August 11, 1999: An Opportunity To Heal Through The Heart

My exuberant article on the August 11, 1999 eclipse. Originally published in now-defunct Conscious Life magazine, and exceedingly relevant for our upcoming eclipse on 8/11/18:

  

Before our ripening millennial moment arrives, we’ll face another potent portal to either walk through or ignore: the total solar eclipse of August 11, 1999.

This is no run-of-the-sky eclipse. It’s a card-carrying galactic gateway. Astrological adepts have been waxing prophetic about the date's significance for a while; it also precedes, by just two days, the Aztec-prophesied "day of destiny."

What’s so special about this eclipse? If we’re willing to meet our celestial shadow at the level of metaphor, we’ll be insight.

Consider: the Moon blots out the light of the Sun. Perhaps our hidden, dark, or "feminine" side is asking our fiery, now-now-now, tick-tock, "masculine" energy to take a nap. The Moon signifies the night side, what’s unexplored within us, inviting receptivity, nurturing, allowing, rather than the solar-aggressive, "go-for-the-gold, the burn, the competitive edge" that plays out in our daily dramas.

Becoming One with Ourselves

Coming to wholeness — embodying our masculine and feminine energies, both within ourselves and as a planetary organism — is the quest and question of our time. First, are we willing to go there, and second, do we know how? It’s a call to alchemical union, this wedding of the light and the dark, and we could use a transformational map.

As a longtime student of ancient wisdom traditions, especially Mayan cosmology, I walk in both worlds, following an indigenous calendar that corresponds to seasonal and biorhythmic cycles, alongside our more linear Gregorian one. So I was intrigued to see what "natural time" might reveal about this auspicious access point. (The traditional Mayan symbols have been translated into modern equivalents, so decoding a day’s "energy" is like a game — it’s fun, and it expands one’s ways of thinking and perceiving.)

August 11, 1999 is an epiphany.

In the Mayan sacred calendar, August 11^thwill be a White Planetary Dog. The dog archetype is about loving through the heart, and loyalty — sounds a lot like "man's best friend", right?  

"Planetary", in this case, is a frequency, like a note on the musical scale. It’' the frequency of manifesting, and it vibrates to how we perfect ourselves in order to produce a desired outcome.

"White" is one of four colors that correspond to the four directions, the four elements, and our four "bodies" (physical, mental, emotional, spiritual). White is north and air, a dimension of mind.

Finally, each archetype has a guiding energy, like a wise teacher or mentor. The guide for White Planetary Dog is the Mirror, which of course is about inner and outer reflection. It also connotes endlessness (ever been in a funhouse hall of mirrors? Did you gain an enhanced perspective on where "you" end? Look deeply into the mirror…) The Mayans even have a saying that reflects the mirror: In Lakech, I am another yourself.

The complete energy for the day reads:

I perfect in order to love

Producing loyalty

I seal the process of heart

With the planetary tone of manifestation

I am guided by the power of endlessness.

Head Heart, Wholeness

It’s a fantastic window of opportunity calling to us. Listen: "Hello, humans! By connecting your head and your heart, you perfect your love. In so doing, you produce loyalty to one another and to the greater good, which will manifest as unending heart-centered love all over the planet!"

This is our possibility, our invitation, our initiation, our healing.

And this is the beauty of Truth: it doesn’t matter what vehicle takes you there. The message is always the same. Come home to yourself.  Remember the Love that you are. 

However it's expressed, there's a universality that’s unmistakable. Tears of recognition flood your eyes as you choose to see clearly, as you inhale back your authenticity and power.

You're unconditionally invited to join in the cosmic celebration on August 11^th, as the Moon of Communion eclipses all the old ways that no longer serve. Joy is waiting on the other side of the window. Let's ride the carrier wave of the frequency of the heart into the ocean of resonance with all that lives. You are Love. Let Freedom Ring!

