Fossilizing Fear Into Fuel

Visionary activist astrologer Caroline Casey, speaking at the recent Bioneers Conference, shared a lot of cosmic commentary on our
"interesting times" (to borrow the Chinese aphorism); among them was this pithy thought on how to redeem the accumulated horror at the "end of empire" (i.e., the "dominator" virus):

"If we can compost tyranny, we'll have sustainable fuel for a long time..." to riotous applause.

To use her trademark lingo: And we say, "What a good idea!" Ashe!

Becoming a Light Unto the World

October 17th was a multidimensional moment felt 'round the world...and now, living as we do in a nanosecond reality, we're asking, "Where's the beef? What's up with this huge influx of Light? How will it affect me...and why haven't I felt anything radical happening yet?"

As Patti Cota-Robles points out, we each evolve in Divine Right Timing; there's no universal template for personal or global transformation--which is precisely why such momentous shifts do take time.

In her latest alert, What Should We Expect Now?, she suggests, "We must not let unrealistic expectations determine what we perceive to be the success or failure of this Cosmic event. One thing we have experienced in this lifetime that compares to this event is Harmonic Convergence, which took place August 15-17, 1987. During that event, people all over the world were expecting all sorts of miraculous changes too. When people woke up on August 18, 1987, and things seemed the same, many people were disappointed and classified the event as a New Age hoax. In reality, nothing could be further from the Truth.

"If you have any doubts about that, just observe your own personal growth, and see how you have matured spiritually since 1987. Pay attention to how your heart, your thoughts and your life have changed since that time. How has your own direction changed? How have you moved closer to the fulfillment of your Divine Plan, your purpose and reason for being?"

I thought back to Harmonic Convergence, which barely registered on my radar nearly 20 years ago. However, in May of 1988, I experienced a profound awakening at Harbin Hot Springs (recounted on my CD, What You Need to Know Now: A Road Map for Personal Transformation, that I recorded a decade later, after emerging from my own "dark night of the soul".) My Harbin wake-up call took place exactly 9 months from Harmonic Convergence...a classic gestation and birth!

So stay focused, remain in faith, and know that you are part of a planetary birth process. It's exciting, unpredictable, and more glorious and amazing than we could ever have imagined...just as all birth is.

Blessings.

Don't Get Stung In Your Sleep!

The energetic shifts just keep on comin', like ocean waves. As an Aquarian, pictured pouring out the Uranian electric currents of change, it's sometimes easier to sense what's happening...but not necessarily any easier to ride the waves without getting wet!

Canadian astrologer Tara Greene refers to the upcoming Scorpio season as "Scorpio overdose", or S.O.D. Six planets will be in Scorpio by month's end--and then we catapult into one of Mercury's tri-annual retrograde periods! Intriguingly, Tara observes that the amount of time we're in Mercury Rx coincides with how long humans spend asleep.

She writes, "It's as if the Universe gives us time for our brains to cool off, relax, rest, repose. Mercury Retrograde is the Universe's way of saying, your mind needs a break, you can't always be fast-forwarding, you need downtime before you can go on. It's Divine Intelligence fine-tuning things, balancing and operating in a harmonious way. Mercury retrogrades are a great time to rehash, relax, rethink, redevelop, re-invent, review, rest, and all the other 'Re-' words."

We come out of retrograde on November 17th, but things won't really begin forward motion again until December 5th...just in time for the holiday season.

So as it's now powerfully time to release and let go, Tara suggests doing your Christmas shopping NOW--or wait till the second week of December.

Grab your surfboards, and let's enjoy the cleansing waters!

Living As a Bridge Between the Worlds

As a follow-up to my October 5th posting with Maggie Erotokritou's words about her trip to Peru, here's an excerpt from trip facilitator Aluna Joy's travel log. It's one of the clearest expressions of what it means to walk between the worlds as a conscious conduit that I've ever read. As I see my role as that of a world-bridger as well, it was heartening to read another lightkeeper's feelings:

"It is my last morning in Peru, and things are different now. The doors to the spiritual cocoon that our group has been traveling through for 16 days have closed behind us, sealing into our hearts everything we felt, learned and experienced. It was an impeccable group. They were easy to laugh and make light of our adventures, but also knew the right times to get deep and be quiet. We have been a living example of unconditional love and harmony. This is not an easy thing to pull off in a third world country.

