Summer Solstice: Ego or Egg?

"Aren't we all just fragile eggs hiding behind bubble wrap and bravado?"

~ Manny on Modern Family

 

Ever balanced an egg on its end? On Summer Solstice, when day and night are of equal length, it's possible to do so, if we're very patient and careful. But we can only attain this exquisite balance twice a year.

It's a humbling thought. Can we learn from something better known as breakfast how to create balance in our hectic lives? Can we become as poised as an egg?

Time for another subtle shift: from ego to egg, poison to poise. Here in Caffeine Nation, it might be more challenging to transmute hubris to humus, and take an earth-centered approach to life. The lightest day of the year is an ideal time to contemplate our dark side. To dive deep. Roam the loam. We're still in Mercury retrograde, a pristine moment to dwell in the Aretha Franklin lyric and "re-re-re-re" our lives: respect (literally, to look again), reimagine, remember, reboot…

Whether we're cognizant of it or not, we're all renewable energy beings: living on Earth for a time, becoming cosmic compost, being recycled back into the collective. This midsummer moment can help us create an eggstraordinary state of renewal and joy.

In her book, Living In Gratitude, a 12-month plan for making gratitude the foundation stone of our daily life, cross-cultural anthropologist, teacher and author Angeles Arrien says, of June, "We experience equanimity, or a state of balance, when we are content with the way things are. We are neither striving nor holding back. There is nothing lacking or in excess. This balance, or sense of acceptance, is at the heart of equanimity. It opens us to the experience of gratitude and the sustainable experience of renewal that comes from being in balance."

So compost the coffee and let it be grounds for eggceptional openheartedness, and the fulfillment of your dearest dreams. Step out of the bubble wrap and shine your magnificence on those who seek the light. When you live with wonder and humility, your ego transforms into a good egg — and that makes a satisfying meal for anyone, in every season.

The Renewable Resource Called Y-O-U

Is your future sustainable? Do you take time and care daily to replenish your own wells — or is the renewable resource called Y-O-U running on empty?

I invite you to disembark the "Stress Express" for a train of thought that takes time not only to stop and smell the roses, but to cultivate them as well.

H.O.M.E. is an acronym for "Heart Of My Energy," with "om" as the calm center. We come "om" by creating a plateau of peace, a home within that can't be shaken no matter what's going on externally. Think of it this way: work is applied energy. Sustaining your own energy means working with yourself as a renewable resource.

Here are 9 realistic rituals you can adapt to come "om" to yourself: Read the rest!

Lightworkers As Light Anchors

As we in the Northern Hemisphere enter our Fall Equinoctial gateway this weekend, we're also entering the end of time: the Ninth (and final) Wave of the Mayan Calendar concludes on October 28, 2011, according to Mayan scholar Carl Calleman's research. Then what?

Equinoxes, when day and night are of equal length, are all about balance. This one is also about deep integration, beauty, and yes, despite outer appearances, peace. One of the best ways to bring more of these attributes into your life now is to see yourself as an anchor of light, itself an oxymoron. Yet this is the moment when all paradoxes coalesce into perfect sense.

Cosmic weather reporter Irma Kaye Sawyer introduces the designation, Light Anchor: someone who is "grounded, yet familiar with travel in 4/5D states, either to share energy (as a healer), information, or both. Light Anchors usually have Sun in an Earth Sign, and/or predominant earth planets, but this is not always the case. Their job through the Shift is to 'hold down the fort' (they like that term!) and create a safe space for people to awaken to their own light resources. Most of our spiritual visions are seen in our meditation time. Many Light Anchors are Adult Indigos (1st and 2nd wave) and also 'Wizards' who are in their late 60s all the way to their 80s now. Light Anchors often work with words to convey their messages and can serve as teachers, writers and channels."

In nautical terminology, a light anchor, or kedge, is used to help turn a ship around. The flip side, an anchor light, indicates a vessel is stationary; not under power. And while it's gratifying to anchor the Light, right now many of us seem keen to sing, "Anchors Away!"

So yes, balance is key, along with acute creativity. A very early name for my work, before Live Your Light, was Metamorphosis: The Center for Creative Change. Astrologer Allison Rae offers a potent look at creative change this Equinox weekend, in the form of 100,000 Poets for Change, who are creating social artistry via global public readings, demonstrations, concerts and vigils.

We each have the choice and opportunity now to become social (r)evolutionaries: light anchors for an emerging world.