© Copyright July 1999-2018 by Amara Rose. All rights reserved.

Imbolc!

Imbolc has arrived! In the Goddess' turn of the wheel, we now move to the counterquarter of Imbolc that falls between Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox. That fresh energy of waking up as we notice the days staying lighter a little longer, lambs in the fields frolicking and the first of the snowdrops emerging their pearly heads through the frost to gladden the heart. How glorious to see flowers again! It seems so long since we were blessed with stem and petal growing randomly in their clumps amongst the bare trees. Mother Earth begins to hear the heart song of the sun like a lover kissing the beloved so she may join him and languidly uncurl from winter's sleep.

The Festival of Imbolc or Imbolg - pronounced without the 'b' sound - is sometimes known as Oimelc, means 'ewe's milk' - named due to the birth of the first lambs at this time, and celebrates the return of fresh milk. It is the celebration of the gradual dawning of increasing light, bringing nature to life again. For Imbolc we celebrate the Waking Light of the soul. Our spirits begin to quicken as we anticipate the rebirth of Nature. This celebration commemorates the changing of the Goddess from the Crone to the Maiden.

The Goddess is seen in Her three aspects at Imbolc, as the new-born Flower Maiden; the Mother, or bride of fertility, awaiting the fertilizing Sun God, and the Dark Crone of the dark half of the year. The sun is growing in strength, the Child of Promise, re-born at Yule, is now the growing Child. All is pregnant and expectant. It is the promise of renewal, of hidden potential, of earth awakening and life-force stirring.

Imbolc is a 'fire festival'. Particular attention was paid to the hearth fire and keeping it alight. Imbolc marks the transition and transformation from death to rebirth, as the light of day grows significantly longer and you can be assured that Spring is right around the corner. At this time the animal world comes out of hibernation, the birds fly north again. This is a very holy day for initiations of the priests and priestesses and a day to devote yourself to the God/dess and your own spiritual path. This is also a very powerful time for intuitive and visionary work and to seek inspiration, especially for healers, poets, and artists. At this time if you really tune in, you can just begin to feel and sense the "inner stirrings", the seeds beginning to stir, and the inner light growing stronger.

It is time to let go of the past and to look to the future, clearing out the old. Imbolc is a gateway indicating work to be done inside and outside ourselves before action is undertaken!

This is the time of Bridie, Maiden Goddess in her seasonal aspect of the land awakening. She strikes the land with her fiery staff, creating a shout in nature…'wake up, wake up!' The promise of spring is still a distant echo clinging to winter's chill, but we are feeling the awakening even so... This is the time of Imbolc, a fire season on the great wheel, when the year is as young as a maiden and awakening. Imbolc means 'ewes' milk' and in ancient times our ancestors would bless the land with the first of the ewes' milk, asking the Mother Goddess for a fertile crop for the coming year. It is a time for all things beginning anew. Growth, manifestations and projects begin to take on the energy of form. All things can begin again.

~ Ariel Spilsbury and Holographic Goddess

Summer Solstice: An Opportunity to Become More Whole

Summer Solstice celebrates the sun at the peak of its power. Both the sun (male energy) and the moon (female energy) are waxing, or increasing, now. June 21^st marks the longest day and shortest night of the year, in the Northern hemisphere (for our friends Down Under, it's the reverse). It's a stillpoint. A time to reflect. A potent moment to set your intention, because the manifestation momentum is strong.

The day goes by many names: All-Couples Day, Feast of Epona, Gathering Day, Midsummer, Litha, Vestalia. In ancient times, June was a popular marriage month, since summer offered a window between the sowing and reaping seasons. The June full moon was considered the best time to harvest honey from the hives, and newlyweds were fed honey during the wedding feast to encourage love and fertility. The tradition lives on in our modern post-nuptial getaway, the honeymoon.

How might we translate our ancestors' emphasis on love and union at Solstice to our lives today? In other words, how can we best live this light?