"I know that when we walk as a conscious group in any area of the earth, it affects the earth and the people in that area. It feels good to know that we anchored some beautiful energy for those who walk this path after us. This last night on the lake's edge, we had a great confirmation of the power we collected. Many of you have probably experienced light bulbs bursting when you touch them, and perhaps you may have even blown out your computer screens . . . but tonight the electrical transformers outside our hotel began to explode and go up in flames . . . one after the other … until all the power was down for as far as the eye could see. The show was visible from my room window. What a show of confirmation. But now Spirit asks us to return to the 3D world, and this leaves us feeling strange beyond words, and triggers deep questions. It is an empty fullness.

"As you probably noticed, I'm not an expert on the places that I visit. I'm not an authority; nor do I pretend to be. I'm a visitor, a traveler, an enthusiast, a spiritual seeker. But what exactly have I gained? How have I been changed by what I have seen, by what I have done, by what I have felt? Pilgrimages are about self-discovery and self mastery, just as much as they are about discovering sacred sites in the outer world. We go to a sacred site, we learn, we get blasted and changed in the process. Hopefully when all is said and done, we are a little bit better for it.

"Sacred travel isn't always pretty. It isn't always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, and it can even break our hearts. But that is okay. Because the journey changed us as it should. It leaves marks on our memory, our consciousness, our hearts, and even our bodies. You take something back with you, and hopefully we leave something good behind. Is it possible to be saturated with Spirit and emptied out all at the same time? I think so.

"Like it or not, sooner or later we have to go back to the busy worlds from which we came. We feel strange about leaving. We don't know if we belong in these beautiful places, yet we don't know if we belong at home either.

"As I near my home base in Sedona, I sit down to my first green salad in almost three weeks. Dust from the Andean highlands is still fresh on my jeans. Woven bracelets are still on my wrist. Energetic Andean pan pipe music is now replaced with lifeless, canned, mall music. I realize that the people around me have no concept of the world I just left. Nor could the people that I just left understand the world I just reentered. Both worlds seem so unreal to me. I don't fit well in either. This used to bother me. But today, being between worlds has become normal to me and quite comfortable.

"Our modern world is filled with unlimited opportunities, yet those around me seem so anesthetized. The abundance of options has placed them in a fog. Yet all those in the Andes have all the headspace they need to learn; yet no opportunity to do so. I can feel the chasm between the worlds. How funny that only in a few short hours, we can experience both in their extremes.

"As I near home, anticipating a nice hot shower and a comfy bed, there is a power in me, a light, a strength in me. This light makes me okay with both worlds. I fit in both not as a participant, but as a bridge. My place, my home . . . is in me. In one world, I am rich. In another, I am poor. In one, I am smart; in another, uneducated. What the world thinks of me is only their opinion. It doesn't matter to me anymore. I know that the power and light in me is Spirit. My living in both worlds bridges these two worlds together somehow. My journeys build bridges. Our journeys together build even bigger bridges. Soon we will build a bridge for the entire world.

"It was a hard journey. I hiked far, slept little, and dug relentlessly for answers to life's questions. The riches I gained are immeasurable, indescribable, yet barely tangible to the mind. I feel a deeper sense of purpose. I feel a deeper level of Spirit walking with me. I am at the center point within me, and this feels like home. I can feel the Andean Apus, and spirits walking with me stronger than ever. All that I experienced, all that I connected with, and all that I learned walks with me now as part of me; a part of my Spirit . . . a part of my soul . . . and a part of the bridge."

Aluna concluded her entry with this anonymous quote:

"Imagine if, upon awakening tomorrow, you were free to express your truth, whatever your truth might be, without fear of embarrassment, without fear of prejudgment, without fear of retribution. What would you say? Where would you start? And how far would you go with your newfound light?"

Amplify the Awesome

Tuesday, October 17th, is another portal opportunity for humanity to raise our vibratory frequency significantly. According to a transmission from Patti Cota-Robles,

"There is going to be an ultraviolet pulse beam from higher dimensions greater than we have previously been able to experience, crossing the path of Earth. [This rare cosmic event] will give us a jump-start in manifesting the things we would like to co-create in our own lives and on this planet.

We will be held in the embrace of this highly charged ultraviolet beam of Light for approximately 17 hours. The energy emanating from this beam resonates with Humanity's 5th-Dimensional Solar Heart Chakras.

