Planetary Retrogrades for 2022

Here is the retrograde chart for the year 2022. This chart shows all of the planetary retrogrades for the year.

To understand each retrograde, look at the planet, know it’s meaning, and realize that where it falls in your chart, you are REviewing, REthinking, REdoing, REthinking, REordeing, REpacing. It is time for us to review that planet’s trajectory to date.

Save this chart or refer to it! Look at the date and then look up into the chart to see which planets are retrograding on that day. Notice it more than one (or two) planets are retrograding.

Insight Center Insights for January 2022

AWAKENING Insights 

“You think your kind word or act is small.

But it might be someone’s light in the darkness.” ~ @newhappyco

“Reminder for co-dependents:
Healthy relationships are reciprocal
Healthy relationships are reciprocal
Healthy relationships are reciprocal
Healthy relationships are reciprocal
Healthy relationships are reciprocal
Healthy relationships are reciprocal
Healthy relationships are reciprocal” ~ The Insight Center

“Your life is your own. I want you to read that sentence until it sinks all the way down inside your gut and meets every impulse that tells you to put your intuition on pause, to place yourself second, to squeeze and bend and break into the molds of what everyone else wants you to be.  Your life is your own. I want it to pass through your head so many times it slowly clears out the debris of your fear. I want you to meditate on it until you realize that you are not too strange, you just have the courage to be your true self; you are not too different, you just have the courage to follow your own heart; you are not unworthy, you are just honest about the very natural, human experience of feeling unworthiness. Every person alive wishes to embody these very same forms of freedom.  They are not judging you; they are expressing the parts of themselves they’ve judged into silence. Your life is your own, and it always will be. You must find the courage to claim it, or it will pass by you untouched – a glimmering, lost potential of all that could have been.” ~ @briannawiest

“Less social media = less of other people’s information.” ~  The Insight Center

“Re: manifestation: notice when you manifested and receive it (breath it deeply into your soul.)” ~  The Insight Center

“There may be moments when you feel emotionally cold and dark, when it seems that all the light has gone from your life. But your experience and inner truth are not in sync—the light is always there.” ~
Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche

“What happens when you get caught up in other peoples’ emotions? You can lose yourself.” ~  The Insight Center

“Intuitive and soulful. Live by these two paradigms. How does it resonate with your intuition? Is it soulful? ~  The Insight Center

“You are the most constant thing in your own life.

Befriend yourself first.

Invest in yourself first.

Become yourself first.

The rest will come together in time.” ~ @briannawiest

“You know who’s going through a lot right now?

Literally everyone.

Just be kind.” ~ @spiritualremedies101

“Codependency recovery tool:
Moderate your involvement.
Maybe give 25% less to this person. Maybe 50% less (giving half of what you feel inclined to give is a nice easy breaking point.) Or - maybe 75%. I think the percentages will change. Check in with yourself to see how healthy/RECIPROCAL the relationship is.” ~ The Insight Center

“Similarly, when our minds act in unison, our frequencies synchronize, generating powerful resonances that amplify our states of awareness in whatever task we are engaged in. Pay attention to what type of vibrations we resonate with, because we will inevitably tune our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors to specific frequencies that will synchronize to specific events according to the resonance we propagate. The principle of transformation of our minds and manifestation of events are related to energy, frequency, vibration, resonance and synchronization of thoughts-emotions-behaviors, very similarly to principles of tuning forks and metronomes.”  ~ Author Unknown

“Dear past self,

Thanks for everything, but I’m moving on.

It’s not you, it’s me.” ~ @spiritdaughter

“Let go of control and find refuge in the body’s immediate present sensory field. When the mind relaxes its grip, the body models sustained attention. The body leads the way. It’s a great relief for the mind, in fact.” ~ Willa Blythe Baker, “The Body Is Already Mindful”

“It’s so important to be in touch with your own soul for validation and confirmation.  Especially when very few people can see you clearly.” ~ Maryam Hasnaa

“Peace is within oneself to be found in the same place as agitation and suffering. It is not found in a forest or on a hilltop, nor is it given by a teacher. Where you experience suffering, you can also find freedom from suffering. Trudging to run away from suffering is actually to run toward it.”  ~ Ajahn Chan

“Intuition is not intimidating: When you listen to your intuition, you feel like you are your best self.” ~ @somaticexperiencingint

“To become aware that you are conscious right now is to become aware of that intangible essence of who you are, the gap between two thoughts… And that is the unconditioned consciousness in you. “~ Eckhart Tolle

“Next time you feel agitated because you are falling back into past patterns, remember that simply being aware that you have fallen back into repeating the past is a sign of progress. Self-awareness comes before the great leap forward in your personal transformation.” ~ Yung Pueblo

“The best indicator of your level of consciousness is how you deal with life’s challenges when they come. Through those challenges, an already unconscious person tends to become more deeply  unconscious, and a conscious person more intensely conscious.” ~ Eckhart Tolle

“A moment of silence for all the things i have to do but am not doing.” ~ @moonbodysoul

“Interdependence is the ongoing recognition that we are not separate from other beings or the world around us. Life is a web of infinite relationships.” ~ Djuna Deveraux

“Choose to be as authentic as possible, and if things work out, you will feel authentically aligned.” ~ The Insight Center 

“Re: manifestation: notice when you manifested, and receive it (breath it deeply into your soul.)” ~ The Insight Center

MEDITATION insights

“Meditation is about seeing through one’s presumed identity, one’s identifications, in order to become a truer version of one’s own unique self. “~ Mark Epstein

“How to help manage your emotions:

Monitor the inputs and outputs of your emotions. Who you spend time with? Who you talk to? What you read. Monitor when enough is enough, and when you need more.
Figure out what works for you and what doesn’t. Process. Meditate. Talk to trusted loves. Accept true love.
Figure out what you need. Downtime. Social time. Friends. Family. Books. Writing. Nature. Food. Water. Vacation. Work. 
Meditate.”  ~ The Insight Center

“Every thought.
Every idea.
Every experience.
Let it in.
Let it out.
Just like the breath.
Naturally.
In and out.
Regular.
And temporary.” ~The Insight Center

JOURNAL EXERCISE Re: Letting go

1.          Make a list of 10 things you have easily let go – amazing – right? I loved doing this. For example, one of mine was “perfectionism.”

2.          Now make a list of what you could let go of.  For example, one of mine was “Pleasing my dad (dead 16 years)” See by perspective, that it is going to be possible to let them go as well. It’s a matter of time, awareness, and attention.

3.          I did this exercise fast so that my stream of consciousness information would show up. I have done this with several students and clients, and several did this quickly, and several were thoughtful and reflective. It doesn’t really matter, both offered insightful information. Try it both ways! ~ The Insight Center

HEALING Insights

“Let go more than once. Let go when an old pattern wants to drag you back into the past. Let go when narratives run wild in your mind. Let go every time you try to cause yourself extra trouble there’s healing in repetition. Soon peace will feel familiar. “~ Yung Pueblo

GRIEF Insights

“Each loss takes a piece of us — a piece soft and alive — and leaves in its place something cold and heavy; each subsequent loss becomes the magnet that draws out those old leaden pieces, pulls them out from the reliquary of scar tissue where we have been keeping them in order to live, makes them rip through our being afresh. And yet the shrapnel pieces that surface are smaller and softer-edged than when they first entered through the open wound of raw bereavement, smoothed, and contracted by the ongoingness of life.

In this sense, grief if fractal, each new instance containing within itself a set of self-similar sub-griefs — miniatures of the same emotional structure, rendered smaller in salience by time and tenacity, those twin inevitabilities of aliveness.” ~ Michael Frame

“Five things to say to someone instead of “I am sorry for your loss.”

1. I’m sorry you’re suffering right now, but I’m here with you and willing to help any way I can. Is there anything you need right now?
2. I’m sorry for whatever challenges might lie ahead for you, but I’m here and willing to help. Would it be okay if I call next week just to check in with you?
3. Please accept my deepest condolences. I can’t imagine what you must be going through right now, but I know enough about grief to know that it can be very challenging. Don’t hesitate to call me if there’s anything I can do to help.
4. I’m so sorry to hear about _____. I’m sure you’re going to miss him/her terribly. How are you holding up?
5. I know there’s nothing I can say right now to make things better, but I also know that having someone to talk to at times like this is really important, so don’t hesitate to call me whenever you need to. “~ Elephant Journal

ASTROLOGY insights

“Pluto wants you to go to the depths of discovery. “~ The Insight Center

“under the Full Moon

she felt her magic

her mystery

and her heart

she felt at home.” ~ @spiritdaughter 

“Hug your Chiron placement.”
Where Chiron is in your astrology chart represents past life wounding and your ability to heal those wounds. It is a great placement for understanding wounds and fears, and to pay attention to healing.
Sometimes the wounds are lit up and it is very challenging - and you do your work - and you heal.
That’s when you give your Chiron a hug. Actually, hug it whenever you are inclined! ~ The Insight Center 

“Where will you feel soft in 2022?

Look for Pisces in your chart. Jupiter is ther pretty much all year.” ~ The Insight Center 

“For today fully be your Sun Sign. And pay attention to the people around you, and their Sun Sign. Sometimes the insights are that simple.” ~ The Insight Center

Insight Center Newsletter for December 2021

AWAKENING Insights 

“Let go or be dragged.” Buddhist Boot Camp

“When you feel super out of alignment, check your ego.” The Insight Center

“A quickening of the frequency of the energy field isn’t necessarily a bad thing.  However, it does require raising your own frequency to align with it, rather than resisting or fighting against it as if were being caused by some supposed “bad guy”.  ~ David Pond

“The underlying sense of uneasiness that we have now is actually a good thing: it is the expression of our sensitivity. Those who go through life without feeling ill at ease are unconscious. The uneasy feeling caused by our awareness holds tremendous potential for transformation. It is a treasure of energy that we can grasp with both hands and use to build something better. Indifference doesn't lead anywhere.”
Oral advice transcribed by the author. ~ JIGME KHYENTSE RINPOCHE

“For soulful seekers - live in alignment with your truth.” ~ The Insight Center

“There is as much value in the negative space. Not every second of your life has to be filled. A packed agenda is not success. Living to work as opposed to working to live is not a quality of life.  Things are not split into “times in which you’re doing something that other people can quantify” and “times you’re doing nothing.” It’s all important. Your deepest revelations happen in silent moments with yourself. Being crowded with people and appointments and ideas and creative outpourings wouldn’t be so profound and stunning if there weren’t also moments of aloneness and nothingness and mental drought. The context matters. The focal point of a piece of art wouldn’t exist without the negative space to frame it.” ~ @briannawiest

“There is no need to worry if you are truly on your path. Stay true and course correct.” ~ The Insight Center

“Your new life is going to cost you your old one. It’s going to cost you your comfort zone and your sense of direction. It’s going to cost you relationships and friends. It’s going to cost you being like and understood. It doesn’t matter. The people who are meant for you are going to meet you on the other side. You are going to build a new comfort zone around the things that actually move you forward. Instead of being liked, you’re going to be loved. Instead of being understood, you’re going to be seen. All you’re going to lose is what was built for a person you no longer are. Let it go.”  ~ Briannawiest

“Dropping our expectations of ourselves and others creates space for true freedom and allows authenticity to flourish.” ~ Jacquie Compton

"Your boundaries attract the right type of energy.” ~ Lalah Delia 

“Cook
Laugh
Eat
Appreciate
Hydrate
Rest

Hug
Feel
Go outside
Repeat” ~ The Insight Center

“I respect the monastics, but the worldly path is not lesser. I want to embrace the world and see if that can be a complete path of wisdom in and of itself.” ~ Ethan Nichtern

“In truth, we don’t need to know what the future will bring. We just need to be right in this moment, and if we touch it deeply, mind and body united.” ~ Kaira Jewel Lingo

“To give freedom to a child, you must first understand yourself, the giver of freedom, the educator. If I have to educate a child but do not understand myself and so start with my conditioned response, how can I teach them? ~ Krishnamurti

“Attention is like a fire, when that attention is there that thing which is sorrow, the loneliness, the pain, the anxiety, the tears, when there is that complete attention all that goes, disappears.  Attention is a flame.” ~ Krishnamurti

“My heart awakens to the Love that I am.” ~ ForeverConscious.com

When you are congruent with your own essence, you’re not trying to convince people of it, you’re just being it.” ~ Maryam Hasnaa

11 unforgettable truths 2021 taught me:

“Your healing comes first

Boundaries will nourish you

Being busy is not glamorous

Heavy emotions are temporary

Say yes only when it feels right

Self-awareness helps you react less

Build with emotionally mature people

Embracing change lifts up your peace

Saying no supports your mental health

Healing yourself helps heal your connections y

You lose yourself by trying to please everyone.”

~ Yung Pueblo

“Make your life better by letting go of the attachment t to wanting others to perceive you a certain way. Trying to control how others perceive you can drag you into people pleasing. You cannot control another’s perception because it is partially formed by their emotional history.” ~ Yung Pueblo

MEDITATION insights

“In the deepest forms of insight, we see that things change so quickly that we can’t hold onto anything, and eventually the mind lets go of clinging. Letting go brings equanimity; the greater the letting go, the deeper the equanimity.” ~ Sayadaw U Pandita, “A Perfect Balance”

“We meditate to get better at life.” ~ Sharon Salzberg

“Meditation practice makes it easier to choose what to focus on, let go of, linger with, indulge in, turn away from, enhance, or reiterate.” ~ Jill Satterfield

GRIEF insights

“When I ‘m gone & flowers grown from my body, my spirit will reunite with the stars, and I will be forever eternal. “~ Cocorrina   

“Freedom is found in the contemplation of death.” ~ Vish Sharma

“Sometimes suffering can be intense and have no easy resolution. In those kinds of situations, compassion is bearing with the impulses to try to prematurely solve situations. Compassion becomes our willingness to keep showing up: to listen deeply, bear witness, and be with suffering.” ~ Christina Feldman and Chris Cullen

HEALING insights 

“If you are a recovering co-dependent, it is really important to not let a narcissist recruit you (and don’t feel guilty about it.)”  ~ The Insight Center

“In the midst of a breakdown, we often wonder whether we have gone mad. We have not. We’re behaving oddly, no doubt, but beneath the agitation we are on a hidden yet logical search for health. We haven’t become ill; we were ill already. Our crisis, if we can get through it, is an attempt to dislodge us from a toxic status quo and constitutes an insistent call to rebuild our lives on a more authentic and sincere basis. It belongs, in the most acute and panicked way, to the search for self-knowledge.”