It's a grand opportunity to burn away old patterns that no longer serve our highest good, in order to become more whole. Whole, holy and heal originate from the same root, hale. We can use the power of Solstice to assist us in integrating the masculine and feminine energies inside ourselves. The moment is ripe for sacred reunion. What do I mean by this?

Most books, films and songs that speak of love refer to romantic love between two people. We've been taught to look outside ourselves for completion: to seek the Other and to rejoice when we connect, or to keep searching.

What we're really seeking is a part of ourselves, which is why we often feel incomplete when we hook up with someone whom we hope will fill the empty place inside us. The wedding of the light and the dark, of the magnetic, receptive, lunar, "feminine" self and the dynamic, assertive, solar, "masculine" self, has to take place first within our own being. And yet — it's through relationship that we get there!

The beloved is a catalyst to help us merge the complementary aspects of our being. This is a radical idea, and challenging to hold. It turns everything we believe about romantic love on its head. I'll illustrate this apparent paradox with a personal story.

At the turn of the millennium, I forged a profound heart connection with what The Mayan Oracle (a book and card set based on the Mayan Tzol'kin, or sacred calendar) calls a "companion of destiny." We unfolded deep layers of love within ourselves through the conscious soul work we did together. Then he was gone, and as much as I know we are all One, as much as I began expanding into a greater knowing and loving because of the place he awakened in me, still there was a poignancy, a longing that lingered.

I began stretching to allow this love to be a lens I looked through all the time, not pegged to an individual. The gift of my companion's essence, what we shared, lives on in me, so in a sense I felt like I was missing myself. It was a strange sensation — like seeing my reflection from an internal mirror.

The way out is always through, and the way through lies in joining with other companions on the path. When I find and connect with my "spiritual siblings," my sense of fullness grows. From this strength, the familiar heartache we all know transmutes into a sort of laughing pain; it doesn't really hurt, because my high self knows the truth.

I invite you to sound the clarion call for your companions of destiny this Solstice — those who see and honor your authentic self. The Mayan Oracle says, "When you have been truly seen, you feel empowered, and remembrance of a shared sacred trust is ignited."

One of the ways to shine your own light more brightly is to celebrate yourself and each other, through whatever art forms call to you: music, dance, poetry, painting, comedy improvisation, theatre, ritual, chanting/singing, multimedia…and silence. Enlarge the lens you look through by asking, how can I expand this experience, become inclusive rather than exclusive?

Acknowledge your connection with all life, and allow the simple to nourish you. Sitting beneath a tree, enjoying the sun on your feet and the wind in your hair, being thankful for life itself, is wholeness exemplified. The romance of living — and the wedding — begins first within you.

© 2007-2013 Amara Rose

           

Cast No Shadow

The only ones without shadows are usually witches, demons, or Star Trek movie characters. But on rare occasions, the absence of shadow can be a blessing:

Tomorrow's celebrated eclipse is happening conjunct the Pleiades on the day of the solar zenith at Chichen Itza, the pre-Columbian Mayan civilization in the Yucatán.

Solar zenith means the sun is directly overhead and thus casts no shadow. "Prayers that are offered on the day of no shadow are the most powerful," says shamanic astrologer Daniel Gimario. Listen to his informative, inspirational duet with Caroline Casey on the Visionary Activist show.

It's a stellar invitation to eliminate shadow from our lives. What do you wish to kiss goodbye forever? What do you want to invoke (literally, give voice to)? There's never been a more magical moment than right now. As above, so below.

It's time to paint a bold canvas with transmutational fire.

What the Upcoming Eclipse Can Teach Us About Torture

There's something more insidious than any malevolence we inflict on others: what we do to ourselves, using the one instrument of torture that's available to everyone, every day: our minds.

We become adept at berating ourselves for imperfections, whether physical, mental, or emotional: Why don't I weigh less/earn more/control my temper/have more friends/attract a lover/have a great job…? And that's just for starters.

