Living Our Heaven in 2007

My medical intuitive healer friend Rebecca Potter just sent this inspirational New Year's post. Enjoy! And if you live in or near Santa Rosa, California, I encourage you to contact her for a session. Her work is truly unique and effective: 707-570-2501.

"Two weekends ago I was in Sedona and hiked on Doe Mesa. The Apu, or Spirit of the Mountain gifted me, us, this song. So I wanted to share. I hum it daily and find it very uplifting and healing.

Living Our Heaven in 2007

The Apu of my Heart
The Song of my Soul

You've given me Wings
With the Condor I Fly

I Soar Far Above, Below, and Within
Never to stray far from You now

The Bliss in Your Kiss
The Light in Your Song

Lotus Bloom of my Heart
The Fragrance so Sweet

Given me Truth
Deep Within in Peace

My smile is Joy
My body so Blessed

To be in Your Seva
My Pathway is Cleared

Enough to Reflect
All the Beauty that Dances

In You I have found
All that Romances

My Wings they spread Wide
As the Sky is so vast

All without Limits
As Creation does Tell

The Man and the Woman
Are One in the Same

When we Embrace this Gift
The Trees all will Sing

The Rocks and the Earth
Will Rejoice once again

The Song of Our Souls
Sing out the God of our Hearts

So much Beauty Bestowed
On all of Us Now

I Bow with the Grace
For Seeing this Face

The Face that You Shine
Through all that's Divine

The Apu of my Heart
The Song of my Soul

The Apu of my Heart
The Song...... I always will Hold."


Love and Light
Rebecca

Ultimate Initiation

Astronomers may think they've downgraded Pluto from the role of planet to some celestial orb of lesser significance, but they can't minimize this distant star's powerhouse effect on humanity. As the year draws to a close with Pluto conjunct the Galactic Center, we're experiencing the initiation of our lives: into Creation, Creativity, Love and Death, all Plutonic energies—but nothing like we've ever imagined, at this degree of intensity!

Astrologer Allison Rae paints vivid possible scenarios in her latest edition of Cosmic Time. As we prepare to enter a "9" year (2007 = 2+0+0+7 = 9), which is all about release and completion, she says, "It's showtime. The (Pluto) passage will be marked by massive upheaval of our thoughts and belief systems, the geophysical, geopolitical, economic and social structures of lives."

The last time Pluto passed over the Galactic Center (248 years ago), it ignited the Industrial Revolution. This time, the revolution will be a revelation: Truth is front and center, comfort zones will be stretched beyond recognition, growth is the watchword, and "resistance is futile," as the Borg used to intone on Star Trek: The Next Generation. Ready or not, the shift is happening.

I know I'm certainly vibrating to the changes in 3D. My heart's been pitter-pattering in double time, especially when I try to sleep. Allison says, "You might feel a general sense of urgency, perhaps anxiety, depression, grief or even panic. Physical symptoms include nausea, racing heart, respiratory problems, dizzyness, lightheadedness, changes in sleep and eating patterns.

"Feelings and emotions that have been 'stuffed' for decades, even lifetimes, are surfacing for final clearing. You've probably already noticed people are beginning to pop as repressed emotion comes raging to the surface.

"Holding on, trying to control situations and people will only aggravate the symptoms. Allow the intense energies to move through your body with lots of physical exercise and creative activities. Hike, walk and run on the Earth. Swim. Try yoga, t'ai chi, qi gong, drumming, chanting and sound healing. Learn to play. Avoid caffeine and other stimulants. Relax and sink into the changes with daily meditation and deep, conscious breathing. Journaling is especially helpful for emotional processing and mental clarity."

Wild rides are always more fun when we buy our ticket willingly. We're all doing this together now, so even when you think it's just you and you're alone, you're in good (if wacked-out) company.

To Allison's very wise suggestions I would add, be as loving and generous with others as possible. The stress of trying to live "normally" while undergoing a Pluto transit is tremendous (I speak from personal experience in the mid-90s, when my entire life changed irrevocably as I was catapulted into my planetary purpose and service).

Since we have this extraordinary opportunity to love as never before, let's live/love it!

The 12 Days of Sacred Awareness

Thanks to Lynn Jericho for creating this moving holiday message, Inner Christmas, which is appropriate anytime but especially now, when the veils between dimensions are thin and our hearts are open to receiving deep gifts from the soul.

Blessings!

Being Peace

This beautiful flash movie from Peaceful Earth is a sweet introduction to the time of year when all of our hearts are opened as wide as they might always be...

Baby, It's Hot Inside!

It's the start of winter (at least, for those of us residing in the Northern Hemisphere), but I've been feeling rushes of heat in my body for months now. Thinking I'm menopausal (and not ready for it!), I smiled when I read Daniel Jacob's post on The Reconnections site; once again, I'm just another lightbearer transmuting for the collective. Here's the transmission:

BODY HEAT

"There are those who have been feeling noticeable heat in their bodies at this time, as a result of the current re-balancing that is occurring between the masculine and feminine energies—in the collective consciousness and within various individuals. It is as though a magnifying glass is concentrating energy only upon certain key areas of the Veil, opening up new pathways of perception and experience of life in the Greater Oneself.

This effect would be similar to those times, in astrology readings, when a planet goes 'stationary' in regards to the Earth—bringing a higher concentration of the spirit essence which is symbolized by that planet, functioning very much like a healing laser, as it reshapes and changes the insulations which keep 3D from being bombarded by the rest of All That Is.