 ~  Alain de Botton

“The first secret of dealing with anxiety making energy isn’t a secret at all—it is breath. Energy follows breath, and anytime you are anxious, the breath is always restricted and shallow. Breathe deep into the belly and expand your sense of self to embrace the energy. On a deep in breath, picture yourself rising up on top of this energy wave, like a surfer riding the wave—you can’t quit the wave, but you can ride it.” ~  David Pond

“A life changing Intuitive Healing session for a client can also be life changing for the healer.” ~  The Insight Center

“Allowing us to see with wisdom into the deeper truths that can not only treat but cure suffering, insight shows us that all things arise and pass away in a radically changing stream of experience, that both internal and external phenomena are independently conditioning one another, and that the sense of self we create to navigate process is an arbitrary and contingent construct. Knowing this allows us to abide in the world without resistance, without clinging, and with equanimity. Only when we clearly see the thirst of craving-the underlying cause of suffering-are we able to quench it.” ~ Andrew Olendzki

 Gentle Reminder: “Everything doesn’t have to be a struggle or fight. Sometimes the best way to protect your peace and preserve your energy is to not engage. Standing in your power will become easier when you realize that you’re in charge of who and what gets access to you.” ~ Alex Elle

“healing yourself will ask more of you

more rest
more self-love
more letting go
more time for learning
more space for transformation
more honest about how you feel
more time developing good habits
more courage to try new practices
more time cultivating your inner peace
more faith in yourself and the process”
~ Yung Pueblo

“I protect my energy by keeping my circle small.

I protect my energy by unfollowing what disturbs it.

I protect my energy by enjoying my alone time.

I protect my energy by enforcing boundaries.

I protect my energy by releasing what wants to leave.

I protect my energy by releasing expectations.

I protect my energy by prioritizing growth and ease.

I protect my energy by choosing to learn from my L’s.

I protect my energy by not giving everyone access to it.

I protect my energy by cultivating more self-love.

Instead of dwelling I choose growth and progression.”

~ We The Urban

They asked her,

“Can time heal you?”

She answered.

“You are the key to your healing, not time. Hurt, trauma and dense conditioning will continue sitting in your mind, impacting your emotions and behavior, until you go inward. What heals is self-love, learning to let go, self-awareness and building new habits.” ~ Yung Pueblo | intention

ASTROLOGY insights

Uranus – the planet of “expect the unexcepted” – therefore, change, impulsiveness, individuation, freedom-seeking, and awakening, is in retrograde all of December (until January 18, 2022.) Uranus wants to you continue to pay attention to the opportunities for growth and change where it is transiting in your chart. 

“Everything in astrology has a higher purpose, and, with effort, there is always a way to get there.” Steven Forrest

“Planets in the 12th house are guiding you to align with internal mastery.” ~ The Insight Center

“Let the Moon

teach you that

your darkest hours

will give birth to

your brightest nights.” ~ Spirit Daughter

Insight Center Newsletter for November 2021

 AWAKENING Insights 

“Make your life better by letting go of the attachment to wanting others to perceive you a certain way.  Trying to control how others perceive you can drag you into people pleasing. You cannot control another’s perception because it is partially formed by their emotional history.” Yung Pueblo

“When I am attached, I suffer.” The Insight Center

 “I am happy when I am free. I am happy when I am at peace.”  The Insight Center

“You and I are one, and you and I are many. Our relationship is with the cosmos as well as here on earth. I’m not trying to sound mysterious. That’s the way it is.”  Sojus Mel Weitsman

“Pull out the weeds and then let your garden be messy.” The Insight Center

“It's your decision. You decide.”  The Insight Center

 “If we truly wish to be free of our difficulties, our heart has no other recourse than to acknowledge the core issue (even if we have studiously avoided it for decades!) and accept its connection to the suffering we are experiencing.” – Ajahn Amaro

“It’s not all about doing, it’s also about allowing.” The Insight Center

 “If a relationship feels out of balance, remember that you are ½ of the formula.” The Insight Center

I am fully vaccinated and welcome back all fully (CDC approved) vaccinated clients for services in person, in Portland. I will also continue to see clients via Zoom. If you have questions regarding offerings or would like to schedule an appointment, please contact me at theinsightcenter@gmail.com.

MEDITATION insights

“The mind becomes tranquil but alert, with neither too much or too little energy, and finds an equanimous stance that neither favors nor opposes anything but rather rests with quiet confidence on its object. A growing sense of well-being ensues and slowly matures into a state of profound equanimity. The mind in this state is said to be luminous, malleable, cleaned of its impurities, and thus able to see things clearly. Now the process of developing wisdom can begin.” Andrew Olendzki

“The beauty of an established spiritual life and practice is that no matter what arises in your life or in your mind, you continue your practice. And in this way, you let go, experience equanimity, detachment, freedom, wisdom, and peace.”  The Insight Center

“When you have an established spiritual life and practice, you will evolve (become more enlightened- it’s incremental) along the way - it just happens. Don’t be attached to it! Keep up the practice.” The Insight Center

“The paradox of our practice is that the most effective way of transformation is to leave ourselves alone. The more we let everything be just what it is, the more we relax into an open attentive awareness of one moment after another.” Barry Magid, “Five Practices to Change Your Mind”

“Practice with equanimity and detachment and you will be free.” The Insight Center

“The path to freedom is to let go. The path to letting go is Vipassanā practice.” The Insight Center

“In zazen (sitting meditation) leave your front door open and your backdoor open. Let thoughts come and go. Just don’t serve them tea.” Shunryu Suzuki

“[To sit zazen (sitting meditation) for so many years] It’s like climbing a mountain - the higher you go the more beautiful the view - but it gets lonely.” Shunryu Suzuki

“Becoming calmer is one tangible benefit of meditation. But the deeper purpose is not to be calm per se, but most of all to be real - in other words, to be grounded in the truth of what is happening to you.”  Lewis Richmond

“Though it sounds simple, letting go is an advanced practice. It is demanded in the greatest trials of our lives and in our final moments. It is here that the heart learns the secret; that to let go is to also embrace what is true.” Jack Kornfield

MEDITATION COURSE

I am teaching Vipassanā Meditation and Spiritual Practice Courses in Portland and on Zoom. Please contact me if you are interested, theinsightcenter@gmail.com or read more at Insight Center Meditation Course.

GRIEF insights

“In the perfect ecology of a tree, the dead become the heart of the living, and the living nourish the essence of the dead. So it is with our lives, where life and death cannot exist separately from each other.” Barbara Becker

“We need to understand the goodness of suffering. It is the compost that helps the roses grow, it is the mud from which magnificent lotuses emerge.” Thich Nhat Hanh

I experience a lot of grief each fall, especially after the time changes back and it gets dark at 4:45 PM! I love the beauty of the fall leaves, and then they get wet in the rain and fall to the ground.  I know some people love this time of year, for me it is grief to watch nature shut down and go to sleep. I prefer spring when everything is awakening. In the meantime, I continue my meditation and healing practices, study, light a lot of candles, make soothing foods, and try to be creative. And sometimes I give in and take a long nap. Margaret

HEALING insights

I initiated an incredible group of Reiki ll practioners this past week. It was a beautiful experience to share the powerful tools of Reiki ll with these five humans who are all operating at high vibrations and ready to do transformative work. I congratulate them and thank them for showing up for this Workshop and the initiations. It is a privilege. The world needs you! Margaret

“Fall apart to come together.” The Insight Center

“You can love someone & still let them go. It’s possible to want to have someone in your life & know it isn’t possible. Sometimes people aren’t able, willing, or capable of showing up for us in the way we wish they would. Releasing them isn’t a declaration that we no longer love or care for them. It means we love ourselves enough to let go even when it hurts because we are a stand for healthy, honest relationships that inspire connection, intimacy & growth.” Sheleana Aiyana

ASTROLOGY insights

“The astrologer holds the mirror of truth before the client, then basically says, “now do as you will.” Steven Forrest

What I really want is for people to understand the components of astrology so that when issues arise, they can look at their chart and say, “Ah, my Uranus placement is blowing this thing up,” or “This Pluto transit is forever changing how I understand relationships.” I truly want people to understand their chart so they can integrate the information into their life experiences.

2021 has not been an easier year for most people. There are still very dynamic changes/transformations taking place across the world. 2020 was a year of upheaval as very strong planets in transit aligned. In 2021 many of these strong planets moved ahead – and then they went retrograde. For most of 2021 we have been living under the influence of retrograding planets. What does a retrograde ask of us? “Did you learn what you were supposed to learn? Did you really pay attention? Did you really go deep? Did you remove what was not working from your life? Were you brave? Did you transform or work toward transformation? It is as if the gears of change stop and grind backward – for almost a year.

And when they begin to move forward again, they do so slowly. Slowly but surely, they return to the place where they began their retrograde, and then, slowly they start to move forward. The changes are integrating and the more we pay attention to the changes the better we are. Awareness. Acceptance. Forgiveness.” A comprehensive astrology reading will show you where the transformations are happening for you. Margaret

COMPREHENSIVE ASTROLOGY COURSE

 Comprehensive Astrology Course for 2022 begins in January 2022! This is a course I developed with original materials and is taught in person in Portland and online.  

The class size is small, and all topics are personalized with your own charts! In this one-year, twelve class Course (1 class per month), you will learn each concept in depth. 

Please contact me for course outline, fees, or questions at theinsighthcenter@gmail.com

ASTROLOGY FOR TEAMS OR FAMILIES

I would love to do this transformative Workshop for your professional team or family. Please reach out to me for Workshop information at  theinsighthcenter@gmail.com.

GIFT CERTIFICATES are always available. I have a digital Gift Certificate that I will personalize and email to you.  Available for 1 hour or 1.5-hour Astrology Reading ($125 or $190), and Reiki Intuitive Healing Sessions for $190. Contact me at theinsighthcenter@gmail.com to purchase!

©The Insight Center. All rights reserved. 2021.

Insight Center Newsletter for October 2021

AWAKENING Insights 

“Distancing yourself from situations that weigh you down is essential if you want to protect the new you that you are in the midst of cultivating.” Yung Pueblo

“If you have spent your whole life becoming somebody and having something, and then with awakening you turn around and you start the journey in the other direction of becoming nothing, becoming nobody and having nothing. It would seem to make the whole first part of life meaningless or some sort of error.  But it’s important to see that this sequence is a necessary sequence, that when one takes incarnation in an evolutionary moment when one is going to awaken, you still have to become somebody and become grounded on earth before you can do the spiritual work. 

Part of the experience of living richly has been identification with the desires and emotions, with the passions of life, with the hatreds, and the joys, with what I call the “mellow drama” of life. Each of us has an intense drama going on around ourselves. Will we, won’t we, can we, can’t we, should we, shouldn’t we? And with awakening one begins to see the way one has been trapped in one’s story line. But it doesn’t mean the story ends. The Ram Dass story is alive and well. The only question is, who’s living it? Am I Ram Dass or am I just, “I am.” Ram Dass

“Being reminded of my imperfection makes me feel more balanced.” The Insight Center

“As we observe sensations without reacting to them, the impurities in our minds lose their strength and cannot overpower us.”  S.N. Goenka, “Finding Sense in Sensation”

“If you let go a little you have a little freedom, if you let go a lot you have a lot of freedom, if you let go completely you have complete freedom. “ Ahjan Chan

MEDITATION insights

“If you are individuating, almost everything in collective consciousness drives you out of reality. Meditation brings you back.”  The Insight Center

“With meditation practice our mind and conscious awareness will explore current times, adapt, adjust – and return to peace of mind.”  The Insight Center

HEALING insights

“You can tell humanity is maturing because more of us are saying no to harm. We are taking time to examine our biases, moving our love from being selective to unconditional, and expanding our idea of what is possible. More of us are healing ourselves, and actively helping heal the world.” Yung pueblo

“A reminder: there are no “should” for adults.”

Be true to you. Get rid of the “shoulds.”  And while you are at it, there are no “have to’s” for adults either. Be free. Set yourself free.  You can choose freely and live your life aligned with your own values and truths.  There are choices and outcomes, And wise adults make wise choices. The Insight Center

“An essential part of self-care is having the right type of people for your nervous system in your life.” Lalah Delia

ASTROLOGY insights

“Do your work to heal your Chiron wound (at age 48 onward,) and the you get to live with the power of your healed Chiron.”  The Insight Center

“The power of Saturn returns (at age 30, 60 and 90) happens deeply in your unconscious and your consciousness – with or without your conscious awareness. It is much better to navigate these changes with awareness. It is much more challenging without awareness. “ The Insight Center

“You can communicate with the planets in your chart – and planets in transit.

For example: “Pluto, I understand your place in my chart and my life. I will work with you to learn, grown and transform. Let’s work together so your power is not so disruptive.”  The Insight Center

“Certain new moons, in certain signs, can really be a challenge for you. Don’t fall for the narrative that all new moons are all good! Some are really hard for some people” The Insight Center

The Insight Center Newsletter August 2021

The Insight Center Newsletter August 2021 

You can see this and prior posts at Insight Center Journal.  On the Journal page you can search for any topic (grief, relationships, meditation, etc.) and all quotes related to that topic will be collected and shown.

I have a revised my website!  Many thanks to the very talented Lara Townsend for her work on the redesign.