However, we're living in a fulcrum moment for quantum change. This is the time that's been prophesied for millennia as the Turning of the Age, and so it is. The Mayans were correct, although not as those who interpret their calendars through a linear lens believe: the world is not ending; a world age is. We are moving into a time of consciousness, which is what their calendars measure: human evolution on a vast scale, which in one sense is time. But neither the world nor the calendar "end"; we simply continue, albeit at a higher level along life's spiral.

The upcoming solar eclipse on May 20^th, followed by the Venus transit June 5-6^th, offers us a slightly-more-than-two-week window of omnipresent opportunity. While being in the actual path of the eclipse will enhance its potency, there is no one on Earth who will not be affected — and profoundly changed, whether you're aware of it or not. Anyone who is incarnate now is de facto part of the shift, so no matter what your life "looks like", this is one area in which you can surrender the whip: if you're here, you're helping the planet and all her inhabitants to transform. Thanks for agreeing to play your essential part.

And there are multiple levels working. A few luminous takes on the eclipse include the current newsletter of Gillian Macbeth Louthan, whose Quantum Awakening site has been a beacon for 26 years and counting; this message from the Star Elders through Aluna Joy and this brilliant piece on the esoteric aspects of aligning with our Great Central Sun, Alcyone, in the Pleiades. I expand upon these topics in my own inspirational newsletter, What Shines. You can read the current issue on the Venus transit in Second Rock from the Sun, and a reprint of the eclipse issue on SpiritCrossing.org: Down to Earth.

A personal ah-ha: According to the 13-Moon Calendar (interwoven with the Mayan sacred calendar known as the Tzol'kin), which helps us attune with natural rhythms and return to biospheric alignment, the eclipse takes place on a 5Eb day. Eb, or Yellow Magnetic Human, happens to be my galactic signature/solar seal, which means it is my personal Mayan "sign". Each solar seal also has a "guide", and on 5Eb, the guiding energy is (drumroll): the Sun! (The Sun is one of the 20 Mayan solar seals; its Mayan name is Ahau). So, do I feel internally held and guided by the imminent eclipse on May 20^th?  You know it!

Finally, for all of us regardless of solar signature: each month in the 13-Moon Calendar consists of 28 days, or one moon cycle, and is thus referred to as a Moon, also carrying a specific energy. The life-altering May 20^th eclipse takes place during the Spectral Moon of Liberation, whose core question/action is: "How do I release and let go?" And the totem animal is the Serpent.

We're evolving Eden anew. This article delineates each of the 13 Moon inquiries: Embracing Paradox Can Help You Beat the Clock and this web page introduces you to each Mayan glyph in depth.

One more piece: The sacred Mayan cycle known as the Tzol'kin is 260 days long: the same cycle as Venus, and also the exact length of a human pregnancy! I expand upon these themes exponentially in my e-course for women on awakening to the Divine Feminine and celebrating life in a female body, Loving Our Lunacy.

So, dearhearts, let us release our attraction to suffering and free ourselves from self-inflicted torment to rise in love, eclipsing what no longer serves our growth, both individually and collectively, as we allow the planet of love to bathe us in her radiance and complete our journey into a greater awareness and allowance of union than we've ever known.

Blessed Be!

Summer Solstice: An Opportunity to Become More Whole

Summer Solstice celebrates the sun at the peak of its power. Both the sun (male energy) and the moon (female energy) are waxing, or increasing, now. June 21st marks the longest day and shortest night of the year, in the northern hemisphere. (Winter Solstice for our southern hemisphere allies). It's a stillpoint. A time to reflect. A potent moment to set your intention, because the manifestation momentum is strong.

The day goes by many names: All-Couples Day, Feast of Epona, Gathering Day, Midsummer, Litha, Vestalia. In ancient times, June was a popular marriage month, since summer offered a window between the sowing and reaping seasons. The June full moon was considered the best time to harvest honey from the hives, and newlyweds were fed honey during the wedding feast to encourage love and fertility. The tradition lives on in our modern post-nuptial getaway, the honeymoon.

