Journal

4/9/19 4/9/19

Insights for April 2019

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

12/31/14 12/31/14

Insights for December 2014

Philip Sedgwick is an Astrologer I follow, http://www.philipsedgwick.com/. He writes a great blog and you can sign up to receive his newsletter. His December 26, 2014, post included a really valuable exercise (highlighted below) for Jan. 1, 2015. It is not a typical New Year’s Resolution exercise, it is based on current planetary positions of Jupiter and Mars and thus a really great time for this exercise to review your beliefs in relation to the past year and actions that you will take. I am sharing it because I think it’s wise and informed. I feel compelled to do this exercise and I thought you might also feel compelled. Enjoy!

“Come New Year’s Day, Mars in Aquarius and Jupiter in Leo, retrograde, line up on opposite sides of the zodiac to see if earthlings might be able to interpret and engage the tug of war they enact.

The actual opposition occurs at 20:23 U.T. on January 1, so for some in the world it will already be the second day of the year and the calendric new leaf should have already been turned.

Mars and Jupiter in opposition are quite powerful, and if one is prepared, no doubt many good things can be extracted. The essence of the aspect is that by directing clear, focused energy and activity into life’s efforts, the greatest goals and most magnificent objectives appear closer on the road ahead.

Jupiter is retrograde, so it may not be that goals are immediately fulfilled. Likely, that’s a good thing. With Jupiter reversing tracks, the time is ripe for review, revision and any other red prefix word that may not actually be a word, but would do well to be. Works like redeclaration, recommitment, reinvention come to mine. The implication of “re-“ in the Jupiter retrograde context is:

Review all plans from the past goal cycle, in this case likely a year, neatly a half Mars cycle. Note levels of completion accomplished, current interest in fulfilling the previously stated objective, and apply some mental absorption ointment in the spirit of “If I had known then what I know now,” ensuring that all future efforts will be smarter and energetically more efficient - something planets in Capricorn can applaud.

More fundamentally, Jupiter in retrograde enquires regarding the platform philosophy in play that one uses to drive the rationalization system behind every effort in life:

What do you believe?How is what you intend to do working to fit into the big picture in a big way? After all, Jupiter is big (and proud) and Mars is in Aquarius.Are there missing pieces in the thought sequence?Given what you know now, do you still believe everything you believed when the last wave of life objectives launched?What enhanced knowledge can you now apply from wisdom gained?What do you do if your instinctive nature of what you feel to be correct disagrees with an ingrained philosophy or creed?

Mars in Aquarius seeks to offer a few details on his hot action, pre-flight check list:

Are you still into what you are doing? You know, does passion still fill your belly’s furnace with fire about this activity or objective?Remember, every deed impacts the entirety of Earth. Every living organism is affected by every action by every person.Do you really have everything good to go, or should you look around for any last minute tools you might want to pack up?This thing you’re doing, it’s good for everyone, right?Be present every step of the way, which means, no projecting uncertainty, doubt or fear of outcome(s) into the energy expended.

This is a big splash pattern. With the clarification of what you’re doing and why you’re doing it, significant progress can be instated in the early days of 2015.” Philip Sedgwick, A Mars-Jupiter Kickoff ~ 26 Dec 2014, Skyscraping, http://www.philipsedgwick.com/StarBlogs/StarBlogsB.htm

