Why do you play the harp?

  I  returned home from the 2009 Harper’s Escape on Sunday.  The tunes are still running thru my head, awake and asleep.  I am filled with joy and gladness that so much joy and gladness can be shared with harps.  Yes? 

40 of us gathered strong under  gloomy, doomy October skies to learn a few tunes, in community with each other.  Angels as well as devils showed up. Spiritual energy/vibration allowed it to be all okay, just as it is.

Om shanti. Peace to all.

On Sunday, we performed as a sort of harp orchestra at the local public library.  We were quite the hit; a waiting line stood patiently outside the room for the entire performance hoping for a seat to open up.  

I was relatively pleased and content with my own ‘performance’, noticing with every breath how the inner critic is still alive and well! 

But, once again I was amazed and awed by the sheer diversity of our group.  The harp is what brought us together and held us in-common.  Regardless of color, creed, culture, or zodiac sign, we worked together for an entire weekend to create a concert for the public.  Peace is always possible.

Astrologically speaking it was a weekend of Neptune/Chiron/Jupiter & Moon energies.  Sweet, serious, and silly all together with lots of food, drink, and water…….it rained a lot.  The balsamic phase of the moon was occuring in Late degrees of Libra.  Read more about balsamic, it’s very important to understand our human need for deep rest.

 

Gotta go practice……I’m haunted by the Harris Dance.

Fathers-in-Training

January, 1946

Dear Mother & Grandmother……

You are missed.

Love from your one and only,

Granddaughter- Daughter

i.

Something else you may not know about me…..

I’ve been listening to a lot of speech’s recently.

Today, I listened to someone speak about speech’s and speechwriting.   In 1989 & again in 1998 I spent some time working as a speechwriter.  It was part of my job as an Assistant to the President to a hugely successful and powerful female, real estate broker/owner in NJ.  I learned a lot about a lot, and I’m grateful for that job experience.  During that time, I was also learning how to deliver speech’s myself.

There is No Substitute for good communication skills, regardless of gender, education, intellect, socio/economic class, religion, or anything else.  And yet, it has obviously not been a priority in our culture….. either for the masses,  public officials, and don’t even get me started on the level of communication skills within our established medical/legal communities!!  For this reason alone I applaud Barack Obama, regardless of whatever he does or does not do.

As a graduate of NLP, I feel a certain responsibility to practice conscious, effective, and clear communications as often as possible and to teach/train others to improve their communication skills with others.  In my yoga classes I have often guided the students thru what is called Co-Listening. I learned & practiced many variations of this technique at Kripalu Center in the Berkshires. (1994 – 2008.)  The combination of NLP techniques with yoga philosophy & practices is quite effective when skillfully applied…..at least in my experience.

This century has challenged us to learn how to communicate thru technological mediums.  The internet has indeed changed everything and some are being left behind.  However, for those out here in the blogosphere with me, it’s vital that we all remember that these are just words on a screen.  There is no substitute for human-to-human contact.  Sounds, smell, touch, sight, movement, gesture, are also parts of the whole of communication.

Here’s a cardinal rule to follow.

We are all, as individuals, responsible for what we say & what we hear.  When you ask a question and do not get the response you anticipate, ask again, differently.  If you have an emotional response to something you’ve heard….seek clarification to make sure that what you heard was what the speaker intended to say.  Defense mechanisms have deep roots and we are all responsible for pruning back what no longer works.   (I feel a rant coming on here so that’s a good time to sign off.)

Mercury is still retrograde and will remain so until January 31.  A good time to re-consider how to improve your communication skills.

Have a nice day.

Statistics can be fun as long as………..

……you don’t get too “attached”.

I was perusing around wordpress today and decided to take a closer look at my stat’s.  Just for fun.

Since my posting is rather random & seemingly scattered, at best, it’s interesting to see just how people get here to this site and what they like to read.

Since beginning this online adventure in Feb07, I have created 157 posts in 29 different categories.

This post has received 3,060 views, way more than this post which comes in second with 990 views.

This post is next with 922 views.  #4 on the list is this one with 715, and #5 has had 687 views.

These numbers may not be enough to impress some of you, but I am blown away by the power & potential of this online medium.

Each of these 5 posts have hovered around the top-5 for a long time.  It certainly makes food for thought.

Have a nice day.

……..wanna dance?

remember what Rumi wrote?  check out this older post in the archives …………..

We’ll be in The Big Apple on Friday, Full Moon in Capricorn.

Super-Balsamic & The 12-House Blues

It’s been a while since I posted here.  A long while.

As I’ve written in many different posts ( here, here & here) the balsamic phase of a cycle is a time when we turn away from worldly concerns ( 1st chakra ’stuff’) and redirect our energy inward ( or upward) towards the spiritual/cosmic/ethereal,  either voluntarily…….or not.

I have found that it’s best to just go with the flow of this time period rather than try to force anything .   Regardless of the local weather, you’re traveling thru some dense fog and smokey waters.  Meditation/Prayer is the best activity to engage in.  If you can find an ashram or retreat center near by, go.

I live at the sea.  It helps.

The Lunar Balsamic phase lasts 3.5 days.  That’s a pretty easy time frame to work with for pulling out of the rat race.  However, the days of the week may prevent some challenges if you’re on some one else’s schedule and not your own.

