on her work with intention. It's some seriously groovy science and I highly recommend looking into her books (links in menu on right) because they beautifully answer the questions of the skeptical mind.

Sometimes it's nice to have scientific evidence to back up all the "woo woo theories" (as she put it). Because as prone as I am to giving credence to "woo woo" - I also fancy myself something of a realist. I like hard facts just as much as I like mind-expanding theories.

This stuff has both.

Anyway - what I'm really writing about is her experiment coming up next month. The biggest human intention experiment EVER and you can participate.

The goal? To purify water - simply by intending it.

Now this sounds stupid at first. Hundreds of thousands of people staring at a picture of a vial of polluted water at the exact same time and wishing it to purify itself... But imagine the possibilities if it works! Could we clean up lakes? Oceans? Simply by united the world in directed thought?

I don't know... But I sure as hell plan to find out.

Join me and thousands of others on November 30th at 1pm (EST daylight savings time) by signing up for the experiment here:

http://intentionexperiment.com/

Big Full Moon

I was genuinely unsurprised to discover that it's not only a full moon tonight, but the closest position of the moon - no wonder my sleep has been disturbed.

Check out the info below - explains a whole slew of things you might be experiencing - bad dreams or strange dreams, bad drivers, feeling ill, not to mention all the people undoubtedly delivering babies tonight.

BIG FULL MOON: Tonight's full Moon is the biggest full Moon of 2007. It's no illusion. Some full Moons are genuinely larger than others and this one is a whopper. Why? Read the answer below.

Left: A big, bright perigee Moon. Right: A lesser apogee Moon.

The Moon's orbit is an ellipse with one side 30,000 miles closer to Earth than the other. The full Moon of Oct. 25-26 is located on the near side, making it appear as much as 14% bigger and 30% brighter than lesser full Moons we've seen earlier in 2007.

In the language of astronomy, the two ends of the Moon's orbit are called "apogee" and "perigee." Apogee is the farthest point, perigee the nearest: diagram. This week's full Moon is a "perigee Moon" with extra-high "perigean tides."

The Moon is 14% bigger, but can you actually tell the difference? It's not so easy. There are no rulers floating in the sky to measure lunar diameters. A fun experiment: Take a friend outside tonight and ask if they notice anything unusual about the Moon. Explain perigee after they answer.

Taken from SpaceWeather.com

Phenomenally Lame

I don't know how many of you tuned in for last night's premiere of "Phenomenon" but I have to say that I was SORELY disappointed.

The scoured the whole of the united states for people with psychic and/or magical talent and all they found were a couple lame illusionists?

It was old-school carnivale, parlour tricks at their best/worst. Worth maybe a dollar at a fair.

What a shame.

And really -seems like the whole thing is just another vehicle for "Mindfreak" Criss Angel. I don't think he went for two seconds without explaining how much better his tricks were - or how many thousands of tricks he had accomplished.

Yuck. I know there's better out there. Just curious as to why they chose to keep the show mediocre. Were they afraid they'd alienate the audience if they chose people with real talent who could TRULY blow your mind? Maybe.

Ask

As much as I've been in control of stopping my nightmares in their tracks, I've also been having them almost every night for a week - and it was getting to the point that I'd wake up in the morning a little less than refreshed and frankly I was a bit tired of it.

Last night I did the only thing left in my repertoire. I asked for a break.

I know it sounds weird, but I think we forget a lot of the time that a lot can be done and gotten, simply by asking. But we don't ask a lot, do we. We might hope, we might expect... But rarely do we ASK for things that we really need.

So I asked for a break. Was I speaking to my subconscious, or a higher power? I couldn't tell you. I guess I was asking anyone or anything who would listen.

And I got it. Last night was a nightmare-free zone in my head.

So now I challenge you to think about it - what do you need that you haven't asked for?

Stop!

Had a terrible sleep last night but a good thing came of it. I was in the middle of a horrifying, gruesome scene - bad things were about to happen... Like in a Saw kind of way... And I was somehow forced to watch it unfold. Until...

I became conscious of the fact that I was dreaming. This is not unusual for me. But most of the time what happens is that I'm compelled to finish watching the movie - it's the train wreck you can't help but NEED to see. And I usually stick it out - despite the fact that afterwards I always wish I hadn't.

But this time was different.

I saw the scene derail into the dark and macabre direction it was wont to go - and I caught myself in the dream. It was almost as if I asked myself why I was dreaming this. Then I just said "stop". And it stopped. And my inner screen went blank and I fell into a deep sleep.

I know all about lucid dreaming, but I have to say that I've never ventured down that path... But there is a certain appeal to controlling one's own dreams. Far too often I feel like a trapped passenger on a plane bound for hell - and as much as I don't want to go there, I don't have a choice. My attention, my brain, my subconscious has all been hijacked. And I'm forced to watch the in-flight movie.

I don't know what I believe about the source of nightmares either. My schooling forces me to examine nightmares as my subconscious' attempt to reconcile my shadow self with my light self... But a very spiritual woman and medium once explained to me that it was more than that.