Lara Wilson Townsend 
Brand Designer, Nom de Pixel, LLC

p 248-231-8634 | w nomdepixel.com

AWAKENING Insights 

“Is it good for your soul?” Margaret Gervais

 “Feel it all. Whatever may come up. Even if the present hurts. Even if the past is roaring. Heroes do not run away. Healing is not wone easily. Let your emotions breathe. Even if it is hard. Feel wisely. Without letting what is temporary control you.  Find the space where you can honor what you feel without letting it consume your day.  Let it burn but do not keep feeding the fire. Acceptance makes real freedom possible.” Yung Pueblo

“Be your own emotional support.” Margaret Gervais

“The ocean of life will push you here and there until you turn on the motor of your boat and sail through the waves that try to hold you back.” Yung Pueblo

“We depend on our own felt sense of the truth. And we can spend a lifetime discovering it.” Sallie Tisdale

“Our challenge as modern people is to look beyond the superficial and see the subtle truth that carries more depth.” Yung Pueblo

 I am fully vaccinated and welcome back all fully vaccinated clients for all services in person, one-on-one, in Portland. I will also continue to see clients via Zoom. 

MEDITATION insights

“Through equanimity and in that peace, there is a great power; the two go hand in hand. Through equanimity, we fortify ourselves with non-fear, with compassion, with acceptance. We cultivate the strength to face reality without being crushed by it.” Kaira Jewel Lingo

“This truth [of impermanence] changes our perspective and makes us much happier.  It helps us appreciate the life we have right now – moment by moment.  It helps us understand that every day is a bonus.” Trungram Cyalwa Rincoche. Tricycle

“Look at the real nature of the harm that is done to you. It is as elusive as a drawing on water. Let your resentment subside by itself. When the stormy waves of thoughts have vanished, the mind becomes like the cloudless sky that has nothing to win or lose.”  Shechen Gyaltsap *1871-1926)

MEDITATION COURSE

I am teaching Vipassanā Meditation and Spiritual Practices Courses in Portland and on Zoom. Contact me if you are interested, theinsighthcenter@gmail.com or read more at Insight Center Meditation Course

HEALING insights

A recorded Grounding Exercise is available at Grounding Exercise. Use this exercise as often as needed to help you be grounded during these challenging times.

This is an 11.11 minute grounding exercise to help you get grounded. A lot of us have chaotic lives, busy minds, a lot of stress, and we are not grounded. Being grounded means that our mind, body, nervous system, and energy system are relaxed, at ease, and held. We can be rooted in the earth like the strong roots of a huge old tree.

During challenging times, this exercise can be helpful. Connect and ground through your root chakra every day.

There is no need to over think this! Please relax, breathe, listen and follow these simple instructions. You can do this exercise daily – or as often as you need to do it.  If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at

theinsightcenter@gmail.com.   

ASTROLOGY insights

Chiron, the wounded healer planet went retrograde July 16, 2021, at 12˚56 Aries.

Dec 19, 2021, it goes direct again at 8˚Aries.  And, on April, 12, 2022, it is back to 12˚56 Aries

(where it started to retrograde.)

This retrograde cycle for Chiron is almost a year long and affects us most if we have planets at these degrees Aries – or these degrees in Cancer, Libra or Capricorn.

How will you work to heal your woundedness?

The Insight Center Newsletter June 2021

AWAKENING Insights 

“Quiet time alone helps us all.”  Steven Forrest 

“Dear co-dependents:

You do not have to please everyone. (P.S. you can’t anyway.)

It is ok to make & maintain boundaries.

Managing their drama is not you job. (P.S. it will never stop anyway.)

You may initially lose a sense of heroic harmony (P.S. you may want to look at how that got dumped on you.)

But you will get peace. (P.S. you deserve it.)” Margaret Gervais

“Obstacles are challenges to overcome, not permanent prisons.” Mark Jones

“People with good/pure souls don’t magically appear in our lives.

You have to earn them.

Once you begin your journey towards a higher vibrational lifestyle and let go of all things that are spiritually weighing you down.

You’ll naturally start aligning with them.” @bespiritual

“Equanimity is a radical acceptance of not-knowing and a means of not taking everything so personally.”  Christopher Willard

“Everything you are looking for is on the other side of surrender.” Jaymee Carpenter @loveistheauthor

“Practicing detachment and individuation.” Margaret Gervais

“pick the path that lights you up. the one that you know deep down is the right choice. stop listening to doubt. start connecting with courage. do not let the idea of normal get in the way. it may not be the easy path, but you know great things take effort. lean into your determination. lean into your mission. lean into the real you. “ yung pueblo

“What do your toes know? What whisper runs through your veins? What awakens in the touch of your skin – just now, in this moment?” Lopön Charlotte Z. Rotterdam.  Buddhadharma: The Practitioners Quarterly, Spring 2021. Page 15.

“The impact of change is like a wave of various intensities building up force in the ocean and heading for the shore. It is going to happen.”  Margaret Gervais

“if you spend too much time fearing change, you will forget to celebrate it. everything you love and cherish in life exists because of change. the continuous back and forth between endings and beginnings makes all things possible.” yung pueblo

I am fully vaccinated and welcome back all fully vaccinated clients for all services in person in Portland. I will also continue to see clients via Zoom.

If you have questions regarding any of these offerings or would like to schedule an appointment, please contact me at  theinsighthcenter@gmail.com.

MEDITATION insights

“Do not fear things that arise in the mind; question them, know them. The truth is more than thought and feelings, so do not believe and get caught by them, See the whole process arising and ceasing. This understanding gives rise to wisdom. “  – Achan Chah

“Meditate to find or return to balance. Meditate so your psyche can process and let go. Meditate for peace.” Margaret Gervais

“When life knocks you down, the first thing you should do to regain your balance is shift your attitude from inner resistance to inner acceptance and willingness. Acceptance means: ‘I accept that this problem, sorrow, or emotional pain has arisen to show me something valuable.’ Willingness means: ‘Let me wait to receive the answer within my heart.’ This revelation of a deeper insight occurs not through our compulsive attitudes of ‘It must be this way’ or ‘It must be that way.’ It arises when we become relatively still inside.” Acharya Shunya

“My nerves feel frazzled. I meditate to ease the distress and find relaxation, peace and ease for my nervous system.” Margaret Gervais

‘I woke up and felt really out of it. My mental processing felt dull and barely filtering through quicksand. Is this a good time to meditate? YES. In meditation I viewed the lethargic state of my mind, over and over and over until it had processed and was gone. I finished refreshed, more clear-minded and at peace.” Margaret Gervais        

“What happens when we sit is none of our business. The practice is to accept whatever arises instead of trying to control our experience. What we can control is our wise effort to be present with what is.” Narayan Helen Liebenson, The Refuge of Sitting.

“During long deep meditations deep breaths will arise. Releasing tension. Restoring peace.” Margaret Gervais

“If we can allow some space within our awareness and rest there, we can respect our troubling thoughts and emotions, allow them to come, and let them go.”  Tsoknyi Rinpoche, “Allow for Space”

“To experience emptiness is not a descent into an abyss of nothingness but a recovery of freedom.” Stephen Batchelor, “Nagarjuna’s Verses from the Center”

“Meditation neutralizes drama.” Margaret Gervais

“To experience emptiness is not a descent into an abyss of nothingness but a recovery of freedom.” Stephen Batchelor

“It’s the ‘I expect/want things to be normal’ thing that trips people up.” Margaret Gervais

MEDITATION COURSE

I am teaching Vipassanā Meditation and Spiritual Practices Courses in Portland and on Zoom. Contact me if you are interested, theinsighthcenter@gmail.com or read more at https://theinsightcenter.net/meditation/

GRIEF insights

“Grief is one of the heart’s natural responses to loss. It takes courage to grieve, to honor the pain we carry. We come face to face with genuine human vulnerability, with helplessness and hopelessness.  These are the storm clouds of the heart.

We need to respect our tears. Without a wise way to grieve, we can only soldier on, armored and unfeeling.  Let whatever feelings are there, pain and tears, anger and love, fear and sorrow, come as they will. The grief we carry is part of the grief of the world. Hold it gently. Let it be honored. Keep in mind that grief doesn’t just dissolve. Instead, it arises in waves and gradually, with growing compassion, there comes more space around it.” Jack Kornfield

Grief helps us relinquish the illusion that the past could be different from what it was. Sharon Salzberg 

HEALING insights

A recorded Grounding Exercise is available at The Insight Center – Resources. Use this exercise as often as needed to help you be grounded during these challenging times.

This is an 11.11 minute grounding exercise to help you get grounded. A lot of us have chaotic lives, busy minds, a lot of stress, and we are not grounded. Being grounded means that our mind, body, nervous system, and energy system are relaxed, at ease, and held. We can be rooted in the earth like the strong roots of a huge old tree.

During challenging times, this exercise can be really helpful. Connect and ground through your root chakra every day.

There is no need to over think this! Please relax, breath, listen and follow these simple instructions. You can do this exercise daily – or as often as you need to do it.  If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at theinsightcenter@gmail.com.

REIKI l and ll WORKSHOPS

All Reiki Workshops will resume this summer! Please watch future Newsletters for dates and/or contact me if you are interested in a Reiki l or ll Workshop.

ASTROLOGY insights

We are in retrograde season!

Mercury is retrograde until June 22

Jupiter is retrograde June 20 – October 18

Saturn is retrograde until October 11

Uranus us retrograde August 20 to January 16, 2022

Neptune is retrograde June 25 to December 2

Pluto is retrograde until October 6

See my drawing of these retrogrades at https://theinsightcenter.net/blog/.

When planets are retrograding, we are being asked to review, rethink, revise, and remember. We may be ready to move on from 2020 and get back to business, and yes, that is happening. But do so thoughtfully. Move into 2021 with the wisdom you gained in 2020. Remember what you learned. Remember what you let go. And know that these retrograde times are for reintegrating with insight.

Saturn is the planet of discipline and seriousness, and Uranus is the wild cowboy/cowgirl planet that is impulsive, rebellious and demands individuation. Saturn and Uranus are at a 90˚ angel to each other, challenging each other, all year. We can look at these energies in your chart and see where these two powerful forces are instigating change. Where are you being asked to be serious and work hard and where are you being invited to rebel and individuate? To activate this transit well this year we need to do both.

COMPREHENSIVE ASTROLOGY COURSE

Starting February 2022, my Comprehensive Astrology Course for 2022  begins. This is a course I developed with all original materials and is taught in person in Portland and online. The class size is small, and all topics are personalized with your own charts! In this one-year, twelve class Course (1 class per month), you will learn each concept in depth.

Please contact me for course outline, fees, or questions at  theinsighthcenter@gmail.com

ASTROLOGY FOR TEAMS OR FAMILIES

I would love to do this transformative Workshop for your professional team or family. Please reach out to me for Workshop information at  theinsighthcenter@gmail.com.

ASTROLOGY 101

This is a one-hour online webinar which introduces Planets, Signs, Houses and how to understand a chart. I teach the foundational pieces of Astrology so you can better understand yourself, others, and what is going on in the world. The presentation is free and posted here: The Insight Center – Resources.

GIFT CERTIFICATES are always available. I have a beautiful digital Gift Certificate that I will personalize and email to you!  Available for 1 hour or 1.5-hour Astrology Reading ($125 or $190), and Reiki Intuitive Healing Sessions for $190.

2021 Major Transformative Transits and Retrogrades

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 Below is an outline of the major transformative transits of 2021. This information includes the transits of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Pluto as I am most interested in their deep transforming nature. As you can see, the major transit for the year is Saturn in Aquarius squaring Uranus in Taurus. This will be in effect all year, so check where it is happening in your chart. Saturn in Aquarius is geared up to take the revolution and your individuation seriously. And Uranus is Taurus wants to activate genius energy aligned with the rebellion and evolution of consciousness. Real, solid, Taurus change is possible and we must do our work.The second chart is an outline of all of the retrogrades for the year. It is helpful that Mars in not retrograding!  And Venus does not retrograde until December 19, 2021. This provides us with some ease, in that these close-in, personal planets will be moving forward all year. Mid August to Mid October are loaded with retrogrades. This is a good time to slow down and review the first half of the year with an eye toward the second half of the year. (Please note the second drawing is for 2021!)

Planetary Energies and Shifts December 2020

How to deal with the powerful shifts the next two weeks:Dec. 10 Pluto square Eris (still) Dec. 14 Solar eclipse Dec. 18 Saturn moves into Aquarius Dec. 20 Jupiter moves into Aquarius Jupiter and Saturn squaring Uranus Dec. 21 Jupiter/Saturn exact conjunct in AquariusDec. 23, Mars square PlutoDec. 21-Oct 2021 Pluto square Eris

Many people have asked me to comment on the current astrology, and these thoughts came to me during meditation.The experience of these energetic shifts will be different (and appropriate) for each of us – based on the current phase of our awakening journey and our personal life story. Many of these energetic shifts continue into 2021.

Most of dates are launch points and energize future cycles.If you are a meditator this is payday. Meditate twice a day for 30 minutes for maximum benefit. This will process the shifting energy. View every experience with equanimity, let go, and experience peace.Hydrate. Abstain from sugar and alcohol (not helpful with strong energetic shifts.) Eat healthy whole foods.Be outside. Feel sunshine. Breathe fresh air.Allow the energetic shifts to happen. This means to rest when you need to rest. Do grounding exercises (I have a free grounding exercise under Resources, https://theinsightcenter.net/resources/on my website.)

Take time outs.When you are resting, bring your awareness into your body. Be aware of the energy in your body.Bring your awareness to your aura - the energetic space out about 12-24” from your body. What is happening in your aura?  Release old or toxic energies. Connect with positive energies. Check the vibration of the energy in your aura. Is it steady!? Shifting? Expanding? Increasing!? Connect with it. Stay with it as long as necessary to increase your awareness, let go, recalibrate and connect.Align your spiritual energy with your mind and your physical body. Just relax and visualize this. The more they are aligned the better.