Every planet in the solar system goes through a balsamic phase at some point-in-time.  The solar balsamic phase occurs for the 6-week period every year before your birthday. ( The Solar Return occurs when the sun reaches the exact place it was in at the moment of your birth.

The Balsamic phase for Mars lasts approximately 16 weeks.  Jupiter’s balsamic phase lasts about 18 months and Saturn’s balsamic phase is approximately 3.5 years! Few of us live long enough to experience a balsamic phase for the outer planets…..except perhaps Uranus.

In addition, any planet transiting thru the 12th House would also initiate the same kind of energy as a balsamic phase.

All that said, I am currently experiencing a 12th house Sun transit, a balsamic Mars, Jupiter, AND Saturn………………all at the same time.  It’s a miracle I can function!  For those of you versed in Vedic Astrology I have  just completed the Sade Sati which is a 3 year period of Saturn aspecting the Moon, also similar to the balsamic phase.  Whew.  It’s exhausting for no apparent reason.   What keeps me positive is the absolute knowledge that when this period is over I will be poised for a creative cycle beyond that which I have experienced for quite some time.

Teaching yoga is a gift.  Spiritual practice and practices are highly recommended during balsamic periods.   Yoga helps to create a global awareness of body, mind, emotions, and spirit.  For me, yoga helps me to be in the world and in-spirit at the same time.

Today is a First Quarter Phase in my lunar cycle, a time for action, ergo this post.

For the past few months I have been busy working on a private blog which I hope to publish soon, perhaps as an E-Book.

The subject is Astrology for Yoga Teachers/Therapists. If you’re interested  in being contacted upon publication please send an email to: asanctuary@optonline.net.

Hip, hip, hooray – full moon today!

Hmmmm. Not sure that title really works with this Plutonian Full Moon today. Anytime I see Pluto in a configuration it feels a little ominous.

Here’s the chart:

Of course, with Venus over there hanging out with the Sun it does soften things up a bit.

Like kittens do.

This little kitten *appeared in my yard* just about 14 months ago. She showed up at the same time as I was experiencing a sudden and devastating loss. To me, she was an ‘angel’ in disguise. I named her Shadow, because she hid in shadows all the time during our first months.

The other day (she comes around to feed occasionally), I noticed that she had lost a lot of weight? Then she moved aside and I saw, another kitten! Oh my.

Pluto…..transforms us and forces us to grow by reproducing. That’s the essence of why it rules things like AIDS, Cancer, Nuclear & Atomic fission. Nothing can destroy something so utterly and completely like Pluto. The Phoenix represents Pluto well in reminding us that something wonderful can rise up from the ashes of destruction. Pluto is a harbinger of birth, death, & rebirth.

Consider caterpillers. They become butterflies during Plutonion processes, trans – forming from one form of being to another. Pluto doesn’t mess around.

Although violence can be part of a transformation process, it’s not really necessary for ‘a transformation’ to succeed. Pluto happens.

Moving thru Plutonion times peacefully is well-worth the effort. I’ve got another harp gig tonite, which means that I’ll be spending the day feeling anxious & excited at the same time. Looking at today’s transits the moon will be coming into an exact opposition with Venus just as I’m supposed to play. Moon/Venus in Gemini/Sag………….what a great way to communicate……music!

Practice peace with this full moon.

The weather looks great where I am.

Om nimah shivaya.

Yoga & Birth

It’s been nearly a week since I made my last post, and what a week it’s been!

Just as the moon slipped into the balsamic phase and Saturn made it’s station, my daughter gave birth to her daughter. I was so grateful to be a witness to this miracle of birth……what a moment. I’ll remember it for the rest of my life.

I’ve been facilitating pre-natal yoga for about 5 years, however this was my first opportunity to witness the techniques in action. Personally, I didn’t begin my yoga practice until after my children were born, so I don’t have any first-hand info to share. However, my daughter practiced yoga thruout her pregnancy and her experience of childbirth was 180 degrees different from my own. (No doubt modern-medicine had an impact as well as the presence of an enlightened doula/midwife)

Watching my daughter I was amazed at her composure & her acceptance during the powerful contractions of late labor. She appeared to be under control and quite present thruout those slow minutes of ‘discomfort’. I, however, found myself tense, tight, and frightened for her. Clearly, her long-standing yoga practice supported her, while my even longer yoga practice kinda went by the wayside during this highly emotional time!

Afterward, I spoke with her well experienced doula and asked her if she saw a difference between mothers who practiced yoga and those who don’t.
” Absolutely!!”, she replied. Their labors were shorter, the delivery’s were easier, and they were more composed. The doctor agreed.

I am thrilled to have been present for the miracle that is my 1st GrandDaughter. I am so proud of my daughter, that she could be so willing to trust the process and be present for this event. Yoga teaches us to be more present in our bodies and to be fully connected to the Now, regardless of what is happening. Suffering, negativity, and pain are all minimized when we can Be Here Now. At the miraculous moments of birth, the ‘now’ is the place to be.

Perhaps when I return home to my students I’ll initiate a workshop, Yoga for Grand Mothers!

Happy Mother’s Day.

Om shanti, shanti, shantihi.

May 2, 2008 7:48pm Sun in Taurus, Moon in Aries, Scorpio Rising………………….Oh Joy!

It’s a Girl!