She said that most of us vibrate at a very low level. Just a step up from that is the level occupied by souls on the other side who are (and I quote) "scum of the earth" spirits who are the worst of the worst, incarnate as very bad people and do very bad things. They can't touch you physically or harm you - but when you dream - if when you dream you raise your vibration just a little - they can muck with your dreams. They can implant visuals, scenarios - horrible, horrible images and scenes.

She said that I suffer from nightmares because I'm vibrating at a slightly higher level - and they can reach me.

Interesting thought. Not sure what I believe. But whatever the source - three cheers to stopping it in its tracks. Hopefully tonight will be a better sleep. Sigh.

The Bus Stop and Other Good Places to Think

There's one good thing about public transportation - it forces you to sit in yourself and wait. We don't wait that much anymore. When we want things we go and get them - and we complain if we have to wait even a few minutes for something. A few weeks ago I was at a popular coffee chain and asked for decaf (my doctor told me to lay off caffeine). The woman looked at me regretfully and said "I don't have any made." I just smiled and said "I'll wait." She was shocked and proceeded to make a pot.

Part of the internet revolution was that everything became instantly accessible. We don't have to go to the store to buy the movie that just came out. We can download it. We don't have to lug ourselves out to the bookstore - we can browse online in our pajamas, while we eat breakfast. We don't really spend much time with ourselves anymore.

But yesterday I sat on a park bench for half an hour waiting for a streetcar... And I have to say. I found it entirely enjoyable. There I was, alone with myself - and suddenly things got a whole lot clearer. Like I could see myself again... I could see my life, I could think about it without distraction.

My brother is a great man, an honorable man - but he's not what you would call a thinking man. He goes to great lengths to NOT think about things. I once asked him if he believed in god. He told me he hadn't ever really thought about it. Surprise. But he and I drove across Canada once, after I finished university. I had a hard time keeping my eyes open in the prairies - because it was like driving through the desert... Hours and hours of the EXACT same landscape. I understandably fell asleep. The road ahead was straight into the horizon and for 360 degrees there wasn't much except the odd tree to look at. I woke up hours later - to the EXACT same landscape I had fallen asleep to - but my brother was still awake, miraculously. I remember blinking a few times and looking over at him.

"How on earth are you still awake?" I asked in earnest.
"I've been doing a lot of thinking," he answered.

And THAT - I knew - was a real turning point in his life. Because for the first time, he was alone with himself. Really, truly alone with his thoughts - and forced to deal with them.

I've been confronted with a lot of life questions lately - mostly triggered by thoughts of the future that I want, and exacerbated by the fact that I don't know what I want. But I tell you, half an hour on a park bench, waiting for the streetcar, and I'm starting to feel a little less foggy.

Hugs!

I have to laugh that newspapers are reporting on higher incidences of hugging in schools. But what interests me most is that I've never thought about hugging in terms of a "trend" before. But if I had, I would have noticed that the "trend" is not new. It was common practice in my school years, right through high school, to hug people I knew all the time - hug goodbye, hug hello, hug randomly when we shared a moment.

There is something cool and great about a hug, and its ability to break through walls. I wasn't even aware of the fact that some people had greater needs for personal space until university - when I shared housing with someone who didn't really like to be near people. Then - my roommate after university, was someone who wasn't into hugging. So I think through them, I became more acutely aware of my huggy nature, and started reigning in my urges around mixed company. Suddenly hugging became something that some people were "into" and some weren't - and to respect their sense of personal space, I had to wait until they invited the hug.

But thinking back to high school - I hugged everyone. I still mostly do. I love hugging - heart chakra contact - awesome.

Here's a little delight for all of you.

Vague Zodiac Webs

Sorry for not posting yesterday - since it was Thanksgiving here in Canada, I took the long weekend to do some much needed cleaning, knitting and video-game playing. Three cheers for down time!

I'm actually looking for a good online horoscope service - any favourites? The guy I usually read is getting horribly, horribly vague. Starting to think he's been replaced with a computer program.

I'm still not sure where I stand on horoscopes and astrology in general. I have a love hate thing happening. On one hand I completely buy the theory that if you're a little soul about to be born into the world, you would choose things like what planets, alignments, etc. you'd want to be born under... After all, the celestial bodies have a ton of influence on us.



But on the other hand, I think there's so much more to us than the day we were born on. Life intervenes, grabs hold, gives us particular quirks and ticks we weren't born with. We're not all the purest forms of ourselves anymore. We've changed, grown...

That being said, I'm a dabbler in all things - and I dabble in the zodiacal arts. In particular, I love the combination of Western and Chinese Zodiac... Because it's an added layer of complexity on something that often proves a bit too simplistic. You're not just a Taurus, you're a Taurus Rooster (and by "you" I mean "me").

But I don't think enough is said about the spectrum within any given sign. Is it just me or is there quite a different between the early Piscean or the late one? I have known my fair share of Taureans - and I have most in common with the ones whose birthdays are early in the sign (ie. Late April) versus the ones who were born late in the sign (Early-mid May).

This is where I find the zodiac fails - because it casts too wide a net - it's catching the tuna AND the dolphins. I don't think those of us born late April are the same as those mid-May. I think there may be similar qualities to us, but they present themselves or manifest in different ways.

Has anyone else experienced this?