How is your mind!? With meditation your mind will be calmer. How much news are you watching? Probably too much. The energetic shift now is more important than mundane news events that are happening. Stay more connected to spiritual shifts than mundane news.You want to connect with this spiritual shift. Staying connected to the news cycle and social media cycles is not helpful for this.Avoid toxic people. Why let them mess with your energy? You may think this is harder with “the holidays” but if not now, when!? Again, the primary thing is  to align your mind, body and spirit and be open and available for the shift. Why let historically toxic people/relationships screw that up!? The time is now.

Let the new energy in. And for that to happen there needs to be space. Letting go of old clutter creates the opening and the space.Burn sage, candles, palo santo. Bless them.

Honor the traditions (to avoid cultural appropriation.)Write down what you are releasing and burn them.Write down what you are keeping and create a sacred place to manifest them (mainly in your heart.)Love your pets, plants and loves ones.Breathe in peace and harmony. Breathe out pain and discord.Smile.Trust the transitions. Trust the new energy. Allow it to happen. Allow yourself to shift. Be open and trust.Make your love pure.Stretch. Move. Dance.

Reminder: the energetic shifts will happen to each of us based on the stage of our journey and our personal story – and to be aware and participate as described above makes it better. Awareness always makes it better.From my heart and soul to yours. Be mighty with the Aquarian shift.

Margaret 12.10.20

Insights for November and December 2020

Greetings embodied ones and happy Fall 2020; the winding down of a year we will never forget. Ihave thought of all of you often and am happy to have worked with many of you this year. It hasbeen a year of challenge, tension, fear, fatigue, and hopefully some growth in different ways for all of us. We are sharing collective stress, angst, and loss, (to name a few) as well as resilience,endurance and hope (I hope.) On top of that we are all experiencing our personal challenges andevolution. It is a lot. It is too much. My hope is for some peace and ease in late December.

ASTROLOGY insights

The astrology is looking better going forward (I have waited a long time to say this!)

Nov. 10 Mercury moved forward and into Scorpio – focused and intense thinking returns!

Nov. 12 Jupiter was conjunct Pluto for the third and last time in Capricorn – yes the virus is peaking again (the peaks have coincided with these alignments.) but should back off later in November.

Nov. 13 Mars direct in Aries (15˚) – and Mars moves slowly in Aries all of November – aggressive actions

Nov. 19 Mercury leaves its shadow (still in Scorpio) and is opposing Uranus – time for brilliance.

Nov. 20 Pluto finishes retrograding and stations direct before starting to move forward again – we will all start to feel some relief and if you have been resilient and enduring it will pay off. If not, you may feel overwhelmed.

Dec. 10 Pluto square Eris – for the last time while Jupiter and Saturn are in Capricorn – supercharged hit.

Dec. 14 solar eclipse

Dec. 18 Saturn moves out of Capricorn (for good!) and into Aquarius – yes!

Dec. 20 Jupiter moves out of Capricorn (for good!) and into Aquarius – yes!

Dec. 21 Jupiter and Saturn conjunct in Aquarius (this is the day!) This is the end of the line-up of Pluto, Jupiter, and Saturn in Capricorn (which has not happened in over 400 years) – all squaring Eris.The most challenging and awakening alignments are finishing up their work. Hopefully, we stayed attuned, awakened, resilient and are ready to move ahead around year end and into 2021.

I am celebrating December 21, with this once in a lifetime Jupiter/Saturn alignment this year (along with Winter Solstice) with a feast, many lights, candles, music, and a lot of peace and quiet reflection. Think about how you might celebrate this new freedom/forward movement.

COMPREHENSIVE ASTROLOGY COURSEStarting February 2021, my Comprehensive Astrology Course for 2021 begins.

This is a course I developed with all original materials and is taught online. The class size is small, and all topics are personalized with your own charts! In this one-year, twelve class Course (1class per month), you will learn each concept in depth.Please contact me for course outline, fees, or questions at  theinsighthcenter@gmail.com

ASTROLOGY FOR TEAMSI launched this new product in October with a corporate leadership team! I would love to do this transformative Workshop for your team or family. Please reach out to me for more information at  theinsighthcenter@gmail.com.

ASTROLOGY 101 – is a one-hour online webinar which introduces Planets, Signs, Houses and how to understand a chart. I teach the foundational pieces of Astrology so you can better understand yourself, others, and what is going on in the world. The presentation is free and posted here: The Insight Center – Resources. 

AWAKENING Insights  “Enlightenment is initially subconscious awakening, which is spontaneously merged with conscious awakening at the moment of breakthrough.” Kazuaki Tanahashi, Tricycle

“When you let go you create emptiness. We aren’t used to emptiness, so we rush to fill the space. What if you let the emptiness be?” Margaret Gervais

“When you see me through your lens you don’t see me. “Margaret Gervais

TRUST YOURSELF ENOUGH TO:

• Outgrow who and what is no longer aligned with your life walk and purpose.

• Speak up and ask for help when you need (or want) it.

• Forgive yourself when you get it wrong.

• Love again – even after heartache of heartbreak.

• Receive support when it is offered.

• Rest emotionally. You don’t have to heal all at once.

• Change and evolve even when people around you don’t “get it.:

• Try something new if old patterns aren’t working or supporting your growth.

• Protect your energy, time and space. Not everyone deserves access.

• Start over and begin again. There is a lesson is in every failure and misstep. Alex Elle.

“We don’t need to wait until we are enlightened before we act in the world, and we don’t need to withdraw from the world to become enlightened. Conscious social action can be our own work on ourselves that becomes the vehicle for awakening.” Ram Dass

“Is it speaking to your truth?” Margaret Gervais

“The best way to fight evil is to make energetic progress in the good.” iChing, hexagram 43.

“A soft, landed approach sounds good.” Margaret Gervais

“You establish the frequency, do the work and then the Universe may join you.“I’m not a fan of ‘Turn it over to the Universe’ without being engaged in your work. If you do your work, you discover your truth, you understand your karma and work to heal - - - and then - - - the Universe may get on board. ✨ Sound reasonable? My meditation teacher ended his meditation instructions with, “Perhaps, after many years of practice, some wisdom may accrue.” Love that.

MEDITATION insights MEDITATION COURSEI am teaching my one-on-one Vipassanā Meditation and Spiritual Practices Course online.  Contact me if you are interested, theinsighthcenter@gmail.com or read more at https://theinsightcenter.net/meditation/ 

“What happens when we sit is none of our business. The practice is to accept whatever arises instead of trying to control our experience. What we can control is our wise effort to be present with what is.” Narayan Helen Liebenson, “The Refuge of Sitting”

“It’s the ‘I expect/want things to be normal’ thing that trips people up.” Margaret Gervais

“…individual[s] can be moved to achieve a fundamental paradigm shift in their vision of their lives….to becoming a magnificent awakening being soaring out of an infinite past experience in marvelous evolutionary flight toward an unimaginably beautiful destiny of wisdom, love, and bliss – Buddha hood, or simply the supreme evolutionary glory attainable by any conscious being.” 13 Robert Thurman, Forward to The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment.”, by Tsong-kha-pa, translated by The Lamrim Chenmo Translation Committee

“It is in this very vision propounded by Shakyamuni Buddha…that reveals humans to themselves as participant in this magnificent and meaningful evolutionary process.” ibid

“When all is said and done, mindfulness is really about wisdom, about discerning what is really, really, really true from what is mere appearance, or what you’re attached to because you want it to be true.” Jon Kabat-Zinn in conversation with Daniel Goleman and Richard Davidson. Tricycle.

“There is always a message of ‘Yes you can.’ Do you hear it? Do you believe it?” Margaret Gervais

“Meditate longer. It is those longer arduous minutes that build the meditation muscle. “ This came to me in my Nov. 4th, morning meditation, which I thought would be hard. But I have been meditating 42 years and doing vipassanā practice for 30, and the meditation muscle truly builds, and the classic routine of this meditation works. Margaret Gervais

“Meditative awareness, equanimity, and emptiness will show up with a vipassanā meditation practice.” Margaret Gervais

“It is right understanding that is really wisdom.  Thinking about truth is not enough.  We must realize truth ourselves; we must see things as they really are, not just as they appear to be.  Apparent truth is a reality, but one that we must penetrate in order to experience the ultimate reality for ourselves and eliminate suffering.”  Entering the Stream, An Introduction to the Buddha and His Teachings, Compiled and edited by Samuel Bercholz and Sherab Chodzin Kohn, Shambala, Boston, 1993. Pg. 112

HEALING insights

“If you carried energy for people when you were growing up (you probably are an empath), you are probably still doing it.  You can let it go now.”

How to let go: Be brave. Raise your awareness. Learn to say no. Say no. Meditate. Fill your life with what you love. You may feel uncomfortably rude for a while. Stay the course anyway. Their responses are none or your business. Have some healings to help recover from trauma and/or help move things along. Know your astrology and your purpose. Choose that. Do not be a wimp with your karma. Make space. Own the space. Be brave. One step at a time. Choose you. Only you can set yourself free. Margaret Gervais

Embodiment exercise  Breathe deeply throughout. Feel earth energy enter and be in your body.  Bring the energy up from the earth if you need to. Do this until you really feel it. Now feel air energy enter and be in your body. Do it until you feel it. Now feel fire energy enter and be in your body. Do it until you feel it. Now feel water energy enter and be in your body. Do it until you feel it. Earth air fire water in your body to be embodied. Margaret Gervais“Allow your vibrations to recalibrate. “

“Allow your vibrations to recalibrate. “

“Allow your vibrations to recalibrate. “

“If you are at a growth place, have made a progressive change, have moved on, let go, done some healing, you need to allow your vibrations to recalibrate. Lay quietly. Tune into the Universe and your body. Allow them to connect and recalibrate. Open yourself to receive the higher vibrations.” Margaret Gervais

A recorded Grounding Exercise is available at The Insight Center – Resources. Use this exercise as often as needed to help you be grounded during these challenging times.

REIKI l WORKSHOPAll Reiki Workshops will resume when quarantine rules are eased up to allow gatherings without masks and social distancing.

RELATIONSHIP insights “Love is something else entirely; it is caring. It is arguing, but with curiosity – it is giving an inch when the other is certainly wrong – it is teasing, it is empathy, it is respect. It is admiration each morning.” Waylon Lewis.

©Margaret Gervais. All rights reserved. 2020.   

Insights for August 2020

Insights for August 2020

 “So much. Injustice. Poverty. Environmental destruction. Soul crushing. Pain. Sorrow. Fear. Change. Unknowns. Destroy and rebuild. Rethink. Redo. Radical honesty. Division. Uprising. Voices. Lives. Connection. Unity. Support. Union. Equal. Share. Evolve. Dissolve. Connect. Share. Be. Do. Reach out. Commit. Give. Open heart. Open mind. Active spirit. Demand. Commit. Engage. Act. Powerless? Powerful. Say yes.” Margaret Gervais

Awakening:

“Awareness grows wisdom. So, rely on wisdom; it will stand by you.”  Sayadaw U Tejaniya, Buddhadharma, Spring 2020.

“At the heart of everything is awareness itself “ Ajahn Sujato, Tricycle, Summer 2020. Pg. 37.

"The truest solitude is not something outside you, not an absence of men or of sound around you; it is an abyss opening up in the center of your soul. And this abyss of interior solitude is created by a hunger that will never be sampled with any created things."  Thomas Merton

“people are trapped in history

and history is trapped in them.

it is certain, in any case, that ignorance,

allied with power, is the most ferocious

enemy justice can have.

i imagine one of the reasons people cling

to their hates so stubbornly is because they

sense, once hate is gone, they will be forced

to deal with pain.” James Baldwin

“How to stay connected to your soul: When something happens in the world that is wrong, don’t try to move on with your life like it is right. The voice within you that says, ‘This is not ok’ is a direct call from the basic goodness of your spirit. Pick it up. Every time. Pick it up. And stay on the line until you figure out how to help.” Cleo Wade

“Remember to hold your power at the core of your being.” Margaret Gervais

“Put your roots down into the deepest grounding of your understanding.” Margaret Gervais

“People working on their healing, the ones with new love in their hearts, more self-awareness in their minds, a greater ability to manage their reactions and actively undoing their old patterns/biases are helping humanity shift into a better world. Your compassion creates real change.” Yung pueblo

“Growth for me is realizing some people actually aren’t interested in growing.” maryamhasnaa

“We didn’t understand as children that our parents still had work to do on themselves.” maryamhasnaa

“It doesn’t matter where I am, I am always here with myself.” Margaret Gervais

“Only when emotions are truly attended to can they be endured and transformed into useful energies that express our needs and help guide us through life.” Josh Korda, “A Safe Container for Fear.“

Buddhists have a role to play … in creating a different vision of America that is from the start about multiplicity and not singularity, from the start about interdependence.“ Interview with Duncan Ryuken Williams by Ashoka Mukpo, “Never Again”

“To guide our love and power [empowerment] we need wisdom.” Melvin McLeod, Lion’s Roar, September 2020.“...if we are really going to help people effectively, we need power to go with our love.” Melvin McLeod, Lion’s Roar, September 2020.

Astrology:This is a time of challenge, endurance, resilience and transformation.

Retrogrades August 1, 2020:

Ceres (fierce nurturer) all month

Jupiter (expand) all month

Saturn (restrict) all month

Neptune (dream), all month,

Uranus (REBEL) goes retrograde August 15 for the rest of the month, AND

Pluto (destroy and rebuild)

are ALL RETROGRADE 💥🎯💥(6 planets)!

Rethink, redo, revise, restructure, review, realign, revisit, realign etc.

Fierce placements in August:

Mars (warrior action) in Aries (feisty and aggressive) all month

Mars (warrior action) squares (challenges) Pluto (destroy and rebuild) all month

Mars (warrior action) squares (challenges) Saturn (restriction) all month

Jupiter (expand) and Saturn (restrict) conjunct (working to integrate) all month (who will reign?)