The Beings of Light are revealing that during this 17-hour period the ultraviolet pulse beam will have the effect of amplifying our thoughts and emotions ONE MILLIONFOLD. This will be the case regardless of what our thoughts and emotions are expressing. Needless to say, it is imperative for all of us to be Peace Commanding Presences during this auspicious time."

The emphasis on 17 intrigues me, and feels like a circle completing. Many years ago, when my dream life was nudging me to reawaken to the truth of who and what I am, I dreamt what felt like vitally important information about an "error message of 17"; somehow, I knew, a "course correction" of sorts was necessary, but as usual in those early days of remembering (and sometimes today as well!), I thought the message related solely to my individual ray of consciousness in 3D, rather than to the collective.

Patti writes, "The ultraviolet pulse beam will be a wave of Light that traverses the planet, so no matter what time zone you are in the important times will be the same. For 17 hours, from approximately 10:17 a.m. on October 17th until 1:17 a.m. on October 18th our thoughts and emotions will be amplified ONE MILLIONFOLD. The peak time will be 5:10 p.m. on October 17th.

Can you imagine how powerful it will be for Lightworkers around the world to take advantage of this Cosmic Moment by using our thoughts and emotions to expand the archetypes and matrix for Divine Government on this planet, as well as empowering the newly reactivated patterns of Heaven on Earth?"

Let's replace ancient fear
With global hugs and good cheer.
A correction message of 17 is at hand...
May Light, Liberty and Love grace the land!

Cosmic Cement

As usual, Karen Bishop has her intuitive pulse on our planetary body. In her latest alert, she describes our "rungs of rising frequencies" as feeling a bit like an evolutionary topple backwards. Many lightworkers no longer feel guided as we once did, because the times are no longer a-changin' — we've raised collective consciousness to the necessary level of critical mass (attained in August 2005); now, the work is about creating what a Planet of Light "looks like."

Not exactly a 3D job description.

So we're looking inward more than ever before, because that's where the true guidance is coming from, now. It's about integrating and collaborating with our global siblings and with Gaia Herself, in co-creating a whole new concept of what a "regular life" is in 3D. We have the blueprint. We have that knowledge. We're all becoming master artisans. And October is the month we cement in the changes September wrought.

This is elemental evolution, beloveds! What joy!

Happy Birthday, Jackson Browne and John Lennon

October 9th is a day of birth on many levels. In the U.S., today marks Columbus' discovery of the New World. Five centuries hence, it also commemorates the day two extraordinary troubadours arrived in 3D: John Lennon was born October 9, 1940, and would be 66 today were he still embodied. And Jackson Browne, who was my muse thirty years ago and is still a poetic prophet for our times, turns 58 today.

Let freedom—and the music—ring!

South America as Portal to the Divine Feminine

Maggie Erotokritou, coordinator of the Planetary Awakening Network, just returned from a spiritual pilgrimage to Peru facilitated by experienced sacred site tour guides, Willuru and Aluna Joy. She says the experience was profound. What was illuminating for me was learning this area is the planetary portal for the Divine Feminine energies to stream onto the global grid; no wonder so many (including me!) feel a pull to journey there now...

Maggie writes, "As we move towards the Golden Age, and the Divine Feminine energies become more evident and many more people are waking up, so the spiritual energies of the planet have also shifted from the masculine area of the Himalayas and Tibet to South America, which is considered to be the feminine spiritual counterpart, and where the Divine Feminine energies are pouring in. More and more spiritual seekers are now being drawn towards South America and specifically to Peru, whereas in the past most spiritual seekers were drawn to India, the Himalayas and Tibet. There is a turning of the tide. Long ago the masters wrote that the untapped focus of illumination would be in the Andes mountains and that South America would become the land of spiritual promise. This is also reflected in the gradual letting go of the guru system and instead moving into a deeper sense of self and knowing, which invites self remembering and self realization." (For years, when people have inquired about my spiritual journey and what teacher(s) I've followed, I usually respond, "I just dial direct!")

Maggie continues, "The crown for me was Lake Titicaca, the highest, and most mysterious lake in the world, and Tequile Island, which is located about two hours' boat ride across the lake. Lake Titicaca is now considered to be the heart centre of the world, and on the top of Tequile Island in the lake is the Temple of the Heart. Although the people on the island are very poor and don't have running water or electricity, their hearts are filled with love and joy, and staying on the island one can feel the flowing heart energy, which extends across the lake.