"The transformation that comes through meditation is not a straight-line progression. It’s a spiral, a cycle. My own life is very much a series of spirals in which at times I am pulled toward some particular form of sadhana or lifestyle and make a commitment to it for maybe six months or a year. After this time I assess its effects. At times I work with external methods such as service. At other times the pull is inward, and I retreat from society to spend more time alone. The timing for these phases in the spiral must be in tune with your inner voice and your outer life.Don’t get too rigidly attached to any one method – turn to others when their time comes, when you are ripe for them." Ram Dass, Love Serve Remember Harvard Unveils MRI Study Proving Meditation Literally Rebuilds The Brain’s Gray Matter In 8 Weeks http://www.feelguide.com/2014/11/19/harvard-unveils-mri-study-proving-meditation-literally-rebuilds-the-brains-gray-matter-in-8-weeks/“Wisdom comes with the ability to be still. Just look and just listen. No more is needed. Being still, looking, and listening activates the non-conceptual intelligence within you. Let stillness direct your words and actions.” Eckhart Tolle“When you renounce something you are tied to it. The only way to get out of this is to see through it. Understand its true value and you won’t need to renounce it; it will just drop from your hands.” Awareness, Anthony De Mello, pg. 16.And, “deep inquiry leads to understanding.” Sandra Brooks."Our minds are habituated to relate to suffering by resisting it through blame, bitterness, anger, resentment. That resistance is what the Buddha called 'the second arrow,' which follows the first arrow, the direct experience of pain. So much additional suffering comes from believing that 'things shouldn’t be this way'—when in fact they are that way." Ronna Kabatznick, "Sea of Sorrow" Tricycle: The Buddhist Review"As you breathe, in cherish yourself, as you breathe out, cherish all Beings." HIs Holiness the Dalai Lama Thank you for posting this The Norbulingka Institute."Saturn just exited the dark underpass of Scorpio and entered fiery, truth-seeking Sagittarius today, December 23. Living authentically can be more liberating than one realizes and this will be your two and a half year window to step into stride with the most honest and natural version of yourself. It will extend your view of the horizon and shine more light on your evolutionary path ahead. It will show you what is realistically possible, which will be far more than you allowed yourself to envision in the past. Ultimately it will push you to be TRUE to you!You will need to slow down long enough in order see the sign posts along the way, and for some, you will be called to 'fall on your knees', surrendering in preparation to receive the truth of your next move. What a gift that will prove to be." Kristin Fontana http://kristinfontana.com/starcast/2014/12/24/

9/3/14 9/3/14

Insights for August 2014

These wise words from Mark Jones, one of my favorite astrologers, (also a teacher, psychosynthesis therapist and poet http://www.plutoschool.com/), from Power of the Circle on Phases, audio recording NORWAC 2012:

“The greatest guide is the light of your personal consciousness.”

“If in doubt, personal truth and integrity will take you through most evolutionary gateways.”

“Principle, dedication, courage, integrity, devotion to truth; you won’t go too far wrong in life with these things.”

“If in doubt, devote yourself to truth.”

I am now reading my second book by Adyashanti, The Way of Liberation:

“…it is essential to understand that a spiritual teacher’s role is to be a good and wise spiritual guide as well as an embodiment of the Truth that he or she points toward.” page 5

“A spiritual teaching is a finger pointing toward Reality; it is not Reality itself.” page 5

“Belief leads to various forms of fundamentalism and shuts down curiosity and inquiry that as essential to open the way for awakening and what lies beyond awakening. A good spiritual teaching is something that you work with and apply. In doing so, it works on you (often in a hidden way) and helps reveal to you the Truth (and falseness) that lies within you.” page 5

“It's like two arrows, the Buddha said. The first arrow is the initial event itself, the painful experience. It has happened; we cannot avoid it. The second arrow is the one we shoot into ourselves. This arrow is optional. We can add to the initial pain a contracted, angry, rigid, frightened state of mind. Or we can learn to experience the same painful event with less identification and aversion, with a relaxed and compassionate heart. Jack Kornfield, The Wise Heart"Meditation is participatory observation. What you are looking at responds to the process of looking. What you are looking at is you, and what you see depends on how you look." Bhante Henepola Gunaratana

“Identity: We are the essence of karmic momentum. It is an unfolding process; thoughts without thinker, sensory without body, experience without self.” Noah Levine, Breitenbush, July 2005

“Awareness, acceptance, forgiveness. That is all you need to know.” Dr. K. K. Tan, Meditation Teacher, Buddhist Library Singapore

"What is the purpose of tranquility? Why should we have wisdom? They are only for the purpose of freeing ourselves from suffering, nothing more." Ajahn Chah, 'Meditation' http://www.vipassana.com/

8/4/14 8/4/14

Insights for July 2014

"Solid people advance. Those with grounding and preparation behind them get to move ahead on life’s game board." Philip Sedgwick, galactic@philipsedgwick.com

A really great posting from Ram Dass today about grieving:"It is important, as we get older, to learn how to grieve. Although this may sound self-evident, experience has taught me that it is not. In a culture that emphasizes stoicism and forward movement, in which time is deemed “of the essence,” and there is little toleration for slowness, inwardness, and melancholy, grieving – a healthy, necessary aspect of life – is too often overlooked. As we get older, of course, and losses mount, the need for conscious grieving becomes more pronounced. Only by learning how to grieve can we hope to leave the past behind and come into the present moment.The older we get, the more we lose; this is the law of impermanence. We lose loved ones, cherished dreams, physical strength, work, and relationships. Often, it seems like loss upon loss. All these losses bring up enormous grief that we must be prepared to embrace completely, if we are to live with open hearts."