Mercury (mind) opposes (disagreeing and trying to find balance) Pluto (destroy and rebuild) July 31- Aug. 6.

Mercury (mind) opposes (disagreeing and trying to find balance) Saturn (restrict) August 1-8

Sun (solar power) squares (challenges) Uranus (rebel) August 5-15

Mars (warrior action) square (challenges) Jupiter (expansion) August 19-20

As you can see, there is a lot of cosmic energy storming through our collective consciousness. These placements are challenging for all of us. We can look at our chart and see where the transformative energies are activated for us.

Meditation:“A meditator’s job is to remember to be aware.” Sayadaw U Tejaniya, Buddhadharma, Spring 2020.

“If you are angry and you meditate to get rid of your anger, you will only frustrate yourself. Meditate because you are angry, not to eliminate it.” Mark Epstein

“Metta for those I do not know:

Let your body stay relaxed and easy. Smile.

Blessing is a relief to the mind.

Think about familiar strangers in your life, dentists, hairdressers, supermarket clerks whom you recognize but rarely think about out of context.

Imagine a group of familiar strangers and wish for them:

May you feel safe. May you feel content.

May you feel strong. May you live with ease.”  Spirit Rock

“When new issues arise, view them with equanimity and let them go. Just like the old stuff, let the new stuff go too. No matter what arises, look at it with equanimity and let it go. #meditativeawareness” Margaret Gervais

“If you are feeling depressed, meditate using insight meditation, and the depression will show up, you will look at it and let it go, over and over (and over) until it is equalized; until you see it in meditation as another thing arising and that is all. The equanimity of this practice heals.” Margaret Gervais

Healing:“every step forward is a small rebirth.healing yourself, letting go, undoing past conditioning, reclaiming your power, this work causes big transformations in your perception and behavior. take the time to meet yourself and learn your new preferences. let the new you lead.” yung pueblo

“Even after healing significant trauma and old conditioning, you will not be happy all of the time. It is natural for your mood to go up and down. What does change is that you react less to old triggers and when the mind feels turbulent you do not fall easily into past patterns.” Yung pueblo

“Lie down. Breathe deeply filling and emptying your stomach, slowly, 3x. Bring your awareness to your spine.Visualize your spine being a row of pebbles. When you breathe out visualize this row of pebbles falling gently into a shallow stream. Keep doing this. Now visualize bringing all of your energies that support you into your body and into the pebbles. Imagine the pebbles being gentle magnets that draw all energies that support you into them. Keep doing this. Gather all of your energies into these stones. Breathe out and let the stones gently fall into a shallow stream. Repeat.” Margaret Gervais

“Sensitivity requires maintenance.” Steven Forrest. The Book of Air.

“Stop holding onto people. Just because you have history together.” femalecollective

Relationships:

“Find a partner that is equally committed to supporting you through the good times and through the tough moments of growth and healing. Coming together as imperfect people can be hard. Imperfections can sometimes cause unintentional conflict, especially when one is going through a moment of inner turbulence. It is patience, calm communications and selfless listening that gets couples through the storm. Conflict decreases when both turn inward and focus on building their self-awareness.” yung pueblo

“A healthy marriage has some grit in the system (things to learn from each other.) “Steven Forrest. The Book of Air.

“Real maturity in a relationship is letting your partner know when your mind feels heavy/turbulent before your thoughts find a way to make a story that blames your tension on them; naming it allows you to know if is there and your partner to know that is it time to support you/hold space.” Yung pueblo

Covid19:

“sleep.hydrate.meditate.move.nourish.communicate.followCDCrules.andthendocovidyourownway.” Margaret Gervais 

Insights for May 2020

” I think our Saturn placement in our Astrology chart is being lit up right now. The Saturn placement in your chart shows where you have experienced loss in past lives - and in this life you are working hard to not experience the same loss. This past life loss trajectory is now lit up for you. Being aware of this helps you understand your fear and fearful reactions. You are here to learn to understand and process that fear. It will feel more intense for you based on where it was when you were born - we each have our mission. Awareness, acceptance and forgiveness work to heal.” Margaret Gervais

“The stars impel but do not compel. An understanding of planetary influences allows you to take your life into your own hands and intelligently utilize the planetary influences that will help you in your evolution if you but will.” Isabel M. Hickey

Healing:I

will be recording and sharing an exercise on how to Run Your Energy, which is a powerful and beautiful healing practice.  Please check my Resources page, https://theinsightcenter.net/resources/ for this and my Grounding Exercise.

“Wellness comes from the alignment of mind, body and spirit. Every day I am making a plan to do something for my mind, something for my body and something for my spirit. Maybe many things under certain categories, but always making sure to do at least one thing in each category - not to leave one out.” Margaret Gervais 

Awakening:

“Too often we mistakenly believe that doing less makes us lazy and results in a lack of productivity. Instead, doing less helps us savor what we do accomplish.” Marc Lesser, “Do Less, Accomplish More.”

“To be mindful means to remember to let go of compulsive reactivity and realize a nonreactive way of life.” Stephen Batchelor, “The Art of Solitude.”

“Breathe. Relax your body. Breathe. Walk in nature. Hug a tree. Breathe. Relax. Sit calmly. Meditate. Order healthy groceries. Wash your hands again. Share loving kindness with all beings. Hydrate. Breathe. Relax.” Margaret Gervais

“You can do it like it’s a great weight on you, or you can do it like it’s part of the dance.” Ram Daas“This is a time when love needs to run the show. Times of scarcity needs to be met with generosity, times of fear with comfort, times of uncertainty with presence. When we care for those around us, we create a field of love.” Thomas Huebl

“Lemon water hydrate. Coffee. Let cat out. Meditate. Pilates. Smoothie. Shower. Clothes (not like pajama Sunday.) Music. Candles. Emails. Notify clients about schedule. PowerPoint. Hydrate. Let cat in (how do cats stay so chill?). Work. How do I stop touching my face? Eat chips, salsa and sour cream while working. Work. Talk to daughter who is in London😬. Stare at garden. Send Newsletter. Get responses. Interact with clients about Newsletter. Is the cat in or out now? More chips and salsa. Instagram surfing. Husband home. Wine/candles/fire/check in. The cat is in. Healthy veg chili dinner. Netflix.” Margaret Gervais

“We’ve done this as human beings before. We’re survivors. We have generations of ancestors behind us cheering us on, and saying, ‘Yep, we’ve lived through some tough stuff too.” Jack Kornfield.

“Hydrate. Rest. Eat healthy foods. Meditate. Breath. Walk. Look at spring flowering trees. Check in with people. Wash hands. Buy from local and smaller/medium businesses. Offer help to small businesses. Be creative. Appreciate goodness. Watch good documentaries along with bad shows. Oh yeah, work. Try new recipes-making pita bread. Write. Read. Paint. Hike. Smile. Rest. Play music and dance.  Wisely choose your news source. Get support. Give support. ❤️ Margaret Gervais

“If we were not so single-minded about keeping our lives moving, and for once could do nothing, perhaps a huge silence might interrupt this sadness of never understanding ourselves.” Pablo Neruda, Brainpicker.

Get grounded (send roots from the bottom of your feet your root chakra - your bottom! - down to the core of the earth.)

Breathe in your own positive energy.

Breath out all negative energy.

Repeat.

Repeat.

Repeat.

For as long as needed.

As many times a day as needed.

©theinsightcenter

Lemon water. coffee. smoothie. Listen to astrology podcast. meditate. pilates via zoom. reading astrology. Ordering online presents for bday. lunch. reading studying astrology. chilling. Pouring rain outside. nap.” Margaret Gervais

“Your soul

remembers

the plan

you made for this

lifetime and is

always guiding and

supporting you.”

maryam hasnaa

Do you find yourself stalling out some days? Feeling flat? Cranky? down? This is the time to create and/or remember your basic practice. Deep breathing. Meditation. Grounding. Long walk. Tea. Nature. Reading. Writing. Music. Connect to authentic people. Make a list of your basics and feel good about doing those 3-5 things daily each day. It is enough. Really.✨ Margaret Gervais

“Spiritual growth is incremental.” Margaret Gervais

“The entire human collective is my community.

The entire human species in my family.

I belong here.” Tom Jacobs

“Ground yourself daily

Release fears daily

Empower yourself by knowing, learning, trusting truth

Disengage from old patterns of collective consciousness

Connect with your inner truth

Individuate Support yourself and others.”

©insightcenter. 2020. All rights reserved. 

Insights for March 2020

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Insights for March 2020:

“You can do it like it’s a great burden on you, or you can do it like it’s part of the dance.” Ram Daas.

“Tools for dealing with intense times and big energetic shifts:

Meditation. Meditation. Meditation.

Exercise - aligned with your body.

Grounding. Send roots down.

Spend time in nature. Hug trees.

Deep breathing. A lot. And again.

Healthy eating/hydration.Music/sing/dance.

Sleep. Rest.  Nap. Be cozy.

Journaling. Any writing and art.

Camaraderie. Good vibe people.” Margaret Gervais

These are strange times and I am always contemplating how we are all effected and how I can be helpful. For the week of March 15:

I am staying apprised of the latest information on the coronavirus and want to keep you, your families and contacts, me and mine, and our community safe.If you have appointments this week for Astrology Readings or Meditation Class, I am happy to have you come to my office if you are symptom free. We will wash our hands and keep a social distance.

I am curtailing Reiki Healing Sessions in person until further notice.I

f you want to make or switch your appointment to online, I am happy to do that. Reiki, Astrology, and Meditation Classes can all be done online.  I do this all the time. For a Reiki or Intuitive Healing, you lie down in a quiet place where you will not be disturbed, and I do the healing session at a distance - as if you are there on the table. I call you and we both put our phones on speaker, and you participate and receive the healing in the same way as you would on the table. It works!My goal is to keep us all healthy!

Now for the insights – there are a lot because I have been busy with classes, workshops and clients and I have not sent a Newsletter for a few months – but you may have the time to read them as you work from home and/or are feeling lonely or anxious:

Awakening:

“You understand your own self so that you can self-generate and become your own path.” Mark Jones

"You are the wave, seemingly separate from the deep ocean, and you are the ocean - deep, sparkling, home to billions of beings, salty like tears and vast."

"...let the feeling of "don't know" open you to mystery.  Relax and enjoy the mystery, rest in the vast mystery that holds and supports you and all life.  You are the mystery seeing itself." Jack Kornfield

“When I am centered, I can walk into any vibrational field and take it and convert it. I am just feeling love, so whatever they are giving me – anger, paranoia, distrust – I am just taking it all in and converting it. I see that net they are stuck in, this mind net that is each person’s own model of the universe, so instead of climbing into it with them, putting both of us in it, my job is to say, “Yes, I see your net, but we are here.” Ram Daas

"Now and then it's good to pause in your pursuit of happiness, and just be happy." Guillaume Apollinaire

“Sometimes being on a different frequency from someone means no matter what you’re saying, that person just can’t hear you.”

“When you transform the energy of old relationships, those relationships can absolutely change to meet the new level, or they can vibrate out of your life. Trust both outcomes. Just keep aligning with your authentic self and everything else will arrange itself accordingly.” Maryam Hasnaa

“All people and all circumstances are my allies.” Lynn Jurich

As you continue to grow and change, remember to listen to yourself differently.  Margaret Gervais

“…in order to be in touch with that core of instinctual and intuitive self-knowledge that tells you which mountain to climb, you need to cultivate inner silence. …out of inner silence, a very specific kind of wisdom can spring: a sense of where you need to go in life.” Steven Forrest

“There’s an important difference between an attachment and an aspiration. An aspiration is a goal we are putting effort into, something we can work toward without making our present happiness completely dependent on its attainment. Attachments are created by cravings; they are a refusal to accept reality as it naturally appears – only wanting particular outcomes and feeling misery and serious mental tension when things come out in unwanted ways. Attachments cloud the mind and lower the creativity and energy we need to obtain our goals. Learning to work in a detached manner not only makes us more effective but it supports our inner peace and happiness.”  Yung Pueblo

“You’ll need love, joy, passion, good friends, a soft place to land, magic and the ability to recognize it. You’ll need a thick skin to weather the worst of the world and a tender heart to receive the best of it. You’ll need a sense of humor to survive your ego and your pride (and everyone else’s), curiosity to investigate your weird reactions, defenses, fears and self-sabotaging strategies. You’ll need rituals that center you, habits that hold you to your promises, dedication and determination so that challenging yourself to do what is difficult but defining day after day, week after week, month after month, year upon year becomes natural and even enjoyable.” Chani Nicholas

“Evolve so hard that they have to get to know you again.” Haus of Dimitri“It is possible to genuinely want to help all beings, to bring one’s insights and skillful means to every encounter, and to let this aspiration become a state of mind that infuses each moment, while simultaneously having limits and needed boundaries.” Pilar Jennings via Tricycle Magazine.

Meditation:

“Each meditation session is a journey of discovery to understand the basic truth of who we are." Sogyal Rinpoche

“The insights that arise in the course of meditating are often surprises. The awakening mind lets go of the old fictions we invent and opens to what is really here: simply this.” Sylvia Forges Ryan

Meditation is a method of gaining access to the inner wisdom and compassion – and resolving our inner problems in the process.” Rob Naim

[The Buddha’s] patience is not the patience of a water buffalo who simply endures the work and punishments imposed on it. Instead, it’s the patience of a warrior who, despite wounds and setbacks, never abandons the desire to come out victorious. Thanissaro Bhikkhu, “The Karma of Now”

“As irrigators make water go where they want,As archers make their arrows straight,As carpenters carve wood,The wise shape their minds.” E. Easwaren, trans., Dhammapada (Tomales, CA: Nilgiri Press, 1985), v. 80.

“Meditation is our daily reminder to keep it simple.” Margaret Gervais

“Once you achieve choice-less awareness through meditation practice, you see clearly how fleeting everything is.” Joseph Goldstein

“In the practice of meditation, we use our nonjudgmental awareness to get in touch with our feelings and what’s going on in our bodies without adding our narratives or dramas to it.  We just see what comes up.