In fact, most of the 'heat' we're speaking about is experienced in the subtle bodies, which surround the physical vehicle. But the heat that is generated there can also excite certain sense receptors in the physical body (as a sympathetic reaction). When patients present themselves to physicians, it is hard to make a definitive diagnosis, since the heat is not really sourced within the 3D body. What we are speaking about is an INNER FIRE. The Recons urge us to simply let go of our fear, drink plenty of water, and breathe!!!!"

I've written about balancing fire and water, the masculine and feminine energies, in my e-newsletter, What Shines. Please e-mail me and request Issue #49, "Fire and Water".

Peace has Always Been Possible

Thanks to Jean Hudon of the Earth Rainbow Network for this amazing, true story of the WWI "Christmas Truce," recounted in David G. Stratman's book, We Can Change the World:

"It was December 25, 1914, only 5 months into World War I. German, British, and French soldiers, already sick and tired of the senseless killing, disobeyed their superiors and fraternized with 'the enemy' along two-thirds of the Western Front (a crime punishable by death in times of war). German troops held Christmas trees up out of the trenches with signs, 'Merry Christmas.'

'You no shoot, we no shoot.' Thousands of troops streamed across a no-man's land strewn with rotting corpses. They sang Christmas carols, exchanged photographs of loved ones back home, shared rations, played football, even roasted some pigs. Soldiers embraced men they had been trying to kill a few short hours before. They agreed to warn each other if the top brass forced them to fire their weapons, and to aim high.

A shudder ran through the high command on either side. Here was disaster in the making: soldiers declaring their brotherhood with each other and refusing to fight. Generals on both sides declared this spontaneous peacemaking to be treasonous and subject to court martial. By March 1915 the fraternization movement had been eradicated and the killing machine put back in full operation. By the time of the armistice in 1918, fifteen million would be slaughtered.

Not many people have heard the story of the Christmas Truce. On Christmas Day, 1988, a story in the Boston Globe mentioned that a local FM radio host played 'Christmas in the Trenches,' a ballad about the Christmas Truce, several times and was startled by the effect. The song became the most requested recording during the holidays in Boston on several FM stations. 'Even more startling than the number of requests I get is the reaction to the ballad afterward by callers who hadn't heard it before,' said the radio host. 'They telephone me deeply moved, sometimes in tears, asking, "What the hell did I just hear?"'