I would love to see an astrologer boldly divide the horoscope into 24 signs. Two for each sign. And take a shot at that. Sure, it's twice the work, but it dares to be only half as vague, right?

International Bloggers' Day for Burma

New Project

Hey kids,

I've changed a few things in the side menu. I wanted to highlight some interesting spiritual blogs I've stumbled across, along with some good videos.

It's part of my new effort to build a bit of a resource library through links. I welcome any good links you guys might have up your sleeve - it's good karma to share! So please send me any articles, videos or blogs that have helped you or intrigued you on your journey.

Big thanks for being you,
Diana

Dream Dictionary

I had a disruptive sleep last night - caused mostly by a dream I had that is entirely based upon some anxieties it appears I have. I won't go into details because, well - I prefer to remain in the abstract.

But I would like to talk about the subconscious and the dialogue between you and your subconscious and how to develop a universal language so that you might better understand each other and communicate more efficiently.

When I was young my father encouraged me to take note of my dreams. I had fun notebooks where I tried (and did pretty badly) to remember my dreams. It wasn't easy at first. I might remember one aspect - a tidal wave, or perhaps a cliff, or if it was something traumatic like my mother died, then I might remember a little more... But it was slow-going at first. Dream recall is actually a skill that takes time to hone in, it's not as immediate as you would think - and it's not at all like riding a bike. If you don't do it for a while you lose it.

Dream recall is mostly about discipline - literally forcing yourself to write down as much as you can as fast as you can as soon as you wake from your dream. Don't feel compelled to write in full sentences or even in a straight line - most of my 2am entries look more like

Pumpkins

Llama

Flying over trees with Sarah

Looking for medicine

Excited

And trust me, it looks just as foreign to me in the light of 8am as it does to you right now - but it doesn't matter - because I got what counts. I got the people (or things) around me, the elements (animals, food, landscape, etc.), actions (flying, running, skating, etc.) and most importantly, my feeling toward this activity (anxious, excited, sad, etc.)

That's really all you need to figure out what the dream is "telling you". For instance, let's look at this (fake) dream:

Pumpkins I associate with the fall, which in turn I associate with change.

Llamas I associate with things that are funny, silly or ridiculous.

Flying over trees means that I'm feeling free - my friend Sarah represents to me a sort of childlike joyful nature - so I'm feeling carefree and full of childlike joy.

Medicine would be the answer or solution to the problem at hand.

Excitement means I'm excited about the solutions that are out there and that I am looking for them - and it's telling me that I'm embracing change (pumpkins) with a joyful, carefree, childlike enthusiasm.

There. I did it. I dissected a fake dream for myself.

But the real point of all of this is to say that you should (in my humble opinion) DITCH THE DICTIONARY you bought that says that "Llamas represent feelings of security - a shaved llama represents nakedness")... Okay MAYBE that's what a llama means to you, but maybe not - and let's face it, when you're trying to establish communication with your subconscious it's just better if you stop trying to make "green" mean "orange".

If a llama represents something to you uniquely, then THAT is what a llama means in your dream. For me, llamas are silly, ridiculous - and that's what they represent in my subconscious.

When I was encouraging my roommate a couple years ago to take note of her dreams and to start working with them - it was hard for her at first to understand some of the symbolism - but the more she paid attention, the more familiar she became with her inner landscape. She was always on some form of public transportation - always on the move. It was no coincidence that she had recently uprooted and moved to the other side of the country. It was no coincidence that her subconscious felt "in transit".

I had a great dream the night before last (which makes up for last night's little blip). Skip over if you're short on time.

I am running a store of some kind - and I want to take out this doormat for the front door - it's been hiding in the corner of the shop under a trunk. So I take this doormat out, and it has a Christmas theme on it. I'm a big fan of this doormat. Along with the mat, I take out a plant that has been indoors, gathering dust on its leaves.

But as soon as the plant reaches the outdoors, weird animals start to emerge from it - a ferret first, who has been curled up inside the knobby trunk - then a turtle emerges, then the leaves bend and twist around looking for the sun - practically breathing in the fresh air.

Clearly I've taken some aspect of myself out of the dusty storeroom and into the fresh air - and all the little aspects of myself that have been in hibernation are starting to wake from their sleepy states. A great omen indeed!

Just thought I'd share. Your turn! Any good dreams lately?

Note to Self...

I had a very powerful dream a couple years ago and awoke with a single phrase in my head - a phrase so puzzling and wonderful that I had to write it down. The phrase was "Suffering is an illusion."

Let's look at it together.

This was an interesting statement - what did it mean. Buddha said that "life is suffering", the Hindu epics state that the world is nothing but 'Maya' (the Hindi equivalent of the word Illusion). Okay so...

Life = Suffering.
Life = Illusion
Suffering = Illusion.

Right?

Hm. Well let's look at suffering. What is suffering?

Suffering is any unwanted condition and the corresponding negative emotion. It is usually associated with pain and unhappiness, but any condition can be suffering if it is unwanted. Antonyms include happiness or pleasure.
(Wikipedia source)

Suffering, then, is caused by being in a condition or situation that you do not desire. So, let's look at this notion of what we desire. What we want.