"Sitting at the top of the world at the highest point of the island, about 14,500 feet, at the Temple of the Heart, was one of the most soulfelt experiences I have ever had. It is a time for the full opening and blossoming of the heart; the world so desperately needs it, we have been through a huge purification and this is continuing so as to make room for the new to come in.

"I extend and share those beautiful rays of light with you and send them across the world and invite you to join me in doing so."

In the Flow with The Divine Feminine

I often receive wonderful, humorous "insight stories" (almost like Zen koans) from my dear virtual friend Violette Ruffley. Here's her latest, which had me laughing out loud. Being spiritual is good; being spiritual and prepared is better; being spiritual, prepared, and allowing ourselves to be receptively guided is ideal. Remember, it's humor, so enjoy in that context:

The River

Three men were hiking through a forest when they came upon a raging, violent river. Needing to get on the other side, the first man prayed, "God, please give me the strength to cross the river."

Poof! God gave him big arms and strong legs and he was able to swim across in about two hours, having almost drowned twice.

After witnessing that, the second man prayed, "God, please give me strength and the tools to cross the river."

Poof! God gave him a rowboat and strong arms and strong legs and he was able to row across in about an hour, after almost capsizing once.

Seeing what happened to the first two men, the third man prayed, "God, please give me the strength, the tools and the intelligence to cross the river."

Poof! He was turned into a woman. She checked the map, hiked one hundred yards upstream and walked across the bridge.

New to the Core

E/merging from September is a bit like stepping out of a blast furnace, newly forged in the alchemical fire. Two respected wayshowers for these transitional times cite how the shift is affecting them, and us:

Allison Rae, who has published The Alignments Newsletter since 1999, received clear guidance to stop. During her "unplanned sabbatical," she "quite unexpectedly contacted a level of being new in this lifetime yet thoroughly familiar, a vast interdimensional space accessed via Vishnunabi, the Galactic Core.

"Merging with this level of raw creation energy catalyzed an ecstatic internal reconfiguration that it took the entire eclipse period of September to integrate.

"This initiation had everything to do with Pluto's transit of Sagittarius and the Galactic Center, the September eclipse series, and a personal transit of Uranus conjunct my natal 9th house Jupiter and Chiron in Pisces.

"The passage obliterated my operating paradigm and shattered my perceptions. At the same time, it reaffirmed my most fundamental beliefs. Through this gateway, infinite new realities are born.

"Creation necessarily involves destruction. This is the myth of Kali and the Dark Madonna. It's how Pluto operates. We must sacrifice everything to attain the state of no-being-ness required so that we may create purely from Essence.

"With Pluto's help, everything can change in the wink of an eye. Pluto's conjunction with the Galactic Center in 2006-2007 opens the cosmic floodgate. This passage shatters our assumptions and opens us to greater understanding of the nature of reality and our true purpose.

"Through this gateway, a most profound connection with Source is possible. Much will be destroyed in the process." It is a process of living into our vastness, allowing our greatness to shine. Allison says, "Like Sagittarius the archer, we need to aim higher, reach for the stars, return in consciousness to our true home."

Allison's new, vaster version of Aligments is Cosmic Time. Check it out.

Meanwhile, Archangel Michael through Celia Fenn affirms what many of us have been feeling for awhile: Time has changed.

Now, I usually think my exhaustion or anger is due to living nomadically for so-so-so long, but/and, I'm also a vessel for the cosmic shift. Michael says,

"...so many people say to us, 'I do not feel like a Master, and I feel lost and confused', or they say, 'I never have time to do anything anymore and I am always tired. Whatever happened to time?'

"Well, dearest ones, it is true that as you moved into the new Fifth-Dimensional Matrix, time accelerated as your vibration was lifted and raised. But we would also like to explain to you what has happened with your perception of time.

"You have become multi-dimensional Crystal beings or Human Angels. Your energy flows freely though all your energy and physical forms. Now, previously, you were in the habit of repressing unpleasant emotions and feelings, and not dealing with complex situations. You would 'hide' in work, or play, or addictions. But now, you are learning to deal with every emotion and feeling that arises, so that you may be a clear channel for Divine Essence, with no blocks or repressions.

"So, indeed, much of your time is now taken up with processing deep feelings and emotions. Many of you have considerable 'backlogs' and are having to process and release some quite old issues in order to reach the clarity of heart and mind that will allow you to emerge as fully Crystal or Christed beings - the true Masters of Light.