” Gary Shishin Wick“It is not about having perfect and kind thoughts all of the time, it is about not feeding the heavy and mean thoughts. Literally letting them pass without allowing them to take root and control your actions.”  Yung Pueblo“We can’t simply ‘let go.’ It doesn’t work like that. It’s certainly not what the Buddha teaches. Letting go, the Buddha tells us, will come when we ‘develop’ wisdom [through meditation practice.]” Peter Doobinin

Meditation Course:I am teaching one-on-one and small group meditation courses available online via Zoom Meetings.  Contact me if you are interested, or read more at https://theinsightcenter.net/meditation/

Healing:“Emotional processing days are just as important as productive days.” Moon Girl Psychology."Your body incarnation is born of spirit; it is a play of consciousness.""You are bigger than your wounds." Jack Kornfield

You don’t tell the energy what to do, you let the energy do the work. Margaret Gervais

“Healing costs. Time. Energy. Ego. When you are ready for a shift, put everything you’ve got on the table. Growth is the goal. Change isn’t cheap – but holding out on yourself costs more than your soul can spare.” Chani Nichols

“It is not easy, healing yourself, transforming your mind, building new habits, observing reality without projections or delusions. This is work that takes effort, but when you continue trying it creates significant results that have an immensely positive impact on your life.” Yung Pueblo

Reiki and Intuitive Healing Sessions are available online.

Reiki l Workshop:

I will be teaching a Reiki l Workshop later this spring at The Insight Center:The Workshop is over two days: Day 1, 1:00 - 4:00 and Day 2, 9:00 - 4:00. The fee for the Workshop is $475. Please let me know if you are interested so I can send you dates.This is a certified, Usui Reiki l Workshop.  You can read more about this Workshop at https://theinsightcenter.net/reiki/ or feel free to contact me with any questions you may have.  Also please feel free to share this with others who you feel may be interested.If you have completed a Reiki l Workshop with me, I would love to have you assist for all or part of the Workshop (you get to hang out and give and receive Reiki). Please let me know if you are interested.

Grief:

“Keep in mind that grief doesn’t just dissolve. Instead it arises in waves and gradually, with growing compassion, there comes more space around it. The heart opens and in its own time, little by little, gaps of new life – breaks in the rain clouds – appear.  The body relaxes and freer breaths appear. This is a natural cycle you can trust – how the heart renews itself.” Jack Kornfield.

"In this world where everyone dies, where every song ends, where every achievement is undone, where every treasure is lost, all of us are left behind.  All of us leave. But everywhere and always there is the hum of continuing. Though always incomplete, always there is the sound of love, forever and at the core unfinished. We talk, write, make gestures and marks to slow, to hold back, to share, to join, if only momentarily, the torrent of things lost."

"The solitary body is a figure in a tapestry and cannot be isolated from other figures, landscapes, colors, lines, threads, stories.  And so, when a single figure is removed, is excised, dies, there is unraveling, a feeling at both edge and center that our embodiment is coming apart. The uniqueness of the vanished one is the dark horizon of our fragile and temporary lives." Douglas Penick

Relationships:

“Real maturity in a relationship is letting your partner know when your mind feels heavy/turbulent before your thoughts find a way to make a story that blames your tension on them; naming it allows you to know it is there and your partner to know that is time to support you/hold space.” Yung Pueblo

“Love meets in the middle.” Margaret Gervais 

Pluto and Saturn 2019-2020

Pluto/Saturn 2019-2020 Are you feeling tense/nervous/anxious? Are you feeling big shifts, but you don’t understand the shifts? Are you feeling confused and uncertain during these tense and uncertain times? It is a tense time of change. Look at the world, Hong Kong, gun violence, Chili, Haiti, U.K., U.S.A., Syria, climate change, and #metoo are some examples of intense global upheaval and change.

Here it the story from an astrological point of view: The planets Pluto and Saturn are currently very close to each other in the sky (4˚ apart at the end of November, 2019). These two planets create very powerful and difficult changes and they are currently operating together. Read this post and let me know if I can help you understand how this is impacting you.

Pluto is the planet of power, control and transformation, and is currently in the sky in the sign of Capricorn.

Capricorn represents responsibility, ambition, structure and rigidity. While Pluto travels through Capricorn, Pluto is powerful breaking down Capricorn structures and rebuilding them – completely. Pluto power is very strong and works to dig deep, destroy and rebuild – in order for empowerment and transformation to take place.

The Pluto changes are taking place in our own astrology chart, and therefore our lives. Based on where the current Pluto/Capricorn placement is in your chart, you will be experiencing this complete upheaval and restructuring. It is important to not resist these powerful transformations – if you do not work pay attention and work with Pluto, it will find a way to wake you up.

Saturn represents discipline, seriousness, hard work and fear of loss. Saturn in also currently in Capricorn, making us take these issues seriously. Saturn brings rewards for hard work and together with Pluto we must do our inner work to get the rewards. We are being asked to be mature and endure changes that are challenging. Don’t blame others. Pay attention to your goals and do not destroy others. Nobody said it would be easy! Pluto and Saturn are taskmasters. The rewards can be great at this time - don’ t miss this opportunity to grow.

This has been building for the all of 2019, and this building phase is tough – the power of the connection of the two planets is intensifying. It will continue to intensify until January 12, 2020, when Pluto and Saturn will be exactly aligned. After January 12, 2020, Saturn will move ahead of Pluto, but the impact continues – did you do the work or not (it is not over until it is over)? The transformation continues until your work is done. We have to do our work in this area of our life to navigate the transformation well.

And just to expand this intense transformative energy, Jupiter (the planet of expansion energy) joins Pluto and Saturn in Capricorn starting January 2020.  Jupiter will enhance these energies for all of 2020 – and make us do our work - are we learning and growing in order be empowered.

There are two sides of Pluto – power and transformation. In what area of your life will you gain well-earned power will powerfully transform/make and accept big changes?

1. Look at your chart (natal chart plus transits – on www.astro.com*) to see where these planets in Capricorn land in your own chart. A transit chart shows current planetary placements in green on the outer wheel of the chart. This will show you where this intense transformative change is occurring for you. You want to look at which house (1-12) Pluto and Saturn are in your chart (see below for the definition of the houses.)

2. If these two planets are on top of any planets in your birth chart, the deep transformative changes will also involve these planets.

3. If you are age 28-30, or 58-60, you are also experiencing your Saturn return – where Saturn has returned in your chart to where it was when you were born – intensifying all of the deep changes.

Here is the definition of the houses:

HOUSES: Where does the energy manifest?

1. Myself.

2. My values, resources, and money.

3. My mind, thinking and communicating. My siblings. My interaction with everyday people.

4. My home, mother, family roots. My personal identity and security.

5. My creativity, love, children, and joy. Also my need to shine.

6. My work, health, and being of service.

7. My primary relationship.

8. Other peoples’ values, their resources and their money. Transformation.

9. Ideals, higher education, global, communities, and travel.

10. Career, public persona and being an authority.

11. Long-term goals and who are my long-term friends.

12. Spirit. Evolution of consciousness. Mysteries. What is hidden. Letting go.

For example, if Pluto moves through your 4th house you are likely to move, and feel disrupted by moving. I moved from Seattle to Hong Kong to Portland to Singapore to San Francisco and to Portland, with my husband and two children, selling and buying houses, when Pluto went through my 4th house. These were all good moves for us but also involved dramatic changes for my family and me – and it was really challenging at times. But we all learned a lot and grew a lot with these changes.

Tools to help navigate the current changes:

• Take care of yourself. Good food, enough exercise and rest. Be careful with alcohol or other less healthy substances for coping.

• If you are a meditator, meditate.

• Do grounding exercises. Look up Tom Jacobs’s grounding meditation via my website https://theinsightcenter.net/resources/ - or contact me for healing sessions.

• Choose a healthy path for your energy, such as running, riding horses, welding, cooking, painting, baths, massage, breathe, reading, writing, lifting weights, working, walking, hiking, singing, dancing, time with friends and family (if that is a positive experience for you).

• Pay attention.

• Read my prior blog posts for insights https://theinsightcenter.net/blog/

• Read other inspiring books: poetry, history, philosophy, science fiction – whatever interests you

• I am lighting a lot of candles.

• Accept change. Accept that areas of your life will be changing. Let it go.

• Be brave.

• Be optimistic, encouraged and grateful – for the things that are about to come.

* If you want me to look this up for you, contact me at: theinsightcenter@gmail.com. I can do a short recorded reading of the Saturn/Pluto in Capricorn placement in your chart for a fee of $50.©Margaret Gervais, The Insight Center 2019. All rights reserved.

Insights for October 2019

Awakening:"It is a most beautiful and difficult thing to be human.""Spiritual practice helps us settle into the utter simplicity of being ourselves." Frank Ostaseski, The Five Initiations, pg. 149.

"You are consciousness incarnated in a human body, but not limited by it.  Consciousness is the clear space of knowing, as vast as the open sky.  Rest in consciousness, in loving awareness.  Let vastness be your home."

"Over a lifetime, you are called upon to play many parts, but you don't have to identify with them."

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"Your life is not separate from the earth, the sun, and the stars, but held by and part of all."

"Here is the paradox.  You are one with the mystery of life, and you have your unique incarnation.  You have one foot in the timeless realm and one in individual identify.  Each of these realms offers the possibility of freedom."

"You are not the body that changes form so many times in your lifetime.  Nor are you your thoughts or personality.  You are the vast ocean, the awareness, the One Who Knows." Jack Kornfield, No Time Like the Present.

“It helps to know, to let go.”  Margaret Gervais

"Experiences have to be repeated many times before they are emotionally integrated."

"Speaking and living the Truth allows one to see and experience the Truth with more clarity." Maurice Fernandez, Astrology and the Evolution of Consciousness, 2009. Page 397.

"The momentum of the event and the resilient strength or power of adaptation of the individual are dynamically equal." Rudhyar, Dane 1976: An Astrological Study of Psychological Complexes. Berkeley: Shambhala, p.3.

"Fear is produced by the memory of defeat - whether this memory is strictly personal in nature, or is based on subconscious memory of previous collective defeats." Rudhyar, Dane 1976: An Astrological Study of Psychological Complexes. Berkeley: Shambhala, p.5.

"Are you seeing, sensing, feeling, being, less separate and more oneness?” Margaret Gervais

“When you come to your edge, surrender your angst into a larger reality and trust the unknown...” David Pond, Astrologer

"Being conscious means you really have to feel what you feel, which is frequently very vulnerable and raw." Chodrön, Pema, On Not Loving Heart, Tricycle, Fall 2019, page 28.

“One of the most important things about following the path of intuition and free thinking is it forces you to focus on being true to yourself over being liked by others. Once others can no longer control and manipulate you through fear of loss and abandonment you’re liberated.”

“Sometimes the boundary is simply not giving someone any of your energy.” Maryam Hasnaa

“Notice the evolution of consciousness in yourself. What books are you reading, how do you spend your time, who do you hang out with, how do you treat and respond to others, and are toxic relationships and situations drifting out of your life, versus a few years ago? Notice your willingness to be quiet. You are evolving.” Margaret Gervais

“The inner critic is always loudest right before the breakthrough.” Chani Nicholas

“Understanding reality is a characteristic of wisdom. The latter does not entail mastering masses of information but an understanding of the true nature of things. Out of habit, we perceive the outer world as a collection of distinct, autonomous entities to which we attribute characteristics that we believe belong inherently to them. Our day-to-day experience tells us that things are good or bad, desirable or undesirable. The ‘self’ that perceives them seems to be equally concrete and real. This error, which Buddhism calls ignorance, gives rise to powerful impulses of attraction and aversion that eventually lead to suffering. Fabricated concepts open up a gap between our perception and reality, and create a never-ending conflict with the world. ‟We read the world wrong and say that it deceives us,” wrote Rabindranath Tagore. We take for permanent that which is ephemeral and for happiness that which is but a source of suffering: the desire for wealth, for power, for fame, and for deceptive pleasures.” Matthieu Ricard

COMPREHENSIVE ASTROLOGY COURSE:

I will be teaching the one year Comprehensive Astrology Course in 2020, starting in February. This is a one-year, twelve class Course (I class per month). Please contact me with questions or to request registration materials.

Meditation:

“One of the finest results of meditation is the increased gap between stimulus and response. That gap before I react gives me time to notice my habitual patterns and sometimes even decide whether to stay a slave to them or break loose.” Brent Oliver, I take Refuge in the Humor.

MEDITATION COURSE:

I am teaching one-on-one and small group meditation courses. Contact me if you are interested, or read more at https://theinsightcenter.net/meditation/

Healing:

“Here's what I think: The soul is a perspective that pushes us to go deeper and see further and live wilder. It's what drives our imagination to flesh out our raw experience, transforming that chaotic stuff into rich storylines that animate our love of life.With the gently propulsive force of the soul, we probe beyond the surface level of things, working to find the hidden meaning and truer feeling.” Rob Brezsny Astrology Newsletter, July 17, 2019.

“Let the trauma and mistakes of our ancestors move through us.” Julianna McCarthy

“May I feel all I need to feel in order to heal; may I heal all I need to heal in order to feel.” Margurite Rigoglioso.

REIKI l WORKSHOP:

I want to share that I am teaching a Reiki l Workshop this fall at The Insight Center:

The Workshop is over two days: October 24, 1:00 - 4:00 and October 25, 10:00 - 5:00. The fee for the Workshop is $475.

This is a certified, Usui Reiki l Workshop.  You can read more about this Workshop at https://theinsightcenter.net/reiki/ or feel free to contact me with any questions you may have.  Also please feel free to share this with others who you feel may be interested.

If you have completed a Reiki l Workshop with me, I would love to have you assist for all or part of the Workshop (you get to hang out and give and receive Reiki). Please let me know if you are interested.