Depends I guess on which part of yourself you're talking about. If we buy the notion that our spirit selves have set us out on a course in this life that will include both desirable and undesirable situations, but that we in face WANT to be in these situations to learn valuable spiritual truths, then nothing we experience, no matter how awful, is in fact UN-desired. It may not be desired by our conscious selves - our egos... But on some level it was our choice.

Of course there's also the natural argument that we're all in a false reality and therefore nothing is real because EVERYTHING is an illusion.

Who knows why my subconscious left me that message.. But it sure is fun to think about, n'est-ce pas?

By all means, if you have a better theory about my mysterious note to self - PLEASE share. Would mean the world.

Thanks,
Diana

Domo arigato, Mr. Emoto

I think all of this intention stuff is starting to get to me. And I'm starting to feel like a crazy person. In the middle of my yoga class last night I found myself staring at my water bottle, trying to alter the molecules of my water to give me more energy. I mean, Mr. Emoto! Look at what you've done to me!

Did it work? Well yes, actually. I found my water to be particularly refreshing, colder than expected and I had a very strong class. But I'm now starting to feel almost as crazy as Madonna with her Kabbalah water. Silly Madonna, don't you know you can bless your own water for free?

But seriously - all this reading about reiki and intention... Where it all comes together for me is just in the message of the hidden powers of the mind to affect our surroundings in a measurable, concrete way. For me, this is evolution, is finally accepting that we CAN heal, affect the outcome of things, change the mood of those around us, diffuse conflict, and do thousands of other things simply by thinking it.

The first step, as with anything, is acceptance. Without that, people would never even try to do something like heal their child's belly ache by channeling healing energy into their solar plexus. But if you accept that we are capable of such things, it becomes almost impossible to stop doing it.

I'm starting to believe that we are blessed - all of us - with powers beyond our comprehension. I think we can affect change by changing our thought patterns, by "connecting to the source" as Wayne Dyer would say, or more accurately (see Lynne McTaggart's work) by plugging into The Field.

What is The Field, you ask?

A bit like finding there is such a thing as The Force in Star Wars. The Field tells the story of respected frontier scientists all over the globe who have produced extraordinary evidence to show that an energy field -The Zero Point Field - connects everything in the universe, and we ourselves are part of this vast dynamic cobweb of energy exchange.

(Click here to read more about it. Visit the link in my right-hand menu to buy it so you can go crazy with power too!)

I swear, this stuff changes you.

Oh and if you are interested in learning more about The Field - Lynne McTaggart is giving a seminar in Toronto later this month. Go here for more details.

Curiouser and curiouser!

I found myself yesterday watching an old (1988) broadcast called "God, the Universe and Everything Else". It was a roundtable session of sorts with the late Carl Sagan, Arthur C. Clarke and Stephen Hawking. I had a few giggles, to be sure, just because they were talking about how the Hubble was going to go up shortly, and how hopeful they were that it would answer some of their questions. It was also funny to hear them talk about Stephen Hawking's 'new book' A Brief History of Time. Twenty years later, though, I have to say that their assessments of what was important, what was going to be important and what the biggest questions were - it was all still quite relevant. Surprising, actually.

But personally, it was an interesting viewing considering that just days prior I had stumbled across PBS' program on The Elegant Universe which discusses similar (almost too similar) topics. What does it mean that these programs are important to me now? Why am I seeking this stuff out?

Not that it's completely out of character for me to research this sort of stuff. After all, the universe had me at hello, and I'm a super keen student of all things astrophysical, metaphysical and quantum physical. It's the universe in all of its beauty, simplicity and intricacy that made me believe in something other than randomness and chaos.

But I digress. Going back to these programs that I watched - it is just so fascinating that for years, since Einstein (and perhaps before that) they have been looking for a unifying theory - a "theory of everything". A simple solution to explain why everything in the universe acts the way it does. Much like what Einstein did for our understanding of gravity, the great minds out there are looking for the key to unlocking the secret of what makes this great, beautiful machine work.

The problem they're encountering seems to lie, however, in the minutia.

The littlest parts of us don't do things in any kind of rational way. The atoms and subatomic particles that make us don't abide by the laws of the universe as we know them to be. They do things differently, particles can disappear and reappear thousands of miles away faster than the speed of light. They seem to react differently when observed. WE, the observer, cannot know their true state because the very act of observing them somehow changes them.

A big fat WTF?!, I know. And yet it's so exciting that there are still mysteries out there, no? I love it, actually. I love that there are big unexplainable, unknowable things about the universe. Because how boring would we be if we knew all the answers?

What would we be without our curiosity?

It got me thinking about a persistent nagging question stuck in my brain. If we are all divine beings, connected to the source of all things, which knows all things, then why don't we know everything? Okay, maybe we choose amnesia when we come to this realm to achieve certain life lessons, but then why don't those on the other side know everything?

But I'm starting to rethink this question - because I'm beginning to realize the intrinsic value of curiosity. Is there anything more beautiful than curiosity? It is the desire to know, the desire to learn... It's practically a primary instinct. And if I believe all of my thoughts on the nature of our species (in the physical form and other forms), then it is our curiosity that drives us forward.

“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity.”
-Albert Einstein

So I guess to answer my own question - we don't know everything because we don't really want to. We'd rather spend our time trying to figure it out ourselves. Because that's way more fun.