Lammas: Playing With Fire

New Moon in Leo. The start of the Fifth Day of the 9th (and final) wave of the Mayan Calendar. The U.S. debt deadline. Mercury retrograde (until August 26th). And oh, yes, Lammas, the potent cross-quarter gateway that heralds the Harvest.

Any way you slice it, this weekend lobs us an energetic fireball. Yet fire, like all elements, both creates and destroys. As someone who's been intimate with Kali, I understand what it's like to sit in the cauldron as it bubbles, feeling your old skin burn away. Not necessarily pleasant, but … a grand opportunity to restore balance, further along life's spiral.

Astrologer Allison Rae suggests we take "Big Baby Steps," because (I love this): "Evolution is not a spectator sport." Mercury Rx invites us to release/reimagine/recreate, before moving into the new in September.

So invoke Kali (or the destroyer/creator God/Goddess/energy of your choice), welcome the discomfort, let the worn-out ways burn clean in the crucible of truth and possibility, and prepare to start anew from pure marrow.

That's playing with fire!

Counterpoint: 2/9 Lunar Eclipse

Our powerful January 26th Solar Eclipse is balanced with a Lunar Eclipse as the Sun transits Aquarius. As always, astrologer Allison Rae delineates what we need to know now in poetic prose. Here's how to prepare for Monday's magic:

"This penumbral eclipse of the Moon will be visible from eastern Europe and Africa, Asia and most of North America.

"During this eclipse, the Moon will appear to darken as the Earth blocks the reflected light of the Sun. In Leo, the Full Moon illuminates the unconscious, emotional desires and needs of the individual self within the broader context of the collective, represented by the Sun, Mars, Jupiter, Chiron and Neptune in Aquarius. With Chiron and Neptune conjunct the Sun, profound emotional and spiritual healing is possible. For many, balancing the needs of the self with our dharmic calling will be highlighted at this eclipse. This alignment will also illuminate fears connected with stepping into your power and more fully embodying divine light. What's been lurking in the darkness of the subconscious is brought into the light."

She recommends ways to anchor these energies:

"Reserve time for prayer and meditation during these special alignments. The energies are ripe for seeding the Aquarian Age consciousness of humanitarian service, love and equality within the Earth grid. This is also an excellent time to put forth your intentions to embody your path of service more fully at this time of transition on Earth.

"To maintain balance and clarity during eclipse periods, eat root vegetables and dark, leafy greens. Meditate daily. Connect with natural rhythms by spending time in nature, and practicing yoga, t'ai chi or xi gong. Anchor the energies with drumming. Honor your body's needs for nourishment and rest. Keep a journal of messages and impressions that come into your awareness."

A Question of Balance

Mayan time cycles maven Li Walter, PhD, says we're entering into a balancing act as we prepare to close out 2008, and it's an opportunity for integration on all levels:

"Coming in the Moon of Balance, this is a journey to find a new balance in our lives and in our society.

With so many planets in Capricorn at the moment, including the New Moon in Capricorn (and Sun in Capricorn) on 1 Skywalker (Saturday, Dec. 27th), this is clearly a journey in fundamentally re-balancing and re-structuring how we live. Mars and Pluto in early Capricorn provide some push, while Jupiter and Mercury in late Capricorn help to pull us toward the possibilities of Aquarius.

On Dec. 31st, Saturn in Virgo goes retrograde until mid-May, so here too we are given the indication that a practical re-working of how we work is in order. Also that night, just after sunset you can see the crescent Moon with Venus in the southwest and Mercury with Jupiter very low in the west.

January 1st falls on a 6 Mirror portal day, so here again is a call to reflect upon balance, and allow more balanced perceptions to lead us into the year to come.

This Skywalking journey toward greater balance manifests on the 10 Wind day on Jan. 3rd as Jupiter moves into Aquarius for the next year. It's time to take a big breath. Jupiter is much more comfortable here, able to go big, take risks, expand into the exploration of innovative possibilities.

And just on the very last day of this Moon, the World-bridger wave connects this new balancing into the attunement of Moon 7 to come. Moving from balance as we bridge different worlds is vital, whether between our personal world and another's, between work and home life, or between this dimension and others."

Equinox: Coming Into Balance

At the Equinoxes, Solstices and Cross-quarter days, I often like to reference Kathleen Jenks' excellent Myth*ing Links site, which is replete with lore, art and sacred traditions from around the world.

What will you harvest in this ripe moment, as the Wheel of the Year takes another cosmic turn, releasing summer's fire and entering Libra, the astrological sign of balance and justice?