Grief:

“Grief needs a channel.” Pico Iyer, “Autumn Light” via Tricycle podcast.

Please contact me for Reiki Healing, Intuitive Healing, Meditation Classes and/or Astrology Readings in Portland or via Skype, at theinsightcenter@gmail.com.Please see my website at www.theinsightcenter.net

Insights for July 2019

Awakening:“Every next level of your life will demand a different version of you.” @spiritualmovement, Instagram.

“Who we are is greatly impacted by the subconscious patterns that control our perception of reality.

How we feel is deeply affected by our past emotional history – heavy emotions that do their best to recreate themselves in the present.

What we see can only become objective and clear when we observe, accept and let go of what was silently waiting deep within us.

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When we rise above the past and use our effort to respond to life instead of reacting to it. By having the perseverance to build wiser habits, we open the door to wiser living in a new way.” yung pueblo

“Peace of mind comes piece by piece.” Yogi Tea tag.“Life is so much shorter than we think. Make your art. Make a fool of yourself. Make healing your priority. Risk everything for joy.” Chani Nicholas.

These quotes are from Jack Kornfield, No Time Like the Present:

"Inner stillness helps you know how to respond."

"...the wisdom of uncertainty. To become wise, you must become comfortable with not knowing."

"Your presence is an expression of the wisdom you carry."

"You are never alone in your care. Generations of ancestors stand at your back."

“We give too many people the power to lower our vibration. Stand true to your own frequency.” @hausofdimitri, Instagram.

“When you plant seeds in the garden, you don’t dig them up every day to see if they have sprouted yet. You simply water them and clear away the weeds – you know that the seeds will grow in time. Similarly, just do your daily practice and cultivate a kind heart. Abandon impatience and instead be content creating the causes for goodness; the results will come when they are ready.” This was posted on Instagram, without a reference!

“My skin glows because I drink water and stay in my own lane.”

“Do you solemnly swear to stay in your lane, your whole lane, and nothing but your lane?” @hausofdimitri, Instagram.

“People who get upset when you set boundaries are the ones who are benefiting from you having none.” @femalecollective, Instagram.

“Transparency is the best filter; it lets in the most light.” Margaret Gervais

“A thousand years from today, everyone you know will be long dead and forgotten. There’ll be nothing left of the life you love, no evidence that you ever walked this planet. That, at least, is what the fundamentalist materialists would have you believe.But suppose the truth is very different? What if in fact every little thing you do subtly alters the course of history? What if your day-to-day decisions can actually help determine how the human species navigates its way through the epic turning point we’re living through?And finally, what if you will be alive in a thousand years, reincarnated into a fresh body and in possession of at least some of the memories of the person you were back in this era? Reincarnation is a taboo theory among fundamentalist materialists, but it won't always be so.These are my hypotheses. These are my prophecies. That’s why I say: Live as if your soul is eternal.Everyone influences the world in some way. No matter how powerless we may feel, each of us is a creator who continually churns out energy that bends and shapes our world and the people in it.What is the signature of your effect? How do you change the environments you pass through? What magic, for good or ill, do you perform in the daily rhythm of your life?I invite you to take inventory—and to fix any discrepancies between the mark you ideally want to make and your actual impact.” Bob Brezsny Astrology Newsletter May 29, 2019

"It is never too late to set off on a quest." Elizabeth Spring, Astrology for the Third Act of Life.

Fear:

“Fear is produced by the memory of defeat – whether this memory is strictly personal in nature, or is based on a subconscious memory of previous collective defeats.” Dane Rudhyar, “An Astrological Study of Psychological Complexes.

Relationships:

“4 things make your relationship easier:

space to be your own person

less control, more trust

calm communication

selfless listening.” yung pueblo

Meditation:“We do not have to be afraid of entering unfamiliar territory once we have learned how to hold experience within the gentleness of our own minds. Learning to transform obstacles into objects of meditation provides a much needed bridge between the stillness of the concentrated mind and the movement of real life.” Mark Epstein, Stopping the Mind.

Healing:

"Self-acceptance is key to unblocking energy to move through the body." Elizabeth Spring, Astrology for the Third Act of Life.

“4 things to remember during moments of inner turbulence and tough emotion:

do not hide from what you are feeling

this current discomfort is not permanent

rest is an important way to calm the mind

struggle can be a space of deep growth.” yung pueblo

“Time does not heal all wounds, it just gives them space to sink into the subconscious, where they will still impact your emotions and behavior. What heals is going inward, loving yourself, accepting yourself, listening to your needs, addressing your attachments and emotional history, learning how to let go and following your intuition.” yung pueblo.

“Sweetheart, you are in pain. Relax, take a breath. Let’s pay attention to what is happening then we’ll figure out what to do.” Sylvia Boorstein.

“Essentials for tough days:

do not punish yourself

give yourself ample kindness

remember that all things change

make sure that you get good rest

do things that will calm your mind

accomplish smaller goals that day

real acceptance can remove blocks

this is the time to practice patience

growth can come with tough moments

a bad moment does not equal a bad life.” yung pueblo

Astrology:

Aries, Leo and Sagittarius:“Fire is that factor in life which brings, whenever possible, change, self-renewal, birth and re-birth; thus transformations of all kinds and the release of new life-energies which in due time will bring new forms.”  Dane Rudhyar, The Zodiac as The Universal Matrix.

“Astrology is a language. If you understand this language, the sky speaks to you.” Dane Rudhyar

Grief:

“Bit by bit… it comes over us that we shall never again hear the laughter of our friend, that this one garden is forever locked against us. And at that moment begins our true mourning, which, though it may not be rending, is yet a little bitter. For nothing, in truth, can replace that companion. Old friends cannot be created out of hand. Nothing can match the treasure of common memories, of trials endured together, of quarrels and reconciliations and generous emotions. It is idle, having planted an acorn in the morning, to expect that afternoon to sit in the shade of the oak.So life goes on. For years we plant the seed, we feel ourselves rich; and then come other years when time does its work and our plantation is made sparse and thin. One by one, our comrades slip away, deprive us of their shade.” Saint-Exupéry.

“I cannot say that I am not afraid. A friend of mine had cancer, and though he was not scared, he was sad because there were so many things he wanted to do. But I try not to look away. I am consciously aware that death is certain, the moment unforeseeable and every moment infinitely precious. At the beginning of our life, death frightens us like a trapped animal; in the middle of it, we try to do everything right to not miss anything, and in the end, we are calm and clear. So, death is like a friend.” Matthieu Ricard

"Here is a powerful yet simple way to understand. Look in the mirror. You will see that your body has aged. But oddly, you will also experience that you don't necessarily feel older. This is because your body exists in time. It starts small, grows up, ages and dies. But the consciousness that is looking at your body is outside of time. It is spirit that takes birth, experiences your life, and will witness your death. Maybe even say at the end, "Wow! That was an amazing ride!" Who you are is loving awareness witnessing the dance of birth and death." Jack Kornfield, No Time Like the Present.

Insights for April 2019

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Awakening:“Power is self-knowledge followed by full acceptance.” Ascended Master Djehuty, via Tom Jacobs.

“Getting started on a spiritual path takes guts. We usually don’t know it in the beginning, but if we keep going on it—if we really want to know the truth of what it means to be human or if we are deeply finished with our suffering—we will learn that walking the path of freedom takes a humble courage.” Teah Strozer, Rain, Tricycle.

“The shape of each soul is different. There is a secret destiny for each person. When you endeavor to repeat what others have done or force yourself into a preset mold, you betray your individuality. We need to return to the solitude within, to find again the dream that lies at the hearth of the soul. We need to feel the dream with the wonder of a child approaching a threshold of discovery. When we rediscover our childlike nature, we enter into a world of gentle possibility. Consequently, we will find ourselves more frequently at that place, that place of ease, delight, and celebration. The false burdens fall away. We come into rhythm with ourselves. Our clay shape gradually learns to walk beautifully on this magnificent earth.” John O'Donohue

“KnowFeelHealOwnBe” Margaret Gervais

“When you are a person who touches fire most people won’t understand you.” Margaret Gervais

These six quotes are from Jack Kornfield, No Time Like the Present :

'With the freedom of imperfection comes forgiveness and compassion for yourself and others."

"In the midst of your own life, your spirit is free."

"You are just here to toil. Dream big and dance."We're here to deliver our gifts."

"'Don’t be afraid to fail' Krishnamurti said to his reluctant disciple, Vimala Thakar. Mistakes are necessary. They are the natural scientific method ... every time you make an experiment you learn more: quite literally you cannot learn less."

"Acting freely springs from stillness; it is strengthened by inner listening. Even so, your course of action might not be clear." Jack Kornfield, No Time Like the Present.

Astrology:

These four quotes are from Steven Forrest, The Book of Fire:

"The astrological symbols are quantum fields of possibility and probability.  With consciousness, you can influence how these energies manifest - but there is one choice that is forbidden to you: you cannot choose to have the energy disappear and become irrelevant."

"There is an ancient technical term for how human consciousness might be potentially trained to influence the actual positions of the atoms and molecules in the world.  The term is magic." 

“Astrology always works, which means these symbols correlate reliably with the manifestation of archetypical fields of possibility.”

"Your Sun sign placement is your own antidepressant." Steven Forrest, The Book of Fire.

Meditation:

“When you meditate you elevate a problem from despair to a place of equanimity.” Margaret Gervais

“Seeing for yourself, from your own experience, what works and what doesn’t is what meditation is all about.” Jason Siff, “The Problem with Meditation Instructions” from Tricycle.“

Stories, of course, are made up of thoughts—those mental sound bites that intrude upon direct experience, and that we let go of in meditation. The more we learn to let go of thoughts, the more we gain the ability to drop our negative stories.” Sean Murphy, “Get Out Of Your Head” via Tricycle Community, Daily Dharma.

Healing:

“Trauma can be healed. The soul is resilient and wants healing.” Margaret Gervais

“Eventually your trauma information becomes old information, and you are more free.” Margaret Gervais 

Insights for February 2019

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Awakening:“Stillness in the midst of motion and commotion is free of will, direction, and time. It is a complete letting be of what is from moment to moment.” Toni Packer, “Unmasking the Self”

"A beautiful object has no intrinsic quality that is good for the mind, nor an ugly object any intrinsic power to harm it. Beautiful and ugly are just projections of the mind. The ability to cause happiness or suffering is not a property of the outer object itself. For example, the sight of a particular individual can cause happiness to one person and suffering to another. It is the mind that attributes such qualities to the perceived object." Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, The Heart of Compassion, Shambhala 2007

“If we study our own hearts, we’ll find that everything is written there. Everything.” Ayya Medhanandi Bhikkhuni, “The Dharma of Snow”, tricycle.com

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” Maya Angelou

“The problem with denying any aspect of the self is that it persists as a shadow. Clearly it is not possible to eliminate desire by pretending it is not there.” Mark Epstein, Instagram.

“No one can build you the bridge on which you, and only you, must cross the river of life. There may be countless trails and bridges and demigods who would gladly carry you across; but only at the price of pawning and forgoing yourself. There is one path in the world that none can walk but you. Where does it lead? Don’t ask, walk!” Nietzsche

“You must unlearn the habit of being someone else or nothing at all, of imitating the voices of others and mistaking the faces of others for your own.” Herman Hesse

“By breathing the sensations of loneliness into the heart, and by allowing ourselves to feel them fully, the experience of loneliness can gradually transform into something very different. Over time, although we may still be alone, we are no longer lonely. In this solitude there is equanimity, and a clearer sense of our place in the world.” Ezra Bayda, “At Home with Yourself” from Tricycle.

“Hope is not exactly located in space and time. Every breath can bring us to our true home.” Thich Nhat Hahn, Instagram.

“Time is a box formed by thoughts of the past and future. Dwelling in the moment is dwelling in the soul, which is eternal presence. When we’re outside of time, there’s no subject or object, it’ all just here. The thinking mind deals only with subject and object. But from within here now, you watch time go by. You are not being in time. You be, and time goes by, as if you were standing in a bridge and watching it all go by.” Ram Dass, Instagram.

Grief:

HOW IT SEEMS TO ME by Ursula K. Le Guin In the vast abyss before time, self is not, and soul commingles with mist, and rock, and light. In time, soul brings the misty self to be.Then slow time hardens self to stone while ever lightening the soul, till soul can loose its hold of self and both are free and can return to vastness and dissolve in light, the long light after time.“You may no see it now, but this very difficulty will strengthen you. Your heart will grow wiser, your spirit stronger. You already know this. You can even begin to see the ways that this is true.” Jack Kornfield, Instagram

Relationships:

“…love invariably does change us, deconditioning our painful pathologies and elevating us toward our highest human potential. It allows us, as Barack Obama so eloquently wrote in his reflections on what his mother taught him about love, “to break across our solitude, and then, if we’re lucky, [be] finally transformed into something firmer.” brainpickings.org

“Why is love rich beyond all other possible human experiences and a sweet burden to those seized in its grasp? Because we become what we love and yet remain ourselves.” Martin Heidegger, via brainpickings.org

“Let there be spaces in your togetherness,

And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.

Love one another but make not a bond of love:Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.

Fill each other’s cup but drink not from one cup.

Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf.

Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone,

Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.

Give your hearts, but not into each other’s keeping.

For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.

And stand together, yet not too near together:For the pillars of the temple stand apart,

And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other’s shadow." Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet, via brainpickings.org

“When we partner with others out of a scarcity mentality nothing lasting can come out of it. Not in love or business. Build with others only when doing so feels mutually abundant, satiating in its challenge, and on purpose for all involved.” Chani Nicholas, Instagram 

Insights for January 2019

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Awakening:“Every time a habitual pattern gets strong, every time we feel caught up or on automatic pilot, we could see it as an opportunity to burn up negative karma. Rather than a problem, we could see it as karma ripening. That gives us an opportunity to burn up karma, or at least weaken our propensities. But it’s hard to do so.  Pg. 10

Not only do we have a precious human life, but that precious human life is made up of precious human days, and those precious human days are made up of precious human moments. How we spend them is really important.” Pg. 12

In any moment, you can put your full attention on the immediacy of your experience. You can look at your hand resting on your leg or feel your bottom sitting on the chair. You can just be here. Instead of not being here. Pg. 13

When you are completely wound up about something and you pause, your natural intelligence clicks in and you have a sense of the right thing to do. This is part of the magic: our natural intelligence is always there to inform us, as long as we allow a gap.  Pg. 14. “The Most Important Thing in Life,” Pema Chödrön, Awaken Your Heart and Mind, page 10, Lion’s Roar Special Edition.