I think I know why the callers were in tears. The Christmas Truce story goes against most of what we have been taught about people. It gives us a glimpse of the world as we wish it could be and says, 'This really happened once.' It reminds us of those thoughts we keep hidden away, out of range of the TV and newspaper stories that tell us how trivial and mean human life is. It is like hearing that our deepest wishes really are true: the world really could be different."

~~~~~

If we could connect across man-made boundaries and borders a century ago, when collective consciousness was so much less aware than now, imagine what is possible for us as we shake, rattle and roll towards 2012! All we need to do is recognize ("know again") our brothers and sisters in disguise--and a very thin disguise at that. Arms are for hugging, so let us invoke the old telephone company slogan and reach out, reach out and touch someone!

Check out this inspiring YouTube video if you haven't yet seen it: Free Hugs Campaign. Blessings.

Saving Fungi Might Save Your Life

I'm reading Pulitzer Prize-winning biologist E.O. Wilson's book, The Creation: An Appeal to Save Life on Earth. It was highly recommended by visionary activist astrologer Caroline Casey, who is a beacon for our times (and featured on my Beacons web page). I've quoted Wilson's words here before, but from a secondary source.

Although I already feel deeply aligned with his message, and understand intellectually the critical role insects and plants play in maintaining life on Earth, his description on page 31 of why we should care about vanishing ecosystems brought me up short. It's almost unimaginable, how a seemingly lowly flora or creature could render the most magnificent blessing. The following stunned me and made me want to research all of his examples in depth:

"Critics of environmentalism...forget, if they ever knew, how the voracious caterpillars of an obscure moth from the American tropics saved Australia's pastureland from the overgrowth of cactus; how a Madagascar 'weed', the rosy periwinkle, provided the alkaloids that cure most cases of Hodgkin's disease and acute childhood leukemia; how another substance from an obscure Norwegian fungus made possible the organ transplant industry; how a chemical from the saliva of leeches yielded a solvent that prevents blood clots during and after surgery; and so on through the pharmacopoeia that has stretched from the herbal medicines of Stone Age shamans to the magic-bullet cures of present-day biomedical science."

Turning of the Page, Turning of the Age

As 6 planets (including the Sun and Pluto, the Great Transformer) line up in Sagittarius this Winter Solstice, "the power of our thoughts and intentions radiates exponentially throughout the cosmos and all dimensions," says astrologer Allison Rae in her newsletter, Cosmic Time.

"Sagittarius, the sign of the Archer, seeks higher truth. This line-up of planets so close to the degree of the Galactic Center promises at least two things: the obliteration of existing systems, thoughts and beliefs, and the simultaneous rapture that accompanies revelation of the Great Beyond. This is a new beginning, the return of the Light, the Christ, Quetzalcoatl, Cosmic Consciousness, the union of Heaven and Earth.

"In these times, we're witnessing - and facilitating - the changeover of vast cosmic cycles, a period known as the Turning of the Ages. The 2,000-year Piscean Age is ending, the Aquarian Age beginning. The Mayan calendar ends in 2012, marking the completion of a 5,000-year period related to the 26,000-year precessional cycle. From the darkness of the Kali Yuga, the Satya Yuga emerges. We live in the between times, the dawn-moments of the next world age.

In this sacred season, embrace the Darkness, enter the Void . . . Center . . . Stillpoint . . . Home . . ."

Kucinich Running for President in 2008!

What a 12:12 portal to new dimensions! Dennis Kucinich, the only member of the House and Senate seeking the highest office in America who has consistently voted against the war in Iraq from the beginning, has just announced his candidacy for U.S. President in 2008!

I have never been political, but, like many of my generation, I was galvanized to action when Congressman Kucinich, D-Ohio, upon urging from people across the country, agreed to run for President in 2004. I joined with others to form a website that supported his work, published several articles, and saw him speak in person at Agape International Spiritual Center, the L.A.-based trans-denominational spiritual community founded by Dr. Michael Beckwith (who is featured in the rising underground new thought film, The Secret).

Listening to Dennis that November day in 2003 brought tears of recognition to my eyes, because he wasn't just speaking my language—he was using the exact words I'd so often chosen to express the shifting planetary paradigm, and our pivotal role in this evolution. When I shook his hand I made a pledge, to him and to myself, that we would get his message "past the censor," meaning all those who would attempt to pull the wool over our eyes.

In the last few years, a lot more people have wiped the sleep of self-forgetting from their eyes and minds. We're at critical mass on so many levels now, I feel 2008 will be a watershed election. You know the bumper sticker that says, "If the people will lead, the leaders will follow"? It's up to us to choose, REALLY choose, this time. No more fake elections and silent nights. Let's lift up our voices and LET FREEDOM RING. Because, as those I interviewed for my international perspective article clearly state, what happens in the U.S. shapes the rest of the world.

Isn't it time to stand up for Truth?

Here are the articles I've published about Dennis and his vision:

Vitamin K: How Dennis Kucinich Will Revitalize America's Health
Mobile, Global Citizens Say Dennis Makes the Difference
The KU Continuum

Pluto Pumps Up the Volume

Just in from the UK, Marcus Mason offers up a Plutonic New Year's manifesto guaranteed to knock your socks into orbit around a distant star system! With Pluto, the Great Transformer, conjunct the Galactic Center (GC), we are being given a powerful opportunity (or shove) to shift into the Light collectively as never before. And it promises to be a wild and woolly ride.

When I personally came under the Plutonic knife in '94, it was a "slow, deliberate dance", as astrologer Coral Cadman told me at that time. I surrendered because there was nothing else to do; something one can only fully appreciate when it's your own turn to release and recall—or, as I've explained the Journey of Descent in a soundbite, to "dis-member in order to re-member."

Marcus shares a wealth of fascinating information about the conjunction, including how Pluto will "ping" a succession of other planets first, and how it will show up for us physically:

"There is an interesting sequence of cosmic events leading up to the Pluto/GC conjunction, which will make it touch us all at a very personal, as well a more detached spiritual level: On 8th Dec. Venus conjuncted Pluto, then on 18th Dec. the Sun conjuncts Pluto; on 20th Dec. the Moon conjuncts Pluto; on 26th Dec. Mercury conjuncts Pluto. All these planets will have passed over the GC before Pluto reaches it on 29th Dec. So first our emotional body (Venus) attunes to the Pluto/GC energies, then our spiritual-heart (Sun) attunes, then our energy body (Moon), then our mental body (Mercury), so by the time Pluto (our spiritual-will body) gets there, everything else will be either zinging in anticipation, or struggling to integrate these powerful GC energies, and perhaps in some cases producing physical symptoms as our physical body tries to integrate them.

"So, don't be surprised if you get strange abdominal symptoms (stomach and spleen - Venus), or maybe heart palpitations or anxiety feelings (Sun), or lower abdominal symptoms (kidneys, bladder, intestines, sexual organs - Moon), or throat and head symptoms, or mental confusion (Mercury) - the likelihood is that you would feel this wherever your most vulnerable areas normally lie. This is not to say that you will necessarily feel such symptoms, as many will not, but just to help understand what is happening if you do happen to experience unexplainable, weird, or undiagnosable symptoms. Remember that any pain or discomfort experienced in these regions is probably due to the resistances in your physical and energetic structure to these highly transformative energies pushing through the resistance of your cellular structure and crystallised energy patterns in the body, thoughts or feelings.

"Any form of energy medicine could be an appropriate first choice at these times, (ie: acupuncture, craniosacral, homoeopathy, bowen, reiki, kinesiology, energy-based massage, shiatsu, tui na, etc, etc). Symptoms, if they occur, should pass quite quickly, although the really deep-rooted stuff may take longer and not get fully resolved until the end of the Pluto/GC conjunction next year. Wherever a symptom may be, regard it from the viewpoint of 'how am I not expressing my true will in this area of my life? What is the underlying pattern of disempowerment that is causing my energy to get stuck here in particular?' When the energy shifts, then the symptoms will improve. (Of course, if such symptoms persist for a prolonged period then you should seek medical advice.)"

The rest of his report is equally laden with useful material, though quite lengthy and not posted to his site, so if you'd like me to forward the entire e-mail on to you, just let me know.

Beyond that, my counsel is: pry your mental fingers loose if you have to, and let go into free-fall. There's an invisible cosmic trampoline beneath you, and besides—whether you remember it yet or not—you already know how to fly.

Front-Row Seating at the Celestial Ballet

On Sunday just before sunrise, we'll be treated to a once-this-lifetime planetary triple play, when Jupiter, Mercury and Mars nestle together in the pre-dawn skies. This kind of line-up won't happen again till 2053, so you may not be embodied for the encore.

I find it intriguing that Jupiter will be flanked by the planets that rule communication and action. Jupiter is the orb of expansion, manifestation, full-bodied expression. What and how do we wish to express now; what do we most want to make visible to the naked eye?

It promises to be a stunning performance: Jupiter will appear white, Mercury pinkish and Mars will butterscotch-colored.

Miami, Florida Space Transit Planetarium Director Jack Horkheimer waxed lyrical about the event: "It is a lovely demonstration of the celestial ballet that goes on around us, day after day, year after year, millennium after millennium. When I look at something like this, I realize that all the powers on Earth, all the emperors, all the money, cannot change it one iota. We are observers, but the wonderful part of that is that we are the only species on this planet that can observe it and understand it."

A Time of Unfoldment

Maggie Erotokritou, coordinator of The Planetary Awakening Network, has her finger on the pulse of Now. If you're wondering why you feel more befuddled when you're "awake" than before, read on for her succinctly insightful explanation:

"This is an interesting time of unfoldment, the completion of many cycles and the opening to the new. As we know, when one door closes, another one opens. Certainly since my trip to Peru this has been my experience. I think this is both personal, karmic and planetary.

"As we look back, we can see that since the beginning of this millennium, 2000, energetically there has been a speeding up of everything. It is as though time is no longer the same, and that's why so many people feel they don't have enough time, or they can't quite get a grip on things or deep within they feel out of sync, often something just does not feel quite right. Unless you align with yourself on a daily basis and to the greater cosmic alignment, which is always shifting, it may feel that it is hard to keep up.

"That is part of why on an outer level, it appears like so many things are going crazy. Even though so many more people are waking up and becoming more conscious, on another level those who are not aware appear to be falling deeper into the abyss of unconsciousness.

"What I believe is needed is greater vision, more attunement to the higher levels and a very deep clearing of whatever issues stand in the way. This may seem obvious, and of course it is, but the work has to be done on a very deep level, and those who do engage in this clearing also do it for the collective consciousness. Being truly responsible and acting from the highest level of integrity is essential for anyone who is sincerely on the spiritual path. All around us we see those who proclaim to be spiritual, and then act in insincere and unconscious ways without consideration for others.

"We live and exist in a pool of consciousness, and everything we think and do affects this pool. We have the ability to shift, change and transform this consciousness. Sometimes we may feel disempowered and that we don't have the ability to make a difference, but if we remember that each of us has an important part to play and really can make a difference and recognize that it starts with each individual, we'll see that, like the hundredth monkey effect, it only needs one person to change a trend, to turn things around and to gain momentum.

"As we move into the last part of the year and feel the Winter Solstice approaching, it is always a good time to reflect on how the year has been, how we wish to complete it and to prepare for the New Year to come. I always find this an exciting process, and look forward to the beginning of the New Year and creating new things. Of course we can make plans and prepare for the new, any day of the year, but somehow the end of the year offers an extra opportunity to do that, it's like a bonus.