Cycles

I'm sure not the right person to talk about cycles, seeing as I know much less about them than my brilliant father who is currently cracking the code to the universe using cycles. But one thing I do know about cycles is that they're a reassuring part of life.

For instance, this last week has been something of a low point, admittedly. But just like the Death card in the tarot - these low points, where you think you're going to die are just changing points. You let go of something, perhaps some long held belief or a crutch, whatever it is, through the process of grieving and then you're free to change in a new way. The tarot describes it as "the idea of putrefaction, the rotting fermentation in the alchemical process, which - just like humus - is the prerequisite and basis for new life or for a new push in development."

Basically, that which decomposes during the crisis also becomes the compost which enriches the coming growth. And there's your cycle. It's the most natural cycle on earth.

My very wise and beautiful yogi friend made a comment that validated this sentiment completely (and also inspired this entry - thanks G). She said, "Being stuck is a beautiful thing, especially right about when you feel like you cannot breathe! It is at this moment that where you can assure yourself that relief, answers and "aha" moments will appear.. Through my own experiences in my spiritual journey, the more "stuck" you are the closer you become to your "truth"."

I think somebody needs to give this woman a blog so I can read it!

All of this to say that I can feel the new buds pushing through the soil now, slowly but surely. And I feel things are starting to return to a sense of normalcy. Just last night, after a very confident and strong yoga class, I was overwhelmed by the sense that everything really was going to be okay. And I know it sounds stupid, but I needed to have that feeling back, because I had been having doubt.

What I said before about the reassuring nature of cycles was just that in your lowest moment, your moment of most despair, you just know that it's going back up. And I think it reminds you (I'll try to remember) that when you're flying high in the cycle, you should store up that strength, resolve and energy and save some for that rainy day on the horizon.

Don't Worry...

Things are starting to look up. Nothing has actually changed, but I'm feeling a bit brighter. Maybe because it's Friday.

Actually, I think times like this are really important. They wake you up, force you to take your bearings, question if you're in the right place, question your choices and how you got there. And I sure have been doing a lot of that.

I came across this great article, which really spoke to me about the source of my problem. I am clearly taking on too much at once.

The author of that article talks about how to get out of a slump - and one of the ways is to recognize that you might be overwhelmed by the sheer volume of necessary changes that it's just easier to stay put. Or as I might have said yesterday - stuck.

But I need to start thinking about smaller improvements I can make until the bigger things sort themselves out. Maybe the first one is to make a promise to myself to not take things so seriously, and to forgive myself for not having all the answers right now. Because maybe at the heart of it, I'm just pissed off at being lost. I'm usually so certain of everything.

It's a pretty big lesson for me - learning to be kind to myself. I'm by far my own worst critic, and when the voices strike up, they usually don't fight fairly. Why is that? They dig deep - not just "you'll fail at this", no... It's much dirtier - "you never succeed at anything, nobody likes you, you'll never find something that makes you happy", etc.

I hate that little critic in my brain. It sucks.

I should treat life more like I treat my yoga classes. I go in there thinking "do the best you can, do it with honour and integrity and forgive yourself if you need to take a break". That's the little mantra I tell myself before class.

And now I'm going to do as I'm told and forgive myself for needing a break. A break from being such an insufferable know-it-all. ;)

Stuck in the Muck

I've really tried my best to detach myself enough from things to coast through my 20s without any of that pesky "quarter-life crisis" stuff... And I thought I had mostly managed, until now.

I have to admit. Everything feels really up in the air right now. I feel stuck, like my foot's been slowly sinking into this quicksand and part of me has been like 'it's okay, it's supposed to happen like this' and I've been trying to wait it out, see if it gets better, if it magically lets go. But then somewhere along the way I started to get used to the comfort of the warm sand hugging my ankle. I started to forget where I was going before I got stuck. And then soon enough I had convinced myself that this was my destiny. I was destined to be here, stuck, because the universe had something to teach me, show me, throw my way.

And then, maybe just a couple days ago I woke up and remembered who I was before I got stuck. I felt a glimpse of the panic and the excitement of the journey, the unknowing, the confusion and the anticipation of the final destination. It made me want to get unstuck, but what then? I've been stuck so long I hardly know what to do with that much freedom. Being stuck is the known, the familiar. I don't know the world outside of my stuck-ness.

All of this to say that I need to schedule a face to face with my guides and figure out what I'm supposed to do with myself if I finally get around to pulling my leg out.

And really, any and all advice is extremely welcome. Please, you wise sages out there - tell me how you get unstuck.

I hope they're right...

Hi Universe, It's Me, Diana

Science without religion is lame. Religion without science is blind. -Albert Einstein

I get really excited about people working to unite physics and metaphysics. I think part of the reason is that I found spirituality through science. I think, like a lot of people, I had been perfectly happy to side with science. We had proof, calculations that explained how we came to be. Religions had nothing but a book and a promise. Science 1, Religion 0.

But as I got older, things got a bit more muddied. I discovered space. Not the near planets, not the constellations and their Greek mythologies - but deep space. The space they don't tell you about in high school.