"My dear friend Stephen Levine has recommended that we build temples specifically for the purpose of grieving, ritual sites where we can feel safe to pour out the sadness and loss that we feel. In the Jewish tradition of sitting shiva, and in the traditional Irish wake, we find such outlets for extended grieving, but these rituals are becoming rare in our culture and are not frequently practiced."

"Over the years, in working with people who are grieving, I’ve encouraged them first of all to surrender to the experience of their pain. To counteract our natural tendency to turn away from pain, we open to it as fully as possible and allow our hearts to break. We must take enough time to remember our losses – be they friends or loved ones passed away, the death of long-held hopes or dreams, the loss of homes, careers, or countries, or health we may never get back again. Rather than close ourselves to grief, it helps to realize that we only grieve for what we love.In allowing ourselves to grieve, we learn that the process is not cut and dried. It’s more like a spiral that brings us to a place of release, abates for a time, then continues on a deeper level. Often, when grieving, we think that it’s over, only to find ourselves swept away by another wave of intense feeling. For this reason, it’s important to be patient with the process, and not be in a hurry to put our grief behind us."

"While the crisis stage of grief does pass in its own time - and each person’s grief has its own timetable - deep feelings don’t disappear completely. But ultimately you come to the truth of the adage that “love is stronger than death.” I once met with a girl whose boyfriend was killed in Central America. She was grieving and it was paralyzing her life. I characterized it for her this way. “Let’s say you’re in ‘wise-woman training.’” If she’s in wise-woman training, everything in her life must be grist for the mill. Her relationship with this man would become part of the wisdom in her. But first she had to see that her relationship with him is between Souls. They no longer have two incarnated bodies to share, so she had to find the Soul connection. Two Souls can access each other without an incarnation.When my Guru died in 1973, I assumed that because of the important part he played in my life, and the love I felt for him, I would be inundated with grief. Surprisingly, I was not. In time, I came to realize why. He and I were so well established in Soul love that, in the years since he left his body, his palpable presence in my life has continued unabated." http://www.ramdass.org/learning-grieve/

"There is dissatisfaction in the astrological house that is opposite your natal Pluto placement, because it is the area for your soul's growth in this life." Margaret Gervais, 5.27.14 Kona, Hawaii “Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it.”

Eckhart Tolle http://www.eckharttolle.com/present-moment-reminders/?f=1 More from the book I recently finished by Adyashanti, The End of Your World: Uncensored Straight Talk on the Nature of Enlightenment:“That which is awake always moves toward that which is not awake. That which is awake has no fear of that which is not awake. It doesn’t have any fear, because it doesn’t perceive anything as separate or other than self.” page 46.“The truth of our being is not content until it has freed itself of its own misunderstanding, its own fixations, its own illusions.” page 47.“…awakened consciousness moves in particular ways. It does not deny anything. It does not hide; it is not avoiding any part of life. That which we are, that which is fully awake, is also ultimately fully engaged and fearless. It moves the way it moves, out of unconditional love and truthfulness. It is only the fear in the mind-the fear that constructs the illusion of ego-that causes one to recoil …” page 78.

Getting straight on your path: http://www.ramdass.org/getting-straight-on-your-path/ “

The large planet of Jupiter (represents expansion) has moved into Leo (FIRE): acceleration, less process more results, creative, confidence, manifest, materialize, connect and DREAM BIG. From the crab (Cancer) to the lion (Leo), can you feel it?” Margaret Gervais

7/3/14 7/3/14

Insights for June 2014

“It is to untangle that we begin meditation practice. To disentangle ourselves, to be free, requires that we train our attention.” Joseph Goldstein and Jack Kornfield, Seeking the Heart of Wisdom, The Path of Insight Meditation, page 6. From Jack Kornfield, one of my favorite meditation teachers at a weekend intensive, The Psychology of Loving Awareness, Seattle, April, 2014:

"The circle of compassion is only complete when you include yourself.
If one person remains calm and centered it can calm and center all others around them.
Let the breath do the breathing.
Your heart has the capacity to open up to life. We have to practice, tend the heart, and nurture the heart for resilience and self-protection.
Fear, etc., can continue to arise but you will change your relationship to it. Name it and let it wash over you, until you know it and you have a deeper stillness.
Relinquish to the toughest thing that arises: restlessness, loneliness, etc. Say to yourself, "I'll die of restlessness. I'll be the first person to die of restlessness." In this way you will develop a wiser relationship to it."