"And so, as you work to process these feelings, you do experience confusion, anxiety and even exhaustion. But we say, dearest Lightworkers, allow this process and be patient. Soon you will see the rewards and feel the benefits as you emerge into clarity and peace."

Rest easy, dear hearts! October is going to be an easier month, and then we skate into another powerful 11:11 Stargate in November...

Human Wisdom Healing Spiral

On Saturday I participated in a Wisdom Healing Spiral, like a human labyrinth, at Lithia Park in Ashland, Oregon. Conceived and orchestrated by Qigong Master Mingtong Gu, originally from China, the spiral was a personal and planetary healing event.

What fascinates me is that Master Gu reminded us at the outset that we're all cells in the Milky Way...and today, seeing the aerial photo of 400 of us engaged in this meditative spiralic motion, chanting "All is well" and "I AM", that's exactly how we appear!

May you feel the power and the beauty cocreated as our contribution to Equinoctial healing!

Hey 19! A Cycle Completes

With tomorrow's New Moon in Virgo and Solar eclipse, we experience yet another September energy surge. Got your psychic surge protector plugged into the etheric circuit? We're all going to need it...

According to astrologer Claudia Thompson, this eclipse completes something we began 19 years ago, in March 1987. I can barely remember what I was doing then, can you? Read Claudia's entire New Moon Update and enjoy surfing our collective luna-see! This Equinox is truly a "blast from the past" into our cosmically attuned present--which, of course, holds the gift.

The GaiaField Awakens

On the Autumnal Equinox, September 21st, you're invited to participate in a unique global ritual in honor of the International Day of Peace. From 3:30-4:30 pm GMT, groups will gather in Auroville (India), the Findhorn Community (Scotland), and the California Institute of Integral Studies (USA) for a sacred ceremony that will be linked via state-of-the art video and audio communication technologies. The ceremony will also be broadcast live over the Internet to a global audience.

The vision of this "GaiaField" of meditation and prayer is to unite hundreds of thousands for peace and prayer events. David Nicol, director of the GaiaField Project, describes the mission this way:

"Many of us intuitively recognize the power of uniting millions of people from diverse spiritual traditions around the globe in meditation and prayer for peace. Several well-organized global meditation and prayer events, such as the Harmonic Convergence of 1987, the GaiaMind meditation of 1997, James Twyman's 'Great Experiments' and the annual International Day of Peace Vigil have involved hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people. Numerous research studies have documented consistent, significant correlations between the presence of large groups of meditators and improvements in social indicators such as crime rates, war deaths, and terrorist activity. Many spiritual leaders and visionary thinkers have hypothesized that these global rituals for peace may accelerate the emergence of a unified global consciousness.

The vision of the GaiaField Project is to support the emergence of a large, resilient, multi-hub network of spiritual leaders and their constituencies who will regularly participate in and co-create large-scale global meditation and prayer vigils. Our aim is not so much to set up another new global meditation network, but to facilitate the sharing of information and resources between the many existing networks which share the goal of bringing together hundreds of thousands of people in meditation or prayer for world peace."

The GaiaField Project is currently a joint project of the California Institute of Integral Studies and Wisdom Mountain, both of which are non-profit organizations based in Northern California.

The Charge of the Light Brigade

Often in these evolutionary end days of life behind the veil, I've discovered that what I thought was a circumstance uniquely mine is, in truth, a symptom and symbol of what's happening energetically on a grand scale.

For instance: my cell phone has not been holding its "charge" lately. For at least a month, maybe two, it seems to lose juice almost as soon as I take it off the charger, or make a single call. Since I spent much of the summer camping on Mt. Shasta, a powerful energy vortex, I assumed the mountain was affecting electrical devices.

Except...a client in Minnesota reported her cell phone is behaving similarly strangely...and just this morning, a new friend in Ashland, Oregon, whose spare bedroom I'm staying in temporarily, said, "I need to charge my cell phone again...it doesn't seem to be holding its charge."

Extrapolating from my small sample size of three, lightkeepers all, I mused: perhaps this has to do with releasing the "charge" we all tend to carry around various issues, people and circumstances in our lives...and accepting our charge as midwives of the Light, so that we can most effectively convert energy! Reframing/renaming the phenomenon in this light just now gave me a real charge...

Blessings, dear travelers on the path Home to the One Heart.