“The way you’re wired is not an accident.” Tom Jacobs, tdjacobs.com

“Intuition:If you’re not getting a strong ‘yes’, you’re really getting a ‘no.’If you’re getting a vague “no”, it’s really a ‘no.’” Margaret Gervais, December 2018

“Living life is a messy endeavor. A human one. An imperfect one. One that reveals our gifts through our struggles, our truth through our misunderstandings, and our purpose through our pain; one that is made so much more painful when we are in a constant state of self-critique.Mistakes are one of life’s great teaching tools. Through them we get to see where we have work to do, room to grow, and lessons to learn. Misjudgments humble us. Knock us off our high-horses. Grounded, we get in touch with something deeper. The feelings that our personalities want to reject. Disassociate from. Deny.

What lies below the surface of our personalities might be daunting to deal with. Unbearable sometimes to unpack, seemingly impossible to make peace with. But doing so is the only way to develop a sustainable kind of growth throughout our lives. Being aware of our inner lives is what connects us to others. It’s what makes deep and satisfying connections with others possible. It’s what taps us into the transformational power of compassion, for ourselves and everyone else.When we understand the inner workings of our more problematic personality traits, we can not only develop the strength to be accountable for them, but we are also better able to recognize the same struggle in others. When we work on being conscious of our own arrogance, impatience, and self-importance, we are more able to hold that part of ourselves, reducing the harm we might otherwise inflict upon the world.

The personality can only get us so far when disconnected from the depth that our soul craves.

Developing our consciousness requires a constant commitment, a deep and abiding sense of humor about our process, and acceptance of our flaws as well as an understanding of how imperative they are for our growth and development.” Chani Nicholas, www.chaninicholas.com, “Sunday’s New Moon in Virgo.” Newsletter, September, 2018.

“The truth has a higher vibration.” Margaret Gervais, December, 2018

“You wanting a sign is a sign.” Spiritualmovement instagram

"We have so many ideas about how we should be and how the world should be, yet none of these is the way things are.  Human life is tainted glory - messy, paradoxical, filled with contradictions.  The cloak of the world is woven with magnificence and limitation, triumph and disappointment, loss and eternal re-creation.  To seek some ideal of perfection puts us in conflict with the world.

"There is a difference between an archetype or ideal and our humanity.To have compassion for your human vulnerability is a blessed, tender practice.

"Feel the joy and sorrow that make up your incarnation.'You know, sometimes it is your task in life to find out how much music you can still make with what you have left.'” Itzhak Perlman, Jack Kornfield, No Time Like the Present. 

Grief:

HOW IT SEEMS TO MEUrsula K. Le GuinIn the vast abyss before time, self is not, and soul commingles with mist, and rock, and light. In time, soul brings the misty self to be.Then slow time hardens self to stone while ever lightening the soul, till soul can loose its hold of self and both are free and can return to vastness and dissolve in light, the long light after time.“Our Universe is one of motion, everything is always changing even when we cannot perceive the subtlety of it – movement is always happening at the atomic level.

Change is one of the best things about our reality, it means tough times can’t last, better things are possible and new scenarios are always on the horizon.Change is also one of the most difficult things about our reality, because our minds are inclined toward attaching themselves to the things we enjoy, meaning we try to keep things the same even if it mean refusing the inherent flow of nature.Attachment, the carving for things to exist in a particular way, hurt because sooner or later the flow of change will reveal that what we want can only exist for a temporary amount of time. The craving that creates attachment opens the door to misery.To live in a way that change is no longer our enemy is the essence of inner peace. When we accept the fact that things are bound to change we can live with the clarity needed to enjoy the present moment. When we know that change is essential to life we can embrace the beauty of how things come together to create the moments we cherish.” yung pueblo

“To the moon,Who loves so selflessly,

That it wakes up to the darkness every night.

For the waves that rely on its pull

And the mad Dreamers who rely on its light.” Author unknown to me

Relationships:

“No one can fill the emptiness within – that is our job alone – but a healthy relationship can be incredibly good company along our healing journey. If and when it is built for such growth.” Chani Nicholas

“A strong self love helps you find a balance between giving selflessly and protecting yourself from harm.”  Yung pueblo

“Stop letting people who are unaware of their toxicity play with your emotions. The right energies will make you feel loved in the purest way; you’ll never have to question their intentions. Nothing and no one is worth sabotaging your mental stability, especially those people who aren’t genuine. Make a clean break from people who leave lingering stains on your heart. You deserve much better than that.” Ester T., spiritualmovemement Instagram.

Healing:

“Sometimes the biggest storms happen after the healing has started. yung pueblo“

In order to emerge from our pain, we have to enter it . . . when we thus relate to our pain, cultivating intimacy with it, we start liberating ourselves from our pain and fro the painful consequences of avoiding our pain.” Robert Augustus Master, “A Painless Present”, Tricycle Magazine.

“The most reckless thing we can do is refuse the healing we are ready for. Our wounds left untreated threaten the existence of every good thing in our lives.” Chani Nicholas, Instagram

“Much healing work is the back and forth movement between moments of discomfort and moments of new happiness, going inward to release the dense patterns of hurt and old programming that do not serve your freedom and then feeling the joyful clarity that comes with letting go.” yung pueblo

“reveal to release.” sensate_me instagram  

Insights for July/August 2018

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“Don’t be surprised how quickly the Universe moves once you’ve decided.” Consciousnessnow, Instagram.

“If you think that the whole world is your enemy, imagine that you are a basket weaver, and you have a huge pile of reeds. To make baskets you have to weave them in the right way. Similarly, faced with the challenges you encounter, you have to weave an inner basket big enough to hold all the ups and downs of life without them overwhelming you. In short, you need to take care of your mind wisely. Oral advice transcribed by the author.JIGME KHYENTSE RINPOCHE (b. 1964)

"There is a line around the block to get incarnated on earth." Ascended Master Djehuty, via Tom Jacobs, www.tdjacobs.com."

Our soul's job is to figure out how to go from fear to love."  Tom Jacobs, www.tdjacobs.com.

“It might feel like your goal is stretching away from you even as you move toward it, but don't be fooled. That's just your growing awareness of the steps it takes to get from point A to point B -- but you can still take each step as it comes, in its own time. That's all we can ever do; and it gets everyone where they need to go, from a baby learning to crawl to Albert Einstein figuring out relativity.” Planet Waves Astrology by Eric Francis.  Planetwaves.net."

Author Maxine Hong Kingston has lead a war veteran's writing group for twenty years, and says the group's motto is: "Tell the truth, and so make peace." Jack Kornfield, No Time Like the Present.

"The idea of former and future life is essential to the real practice of Buddhism.  You have to be scared of where you are going in the next life to have the energy to overcome your deeper instincts.  I call it the circuit breaker.  Everything is interconnected. If you're endlessly interconnected, then every little thing counts.  If you only get pissed of for one minute and fifty-eight seconds instead of two minutes, those two seconds are big. That's scary, but it brings you awake."  Robert Thurman, 'Buddha's Champion,' Jennifer Keishin Armstrong, Lion's Roar, September, 2018.

“There is nothing in nature that blooms all year long. So don’t expect yourself to do so either.” Tiaorg, Instagram.

“Pay attention to what makes you feel most at home, grounded, and centered, whether it’s a location, person, activity, or thing. Find ways to bring more of those things, places, and people into your life on a regular basis. Go to places that feel like home, Connect with those that bring you back to yourself, and curate items that root you in your truth.” Stephanie Zamora, spiritualmovement, Instagram.

Meditation:

“When you face the inner energies that most frighten, overwhelm, and bind you, it is important to not identify with them but to stay present with an observing mind that is not taking sides." Jack Kornfield, No Time Like the Present.

“Meditation knows what to do. This ancient practice knows what to do. Let go and let it do its work.”

“Meditation enables “letting go”, which is a major step to self-awareness and wellness.” Margaret Gervais

“We practice ‘right concentration’ not to experience blissful states but to help us entertain uncertainty.”

“Ancient texts compare the process of concentration to the taming of a wild animal.  It is a difficult endeavor, full of ups and downs, but one that yields reliable results if practiced diligently and with patience.”

“As concentration increases, the mind and body relax.  Thoughts diminish, emotional pressures weaken, and a kind of calm takes over. The mind gradually comes under some degree of control and settles down.”

"The unconscious is the repository of mystery." Mark Epstein, ‘Meditation’s Secret Ingredient,” Tricycle, Spring, 2018.

"I have discovered that the more I practice [meditation], the more layers of my endlessly perfected, elaborate self-construction fall away.  Peeling away the layers of identity is sometimes very painful.  Sometimes it has felt like I was going to die. Of course, I didn't die, but something did."

"Ultimately, the invitation [of Insight Meditation] is to let whatever is rising be present without meddling with it.  Just by turning loving attention to how life is appearing in this moment, insight can arise and we can find a way forward through our difficulties."  Melissa Myozen Blacker, Roshi, 'Meeting Ourselves as we Are." Lion's Roar, September 2018.

"It is no coincidence that the words 'medication' and 'meditation' are only one letter different. They both come from the same Latin root word, medeor, meaning "to heal or to make whole."

"Empirical evidence shows that when we meditate, it triggers a self-repair mechanism in our own bodies.  We stop producing cortisol and adrenalin, and instead enhance the production of immune-boosting endorphins and serotonin, arming our body against invasive bacteria, viruses and other imbalances.  These changes also promote positive mental states.  Indeed, many anti-depressants prescribed these days are Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitors (SSRI's), which we naturally produce when we meditate."  David Michie, "How to Evoke the Medicine Buddha, Lion's Roar, September 2018.

“Meditation is an arduous practice of controlling the mind towards a transformation of character. “ Dr. K.K. Tan, www.kktanhp.com

“Let your steps follow your breath, not the other way around.”

“Everyone is breathing, but not everyone is aware that they’re breathing.” Thich Nhat Hanh

Anxiety:

Many people are contacting me recently about dealing with anxiety.  I have a lot of good tools to share, but this also showed up in my email today: Jack Kornfield writing about "Making Friends With Fear." Link: https://jackkornfield.com/making-friends-with-fear/You can search my blog posts on my web site, www.theinsightcenter.net for “anxiety” and see some other insights and tools, and I will soon be writing a specific blog about tools for working with anxiety.

Grief: “We all sit on the edge of a mystery. We have only known this life, so dying scares us-and we are all dying. But what if dying were perfectly safe? What if you could approach dying with curiosity and love? What if dying were the ultimate spiritual practice?” Ram Dass

Seven books recommended by LION'S ROAR, September, 2018, for how to help dying people - and how to die yourself:

1. The Five Initiations: Discovering What Death Can Teach Us About Living Fully, by Frank Ostaseki,

2. Awake at the Bedside: Contemplative Teachings on Palliative and End-of-Life Care, edited by Koshin Paley Ellison and Matt Weingast,

3. Making Friends With Death: A Buddhist Guide to Encountering Mortality, by Judith L. Lief,

4. No Death, No Fear: Comforting Wisdom For Life,by Thich Nhat Hahn,

5. Living in the Light of Death; On the Art of Being Truly Alive, by Larry Rosenberg,

6. Leaning into Sharp Points; Practical Guidance and Nurturing Support for Caregivers,by Stan Goldberg,

7. Being With Death and Dying: Cultivating Compassion and Fearlessness in the Presence of Death, by Joan Halifax.

“If I am going to die, the best way to prepare is to quiet my mind and open my heart. If I’m going to live, the best way to prepare is to quiet the mind and open my heart.” Ram Dass.

“Knowing how to use our suffering is essential to realizing true happiness.” Thich Nhat Hanh.

“So far you’ve survived 100% of your worst days. You’re doing great.” Spiritualmovement, Instagram.

“You cannot live without dying.” Consciousnessnow, Instagram

Healing:

"Pain helps us inhabit our divine nature."

"Ask yourself, how does my pain serve my soul's journey to move from fear to love?"

"Acknowledge pain and look at the higher perspective of how can this possibly serve my journey?  And bring love to those painful experiences."

"You are learning that you are stronger than pain and pain empowers you."  Tom Jacobs, www.tdjacobs.com

“A body is a field of moving energy and a system of information, as life continues it’s fluctuations, we tend to gather attachments, burdens and sorrows. We hold them so tightly that they become embedded in the body, causing changes and disruptions in the flow of our system while also limiting the access to the best possible versions of ourselves - this sometimes manifests itself as illness or disease as well as lack of belief in our own power and a lack of understanding of the universe.”

“When someone enters a purification process such as meditation, the practice of yoga asanas, or clean healthy eating, among many other things, the body begins releasing these knots of attachment, freeing up the blockages in our system of information, allowing our field of energy to return to balance and move more freely and powerfully. This causes changes in our body, not just physical changes such as the healing of disease or ailments, but immaterial and internal ones as well, such as believing in oneself more, the growth of love, and the aspiration to grow into more wisdom.” Yung Pueblo.

Relationships/Friendships:

“Real love comes with a powerful recognition that we are fully alive and whole despite our wounds or our fears or our loneliness. It is a state where we allow ourselves to be seen clearly by ourselves and by others, and in turn, we offer clear seeing to the world around us. It is a love that heals.” Sharon Salzberg, “Real Love.”

“It’s okay to outgrown those who prevent you from growing.” @positivelypresent, spiritualmovement, Instagram.