Luminous insights into bardo (“...the term "bardo" refers to the state of existence intermediate between two lives on earth. Wikipedia. In this article there is discussion of the bardo as a state “in between” and “...bardo experience is a doorway to awakening, which is always present. In Trungpa Rinpoche's words, "bardo is a very practical way of looking at our life."): http://www.tricycle.com/special-section/luminous-gap-bardo I recently finished a book I loved by Adyashanti, The End of Your World: Uncensored Straight Talk on the Nature of Enlightenment, and the following are some quotes from the book:

“It’s apparent that each being has a different sort of karmic inheritance; each person has a different karmic load that he or she carries. And it does no good to complain about your karmic load, whether you perceive it to be greater or lesser than somebody else’s. It is what it is. Page 39.
Each moment is the moment that needs to be happening. Page 60.
Life itself shows us what we need to see through in order to be free. Each moment is the moment that needs to be happening. Page 60.
…and so one of the most important steps is to come into agreement with your life so that you/re not turning away from yourself in any way. And the amazing thing is that when we are no longer turning away from ourselves, we find a great amount of energy, a great capacity for clarity and wisdom, and we start to see everything we need to see. Page 114.
One if the greatest poems of the Zen tradition ends with this description of the awakened state: ‘To be without anxiety about imperfection.’” Page 130.

Refuge Recovery: A Buddhist Path to Recovering from Addictionis a new book by Noah Levine on the Buddhist approach to sobriety. I just ordered it and will share more from this book as I read it. http://www.tricycle.com/reviews/dharma-drunks Steven Forrest is one of my favorite astrologers, and he has a great website with his Newsletters, classes and audio recordings, http://www.forrestastrology.com. His July Newsletter is great. Here are some of my favorite quotes:

"Can you be like the wise old karate master and remember that often times the best karate move is often to simply walk away?
...are you brave enough to say, roll the dice? Somewhere in your chart (and in your life!) Uranus is asking you to trust your fiercest, wildest rebel impulses.
Saturn and Uranus are 150 degrees apart for the entire month of July. What does this mean for you? Specifically, Saturn-in-Scorpio cautions us that unconscious factors—old wounds, fears, and humiliations—need to be faced squarely and incisively before we get on our high horse and start arranging firing squads, SWAT teams, and Predator drones. And Uranus-in-Aries tells us that once we have done that Scorpionic housecleaning, it is time for bold, decisive action. Time to roll those dice."

(If you want to know more about the Saturn and Uranus transits in your chart, please contact me, theinsightcenter@gmail.com)

6/5/14 6/5/14

Insights for May 2014

Hyacinth in the rain, Kona. Margaret Gervais 2014

Meditation reminder: “Don’t create suffering over the breath being too long or too short, but simply observe it without trying to control or suppress it in any way. In other words, don’t attach. As you continue, the mind will gradually lay things down and come to rest, the breath becoming lighter and lighter until it becomes so faint that it seems like it’s not there at all. All that will remain will be a one-pointed knowing. The mind has reached a state of calm.” Ajahn Chah, A Beginner’s Guide to Meditation, page 28.“

Meditation is a cognitive control exercise that enhances the ability to self-regulate your internal distractions,” Dr. Adam Gazzaley, neuroscientist at the University of California, San Francisco, in the New York Times Article, “Exercising the Mind to Treat Attention Deficits”, by Daniel Goldman, May, 12, 2014. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/05/12/exercising-the-mind-to-treat-attention-deficits/?_php=true&_type=blogs&smid=fb-nytimes&WT.z_sma=HL_ETM_20140513&bicmp=AD&bicmlukp=WT.mc_id&bicmst=1388552400000&bicmet=1420088400000&_r=2&.Grief.

Tough topic, but insights can be helpful for the journey. See my posting on grief, and revisit as I add more material: http://theinsightcenter.net/444/.

"The breath, if we let it, can anchor us to our awareness." A Beginner's Guide to Meditation, Edited by Rod Meade Sperry, pg. 1.

"So you must try to not think too much. If you do think, then do so with awareness. First, you must make your mind calm. Where there is knowing, there is no need to think. Awareness will arise in its place, and this will in turn become wisdom. The ordinary kind of thinking is not wisdom, but simply the aimless and unaware wandering of the mind, which inevitably results in agitation." Ajahn Chah, A Beginner's Guide to Meditation, Edited by Rod Meade Sperry, pg. 27.