Because while I had been wading around in my blissful teenage self-absorption, some very smart people decided to send a telescope out into space. Then they decided to point it at a very empty-looking piece of blackness about the size of your pinky fingernail. And then they opened up the shutter for 11 days.

And when they finally blinked, they saw this:



Over 10,000 galaxies, as they existed billions of years ago.

The first time I saw it, I couldn't find my breath. My heart leapt. It was the most beautiful and humbling thing I had ever seen or known.

I wish this was mandatory learning - there should be centres where you can go and recline and look up at a great big IMAX dome projecting this image 24/7. Because seeing it, thinking about how every light in that picture represents a galaxy, comprised of billions of stars. To think that there are more stars in the universe than there are grains of sand on all the beaches of the earth.

It made me feel small, but special. And that's exactly what god does for most people, right? Makes one feel small, but special. I guess that's how I found (my) god. The universe became something much more complicated and abstract than I had thought - and it challenged all of my notions of how things work - because when it came to the bigger stuff, I soon discovered that even the best scientists out there just kind of shrug. They don't have all the answers either. Believe me.

I later came across quantum physics - another interesting little branch of science that had the lab coats scratching their heads. Particles acting like they have a memory? What on earth?!

But as we start to understand the universe in all its facets and functions. I hope that we'll also find out more about how we as a species fit into the bigger picture.

Who were you?

Are you your great uncle reincarnated? No? Well I know someone who probably is his great uncle reincarnated. He was born with an inordinate amount of information about someone who had never existed in his life. His first experience of knowing this was when he first met his great aunt when he was young. She remarked at how much he resembled her late husband. And as she stroked his hair he began to tell her bits of information about this man he had never known. He described the street he lived on, strange oddities about his personality and nicknames that people used for him.

And, like many other children who talk about things that adults can't make sense of, he was promptly told to "stop it". He never spoke about such things again - but always remained drawn to pictures of his great uncle.

Can I say hands down that he is the reincarnation of that man? No, but I can say it sounds about right.

When my friend passed, I had a very nice chat with him via a very talented medium. He told me of his plans to reincarnate into the family he had just left. It validated the notion that we never really stray very far from family.

When I was young I had a very strong sense about some of my friends - like I had always known them. Like they were traveling with me.

And sure enough, I think we choose a lot of things about our rebirth - the wheres, hows and whos... I think we often reincarnate back into our 'circle' (as wide as that may be). I do not doubt that they are our circle on the other side as well. Like a (dare I say it) soul group of sorts.

How would that work? In that great big world - how would I recognize you from our last life together? Easy. Harmonics. (See my earlier post on this) From life to life you're probably singing the same tune - and a good friend would know that song from a mile away.

I was at a lovely family gathering yesterday, a celebration of my recent wedding... And as the old family photos got pulled out - grandparents who've passed, great aunts and uncles on the walls, I looked to the new baby in the room and wondered...

Here's a little laugh for those of you non-believers:

Zapped

So many apologies for not blogging today - I'm actually out of town at a business conference and it's sucking the life out of me (good thing I was all filled up with good reiki prior to coming - how else would I survive?). I always talk about this notion of being "on" - in social situations people like myself often feel like they have to put on the good show, smile at everyone, talk to everyone, engage everyone in conversation - indulge extremely shallow topics of discussion... it's all just so empty. But it's protocol. So you do it.

Well after hob-nobbing for a solid 12 hours, having had very little to eat and perhaps a tad too much to drink, I'm definitely feeling like someone switched me off. Power down. Need to regroup.

I will be away all of this week - will try to put sentences together in some kind of meaningful blog entry at some point, but I think all I'm capable of in this mode is talking about how beautiful the weather is. Go on, ask me how beautiful the weather is here in Ottawa. It's bloody gorgeous.

So, in short, sorry for the hiatus this week. I promise I'll have lots of wonderfully magic insights next week.

Thanks for tuning in. Owe you.

Let's Evolve, Shall We?

I've now heard from a few sources that the times they are a changin'... That there is a new level of awareness in the world, that people are opening up to new possibilities, that kids are being born who are special, psychic, attuned to the universe and in possession of unique gifts (like this little girl.

This isn't a new statement. It probably started in the 60s - along with the birth of all things 'new age' - there has been talk of changes. Big changes. Age of Aquarius and all that jazz.

But what I find so interesting is that for the first time I actually think we might all be planning for it. And here goes another wacky Diana theory.

Television and film, media in general serves a greater purpose than just turning us into automatons who run out and buy the cars 'they' tell us to. I think television and film reflects society back to us. This works because media is driven by the consumer, they make what we want to watch. And what we want to watch is dictated by the kinds of things we value. I Dream of Jeannie clearly reflected our sentiment towards the place of men and women. Will & Grace reflected a growing acceptance and comfort with homosexuality just as Sex and the City reflected a new modus operandi - namely the pursuit of glamour, shoes and love and/or sex.

Shows succeed or fail based on ratings, in other words, a show's success depends on the number of people who like the subject matter - and whether or not that show "speaks to us" and our current condition. Last year alone I recall a number of series that didn't make it past pilot. But there was this one series that not only made it - it became a smash success, maybe even the most popular series of 2006.