"Energetically I can feel this inner shift, and recognize changes that need to be made, things that need to be let go of and new things that are ready and waiting to come in, and this is the continuous unfolding process of life, which we are here to experience and enjoy."

We Are Becoming Galactic Humans

Virginia Essene and Sheldan Nidle co-authored You Are Becoming a Galactic Human in 1994, when I was deep in the throes of my own awakening process. During this period, I kept hearing the word "radiance" in my mind, without knowing quite what it meant.

Now we're waking up en masse, and it's both thrilling and challenging. Archangel Michael through Celia Fenn says at this time, we'll begin to truly perceive ourselves as the galactic, multidimensional beings that we are. During December, we can "expect increased luminescence and radiance to pour forth from your Sun, as the Earth spirals into a new cycle. This in turn will accelerate consciousness on the planet to a Higher Octave. We can say, dearest ones, that we expect a significant shift in the Collective Consciousness in this period, beginning with the 12:12 Stargate on the 12th of December, and moving through to the Solstice on the 22nd of December."

Stepping into our cosmic birthright means traversing the man-made "fear zone" (don't we all know THIS one well!) and becoming full-on Heart Warriors. What might the process look and feel like? Michael counsels:

"On the PHYSICAL level, you may feel tired to the point of exhaustion as the energy bodies spin faster in response to the accelerated frequencies of light. You may feel 'waves' of energy flowing through your arms and legs, and these feelings may be quite powerful at certain times. You may struggle to sleep at night, and then be very tired during the day, wanting to sleep. So, rest as much as you can. All is Well.

On the EMOTIONAL level you may feel like you are living on a roller coaster! Up and then down. You may be irritable and quick to flare up. Or you may be depressed and anxious. You may, at times, feel intense fear and anxiety and be afraid to be alone. You may feel like you are going to die, but remember you are traversing an artificial fear zone created of man-made fears and illusions, so just breathe and release. All is Well.

On the MENTAL level, you may feel as if everything is moving too fast, and you may feel mentally exhausted and near burn-out. This is because in western culture the mind is overactive and over stimulated anyway. An increase in light frequency will further stimulate the mind and exacerbate an already out of balance situation. Relax, breathe, allow things to flow at their own speed and don't try to 'keep up', you will never be able to. The best response is to 'slow down' and just 'flow', no resistance, just acceptance. All is Well.

On the HEART level you may FEEL everything very intensely. Celebrate. You are reconnecting with the Cosmic Heartbeat and feeling the flow of Divine Creative Energy in every cell."

I've already been feeling the exhaustion and emotional roller-coastering, for sure! So once again, it's vital that we remember: amping up the frequency causes responses in our 3-D bodies, minds, emotions and world as we adjust to the higher vibration.

We are Luminous! We are Galactic! We are The Light! Can you feel the Joy?

Thanks as always for playing.

Much love, Amara

Expanding Into Abundant Awareness

Astrologer Judy Goldberg offers some germane Thanksgiving wisdom that dovetails with Patricia Cota-Robles' transmission on healing polarity:

"Today is a transformational day, and not only because the energy of gratitude is in our consciousness. On the planetary front, a major shift is happening at 11:44 pm EST. Jupiter is moving into its home sign of Sagittarius. Jupiter is our spiritual teacher. It is also considered the planet of abundance, opportunity and good luck. This energy will be in place until December 18th 2007.

"During this time many of us will be getting in touch with our essential truths, the quest for meaning in our lives and an increased urge for individual freedom. Our environmental consciousness may expand and we may want to be out in nature more often. Others will be very challenged in these areas—especially those in our government. We can support the transition into a more peaceful, prosperous and equitable world by helping to heal the polarization that is so prevalent in our human society today."

Happy Thanksgiving, whatever country you live in. We are all One!

Pulsing Polar "Bears" Into Unity

How is your Gratitude Cup this Thanksgiving week? The more we can pour our thanks into the Cup of Humanity's Consciousness, says Patricia Cota-Robles in her latest alert, the more that Divine Love will permeate the planet, and assist the legions of awakening ones on their journey of re-membering (which means, to make membership again).

Great gobs of psychic and physical dross are dropping from us now as we cleanse and purify our energy bodies as well as our 3-D ones. In the past few weeks, I've been visited by symptoms I've not experienced in more than 20 years, including the terrifying feeling of a urinary tract infection, which I endured systemically in 1981, swallowing ever-stronger broad spectrum antibiotics until I'd essentially destroyed all the bacterial balance in my body—and set myself on a long healing road that would culminate in my "dark night of the soul" journey of awakening more than a decade later.

But here's where gratitude comes in. A phenomenal healer I see on occasion, Rebecca, is a medical intuitive who has trained in numerous modalities, and works directly with one's organ systems to help release stuck energy (which manifests as "dis-ease"). She's usually booked at least a week in advance; over a holiday week, I had little hope she'd be able to see me. But I was desperate this morning, and she returned my call, saying someone had cancelled if I could make it at 1 o'clock.

That's a gratitude moment. Spirit answering the Call. And this is how it always is, if we are awake to the gifts all around us, and remember to say "thank you"!

What does this have to do with polar bears? That was my whimsical thought upon reading Patti's explanation of the expressions of polarization we're experiencing, growing as vast numbers of awakened and awakening souls "push back" against what they perceive as negativity: poverty, greed, corruption, violence, abuse of power, oppression, hatred, selfishness, prejudice, pollution, disease, ignorance, etc. Unfortunately, focusing on not wanting these patterns only serves to strengthen them, as we're still giving them energy through our attention.

Yet we're on the cusp of the greatest shift in consciousness humanity has ever known. And it's up to us—the ones who are already awake—to lead the shift to higher ground. We do this by stepping out of the matrix of duality/polarity, recognizing that All Is One, and expressing this in our daily actions and interactions.