Asking the Big Questions

Want to become part of a global dialogue designed to wed the movers and shakers with you and me? Dropping Knowledge, a new, non-profit site based in Germany, promotes international understanding, the arts, and culture (and possibly, international understanding through arts and culture!)

Discussion themes range from politics and governance to health and nutrition, from quality of life and prosperity to peace and security, from education to the environment, and much, much more. If it affects us, it's part of the dialogue.

Rub virtual elbows with the likes of activist/author Arundhati Roy, musician and multimedia artist Laurie Anderson, filmmaker Wim Wenders, and hundreds of others. Dropping Knowledge is also collaborating with Creative Commons in the area of "copyleft" licensing.

Tune in to listen...and add your voice to the vision!

Commemorating 9-1-1

On the fifth anniversary of the World Trade Center attack that has become known as 9/11, but that I prefer to call 9-1-1 in recognition of the "state of emerge-and-see" it heralded worldwide, I'm republishing the post I sent out to my global e-list that afternoon. We've come a long way as a global family since then, growing in awareness, courage, love and unity...as the evolutionary energy continues roiling everywhere, let us hold high the lamp, my friends. We are on our way Home!

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*

This IS A Test!

Dear Ones,

We are six days from September 17th, a date heralded as being an opportunity for planetary initiation. An initiatory crisis, personal or global, catapults us out of our prior way of life in an instant, and demands a creative response born of trust in the process. Crisis actually means "turning point," as well as opportunity. So while this morning's air attacks on key U.S. "nerve centers" (the World Trade Center Towers and the Pentagon) surprise me only in terms of form, the actions themselves were, in a sense, predictable. It was only a matter of when. The time is NOW. The question is, how will we (the United States, and the world) respond?

I believe it was Einstein who said, you can not solve a problem with the same level of thinking that created it. From stunned pain, shock and anger, the instinctive response is retaliation. The first person I talked with today, upon hearing the news, spoke of hoping the President would threaten a nuclear attack. This would clearly be the end of life as we know it.

Later, as I listened to reports on radio, I was struck once again by how rapidly people always pull together in an emergency to help one another. Tragedy is a great leveler. We all do need to come together, not to fight a common enemy (which is within) but to begin creating the Global Community we've been inching towards for decades. It's a spiritual emergency, as we emerge from the cocoon of complacency, the old paradigm, into a courageous new world.

We must now choose to go beyond the old, reptilian, limbic brain (the same impulse that drives materialism, separation, self-interest, and misuse of power) into the higher realms of consciousness, where love, wisdom and power are synthesized into service. This is a test of the highest order. It's not about who's at fault, who orchestrated the attacks, or whether we should now place sanctions against the Middle East or other groups. It's about recognizing this attack for what it is: a colossal wake-up call.

This event is a volcanic eruption, and in hindsight, the rumblings many of us have been experiencing the past few weeks presaged it. Several players on the path have been sharing stories of total strangers (as well as of acquaintances and friends) suddenly, savagely and inexplicably dumping truckloads of mental trash on them. Everyone has been feeling "the quickening" of these end times, but, since we're at different stages in our growth, those who have no context for what they're experiencing also don't know what to do with these volatile energies. The anger's been leaking out, and finally, here's the explosion.

It is, in a very real sense, a planetary birth process. Something old has to die in order for the new to emerge. Please understand, I am not in the least condoning the tremendous loss of lives or the tragedy itself, yet I do feel that some major catastrophe to serve as a worldwide summons to awareness was cued to occur. It also took place on a Tuesday, which correlates astrologically with Mars, the God of war. We are all learning how to transform the war within ourselves into spiritual warriorhood.

It is interesting that the attack on the Pentagon made it impossible for U.S. officials to meet in the Department of Defense, the War Room. Our old defenses have been dismantled, big time and instantly.

Consider, too, that the Pentagon is a five-sided structure. There's a lot of power in five, which configures a star. The number five, as the center of the Native American medicine wheel, signifies the place of transformational possibilities. Five symbolizes access to the Spirit world in the Mayan tradition. It is a unifying element in Tibetan culture. The Greeks called the fifth element quinta essentia, the pure and concentrated essence, or invisible connector that allows earth, fire, water and air to communicate. Five is, cross-culturally, a centering and balancing element. Think of the alchemical phoenix that could arise from this apparent tragedy…

The 13th century Sufi mystic Rumi wrote, "Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and right doing, there's a field. I'll meet you there." This is the field of higher mind, of creative possibility, of the One Love. The moment is now. This is a call to conscious unity. Sisters and Brothers of the Light, please join me.