“Compassion has to be supported by mindfulness to build tolerance.”

“Attachment: How do you know when it is unhealthy? There is suffering (when it gets sticky). Healthy attachment is OK.”

“We have roles. Do them well and let them go – they are not you. It is temporary. Who you are is spirit born into a body.” Jack Kornfield, Seattle, April 2014.

You are your own best proof! "In the end, when it comes to spiritual practice, you are your own best proof. Individual practitioners can understand from their own personal experience that practice is helping them to be more understanding, to be more open, to be more at home with others, or to have a greater sense of ease." Thupten Jingpa Langri, “Under One Umbrella” Tricycle: The Buddhist Review.

I am always interested in fear, because it can be very problematic for some people. What do you think of this take on fear? "Fear is the basic anxiety that creates separation and fixation. Fear keeps us bound to the past, to our cozy, habitual way of doing things." Daniel Naistadt, “The Money Mind” from Tricycle: The Buddhist Review.

5/4/14 5/4/14

Insights for April 2014

Waves crash on the beach by Margaret Gervais

More insights about on grief have crossed my desk this month and have been helpful. These are excerpts from The Examined Life: How We Lose and Find Ourselves, by Stephen Grosz.

"Closure is delusive – it is the false hope that we can deaden our living grief.I’ve long thought that Kübler-Ross was wrong. The “psychological stages” of dying and grieving are wholly different. For the person who dies there is an end, but this is not so for the person who grieves. The person who mourns goes on living and for as long as he lives there is always the possibility of feeling grief.

Each of use mourns differently, but in general the initial shock and fear triggered by death does diminish with time. Through the work of mourning, we gradually feel better, though some heartache remains. Holidays and anniversaries are notoriously difficult. Grief can ebb and then, without warning, resurge. The loss of a child, a loss through suicide – these losses, and many others, can and do cause enduring sorrow.

“Grief Lit” – a burgeoning sub-genre of “Recovery Lit” offering many titles, and the message is: your grief is something that can be fixed. You can recover. You can have closure.

My experience is that closure is an extraordinary compelling fantasy of mourning. It is the fiction that we can love, lose, suffer and do something to permanently end our sorrow. We want to believe we can reach closure because grief can surprise and disorder us – even years after out loss.” The Examined Life: How We Lose and Find Ourselves, Stephen Grosz

"Idleness allows time for the mind to wander to places never before imagined and to return transformed.Doing nothing is essential for thinking to occur. Many of the most important thoughts are unintentional—they can be neither solicited nor cajoled but have a rhythm of their own, creeping up, arriving, and leaving when we least expect them. It is important to cultivate the lassitude of mind that clears a place for the arrival of what cannot be anticipated. Idleness allows time for the mind to wander to places never before imagined and to return transformed." Mark C. Taylor, "Idleness Waiting Grace" via Tricycle: The Buddhist Review

I know I have been sharing more about loss these days, but I believe that information arises when it needs to arise. Read this beautiful article by Henry Shukman, about finding the hidden remedies in our troubled selves

"Perhaps we all carry an immemorial wound, an infinite loss, a self-exile we perpetrate on ourselves. It turns us into isolated entities stalking the earth in search of what we think we need—the temporary stays against ennui, despair, loss, and terror. But sooner or later, the wound can carry us toward its own remedy, if we only let it. It seems too much to hope that right in the heart of our troubled selves there might actually be the healing we seek. But if suffering and awakening form a single weather-system, as many a wise person has come to know, then when storms come, perhaps we can accept them with less dread and aversion, and more trust, and even hope." Henry Shukman, http://www.tricycle.com/feature/beautiful-storm

Insights on 4.23.2014, the day of the Cardinal Grand Cross: "I feel the vast emptiness and know I am alone.

Let your fears die a lonely death.Fear cannot exist in the emptiness or the void.

I am in the vortex of the moment.

Equanimity erases barriers and borders, leading the way to oneness.

Be solace in the nothingness.

Ascension is alignment and unity.The power from within emanates out.