It wasn't a terribly novel concept - in fact, it's almost daringly close to another series - a movie series, based on a comic book series - but it obviously struck a chord. The topic? Ordinary human beings who exceed ordinary human potential. Heroes may be comic book fodder, but it asks us to look at the evolution of our own species. Have we really reached our limit? Or are we all Hiro Nakamura, staring at the clock, knowing.. feeling that we could stop time with enough effort... is that why we rejoice in watching him succeed?



There has been a lot of talk about how humankind is no longer evolving, that instead we are evolving through our technology - that our next logical step will be to integrate ourselves with computers for maximum potential. Well, yeah, partially, but I think there's an important evolution that also needs to take place, and it's on a more personal level. And that is achieving our own personal maximum.

Maybe that means that we learn how to harness our energy - for the purposes of healing, fueling or otherwise. Maybe it means that we start taking psychics and mediums seriously, and garner information only accessible through communication with the other side (I heard that's how the Sumerians got all their info).

Another important evolutionary step, I feel, would be for all of us to live with more compassion. Because if there were more compassion, there would be less war. And where there was suffering, there would not be hopelessness.

Reiki Power!

My life has been a beautiful tapestry of synchronous moments - when particular turning-points have been dictated by the universe and not me. I recall specific moments - like the time my friend on the other side was anxious to talk to me. Signs for psychics everywhere. I would open the phonebook - on the page for psychic ads. The radio show that day would have a psychic guest.

Or more recently, I came across Reiki. I was reading about scientific studies on healing through the hands. They naturally mentioned Reiki. I did my daily blog and in looking for images, I stumbled across Reiki. Then I went to yoga that night. The instructor, out of a room full of people came over to me and touched my back during one of the resting positions. Later, I inquired about it, because it had so relaxed me, just that light light touch. She casually said "I put a little Reiki in it". This was, let me remind you, within 24 hours of all that other Reiki stuff. It was like, 'okay, universe, I get it'. The fact is, I was meant to get into Reiki at this time.

The more I looked into it, the more I thought about the wonderful things I could do if I knew Reiki. I would visit my friend with brain cancer and give him Reiki sessions. I would help my husband with his constant indigestion. I would even help myself with my heart chakra, which seems to be doing a spring cleaning of sorts these days.

So I started researching the how and wheres to becoming a Reiki healer. It turns out that you can't learn the Reiki, exactly. Instead, a Reiki master has to give you the energy force. I don't quite understand this, except that it seems that by the act of receiving this from a master, your system gets cleaned out, like a giant chakral colonic. And then you become a conduit for it - able to use it to heal yourself and others.

Kinda makes me want to don a cape and spandex - and shout "Reiki power!" into the sky.

Chakra Khan

It was a funny moment for me last night when my husband made a crack about my chakra, and I said "which one?" and he just kind of looked at me quizzically and said "there's more than one?"

And I laughed. "Yeah," I replied, "there are seven."

He felt I should blog about it - so here I am. I'll talk about the chakras as I have come to know and understand them.

But to 'buy into' the chakra system, you really have to accept the notion that our bodies are energy conduits. If you're particularly spiritual, you might even say that you are entirely made of energy and just housed in flesh.

The energy travels from our base (the base of the spine) to the top of our head (and beyond). And within our bodies there are so-called vortexes. Little centres of gravity which cause our energy to pool in specific locations in the body.

Each "pool" or chakra serves a vital function in our lives. And once you understand what each of them does, they can become a helpful tool in self-diagnosing and healing that which ails you.



Let's start at the bottom and work our way up. And just for fun let's avoid their hard to pronounce Sanskrit names - and keep it real.

The Root Chakra:
Typically associated with the colour red, this chakra is located where the tailbone meets the floor when you sit. It connects you to the earth, grounds you, keeps it real. It's associated with feelings of security, trust, etc.

The Sacral Chakra:
Typically associated with the colour orange and located in the reproductive organs. This one controls sexual function/dysfunction and reproductive functions.

The Emotion Centre:
Located in the solar plexus/stomach and is yellow. It's where we process the baser emotions like fear, excitement, nervousness, anxiety, elatement. Pretty much explains sensations like butterflies, knots in the stomach, and why you want to throw up when you're really scared, shocked, or upset. Also controls digestion, duh.

The Heart Chakra:
A generally green chakra - located in the heart. It controls higher emotions like love, compassion. Controls the immune system. If you're having a hard time with love in your life or are always getting sick, might be time to check in with this one (more on fixing your chakras later).

The Throat Chakra:
Blue, found in the throat. Communication is controlled here, also personal expression. Creativity, I believe, also stems mostly from this chakra (along with others). This is why when you are trying to prevent yourself from crying you might feel a lump in your throat.

The Third Eye Chakra:
It's purpley-blue, and square between the brows. This one is your ability to intuit, sense, and all the fun stuff we associate with 'seeing'. Could also be responsible to your ability to make decisions or 'see' possible outcomes to current decisions you're faced with.

The Crown Chakra:
Generally described as purple-white, the crown chakra is your connection to your higher self and (if you're a believer in a such things) God. It's located at the top of your head and extends upwards.