May this Invocation, sent out from World Goodwill in New York City to commemorate World Invocation Day, June 5, 2001, inspire and support you now. Many blessings and much love to you all, Amara.


The Great Invocation

From the point of Light within the mind of God
Let Light stream forth into human minds.
Let Light descend on Earth.

From the point of Love within the Heart of God
Let love stream forth into human hearts.
May the Coming One return to Earth.

From the center where the Will of God is known
Let purpose guide all little human wills—
The purpose which the Masters know and serve.

From the center which we call the human race
Let the Plan of Love and Light work out
And may it seal the door where evil dwells.

Let Light and Love and Power restore the Plan on Earth.

Health, Wealth 'n' Wisdom for the World!

Thanks to Jean Hudon of the Earth Rainbow Network, I've just discovered the first international anthem for the world. The flash movie of Matthew Levine's song is quite moving and eloquent. I once heard about a so-called "primitive" culture that sings its way across borders; perhaps we can learn from them.

Intensity, Anyone?

Aluna Joy Yaxk'in expresses the way I (and I'm sure you!) are feeling these extraordinary transition daze, adapting the lyrics of an old R.E.M. tune: "It's the end of the world as we know it...and we are fine!" In her current Center of the Sun newsletter, she describes the weird physical symptoms I've been experiencing (stomach gurglings and poor digestion, searing headaches that don't, thankfully, turn into the flu) as part of our collective clearing process in order to hold a greater degree of light.

It's heartening to remember these changes aren't necessarily about me! As Aluna writes, "There is a sanity in knowing that what we go through as sensitives is not personal, but planetary. Our gifts as sensitives can be a great gift and also a huge challenge. These days it feels like a little of both."

All the posts I'm receiving now point to September as a time of huge escalation. Aluna's Star Elders say the Great Shift predicted to begin in 2008 in fact started 9/5 (the day my symptoms began). It's wonderful to be "ahead of schedule" (although the calendar is just a linear time construct, anyway); what it means in terms of our lives is that we're being called to live our highest truth more strongly than ever before, to walk our talk in the face of all the duality trying to pull us back down to "Earth". Gaia is one with us in this acceleration; I put "Earth" in quotes as a reference to the mass media and other 3-D "realities" that tell us how things ARE -- NOT!!

Other lightkeepers concur. Renowned "angel lady" Doreen Virtue has been guided to facilitate a day of angel workshops and teachings about angelic healing on September 10, just prior to the 5th anniversary of the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon in the US. The angels want a focus on light instead of dark, and a focus on love instead of fear.

Barbara Wolf is calling on us to turn the Lights back on, on September 11th. Her invocation:

Let us turn on the lights again.

Let us overlay positive energies on the negative.
Let us join together to make our own positive reality.

You and you and you and you are Divine Beings.
We are all Divine Beings.

On September 11, throughout the entire day, let us be mindful of this. Let us silently say to all,
YOU ARE A DIVINE BEING.

And Maggie Erotokritou, coordinator of the Planetary Awakening Network, delineates some of the celestial tuning up that's taking place as a backdrop to the above:

• Full Moon/lunar eclipse in Pisces on Thursday, September 7th, calling us to immerse our physical and energetic beings in water, water, water (I have been camping on Mt. Shasta in far northern California for most of the summer, and with all the fires in surrounding counties, I'm feeling dry, dry, dry!)

Maggie says, "Water is connected to emotions and full moon and eclipses bring everything to the surface, and there seem to be a lot of emotions bubbling up at the moment. So over the next few days just a reminder to drink lots of water and to spend some time close to water, be it a lake or the sea or a waterfall, whatever happens to be within your vicinity if you can. Heavy stuff is coming up and water will help to clear the next layer of residue."

• New Moon/solar eclipse in Virgo on the Equinox, September 22. "Some astrologers have described the first eclipse as the 'mean' one and the second one as the 'friendly' one, by which time things will be settling down. So take heed, the eclipses will bring you face to face with your life, and many people will be rethinking what they truly want to do with their lives at this time. This introspective and reflective period will continue through the first three weeks of the month, so this would be a good time to think about what you really want and what you want to put your attention on. Remember, what you put your attention on becomes energized. Everything is changing, and so are the rules. You have the choice to play the game in a different way."