How might we translate our ancestors' emphasis on love and union at Solstice to our lives today? In other words, how can we best live this light?

It's a grand opportunity to burn away old patterns that no longer serve our highest good, in order to become more whole. Whole, holy and heal originate from the same root. We can use the power of Solstice to assist us in integrating the masculine and feminine energies inside ourselves. The moment is ripe for sacred reunion. What do I mean by this?

Most books, films and songs that speak of love refer to romantic love between two people. We've been taught to look outside ourselves for completion, to seek the Other and to rejoice when we connect, or to keep searching.

What we're really seeking is a part of ourselves, which is why we often feel incomplete when we hook up with someone whom we hope will fill the empty place inside us. The wedding of the light and the dark, of the magnetic, receptive, lunar, "feminine" self and the dynamic, assertive, solar, "masculine" self, has to take place first within our own being. And yet — it's through relationship that we get there!

The beloved is a catalyst to help us merge the complementary aspects of ourselves. This is a radical idea, and challenging to hold. It turns everything we believe about romantic love on its head.

One of the ways to shine your own light more brightly is to celebrate yourself and each other, through whatever art forms call to you: music, dance, poetry, painting, comedy improvisation, theatre, ritual, chanting/singing, multimedia … and silence. Enlarge the lens you look through by asking, how can I expand this experience, become inclusive rather than exclusive?

This Summer Solstice, I invite you to sound the clarion call for your own companions of destiny — those who can see and honor your authentic self. The Mayan Oracle (a book and card deck based on the Mayan sacred calendar) says, "When you have been truly seen, you feel empowered, and remembrance of a shared sacred trust is ignited."

Acknowledge your connection with all life, and allow the simple to nourish you. Sitting beneath a tree, enjoying the sun on your feet and the wind in your hair, being thankful for life itself, is wholeness exemplified. The romance of living — and the wedding — begins first within you.

Summer Solstice: An Opportunity to Become More Whole

Summer Solstice celebrates the sun at the peak of its power. Both the sun (male energy) and the moon (female energy) are waxing, or increasing, now. June 21st marks the longest day and shortest night of the year, in the northern hemisphere (Winter Solstice for our southern hemisphere allies). It's a stillpoint. A time to reflect. A potent moment to set your intention, because the manifestation momentum is strong.

The day goes by many names: All-Couples Day, Feast of Epona, Gathering Day, Midsummer, Litha, Vestalia. In ancient times, June was a popular marriage month, since summer offered a window between the sowing and reaping seasons. The June full moon was considered the best time to harvest honey from the hives, and newlyweds were fed honey during the wedding feast to encourage love and fertility. The tradition lives on in our modern post-nuptial getaway, the honeymoon.

How might we translate our ancestors' emphasis on love and union at Solstice to our lives today? In other words, how can we best live this light? READ THE REST!

Earth changes, eruptions and empathy: it's all good

Been flying off the handle lately? Feeling spacey or ungrounded? Or as though time seems to be speeding up? Relax. It's only ascension.

A lengthy channeling from the Ashtar Command, excerpted below, reminds us that what is happening in the Heavens, on Earth and in our own beings is all cosmic mirroring. Each of us is a Sun, carrying the Light of the Great Central Sun within us, and "being the bridge of this Light between you and the Earth, just as your solar sun is the bridge between the Central Sun and your solar sun." As above, so below.

Ashtar counsels, "As you witness solar sun eruptions and flares, look at the other 'suns' about you and you will see these same flare-ups and eruptions taking place. As you witness this mirror effect, look below you and you will also see all kinds of erratic behavior and eruptions taking place upon the Earth." (Such as our recent earthquakes in Haiti and Chile). READ THE REST!