We are all alone and also all one." Margaret Gervais, April 23, 2014

"Although all phenomena are going through the various appearances of birth, abiding, changing, and dying, the true person doesn’t become a victim of sadness, happiness, love, or hate. She lives in awareness as an ordinary person, whether standing, walking, lying down, or sitting." Thich Nhat Hanh, “Simply Stop” Tricycle: The Buddhist Review

This is what occurs with meditation practice:"We’ve lived our lives with negative images of ourselves, from childhood on, and we’ve built upon those images, and built upon them, and they became very heavy weights. These thoughts about us are a part of our ego, and they’re manifested through our roles of child or husband, wife, breadwinner, all of those roles. They’re built upon the thoughts of, “I’m not truthful” or “I’m not likable”, “I’m not good” – all of those negative images. Once you identify with your soul you start to taste the love in your true self, in your spiritual heart and it’s different than all of the loves you’ve ever had. It’s just different; it’s unconditional love." Ram Dass, Love Serve Remember

"Sit under your own tree of enlightenment." Jack Kornfield

"Be present for your humanity." Jack Kornfield

"The breath becomes a mirror. You show up and so things show up." (meditation practice) Jack Kornfield

4/1/14 4/1/14

Insights for March, 2014

“Each of us is born with a life task to reconnect to the core of our being. In order to do this, we must remove the blocks between our conscious awareness and our core.” Light Emerging, Barbara Ann Brennan, pg. 12

“Your embodied truth meter is your energy field at the physical, mental and spiritual levels: YOU CANNOT LIE TO YOUR OWN ENERGY FIELD.” David Pond, Astrologer, 2013 Winter Solstice Newsletter

“Your embodied truth meter includes your emotions, your intuition, your imagination and your soul’s urge. You can reclaim your ability to be the authority of these aspects of your being.” David Pond, Astrologer, 2013 Winter Solstice Newsletter

Where is Chiron in your natal chart? “The position of Chiron describes where we construct a bearable reality and a host of defense mechanisms to hide the loneliness and alienation suffered from being " different" and not being deeply understood..www.michaellutin.com

I have been dealing with grief and loss, as we all do, and this came across my desk (via Tricycle: The Buddhist Review) today, and I am contemplating it: "Grief might be, in some ways, the long aftermath of love, the internal work of knowing, holding, more fully valuing what we have lost." Mark Doty, "Don't They Know?

"The grief I am experiencing has a heavy weight of regret for time lost with my friend.” This, too, came across my desk from Eckhart Tolle, and I really liked it: “If your mind carries a heavy burden of past, you will experience more of the same. The past perpetuates itself through lack of presence. The quality of your consciousness at this moment is what shapes the future.”

"Divine happiness, even the tiniest particle of a grain of it, never leaves one again; and when one attains to the essence of things and finds one’s Self–this is supreme happiness. When it is found, nothing else remains to be found; the sense of want will not awaken anymore, and the heart’s torment will be stilled forever. Do not be satisfied with fragmentary happiness, which is invariably interrupted by shocks and blows of fate; but become complete, and having attained to perfection, be YOURSELF." Sri Anandamayi Ma

"When the evolutionary intent is radical the capacity for resistance is enormous." Mark Jones.

I love David Pond's astrology. He writes beautifully about the upcoming CARDINAL CROSS this April. Yes, it is a very intense alignment of planets all calling for ACTION. But I am tired of hearing astrologers worry about it. It's a call to action after all, and the best way to handle a spinning pinwheel of activity is to be as centered as possible to your core. If you are very centered to your core, the pinwheel of energy spinning around it will activate and manifest for you. Get clear on your core and shift your energy to this solid place.

"For some who like this dynamic intensity, it can be a most productive, innovative forward moving time in their lives, while for others this swirling vortex feels like a tempest in a teacup that can’t be controlled.

Spring Equinox: To Dance with Change this spring, Don’t Expect a Waltz!