WORKING WITH THE CHAKRAS

Even if you're not big into meditation, you can do yourself and your body a whole lotta good by just aligning your chakras from time to time.

Do it when you're about to fall asleep (you're already calm and resting).

Visualize your energy centres - with their colours - in the body. You might even try to feel them light up inside you. In your mind, step back from yourself and take a look - are there any that aren't in line with your centre (in line with the spine)? If so - locate that chakra and imagine moving it back in place.

Or maybe if you're having trouble with one particular chakra - imagine yourself bathed in a light of the corresponding colour. Imagine it replenishing your energy centre and healing it.


And yes, if you haven't made the connection yet - it's all the colours of the rainbow. Your inner little rainbow.

The Hero and Your Journey - Part 3

[[This is part 3 of a series, please scroll down to read parts 1 & 2 first]]


You are now THE HANGED MAN, forced to sit with yourself until you find a way out of your current bind (pun intended). This is decision time. You could call for help, but your lover might find you first and require explanation. Or you could remain here. With the tree. Because you are too proud.

Eventually you begin to trust yourself and the universe and accept that there is a reason for the standstill - to force new movement where you have let yourself grow stagnant. You call out for help and are rescued. But not by your lover.

Your lover has met her DEATH*. In a way you, too, feel as though you have died. You spend much time trying to forget about her/him and forget about your quest. This is the ultimate test of your resolve. Can you mourn the loss and see it as opportunity for new creation? Can you accept such major changes and move on with your life?

*Please be clear that in a reading Death does not mean death to you or a loved one – but a time of great personal change, where you literally shed your old identity and move forward toward a new one.

You fall asleep and have a dream. You have a dream that you meet a witch who is pouring liquids together in a large cauldron. What is she making, what elixir is this? She pours in fire and water and the two mix together. The message is clear. Life and death, man and woman, all opposites can be merged with the right proportion in the right way. Much like the mixing of two colours to create a new one, you can master this ART. You can learn TEMPERANCE – and neutralize materials with their opposites.

When you awake you are holding the philosopher’s stone. The ability to turn ordinary metals into gold. You don’t know how it came to you, but you are now in possession of the grail you sought so long ago.

Its power intoxicates and becomes highly addictive. You begin to suspect it is the devil’s work. But it turns out that it is you who is THE DEVIL, when you are without moderation. The Devil is the lesson of moderation in the face of intoxication and addiction (whatever the nature).

You become paranoid that others might seek to take your stone from you, so you retreat to a large tower and climb to the top so that you might see enemies approaching from miles away.

As you spiral out of control so does your life – You are no longer in control of your emotions or your delusions. You have locked yourself up in your tower and are hiding from the world. But a fire threatens the tower, and as flames lick the sides of the building and burn up the stairs, you have no choice but to jump.

THE TOWER crumbles, until there is nothing left but rubble.

You survive the fall but the stone is lost in the rubble. You howl out to the world and cry and wail, but in doing so you release the emotion you have built up and failed to release earlier. Catharsis. You feel an inner thaw. The knock on your head did you some good and you finally see clearly.

The night falls over the rubble and you begin thinking about the things you have lost and the knowledge you have gained. You look up and notice THE STAR that will guide you home. Suddenly you find yourself overwhelmed with new hope. You will find your way again. All is not lost. You realize that you are ready to return, knowing that you no longer need for anything.

Following the star you travel through the night. THE MOON rises, illuminating a watery path. You begin to feel disoriented, as if walking in your sleep. You pass under the moon, between two pillars ancient and strange. Suddenly, you look around to find yourself in another world. This is the same world the High Priestess would not show you earlier. Here are the dark mysteries, ones that have to do with the most primal and ancient powers, powers of nature, not of civilization. It is a land poets, artists, musicians and madmen know well, a terrifying, alluring place, with very different rules. Wolves, howling in homage to the moon, run wild across this land, hunting along side maidens with bow and arrows; and creatures from childhood nightmares and fantasies peer from shadows.

You are standing hip-deep in a stream, feeling the powerful pull of its ebb and flow. There is, on the nearby shore, a small boat, but it has no rudder, nor paddles. You have only two choices. You can lose yourself in this desolate, primal land of madness and illusion, howl with the wolves, be hunted down, or get into the boat, and trust the moon. As you begin to trust the Moon and the powers of the unconscious, creativity, inspiration, visions, genius, reward you. This is the real boon you sought.

As the moon sets and THE SUN rises, you feel immense happiness. Not just from the fact that you made it out of the tricky otherworld but because you now trust in yourself and the universe. This happiness radiates from your insides until you are the Sun. You feel like a child again.

Your boat finds shore and you find your land legs.


You make it back to your village but you find that you have been gone much longer than you thought. In fact, you can’t believe that not a single person even knows you anymore and the village itself is barely recognizable. Is it in fact the same place you left? You soon realize that it is not the place that has changed, but you. You have entered a new era, a new AEON. And as you let all childhood attachments go, the village embraces you.

You have no holy grail, no magic elixir, no philosopher’s stone. But you have many many stories to tell the children of the village. Many wisdoms to share. And those who will know you will love you for bringing them THE WORLD. For you are now the sum of all parts, the totality of completion, you are THE UNIVERSE in all of its forms. You are complete.