Looking In the Mirror With Love

Hot on the heels of my latest e-newsletter, focusing this month on the primal link between peace and the environment, and how we can "midwife the obvious truth" with one another, comes word of a global conference on Engaging the Other through the power of compassion.

The Common Bond Institute (CBI) holds as its mission, "Cultivating the fundamental elements of a consciousness of peace, and local capacity building...enabling each society to effectively resolve and transform conflicts, satisfy core human needs within their communities, and construct effective, holistic mechanisms for self determination, self esteem, and fundamental human dignity." Wow! Sounds like it will be an extraordinary conference: clear your calendar for 4 days in Michigan at the end of October.

I also received an e-mail from What Shines subscriber Dennis Farley, who found explanation of the Iroquois consensus-creating process illuminating. Dennis shared,

"Nice post. I especially like: ". . . in the tribal council tradition, participants simply talk until there is nothing left but 'the
obvious truth.' It's a bit like boiling sugar down to syrup, or an oyster spinning a pearl from the irritating grain of sand in its shell."

Back in '91 during the 1st Gulf War I was an associate producer for the World Peace Prayer Ceremony in Amenia, NY. We invited the keeper of the pipe (a 5000-year-old pipe, so they say), a Medicine Man from the Sioux Nation, to perform the peace pipe ceremony. Before passing the pipe around the circle (well actually he carried the pipe around the circle, never letting go), he would essentially point it at each person in the circle before moving on, although he held it to my forehead for a moment, before taking it to the person next to me . . . Before taking the pipe around the circle he spoke for a long, long time in what may have seemed like a series of non-sequitors, and I was thinking or meditating on the process, trying to fathom this 'talk.' For awhile I thought he might be channeling each one of us in some random way, shaping each spirit as best he could into stories and paragraphs and words. In that sense it made a kind of sense, but after reading your newsletter it brought it into more focus. Quite unlike the Madison Avenue speak that we have come to take as everyday fare, and substitute for the truth or even an attempt at it approximating the truth, as if it could be found alone in words . . . I mean even the word 'truth', is so relative that it is both meaningless and staring us in the face at the same time. So, thanks for that insight . . . talk until there's nothing left but 'the obvious truth.'

Nice."

September: Surging Into the Shift of the Ages

It's an open secret that we're rocketing towards a date with destiny (2012) at Warp 9, and then some. Astrologers everywhere are prompting us to fasten our transporter belts and prepare for the flume ride of our lives (yes, it's a mixed metaphor, but appropriate for these intergalactic times, oui?)

One of my favorite transmissions on the Tao of Now (which is also what I call the theme of my monthly e-newsletter, What Shines) is Allison Rae's current Alignments Newsletter, on The Transformation Game.

She introduces the cosmic backdrop with a summary of the "Big 3" galactic alignments heralding our passage into the next world age:

1) The Grand Fixed Cross Solar Eclipse on August 11, 1999, which sparked a mass spiritual awakening that continues to reverberate around the planet. This was the wake-up call leading into the 2001-2002 Saturn-Pluto oppositions that reshaped our inner and outer landscapes. (We're coming up on the 5th anniversary of The World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks, which took place on September 11, 2001.)

2) The historic Transit of Venus is a rare astronomical event, the passage of the planet Venus across the face of our local Sun. Venus has a very predictable, 40-year cycle, and Transits of Venus come in pairs, eight years apart. The first in this series was June 8, 2004. The second will be on June 6, 2012. The Maya are very aware of the Venus cycle, and the 2004-2012 Transit of Venus is connected to both the Mayan calendar “ending” in 2012 as well as the myth and symbolism of the great feathered serpent Quetzalcoatl.

3) In late 2006, we have the equally rare conjunction of Pluto with the Galactic Center. The first exact conjunction is coming up on December 29/30, 2006, and there will be two more passes - on July 17 and October 28, 2007. Sandwiched between the Venus Transits of the solar disc, the Pluto Passage throws open the doors for consciousness evolution on a scale we can’t even imagine from our vantage point today.

And if this intro isn't juicy enough, Allison explains the steps in the unfolding cosmic drama/dharma that is midwifing humanity into our full potential as conscious co-creators in the Divine Plan--regardless of what this may "look like" on a mundane, day-to-day level.

To update Leary, it's time to tune in, tune up, let go...and let's grow!