The astrology for this spring presents one of the most dynamic, intense, fast moving energy patterns we’ve encountered. The much-heralded Cardinal Grand Cross (also called Grand Square) comes into exact aspect this spring and the wheel of change will be spinning like a centrifuge. In the world around us we are seeing this manifest as extreme weather patterns and extreme political uprisings. Everything seems to be intensified as the clash between the old and new comes to a head. Such is the nature of the energy field around us this spring and in this newsletter we will focus on how to utilize this energy to initiate positive changes in our individual lives.It is the same Sun that rises and sets for all of us. It is the same energy field we are all in and yet, how each of us responds to this intense energy is totally up to each individual. This energy pattern produces the awareness of where change is necessary in your life, and provides the energy to take action. The Cardinal signs initiate action; don’t wait for change—seek it. The grand square is like a cosmic accelerator and you can use it to accelerate shifting from old to the new in your life.Moving from Dysfunctional to Functional As the wheel of life spins faster, it becomes more important to know your center. What is all of this dynamic change revolving around? This is the most dynamic, energetic vortex of swirling energy imaginable. For some who like this dynamic intensity, it can be a most productive, innovative forward moving time in their lives, while for others this swirling vortex feels like a tempest in a teacup that can’t be controlled.A pinwheel gains momentum and reveals its brilliance by casting off its spent fuel. Where is it that you could gain momentum in your life by casting off the spent fuel in your life; things, people, behavior patterns, that you are holding onto that no longer feed you, or are no longer functional.You can use the centrifugal force of this energy and the pinwheel effect to help you cast off dysfunctional aspects of your life. With Pluto in Capricorn, we know the ideal is to move towards a sustainable life, but before the ideal is reached, simply becoming functional is a big step, and casting off that which is dysfunctional is a beginning. This is an excellent time for facing that which is dysfunctional in your life and transforming it into functional.The vehicle of your being is going to be moving fast. How’s your ride? Smooth, bumpy or careening recklessly out of control?” David Pond, www.davidpondastrologer.com

"...as individuals, we must all do our part... our part is to make the best, most creatively inspired, spiritually astute thing we can out of the life in play." Philip Sedgwick http://philipsedgwick.com/

"There is no such thing as two people—whether baby and mother, two lovers, or teacher and student—being perfectly in sync with each other’s needs and wishes. Real intimacy arises from an ongoing process of connection that at some point is disrupted and then, ideally, repaired." Pilar Jennings, “Looking into the Eyes of a Master”

“Most of what we're missing, I believe, is trust in ourselves. Self-trust is the foundation of all other kinds of trust because all of them come back to you trusting your decision to have faith in a situation. This has been injured so many times that it seems like trust is either impossible, or it is always going to be betrayed. Neither of these is true, but it will seem true if it's the only option we have.” Eric Francis http://planetwaves.net/astrologynews/646979010.html

“I believe that trust is cultivated by exactly the opposite property: understanding what we can give to any situation. Trust and love are closely related; we tend to love what we nurture, whether it's a child, a friend, a puppy or a home. One skill here is learning to properly nourish yourself, which will definitely help -- but replacing this chilly quality of "what can I withhold?" with "what can I offer?" is going to help many ways, including proving that you really do have something to offer; something truly worthwhile -- and that may answer one of your most nagging doubts.” Eric Francishttp://planetwaves.net/astrologynews/646979010.html

“Be cool. Locate your inner weird and find your personal non-ordinary reality. Then superimpose that onto the real world.” Philip Sedgwick http://philipsedgwick.com/

“Find a place within your inner resourcefulness that brings you absolute contentment.” Philip Sedgwick http://philipsedgwick.com/

MUSIC can increase well-being for cancer patients. Yes! Make several playlists, and listen often. http://www.curemagazine.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/journey.showArticle/id/9/enableStageSubMenu/3/article_id/2281

Meditation helps relieve stress and helps us tap our inner voice: “Find solitude. Meditation helps relieve stress and helps us tap our inner voice. If you don't like being with yourself, how can you expect others to like being with you?” Kawasaki wrote.

“Many of my best ideas have come to me when I am driving alone. I've often thought that my creativity has declined because I do not take long drives as often!”

1/31/14 1/31/14

Insights for January 2014

“I consider non-violence to be compassion in action. It doesn’t mean weakness, cowering in fear, or simply doing nothing. It is to act without violence, motivated by compassion, recognizing the rights of others.” The Dalai Lama

“Gratitude is the confidence in life itself... As gratitude grows it gives rise to joy. We experience the courage to rejoice in our own good fortune and in the good fortune of others... We can be joyful for people we love, for moments of goodness, for sunlight and trees, and for the very breath within our lungs. Like an innocent child, we can rejoice in life itself, in being alive.” Jack Kornfield, "The Wise Heart"

“If it isn't good, let it die. If it doesn't die, make it good.” Ajahn Chah

"Winter is a time of calm, naked reflection, just like the trees without their leaves." Margaret Gervais

"Pure awareness is always centered." David Pond

“Jupiter’s intention seeks to fulfill goals, make larger claims in life and blow away limitations, resulting in boundless horizons.” Phillip Sedgwick

Send your birth date, time and place to theinsightcenter@gmail.com and I will give you insights to where Jupiter is in your birth chart, and is manifesting this energy. Margaret Gervais“