Patricia says, "Instead of polarizing against our government, for instance, we can envision the people who hold public office responding to the directives of their I AM Presence, and we can visualize them consistently striving for the highest good of all Humanity. When greed, selfishness and gross imbalances in the distribution of wealth are brought to our attention, we can envision the I AM Presence of the people involved taking command of their hearts and minds, and we can visualize them responding with integrity, generosity and a willingness to assist those who are less fortunate than themselves.

"Whatever we focus our thoughts, words, actions and feelings on, we bring into form. We need to create the vision of what we want life on Earth to be like, and then we need to set about creating that new reality.

"As we transmute our own obsolete behavior patterns, we need to simply ask the I AM Presence of every man, woman and child to lift their consciousness and to transmute their negative behavior patterns simultaneously. The Universal Law is: Ask and you shall receive. Knock and the door will be opened."

Breathe in Gratitude and breathe out all that no longer serves who we are becoming, dear ones. It's a joy and a privilege to be incarnate at this auspicious moment in Earth's evolution. Whatever you are going through on the way to the wedding (conscious cosmic unity with the All), it's of your choosing; as you heal this pattern in yourself, you heal it for all.

Thank you for being who you are! Blessed Be!

Psychic Baggage Claim Time!

Traveling through this Mercury Rx in Scorpio feeling just a little drenching to you? I've watched myself have hoof-in-mouth dis-ease more than once since the planet that rules communication began its trip through the Shadowland.

It's an immersion for deep cleansing, reminds astrologer Tara Greene. I adore her languaging. Here's an excerpt from her latest astro update:

"Scorpio is the land of the shades, the shadow world, the Unconscious, 'Land of the Dead', whose psychic imprints haunt us. This land is the humus, the fertilizing matter, or mater, mother of the unconscious world, the dream world. This is where new growth and energies are liberated from to take new forms, more positive forms, and be released, releasing us from their unconscious hold over our lives.

HOW-TO INSTRUCTIONS FOR THESE SCORPIONIC TIMES
"Go down. Don't go up, out, higher, beyond or consume. Go directly into your deepest darkest fears, do not pass Go. Stop. Go into your shadow material, the old baggage, hurts, angers, projections, judgments because like the old pulp fiction super-hero-'the shadow knows.'

"No matter how 'lily-white' colonically irrigated, spiritually purified, no matter how much yoga you do, raw foods you eat, miles you jog, mantras you've intoned, substances you've given up, prayers you've done...Unless you've really achieved full enlightenment—which is already a seed planted with you—I bet donuts to dollars that you've still got an itsy bitsy teenie-weenie bikini of a shadow lurking in your psychological closet on the floor in the dust bunnies.

"We've all got 'em, shadows & dust bunnies (unless you are a Virgo). My best advice is to embrace them, acknowledge them, and transform them. It's all energy! We could power the world with shadow material if we harnessed it properly. I can see it now: Shadow Power lights up the World! Light and darkness are dual parts of the same God/Goddess.

SCOPIONIC CLEANSING RITUAL
"Let the tears come up and flow, Scorpio is a water sign and water dissolves all hardness. Water moistens and perpetuates growth in nature. We are nature. When we pay attention to this unconscious 'garbage'—refuse. There's those important puns again.

"Refuse means literally what was refused. Not integrated, relegated to the shadows. This unclaimed baggage—which has been rotating on the baggage checks of Time—can now be claimed. Claimed baggage will be able to be opened up, aired out, all sorts of goodies you totally forgot about can be examined now. This is a psychic airing out of the dirty laundry. So 'rain or shine' get out their and air out those old harangues, hang those old 'shmatas', rags and garments on the clothesline. In doing so, admitting your own shadow to self or even to others, transforms those grey, drab, forlorn fragments, the warp and weft of human emotional experience into 'prayer flags.' Prayer flags are a Tibetan Buddhist (and Native American) concept—as the flags wave in the breeze their messages are sent off through the Wind Spirits, to the Heavens and the Boddhisatvas receive them and shower down their blessings upon us mere mortals.

TURNING YOUR DIRTY LAUNDRY INTO PRAYER FLAGS
"I would recommend getting a fabric pen and inscribing all your shadow material onto an old raggy piece of cloth, making this into a ritual and hanging it outside on a life line. This will bring an incredible sense of freedom from shame, guilt, regrets, and all the other 7 deadlies and more, initiating new growth, consciousness, and understanding. You are freeing up your shadow material and literally bringing it out into the Light of the World. This acknowledges the shadow and detaches 'you' from 'it.' Watch your transformed dirty laundry flutter in the breeze and feel free. You are."

11:11 (Eleven A-Lovin')

Today is an incredible portal of opportunity, and Karen Bishop expresses what's up beautifully in her latest alert. We're integrating massive energetic shifts and releasing what no longer matches our higher vibrational frequencies.

This often means a financial shift, something I've been experiencing since emerging from my "dark night of the soul" in late '97. Trying to "make money" in the old ways that were once so successful for me is now like slogging through molasses: there is no longer any attunement to who and what I am, why I'm here.

I've known for awhile that the many mini "deaths" we're experiencing as we evolve would at some point include the death of money as a medium of exchange, and Karen validates this awareness. She writes, "We are identifying our storefronts, or the means and gateway for money to come to us. Until we are successfully and completely living in a non-monetary society, we will need money to support our next steps. These storefronts are in relation to our service to humanity. They will involve ways that we can generate funds so that we can be supported in setting up the next phase of living and being in the higher realms that involves no money at all.

"These storefronts, or arenas that greatly represent who we are and what we are about, also involve how we will be assisting humanity through this evolutionary process. We go back to the dimensional dividing line within our storefronts, as they will serve all levels of the evolving 3D reality, and then we will return to our lives and other creations in the higher realms. And know that our storefronts can be just about anything...as long as we are good at what we are doing, it fits us well, and provides a service to humanity."

So align with what your heart tells you is true today, and expect your new abundance to flow from this attuning.

To learn more about the 11:11, visit Solara's excellent site, The NVisible (there is a fee to subscribe to her Surf Reports, which is her main source of income). There's also good introductory information on the 11:11 Spirit Guardians site.

Welcome Home! And if you're feeling moved to support another Lightworker in stepping fully into her planetary purpose and service without splintering her energies doing what has long since ceased to fit, I'd be blessed to receive your love offering: LiveYourLight.com. (Please scroll to Sponsorship information, near bottom of page). You can also sign up for my F.REE monthly newsletter, What Shines, and enjoy numerous enlightening articles developed to guide and ground your journey.

If you'd like to read the newsletter I sent out on 11:11 last year (or any other issue; one F.REE to all!), please either request back issue #53 (11/05) or ask for the What Shines Back Issues List. E-mail me with your choice in the subject line.

Thank You! Blessings!

Shapeshifting the Cosmic Container

Saturn, the planet that informs structure here on Earth, has a storm swirling at its south pole. Scientists say they have never seen anything like this tempest, which possesses "an oddly human-looking hurricane-like eye"—yet does not behave like a terrestrial hurricane.

Hm. What immediately came to my mind is, the storm is centered at the south pole. In astrology, the north and south nodes relate to life lessons: North is where we're going, South is where we've been. I got excited thinking, perhaps this signifies that collectively, we've mastered the lessons of the current forms and structures on earth (domination, hierarchy, greed, aggression, etc.) and Saturn is therefore sending the old model down the cosmic drain!

The visual of the storm looks even more like a human eye than the Eye of God image taken by the Hubble telescope in 2003.

"As above, so below" has never been more clear.

Speaking in the Language Another Can Hear

Years ago, I learned the crucial importance of communicating in language that matched my audience's reality picture. Incredible shifts are possible when we build a bridge for the light to pour in.

Thanks to Alan Moore, founder of the Butterfly Gardener's Association, I've discovered an extraordinary article by Timothy Leary, that uses the caterpillar/butterfly evolutionary model to explain what's happening to humans.

This is not light reading, nor will it appeal to mass consciousness. But for those on the evolutionary edge, it's a drug-free mental roller coaster ride.

Here's an excerpt I especially enjoyed, that sounds a like like cellular biologist Bruce Lipton, author of The Biology of Belief:

"The evidence from astronomy, bio-chemistry, genetics, nuclear-physics, defines the true frontier of philosophy and religion. Scientific American is more 'far-out' than any occult magazine, the Periodic Table of Elements more prophetic than the Tarot deck. The nucleus of the atom is a realm more mysterious and omnicient than any theological fantasy. The cosmology of an expanding-universe-riddled-with-Black-Holes more bizarre than the eschatologies of Dante, Homer and Ramayana."

Out of the Yuck and Into the "Yes!"

An intense full moon brightens our lives and sky on Sunday, as half the planets plus the Sun line up in Scorpio opposite the Moon in Taurus. Sensuality rising! Lunar astrologer Claudia Thompson says, "What's hiding in the shadows WILL come up...Issues of intimacy, power, money, and quality of life come up to be dealt with, and what you need to see and what you absolutely need to change will be revealed. You're being pushed big time to release old programming and address critical issues."

And the best way to let go is to just surrender into this divinely feminine energy...don't push the river, release the need to know or to fix (remember, Mercury's still retrograde, through 11/17). Claudia affirms, "This is an intensely feminine Full Moon. Seven of the ten planets are in feminine signs. Venus, goddess of love, rules Taurus, emphasizing your need for love, beauty, and abundance—as well as the way you attract these things."

How to remain grounded as you release? As always, "s-l-o-w w-a-a-a-y down, connect with your senses and what you love, and tap into the beauty and grounding power of the earth. Go outside and feel the unconditionally loving support of the earth beneath your feet and all around you. Breathe in the color and beauty of mid-autumn... the beauty of BIG change and how awesome, constant, and natural it is."

This is the essence of embodying the feminine frequency.

Claudia adds, "It's time to show your true colors and reclaim your power."

How to Fall In Love

I'm reading Neale Donald Walsch's final book in his Conversations With God series, Home With God. The subject is one that inspires humanity's greatest fear and fascination: the experience we call Death.

The book is an extraordinary prescription for LIFE. I'm especially moved by the following passage where God speaks about "whole person centering," or living fully in the Now Moment. Looking deeply into your own eyes, or the eyes of any other living being, is a portal to the Divine, because the eyes are the windows of the soul. I know that when I was blessed to stare into the eyes of Gaia, a magical cat that shared the property I lived on from 1999-2000, I felt complete communion.

"It is especially difficult to look another human in the eye for any period of time at all without beginning to fall in love. That is why people look away from each other so quickly. They don't dare look each other right in the eye for very long. The love that will follow will overwhelm them. Yet it is because they do not know what to do with that love that they are overwhelmed.

"The moment you surrender to love and allow it to lead you to exactly where your soul wants to go, you will have no difficulty. All struggle then will cease, and you will know Oneness."

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!

Welcome Home!

You'll love this funny flash movie from the Foundation for Global Community: it's a Scoop Nisker-esque kinda reminder that we're one planetary family, indivisible, with blue skies and butterflies and waterfalls and tacos for all:

All Is One

The End of Plutocracy?

Pluto may have been demoted as a planet, but nothing can stop the plutonic transformational energies from having their way with us all. Visionary Activist Astrologer Caroline Casey says in her latest missive:

Pluto and the Mythic News:

February 26, 1993 – As a beautiful snowstorm swirled outside, I pondered the Mythic News, how the gods were trying to help us out by staging things in such a succinct symbolic manner that even the most dunderheaded humans would notice, and heed.