Pluto wants to egg folks into soul-fulfilling enlightenment, typically conjuring life-transforming circumstances. … may …render reactions from other people of, “WTFWYT?” … when you make such a life-shifting decision.” Phillip Sedgwick

Send your birth date, time and place to theinsightcenter@gmail.com and I will give you insights to where Pluto is in your birth chart, and how it is manifesting this energy. Margaret Gervais

“Being creative, fulfilled and stepping out in life is good for the soul” Phillip Sedgwick“Purity of view is a gateway to greater insight and even deeper levels of happiness. The momentum of mindfulness becomes so strong that the perception of phenomena arising and passing away becomes crystal clear. Concentration and awareness are effortless. The mind becomes luminous. We experience precise, clear insight into the nature of things. It is our first taste of coming home. We have rapture and gratitude.” Joseph Goldstein, Tricycle F’05

“As a being of power, intelligence and love, you hold the key to every situation, and contain within yourself that transforming and regenerative agency by which you may make yourself what you will. “ James Allen

"On an everyday level, we can bring this awakened consciousness into all that we do throughout the day. Simply staying aware and mindful of your energy while you are involved in the activities of your life, even in a difficult moment with another person, will pull you back to your center quickly. It is that simple and accessible. Your awareness is always centered and non-reactive. Your ego isn't, but when you stay consciously aware of your energy while experiencing the ego's reactions, you don't remain stuck in polarities and awareness pulls you back to your center." David Pond's Winter Solstice 2013 Newsletter

Meditation for teens, and the results have been astounding."http://www.nj.com/parenting/index.ssf/2014/01/meditation_for_teens.htmlI have created a Cardinal Cross of 2014 Synthesis Worksheet that is a very insightful and helpful tool for looking at your chart and the Cardinal Cross of 2014. What Insights/Affirmations/Intentions will you find and use to navigate and empower yourself this year?

Email me if you would like a copy or to schedule an appointment to work through your chart and the synthesis worksheet. theinsightcenter@gmail.com

This looks really good, A Beginner's Guide to Meditation: Practical Advice and Inspiration from Contemporary Buddhist Teachers: http://www.amazon.com/Beginners-Guide-Meditation-Inspiration-Contemporary/dp/1611800579/ref=sr_1_24?ie=UTF8&qid=1390585989&sr=8-24&keywords=the+beginners+guide+to+meditation

"Mindfulness is close to reaching a tipping point. Only two years ago, mindfulness and mindful leadership were discussed at the WEF for the first time. Since then, almost all of the mindfulness-related events there have been oversubscribed. Mindfulness practices like meditation are now used in technology companies such as Google and Twitter (amongst others), in traditional companies in the car and energy sectors, in state-owned enterprises in China, and in UN organizations, governments, and the World Bank." http://www.huffingtonpost.com/otto-scharmer/davos-mindfulness-hotspot_b_4671062.html

Workshop on Buddhism through the 12-step program. I have been wondering how this works. Looks like a great workshop at Spirit Rock Meditation Centerhttps://www.spiritrock.org/calendarDetails?EventID=3716Check this out: Mindfulness at Work - a podcast by Sharon Salzberg, from Tricycle: The Buddhist Review. I know it's going to make me want to buy her book.https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/tricycle-talks/id695108281?mt=2Re: Samatha Meditation and the watcher, very wise words from Ram Dass, Love Serve Remember today:

"The technique of the witness is to merely sit with the fear and be aware of it before it becomes so consuming that there’s no space left. The image I usually use is that of a picture frame and a painting of a gray cloud against a blue sky. But the picture frame is a little too small. So you bend the canvas around to frame it. But in doing so you lost all the blue sky. So you end up with just a framed gray cloud. It fills the entire frame. So when you say 'I'm afraid' or 'I'm depressed', if you enlarged the frame so that just a little blue space shows, you would say ‘ah, a cloud.’ That is what the witness is. The witness is that tiny little blue over in the corner that leads you to say, ‘ah, fear.’" Ram Dass“Mindfulness training, Jha hypothesizes, may work as a protective factor against the typical stresses of student life—or any stress, for that matter, since it improves emotional equilibrium and enables people to better handle distractions. “It’s similar to how physical exercise can change the body,” Jha said. “We know that physical activity helps our bodies, but we’re just coming to the understanding that mental exercise is also critical to promoting mental well-being. It’s a cultural shift.” Amishi Jha, a neuroscientist who directs the University of Miami’s Contemplative Neuroscience, Mindfulness Research, and Practice Initiative. New Yorker online blog January 29, 2014.