I noted that Pluto was stationing (apparent motion stops, the god beams down its literalized symbolism) that day, and that this god embodies the principle that whatever is suppressed becomes volatile and toxic due to its disrespectful suppression. One hour after the exact station, the news reported the 1st attempt to blow up the World Trade Towers from the Underworld parking garage. Whoowee…So literal.

I told this story at a speech at Herbfest Iowa in late August of 2001, saying, well Pluto’s now stationing again. Let’s see what we’ve all learned.

Pluto does station often in late August/early September. Last year, on September 1st, 2005, Pluto squared the U.S. Neptune, (where Neptune was when this country was born - representing the soul of this country.) And it was on that day that a British paper published the most apt cartoon, of the Statue of Liberty floating dead, face down in New Orleans, while disinterested troops with guns gazed dispassionately from an overhead bridge.

Well Pluto is stationing NOW, exact on Labor Day, September 4th at 7:20PM ET. So, team of dedicated democracy-philes, sane and reverent people, let’s work with it. Pluto says, “planet, schplanet”; in the words of ally Steve Bhaerman, “Sure it works in practice, but will it work in theory?”

The instructions of now encourage us to be active agents of Pluto, composting death in every imaginative, visualizing, practical manner that synchronicity affords us, to suck the “g” out of “kingdom,” and exhale the energetic chi into the animating of the resulting “kindom.”

Pluto would like us to collaborate in every way, sucking the energy out of any death-dealing up to no good irreverent violent plot, so that it is fully revealed, rendered harmless and collapses like a souffle.

As Vipassana meditation suggests, inhale the world’s grimy plutocracy, and exhale radiant beauty, now, forever, every day, together, for a few minutes, and especially this strange Labor Day weekend. Inhale death-dealing tyranny, exhale creative democracy.

And novelist Terry Pratchett adds: “When in doubt – choose to live!”

Peace of Earth

The World Peace Prayer Society has put forth the call for everyone to join together on Saturday, August 26th, for a Day of Prayers for Gratitude and Peace.

The tri-part ceremony, which takes place in New York State, honors:
1. Native Americans
2. All the people of North America
3. All the people of the world.

At the World Peace website, you can also purchase books of prayers specifically focused on those most affected by:
• The World Trade Center attacks of September 11, 2001
• Hurricane Katrina
• The Pakistan Earthquake
• The Asian Tsunami.

I'll be devoting the September issue of my e-newsletter, What Shines, to a radical perspective on peace and the environment known as the Peace of Earth, or Pax Gaia.

Thanks for reading! I look forward to your feedback.

Blessings.

Wealth and Worth

I just received this from my dear friend Ellie, who turns 93 in a few weeks. (See my story honoring her on her 92nd birthday, The Love You Make). It's a good reminder to value who we are and what we offer, regardless of life's curve balls:


A well-known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20.00 bill.

In the room of 200, he asked, "Who would like this $20 bill?"

Hands started going up.

He said, "I am going to give this $20 to one of you, but first, let me do this.

He proceeded to crumple up the $20 dollar bill.

He then asked, "Who still wants it?"

Still the hands were up in the air.

Well, he replied, "What if I do this?"

And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe.

He picked it up, now crumpled and dirty.

"Now, who still wants it?"

Still the hands went into the air.


"My friends, we have all learned a very valuable lesson.

No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value.

It was still worth $20.

Many times in our lives,

we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt

by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way.


We feel as though we are worthless.

But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value.

Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased,

you are still priceless to those who DO LOVE you.


The worth of our lives comes not in what we do or who we know,

but by WHO WE ARE.


You are special- Don't EVER forget it."


Count your blessings, not your problems.

And remember: amateurs built the Ark ...

professionals built the Titanic.


If God brings you to it - He will bring you through it.

Expanding the Solar System, Part 2

I now have a meta-perspective on my nomadic lifestyle, or mobile ministry, as one faithful reader put it: I'm a planet! The word planet comes from the Greek for "wanderer". My gravitational field keeps me in a smaller orbit than the Heavenly bodies that wandered into our galactic orbit and remained there; nonetheless, the "as above, so below" correspondence holds a satisfyingly familiar ring, perhaps akin to one of Saturn's (my First House planet, for the astrologically adept.)

Now we're expanding our sphere of influence and inclusiveness, as it were, opening the Milky Way to connections with other confections.

Celestially speaking, the International Astronomical Union has honed its definition of a planet to the following two conditions:

• The object in question must be in orbit around a star, but must not itself be a star, and
• It must have enough mass for the body's own gravity to pull it into a nearly spherical shape.

According to a report filed by the BBC, "Any object with a mass greater than 0.6% that of our Moon and a diameter greater than 800km would normally meet the second condition. But borderline cases will have to be resolved by more observation.

Some objects currently considered to be moons and asteroids could be eligible if they meet those basic tests. So the definition leaves the door open for other objects to join the expanding club."

It means Pluto has been demoted to the status of "pluton", along with Charon, (the temporarily named) UB313, and the asteroid Ceres. The IAU's proposal now recognizes eight "classical" planets - Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

What's a pluton? Not a crunchy space salad treat. According to the IAU, plutons "reside in orbits around the Sun that take longer than 200 years to complete, circle the Sun with high 'inclination' (are highly tilted with respect to the classical planets) and typically have orbits that are far from being perfectly circular."

Yet--plutons fit all the criteria of the new definition of a planet, so Pluto does not receive a full "demotion". And over a dozen other new candidates now vie for planetary status:

Trans-Neptunian Objects
2003 EL61
2005 FY9
Sedna
Orcus
Quaoar
Varuna
2002 TX300
Ixion
2002 AW197

Asteroids
Vesta
Pallas
Hygiea

This is certainly one way of expanding our galactic reach--and while certainly cosmological, it's not necessarily cosmic in scope. Stay tuned to both inner and outer dimensional frequencies for updates. Conscious evolution is a level playing field. Only requirement: a steadily opening mind.